December 2016 – About Stuff

December 30, 2016

2016 – How did I do?

So how did I do?

At the start of the year, here, I listed my goals, aims and targets for the year. 2016 now draws to a close – time to review how I did …

Run 700Km, by no means a given. Running 500K is a minimum target, 800K – 500 miles – would be excellent but I don’t think I will have the time to complete this challenge, but 700K will be an achievement if I can do it. Nowhere near! I ended up running a mere 296Km in the year (approx 185 miles) To be fair, shortly after writing these targets I suffered a knee injury that pretty much put paid to my running until April. I ran a lot in the Summer hols (150K) but then once the Autumn term started I was ref-ing most Sundays so the opportunity to run was not there. Although I failed to make this target, i don’t feel bad about it as I wasn’t sat on my backside when not running, I’ve swum a lot (see below), started spinning, referee-ing,… am now fitter than I have been for 20+ years.
Swim the channel. OK – so not all in one go, or in the freezing sea, but in the calm warmth of Strode swimming pool. The Channel Swimming Association gives the distance as 32 Km which, by my calculations, is 960 lengths. France, here we come! Smashed it. Partly because of my knee injury, I really got into my swimming this year and completed 6,000 lengths (200Km)
For the past couple of years I have been in a football predictor league. This year, I find myself top of the table as the new year dawns. I would dearly love to win the league this year. Failing that, I would be content with a top four finish. Oh, and this year, I so want to beat my good pal Marc Radford – aka Menaggio Myla – but he has an uncanny knack of coming from behind to pip me at the post. (I’m Senor Cuerpo Guisante (use Google Translate) sitting pretty at the top of the table in the pic above) And how the mighty fall – I ended up about sixth or seventh overall and, once again, below Marc. This season is not going well – am currently 14th (out of 22) although a good couple of recent weeks bode well for the future … Currently lie one place and 5 points behind Marc. Not enjoying it as much this year – perhaps this’ll be my last season of statting for a while?
It was 1996 that I first qualified as a football referee, so long ago that my level of qualification no longer exists. This year, I have three goals, in ascending order: re-qualify & re-register as a official FA referee; referee a non-school game; get paid to referee a game. Smashed it, and some. Did the course in July and haven’t looked back since. Am loving it, reckon it is my mid-life crisis! Have re qualified, have done many school games and 14 non-school games (including Yeovil Academy trials) for which I’ve been paid. Am ref-ing in Yeovil and District Adult and Youth leagues.
Weight – I’m a stone and half down on my long term weight of last year. I’m claiming a weight of 13 st 7 for the start of 2016. Two goals: 1) establish 13 st 6 as my new long term weight or 2) (better) get to sub 13 stone. Another one met: Definitely sub 13 stone – even with the Christmas excesses of recent days, peaking at 12 12, I’ve been sub 13 for months. I’d say my “normal” weight is now 12 stone 7.
Write at least twice a month in my maths blog – A Maths Teacher Writes. I feel I’ve begun to neglect it a little of late and I need to rectify that. Fail! Despite good intentions, it just hasn’t happened. When I’ve had something to write about I’ve enjoyed doing it, my the ideas and inspiration about what to write has just not been there.

On the whole, a successful year. Now time to start pondering the goals, aims and targets for next (2017) year.

December 30, 2016December 30, 2016

2016 – That was the year that was

The year began with us living on a building site – although the main structure was up at the start of the year, there was still much to be done:

I would say it was the start of the Easter holidays that the build was finished – although there was still much to do. If 2015 was characterised by the build, 2016 will be remembered for re-structuring the garden. I built the deck:

I removed the side panel, took out a lot of bushes and built a shed:

I tackled the front hedge (in several goes!)

… and took down the old summerhouse:

Sophie took, and passed (and excelled) in her GCSEs

I did, and passed, my referee’s course, and “caught the bug”

Sam continued to grow. And grow. And grow.

We “did” the sitting room – I laid the floor, Becky painted & styled everything:

Taking down the stone fireplace ... — Taking down the stone fireplace …

I swam a lot, I ran a lot and I took up spinning. All this led to me being the fittest I’ve been for years, and also the leanest I’ve been for years:

And Christmas came around – fun family time, gathering of the clans before Christmas, just the four of us on the big day itself:

The Peabody Massive, December '16 — The Peabody Massive, December ’16

Despite all the turmoil in the wider world (Brexit, Trump, seemingly endless celebrate deaths) 2016 was a good year in Peabody Towers, who knows what 2017 will bring?

