Monday

Weight

It was time for the payback after the weekend of consumption. The scales told the full ugly story. I now weighted more that I have for a very long time. In fact, it was only 200 grams under the weight that triggered the whole “must lose some bulk” journey. This was very disappointing and I felt suitably guilty. It didn’t stop me enjoying my bacon omelette for breakfast though.

Book

I’ve been carrying a book in my bag for the last month with the intention of reading it on the train. Today I finally started it. It’s looking promising but books by this author rarely disappoint me, unless it is a collection of short stories that was disappointing.

Lunch

I’m back on the Couscous and fruit again. Not mixed together. I’ve prepared a week’s worth of couscous salad. It’s Couscous with peppers, spring onions and lemon pesto mixed into it. The lemon pesto is there to add a bit of flavour to an otherwise bland meal. It fills a hole and is reasonably tasty. This is good as I’m going to be having it for lunch for the next week.

Crisps

There was absolutely no excuse for the packet of crisps I ate whilst waiting for the train.

Tea

I didn’t want to eat too much for two reasons, the first and most obvious is that I was feeling a little bulky. The second was that I was intending to go for a swim later. I went for the cheese and biscuits option as it was easy and I had all the required components in the kitchen. The problem with cheese is that I like cheese, I like cheese a lot. I was hungry as well. Cheese availability and hunger should not in my case be mixed as they lead to fattening results

Swim

The swimming pool was almost empty when I arrived. They had finished the health and safety pause and a few people were ploughing up and down the lanes. I joined them for my usual Monday evening long repeats. I felt a bit sluggish in the water. I put this down to my expanded belly creating extra drag in the water. As I progressed though the set I felt myself getting slower and slower. It became a struggle to finish the last repeat. My watch showed a sorry saga. My repeat times were well down on previous sessions and the last repeat was substantially slower than the first. At least I’d been in the water.

Moon

Whilst drinking a cup of tea I decided that I needed to take pictures of the moon. It was big and bright and moving through clouds in a dramatic way. It took a while to set up but it was fun to do. Hopefully the pictures will be good.

Sunday

Awake

Waking in a strange bed after a light sleep hugging a duvet that had been rolled into a tube was a strange experience. I’d been woken by voices from downstairs and realised that it was an appropriate time to join the land of the living. I wasn’t feeling very awake despite being asleep for over eight hours.

Breakfast

I really wasn’t hungry this morning, thirsty enough to drink three mugs of tea, but not remotely hungry. As my brother and sister in law tidied things away they kept offering me odds and ends left over from yesterday’s celebrations. I hate seeing food go to waste so I accepted a lot of them. I brought home more food that I would eat in a week. I couldn’t believe that they would have just thrown it away.

Home

The cat was pleased to see me. She was more pleased with the fresh food. I made yet another cup of tea, sat on the sofa and took stock. I had plenty of things that should be done. I made a list. Baking was not on the list. I decided to bake.

Cake

I had the ingredients for a date and walnut loaf and to be quite frank if I didn’t use them I would end up eating them anyway. I made two loaves. The tri club is having a bring and buy morning soon. I intend to take them there.

Cleaning

The bathroom hasn’t been cleaned for a while. The baking was an avoidance measure. In the end though I had to roll up my sleeves and get on with it. At least cleaning the bathroom helped me avoid doing the ironing.

Ironing

It took me a long time to get the ironing but eventually it had to be done. I set up the ironing board in front of the computer and ironed whilst watching video clips. It made it all so much less dull. It didn’t take that long to flatten last week’s shirts into submission.

Food

I’ve not felt hungry all day, Thirsty yes but hungry no. I have a few bits of cheese and biscuits with yet another cup of tea. I ate far too much yesterday and I’m dreading getting back on the scales as I’m sure they have a horror story waiting for me.

List

I’ve made a list of all the things I should be doing next week. It’s very long and scary, I may not complete everything. I should have done some of the things on the list this evening. I found playing with a camera much more interesting.

Saturday

Early

I wasn’t ready for the alarm this morning. I had woken up in the mid of the night and not been able to get back to sleep for about an hour. During that time, I’d watched a couple of television programs. It took me a while to come round an then seconds to realise I needed to be out of the house and on my way to the pool.

Coaching

I was coaching again this week. It was a session about body alignment and balance in the water, something that I feel is fundamental to good swimming. My intention was to coach the first session and swim the second. However, the reality was that I couldn’t switch from coaching a set to swimming it so I coached the second session was well. This time the lane contained two of the club coaches. I always feel a bit nervous when coaching other coaches as they have more of an idea about what I should be doing. The fact that one of them had written the set was doubly daunting. I asked them for feedback after the session and on the whole it was quite pleasing. The head coach went so far as to say that he would use some of the things I did in the set when he was coaching.

