where art collides

walk from Lincoln to Woodhall Spa

Beautiful day today. Tom and I set off from the house at about 9:10. It was a walk from Lincoln to Woodhall Spa. It started off cool but actually warmed up as we went along. I had taken a full camelback of water and it just about lasted the trip to Woodhall Spa.

Most of the walk was along the cycle path next to the River Witham. No Hills but today was all about it endurance and been able to walk the 18 miles. We stop for a break at approximately every hour And had lunch on a picnic bench at Bardney lock.

I took a few photographs but there were lots that I hadn’t been able to react quickly enough to And the phone probably wouldn’t have done a good job of recording them anyway. I’m thinking a heron landing, a couple of swans flying past. That sort of thing. Lots of swans along the way on the Water.

We finally made it to the Mall pub at approximately 4 o’clock. We had rung Anne and told her that we would be about an hour earlier than planned. I had built in some contingency to the time. And arrived at 4.30, Just in time for me to finish off a pint of Timothy Taylor’s landlord.

I did have a little problem with the RunKeeper software on the way. I accidentally stopped it once and then had to reset The phone because it was locked up  I lost some of the data. This meant I don’t have a contiguous map and record for the whole day’s walk but it doesn’t matter, it’s not that important at this stage of the game. What does mean is that I have to think about how I can accurately record the coast to coast walk without having to faff around with a phone and losing data. The three separately recorded walks have fed into MyFitnessPal and recorded the fact that I burnt off 3000 calories today which is a good result.

At 18 miles today’s walk is still short of the longest day on the coast to coast but it is good progress. We just have to be able to string 12 of them together on consecutive days. It will be next Sunday before I can do another long walk due to work commitments this coming week plus picking Joe up from Newcastle University. The following weekend however we will be in Llanberis for a few days which should be a good opportunity for training, especially up the mountains.

We’re home now I’ve had a bath and a beef stew and am recovering on the settee in the TV room. Aches and pains but actually not as bad as I was on Thursday after my 12 mile walk. My biggest concern now Is my left foot. The toe next to my little toe is rubbing and getting blisters.  the clearly is not quite enough room down there. The real nuisance is that there is plenty of room for my big toe which is the biggest in there and the one you would think that would be the limiting factor for whether a shoe fits or not but reality is the problem is that smaller toe.

I’m going to see what GoOutdoors people may have to say – recommendations re stretching the boot for example. Timpson at Tesco may be able to help but I suspect I may have to buy a second pair of boots another size up to accommodate the foot. Expensive but there may not be another way around it.

Stay tuned…

Pics here

Vids below

Check out the Coast To Coast sponsored walk page over at trefor.net.

England v Wales

It’s Saturday 12th March and it’s big match day. England v Wales. I have to say I’m quite excited about this one. It could go either way. The bookies favourite is the home team – the English are always a bit on the optimistic side when it comes to this sort of thing but hey…

The news this morning is that I couldn’t find my specs when I got up. No surprise there but this time I had to go downstairs for my other pair. Anne found them natch. On her side of the bed so I’d never have found them meself 🙂

Chucked out a load of old stuff this morning including the green waterproof coat I bought as a student and wore when hitchhiking to Greece. Element of sadness there but you have to be tough – no point in keeping it. Haven’t used it for decades and and about to replace my existing waterproof with some new technology in advance of the Snowdonia trip.

This is how the day is panning out:

• Cooked breakfast
• Trip to Tesco for a few supplies and to fill up the Citroen
• Back to do one or two jobs – not too many mind you
• Pick Tom up from Newark Northgate – he arrives at 11.43 and is bringing his old bike for Anne to use
• Stop off in the Bailgate to buy some spicy Lincolnshire sausages from Curtis’. They are a find
• Spot of lunch
• Amble up to the Morning Star at around 3.30 to warm up for the match.
• Get picked up by Anne who will have swung by the Modern Tandoori to pick up a takeaway curry
• Eat curry
• Fall asleep on settee

How about that then? Featured image btw – my golf shoes anf rugby boots (not worn for a few years now but you never know…)

Coast to coast preparation walk – longest yet

Up early and felt good after yesterday’s knackering 9 mile walk. Today’s coast to coast preparation walk is a 12 miler so wasn’t sure what to expect really.

