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Aquarius, thanks. As far as we know, tomorrows parkrun is still on.
It was the first time in the many years that I have been a patient, that the dental Practice was shut due to illness. They remained open throughout the Covid epidemic.
I'm sorry to hear about all the snow you are having. We had a light fall of snow ❄️ yesterday morning, but it didn't settle.
I hope that the heavy frost you were concerned about didn't happen last night.
I'm sorry to hear that Saturday's x country was detrimental to your hip and calves, and that your cold has reappeared. If you do parkrun tomorrow, take it very easy, but don't run if the cold is worse.
WtnMel, thanks, I haven't worn the Asics since, but might on Sunday if conditions are ok.
I believe that my hairdresser will be employing a lady assistant soon, so I'll keep my fingers crossed 🤞 I've had 6 haircuts now with my new hairdresser, so the next one will be free!
I'm sorry that you had to cancel today's golf because of Alan's aches and pains. I hope that he soon recovers in time, so you can play next Friday.
It's a bit chilly for gardening, no matter how many layers you wear.
I hope that Margaret's u3a committee meeting goes well.
Good to hear that you have done your stretching and strengthening exercises in the warm.
I haven't got much to report; my cold is still hanging on a bit, although much better than it was.
A bit of good news, I've had an email from Southern Water apologising for having to turn off the water supply for a couple of days, so will credit me with £60 off my bill.
All being well, I'll be parkrunning tomorrow.
I saw a video on YouTube of the trail run that took place at Slaley Hall a couple of weeks ago (the one that I had to miss due to my cold and hip). If you are interested it's called "Mud glorious Mud at the Slaley Hall 10k! - Al Pepper Runs".
I think that I made the same mistake as you by running before the cold had cleared up, therefore freshening it up.
My energy co. OVA Energy has a very similar saver session. It's a very good idea. I always cook mid day and use the washing machine in the morning, so I'm not inconvenienced at all.
The tories made a right mess of Covid and they are trying to blame everyone but themselves. I'm looking forward to watching Boris and Sunak being grilled and seeing them squirm.
I think Sunak is acting like a 5 year old by refusing to meet the Greek minister. The word has it that he was miffed by him seeing Sir Kier before him. Kier really crucified him in PM's Question Time!
I also saw the programme on Seaton Sluice and learned from it. Incredible the level of industry and employment that once existed there.
I'm finding the Covid stuff a bit dull. Raking over it all again...
Good weekend all 👍
That sounded good, a parkrun in Frankfurt with your wife and eldest daughter, and in minus 3 degrees and frost.
I'm looking forward to watching Boris being grilled on Wednesday.
This morning was a solo, hilly 10k road run, with a negative split. It was a bit milder than yesterday, but rained all the way
HS - good that you have a loyalty scheme of some sort at your hairdresser. Mine just charge me a flat fee of £10 and it only takes around 10 minutes (so £60 an hour!) .. money for old (rope) hair. I see you have your fingers crossed for a lady assistant starting soon
Aquarius - as you'll see below, I've had to cancel this week's golf, regardless of whether Alan's leg is better. I'm with Octopus at my home in Wootton Bassett but as I'm not there, I have no control on when Glenn uses power so won't bother with the saver sessions. Seeing you mention the muddy Slaley Hall 10k, I saw a quote from Louise Minchin (ex BBC Breakfast) who tried her first muddy trail race and said a tip to 'plant' her toes on downhill sections really helped her from falling on her backside.
OO54 - hope you enjoyed your time in Frankfurt at the xmas market. As you say, hard to imagine the amount of industry that was at Seaton Sluice when you see it these days where there's hardly any sign of the past.
I've emailed Alan to say I can't make golf this coming Friday. I'm going to see my Mum in hospital again and Thu is the best day so I'll stay overnight and drive home on Fri.
Our gardening lady was round on Saturday. As well as pruning back some shrubs, Margaret got her starting on the leaves n the back lawn. The ones she raked up are bagged up and ready for me to do my thing with chopping them up with the lawnmower and putting them behind the shed to make leaf mould for next year.
Do you recall me mentioning I thought I had solved our aerial problems? Turns out I haven't. Watching the Hannah Fry programme last night and the picture and sound began to break up towards the end. So I'll be researching local tv aerial people this morning to see about running a new aerial wire into the living room which was always plan B.
WtnMel, I think my haircut is £10.60 usually.
A pity that Margaret's committee meeting was as boring as usual 😴
I think that my cold is on its last legs now, as I had no problems during yesterday's 10k road run.
I see that you won't be able to play golf this week, as you will be visiting your mum in hospital the day before and staying overnight. I hope that she is making good progress.
That's a good tip, "planting" your toes when running down hill. I imagine that is what I do without thinking about it. I'll have to see if I do next time.
My gardener hasn't arrived yet, probably because of the rain.
