Category: Pic of the week

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New PB!

Pic of the week 11/6/17

I could have written this week about the election, how the Conservatives blew it with arrogance and turned a majority into a hung parliament.  I could have written a long discourse on what I thought the future might hold, and I was tempted to do so.

But then I hit the streets this morning and recorded a new personal best for 5K, 6K, 7K and 8K and that is far more impressive than Jeremy Corbyn’s meteoric rise to almost being in power.

Other than the last couple of hilly kilometers, I was pretty consistently hitting 4 mins 40 for each k, resulting in times of:

  • 5K 23min 20 sec
  • 6K 28 min 00 Sec
  • 7K 32 min 59 sec
  • 8K 37 min 55 sec

… new pb’s each one of them.

Chuffed!

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Take That 2017 – Wonderland

Pic of the week 4/6/17

Last night was my third annual pilgrimage to worship at the alter of Take That.

Birmingham NEC (Genting arena), their Wonderland Tour, another fantastic show, supported by All Saints (who were alright)

Got two tickets for £95 each by pre-ordering the album on Amazon (back in October) and spending half an hour with four browsers open (3 Birmingham nights and one Swansea gig) clicking refresh until I managed to snare these tickets.  As ever, worth the hassle and the cost.

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Heatwave!

Pic of the week 28/5/17

The first half of term ended in a burst of sunshine, a wonderful mini-heatwave that ended with a massive thunder & lightening storm on Friday night/Saturday morning.

Its now Bank Holiday Monday, the first day of half term, and it is grey and drizzling. Typical. But the sun was wonderful whilst it shone, here’s hoping its not gone too long.

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They think its all over …

… it is now! Pic of the week 21/5/17

Fourth Place!

I’m chuffed with that. A month a go I was languishing in mid-table and doubting my stat-ing future.  I couldn’t call a game, and I was growing disillusioned and a little bored. But what a late April/Early May.

I’ve surged up the table, somehow finding myself in 5th place going in to today’s final round of games. And after another good performance I’ve moved up one place to finish the season in 4th place – a personal best, and also the first time I have beaten Marc (Menaggio Myla).

Don’t yet know if I’m in the money (hoping to a least get my entry fee reimbursed), but I am genuinely delighted (and, obviously, easily pleased.)

‘Til next season …

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Becky & Granny

Pic of the week 7/5/17

Not too much to report this week.

Becky went to Cornwall on Saturday to see her Granny.

Sam spent an eye-watering amount of money on a pair of Nike Air Jordan’s – and I then got a text on Saturday:

How do you clean dog poo of shoes?

He’d evidently stood in some when out and about with his pals in Wells on Saturday.  Later that afternoon I got another text:

Can you pick me up or do I have to get the bus because my trouser have ripped

So, of course, I picked him up.

Despite the above, he had a good day.

Today I lined the U15 Div 1 Cup Final, another good day out, Taunton won 4-1.

Applied to de-register from VAT

All in the course of a “normal” week!

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Yoga

Pic of the week 30/4/17

I feel fitter at the moment than I have done for 20+ years.

I run, spin, ref and swim, all activities that burn off the calories and provide a good aerobic workout.

But I’m not as supple as I could be, and the limiting factor in my exercise regime tends to be my aching limbs. I never really stretch properly – before exercise I just want to get going, after exercise I just want to stop. A few lunges to stretch out the calf muscles and hamstrings probably isn’t enough.

And so I enrolled in a yoga class. Its at school on a Wednesday evening – Becky has been going since September and has enjoyed it and as I don’t (yet!) have a games commitment on a Wednesday afternoon this term I figured I could spare an hour to join the class.

I’m hoping to strengthen my core and stretch my muscles, becoming a bit more bendy.  I need to remember that this session is meant to be calm and relaxing and a supplement to my hi-intensity aerobic sessions. After the first week the jury is still out – but now I have a better idea of what’s going on, I hope future sessions will be more beneficial.

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So that was the Easter Hols

Pic(s) of the week 23/4/17

So today sees the end of the Easter hols.

Its been a great few weeks, with fantastic weather – it may have rained one day in the first week (but I’m not sure) but other than that its been as dry as a bone and unseasonably warm and sunny – perfect for enjoying the garden.

And I have enjoyed the garden – building the new deck where the summer house was last year and doing some planting – a couple of hydrangeas in front of the deck, strawberries, raspberry canes (although most don’t seem to be showing any signs of life), courgettes, aubergines and squash (I think the cucumber fell victim to slugs last night) hostas  … all is starting to look good, although temperatures are set to plummet next week – hope everything survives.

The end of dots of spots, the end of an era.  Quite a bit of time was spent over at the unit, moving and clearing stuff and stock. Thursday was a bit of a manic day, but at last the shelves are empty. Still a few lose ends to tie up, but the business is now closed. Very proud of Becky and what she achieved over those 8+ years, and equally proud of the sensible and pragmatic way that she decided “enough was enough” and it was time to shut up shop.

The Mini! Swapped the big Nissan Almera Tino for a less practical convertible mini, but my, it looks good! who needs a big family car? Not us any more.

Exercise: Have kept myself fit – have done 5 games (4 middles, 1 line) including a cup semi final today, ran 39.5Km in 5 runs, spun 5 times (burning off 2,925 calories), but only swum once, a measly 30 lengths (1Km).

(Reasonably) looking forward to the start of term tomorrow – 5 weeks, then 4 weeks doesn’t seem too daunting, no football to organise week in, week out and nearly all of my classes working towards GCSE, AS or A Level exams – easy street ’till the long Summer holidays!

