There's been a flurry of activity down here over the last few days finishing off some bits of DIY in a vain attempt to stop my house looking like a building site/laundry room. It's been a whole year since I bought my first house and I had big ideas of what I wanted to do and how long it should take.
A year of racing, travelling, holidaying and generally faffing about somehow got in the way, as well as an enforced 'do nothing' couple of months when I had a chest infection. (This cunningly came right at the point where everything was waiting to be sanded or stripped - the very things that had caused the chest infection in the first place!) So everything just sat, static without progression, just waiting to be prepped for it's final stage of decoration.
By the time I was well enough to start again, I couldn't be bothered. The motivation had gone. Realising that excusing the state of my house with the line "I've only been in a couple of months" was starting to wear a little thin, as well as becoming rapidly untrue, I decided to get on with all those fiddly little jobs.
So, in April 2007 my list of jobs consisted of:
1) decorate master bedroom
2) fit new kitchen and decorate
3) extend bathroom and fit new bathroom suite
4) decorate second bedroom for visitors
5) do the garden
Right now, my list of jobs consists of (and this is massively abbreviated and generalised because somehow every time I finish a job I create 3 news ones!):
1) Finish decorating master bedroom and paint door and door frame. Patch up scrapes etc
2) Finish painting kitchen, woodwork and fit new door etc
3) Get carpet for second bedroom, finish decorating.
4) Start bathroom
5) Stare hopelessly at the massive task that is going to be keeping the garden under control again this summer whilst racing, travelling, holidaying and generally faffing about.
Hmm, best laid plans and all that. I think I'll just open another bottle of champagne to celebrate the fact that I actually managed to get a mortgage and buy a house - which doesn't seem to be that easy these days - and continue to write my enormous and ever-growing list of jobs to do.
Saturday, 5 April 2008
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
A Trailbuilders Lot...
Not riding for an hour a day hasn't freed up any extra time over these last few days - if anything I've been busier. (And talk about broadening your horizons, one minute I'm building mountain bike trails, the next I'm building websites; two things I'd never even done until a few months ago and now they take up all my time.) I'm so busy in fact that I seem to have given up sleeping. Three days last week I went without sleep and I must have only averaged two hours a day.
FACT: Working nights is bad for you.
I find the best way to get back to normal after nights is to stay busy after the last night - exercise always helps. So three days at Eastnor Castle was just what I needed. And after much head scratching, trail searching, bramble-tripping, branch-flicking, mud-sliding, thorn-pricking, pick-wielding, dirt-shovelling, exploration, I think we have a Mountain Mayhem course! (Well, when I say that, what I mean is we have a slightly less vague idea of where a route should probably go under the right conditions and you can ride all the way round it instead of stopping after only 4 miles, taking off your helmet, throwing your bike down the hill and sitting on the floor crying, whilst mumbling "I hate bikes" over and over again. So that's a bonus.)
I made a quick trip up to Rock Cottage Tuesday. It's lambing season and Tony had invited me over to see the cutesie-wutesie lambs that were only a matter of days, or even hours old! Now, I'm used to walking into Rock Cottage and being pounced on by 10 stone dogs and tripping over various cats, but even I was surprised to see little lambs trotting round the lounge - aaaaaaahhhhh! Hercules, the 10 day old Ryeland was particularly cute, and the two 4 day old hill sheep were particulary stupid, but that's sheep for ya.
FACT: Working nights is bad for you.
I find the best way to get back to normal after nights is to stay busy after the last night - exercise always helps. So three days at Eastnor Castle was just what I needed. And after much head scratching, trail searching, bramble-tripping, branch-flicking, mud-sliding, thorn-pricking, pick-wielding, dirt-shovelling, exploration, I think we have a Mountain Mayhem course! (Well, when I say that, what I mean is we have a slightly less vague idea of where a route should probably go under the right conditions and you can ride all the way round it instead of stopping after only 4 miles, taking off your helmet, throwing your bike down the hill and sitting on the floor crying, whilst mumbling "I hate bikes" over and over again. So that's a bonus.)
