Thursday

Morning 

I woke up slowly. I had decided last night that I would not be on the bike this morning. It was quite pleasant not rushing to go to work. 

Work 

My day was rammed full of meetings, I had constant chatting from when I got in until mid-afternoon, leaving very little time to think about anything else until late in the day. I was just packing up to go home when the big boss came into the office for one of his therapy sessions. That delayed my journey home unnecessarily. 

Stretches 

The physio had given me a whole bunch of stretches to do every evening, I had half-heartedly tried them last night but tonight was the first night to do them properly. I felt a bit silly running through the routine in the lounge with Loved One looking on and adding a few helpful comments. 

Dinner 

We picked up a Thai takeaway on the way to our Grandson’s house. Loved One told me that we were going there so that I could see the child as I had not for a while. It soon became clear that we were there so that Loved One could express all her maternal instincts by holding the baby to the exclusion of all others. I was still feeling the effects of being ill earlier in the week, so I was not too bothered about holding small children. The food was nice and not too spicy. 

Wednesday

Awake 

I woke early this morning and fitfully dozed for a few hours. I ended up waking up feeling tired. 

Physio 

I had an appointment with a physio this morning to go through my various aches and pains. It started with an explanation of what physical activity I do, that was followed by some tests to check my strength. They showed that I was normal for my age and background. The physio determined that I had tight hip flexors, which was not a surprise since I spend a lot of time sitting down, and a tight back, which I already knew. I came away with a set of exercises and an appointment in two weeks’ time. 

Work 

I had arranged to work from home today, on the grounds that I was still recovering from my illness. Whilst that was technically correct, I was a lot better than I made out when talking to people on the phone. I had enough to do, but not enough to be too taxing. 

Meal 

We went out for a meal with an old friend and some other their friends this evening. I was slightly dreading it as “that person” had been invited, the one that had falsely accused me of many things. A wave of happiness came over me when I found that they had opted out with a migraine. I suspected a tactical migraine based on no evidence whatsoever. I decided to stick to water and simple food this evening as my stomach was still being a little troublesome. I worked my way through the disappointing Caeser salad and joined in with the conversation.    

Tuesday

Better 

I woke up in the morning feeling a bit better. The aches had receded, and the feeling of nausea had all but gone. I decided that it would be better for all concerned that I worked from home today. I did not want to face the office today and felt it would be easier to catch up with things in the comfort of home. 

Work 

I had a lot of calls to do today, interspersed with catching up with my e-mail. I had very little desire to eat today, so lunch was some honey on white bread. Tea made me feel a bit off, so I switched to water. I was not as better as I had hoped I was. 

Dinner 

Loved One made a simple meal of salmon, mashed potato, and carrots. I ate it and my stomach did not rebel. I felt that this was a good sign. 

Committee 

I did not want to go to the pub for the committee meeting, I would have rather sat on the sofa and stared mindlessly at the television. I sat in the pub and guided the conversations whilst everyone else drank beer and ate pub food. I stuck to plain water, I had no desire to tempt fate and feel ill. 

Popcorn 

Loved One had found some popcorn in the cupboard and popped it. I had a few handfuls just to keep me going.  

Monday

Sick 

It was obvious that I would not be going to work this morning. All I wanted to do was lie still. I had no energy and my body ached. I set a few messages to say that I would not be in and settled into a not moving until early evening. 

Evening 

I moved to the sofa in the evening and watched television until early evening. That was exhausting. I went to bed early and hoped that I would be better in the morning. 

Sunday

Swim 

It was a little overcast and breezy this morning. It was obvious just by looking at the sea that swimming to the far jetty was going to be a lot easier than the return journey. I was determined to do the whole distance as part of the slow buildup to my next event. I hoped that the skills that I learnt yesterday would make me slightly faster. I am not sure that they did. I got to the far jetty in my usual time and then started back against the wind. This added over five minutes per kilometre and made my shoulders ache. I did not finish off with any butterfly, I was too tired. 