Out ot the pool as usual (when I’m in Lincoln and it’s a weekday) and did 35 mins of up and down water pushing. Not many in and so had the lane to myself for a while. Then a girl/woman got in and started putting me to shame. She did at least two lengths to my one. I didn’t mind. There were only two of us in the lane and we didn’t get in each other’s way. Makes a change from some of the larger ladies who get in towards the end of the lane swimming just to “warm up” for the over fifties session after 9am. Most of them are faster than me but hey…

Stopped off at the coop garage over the road to Yarborough Leisure Centre to get some bacon. A must to accompany the eggs I bought whilst out on yesterday’s walk.

After a leisurely cooked breakfast (tomato, 3 mushrooms, 2 slices of coop back bacon and a lincolnshire sausage from Curtis’ on the George Foreman Grill and 2 poached eggs – 400 ish calories ) I nipped out to buy a merino wool base layer from GoOutdoors. They didn’t have my size so ended up buying a Berghaus long sleeved synthetic base layer. Figured I could wait for the right size merino job. Also picked up a couple of lightweight fleeces for a tenner – can’t go wrong really – and an orange plastic survival bag. I’ve been looking for a roll up hiking mat for witting on when stopping for a rest out and about but can’t find the right product. Decided that a survival bag would do instead and funnily enough it also doubles up as a, you got it, survival bag.

Perfect weather for a walk today and didn’t use the waterproof jacket although I had it in my day bag. Instead settled for the base layer and fleece just purchased and warm lonap fleece to go over. Wasn’t massively happy with the pace of the walk but after making it to the top of south common through all the mud I picked up a second wind, abandoned any thoughts of providing an excuse for cutting short the walk and persevered.

Walked past RAF Waddington and stopped for lunch in Waddington village, sitting on a bench outside the graveyard. This was opposite a Budgeons store so nipped in to top up my water supply, also purchasing some lucozade sport and a bag of energy pills (also known as rolo chocolate sweets.

The walk back was uneventful and I was very pleased with myself for creating a new personal best of 12+ miles. It took 5 ½ hours which is too long but that may partly be attributed to hurty feet (still). I’m expecting that the more of these walks I put in the less the feet will hurt, partly because they will get used to the hammer and partly because there will be less weight on them.

Day off tomorrow due to the England Wales rugby match although I may spend some time in the gym. Tom and I will be in the Morning Star with the boys and Anne is picking up a curry on her way to pick us up after the match. Yay 🙂

Weight loss to date is 10.7Kg btw. Featured image is a rotting tree trunk seen at the top of south common on the coast to coast preparation walk. Below is map of the walk route.

pics here

vids below

Trefor.net blog post on coast to coast walk preparation.

purchased eggs en route on my 9.5 mile walk

This walking lark is a back breaker. I have to keep at it. Today I did another 9.5 miles. It feels as if I should be doing it more quickly but towards the end my feet hurt and my back aches. I guess it’s just a question of keeping at it.

It took 3 hours 50 minutes including a tea break stop and lunch at RAF Fiskerton. Didn’t know that was there. En route past Cherry Willingham I walked alongside an old chap who had done the3 coast to coast to celebrate his 70th birthday 5 years ago. Not bad. He did the same schedule as I am planning.

Before the walk I also did 45 minutes in the pool so all in all it’s not been a bad day for exercise.

The arrival of spring was definitely noticeable along the way. It was manifested in leaves budding in the hedgerows. Today was also warmer than yesterday and I was kitted out for the cold so towards the end had to take off my coat as I was boiling. I may have to start wearing my summer walking trousers. Tomorrow.

I was also able to take advantage of the opportunity to buy some eggs in Reepham. Left £2 in an honesty box for the dozen they had left. Looking forward to trying them out for breakfast tomorrow. Fresh eggs make all the difference. I noticed that one of them had been cracked from rough handling in the rucksack but looks like the sack is still intact so it may be ok.

Passed a high security workplace in Fiskerton called Primetake. I googled it. They make “precision  ammunition” amongst other things! Pics in the album linked to at the bottom of the post.

