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As I said to my u3a buddy, I have plenty to do here at home rather than walking around the golf course in the rain!
There is always plenty to do around the house.
It's rain free here at present, but heavy rain and wind expected tomorrow.
You have certainly been doing some quality training. I think that you made the right decision this morning to run mainly on roads. We haven't run in the forest for over a week. I think you are right that many parkruns will be cancelled again on Saturday.
I hope that your bonfire party on Saturday doesn't get spoil by the adverse weather. The forecast here is awful for this evening and Thursday. An Amber warning for wind, and Yellow for rain.
We had a good road session this morning which was rain free, except for a freak downpour lasting just a few minutes. It was 5.56 miles comprising 6 hilly circuits, run out and back.
HS - I hope everything is battened down as it looks like you'll be getting up to 80mph winds where you are. But glad to see you managed a good road session this morning.
Aquarius - maybe the dog walkers like to know exactly how far they've walked? Can't think of any other reason for them to walk on the running track instead of footpaths. Well done re the (interrupted) track intervals and long hilly run which you did twice. I think you're right about the old shed wood being too wet to burn. Re the swim club technical stuff, the new website admin finally managed to explain to me what he needed to do and how - but I gather he's hit more problems and had to raise an incident with the hosting company. Ahem - there's nothing tidy about our house or garage (definitely both a work-in-progress!!). I see from reading further on you opted for a road run but got cold and wet - I expect the hot shower was very welcome to warm up again.
Wouldn't you just know it. Half an hour after Dave and I cancelling our golf yesterday, the sun came out and stayed out - we would probably have got away with golf without getting wet. Instead, I 'pottered' in the garage looking through what's there. Among the more interesting discoveries were some cable tidies and some plastic leaf-guards for putting in gutters to stop them clogging up.
Weather doesn't seem too bad at the moment, but I don't think that I will risk a run.
WtnMel, that's a shame that it would have been possible to play golf with Dave after all. As it happened though, you made good use of your time by pottering in your garage.
That was lucky that you were able to buy another Pansonic recorder, which was the same as your previous one.
It's brightened up a bit now, so I might risk it and pop out to buy a paper.
HS - I don't blame you for thinking about not venturing out for a run .. but I see it brightened up and you were debating popping out for a paper.
I've had a phone call this morning to let me know the new Panasonic recorder is already at the shop ready for collection. Given how wet and windy it is today, I told them I'll call in tomorrow to collect it.
That's good news that your new Panasonic recorder is in the shop, awaiting collection. I think you have made a wise decision to wait until tomorrow before picking it up.
However it did get us thinking about the coming winter and how quickly our normal running routes can become dangerous, so we've decided to buy a treadmill for those times when running outdoors is a problem. The annoying thing is we used to have one when we lived at the coast but got rid to it when we moved over here rather than have the bother of transporting it and getting it set up again (plus the fact we were initially in rented accommodation for a number of months and had nowhere to store it). This new one we've bought is a cheaper model than our last one so I'm keeping fingers crossed that it will be okay, the reviews are good but then I know it's a bit iffy to rely on reviews. It's due to come next Thursday, so will let you know how we get on.
WtnMel you were lucky getting a replacement Panasonic recorder so quickly, and good that you managed to get the same model - no need to have to plough through a pesky instruction manual.
HS Have you heard if your parkrun will be on tomorrow? Surprisingly I think most of ours are going ahead, although I expect they will be a bit soggy.
Glad you've got the recorder back WtnMel, I think I have one too but rarely use it..
Aquarius I'm not a fan of dreadmills but sometimes needs must. As long as you are confident it will get used. Dogs on a track is mental, what are people thinking...?
The weather in Keswick was OK and I managed a few runs. We came home today to find no TV due to an aerial problem- from the bad weather I guess. Our local parkrun us on tomorrow. It's pacer week so I'll volunteer. My wife is planning her first park walk since her operation so fingers crossed 🤞.
HS Oh no, no water? What a disaster, how lucky that you've still got the bottled water from the last breakdown. It would have been quite alarming if you couldn't get hold of any - so much for having a priority list! It must be very annoying that it has prevented you from being able to run, I hope it gets sorted out asap.
Blackhill parkrun for us today. Probably our least favourite one due to the hills (total elevation over 100m) but the closest. We opted for this one because Steve had to be at the coast before 12 today for a meal at his rugby club. They are also unveiling a war memorial to past players before the game kicks off.
It was a pretty muddy run at Blackhill this morning, and hard work, reminding us why we don't usually go to this one.