Café 

Loved One, the Captain and I had a hot drink in the café across from the club. I had a bit of cheesecake with mine because I could. 

Visit 

We dropped into Loved Ones son on the way home. He presented Loved One with a birthday present of an essential oil infuser and a scarf that he meant to give her last year. 

Nap 

I could feel the creeping tiredness sneaking up on me after we had our lunch. I disappeared to the back room and emerged two hours later, much to Loved One’s annoyance. She sees me being asleep in the afternoon as wasting an opportunity to do something. I see a sleep in the afternoon as a chance to recharge. 

Pub 

After a brief discussion with a parking attendant to ensure that we had read the sign correctly we met Jo, Michael, and Britta in a pub. The first item of discussion was the dress of the young people attending the event down the road. It would be extremely hard to differentiate some of them from professional women. It is probably a reflection on how old I am rather than fashion. We ate some standard pub fare before heading to the pub across the road to watch a concert. We were halfway there when Loved One realised that she did not have her phone. She retraced her steps and found she had left it in the pub. 

Concert 

We found some seat in the corner and settled in ready to enjoy the tribute band. I was feeling a little queasy and declined a beer on the grounds that I was driving. Loved One got me a small beer. Halfway through the first act the queasy started to become nausea. After a long visit to the loo, I felt even worse. Loved One noticed that I was looked a little pale and suggested that we went home. I did not object.  

Bed 

I went straight to bed with a bowl beside me waiting for the inevitable. It happed in the small hours; I felt the rising and was suddenly covered in sweat. There was enough warning for me to sit over the bowl but not enough to move my knee out of the firing line.  

Ill 

Even after the explosion I felt that there was more to come. I was proven correct an hour later. 

Saturday

Ride 

Getting out of bed this morning was hard. I was half hoping that no one else would turn up at the meeting point so that I could go home and sleep a little longer. My hopes for an extra sleep were dashed by the presence of two people wanting to go cycling. Luckily for me, I knew that they were slower than me. I could take the whole ride at a relaxed pace. We had a very pleasant and short ride into the hills and then back home via a café that I had often passed but never been in. They did a genuinely nice fruit tart. 

Nap 

I got home a lot earlier than I had expected. This gave me to opportunity to catch up on my sleep. I knew I was going to have a late night tonight, so a nap was of tactical importance. 

Coaching 

Loved One and I had booked a freestyle coaching session for this afternoon. It started by going through the theory of freestyle. I had read most of it before, but it was nice to know that I had been reading the right books. This was followed by a pre swimming activation session which reinforced some of the things that I had learnt in the stretching session a few weeks ago. We then got onto the swimming. We went through various drills to emphasis body position and then followed that with drills to concentrate on other parts of the stroke. Some of the drills were new to me, that was a good thing. I came away feeling that, as a one off, the session was worth it to remind me of things that I already knew. It also told me that there is no secret to swimming well, just a lot of practicing the right things. 

Party 

We went to some friends in the hills for a few nibbles and a bit to drink. We were hoping that there would be more food than there was as we did not have time for anything before going there. I had organised with the host for a cake to appear early in the evening for her to blow out the candle whist the rest of us sung happy birthday. 

Home 

The wine and lack of food suddenly became an issue for Loved One. She felt that it was time to leave before she could not.  

Friday

Birthday 

It is Loved One’s birthday today. I woke first and left a card on her bedside cabinet before going to the kitchen and making tea. She was still asleep when I returned, only now she was wrapped in all the duvet rather than just most of it. 

Work 

Today was another busy day with lots of things that needed to be discussed and documented. Even better the world’s most boring meeting did not last the full hour (or longer as it sometimes does). This gave me some time to attend to much more important things. 