I made a quick trip up to Rock Cottage Tuesday. It's lambing season and Tony had invited me over to see the cutesie-wutesie lambs that were only a matter of days, or even hours old! Now, I'm used to walking into Rock Cottage and being pounced on by 10 stone dogs and tripping over various cats, but even I was surprised to see little lambs trotting round the lounge - aaaaaaahhhhh! Hercules, the 10 day old Ryeland was particularly cute, and the two 4 day old hill sheep were particulary stupid, but that's sheep for ya.
Saturday, 29 March 2008
Another one bites the dust
Day 20 went ok. I had to wait in for a delivery so spent an hour on the turbo. The couriers had said they'd be here between 7am and noon, so obviously they turned up at 11.55, great! As I'm on night shift, it was time to go to bed after that.
Day 21, Thursday - this is where it all broke down. I'd arranged to fly up to Edinburgh for the day to visit Endura. So having got up at 6pm Wednesday evening and worked a full night shift, I drove straight to the airport and caught a flight to Edinburgh Thursday morning. We spent the day discussing womens cycle clothing and trying on the Endura womens product range.
My 6pm flight home was slightly delayed and then traffic meant I didn't get home until 20.15 - I had to leave for work again at 21.05. That left a maximum of 50mins ride time, never mind having to get changed, showered etc. Scuppered! Failed. There simply weren't enough hours in the day.
Still, 20 days in a row is the most riding I've done in a long time. And I might start again in April, we'll see.
Day 21, Thursday - this is where it all broke down. I'd arranged to fly up to Edinburgh for the day to visit Endura. So having got up at 6pm Wednesday evening and worked a full night shift, I drove straight to the airport and caught a flight to Edinburgh Thursday morning. We spent the day discussing womens cycle clothing and trying on the Endura womens product range.
My 6pm flight home was slightly delayed and then traffic meant I didn't get home until 20.15 - I had to leave for work again at 21.05. That left a maximum of 50mins ride time, never mind having to get changed, showered etc. Scuppered! Failed. There simply weren't enough hours in the day.
Still, 20 days in a row is the most riding I've done in a long time. And I might start again in April, we'll see.
Wednesday, 26 March 2008
"30 in 30" Days 18 & 19
Well I did manage to get into the bathroom - it involved a wooden wedge, a piece of skirting board and a lot of huffing and puffing. I lost count of how many times my head hit the door frame; the door hit my head; and I pinched my arm between the door and the door frame. There's a large bruise on my upper arm from reaching into the bathroom holding the skirting board and then having to pull the door tight against my arm to allow the bath panel to move.
Moving on...
Day 18, Monday - ventured back to my old stomping ground for a spin around the lanes for an hour and a quarter. It was wetter than I remember it...
Day 19 - used my hour to run some errands this morning. Took the long way down to the recycling centre then had to pick up some new road pedals from the post office and took the back way home. I never realised how hilly Hemel Hempstead was! My stops only amounted to a minute or so each so I was happy with my very productive 1hr 5mins.
Moving on...
Day 18, Monday - ventured back to my old stomping ground for a spin around the lanes for an hour and a quarter. It was wetter than I remember it...
Day 19 - used my hour to run some errands this morning. Took the long way down to the recycling centre then had to pick up some new road pedals from the post office and took the back way home. I never realised how hilly Hemel Hempstead was! My stops only amounted to a minute or so each so I was happy with my very productive 1hr 5mins.
Sunday, 23 March 2008
Oh b#ll#@$!
I'm locked out of my bathroom! I got home this evening to find that the door wouldn't open more than a couple of inches, something was jamming it. Bugger! I got a small mirror and manoeuvred it around the door to see what the problem was - it was the wooden bath panel. The panel had been removed some months ago to get to the pipework under the bath. It had been leaning up against the bath ever since. It wasn't leaning any more.
After much reaching, scrabbling, stretching and trying to make my arm bend halfway between the elbow and the wrist, I gave up; I was running out of unbruised sections of my forearm for the door to rebound against. Lucky for me I have another toilet downstairs.