Yes, I do remember you mentioning the aerial problems. I hope you soon find a competent aerial specialist who will be able to fix the problem.
I didn't run this morning, as I took my laptop to Andy, my laptop guru, for a health check and service, and renew my maintenance contract.
I was reading yesterday that under 30's are "abandoning" WhatsApp and reverting to texting. I can't understand why, as WhatsApp is encrypted and you can also "phone" other users without using their phone number. I consider texting to be a "bit old hat"
WtnMel, my aerial problems were fixed by the experts. The old junction boxes had water ingres and cost c£130 to replace 🙄. I did manage to fix up my new telly by myself though, including fitting a wall mounted bracket instead of a stand. I do hope you found your mum in good health.
Frankfurt has been most enjoyable, especially seeing our daughter who is at the end of a tour around Europe. I'm not really one for Xmas markets but observing Germans enjoying themselves and appreciating all their customs is good fun. We've had some marvellous food and drink, including gluhwein, frankfurters and apple strudel- I've gained weight🤭 Today it's snowing which is lovely but makes travelling a bit tricky. Hopefully we'll be home safely tomorrow.
I have XC next Saturday. Maybe see you at Temple Park Aquarius?
Good to hear that your aerial problems have been fixed, and that you were able to fix up your new telly yourself.
I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Frankfurt with your wife and daughter.
I hope that you arrived home safely today!
Good luck with Saturdays parkrun.
This morning was the usual Tuesday Farmers Walk.
HS - I think the problem with the u3a committee is that the Chair Val, isn't good at keeping people in order and let's them witter on .. and also disagrees with things because of her own prejudices, regardless of the facts. Margaret has just got back from her short story group and was irritated with the woman who's house it was in - because she made them look through her late mother's photo album! Glad your cold has mostly gone away. Unfortunately, I'm not sure my Mum is making much progress, hence my visit on Thu to see her for myself. I assume the under 30's are abandoning Whatsapp because us 'oldies' have adopted it so enthusiastically.
OO54 - I'm still waiting for the aerial company I contacted to get back to me. As they're an authorised installer for a local tv and hi-fi firm I always use, I'm happy to wait (but not forever obviously!). Glad to hear you had an enjoyable time in Frankfurt.
I got out for a fast walk this morning before breakfast. Now call me slow on the uptake but I've just discovered the joys of podcasts. I think I mentioned my new hearing aids are blue-tooth compatible? I was able to play a podcast with my phone tucked away inside my jacket and could hear it perfectly. I could stream music instead if I wanted - but for now, I'll subscribe to some other podcasts as well as the one I listened to ("The Rest Is Entertainment" with Richard Osman & Marina Hyde).
WtnMel, I imagine that Margaret must be cheesed of with the u3a committee. Fancy having to look at someone's late mothers photo album, how boring!
I'm sorry to hear that your mum doesn't appear to be making much progress, but hope that you find some improvement during your visit today.
I think that you are correct in that younger people are abandoning WhatsApp and also Facebook, because of all the "oldies" using it, making it "uncool."
I've never got into podcasts, as I'm not trendy😀
Aquarius, oh dear, colds seem to be the order of the day! It's good to hear that the heavy rain has washed away all the snow, but you had heavy frost.
Yesterday was my birthday run with the Wednesday group and we did 5 x 1k with 2.5 minutes recoveries.
I'm having a post birthday pub lunch today with the Monday Group and my sister.
I hope you and family are over your colds now?
Aquarius - sorry to hear you are having to adopt 'nurse mode' yet again to look after your granddaughter. I hope you don't catch the bug - but based on previous occasions, it seems you may do. And I see Steve has a nasty cold too
HS - Margaret was fuming about the lady at the short story group .. she realises the woman lost her Mum earlier this year but even so, nobody is interested in looking at her late mother's photos. I used to listen to podcasts a few years back, then got out of the habit. But being able to listen via my hearing aids means I've rediscovered them anew. I've also subscribed to "In Our Time" with Melvyn Bragg and the "Private Eye" one with Ian Hislop and chums. It will be good to listen to them whenever I'm out walking in the mornings. Well done re the birthday run with your clubmates and I trust you enjoyed your pub lunch. I see you have a dentist check up - I thought it was a while since I had been and when I checked, it was back in 2021. That has now been remedied and I'm off for a check-up in mid-January.
The engineer for the aerial company has been round and taken a look at the current setup and predictably, confirmed what a rubbish signal we currently have in the living room after my bodge job to try and repair the broken connection. But the rest of the setup (roof aerial, 'splitter' in attic, other tv connections) all have a very good strength signal. Because the current living room aerial wire isn't accessible, he will be back on Fri 15th to fit a new aerial wire from the attic splitter down the front of the house and into the living room. Just in time too, because Margaret told me there were yet more more programmes she was watching that had the sound and picture breaking up and were unwatchable. Forgot to say (for OO54's benefit - the quote for sorting the tv aerial was £135).
