Short blog today, a quick bimble with the family and hounds from hell down the cut, then do a few jobs around the house. Fix the door jam in the bathroom that the Spawn of Satan broke. Mend the garden fence, then do general family admin.
Oh and sort my kit out out for the weekly commute.
I must mention events at HQ yesterday, my formative rugby years were spent watching that great Welsh team of the 70's smash all before it. And being a spectator at a few of those matches I have never forgotten the "banter" aimed at anything English. So, while I take any victory or defeat with good grace and in the best rugby traditions, buy my opposite number a pint and have a laugh with them I do take any victory against the Welsh as especially satisfying, and to be perfectly honest it ruins my week if we lose against them. So morale is very up at the moment!
The Wynn Jones binning turned the match, at that point it was anyone's game. I imagine Sean Edwards particularly launching into him after the event. A poor game on the whole though. I'd have given man of the match to Nick Easter not James Haskell.
And finally my smugometer is now off the scale as young Leicester Tiger Dan Coles won his first cap coming on to shore up a teetering England scrum, as I said he would a few weeks ago.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Update...
The weight is static again, as I haven't really put in any mileage this week, I'll call that a win.
Joolze has written about our day on Tuesday on her blog and sent me some brilliant photos. She is a great photographer as she makes me look thin(ner)! (Well almost).
And yes I did have a puncture...Doh!
The only mileage I've done is 12 off road miles with Rafe who did a stop off at my house on the way home yesterday.
I hope he won't be offended when I say that I wasn't expecting a young guy who is carrying no discernable pork and who told me he had just completed a MTB instructor's course. To say I was intimidated about the ride would be something of an understatement!
But I needn't have worried, he's a top bloke who followed an old fat git around the 12 mile loop with no complaint or criticism. In retrospect maybe I should have picked a less hilly route as he had been banging over the Peaks for the last few days on his course. The only thing is there ain't no less hilly routes around my place! For info we did the Clent foothills, over the Waseley Hills, then over the Lickey's then the Barnt Green Reservoir loop to finish. As Rafe said, it wasn't on his life list to do, but seeing Birmingham in panorama from the top of the Lickey's can be ticked off!
We had a good chat on the way round (when I had the breath to talk) really about life the universe and everything type stuff. It was very enjoyable and also gave me a bit of a kick up the arse I've been needing lately. So thanks for that mate! Route below.
I'll put up some footage of bits of the ride later, if there's anything worth sticking up here.
Off to 6 Ways today to spend some time shadowing the Warriors during their match day prep as they play London Irish in the LV Cup with the North Mids School of Rugby lads. That's after I've run a coaching session with them. The only downer is I'll miss the ritual slaughter of our Celtic cousins from accross Offa's Dyke at Twickenham. I'll be recording that to enjoy later.
Joolze has written about our day on Tuesday on her blog and sent me some brilliant photos. She is a great photographer as she makes me look thin(ner)! (Well almost).
And yes I did have a puncture...Doh!The only mileage I've done is 12 off road miles with Rafe who did a stop off at my house on the way home yesterday.
I hope he won't be offended when I say that I wasn't expecting a young guy who is carrying no discernable pork and who told me he had just completed a MTB instructor's course. To say I was intimidated about the ride would be something of an understatement!
But I needn't have worried, he's a top bloke who followed an old fat git around the 12 mile loop with no complaint or criticism. In retrospect maybe I should have picked a less hilly route as he had been banging over the Peaks for the last few days on his course. The only thing is there ain't no less hilly routes around my place! For info we did the Clent foothills, over the Waseley Hills, then over the Lickey's then the Barnt Green Reservoir loop to finish. As Rafe said, it wasn't on his life list to do, but seeing Birmingham in panorama from the top of the Lickey's can be ticked off!
We had a good chat on the way round (when I had the breath to talk) really about life the universe and everything type stuff. It was very enjoyable and also gave me a bit of a kick up the arse I've been needing lately. So thanks for that mate! Route below.
I'll put up some footage of bits of the ride later, if there's anything worth sticking up here.
Off to 6 Ways today to spend some time shadowing the Warriors during their match day prep as they play London Irish in the LV Cup with the North Mids School of Rugby lads. That's after I've run a coaching session with them. The only downer is I'll miss the ritual slaughter of our Celtic cousins from accross Offa's Dyke at Twickenham. I'll be recording that to enjoy later.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Friday, I'm over the hills today...
Rafe is dropping by today so we'll be out over the Waseley Hills this afternoon. It will be muddy, it will be wet. I'm looking forward to it. It seems going coaching last night has rekindled my enthusiasm somewhat. The session went pretty well and the Bees Pro Coach a Kiwi by the name of Eugene Martin (who is a top bloke) was pretty happy with what me and my mukka ran for the boys, just for the record it was a hands and decision making session.
