Category: Pic of the week

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Beast from the East

Pic of the week 4/3/18

Wednesday – the last day of February was cold, very cold, but it was not until after lunch on Thursday 1st March that the snow began to fall, heralding the arrival of the Beast from the East.

And that evening and night, it dumped a whole lot of snow.  The first significant snowfall for 5 years. Enough snowfall to result in a snow day (or two) but not for me, being but a five minute walk to school.  (For the first time in over two years I regretted moving from Shepton!)

Snow is dispruptingly exciting and fun, beautiful, and blessedly rare. A rather cool drift was sculptured in our back garden; it was quite interesting to see how the snow swirled and illuminated the eddies and gusts.

Two days on, the beast is now slain. Its cold, white, wet entrails still lie strewn across some patches of ground, but the thaw has been swift. The temperature has risen, the sun has shone, rain has fallen to wash it away. It’ll soon fade into a dim memory as the warm spring sun shines through, announcing the end of winter and the promise of hot days to come.

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Imagine Dragons

Pic of the week 25/2/18

On Saturday we went, en famile , to see Imagine Dragons at the Genting Arena, Birmingham.

Great show, both visually and musically, and we all had a great time

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Target met!

Pic of the week 17/2/18

I’ve only bloomin’ well gone an done it!

Ran 10K today in 46 mins 41 secs, thereby completing my target of running of running 10K in fewer minutes than my age in years – and I didn’t even need to wait until after my birthday in March, when I gain an extra minute!

Wasn’t sure how far I was going to run today as I set off on my six K route, legs a bit heavy after last night’s spinning, but splits were good and as I approached the leisure centre at around the 6K mark I was feeling good, so I thought I’d try a new “extra” loop by running up to the lights, straight on, and then right into Portway, right again and then back via the High Street.

Did mean a bit of a punishing climb from Strode ’till beyond The Elms, but kept on going.  Had to do a little extra loop at the end to take it to 10K.

Chuffed with the time and distance. Job Done!

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Derry Girls

Pic of the week 11/2/18

For the last six weeks, I’ve been watching Derry Girls – a “sitcom” about a group schoolgirls (& James) in Derry in circa late eighties, early nineties. I’ve enjoyed it, its been funny with a hefty dollop of nostalgia lumped in (although it has, on occasion, niggled a little, when some period details were wrong.) It was recommended to me (via the radio) as the best thing since the Inbetweeners.  I can see why the comparison is made, but they are really apples & oranges: The Inbetweeners was/is laugh out loud funny, interlaced with painful cringing, Derry Girls was a little be lighter, a little bit softer, but still funny, still worth watching and still worth immortalising on this blog!

The pic of the week this week has nothing to do with Derry Girls.  Yesterday we (Becky, Sophie & I) went to Reading University for an applicant’s day.  Up far too early, the sun began to rise as we headed for the A303, but later on it just rained, cold, cold grey rain.  Anyway, a useful day – looks like Sophie will make Reading her firm choice, to read BSc Economics, therefore needing ABB.  Also, very impressed by the prospect of a year “out” working in industry in her 3rd year. Another chapter in all our lives will soon open.

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January review

Pic of the week 4/2/18

So January has been and gone.

To me, it went quite quickly, which is no bad thing as it is always a cold, dark month with little to commend it.  The mornings seemed dark long into the day and the evenings not much better.  February can be a cruel month – and we are set for a cold snap – but at least it is now light at 5pm, and that makes a big difference.  The couple of pics above show that the garden is beginning to wake up and showing signs of hope, signs that one day, warmth and sunshine will return.

I began the month feeling slow, sluggish and fat – I end the month fitter and thinner. Today (OK Feb, not Jan) I ran 9K, clocking up a PB at each of the major markers:

5K 22m 45s,  6K 27m 18s,  7K 31m 50s,  8K 36m 27s,  9K 41m 05s

Those times don’t come from being idle: in January I ran 57.14Km in 4h 33 mins, I’ve kept to my goal of swimming each week and in Jan I swam 264 lengths – that’s 8.8Km – and I’ve spun for three and three quarters of an hour.

My weight is beginning to come back under control. I’ve taken Friday as my weigh day, it had been down to 12 stone 9 and .75, but was up to 12 10.75 this Friday, but that was a blip as I did an extra duty on Thursday evening (and therefor tucked into a snickers bar at 10.45 pm)

So only a week ’til half term – always a major milestone when one can sense that the back of winter has been broken as the days lengthen and warm.

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Run, run, run

Pic of the week 28/1/18

When the new year dawned, I hit the roads, but slowly. I knew Christmas, and my pre-Christmas injury (pulled left hamstring) would have taken their toll, but I must confess that I was surprised as to how slow I was running.