The other thing I noticed were signs indicating compulsory purchase orders for land along the route of the planned Eastern Bypass. It was all pristine agricultural land. I realise that people have been campaigning for the bypass for years but when you are walking along in the countryside it does bring it home to you what devastating effect these roads have on the environment. Fields with birds will be replaced with cars hurtling along at 70 miles an hour.

I got home, had a quick shower and zoomed off to pick John up from school. Before leaving the house I noticed a £394 cancellation charge invoice from Vodafone. This is wrong and I called them up – I cancelled within the cooling off period and it was because they were unable to provide me with a working sky sports mobile app for the oneplus2. I think it is going to be ok – the girl said there shouldn’t be a problem but you never know with these big companies and automated systems.

Back now in the conservatory the birds are in full song in the back garden. Another sign of spring. The forecast for Easter isn’t good though. Ne’er cast a clout until May is out!

In other news I was on BBC1 yesterday. A pure fluke being filmed for some programme as I was walking along the street in London (Aldgate to Kings X). Several people spotted me and dropped me a line on Facebook. Screen grab below the vids:)

Pics here

Vids below

ark wanted

The fun thing about writing a diary is that you can write anything you like. I’m not quite at the stage of revealing all my most intimate secrets and innermost thoughts but at least I am free to express myself any which way I like.

On this occasion you might have guessed it is raining. This post, really, adds to the body of historical data that will tell interested onlookers from the future that the weather was inclement. There may even be studies that analyse the cause and effect of future events and find that one in particular stemmed from someone slipping on a wet pavement and banging their head. In Lincoln. Who knows?

One thing is for certain and that is not only is it wet but it is also cold and I am disinclined to go walking today. I have been swimming and may well opt to head for the gym at lunchtime. There is a reason for this. Anne has her friend Sarah the new trainee vicar’s wife, and her two young kids coming to lunch. Time to get out of the house methinks.

Now when I attracted your attention to this post with an enticing title mentioning Noah I wasn’t being entirely straight with you. Yes it is raining, a lot, but that rain isn’t yet of biblical proportions. Had it been so I’d imagine that Noah would have had to have started building his ark yonks ago. Nowadays we do have faster more efficient construction methods but you still can’t build a boat that will house two of every animal in the world particularly quickly.

Such a project would need serious long term planning. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was a 20 year effort. Just imagine the logistics of finding two of everything and then keeping them somewhere whilst the ark was built. Just building the dry land accommodation would be a massive project in itself and not particularly politically correct. Some of the animals may even go extinct whilst they were waiting.

So. This entry seems to be straying from the straight and narrow when it comes to diaries and verging on the fictitious, which I know is not what you are after in a diary. A novel ok but not a diary and I’m not sure I will ever write you a novel.

the pain the pain I just can’t take it

Was kept awake half the night with the bloody toothache again. Tried everything including paracetamol, oil of cloves, brushing with sensodyne and swilling whisky. The only thing that works is the whisky. It’s not a long term solution. In the end I had to move bedrooms to avoid disturbing Anne.

Ended up not going for a swim and popped down to see John Hill to see if he could identify anything wrong. Conclusion was the same as the last time – sensitive tooth due to over brushing so I went away with a prescription for pain killers.

Got back to find that the Virgin broadband was down. Stayed that way for three hours or so. This was inconvenient because I couldn’t use the phone but internet access was maintained by using my mobile phone as a hotspot. Got 40Megs down and 20Megs up which is perfectly acceptable. Slightly slower ping time than normal though.

The weather has been pretty cold and horrible so that, combined with the fact that I’ve actually been working all day meant me not going walking today. Tomorrow is looking even worse so I may end up in the gym. I notice when I don’t get any exercise nowadays, especially after a cooked breakfast.

Followed that with split pea and ham soup (a la Anne), a ham sandwich and a banana. and then tonight we had a delicious chicken quesadilla fair play.

Announced my latest Exec Dinner today. Have Netaxis sponsoring and have already shifted some tickets. It’s set for April 19th. Roy Timor Rousso, CEO of fring is speaking.