Party

My mother is eighty today. My brother is hosting a party for her, I was invited but expected to help with the hosting. There were glasses to fill, cakes to cut, pictures to take. It was all good fun. I met second cousins how looked very similar to my grandad. There must be something in this family resemblance thing.

Nap

The last of the guests left at just gone six. One minute later I was asleep on the sofa, I stayed there until my brother server tea. I wasn’t remotely hungry but picked at a few bits to be polite.

Television

I rounded of the evening by watching a film whilst drinking brandy. It was a film I’d seen many times before so falling asleep would not cause a problem with continuity.

Friday

Weight

I’m still the same weight, this is four days in a row that I’ve been the same weight. Even after sitting on the trainer last night and having heavy aching legs to prove it I am still the same weight. I may eat something heavy today just for some variation.

Breakfast

I made scrambled eggs on toast today as I had used the last of the bacon. It’s a minor variation on the eggs for breakfast theme but at least it’s a variation. I really should think of something else to eat. There was a time when I thought about writing a book called “breakfasts of the universe” I might resurrect the idea to introduce a little variation into my breakfast routine.

Train

The strike is over for this week so I was back to catching the normal train. Mine was running but the two after had been cancelled due to something to do with trains. On one hand I was glad my train was running but on the other I was a little aggrieved on missing out on the opportunity for another few minutes in bed. I get quite tired by Friday and a few extra moments in bed would have been lovely.

Work

Friday is always a quiet day and today was quieter than normal. This gave me a chance to do a lot of little things that I had put aside for quiet times. I made a long list of little things and whistled though them at a rate of knots. The planning meeting at the end of the day brought an abrupt end to my productivity but at least it finished on time and I could escape at a reasonable hour.

German

I had my first German lesson in three weeks. That should have been enough time to do the home work and some additional study. I had of course found other things to do and ended up doing the homework in the brief period between coming home and leaving for the lesson. I really need to decide whether I want to carry on learning German. On one hand I want to maintain the skill but on the other I don’t use it much anymore and my motivation for learning is waning.

Shopping

I dropped into the supermarket to get some food for next week as tomorrow is going to be busy. There is something strange and sad about a late night visit to a supermarket. I had isles to myself, shelf packers were preparing for the evenings work, most of the tills were close. It was almost eerie

Late

I got home late and tired, I’d set the washing off before I’d left the house and now I had to hang it up. I really didn’t want to but the thought of it getting smelly if I left in in the machine drove me on. I often wonder what other people do on Friday nights. I’m sure it’s a lot more exciting than my Friday nights.

Thursday

Morning

I made my usual visit to the scales to find that I was exactly the same weight as yesterday. It happens sometimes but I still find it strange. Yesterday I was lazy and ate a bit more, the day before I was energetic. I would have thought that it would make a difference, but apparently it doesn’t or at least not enough of a difference for my scales to notice. I used the last of the bacon to make a bacon omelette. I am going to have to think of something different to have for breakfast tomorrow.

Train

The strike is still going so I can legitimately take a later train and stroll into the office later than normal without a tinge of guilt. The fact that some of my colleagues are “working from home” has made the office a very lonely place to be.

Work

There was a constant stream of things to do today, this was good. It is a lot better than scratching round to find things to do. There were suitable periods of inactivity where I could also keep abreast of current affairs and glean knowledge from the internet

Bamboo

A friend of mine has been talking about building a bamboo bike. He sent me a link to a company in London that runs a weekend workshop to build a bike from bamboo. Out of curiosity I have sent them a mail asking if they have experience of building a trike from bamboo. It appears that they have. I feel that we will be entering phase two of the negotiations soon. I quite fancy the idea of riding around on a bamboo trike.

Crisps

I left work on time today and the train was on time. There was no excuse to buy the large packet of crisps that I devoured in the few moments between purchase and the train arriving. I was totally underwhelmed by the shop assistant; she was more intent on fiddling with her phone than serving me.

Bike

I was back on the bike trainer tonight doing the same routine as last time. I peddled at a reasonable cadence and used the gears to keep my heart rate within limits. There was a lot of sweat but by the end I felt that this particular set was getting easier. It might actually be doing me some good. I would rather be running but I still have the pain in my heal, by not running I’m hoping it will have some time to sort itself out.