I hope your marshalling at the parkrun went well, and that your wife successfully completed her parkrun walk.
Aquarius, I see that you have decided to purchase another treadmill, because of the dreadful weather these days.
The Bartley parkrun actually did go ahead, much to my surprise. I didn't run it though, as I had already made up my mind not to.
As I said in my above post, I have got the water back on again which was quite a relief. There are still thousands though in the neighbourhood, including Sarah H, that are still waiting. There were really long queues again this morning of drivers waiting to collect more bottles of water. Although I didn't need any more water bottles, it was annoying to see that many households that weren't elderly, did have bottles on their doorsteps.
Well done to you and Steve for doing the Blackhill parkrun.
That must have been nice for Steve, for the rugby club lunch, and the unveiling of the War Memorial to past players.
The weather was better than expected this morning, just intermittent rain, and I ran a solo hilly 7k on roads.
I can't remember whether I have mentioned it, but the Oakhaven 10 miles that should have been on November 19th had also been cancelled.
The sun is shining ✨️ now.
I've got my hearing test Tuesday afternoon, which is 2 years since the last one.
A 6 mile run for me this morning on my hilly route. The weather was quite nice, a bit chilly but the sun came out after a while. We have the grandchildren coming around tonight to set fireworks off in our garden, they can't use theirs because they back onto woodland (at any rate that's their excuse). No doubt we'll be "popular" with our animal owning neighbours
Yes,I had entered the Oakhaven 10 miles, which will now be held in October 2024. I'm not sure whether I will be able to run it, as I will nearly 80 years old ☹️
Well done for this mornings 6 miles run on your hilly route.
That will be nice having the grandchildren round tonight to have fireworks in your back garden. They will love that.🎆🎉 Karen and I were reminiscing yesterday about when we were children and our parents lit the fireworks and burnt the Guy on the bonfires. She isn't having fireworks in the garden tonight, but might be taking the twins to a display.
This morning was a quality, hilly 10k road run with Sarah H and Giuliana. They stopped at 5 miles, and I carried on for the remaining 1.22 miles. It was chilly, but dry and sunny.
I'm gradually working my way through the 14 Charles Dickens novels in my bookcase. I find them very heavy going, with characters with odd names, and sub plots. I'm wading through "Bleak House at present. I read them in bed, and have no problems dropping off to sleep 😴
Aquarius - I hope the flooding you've had has now subsided. Probably a good idea to get a treadmill so you can train when the weather is rubbish. You're right - I was able to get stuck straight into using the new recorder without needing to RTFM
HS - I see the water supply got re-instated but it was good you still had some bottles from the last time given the queues. But I see some others were still without water. Well done re the solo hilly 7k (because you were able to shower again afterwards). Hope the hearing test goes okay. I hope and trust you will still be running next October so you can do the delayed Oakhaven 10. Well done re the hilly 10K with friends. I had a chuckle at your comment of reading Charles Dickens novels in bed at night and having no problem dropping off to sleep
OO54 - a friend was amazed I bought a new recorder as she streams anything she wants to watch. I just said I prefer the flexibility of having the recorder immediately available without relying on the wifi and it also allows me to burn my own dvd's or bluray discs if I wanted to keep anything. I see you've been having tv issues with your aerial - hope you've managed to get them fixed.
The new Panasonic recorder is up and running - it looks a bit odd at the moment with just a few things on the hard drive (as opposed to pages and pages of recordings going back many months on the old one!).
The tv connection was a bit 'iffy' and when I went to plug in the new recorder, it came apart. We have a wall unit with a backboard which the tv cable came out through but only via a tiny 1" dia hole. To re-attach the tv cable connector I had to use a chisel and junior hacksaw blade to enlarge the hole in the backboard to something bigger to give me enough room for my hands. It was very fiddly and took ages, accompanied by a lot of swearing. But I eventually got it done and as Margaret pointed out, I probably saved us lots of £££'s by not having to 'get a man in'
It's a quiet u3a week coming up - just social cards on Thu. But the week after there's coffee & chat and country dancing on Mon, the AGM on Tue and then a ramble on Thu.
WtnMel, thanks the water for everyone came back on Saturday. The hearing test is now at 12 noon, instead of 1.30.
Good to hear that the new Panasonic recorder is up and running. It's always good "not to have to get a man in!"
I hope you and Alan were able to play golf today?
It sounds like a busy week on the horizon 😃
It was a nice bright rain free morning this morning, so we had thought about an 8 mile run in the forest. However, on second thoughts, we decided that a 10 mile road run would be a better bet, as the forest would still be very wet and muddy. We actually ran 10.83 miles, so are pleased with that after yesterdays tough hilly 10k.