I'll update my weight and mileage tomorrow.
Matt Skinner the Editor at What mountain Bike very kindly replaced my smashed lid for me. A very smart Uvex helmet arrived at my abode yesterday. I spent 15 minutes last night attaching my Muvi Cam to it. I wasn't expecting it and sometimes gestures like that restore your faith in human nature.
Off on a very quick H&S visit to Worcester this morning...Yawn...
I'll update my weight and mileage tomorrow.
Matt Skinner the Editor at What mountain Bike very kindly replaced my smashed lid for me. A very smart Uvex helmet arrived at my abode yesterday. I spent 15 minutes last night attaching my Muvi Cam to it. I wasn't expecting it and sometimes gestures like that restore your faith in human nature.
Off on a very quick H&S visit to Worcester this morning...Yawn...
Thursday, 4 February 2010
A very bad week...
This "feeling cack" thing is getting a bit boring now. I'm still feeling very tired and achey. Add on to that my back is giving me gip and it turns into a bloody horrible week.
No cycling means my weight has probably gone up even though I haven't been stupid with my grub, although morale wavered last night and I had some toast just before I went to bed. That's a bad sign and I'm pissed off about that.
I think the phrase "down in the dumps" just about covers it. I have coaching tonight, which in all honesty I don't want to go to. But I will as I have other people relying on me. Then more coaching on Saturday, again which I don't want to go to, even though we're working with the Worcester Warriors 1st XV (a premiership rugby club). That normally enthuses me but I just seem to be out of enthusiasm at the moment.
Rafe is probably dropping by tomorrow afternoon on his way back from the edge of Empire and we'll be going out on an off road pedal for an hour which will be fun and something I am looking forward to.
No cycling means my weight has probably gone up even though I haven't been stupid with my grub, although morale wavered last night and I had some toast just before I went to bed. That's a bad sign and I'm pissed off about that.
I think the phrase "down in the dumps" just about covers it. I have coaching tonight, which in all honesty I don't want to go to. But I will as I have other people relying on me. Then more coaching on Saturday, again which I don't want to go to, even though we're working with the Worcester Warriors 1st XV (a premiership rugby club). That normally enthuses me but I just seem to be out of enthusiasm at the moment.
Rafe is probably dropping by tomorrow afternoon on his way back from the edge of Empire and we'll be going out on an off road pedal for an hour which will be fun and something I am looking forward to.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
A very unique day...
I suppose I did dangle a bit of a carrot before about what I did yesterday, not out of any sense of mischief or suspense, but genuinely because I wasn't sure if I could advertise what I was doing because of any publishing or copyright issues. Thankfully none of my concerns were warranted and the good people at What Mountain Bike and Joolze the photographer have no problems about me telling the story.
As you are all aware I do a weekly Blog for the Bike Radar website. That happened purely by luck after a chance encounter on Facebook with MTB Journo Steve Worland, who without wishing to embarrass him has always been my favourite MTB writer. It's probably best if I don't say for how long for both of our ego's. Suffice it to say Purple anodised MTB accessories were all the rage at the time along with 1" travel elastomer suspension forks!
Anyway, on the back of the Bike Radar Blog, Matt Skinner the editor felt my story was worth a feature in the Magazine itself and sent Joolze Dymond (cycling photoist extradordinaire) over to my place to do a photoshoot to accompany the article.
I was totally unsure what to expect on a photoshoot as I've never done one before, and to be honest the weather wasn't that great, rain, bitingly cold wind and muddy ground so I was a bit er, nervous is the wrong word, but you know...
Joolze bowled up at my house mid day as promised and after a quick cuppa and a chat about what she wanted for the shoot off we went. Basically she wanted high ground, a great landscape to frame it, be it a city or scenery. I chucked my Marin in my motor and we drove round to the back of the Waseley Hills as I had an idea to use the Malverns and the Worcestershire Countryside as a backdrop. We got the kit out of our cars, (Joolze carries more kit than I did when I was the Army) and we started our walk round the back of the Hills to where I thought would be a good place for the piccies.
It was at this point I discovered how Joolze likes to work. While wandering up the Bridleway I mentioned a Trig Point at the very top of the Waseleys, just in passing like you do, and she then decided to go up there instead, a bit out of the way from where we first said we'd go, but hey ho crack on, Joolze is the professional! A change of direction and a bit of a slog and we were there.
