Managed to get through the first week back at work after the Xmas break. To be fair it wasn't really bad, but then the first week never is; the rest of January will be slightly more hectic . . .
Cycled through town last night to drop the Sirrus in to Dales - it needs a new chain and I'm having a SRAM powerlink chain fitted so I can simply pop it off when it needs cleaned, which is often in this weather. Got up to more snow this morning so the bike will be covered in shite by the time I get back home after picking it up later.
I'm in desperate need of a haircut, in fact I'm looking positively fluffy! Searched for barbers in Bridge of Weir but results all seem to be 'unisex' hairdressers. This doesn't fill me with confidence. I prefer a traditional barber, less hassle and much simpler - especially when all you want is a number 2 all over.
Giving some serious thought to ski lessons. Lot of people headed up North last year with all the snow and I thought it sounded great. Haven't been skiing since I was 14 or 15 so I thought a couple of lessons and also see what you need to do to get passes - apparently you simply pay on arrival - cool! Geddit? Skiing, cool? Hmm . . .
Saturday 8 January 2011
Wednesday 5 January 2011
1st day back at work
Clue is in the title, back to work today. Whoopadedoodah! Still, at least I cycled there and back, which is always good. The weather forecast seemed to say that rain was expected but it looked clear so I put on my new boots. They're too big for my Gore overshoes so can't wear them when it's raining, although I bought them for the cold and it can't really rain when it's very cold!
The day was slow but good from a nutrition point of view; I have resolved to eat much healthier to try and lose weight (not too much) and improve my overall health/ energy. I had no chocolate at all today, which was a first, and my snacks were carrot, orange and porridge. I have to say that I felt fine - no real hunger pangs, even though breakfast before leaving the house this morning was a fruit smoothie only (albeit a very large one) and no porridge.
Went to the dentist on the way home, finally given in and accepted that the broken molar will need a crown. Apparently I can get a gold one for £95 on the NHS! The prep work wasn't too bad, although getting a needle in the gum and having someone drill a tooth for 10 minutes is never going to be pleasant.
Cycled home and cooked fajitas; OH took down Xmas decorations and I carried the tree outside and left near the car park - it'll get disposed of soon I hope when we get a base put down for our 'garden shed'.
Tried out my new camera today. This morning was a bit too dark, even in the lit sections of my ride, and for the cycle to the dentist I managed to have the camera upside down - idiot!
The day was slow but good from a nutrition point of view; I have resolved to eat much healthier to try and lose weight (not too much) and improve my overall health/ energy. I had no chocolate at all today, which was a first, and my snacks were carrot, orange and porridge. I have to say that I felt fine - no real hunger pangs, even though breakfast before leaving the house this morning was a fruit smoothie only (albeit a very large one) and no porridge.
Went to the dentist on the way home, finally given in and accepted that the broken molar will need a crown. Apparently I can get a gold one for £95 on the NHS! The prep work wasn't too bad, although getting a needle in the gum and having someone drill a tooth for 10 minutes is never going to be pleasant.
Cycled home and cooked fajitas; OH took down Xmas decorations and I carried the tree outside and left near the car park - it'll get disposed of soon I hope when we get a base put down for our 'garden shed'.
Tried out my new camera today. This morning was a bit too dark, even in the lit sections of my ride, and for the cycle to the dentist I managed to have the camera upside down - idiot!
Tuesday 4 January 2011
Bike bits
Nothing much happened yesterday, certainly nothing worth writing about - apart from the fact that OH has a bad cold :-( Just in time to go back to work - coincidence? Hmmm . . .
Today all the shops are back to normal, and I got a call from Evans to say my bits had arrived - I ordered some new tyres. Got them in size 700c x 28 for Summer riding, also managed to get another £3 off the Evans 'sale' price because they price-match. This means I find what I like on their website and then Google for that product; simplez!
We then popped up to Dales (better people and service) to book the Sirrus in for a service. I need a new chain and the wheels are getting a bit wobbly. Whilst I was there I asked about changing the gearing on the Allez; want to change the chain rings from 50/34 to 45/30 after a reading an article. The mechanic, with whom I have spoken before, was very helpful but said that it would be tricky to find parts that would all fit together. He suggested that it would be easier to change the rear cassette from 12/25 to 11/32 (Deore). All that would be required would be a long cage rear derailleur and a new chain (plus the new cassette of course). He will have a look at what's available and we can chat on Friday when I drop the Sirrus in.
Whilst we were in Dales we looked at the new bikes. Well, doesn't everyone? I shouldn't really because it just makes me drool ;-)
Anywho! Home now and sorting some washing whilst OH is cooking - salmon. Got a phone call earlier from a friend whose brother-in-law has started his own business and is looking for an accountant - that would be me then! No rest for the wicked, back to work tomorrow and all is ready - brakes checked, tyres pumped and lights charged.
Today all the shops are back to normal, and I got a call from Evans to say my bits had arrived - I ordered some new tyres. Got them in size 700c x 28 for Summer riding, also managed to get another £3 off the Evans 'sale' price because they price-match. This means I find what I like on their website and then Google for that product; simplez!
We then popped up to Dales (better people and service) to book the Sirrus in for a service. I need a new chain and the wheels are getting a bit wobbly. Whilst I was there I asked about changing the gearing on the Allez; want to change the chain rings from 50/34 to 45/30 after a reading an article. The mechanic, with whom I have spoken before, was very helpful but said that it would be tricky to find parts that would all fit together. He suggested that it would be easier to change the rear cassette from 12/25 to 11/32 (Deore). All that would be required would be a long cage rear derailleur and a new chain (plus the new cassette of course). He will have a look at what's available and we can chat on Friday when I drop the Sirrus in.
