The new shed arrived at about 2pm on Thursday 2nd June. Before the day was done it was built!
Half term
Pick of the week 5/6/16
What a manly half term:
I built a new shed:
I knocked down the summerhouse, fixed the car when it wouldn’t start, ran 6k twice, swam 2K twice, a mile once and totaled 288 lengths of the pool, chopped down the tops of two hefty trees in the hedge … and all of this in one week.
I’ve got 4 weeks back at school now, before the long eight week summer holiday – not sure how I’ll survive it, I’ll be a physical wreck come September!
The rain stayed away most of the time and sun shone on occasion, a great, fulfilling and productive week.
He’s getting big!
Pic of the week 22/5/16
This pic was taken on Tuesday 17th May and shows Sam nearly as tall as me!
He’s getting big, … and strong. I now have to use all my wiles and cunning to defeat him in a wrestling or pushing match, but defeat him I do!
Birthday!
Pic of the week 3/4/16
Was my birthday on Monday – 47 years young! This is a pic of me opening my gifts.
Think I’m doing well for my years. I’m going to record my weight as 13st 2lb (compared to 15st 0 last year), swimming regularly: typically 1km at least 3 times a week, with (recently) the odd mile thrown in. Running still on hold due to the knee not quite fully heeling as I’d like. Hair is becoming increasingly “flecked with grey” and (much to Sam’s delight) now starting to noticeably recede at the front, but all told, I think I’m in pretty good nick (others will, I’m sure, disagree!)
Bonjour!
One of my goals, targets and aims was to swim the channel. Since writing those targets I’ve had some doubts as to how far I actually need to swim. I surpassed the 960 lengths I originally calculated a week or so ago but I now don’t think it far enough.
Anyway, I am now claiming to have reached France, having swum 1064 lengths, which equates to 35.1 Km or 21.9 miles. The official minimum swim distance is 21 miles, so I reckon I’ve done it.
Loving the swimming at the moment, typically swim 30 lengths in circa 23mins 30 ish secs. It seems to ease my knee injury, I reckon I’ve swum more because I’ve run less, and our lack of plumbing over half term meant swimming every day which added to the distance.
Suppose I’d better turn round and swim back now! 5,000 lengths in the calendar year? Now that’s a (new) challenge.
Mother’s Day
Pick of the week 6/3/16
Mother’s day – my two children with their Mum.
(Looking a bit like a GAP advert against the sheer white of our new kitchen!)
Relief!
Due to the extension build, we’ve had no plumbing for a week (well, limited plumbing: we’ve had a loo.) So I last shaved on Monday morning. Today is Saturday. I could bear it no longer.
The stubble was irritating, flecked with too much grey and made me look like a hobo. It had to go.
So today, after my morning swim and shower at Strode pool (I’ve rather enjoyed swimming at this time) I had a shave in the changing rooms. Bliss.
I’ve never had a beard or ‘tache in my life, and I now know that I shall never do so.
Snap!
Sam is growing too fast (and too much!)
We clearly share a common taste in “leisure wear”
I reckon I’ve still got half a foot on him, but he’s catching up fast!
2015
Goals, Aims and Targets
I don’t do New Year resolutions, but these are my goals, aims and targets for the coming year. In no particular order:
- 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.
- 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!
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Well that little lot should keep me busy for the next twelve months – come December I’ll do a review of how I did.
Happy New Year!