Like I said, I wasn't sure what to expect, maybe a few pics of me pedalling along the bridleway, maybe the odd pic of me standing by my Marin, take about 10 minutes and we'd be back in time for tea and medals.
What I wasn't expecting was Joolze to produce out of her Tardis like kit bag sets of lights, wirless technology and stuff like that and proceed to start photographing me more times than I ever been photographed before, even at my wedding! Perhaps I should have cottoned on a bit quicker when she told me on our little trek to the top that the pro MTBs she photo's get sick of her saying "can you do that again?"
So, loads of head and shoulder shots of me leaning on the Trig Point, then Joolze says she wants me to pedal up and down a bit, so then the curse of the Chapman strikes and I discover that I have punctured my back wheel during the walk up to the top. So proceed to change it and Joolze snaps away at me changing the inner tube. As Joolze said, you never know what the magazines want!
Then a wander over to an "interesting looking tree" to stand by and be photographed and then the wind then decided to step up and become a howling gale! I think at this point it might be worth mentioning that it's not a matter of point and shoot like us holiday snap folks do, oh no, not a bit of it. Light to be measured, lights to be set up and the shot needs to be framed. Then take the photo and just one more time please!
I think by then Joolze was starting to feel the effects of the cold, rain and wind, I know I was! So we bimbled back the way we had come to do some pedalling shots in a copse along the ridge, at least it was out of the wind! Shot was set up, then I did the pedal through thing, again and again and again.
Time to go home now, and as sod's law dictates just as we were nearly down to the bridleway, the sun came out, so Joolze says "stand there, let's not waste the light!" And few thousand more pics were snapped.
Back to the car, and again the curse of Chapman hit. I'd loaded my bike and kit into the boot and was doing a 3 point turn when I heard an almighty grinding noise, oh shit, I haven't forgotten to put my front wheel in the boot have I? I jumped out of the car expecting to see a mangled front wheel. But no, it was a mangled helmet, I'd only driven over my bloody lid! One of the things they hammer home to you in the Army is that when you are ready to drive off location, do a last minute sweep for kit. I always do that. Usually. But for what ever reason I didn't yesterday and my lid paid the price of my stupidity. At least my Muvi helmet cam had pinged off and was ok.
Back home, and Joolze wanted some pics of me and my bikes in my garage, so by then I guessed what would happen, cars shifted back on the drive, lights out on stands. Lighting brollys the whole shebang. I did see the net curtains of suburbia twitching. At least the neighbours will have something to gossip about!
All in all a fantastic 2 and a half hours out which I enjoyed tremendously. Thanks to Matt Skinner at What Mountain Bike for giving me a chance to have a very small look at a piece of his world and finally thanks to Joolze whose patience, professionalism and enthusiasm was obviously needed to get through a shoot with a rank amateur like me.Ta Joolze!
Onto usual stuff. I am still feeling like crap, tired and achey still. No pedal today. Bugger.
As you are all aware I do a weekly Blog for the Bike Radar website. That happened purely by luck after a chance encounter on Facebook with MTB Journo Steve Worland, who without wishing to embarrass him has always been my favourite MTB writer. It's probably best if I don't say for how long for both of our ego's. Suffice it to say Purple anodised MTB accessories were all the rage at the time along with 1" travel elastomer suspension forks!
Anyway, on the back of the Bike Radar Blog, Matt Skinner the editor felt my story was worth a feature in the Magazine itself and sent Joolze Dymond (cycling photoist extradordinaire) over to my place to do a photoshoot to accompany the article.
I was totally unsure what to expect on a photoshoot as I've never done one before, and to be honest the weather wasn't that great, rain, bitingly cold wind and muddy ground so I was a bit er, nervous is the wrong word, but you know...
Joolze bowled up at my house mid day as promised and after a quick cuppa and a chat about what she wanted for the shoot off we went. Basically she wanted high ground, a great landscape to frame it, be it a city or scenery. I chucked my Marin in my motor and we drove round to the back of the Waseley Hills as I had an idea to use the Malverns and the Worcestershire Countryside as a backdrop. We got the kit out of our cars, (Joolze carries more kit than I did when I was the Army) and we started our walk round the back of the Hills to where I thought would be a good place for the piccies.
It was at this point I discovered how Joolze likes to work. While wandering up the Bridleway I mentioned a Trig Point at the very top of the Waseleys, just in passing like you do, and she then decided to go up there instead, a bit out of the way from where we first said we'd go, but hey ho crack on, Joolze is the professional! A change of direction and a bit of a slog and we were there.
Like I said, I wasn't sure what to expect, maybe a few pics of me pedalling along the bridleway, maybe the odd pic of me standing by my Marin, take about 10 minutes and we'd be back in time for tea and medals.
