Monday 30 April 2012

68/365

Had a great afternoon at the snooker world championships today, we couldn't have picked a better match.  Ali Carter and Judd Trump were at 7-9 going into the final session.

We arrived in Sheffield and headed to the cue zone in the winter gardens for an hours entertainment, then onto the Crucible.

Honours even for the first 4 frames, 9-11 to Trump going into the mid interval break it was finely poised, first to 13 takes the honours.  Trump had had a crack at a 147 until he ran out of position on the 12th red, we were unaware of the treats to come.

First frame back and now it was 12-9 in Trumps favour, you'd have been forgiven for thinking it was all over.  Carter wised up and made it a more tactical match, it worked, he won the next 3 and we were watching the 25th and final deciding frame.  You could feel the tension, a very tactical and tense frame looked won by Carter, but Trump wouldn't give in, he needed four snookers, he got three, surely not! Alas no, his good fortune wore out and eventually Carter wrapped it up, he'd won four frames on the bounce to win the match.  It really was a treat to watch.

That's one more thing ticked off my bucket list, and I think I'll be back next year, really was good value for money.


Sunday 29 April 2012

66/365

I've been a dreamer most of my life, I and we have had dreams of what we can do, from running our own camp site or B&B to having a shop of various descriptions.  The one thing that has always stopped us is lack of funds to get any project off the ground.

These thoughts never totally leave my mind, they may slip to the back of mind from time to time but its never too long before I'm dreaming again.  As you can guess I'm dreaming again right now.

The difference right now is that I have a little disposable income these days and I also have quite a bit of disposable time to go with it.  So now would be an ideal time to get a project off the ground whilst still earning a good full time wage.  I have a couple of big ideas, one a full time venture, a big shop, we have contacts in this line of business, we could stock a shop for nothing, just need to find the right spot and big enough balls to pack in my job and go for it.  For various reasons I'm not prepared to share what this is in such an open forum.

The other would be very much a part time venture at first, ideal really given my current circumstances, just need a cheap unit/lock up with electric.  This 'scheme' would be powder coating, the first thing that springs to mind would be bike frames and parts as well as motor parts large and small.  If I can't find a suitable and cheap unit then maybe a concrete sectional garage needs to be set up in my back garden or a word with my self build buddy Aiden about knocking up a suitable establishment.

I'm certain the latter could come off and would be an ideal part time venture to fit around my current job.  I can get a good set up for a good price and if it went well could lead to a more permanent career.

One thing I do know is that being your own boss rules, I've been there before and made all the mistakes, now older and wiser I'd like to have another crack at it.  As I opened with, I'm a dreamer, maybe I'm at it again or maybe I might actually put something into action, time to do some serious homework....

Went to the Raleigh factory sale this morning to get father in law a bike and saw some right bargains, a 3 grand mountain bike for 600 quid!  I'm taking Robert in the morning to look at bmx's, I might just pick a bike up if there are any similarly stupid offers to make a quick few quid on fleabay.  Could be the first few quid in the dream projects coffers.

Saturday 28 April 2012

65/365

Next time I get invited to a function of which I have never experienced before I really must research the matter before agreeing to attend.  A simple search for 'Barn Dance' on google would have instantly told me this was not my cup of tea....

My two left feet are not connected to my brain in any way, I simply can not listen to instruction which might as well have been given in Swahilian, translate it and then transfer that information to my feet, it's never going to happen.

I was more than happy to sit, watch and drink beer once I'd realised my mistake, but no, I was unwillingly forced to join ageing 'dance troop' on the floor.  My human rights were violated, I was forced into public humiliation.

It wasn't all bad though, the night was a charity event, not entirely sure what for, I think it was to raise funds for two young girls to go and do something good somewhere in the world, at least now they can do that with the best part of £20 of our money.

Apologies for the late blog, I was in too much of an emotional state last night to write a fair reflection of the events.

