Ooooohhhhh Yes !

Tonight, and I don’t care what anybody says, I didn’t disgrace myself with Psycho !

A 40km bike ride (the first 15km off road and into the teeth of a howling gale) and I was still standing at the end, and I had to wait for her to catch up several times – she’s tired apparently !

I’m not saying too much in case she reads this tonight and then beasts me tomorrow at circuit training – so don’t say anything will you…………

I was talking to Mrs G on Skype this evening and it seems that everyone is acting up – me because I’m bored (we put this down to post holiday blues), the kids because they haven’t had any semblance of a routine……………..I’m sure that this paragraph was supposed to make sense somehow but I left it last night for some reason and picked it up again this morning and I haven’t got the slightest idea what it was that I was going to say………..so we will never know will we !

I was saying last night though, that I’m really not sure what it is I’m going to talk to you about for a few days.  I haven’t taken any pictures since the rugby at the weekend, and they were the first in weeks.  I don’t think I’m doing anything of any great interest in the next 10 days or so (I suppose I could take some pictures of the park tonight, where we go circuit training – I could give you a run down on our circuits then I guess…….which I’m sure you’ll find fascinating……..)

I’ve also promised Auntie some more close-ups of camels so I guess that will give me something to do for a spare hour over the weekend as well.  Whilst we’re on the subject of weekends, I have discovered that if I spend a relatively hard weekend improving my tan (and trying to finish that blasted book) and then leave it to the next weekend to have another go at improving my tan, most of the last weekends efforts have gone – are you still with me……… and I’m damned if I’m going to lie around on a sunbed during the week if I don’t have to (I find sunbathing sooooooooo boring).  It’s a difficult set of issues – I use factor 30 all day long sun cream because I don’t want to end up like a lobster within 20 minutes and die.  This has consequences.  Firstly, I can lay out in the sun and read that damn book all day (I have to keep washing the sweat off every now and then), secondly, I don’t get any semblance of a tan until 4 in the afternoon when I’m even more bored than usual. Thirdly, actually, there isn’t a thirdly really, that’s just it.

I could go and buy something different but that would involve spending money (and I’ve never been very good at that…….).  I might try sunbathing without any for 19 and a half minutes and then putting some on (once I’ve washed the sweat off obviously) and seeing if that makes a difference.  Trouble is, all sun cream is disgusting, sticky, oily, horrid stuff, which required careful application (which is not easy when you are as hairy as I am !), I can’t reach my back without doing myself a mischief, and although I’m quite clearly in touch with my gay side I’m not asking male work colleagues to put it on my back, so I have to spend all day laying on my back – which is frankly boring !  The leopard skin bikini has left for the season just in case you were wondering !

I tell you what – you people just don’t know how lucky you are not to have to worry about proper stuff like this !

Right, I think I might give T’ai Chi a go to see if I can un-knot the muscles in my back after yesterday’s cycling exertions (it’s 6.30 in the morning here, and a little early for breakfast otherwise I would be in serious danger of getting to work early……and then where would we be !)

Today’s inventory:

Gym – 40 km bike ride (not bad I guess)

Money – same old same old !

Food – nothing of note, although after last nights exertions I figured that I could afford to have some ice cream for tea. I checked and it was vanilla (which is probably my favourite………with a piece of chocolate cake…..).  By the time I got back to the counter after main course it had all gone and been replaced by mango sorbet (which doesn’t go with chocolate cake – booooooo) so once again my need for ice cream has been foiled – damn !

Cigars – none.  I haven’t had a cigar since Sunday lunchtime (at approximately 1230hrs to be a little more precise).  That’s nearly 3 days ago………..or 5100 minutes…..not that I’m counting obviously……

The object of the exercise is to get to the stage my friends Nigel, Ian and Peter are at.  About twice a week they sit outside on a terrace somewhere and light up a nice fat (but not to extravagant) cigar.  They smoke that whilst having a little drink of something, and then they go to bed, and the next time they smoke may not be for several days.  Whether they feel the need to get up in the morning and light up straight after breakfast, but don’t, isn’t something I have discussed with them, but I’m impressed that they can have one and then not another one for several days…….I think I may have to get to the “not needing to light up straight after breakfast” stage before I can move on to the “have one and then not another one for several days” stage – but be assured that you will be kept firmly in touch with what’s happening on the cigar front !

And on that note I’m off to try and un-knot my back - TTFN