What I wasn't expecting was Joolze to produce out of her Tardis like kit bag sets of lights, wirless technology and stuff like that and proceed to start photographing me more times than I ever been photographed before, even at my wedding! Perhaps I should have cottoned on a bit quicker when she told me on our little trek to the top that the pro MTBs she photo's get sick of her saying "can you do that again?"
So, loads of head and shoulder shots of me leaning on the Trig Point, then Joolze says she wants me to pedal up and down a bit, so then the curse of the Chapman strikes and I discover that I have punctured my back wheel during the walk up to the top. So proceed to change it and Joolze snaps away at me changing the inner tube. As Joolze said, you never know what the magazines want!
Then a wander over to an "interesting looking tree" to stand by and be photographed and then the wind then decided to step up and become a howling gale! I think at this point it might be worth mentioning that it's not a matter of point and shoot like us holiday snap folks do, oh no, not a bit of it. Light to be measured, lights to be set up and the shot needs to be framed. Then take the photo and just one more time please!
I think by then Joolze was starting to feel the effects of the cold, rain and wind, I know I was! So we bimbled back the way we had come to do some pedalling shots in a copse along the ridge, at least it was out of the wind! Shot was set up, then I did the pedal through thing, again and again and again.
Time to go home now, and as sod's law dictates just as we were nearly down to the bridleway, the sun came out, so Joolze says "stand there, let's not waste the light!" And few thousand more pics were snapped.
Back to the car, and again the curse of Chapman hit. I'd loaded my bike and kit into the boot and was doing a 3 point turn when I heard an almighty grinding noise, oh shit, I haven't forgotten to put my front wheel in the boot have I? I jumped out of the car expecting to see a mangled front wheel. But no, it was a mangled helmet, I'd only driven over my bloody lid! One of the things they hammer home to you in the Army is that when you are ready to drive off location, do a last minute sweep for kit. I always do that. Usually. But for what ever reason I didn't yesterday and my lid paid the price of my stupidity. At least my Muvi helmet cam had pinged off and was ok.
Back home, and Joolze wanted some pics of me and my bikes in my garage, so by then I guessed what would happen, cars shifted back on the drive, lights out on stands. Lighting brollys the whole shebang. I did see the net curtains of suburbia twitching. At least the neighbours will have something to gossip about!
All in all a fantastic 2 and a half hours out which I enjoyed tremendously. Thanks to Matt Skinner at What Mountain Bike for giving me a chance to have a very small look at a piece of his world and finally thanks to Joolze whose patience, professionalism and enthusiasm was obviously needed to get through a shoot with a rank amateur like me.Ta Joolze!
Onto usual stuff. I am still feeling like crap, tired and achey still. No pedal today. Bugger.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Chucking it down here...
A day off, thank God. Just got up at 0715hrs which is a mega lie in. Still feel like poo, but I'll be on my Mountain bike in some form or another today.
A short post today, but I'll be commuting tomorrow and hopefully have something more meaty to talk about then.
Off to drop daughter off at the school bus now.
A short post today, but I'll be commuting tomorrow and hopefully have something more meaty to talk about then.
Off to drop daughter off at the school bus now.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Shattered and feeling like sh***...
After running around yesterday checking Rugby pitches (all frozen) and picking my daughter up from yet another sleepover I started to feel like shite. Very tired and just not right, I can't be more specific than that.
Knowing full well what happens to me when I do crack on when I'm feeling under the weather I decided to give my inner wimp the benefit of the doubt and come in to work in the car today. I'm glad I have, I'm sat here at work feeling very drained. Maybe there's a bug doing the rounds.
It did snow a tad yesterday, but nothing had prepared me for the 2" on my car this morning. But as is not unusual here it was very localised, it seemed to dump its load primarily on my immediate locale. Once I had driven past Northfield it all seemed to go. That's what happens when you live right in the middle of 3 sets of hills I suppose. But again, no roads gritted. Thanks local Council.
At least its a day off tomorrow.
Knowing full well what happens to me when I do crack on when I'm feeling under the weather I decided to give my inner wimp the benefit of the doubt and come in to work in the car today. I'm glad I have, I'm sat here at work feeling very drained. Maybe there's a bug doing the rounds.
It did snow a tad yesterday, but nothing had prepared me for the 2" on my car this morning. But as is not unusual here it was very localised, it seemed to dump its load primarily on my immediate locale. Once I had driven past Northfield it all seemed to go. That's what happens when you live right in the middle of 3 sets of hills I suppose. But again, no roads gritted. Thanks local Council.
At least its a day off tomorrow.
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