So currently, I can't move the bath panel, I can't lift the bath panel. There's something wedged underneath it so it won't lie flat on the floor. The door hinges are in the bathroom and I can't get to the hinge on the door itself. The door is made of solid wood. I'm locked out of my bathroom.
On a brighter note, I'm at the end of another week of my challenge: 13 hours, 125 miles. Much better totals than last week and I'm half way through. Whoopee!
Day 15, Friday - raining when I got home so just another hour on the turbo trainer.
Day 16, Saturday - a big day. 5 hours on the road doing a recce for the new Mayhem Classic Sportive that Patrick Adams is running as part of Mountain Mayhem this year; 100km and about 1600m of ascent. Luckily we didn't have any of the rain, hail or snow that the rest of the country was having, just gale force winds.
Day 17, Sunday - a little day. Span the legs out on the turbo for an hour. It's been a couple of months since I did a 5 hour ride so I thought it best not to push things if I have to ride again tomorrow. I had a wash in the kitchen sink. Did I mention I can't get into the bathroom?
After much reaching, scrabbling, stretching and trying to make my arm bend halfway between the elbow and the wrist, I gave up; I was running out of unbruised sections of my forearm for the door to rebound against. Lucky for me I have another toilet downstairs.
So currently, I can't move the bath panel, I can't lift the bath panel. There's something wedged underneath it so it won't lie flat on the floor. The door hinges are in the bathroom and I can't get to the hinge on the door itself. The door is made of solid wood. I'm locked out of my bathroom.
On a brighter note, I'm at the end of another week of my challenge: 13 hours, 125 miles. Much better totals than last week and I'm half way through. Whoopee!
Day 15, Friday - raining when I got home so just another hour on the turbo trainer.
Day 16, Saturday - a big day. 5 hours on the road doing a recce for the new Mayhem Classic Sportive that Patrick Adams is running as part of Mountain Mayhem this year; 100km and about 1600m of ascent. Luckily we didn't have any of the rain, hail or snow that the rest of the country was having, just gale force winds.
Day 17, Sunday - a little day. Span the legs out on the turbo for an hour. It's been a couple of months since I did a 5 hour ride so I thought it best not to push things if I have to ride again tomorrow. I had a wash in the kitchen sink. Did I mention I can't get into the bathroom?
Friday, 21 March 2008
"30 in 30" Day 14 - I Knew It...
I knew this day would come. The day when I had no time to ride, no real window of opportunity on a wet, dreary Thursday. And so came the scenario I had feared since the start of this challenge: riding around the streets of London on my folding bicycle for an hour.
There, I've admitted it; My name's Sara and I have a folding bicycle. It gets worse - I was wearing a bobble hat, a bicycle clip on one ankle and tucked the other trouser leg into my sock. I had a day glo wrist band on one arm.
I was a British Champion once (well, singlespeed anyway) and now this is what I have been reduced to. Damn you Dr Jon! Damn you and all your silly bike riding ideas! I spit in your general direction...
In a vain attempt to divert attention away from these shameful admissions I thought it was about time to do a roll call of my fellow 30ers:
Simon - Grant - Ali - Cris - Samuri - Jenn - Steve - Marty and dR jOn.
So go, go I tell you! And read their exciting tales of proper riding, on proper bikes, I don't need you anyway! I'll be here if anybody wants me, on the bottom of this barrel, under the big cloud of shame (sniff, snivel, scrape...)
There, I've admitted it; My name's Sara and I have a folding bicycle. It gets worse - I was wearing a bobble hat, a bicycle clip on one ankle and tucked the other trouser leg into my sock. I had a day glo wrist band on one arm.
I was a British Champion once (well, singlespeed anyway) and now this is what I have been reduced to. Damn you Dr Jon! Damn you and all your silly bike riding ideas! I spit in your general direction...
In a vain attempt to divert attention away from these shameful admissions I thought it was about time to do a roll call of my fellow 30ers:
Simon - Grant - Ali - Cris - Samuri - Jenn - Steve - Marty and dR jOn.