Set going a Facebook ad for Anne’s Vans tonight. Just £4 a day for a week as an experiment. The call to action is click to message Anne button. We shall see how we get on. Also announced the fact that we are exhibiting at the Norton Lodge Wedding Fair on 3rd April. Gotta get the marketing engine working:).

Anne is out at “Craft Creations” tonight. She’s always doing something. Makes you tired watching her. In the meantime John and I moved he exercise bike back into the gym (the room formerly known as the play room). It also has a rowing machine in there.

Tried out my new binoculars this afternoon. Not bad for fifteen quid. No point in me spending any more. No birds about to see though. At least not when I was looking.

Finally no photos today because I didn’t get out for a walk nor went in the garden. Just one of an eye. Here is a token video:

cue fast moving music

Bit of a melodramatic title. It’s either one of those comedies along the lines of Monte Carlo or Bust or a real life drama in which a bloke attempts to get to  Burton Waters against all the odds.

Reality is it was just one of my 10 mile training walks in preparation for the Coast to Coast. I’m assuming that the more of them I do the easier they will become. My feet have been getting quite sore so this morning I dropped by Bob the Chiropodist for a consultation. In the first instance he said that at the age of 54 I might expect to have sore feet at the end of a long walk.

In the second instance he observed that I had a slightly protruding metatarsal joint in the foot, the left being slightly worse than the right. It’s my left foot that’s been getting particularly sore. The solution, if there is one, was to provide me with an insole with more padding.

I continued on my walk. The feet still hurt by the end but your mind does play tricks and you imagine all sorts of situations going on down there. I think the new insole has worked but it effectively means I have to wear in the boot again so it will be a few trips before I really find out. Have a new blister so this is definitely the case.

In Burton I passed the infamous yew  hedge that made the national news because it’s owner had been served with a writ to cut it right back. You could spot the bits that had been trimmed as a compromise. It’s in the album here.

Made it home via Blacks Outdoors shop at the bottom of Steep Hill. Went in to buy a mat to use for sitting on wet grass whilst hiking. Came out with a micro towel and a pair of binoculars! The binocs were half price 🙂 I already have a micro towel that doesn’t get used but hey…

Pleasant enough walk back from Burton Waters along the towpath. Wind behind and occasionally sunny. Pretty cold day though. Northish wind. Met a Community Support officer patrolling the towpath. Only a few people there though until you got to the built up area coming in to Lincoln. Han’t realised there were so many houses down there. It was the old GEC site.

Saw a rat running across from Carholme Golf Club to the water’s edge. First I’ve seen on all the walks this year. Ideal conditions in the ditch along the side of the course.

Now I’m back, cup of tea in hand and waiting for the bathwater to heat up. The more of these walks I do the quicker the recovery time I’m sure.

grab her, hug her and tell her you love her

It’s Mother’s Day. We have two cards out of three possibles from children not present in the house. The last one is still in bed and therefore hasn’t yet revealed the extent of his affections 🙂 I have undertaken to affix some old garden tools to the wall of the utility room and will thereafter make an attempt at the front hedge. There is also swimming to fit in as well as the preparation of this evening’s roast beef. A smaller joint than usual due to the absent 50%.

This Mother’s Day is somewhat poignant because both Anne and I lost our mothers in the intervening year.  It is very sad but just thinking about her also makes me glow with warmth knowing what a wonderful Mam I had. Enjoy your mothers whilst you still can kids.

Our house this morning is one of real contrasts. I am sat in the kitchen listening to Classic FM. A relaxing Sunday morning sound.There is a loud squeaky noise coming from a radio in the utility room where Anne is busy painting the cupboards. Finally there is no noise from upstairs. The step ladders move.

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I’ve sorted all the veg for the roast. Made me think of the occasion where we had, Elise, a French exchange student staying with us over Mother’s Day weekend. On Sunday morning we went for a walk and ended up in Bells Tea shop/cafe at the top of Steep Hill. Notwithstanding the fact that we had a table out of the way upstairs next to the door to the kitchen the service was appalling. We were out of the way and forgotten. I will never return and cannot recommend it.