Thursday 26 April 2012

64/366

Another quicky tonight, it's way past my bedtime... A return visit to the same boozer as last week and I have to say it was quite civil tonight.  Stig must still have been at his dump and the local children were at home.
The match didn't start well, we were soon 2-0 down.  Then the captain stepped up and drew one back, then Andy and I played doubles and won, mainly due to Andy's talents not mine, but to be fair my 3 visits to the table were to play out of 3 attempted snookers.  We then went 3-2 up before leaving early due to me working at silly o'clock in the am.  I reckon I can claim some kind of record, played 2 won 2 so far this season without potting a ball!
Ran 5 "steady" miles this afternoon, rest day tomorrow.. I need it!

Wednesday 25 April 2012

63/366

I survived the night and after a dodgy morning feeling generally crap and suffering a touch of nausea I went out this afternoon and smashed another PB on my 8.4k lap around Attenborough on a 40 minute tempo run.  Ignore the time on the widget thingy below, Strava doesn't stop the clock often/quick enough when stopped at lights/train crossings  My stopwatch gives a more accurate time of 42:18, 28 seconds better than my previous best.  Just goes to prove this man flu business is never any more than a head cold!



If you hadn't heard of Claire Squires on Monday you almost certainly will have now, her Just Giving page has now raised over £677,000 since her tragic death on Sunday whilst running the London Marathon, if you haven't already you can donate by clicking the link.

Tuesday 24 April 2012

62/366

Had a proper lazy afternoon on the sofa feeling sorry for myself whilst suffering a severe case of man flu.  There was plenty to keep me occupied on eurosport though with a brilliant solo effort by some Bulgarian on the queen stage of the tour of Turkey and a brilliant win for some Welsh fella in the prologue of the tour of romandie.

A quick note on Russel Brands appearance infront of MP's today to talk about drug addiction, by the looks of his appearance he is still addicted! The man's a clown, nuff said!

I don't have much more to say as my serious condition has really taken it out of me, I should survive to live another mundane day in life of Liam Hobbs though so please do check back tomorrow.

Monday 23 April 2012

61/366

Session 6 of my training plan was a 30 minute steady run, all went to plan apart from when I followed the horse trail I ended up ankle deep in water and mud and had to retrace my steps back onto the football fields, funny I thought we were suffering a drought!

Some of my friends may know my friend Aiden McHaffie, he inspired me to try this year long blog thing by doing it himself.  Aiden was involved in a serious accident about 6 weeks ago when he was knocked off his bike.  It's not the first time he has had a serious 'off' but this time it was a car that him, or as the police see it Aiden failed to avoid the car that pulled out on him!  Take a minute if you can to visit Aiden's Blog to see the facts of how the police yet again fail to deal with a driver at fault when a cyclist is the victim.

A quick mention for Claire Squires who died yesterday after collapsing near the finish of the marathon, Claire was running for the Samaritans and had raised £500 on her Just Giving page.  Since her tragic death donations have flooded in and her page is currently at £144000.  It is such a shame someone has to pay the ultimate price to raise such funds but it does restore some faith in the human race that so many people have been moved enough to donate to a woman they didn't even know.  My thoughts and prayers are with Claire family and friends the evening.

Sunday 22 April 2012

60/366

As you know I want to have a crack at the London marathon next year so watching today's was today's was very inspirational.  Thousands of people each with their own story of why they are putting themselves through it. 
Two 'celebs' who ran fantastic times but finished in contrasting styles were Nell McAndrew and James Cracknell, Nell looked fresh as a daisy finishing in 2hrs 52, James really had to dig deep and give everything to finish in 2:59, to finish in under 3 hours really is an amazing achievement.  I'd love to run it in under 4 hours, and with a year to go there's no reason why I shouldn't be aiming for that.
First thing though is getting to the start line, 1 in 3 applicants get to run the London marathon, a public ballot opens a week tomorrow and charity spots are available.  I'm going to try all avenues available to get a place so I can run for Cerys in the biggest marathon next year.
Why was I watching the marathon and not riding the 160k Audax I had entered the eagle eyed ones of you may be thinking, well, basically, I couldn't be arsed.  I just didn't feel as though my legs had a hundred miles in them.  I didn't waste the day though and carried out session 4, a 6 mile run.

