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After the long hot summer, the inevitability of the first day of school dawned on Monday and it was back to work (for some of us)

Sam is working in the kitchens and, despite some moaning, is, I think enjoying it. The routine is good for him, and he got to see his old Art teacher (Jenny Weare) from The Blue School.

But not all of us have had our noses to the grindstone: Becky and Sophie have been having a lovely chilled* week in Corfu.

*chilled apparently, except when travelling by Greek bus (back from Corfu town). “Inhumane” see described the journey – and she’s probably right – but I would still happily swap 40 ins in an overcrowded bus if it meant I could spend the days bobbing in the clear blue sea, rather than dodging the immense rain we have been having hear in England this week. Thunder, lightening and biblical rain this morning – fortunately I had agreed to referee this morning, else I would have been caught it whilst running (was dry when I first got up). Match was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch, so with Sam at work, I’ve had a lazy day of snoozing and music.

It has been a week of wonderful weather – the sun has shone, the skies have been blue and, during the day, the temperatures have crept up. Today has, perhaps, been best of all, and after a morning pottering outside (and washing the cars!) this afternoon it was warm enough to sit outside for an hour or so, all enhanced by the beautiful yellow daffodils blooming proud in all areas of the garden.

My calf muscle has been feeling better, and this morning I braved a run. Having done little running since Christmas, the 5K I covered was a bit tough, but most importantly my legs held up! Now (and to coincide with the improving weather, although next week is set to turn chilly again) to get back into my stride and run more regularly.

On Monday the carpet fitters came and laid the carpet on the stairs – it looks good and feels good underfoot, to!

Dad is back home from hospital (came out on Monday) and seems to be making a good recovery.

I have come to realise that there is a God, and he is a vengeful god.

And I have angered him.

A few years ago, Becky had planta fasciitis, I was sympathetic, but not really appreciative of how painful and debilitating it was until I developed the condition in January ’23.

For the last twelve months, or so, she has been complaining of a frozen shoulder, again my sympathy was not perhaps as fulsome as it might have been.

This week I have had a pain in my neck, right shoulder and right forearm. At times it has been blummin’ painful. Leaning forward to swoosh my face with water when shaving each morning gives me a pain just below my neck, between my shoulder blades. The pain often then moves through my shoulder to a my chest, were my right arm meets my body. A good job it has been on the right not the left, else I may have thought the pain was a heart attack. And my right arm and wrist hurts, particularly when using a mouse, or driving. It seems to be when the weight of my arm is not supported.

I thought it perhaps caused by a trapped nerve, or perhaps even the weight of my enormous brain causing strain on my neck.

But then I had my moment of clarity. I found god. My angry, vengeful deity, punishing me for my lack of sympathy. And since I have had my moment of revelation, the pain has begun to ease a little. However, my god continues to toy with me, periods of pain free clarity are brought to a swift end with a stabbing pain, a reminder of my sins past and present.

In other news, it was Becky’s birthday on Thursday. Just the two of us (getting older and more achy)

Weather wise – the blanket of grey has lifted and we have seen a bit of sun, blue sky but also some rain; and we’ve been able see the Tor again, no longer hidden in murky grey cloud. Its got colder, and is set to get colder still, so I have been enjoying what may be the last few days of my still flowering nasturtiums. And for the record, I gave the lawn a quick mow today, in the warm damp weather it has been growing at a fair old rate for November, and needed a quick trim.

Its been a busy – but fulfilling – week at work, but that does mean I don’t have much to write about for my blog. I’ve been working hard, getting a lot done, and we inch closer and closer to half term – one more week to do before the break.

The weather remains notable in its constant flux, chaos and change. We have some very wet days – Tuesday was particularly biblical, yesterday (and the photo above is from yesterday) was bright and sunny – a very pleasant afternoon to be running around Kingweston (although it had started with some unexpected rain) and today has been cold, feeling more like November or February than early/mid October. I must confess, I am pleased to be fleeing to the blue skies and warmth of southern Spain in ten days time.