That afternoon we went to the Tower Hotel for a late lunch/early dinner. Actually there was nothing wrong with the service or the food really, although they had clearly had to come up with a mass producible menu for what must be one of their busiest weekends. What impressed me was the readiness with which our young French guest tucked in to everything put in front of her. She, at the tender age of 13. clearly had a sophisticated palate.

In my view it’s much easier to cook at home on occasions like this as restaurants will just be too busy for a comfortable experience.

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I am pleased to report that whilst I was out at Tesco some flowers have arrived from Anne. That would appear to be a full complement of tokens of love from the absentee children 🙂 What’s more the one remaining kid (ie John) has also delivered a handmade card which is always well received.

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I am now sat with a cup of tea in front of the fire. A bacon sandwich has been consumed and having tidied up the garage and moved my golf clubs in under the shelf  the only real chore remaining before I cook dinner is to make the Yorkshire pud batter.

Pics from the day here.

Vid below

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drip drip,,, drip

There is something very relaxing about a wet Saturday. The dishwasher is quietly churning away, or whatever noise a dishwasher is supposed to make. Radio 4 is on and I’ve had bacon and egg for breakfast.

If I was playing rugby today I’d be looking out the window thinking urgh, 80 minutes of running around in the cold wet rain. Always ok once you got going but the getting going is the difficult bit.

I do of course have the never ending jobs list. That is fine. When it is written down it is under control. Not spring at me out of left field, as they say in the colonies.

Anne is about to make some soup. Parsnip with ginger and leek and potato. That’s two lots of soup. Not all in one pot. Obvs. Anne is a dab hand at soup making fair play. Radio 4 has just gone off. Monty Don and gardener’s world is now on. One dulcet tone swapped for another. Monty is reviewing the damage in the garden after the winter. Very topical. It’s been a very wet winter for some although not in our part of the country.

Monty talks about spring being here but the weather forecast is for the coldest Easter in living memory, or some such dramatic weather statement. It will provide for interesting conditions in Llanberis when we go there for Easter. I took a look yesterday and there are really two forecasts for Llanberis. One for the bottom of Snowdon and one for the summit. The temperature difference is about 7 degrees centigrade between the two. Also it’s the difference between snow and rain. If Snowdon is snow topped we won’t make it to the top.

Last night’s concert was great. John did a solo on his saxophone which was top notch. Very proud of him. The Dawkinses came with us. Jeremy was a bit worried about sitting through a kids concert all evening but he went away really pleased he’d come.

Anne is chopping up her leeks. Two biguns cost 6 pence in Tesco! Barg.

It’s duck tonight. I’m cooking. I’ll have to look up a recipe – not cooked duck in years. It isn’t that I don’t know how to cook duck but I just thought “hey, why not check out a nice recipe”. Simple really.

In years gone by there was a restaurant called Seelys in Lincoln. They used to make the most fantastic duck breast in ginger. Even if it wasn’t on the menu they always had some in reserve. I never used to have anything else. That and the garlic chicken livers starter. We had some great evening there. Unfortunately the chef/owner died and the restaurant became Gino’s Italian. Long time ago now.

Having gardener’s world on the ipad has reminded me that I need to put the wax band around our pear tree. We haven’t seen a pear on that tree for the last few years so this year I’m going to try and do something about it. The wax band (or whatever it is) is to stop certain pests from climbing the trunk and doing damage. The tree has been getting yellow brown leaves which obviously ain’t right.

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The weather has fined up and I popped out to encircle the pear tree trunk in the waxed band. Very sticky stuff. Took me several goes to wash my hands afterwards but it is done now. Next job, once I’ve sank a cup of tea is to screw the bookcase to the wall. This is a fairly hefty task as it involves emptying the bookcase first. It is a big bookcase and there is probably around 5metres of shelving that will have to be emptied and then restocked.

As I sit here Anne’s phone occasionally pings. It does so whenever she gets an email or a message. I have most of my notifications turned off. One of the few I have switched on is the scrabble app but Joe takes his go so infrequently there doesn’t seem much point in even keeping that one on! He is being walloped which is probably why he can’t be bothered to go.