So go, go I tell you! And read their exciting tales of proper riding, on proper bikes, I don't need you anyway! I'll be here if anybody wants me, on the bottom of this barrel, under the big cloud of shame (sniff, snivel, scrape...)
Wednesday, 19 March 2008
A Stolen Day
It seems I've been on the go now since the start of February - yes I've been on holiday, but it was hardly relaxing, and when I've not been at work I've been dashing around the country, or grabbing an hour on my bike, digging the garden, digging trails, painting, sanding, fixing, cleaning etc. Every moment of every day is filled with something I need to be doing and a never ending jobs list.
Today I phoned in sick. Around 8pm last night, with the prospect of getting up at 5.30am this morning, my body finally gave up and told me to sit down and shut up. So today was an unexpected free day, a stolen day, a void in time and space.
Not surprisingly I woke up late, around midday. I had nothing planned and no jobs laid out as I wasn't supposed to be here. I decided I would ignore the jobs list pinned to the notice board; I would continue to step over the pile of junk in the hallway; the bare wooden skirting board and half stripped doorways wouldn't bother me; and my email account simply didn't exist. Today would be my day, to do what I wanted to do.
And so endeth my day. With nothing done. (Nothing of note anyway.) And now I'm ready to enter back into the chaos again, refreshed and rested, satisfied with my Stolen Day.
Today I phoned in sick. Around 8pm last night, with the prospect of getting up at 5.30am this morning, my body finally gave up and told me to sit down and shut up. So today was an unexpected free day, a stolen day, a void in time and space.
Not surprisingly I woke up late, around midday. I had nothing planned and no jobs laid out as I wasn't supposed to be here. I decided I would ignore the jobs list pinned to the notice board; I would continue to step over the pile of junk in the hallway; the bare wooden skirting board and half stripped doorways wouldn't bother me; and my email account simply didn't exist. Today would be my day, to do what I wanted to do.
And so endeth my day. With nothing done. (Nothing of note anyway.) And now I'm ready to enter back into the chaos again, refreshed and rested, satisfied with my Stolen Day.
"30 in 30" Days 11, 12 & 13
Day 11 - after yesterdays nightmare I actually managed to get out for a good couple of hours today, happily spinning round the lanes on my Surly 1x1. Music played a large part; My psychic iShuffle playing exactly the right songs at the right time. (I don't care what anybody says, and I can't explain how it works, but iPods ARE psychic and know exactly what kind of mood you are in and exactly what to play!) Home just before the rain started for a pint of tea and a toasted Hot Cross Bun.
Day 12 - I put my hour to good use this morning by going out before breakfast to ride to the mill to get bread. After 50 minutes I was still only half way there and I was freezing, so I turned around and headed home. Luckily for me there's a farm shop on the way home which also sells fresh bread, and home-made cakes. I treated myself to a Lemon Crunch Loaf for the hour and a half I'd done today.
Day 13 - not a good day. I felt dreadful last night and phoned in sick for Wednesday. It was gonna be tricky going out for a ride. Boredom prevailed and I rode around aimlessly for an hour just wasting time and going really slow.
Day 12 - I put my hour to good use this morning by going out before breakfast to ride to the mill to get bread. After 50 minutes I was still only half way there and I was freezing, so I turned around and headed home. Luckily for me there's a farm shop on the way home which also sells fresh bread, and home-made cakes. I treated myself to a Lemon Crunch Loaf for the hour and a half I'd done today.
Day 13 - not a good day. I felt dreadful last night and phoned in sick for Wednesday. It was gonna be tricky going out for a ride. Boredom prevailed and I rode around aimlessly for an hour just wasting time and going really slow.
Sunday, 16 March 2008
"30 in 30" Days 8, 9 & 10
Well, time for a quick catch up on the progress and I'm a third of the way through. A pitiful 12 hours ridden and 60 miles covered (hey, 5 of those have been on the turbo trainer ya know!) Gonna have to pick up the pace a bit now and stop faffing about.