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Mini!

Pic of the week 16/4/17

The silver Nissan Almera Tino is on its last legs – back in early Feb (?) I noticed that the fuel filler neck had completely rusted away and was now no longer connected to the fuel cap.

A bit of googling and a look under the vehicle suggested that it would be a relatively easy diy fix: jack the car up, undo a couple of jubilee clips connecting the filler neck to the tank, remove the neck pipe and do the reverse to fit the new item. Easy.

But the problem has been trying to get a new part – thought I’d found one in Germany, but no, and a few scrap dealers said they’d get me one, but never did, and so its the death knell for the Tino. Other things have “been going” too: the stereo has failed, and their is excessive play in the hand brake – I think one or two wheels are not breaking properly (I wonder whether a brake pipe has ruptured?)

Anyway, with its MOT due in a couple of weeks, I’ve made the decision that it is not economically sensible to keep it going. So I’m scraping it, and looking forward to receiving the princely sum of £45 for its scrap value!

I had spotted a 2007 Renault Clio, with 12 months MOT, for £995, but Becky had set her mind on a Mini. I’d been looking around for a few days when I checked into eBay to see this little baby on sale down the road at Compton Dundon for £1,600.

Long story short, we looked at it, liked it, bought it. Has an MOT ’till September (will do it in August). Does look good, ride is a little on the firm side, but a fun vehicle – Becky likes it! If it does three years, it’ll have paid its way – must remember to check back in April 2020 and report back!

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Heatwave!

Pic of the week 9/4/17

And what a week it has been! The temperature has soared, enticing me back out into the garden, which has been a bit neglected since early Autumn.

With some of my birthday Amazon vouchers I bought myself some 4 in 1 lawn care treatment and applied that to the green mossy area that has been masquerading as a lawn. Its blackening up nicely – that’s what is supposed to happen – ready for me to rake out all the dead thatch in a week or so’s time, allowing all the lovely green grass to grow through, thick and lush. In the (nearly) two years that we have been here I have been (pleasantly) surprised as to how infrequently I have had to mow the lawn – I think that that, though, is a symptom that it is not as healthy as it should be. One of my goals for this summer is to try and coax it back it full health – you can’t beat the backdrop of a verdant, vibrant vigorous sward.

I also bought myself a weed lance and I’ve enjoyed this bit of kit – basically a flamethrower used to burn weeds in the gravel and paving. The front garden, in particular, was getting more than its fair share of unwanted growth and the prospect of hand weeding this did not fill me with joy. But using this gadget does – fire it up, listen to the roar and wave it over the weeds, which then,over a day or so, blacken and die.

I also planted a rhubarb and have ordered some raspberries – a summer fruiting variety and an autumn fruiting one – to be planted. Its so much easier to get motivated when the sun is shining and the weather warm.

And I’v started – and nearly finished – a new deck where the summer house was (that I took down last year.) The job has been made infinitely easier as I bought some adjustable plastic “feet” onto which to mount the joists. Probably ended up spending £100 on these when i could have spent £50 on blocks, sand & cement, but it has been so much easier. Nearly built the whole deck in a day.  The decking planks I bought from eBay (less2build) as 4.8m lengths, so no cutting needed, just lay them straight onto the joists. Its turning out to be the easiest deck I’ve ever built. (Would have finished it on Saturday, but for a late call up to referee a match as the original appointee had to go to hospital.)  Should get it finished in the next couple of days (although I’ve then got to build the planter that will border it). Here’s a pic of me in action:

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Not bad for a 48 year old

Pic of the week 2/4/17

So Tuesday was my (48th) birthday. I had a great day and I’ve been a busy boy since.

Over the last year it has dawned on me that my mid-life crisis is manifesting itself in the need to do as much exercise as possible.  Perhaps its some subconscious realisation that this body of mine has a finite life and I need to extract every last scrap of usage out of it? Who knows, but it’s got to be better than buying a motorbike, squeezing into some ill fitting leathers and roaring down the road is some forlorn hope to try and recapture ones youth.

I celebrated the day by sneaking off early at 3.15 (free lesson P5!) and heading down to the pool to swim 48 lengths for my 48th birthday – a mile to mark the milestone of another passing year. And then it was home for pressies & my birthday tea of curry, followed by lime jelly and ice cream – a menu not enjoyed or shared by any member of my family.

I was already tee-ed up to referee the girls football tournament on the next day (Wednesday 29th) when I got a phone call asking me to referee Wessex U14s in a game the same evening, 6.30 kick off. I agreed – come 8.30pm on Wednesday I gratefully hopped  (no, not hopped, stumbled perhaps) into the shower, realising I had just refereed for 3 hours!

On Thursday I played for the staff v the U6th leavers – was pleasantly surprised how my legs coped with another onslaught of physical activity. A great game, great fun, and great to come out 3-2 winners.

Friday was, of course, spinning night – with the added euphoria of the end of term. Saturday – a day of rest, before Sunday, more football, this time a Legends game v Castle Cary.

A beautiful Spring day, we took the lead and for a good ten minutes basked in the glory of being ahead as well as the April sunshine. But, alas, it was not to last. A very off-side goal and a missed penalty saw us ultimately lose 3-1, but a great game to end a great season veterans football (all of 4 games!)

And now the holidays begin in earnest, I need the rest, but I’m sure I’ll find the time for a little bit (more) exercise.