In other news Anne has decided to chuck some of our old pots and pans. It has meant going out and buying new ones yay. As it happens Biggar of the Bail are in the last few days of their closing down sale. This is sad as the shop has served the people of Lincoln for the last 72 years. It does however mean that we have been able to buy a new set of Stellar stainless steel saucepans for a discounted price – £140 reduced to £90. Photos of the pans in this link here together with the shoot from the garden this morning and miscellaneous other vistas.

the hour before dawn

5.20 am. It’s dark out. I’ve been awake since 4am off and on. More on than off I suspect. Took me a while to drift off last night too. Nothing going on. I was surprised that I wasn’t more tired after yesterday’s walk. Just stiff really.

The weather forecast isn’t particularly good today although it’s worse further North and to the West. Looks like we are going to avoid snow. Shame. I sometimes find myself checking different websites to see whether the forecast for lincoln is better or worse for any one of them. They must all take their base data from the same source, surely.

It’s not a bad time to be up. The time goes quickly enough when you are tapping away. I am hungry. Last night’s vegetarian shepherd’s pie can’t have done the job. The exercise will also have upped my metabolic rate. It’s a good thing to be getting hungry before meal times. Not hungry in the way the starving millions in Africa are hungry. Hungry because the body has been using up energy.

Today is going to be a day of getting some work type jobs done. Sort out the VAT return. Do the finances etc. Also got to nail the next UC Exec dinner.

I can hear Anne moving about upstairs.

Tonight we are off to Gainsborough to see John play in a concert. It’s the Tuesday Night Band. I’m sure it probably has a more formal name. The City of Lincoln Youth Orchestra, or some such moniker but it’s known here as the Tuesday Night Band. Before hand we are having supper at the Dawkinses. It’s Clare’s birthday. Spag bol I’m told. Not had spag bol in a long while so that is good.

I might try and get a session in in the gym beforehand. Will certainly go for a swim before breakfast. Gotta keep the momentum going. I’m in Lincoln every day next week so that should help. The following week is busy and contains two big nights out.

At 6.25 I will boil the kettle to make the tea. If you think that is somewhat precise you are right. It’s because for the last 20 years or so our alarm clock has been set for 6.30 am and then one of us would get up and make a brew. A 6.25 boil would enable me to take the teapot upstairs to Anne ready for 6.30. The fact that we often don’t use the alarm these days and then it’s at 6.45 is another issue. I won’t want to hang around downstairs beyond 6.30.

March 4th be with you.

Canal walks r us

Did a circular walk today with Stuart Heathershall. Stu is a bit of an expert at this kind of thing and I’m pretty sure would have done it faster without me. We did ten miles in four hours. two five minute stops and 20 mins for lunch meant that effectively we were doing 21 minute miles. Ideally I could do with building up to being a bit faster as on the coast to coast we will have some long days where we will need to cover a lot of miles.

Definitely improving though and not nearly as knackered after this one compared to when I walked to Wragby a week or two ago. Feet still giving gyp though so I’m booked in to see Rob the chiropodist next Monday. May be something as simple as a little support insert will do the job. It may also just be that I need to get a few more miles under my belt. V shall c.

One of the handy thing about walking with Stuart is that he he turns out to be an expert bird watcher. He could identify birds from their sounds and therefore knew when to stop and look. We saw quite a variety en route and in particular a number of woodpecker’s holes. Didn’t see a  woodpecker but apparently we could hear them.

Back home now and typing away in the conservatory. Vegetarian shepherd’s pie for dinner apparently. Not sure shepherds are vegetarian but hey… I’ve built up an appetite and I’m sure it will go down well.

Photos here

Vids below

slowly grows the day

Slightly sluggish start to the day due to the post European VoIP Summit entertainments. Ended up in a pub called the Mary Jane and thence to the Kings Cross Tandoori with Wayne Mills Kidals and a few others. Only problem was that by the time we got there it was nearly ready for me to catch the train so I took the lamb balti as a takeaway and legged it. Funny thing was that Wayne then realized his train was a lot earlier than he’d thought and so he and his engineer Rob also had to go leaving the two people from TalkTalk on their own at the table.

Ate the balti on the train – fortunately not many people in the carriage. Taxi picked me up from Newark Northgate and home to bed.