Dinner

I really do lack culinary imagination during the week, I repeated the meal I had last night mainly because it was quick and easy to prepare. I still felt hungry after the salad but a packet of water biscuits came to the rescue. I justified my greed with the calories I had used torching myself on the bike trainer.

Bins

Thursday night is bin night; the rubbish needs to be put out for collection in the morning. Usually I don’t remember that until I’m tucked up in bed but today I didn’t have to get dressed again to put the bins out. It was a small victory but a victory all the same.

Wednesday

Morning

It was another struggle to join the world of the wakeful this morning. At least it wasn’t as bad as the last few days. The scales told me I’d lost another 0.1 of a kilo. I was expecting it to be a little more after all the sweating last night but a loss is a loss. I decided that a bacon omelette was the way forward. I feel that every now and again I get caught in a culinary rut. I really should think of something that is not egg based for breakfast.

Train

The train strike is continuing but at least today it is not compounded by “operational issues” I caught a train that was ten minutes later than normal. I saw no reason to catch the one that was twenty minutes earlier than normal, that would just be silly.

Work

It was another busy day at work trying to get people to do things that they really had no time for. At least I managed to get my in-box down to a reasonable number of unanswered e-mails

Meeting

The last two hours of the day were taken up with a planning meeting. It finished half an hour early and things were looking good for an early departure until one of the managers asked if I would join him for a coffee. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse but one that was going to make me miss the early train. I couldn’t just rush off after returning to my desk. I sat there and waited for half an hour before making my excuses and leaving. I was now on the late train and that was not a good thing for my state of equilibrium

Swim

I had intended to go for a swim tonight but the later than expected arrival put pay to that. I had dinner instead, it was the same as last night: tuna mayonnaise salad. I really am getting stuck in a culinary rut. I rounded it off with a few slices of date and walnut cake, just because they were there. I’ll probably regret it in the morning.

Paperwork

A long time ago I promised to do a thing, I’ve not done that thing, in fact I’ve not done that thing twice. No one has noticed I’ve not done the thing and no one is expecting me to do the thing. I just feel guilty that I’ve not done it. It’s not a hard thing it’s just that I don’t know where to start. I’m on the verge of saying that I won’t do the thing because of “reasons” related to the other thing. I still feel guilty about it though

Tuesday

Morning

I woke slowly this morning; I was in no rush as there was a train strike. This meant that the train I normally take was cancelled and I would have to catch the train 10 minutes later. Those few minutes could make all the difference. I made my usual visit to the scales and they told me that I’d made no progress with losing weight. That was a bit disheartening. I made a bacon omelette anyway. I reasoned that anything else would be an “on toast” option and that the toast would add unwanted calories.

Cancellation

I checked the train times as I was leaving and found that the train I intended to catch had been cancelled as well as the train after. I used the time to visit the train companies’ website and claim a small refund on my ticket. In the end I was only half an hour late, others were much later than that. I just sat down and started work. It was obvious why I’d been delayed.

Work

I was busy today, I had to deal with the aftermath of yesterday’s meeting. There was a lot of back peddling and disavowing responsibility going on. I tried to side step that and get on with actually fixing the problems without trying to blame people for the failures. Spreading blame is not something I really want to indulge in, others are much more adept at it. I would rather take us from here to there with the minimum of fuss.

Home

I had the perfect excuse to leave on time today, the train strike. I was out of the building at the right time this evening

Bike

I did a little session on the bike trainer tonight. I’m not sure if it was a sensible thing to do so soon after the long ride at the weekend but my legs didn’t complain too much.

Salad

I followed the cycling with a tuna mayonnaise salad, which is another way of saying that I mixed some tinned tuna with tinned sweet corn and mayonnaise and then dumped the whole lot on a bed of Lettice, tomatoes, cucumber and radish. It tasted alright and filled a small hole with not many calories.

Monday

Morning

My legs felt heavy this morning, so did the rest of my body. The weight pinned me to the bed and stopped me from getting up. I lay there for about an hour wondering how I was going to struggle out of bed. Eventually bodily functions persuaded me that I needed to get out of bed or face the prospect of doing some washing. I hobbled down the stairs, did the necessary and made a bacon omelette for breakfast. I really didn’t want to go to work. I needed to lie down in a darkened room for a few hours more.

Dip

The tiredness hit me at about two, just after my meagre lunch of a Couscous salad. I’d flavoured it with chilli pesto so it had a bit of a bite. I tried to concentrate on work but the yawning was a distraction. I felt I had a flip top head.