Alan has been in touch to say his leg is still painful - he's still on the painkillers and has put off trying to play golf again until the New Year.
I've been back to Tring to see my Mum and she's not doing very well. She was in a rehabilitation wing but has a blood infection, so has had to be moved back to the A&E ward so they can treat it with antibiotics. So the plans my sister and I had to look at what happens when the hospital discharge her have had to be put on ice for the time being.
WtnMel, Thanks, yes we did enjoy the pub lunch, and the dental appointment went ok. It was only a routine check-up.
I see that an engineer will be coming on the15th to fit a new aerial wire.
Sorry to hear that Alan's leg is still painful, so you won't be able to play golf again until the New Year.
Also sorry to hear that your mum has been moved to A&E and that she seems to be a bit confused. I do hope that she will be able to go home before Christmas.
Aquarius, I'm sorry to hear that your hip is still bothering you, so you didn't take part in the cross country race. Well done for todays run, and good that stretching afterwards helped to ease the pain.
Thanks, the dental check up went ok, and I was in and out in just a few minutes. It's the Hygienist that does all the work these days.
Good that you and Steve seem to have got the better of your colds. I hope that you will be able to buy a suitable Christmas tree.
We decided against doing the parkrun as it was pouring with rain, and would probably have been course D, the one with 4 laps and finish at the top of the hill. I ran a solo hilly 11k on roads instead.
I ran a solo hilly road 10k this morning, and got home just before the rain started.
Aquarius - sorry to hear your hip is still bothering you .. as you say, a trip to the chiropractor may be needed if it doesn't settle down. Don't blame you for giving the XC a miss. My U3A buddies have given up golf for now - they don't relish playing when it's muddy so they've said they'll let me know if and when they fancy another round (of golf - but possibly, some post-golf beer too!
HS - re the tv engineer fitting the new aerial wire on Fri, tomorrow I need to go up in the loft and move stuff around to give him access to the area near the 'splitter' and where he'll need to get close to the eaves to feed the new wire through. I just hope there's room to shift things across to one side of the attic .. I can foresee me piling things up a bit more to make room!
I shall attempt to get up early tomorrow and go for a fast walk. I didn't bother today because it was a walk in the park and coffee and chat this morning .. and then country dancing this afternoon.
On Wed I'm off to Wootton Bassett and will take with me the spring 'thingies (technical term) which go inside the kitchen door handle and make the handle return to it's starting position - you may recall one of them had broken. I hesitate to say it's a 10-15 min job .. but it should be quick enough to remove the handle and swap the new ones in.
On Thu I'm off on a short ramble with the u3a rambling group - we're on Cleeve Hill so very easy to get to. Then it will be a quick turnaround at lunchtime as it's social cards in the afternoon. Apart from the tv engineer, Fri is looking quiet with nothing organised.
I hope that you managed to get out for a fast walk this morning.
Good luck for tomorrow when you attempt to mend the kitchen door handle. I do remember you mentioning that it was broken.
I hope that Thursdays u3a ramble at Cleeve Hill goes well, and that the rain holds off. Enjoy the social cards. Will that lady that never understands the rules be playing?
Yesterday was an 8.8 mile run in the forest with the Monday Group. It was very wet and muddy, so I was glad that I was wearing my trail shoes.
This morning was the usual Tuesday Farmers Walk.
My car is having its annual service and MoT today. Its been collected and I am awaiting a phone to say all ok🤞
Good news on the aerial Wtnmel and a reasonable cost for what they do.
Sorry about your hip Aquarius. The xc was incredibly muddy but very entertaining. I was dreadful but really enjoyed it. The youngsters did well but adult teams not so well.
Keswick this weekend and no more races except parkruns. Starting the final preps for Xmas, including the need for a haircut. Think I'll do my own 🤭
My car did pass its MoT thank you, but I don't drive many miles these days. I run far more miles than I drive!
I'm glad that you enjoyed the muddy xc, and will have a good weekend in Keswick. I have no more races either before Christmas except parkruns. This Saturday's is special as it is its second birthday, and 100th parkrun event. We have been asked to bring items which will be donated to a particular organisation that helps to feed needy families.
This mornings run with the Wednesday Crew was 4.7 miles including run out and back, and 5 hill reps with jogs back down.
Yes important to do what we can, especially at Christmas. Enjoy yhe parkrun. Forecast for Keswick is wet and miserable....
Sorry to hear that the weather is not looking good for your Keswick weekend.
No running for me, just the usual Friday Farmers Walk. The forecast tomorrow is that it will be a bit warmer. I don't know what course they will be using, but hope it's not course D, the 4 lapper. It will be my first parkrun since my birthday, so hope I will improve my WAVA.