HS - I'll usually 'have a go' if the diy in question is something I feel able to tackle. Re-doing a tv connection fell into that category - but the fiddly nature of doing it was not normal. At least having done it myself, I know it should be okay (time will tell!). I mentioned its a quiet week for me this week - Margaret seems to be very busy though so I won't be seeing much of her.
No golf today as when Alan and I checked first thing, the course was open but it was 'carry only' - so we'll keep our fingers crossed we can play on Friday instead.
So instead of me playing golf, Margaret and I went to Croome instead. It was busier than usual as they had some 'health walks' going on (30, 60, 90 mins) so at one point as we ambled around the gardens, we had to make way for a 'crocodile' of walkers going mush faster than us. It also meant the cafe was busier than usual and when one group of walkers arrived back, they were queueing out of the door. We had our coffees and bided our time and when I saw it wasn't very long, nipped in there quick. They were free coffees today as we bought some re-useable cups to use when we go there - and apparently, we'll get 30p off in future whenever we use them.
We popped into the NT shop for some fudge and also bought a 2024 calendar - it's one we can use to jot down whatever we're up to each day/week. All I have to do is 'train' Margaret properly to use it (she's been a bit lax lately and has been omitting to jot down what she's up to)
I haven’t read all of Charles Dickens works, but I do pick them up from time to time as we have the full set. I think my favourite is Our Mutual Friend, but I haven’t read it for ages. Perhaps it’s time I looked at it again.
I got up and walked again this morning - another fast-paced 4ml one. It was windy and a bit wet but I decided to go out anyway and I'm pleased I did.
It's good to hear that you are doing your morning walks, and at a good pace.
Aquarius, I see that you use your phone's calendar and also a wall calendar.
Thanks, Mondays run was at an easy pace so a typical LSD run. I hope to be running this time next year, but one never knows.
I think that I have read "Our Mutual Friend," but I have another 5 to read before I get to it again. I think "Little Dorrit' is my favourite among those that I have read, but it was many years ago.
I hope that your 5k went ok yesterday evening, and that the rain held off!
Just the usual Tuesday Farmers Walk yesterday, and my hearing test in the afternoon. It went really well and the tester (I can't remember the official title) said that my results were better than the last test 2 years ago. I told him afterwards that I could also hear the buzzing of the air conditioning which meant that it was difficult to just concentrate on the sounds that I was supposed to push the button when I heard them. He was surprised, saying that the ear plugs were supposed to block out any outside noise.
The weather this morning was atrocious, very heavy rain, and really strong winds. It was supposed to be a speed session, but because of the conditions, we opted for a short road run. It was just Sarah H and myself, and we ran 3.7 miles. The roads were flooded in places, so we got drenched by spray from passing cars on a number of occasions.
A few years back one daughter got me a bespoke calendar purchased online with pictures from our shared chat group from the previous year- so for example in November it has a family or event photo from last November 2022. This proved so popular that I've insisted on a new one every year since for my Christmas present. And this becomes our shared family calender.
Hillstrider why read those books if they are a bit dull? Hope it doesn't take too long to drop off at bedtime 😉. I'm reading Ken Clarke's autobiography. Not a reflection of my political views (I'm fairly neutral) but have always appreciated his political style. It's been enjoyable revisting the events of the Thatcher years, albeit often very traumatic.
Was your 5k run a race Aquarius (not the Poly GP series I assume)? I'm not doing the series this year as I don't enjoy racing in the dark.
Well done on the aerial DIY Wtnmel. I have tried to fix ours but it hasn't helped. There must be a loose connection somewhere. We just have iplayer by Internet until its fixed next week.
My wife did OK at parkrun. Mainly walking but with a few jog efforts. Her legs were sore the next day and she is surprised how rapidly she moved from fit to unfit in a few weeks. We are doing Tyne Green parkrun this weekend and staying in Hexham for our anniversary on Friday, with hotel and posh meal. Then back for a 10k race on Sunday (Heaton Memorial) where I do battle with junior 00 for the family bragging rights. Though I'm pretty sure she will beat me as she did last year.
HS - I think I may suggest a Dicken's for my book group. We try and read a 'classic' every now and then, but haven't for a while. Glad to hear the hearing test went okay and showed an actual improvement (one suspects its probably all downhill once the hearing goes a bit). I don't blame you opting for a shorter road run yesterday given the conditions - hope you dried out quickly afterwards!