Saturday 21 April 2012

59/366

Another Saturday and for a change it was shopping and Granny Harry's, oh how I can contain my excitement I do not know.  Listening to recycled gossip with a bitter twist which undoubtedly originated from the mother in law being repeated by Granny Harry, it's all quite a joke but at the same time quite depressing.  It's a worry when all people have to gossip about is people they either don't like or don't really know/have anything to do with.  I did take a break from visiting Granny Harry's due to the depressing state of affairs, I think I am overdue another break.
We did venture further afield than is usual on a Saturday afternoon, we visited the travel agents for the first of what I expect may be a few visits to arrange next year's Florida trip.  It was useful as now I think we will be hoteling on International Drive rather than having a villa in Kissimmee.
The day was topped of with some nice scran and a good giggle with Emma and Andy at Bartlewood Lodge, always a pleasure dining with our good friends.

Friday 20 April 2012

58/366

Every cyclist loves getting a new bike, in fact everybody with a hobby loves getting new equipment for it, so I'm a happy boy today. The subject of my excitement is pictured in today's blog.  My trip to Evans although pleasant and courteous did raise concerns, but I must praise MtM (Matt the manager) as he wangled the 10% discount I was told I would get then informed I wouldn't as Wilier are not included despite the fact I was told they where.  Confused?  So was I.  I would have argued the toss all day to get the discount but MtM solved the issue without me needing to cause a fuss. 

Love the colour coded calipers...
The concern I have though is that the bike was brought out to me whilst I selected the accessories I needed, I then paid for bike and accessories and that was it!  No offer of a quick spin, no offer to set me up on the bike, nothing!  I wasn't bothered as it happens as I am capable and would rather set it up myself, but what about those that can't, they walk out of the shop with a bike they haven't had set up and have no idea of how to, it is this kind of service that gives LBS's the bad name they are getting.  Whilst everything is very pleasant and the staff do make you feel welcome and valued it is a worry that once you've handed over the cash they really don't seem to care if the bike is suitable for you or not.

and the detailing on the crank arms, square tubing and internal cable routing
Once home I set about some minor alterations as well as setting the bars and saddle in the correct position.  The Mavic rims on the Trek were swapped over along with the colour coded tyres, so the Trek is now sporting the Shimano rims that came on the Wilier, computer, pedals and saddle bag fitted, oh and the all important Bike Pure spacer to show my support against drugs in cycling.

Once I had returned the dining room back to just that as opposed the cycle workshop it had temporarily been it was time for session 3 of 'the running plan' another steady 30 minute run, same route as 4 days ago but this time 3 minutes quicker and completed in a shade under the 30 minutes.  I should be on a 6 miler tomorrow but I may abstain as I have a 100 mile Audax on Sunday to worry about, so session 4 may have to wait until Monday.

57/366

For once I actually feel I have something to blog about, please humour me and read on....
Today was not a normal workday for me as it began at 8am.  Despite that fact my body clock still insisted on waking me at 02:50 for work!  After a few more hours of unsettled sleep I finally rose for work.  I was on a CPC course today which is basically a certificate of competency in professional HGV driving, no doubt some piece of European bureaucracy we have to abide by.

Today's module included commentary driving.  After toning down my well practiced commentary from my driving instructor training (I will get round to that story one day) I was asked by my trainer if I had done it before as he had never heard such thorough commentary.  Obviously I was dissatisfied with my toning down (or lack of) of my commentary but didn't want to admit to why I had a distinct advantage in this subject, I think I blagged it with a "yeah I did some years ago at TNT when doing some driver training" Truth is TNT don't even know what driver training is, or at least they didn't when I drove for them.

The main subject of tonight's ramblings has to be what I witnessed tonight in a certain drinking establishment in Stapleford.  I shall not name said establishment in fear of retribution from the inbreds that obviously spend far too much time there, I will however give you a sporting chance of guessing where it is.  Think if you will of a certain part of a horse and couple it with a piece of farming machinery.
After realising that almost all of the clientele looked identical, men women and children included I spotted school bags and lunch boxes belonging to the 5 & 6 year old children who were in the pub running riot.  It's hard to believe but there in front of my eyes were women who had obviously bought children to the pub straight from school!  I'm assuming they had eaten there but it's not a given they had.  They eventually took their precious little ones home at about 10pm.