Day 8 - an hour and a half exploring out in the woods. If there's one thing this challenge is making me do, it's go exploring all those trails and bridleways that I've passed so many times.
Day 9 - starting to feel the effects of consecutive days on the bike (and yesterdays bike pushing through unused trails thick with mud. Ironic really that I get shouted at for making a bridleway muddy one day, then spend the following day up to my ankles in hoof-churned sludge!)
Day 10 - a 5am start at work, a long day, dreadful traffic, torrential rain, gusting winds, cold grey and miserable. Can you tell I didn't want to go for a ride today? I really, really didn't want to go for a ride today. My legs felt like lead after yesterday as well. I think I'm going through a rough patch. I simply didn't have the motivation to go outside so sat and span pathetically on the turbo for, you guessed it, an hour. I might as well have not bothered for the effort I put in. But I did it. It sucked. I hated it.
Only 20 more hours to go...
Day 8 - an hour and a half exploring out in the woods. If there's one thing this challenge is making me do, it's go exploring all those trails and bridleways that I've passed so many times.
Day 9 - starting to feel the effects of consecutive days on the bike (and yesterdays bike pushing through unused trails thick with mud. Ironic really that I get shouted at for making a bridleway muddy one day, then spend the following day up to my ankles in hoof-churned sludge!)
Day 10 - a 5am start at work, a long day, dreadful traffic, torrential rain, gusting winds, cold grey and miserable. Can you tell I didn't want to go for a ride today? I really, really didn't want to go for a ride today. My legs felt like lead after yesterday as well. I think I'm going through a rough patch. I simply didn't have the motivation to go outside so sat and span pathetically on the turbo for, you guessed it, an hour. I might as well have not bothered for the effort I put in. But I did it. It sucked. I hated it.
Only 20 more hours to go...
Thursday, 13 March 2008
"30 in 30" Days 6 & 7
When did I cross over into a parallel universe? If somebody could tell me, and then pull me back into normal universe, that'd be great, because at the moment I'm in the Universe of Cycling Chaos.
Day 6 - hour on the turbo. I'm going slightly mad, it finally happened, I'm slightly mad...
Then, riding through London on the way to work I stopped at the traffic lights on a pedestrian crossing. People crossed. The little man turned red, the traffic lights turned green and I pushed off - just as some woman walked straight into me in the middle of the road. Then she shouted at me!
That's right, SHE shouted at ME for going through a green light! I swear if I'd had a handbag like old Baroness whatsherface I'd have clouted her round the bonce with it. I rode off in a British (quietly outraged) manner.
Day 7 - Finally out on my bike in the fresh air and physically moving. Couple of hours exploring the local woods again.
Then, having spent much of the ride stealing cheeky trails, a man wearing an anorak holding a litter picker shouted at me for making the bridleway muddy.
That's right, HE shouted at ME for riding on a bridleway!
Looks like I'm not the only one who's gone mad, the whole word is slightly gaga. But these last couple of days have taught me a valuable life lesson: do what you want, when you want, where you want, because someone will shout at you for doing it anyway.
Day 6 - hour on the turbo. I'm going slightly mad, it finally happened, I'm slightly mad...
Then, riding through London on the way to work I stopped at the traffic lights on a pedestrian crossing. People crossed. The little man turned red, the traffic lights turned green and I pushed off - just as some woman walked straight into me in the middle of the road. Then she shouted at me!
That's right, SHE shouted at ME for going through a green light! I swear if I'd had a handbag like old Baroness whatsherface I'd have clouted her round the bonce with it. I rode off in a British (quietly outraged) manner.
Day 7 - Finally out on my bike in the fresh air and physically moving. Couple of hours exploring the local woods again.
Then, having spent much of the ride stealing cheeky trails, a man wearing an anorak holding a litter picker shouted at me for making the bridleway muddy.
That's right, HE shouted at ME for riding on a bridleway!
Looks like I'm not the only one who's gone mad, the whole word is slightly gaga. But these last couple of days have taught me a valuable life lesson: do what you want, when you want, where you want, because someone will shout at you for doing it anyway.
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