OO54 - luckily (I suppose) it's just Margaret and I we need to keep track of, so we can get by with a long, thin wall calendar with two columns. A good idea, and xmas present solved, if your daughter knows to just order you a bespoke calendar each year. I've been reading "Chief Of Staff" by Gavin Barwell, who worked for Theresa May. Not my politics - but interesting nonetheless, to hear some of the inside story of what was going on at the time. Margaret said with one programme I recorded, there was some slight breakup of the picture. So we may need to re-visit the tv connection. Given the fact the current connection comes down from the loft but is hidden away behind wardrobes etc. it will probably be simpler to run a new aerial wire down the front of the house and in beside the front window. Anyway, we'll see if the picture break-up was a one-off before doing anything more. Glad to hear your wife's parkrun went okay - I remember how quickly I got unfit in the past whenever injuries stopped me running for a few weeks. Enjoy your anniversary meal in Hexham and good luck battling OO junior at Heaton.
No walking for me this morning. Our cleaner (once per fortnight) arrives around 8:30am and if I walked and wanted to shower afterwards, I'd be getting in her way. Speaking of which, she asked me to have a look at the steamer she uses for the floors. It's not producing as much steam as usual so she suspects it's been getting clogged up inside with limescale and needs looking at.
Social cards after lunch today - a game of knockout whist then blackjack after our tea and biscuits.
Somehow I doubt I'll be playing golf tomorrow. More rain forecast and when I've checked each day, the course has only been open for golfers carrying their bags (ie. not myself and Alan). Anyway, I'll check again first thing as there's a very slim chance we may be able to use our trolleys.
00, that's a great idea having calendars with previous years group chat photos.
Those books aren't really dull, but require a fair bit of concentration with all the different characters and sub plots. Good for the brain, and I get to sleep almost as soon as I've switched off the light.
Good to hear that your wife did ok in the parkrun, and good luck for Saturday's Tyne Green parkrun.
Congratulations for Fridays Anniversary and hotel with posh meal.
Good luck for Sundays Heaton Memorial 10k where you will be racing your daughter.
WtnMel, that would be a good idea to introduce a Dickens novel now and again to your book group.
Thanks, I was pleased with the hearing results. Things generally get worse, not better as we age!
Regarding how quickly we lose our fitness during injuries, I've never got back to the same standard since my menisci tears in June 2017. Before that, I was consistently achieving WAVA's in the mid 70's, but I am struggling to get mid 60's now.
Sorry to hear that you had to miss this mornings walk, due to your cleaner arriving at 8.30am.
Sounds like an interesting afternoon after lunch.
Fingers crossed that the weather won't prevent you from playing golf tomorrow 🤞
It was bright and sunny this morning, but quite chilly 🥶 I ran a solo easy pace 4 miles on roads. My legs were aching a bit after yesterdays struggle with the heavy rain and headwind.
I remember how long you were out of running when you had the menisci tears, and that you kept up your fitness with spinning. I suppose to some extent it’s inevitable as we get older that we struggle to return to former fitness levels. I’m working harder now than I’ve ever done, with both strengthening exercises and training, but still can’t get back to my pre-Covid form. Sometimes i put it down to the after effects of Covid, but at other times I wonder if it is just a consequence of the passing years. I suppose as long as we keep at it and give it our best shot every time we can’t do any more.
Glad to hear that your wife was able to manage a bit of a jog at parkrun, that must have been very satisfying for her and an indication that she is well on the road to recovery despite her aching legs the following day. I think all runners know how unfit we get after a short lay off from running but it’s still always a disappointment when it happens, hopefully it’ll be short lived. Enjoy your anniversary meal, and Tyne Green parkrun (another one I keep meaning to visit), I’m also doing the 10k on Sunday, with my eldest son, so may see you there.
HS - well done for getting out despite the cold. I expect, like me, you are re-discovering your thermal tops that have lain undisturbed since the Spring
As I suspected, no golf today as the course was closed - we'll try again next Fri. Instead, I went into the garage and sorted through some more stuff. But I've come in because (a) my feet were getting cold! (b) a bulb has gone in our main oven so I need to replace it with one of the spares I keep.
Social cards was good fun yesterday but one poor lady just couldn't get her head around how to play whist. She kept getting confused as to why a lower number card (a trump card) was beating a higher number card (of the suit that had lead). And she kept trying to put down a trump when she had cards of the correct suit. And trying to lay down her card before it was her turn. In the end, someone had to sit with her and help her play her hand until she got the idea. After tea, she found blackjack/pontoon much easier to cope with!