Four weeks on, and that has significantly changed. Today I ran 9K (my typical 7K loop, with the extra 1K from the Hinhayes loop added on, but continued onto the High Street to push it up to 9K) and I ran those 9Ks quickly.

To be fair, last week I was fairly swift around 8Ks, but today I logged PBs for 7K, 8K and 9K:

  • 7K 32 min 3 secs
  • 8K 36 min 48 secs
  • 9k 41 min 27 secs

I’m impressed with myself.  Next step must be to start making 9K the standard Sunday run (although, ironically, shan’t be running for next two Sundays: refereeing next week, Legends game the week after) and then push it up to 10K.

And  the pic of the week? Nothing to do with running, but Becky’s been painting the bathroom. Today we ordered the lino, so in three weeks time, it’ll all be done.

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Rainy days and Sundays

Pic of the week 21/1/18

It’s been a wet old week, and today it has not stopped raining at all.

What do you do with grey January days? Not a lot. Get up, go to work, come home. At least the evenings are noticeably lightening – on a bright day its still light at 5pm, but on another, when the clouds cover the skies, its just damp and gloomy.

Went for a run today in the incessant rain. Perhaps it was the desire to get back into the dry and warmth, but I’m covering the k’s quickly – did 8Km in 37min 00 secs, a personal best. Chuffed with that.

Was due to referee today, but the game was called off yesterday – must admit I was pleased about that. I enjoy refereeing, but it takes up too much of my Sunday when it is my only day off.  Have settled into of a nice routine of getting up, running, stretching, showering and then enjoying my breakfast, before just loafing for the rest of the day (which will include reading & snoozing in the afternoon) Have just been appointed to ref a cup game in a couple of weeks, which I’ll do, but don’t think I’ll offer many/any other working week Sundays to the whistle.

On a side note, just been out to do the compost and noticed that some of the daffodils are starting to show their flower heads.  Still sometime ’till they’ll bloom, but a sign of promise of what is to come. So here’s a pic of some daff’s in the house:

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January Blues

Pic of the week 14/1/18

So its mid-January (already!) and the time that we should be wallowing in the mid-January blues. Tomorrow has been nicknamed “Blue Monday”, supposedly the most depressing day of the year.

Well, not for this boyo.

Term has begum well – although hard to believe I’ve only been back a week – busy but fulfilling, getting back into the groove of regular routine. The skies have been largely leaden and white, but this afternoon the sun begun to peek through the clouds, revealing a smudge of blue sky and the light was definitely different from a month ago – just a hint that the back of winter has been broken and that, one day, Spring will come.

Ran this morning – split times a bit suspect (1st 3 k’s called too soon) but on the whole I think I was quite quick. Did a little bit of marking, and then spent a relaxing afternoon just reading, snoozing and listening to music. Quite pleasant to fritter away a Sunday afternoon, even if it does leave little to report in my weekly blog post.

(The pic this week is the kitchen looking bright, airy & welcoming. Perhaps a visual metaphor for the months ahead?)

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Hols End

Pic of the week 7/1/18

And so the Christmas hols draw to a conclusion.

It seems a long time since we broke up in December (that’s a good thing!) and I’ve enjoyed four weeks of family time. Nothing major to write about – no trips up the Nile, no major milestones, but also no calamities or catastrophes, just plenty of time at home with the three most important people in my life.

A week ago – new year’s eve – we settled down for a game of monopoly, great fun and no (major) fallings out!

Back to school tomorrow and I’m quite looking forward to it.  Would quite happily have another week or seven of holiday, but knowing that I’ve got to go back to work holds no dread or fear for me – I shall embrace it and enjoy it, after all, in five weeks time it’ll be February half term …

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Merry Christmas!

Pic of the week 24/12/17

And here it is, Merry Christmas, …

Christmas eve 2017.

Just the four of us at home for Christmas this year which, I must admit, I’m looking forward to – a calm, chilled bit of family time with no dramas (one hopes!) and no disagreements.  (After all, the family all know that I Becky has the final say!)

As I write, I’ve just spent a contented hour so prepping veg whilst listening to Absolute ’80s, Becky’s busy manning the tills at Sainsburys, Sophie’s curled up on the sofa having woken up and been sick a couple of times (hopefully just a passing bug) and Sam is up in his room waging virtual war across the net with pals.

Last Saturday, Becky’s side of the family all came to lunch, yesterday Dad & June popped in for coffee, but no big meeting of my side of the clan this Christmas.

Weather is benign – mild and grey, typical Christmas weather actually.

Family video this evening – Top Gun has made the cut, will be a big improvement on last year’s “Meet the Coopers” which was dire. I think Christmas is now the only time we all join together to watch the same thing at the same time in the same space.

Happy Christmas!