Meal 

Loved One and I went out for a very posh meal to celebrate Loved One’s birthday. This was not an ordinary restaurant visit; this was dining as an experience. The meal started with a a flower being placed in front of us. The edible bit was the flower and the bit underneath. One of the waiting staff explained what it was and how to eat it. The meal went on in this vein with each of the thirteen courses being presented with an explanation. Each course was full of flavour and presented in a variety of wonderful ways. We were sitting at the chefs table so that we could watch the kitchen staff prepare the food with meticulous attention to detail. Loved One also indulged in the wine package, before each course the wine waiter would come across and explain why he had selected the particular wine and how it complemented to next course. Each time he said, take a sip before the food and then a sip after each mouthful. Loved One liked some of the wines but was not so keen on some of the others. We left after three hours feeling that we really had had a dining experience. 

Home 

We sat on the sofa and listened to some music before going to bed. I guiltily finished off a packet of crisps. I did not need them; I was just being greedy. 

Thursday

Spin 

I wished that I had not set my alarm last night so that I had an excuse to stay in bed, Unfortunately, last night me was keen for morning me to get on the bike trainer and finish the series of workouts that I had been doing. I was slightly frustrated when I could not find the last of the workouts, but the software served up something suitable for me to sweat to. 

Work 

Today was spent mainly wearing headphone and listening in on meetings whilst trying to get other things done. It was all very frustrating. I wanted to leave early but that did not happen. 

Swim 

I went to the pool to do a training session and to clear my head of the detritus of the day. I felt a lot better after bashing out lengths for an hour 

Dinner 

Loved One had made some hot wraps for tea. They were just what I needed to nourish my tired body. 

Fraud 

After doing a few jobs around the house I thought it would be a good idea to check my accounts. That is when I found that someone had been using my card to buy trivial things from Amazon. There were lots of payments for tiny amounts. I then had to go through the process of reporting it. Once I had jumped the on-hold hurdle and I got to the fraud department. They quickly agreed that it was fraud, cancelled my cards and refunded the money. It was enough to cover the cost of the call. 

Wednesday

Alarm 

Loved One woke me with the question “are you running this morning?” I had forgotten to set my alarm last night. Everything else was ready except me. It was too lake to get up and get ready, so I made use of the time to get a little more sleep.  

Work 

Somebody somewhere made a mistake overnight and the result was that many of the systems that we rely on at work were not working this morning. There was nothing I could do about other than wait for services to be restored and deal with the aftermath. It made for a peaceful morning and a frantic afternoon. 

Cycle 

Loved One was playing with Grandson this evening leaving me alone in the house for the few minutes between arriving at the door and cycling to swimming training. I arrived at the pool a sweaty mess but at least I was warmed up. 

Swim 

I lead the slow lane today and worked my way through the session. It was a straightforward threshold set that was made more difficult by the coach urging people to go faster. I am not sure they understand what the threshold is or why swimming faster is not ideal. 

Home 

I had forgotten my keys on the way out of the door. Loved One had noticed and left the garage door open for me. We quickly settled into our evening postures with the aid of some cheese and biscuits. 

Tuesday

Weight 

This morning’s weigh in revealed some progress after staying at the same weight for what seems like an age. That put a little spring in my step. 

Spin 

I worked my way through the second to last workout in my training plan this morning. It all went past in a blur. I did not feel that it was that hard. I do not know if that was a good or bad thing. 

Work 

Things are picking up at work. This has resulted in me having enough to fill most of the day and some time left over to deal with the more pressing things that are not actually work. I found out today that my boss will be away for a month over Christmas and the new year. I suspect that a lot of things that are coming my way are due to him offloading his workload on me. 

Swim 

Tonight’s swim was a long one. I started in an almost empty pool, but it soon filled. The lovely sunny weather was to blame. I worked through my session and was joined at various points by other swimmers. They joined me for a few lengths and then disappeared. 

Dinner 

I got home slightly later than I had expected. Loved One had cooked tea, sausage and mash with carrots and broccoli. She was not happy that I was late as she thought that some of it was over cooked. It tasted fine to me. 

Sofa 

Once the dishes had been done, the watering had been done and I had changed out of my work clothes we settled down on the sofa for an evening of doing very little. I had a little thing to do on the computer but beyond that it was snuggling together until bedtime.