Whilst we were in Dales we looked at the new bikes. Well, doesn't everyone? I shouldn't really because it just makes me drool ;-)
Anywho! Home now and sorting some washing whilst OH is cooking - salmon. Got a phone call earlier from a friend whose brother-in-law has started his own business and is looking for an accountant - that would be me then! No rest for the wicked, back to work tomorrow and all is ready - brakes checked, tyres pumped and lights charged.
Sunday 2 January 2011
Snacks & Drinks
Still very early into the New Year, in fact we're still on holiday from work, which is always good. We were invited by David & Louise for snacks and drinks - any time after 3pm they said. We turned up around 4pm after showering after our respective bike rides earlier today (nothing epic, just enough to burn a few calories).
So, we went over to Pollokshields and chatted to a few people we knew already - the usual (adult) house party thing. By the time I had started my second glass of wine I was being garrulous with the GP from next door along with her husband who sold scientific things (apparently). By the time the third glass arrived I was playing (very well as it happens) Jenga.
As always, alcohol makes me very tired so we left around 9pm and headed home after a very pleasant visit.
So, we went over to Pollokshields and chatted to a few people we knew already - the usual (adult) house party thing. By the time I had started my second glass of wine I was being garrulous with the GP from next door along with her husband who sold scientific things (apparently). By the time the third glass arrived I was playing (very well as it happens) Jenga.
As always, alcohol makes me very tired so we left around 9pm and headed home after a very pleasant visit.
Saturday 1 January 2011
2011
2010 was an 'interesting' year - some good, some not so good. I won't bore you with the details as I'm not the kind that broadcasts to complete strangers (what am I doing here then?!), but it has been a year of extremes; the good bits were VERY good and the bad bits were VERY bad.
I'm hoping this year to maintain (and even improve) the good parts of life and to avoid the not-so-good parts. I'm not sure that I will be able to completely avoid the shit that life throws up, after all, that's what life is about, but I see it as something of a challenge to make life as enjoyable as possible - we shall see :-)
Why am I doing this? Several reasons; I follow other blogs and (usually) enjoy them immensely - special mention to Lisa http://windymillar.posterous.com/ who I came across via John Girvan on Twitter, and wanted to do something similar. I have kept a diary in the past, although not for many years now, and quite liked the idea of doing so again. Finally, I am curious to see if I can do this blogging thing; numbers are more my thing so I thought I'd try some words for a change.
Where to start? How about with me? 12 stone 10 pounds - heavier than I'd like to be, mainly because I want to be better at my main hobby, cycling - and 5' 9". Anything else? Well, yes, the clue's in the blog title - I'm an accountant! These days it seems to matter less and other things matter a whole lot more.
I eat pretty healthily already, at least I think so. But this year I want to look at what I eat in more detail and cut out some of the rubbish (I love sweet things). This should help maintain my cardio system (I was a smoker for 25 years and had a heart attack at 42), make me feel better generally and make me better able to keep to the weight I want to be. Currently I have about 38lbs of body fat (21%), I'd like that figure to be about 15% so I need to lose about 10lbs; we'll see how that goes!
One of the other things I have come across on the web recently is other (commuting) cyclists who post videos of any 'incidents'. I now have a helmet camera thanks to my partner and will be attempting to take videos. Tricky as my commute is in the dark both ways at the moment and my video skills are non-existent. I currently ride to work on this. This is what I use for enjoyment in the Summer, not that the Sirrus isn't a good bike, but the Allez is so much lighter and faster - puts a smile on my face as soon as my feet touch the pedals :-D
That's the first post out of the way - let's see how long this blogging malarkey lasts . . .
I'm hoping this year to maintain (and even improve) the good parts of life and to avoid the not-so-good parts. I'm not sure that I will be able to completely avoid the shit that life throws up, after all, that's what life is about, but I see it as something of a challenge to make life as enjoyable as possible - we shall see :-)
Why am I doing this? Several reasons; I follow other blogs and (usually) enjoy them immensely - special mention to Lisa http://windymillar.posterous.com/ who I came across via John Girvan on Twitter, and wanted to do something similar. I have kept a diary in the past, although not for many years now, and quite liked the idea of doing so again. Finally, I am curious to see if I can do this blogging thing; numbers are more my thing so I thought I'd try some words for a change.
Where to start? How about with me? 12 stone 10 pounds - heavier than I'd like to be, mainly because I want to be better at my main hobby, cycling - and 5' 9". Anything else? Well, yes, the clue's in the blog title - I'm an accountant! These days it seems to matter less and other things matter a whole lot more.
I eat pretty healthily already, at least I think so. But this year I want to look at what I eat in more detail and cut out some of the rubbish (I love sweet things). This should help maintain my cardio system (I was a smoker for 25 years and had a heart attack at 42), make me feel better generally and make me better able to keep to the weight I want to be. Currently I have about 38lbs of body fat (21%), I'd like that figure to be about 15% so I need to lose about 10lbs; we'll see how that goes!
One of the other things I have come across on the web recently is other (commuting) cyclists who post videos of any 'incidents'. I now have a helmet camera thanks to my partner and will be attempting to take videos. Tricky as my commute is in the dark both ways at the moment and my video skills are non-existent. I currently ride to work on this. This is what I use for enjoyment in the Summer, not that the Sirrus isn't a good bike, but the Allez is so much lighter and faster - puts a smile on my face as soon as my feet touch the pedals :-D
That's the first post out of the way - let's see how long this blogging malarkey lasts . . .
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