December 27, 2016

I Love It – Icona Pop

Track of the week 25/12/16

It could be argued that the final “track of the week” for ’16 should feature one of the fallen heroes – it does seem like a disproportionate amount of talent has passed this year; just in the last couple of days, Rick Parfitt from Satus Quo and George Micheal have moved on. I only just discovered that Greg Lake, who penned one of my favourite Christmas songs – I Believe in Father Christmas, dies on 7th December.

But no, my final track of the week is a bit of a surprise, and neatly emphasises why I do this – songs pop in and out of my head all the time, for a while they’ll be at the top of my playlist but then drift back into the obscurity that is my mind. This track is one that I’ve been aware of without really knowing it and then, today, whilst spinning in a vein attempt to burn off some Christmas excesses this track kicked in. I must admit, I thought it was little mix, but Sophie quickly identified it as Icona Pop (must have been my excellent rendition!)

Don’t know if they are a “cool” group, but I like this track, and that’s good enough for me.

December 25, 2016December 25, 2016

Christmas 16

Pic of the week 25/12/16

It’s Christmas …!

December 23, 2016

2016 – A Review

Not a review by me (I shall review my year in a later post), but I thought that this was a brilliant/funny/frightening review of 2016 – a year that most are predicting will go down in history as a bad year.

Watch the film, its funny (and, sadly, quite true)

December 21, 2016December 21, 2016

Swimming 2016

At the start of the year, I challenged myself to swim the channel. Not, of course, in the sea, in one go – that would be far too cold/difficult/dangerous/unachievable (and a whole host of other reasons), but over the course of the year in Strode Pool. I calculated I would need to swim 960 lengths, and I achieved this goal by mid March.

Today I completed my 6,000th length, which equates to 200km, and I’m rather proud of that. A knee injury in January forced me off the road and into the pool more, and no plumbing in February half term meant that I visited the pool every day to keep clean – swimming was a useful by product – but there have been other times when the going has got tough: the latter half of November, for example, found me somewhat of a stranger to the water (reports, refereeing, life, getting in the way).

The start of my Christmas holidays saw me needing to get in another 436 lengths – a significant number, but one that could be done. So I’ve put in a few big swims since then – 3 x 72’s, 2 x 60’s, 1 x 48 and 2 x 30’s to hit my goal today, with eight extra lengths for good measure!

With “odd” opening times for lanes next week (between Christmas & New Year) today may have been my last swim of the year, so the stats for 2016 are:

Lengths: 6008

Distance: 200.27 Km

December 18, 2016

Your love keeps lifting me (higher and higher) – Jackie Wilson

Track of the week 18/12/16

Another great foot stomper that impels you to get up and get moving. I defy you to sit perfectly still for 2 mins 51 seconds whilsrt this track plays.

I had to check through my tracks of the week – I’m amazed that I haven’t featured this before, Northern Soul at its sugary finest.

December 18, 2016

Gathering of the clan

Pic of the week 18/12/16

Last night, Saturday 17 December 16, we descended, en masse, to Ask in Wells to gather together and celebrate Christmas.

It was a lovely evening of great food, fine wine (or so I’m told – my Diet Coke certainly passed the taste test) and fab company.

Sam was delighted to get confirmation that he is now officially the second tallest in the family and he is eagerly eyeing up my crown – still a couple of centimeters to go, but maybe this time next year …

December 11, 2016

Ceremony – New Order

Track of the week 11/12/16
The first New Order single – and possibly the best? Could argue that, but this has to be up there with the best of them.

A marked transition from Joy Division – it was originally a Joy Division track, but New Order’s was so much better. I often think of those celebrity pop quizzes where they ask a either or question: Manchester or London, Coffee or Tea etc. If asked the question Joy Division or New Order my answer would be an unswerving New Order.

To me they are cleaner, more polished, less edgy – and I think I like that because it sums me up. Not to say Joy Division aren’t brilliant – Atmosphere is a beautiful piece of music – but for me, New Order are streets ahead, the album Ceremony deserves to be listened to.

Enjoy.

December 11, 2016

Its beginning to look a lot like …

The sitting room with new floor and sofa

Pic of the week 11/12/16

Christmas is coming! Still seems some time away to me, but is a mere two weeks away.

The house is in a very different state from this time last year, looking forward to our first proper Christmas in #79.