HS - the moving about of stuff in the loft took much less time than I expected. The kitchen door is now fixed (see below). The lady who struggles to remember the rules of card games was there - but she gets plenty of help - and for her, it's a valuable social group to come along to and see people. Well done re that (almost!) 9ml run in the forest on Mon and your farmer's walk on Tue. Glad to hear your car sailed through it's MOT without any problems. I had to chuckle at your comment about running more miles than you drive these days
OO54 - I think when it's wet and muddy you just have to 'go for it' if a race is planned and ignore the weather. Have a good time in Keswick.
I went on the u3a ramble yesterday. It was misty when we started and very cold - so much so, I was amazed to see some hardy golfers out on the course. The weather improved after a bit and we actually had views from the top of Cleeve Hill during the second half of the walk.
The tv aerial man came this morning. He was very efficient and quick, did a neat job and cleaned up after himself. He even fitted new sockets to the ends of the existing connections to the splitter in the loft saying the current connectors are better than the old ones that were there. The tv signal is far stronger now so he advised I should re-tune our recorders and tv which I did. What I didn't realise was that returning our Panasonic recorder via the 'auto-tune' function meant all the programmes I had scheduled, disappeared from the list. So I had to go back through the Radio Times and set them all up again. All done now though, so fingers crossed we can now look forward to trouble-free recordings without any annoying picture or sound breakup. I suppose I should now think about moving the stuff in the loft back the way it was
The back door in my house in Wootton Bassett has been fixed (it WAS just a 10 minute job). We thought we would take a look at the front door and lo and behold, one of the springs in there was also broken. So I'll order a couple more off Amazon.
You'll remember I cracked the glass on my Samsung mobile and we thought we'd be able to find a smaller one for Margaret and I'd be able to swap to hers. We spent some time on Tuesday visiting our local Currys and looking online. As a result, we have come to the conclusion it's impossible to find a 'small' mobile phone these days. The 'standard' ones are 6.5" (like our current ones) and a 'small' one is only 6"
I had to smile at you accidentally giving a LoL to 0054. Recently while scrolling through "People you may know" on Facebook my finger accidentally caught the "Add Friend" button against one of them I didn't really know. They accepted, although likely they hadn't heard of me either.
Good news about the MOT.
0054 Hope you enjoy Keswick, I expect you will be doing the parkrun? Pity about the weather forecast, but I'm sure you're used to a bit of rain over there. At least it's not snow and ice.
WtnMel Did you manage to get the loft sorted out for the aerial engineer arriving today? I hope you now have a shiny new aerial and Margaret will be able to enjoy a perfect TV picture. Well done for your walks on Tuesday and Thursday, and I hope Wednesday's 10-15 min job to fix the door handle didn't end up being a marathon session.
Any news about your mum?
I went to the park on Tuesday for a hill repeat session and was pleased to find I was a bit faster than usual. Yesterday I thought I'd try out the programmes on the new treadmill we got recently. I wasn't impressed, they must be aimed at people just getting into exercise as the set speeds and inclines were a lot less than I wanted, so I ended up doing my own 400m repeats. It wasn't as good as going up to the track, but as the track is currently flooded the treadmill was better than nothing. We're doing Chopwell Woods parkrun tomorrow, but it will be a slow one as although Steve is over his cold he now has a tight hip flexor and wants to take it easy.
Enjoy your runs or walks this weekend, whatever you are doing.
Parkrun this morning was a tough one. It's a few months since I did Chopwell Woods and those hills don't get any easier. Steve wanted to take it easy today, and I was happy to do the same so we walked a bit on the hills. We finished in 26th and 27th position, each winning our age categories - but, don't be too impressed - there were only 31 people taking part, and two of those were tail walkers.
Hope you did better HS!
WtnMel, good that moving stuff around in the loft wasn't a problem, and that the lady who struggles with the rules of cards got lots of help from your group.
I don't use the car much now, so I could probably do without it. It is handy though, as one never knows what might crop up.
Good to hear that the TV aerial man has sorted out all the problems, and that fixing the back door wasn't a problem.
It's definitely a good idea buying a case for your new mobile. I always have one on mine.
Aquarius, you have been very busy posting!
The parkrun was on course C, which turned out to be worse than D. It was still 4 laps with an uphill finish, but went through the woods on a very wet and muddy gravel track. I ran well, but the conditions etc weren't conducive to quick times, and most runners had slower times than usual.
I've never been a fan of treadmills and doubt the benefits for running.
I hope yesterdays parkrun went well and Steve's tight hip flexor didn't cause any problems. I've just seen your follow on post which advised that you both walked a bit and that there were only 31 runners.
As I mentioned above the parkrun went well and we had 157 runners, but not the 200 plus that we were hoping for. I was 98th and first in AG. WAVA was 65.70 %, which was disappointing.
I ran a solo 4.97 miles on roads this morning at recovery pace.