… or how I neutered the beast

When even Sam found the new Civic embarrassingly loud, it was pretty clear that I needed to do something about it. So I ordered myself a new back box of ebay (along with donut gasket) for £61. It arrived today and I spent a happy couple of hours taking off the old exhaust, and fitting the new one.

The noisy, ASBO inducing, back box had obviously only been fitted fairly recently (within a year or so?) and the two bolts joining the back box to the middle section came off quite easily, although the sizes of the two flanges didn’t quite match and it had been fixed together with a bit of brute force and ignorance.  And subsequent research has suggested that the two sections should be joined with spring bolts (rather than just bolts) so I may get  a couple of them and re-fit at a later date.

Anyway, the new back box went on without too much fuss and the vehicle is now running in stealth mode (well, not exactly, but it is a lot, lot quieter.) I think I will also put the original resonator box back on, I think it will make it quieter still and probably run a little cleaner (and better) as it will be drawing in cold air, as designed. But before I can do that, I need to get some replacement bolts (the original bolts that bolt the resonator box to the car have vanished) and a new, standard, air filter. But these are jobs for when we return from Italy. But in the meantime, I’m a happy hector who enjoyed his work this morning, and now has a car that won’t wake the dead, or scare the natives.

 

Pic of the week 14/1/24

This week it has been cold! Not the cleansing, invigorating blue sky, fresh cold, no, the grey overcast cold, with biting wind thrown in.

On Monday I refereed a school cup game. Two minutes to go we were 2-1 down (to the better side) Oh well, thinks I, a shame we shall go out, but I will soon be able to go in and start to defrost. But no, an innocuous free kick just beyond the  half way line, and somehow an equaliser is scored. Cue twenty minutes of extra time. A quick lead is claimed, and again, two minutes from extra time full time it looks like we’ll have a winner. But no, another last minute equaliser. Cue penalties. At least before I was running around, now I was stood managing the penalty shoot out, and feeling the last therm of warmth drain from my body. A the penalties just kept flying in. Sudden death – and I’m thinking if we don’t get a result soon, the sudden death will be me, from hypothermia.  At last, some poor soul has their penalty saved, and we can all go home. Rinse and repeat on Wednesday, but this time the sun was shining, and the game mercifully one-sided, no fear of penalties here. But after the brief appearance of the sun on Wednesday, the greyness has returned, along with falling temperatures.  I don’t like the cold, it has little, if anything, to commend it. Roll on warmer days!

On Thursday we (Year 10) went to Bristol en-masse and me and 100 students visited the SS Great Britain.  Of course, I took the opportunity to dress up and have my photo taken. A striking resemblance to Isambard Kingdom Brunel I think?!

Pic of the week 30/7/23

On Thursday we (Becky & I) returned from a fantastic 8 days in Cavtat, Croatia.

I loved it – it is a beautiful place, the pace of life was suitably chilled, a melting pot of nationalities, the price was right, the food and drink delicious and the water – well the water perfect.

The sea was deep, calm and refreshing.

It didn’t matter whether it was “our” cove,

or over at beautiful Plat – a 15 minute bus ride to the other side of the bay:

The weather was hot (and the apartment air-con deliciously cool) and we woke on the Tuesday to smoke on the mountains opposite as bush fires took hold. All day, we watched aircraft scoop up water from the sea and then water bomb the mountains opposite us.

We were never in danger (in fact, it was a privilege to watch the planes in action) but a few days earlier we had read in the news of holidaymakers being evacuated from Rhodes as they fled forest fires. The scene that night was quite elemental as we watched the hills burn:

The fire just added to the drama and interest of the week. We also saw a spectacular lightening storm one night, water polo practice in the harbour, some local folk dancing and some varied bird life – I swam 5 metres from a cormorant,  saw a heron and kingfisher in plat and had swallows swoop within feet of me as I swam in the calm of the early morning. It really was a great holiday.