So this morning I passed on a swim and am getting on with some admin of sorts. Also set the fire in anticipation of Richard Irving and Ian Cleary from Google coming this afternoon for a LONAP meeting.

Spoke to dad. He is walking further afield and yesterday made it up to Shoprite in Peel for some essential supplies. Wine and fish. Very biblical. Don’t know if there was any bread in there but it would have been appropriate 🙂 I’ll have to see when I can next pop over to the Isle of Man. January seems a long way back now although it is only about 6 weeks since we went.

On an associated subject I will be picking up the Peugeot this afternoon. Dad’s old car. Finally got the registration, tax and insurance sorted. We will then be a four car family! My Citroen C4, Anne’s Nissan Micra, the Peugeot and the campervan. Might get rid of the C4 when the year runs out.

It’s been a quiet morning in the conservatory. I’m popping out to Waitrose shortly to get some supplies in for tomorrow’s walk with Stu. 12 miles along the canal near Chesterfield. Probably wait until its stopped raining. A shiver of relaxation has just run through my shoulders because of the sound of the rain on the conservatory roof. It’s almost like wet hail.

Featured image is of a Waitrose van – the driver was being assessed for which they had partitioned off some of the car park. Video is a live report from the car park 🙂

Oh and note the new contributor to philosopherontap today – Mark Raybould. He has posted 5 poems today.

the dawn chorus

06:08 and the birds are singing away outside. Polly put the kettle on, probably although I can’t quite make out the tune. Awake early meself so I thought I’d come downstairs and read for a bit before the alarm goes off and I have to get ready to go to London.

Currently re reading The Time Traveller’s Guide To Medieval England. V interesting and can be dipped in and out of – useful in today’s short attention span world.

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Later on the train they have rolled out the new interior livery. Check out the video. V smart, at least whilst it is new. I’ve had a spot of breakfast, published a trefor.net post on my 20GB bundle experience and and now relaxing somewhat.

It is a miserable day out there but I will be spending most of my time  indoors so it doesn’t really matter. I just have to get to the Uber in each direction and walk from the conference to the pub in London. It’s Matt Townend’s European VoIP Summit 2016.

Don’t expect much more out of me today unless I add some gibberish on my way home.

green fingered Tref – ish

45 minutes swim to start the day. It’s an obvious thing but I do find the more I swim the more I find myself wanting to do more. Trouble is getting to the pool earlier is hard – the bed is nice and cosy and it’s frosty out. I would have been able to get there earlier had I not had to deice the car (s).

I feel as if I’m back in the fitness and healthy eating groove this week after last week’s trip to Barca. I do have a couple of day’s meetings that will end up in the pub to survive. And don’t go telling me I’ll just have to resist temptation:)

at 10am I started clearing yesterday’s trimmings into the green bins. This took me 90 minutes. It involved using the clippers to get most of the small green stuff off the branches so that they were easily compressed into the bins. The stick sized bare branches were put in one pile next to the woodpile and the bigger stuff onto the woodpile itself. Not a bad morning’s work really.

Had a chat with Dad, did some tripadvisor reviews from Venice and then had pea and watercress soup for lunch. All in all not a bad morning of it.

You do notice more when you are out in the garden. This morning I had a chat with a robin. He didn’t seem to have much to say so it was a little one sided! Flew off when my back was turned. Ah well.

After lunch went downtown to do a few chores, market, bank, vodafone shop. Signed up with Voda for a plan that includes 20GB data for £20 a month. It also included sky sports mobile. Tonight I rang EE to cancel their account and they matched the offer. Later I tried to install the sky app on my oneplus 2 phone only to find it is incompatible. Forced my hand really. Called EE back and accepted their offer.

Tomorrow I’ll call Vodafone and cancel their order. You have a 2 week period of grace in which to do it and in anycase they are unable to fulfil their side of the deal. The EE offer also included free EU calls and texts!

Featured image is a little in the shade but if you look carefully it shows some of the hedge trimmings I got rid of today.

Thassit for now. London tomorrow. See ya there.

PS I offer you a short video showing sparks flying at a building site at the top of Lincoln High Street.