Meeting

I do not like working late for many reasons. I like to get what I need to get done within the hours allocated. I like to have some time in the evenings outside work. I have a life of sorts that begins when I leave the office. Today I had a meeting that was scheduled to start at five and go on for half an hour. The idea of this meeting lasting half an hour was a pure fantasy. The pre meeting had lasted an hour and the topic was contentious. It finished an hour and a half later. I was not happy. This meant I didn’t get home till eight.

Snack

I had no intention of going to the pool tonight but I would have like to have the choice. Instead I had cheese and pickle on rice cakes for tea, washed down with tea. At least I stuck to my calorie limit today.

Sleep

I was in bed by nine thirty and fell asleep sitting up. My head didn’t even hit the pillow. I woke a while later and hid myself under the covers.

Sunday

Morning

I woke up to the Sunday morning religious program. I know things are wrong when I wake up to hymns. It means that I’m not getting a lay in. This is not a good thing.

Scales

The scales claimed I’d gained another half a kilo. I was not happy about that. I made poached eggs and had them with a slice of my onion bread. The bread tasted awful. It was obvious that I’d taken it out of the oven far to early. I was not happy about that either.

Tea

I turned up at the start of the bike event for the traditional pre ride tea. There were a lot of people that I knew there. Dave was doing the catering and Mark was telling a few people about his recent exploits which included a bit of bonnet surfing.

Seaside

The first part of the ride took in a long stretch of the south coast. There is something very satisfying about bowling along with the sea on one side and open fields on the other. I was happy and bellowing out a selection of Prince and Tom Waits songs as I went. It all went a bit wrong when I had to climb a steep hill but the equilibrium was returned on the descent. After that it was a dutch hill in the form of a flat road and a strong head wind.

Food

I was among the first few to arrive at the check point. Dave takes pride in the fact that no one goes hungry on his rides, in fact it is possible to gain weight on his rides. I slipped off before the temptation to eat more than enough got too strong

Saddle

I was a few miles from the control when I started hearing a strange creaking. I checked that the wheels were still on and carried on. The creaking got lounder and the bike developed a wobble. I checked the wheels again and carried on. Slowly it dawned on me that the saddle had come loose. It was an easy thing to fix but I made sure that I stopped at the top of a hill to fix it. It’s a small piece of advice an old cyclist once gave to me. It has stood me in good stead.

Hills

I’m not build for climbing hills and the next section contained a lot of up. There were times when I had a serious sense of humour failure. At least I wasn’t passed by any stick thin youngsters. The climbing was made worse by the desperate urge to go to the loo. Too much tea at the control was to blame. I found the most decrepit public convenience ever but at that moment it was like a palace. The relief was instantaneous.

Group

A group formed at the next control. I hung on the back and wheel sucked for all my worth. They pulled me all the way to the finish and though bouts of cramped legs. Sometimes I love cycling in a group, especially when my lack of fitness is showing.

Dinner

Mum had invited me for dinner. It was wondrous. Food was put in front of me and all I had to do was eat it. It was just the thing for a weary cyclist

Saturday

Early

I could have gone to the early session, had a swim and then done my coaching, or I could have stayed in bed a little longer, missed the swim, had some breakfast, and then do my coaching. I opted for the lazy option as I was feeling tired

Coaching

I like coaching in October as the club does a back to basics season. I feel that I’m actually imparting some knowledge rather than telling people to swim up and down. I don’t feel I deserved the large hot chocolate after the session though as I’d not been swimming.

Shopping

After swimming I headed for the supermarket for a few bits to keep me alive during the week. They were selling mince pies. I couldn’t believe it, Mince pies. Mince pies it can’t be that close to Christmas, that’s just not right. What next? Cadburys crème eggs on sale.

Airfix

I was given an Airfix model the birthday before last, today I decided that I would start building it. I got as far as painting a few bits and sticking a few bits together. I’d forgotten how fiddly putting one of these models together was.

Baking

I gave up on the modelling and started making a date and walnut loaf instead. I wanted to improve on last week’s effort. The one last week was a bit dry and a bit flat. This week I made the mixture a bit wetter by adding more milk and then put in a dash of lemon juice to activate the baking powder. The result looked very good. I had a go at making a cheese and onion loaf as well. It smelt wonderful

Bike

I’m going for a bike ride tomorrow so I set about preparing the bike. This consists of making sure the tyres have air, that I have spare tubes and that the water bottles are full. Once all that was done I stuffed it in the car. This way I wouldn’t have to think in the morning. I’m not good at thinking in the morning.

Whisky

I rounded off the day with a glass of whisky and watching the television. I’d gone past the stage of doing things