Then there was 'Stig' the dirtiest person I've seen in years, in fact possibly my life, I've seen much cleaner people living on the streets.  Stig of the dump was wearing a lovely grimy cardigan which was worn back to front with a zip up the back!  Someone was kind enough to point this out to him to which he replied "yes I know, about 20 people have told me". Two things spring to mind here.... The first being how the feck did he come to be wearing a cardigan back to front and secondly if so many people had told him why hadn't he sorted it out?  I can only assume that the cardigan put itself upon him and refused to be moved, it certainly looked as though it could have walked itself to the pub and was quite possibly the only thing keeping Stig upright.  Or he just can't see what he was doing due the fact he clearly only has the use of on eye and that one isn't looking straight ahead.  It didn't end there though for poor Stig, he stunk like a skunk on heat that had been shagged by a polecat.

There was good news from the night though, we won the pool match due to the inbreds not having enough family members to complete the match, I signed for the 5th and decisive win without the need to play so that's a 100% winning record for me, that's what the stats show anyway!  Funny thing is we are back there next week for a league match as tonight's match was a cup affair.
After all that 'fun' we needed a dose of normality so headed to the cue club for an hour, the pool tables were busy so we took to what looked like a 5 a side pitch for a couple of frames of snooker....all I'll say is I don't remember it been that hard.

I'll finish on some good news and a definate high note, Warburtons will match up to £500 of my sponsorship in my run(s) for Cerys, so if I can manage to get £500 they will double it!  To think I could raise £1000 is quite overwhelming.  Even better to think I could do the same again next year by running the full marathon!
PS apologies for being late, it's took me 40 minutes on and off to write this on my phone.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

56/366

Week 1 day 4 of the training plan required a 40 minute tempo run, and it was hard! Still it gave me the chance to take 1:11 off my PB for the 5.2 miles Attenborough course with a time of 42:46. It was tough and I did wonder why I was doing this, then Cerys popped into my head to remind me, this is all about the half marathon in October for her and next years marathon plans, again for Cerys and Little Hearts Matter. It's not hard to run when you know it's all for a very good cause.



As I have blogged previously the run is one of three events the first being the Bighearted Bake (Clicky) in about 10 weeks time. The second event is a summer ball, a black tie and ball gown affair, looking forward to dressing up as a penguin for that one!  All proceeds from the events will go to Little Hearts Matter.

Took a phone call from Evans this afternoon, I knew it was good news as it wasn't Matt the manager. The bike is ready for me to collect, so there's a job for me on Friday morning.

Tuesday 17 April 2012

55/365

Watch "STEPTOE AND SON THEME TUNE" on YouTube

What's with that link?  Whilst on my rounds in Mansfield this morning I heard the above tune approaching me getting louder and louder as it drew closer.  Only when it was accompanied by yells of "scrap iron, gates, Hoover's, washers, bike's" did I realise what was coming.  Then I saw it, a transit pick up complete with megaphone trapped in the passenger window pointing outwards.  The occupant of the passenger seat was holding the microphone to the speaker fitted to his door.  The whole instance quite tickled me and fair play to these two entrepreneurs for having the balls to ride round to such a theme tune.

Tuesday has arrived and no phone call from Evans or even Matt the manager, not that I expected one.   And given the fact that it's run day tomorrow and I'm working 9-5 on Thursday I won't be in a position to do anything until Friday anyway, so they have 3 days grace before I start kicking off.

I managed to acquire myself some more running gear whilst in Decathlon getting a rather nice pink stop watch for Mrs H, a running cap to try and keep my readers dry whilst out in the rain and a pair of rather blue multi purpose shorts, my running wardrobe is fast catching up with my cycling collection of clothing.

Monday 16 April 2012

54/366

Started my training plan today, first session was a 30 minute easy run, so I guessed that my 3.6 mile circuit would be about right and I wasn't far off at 31 minutes.  Already it fells better by doing a shorter run, I think I'd plateaued by constantly running 5 or 6 miles, my legs were aching and my times were getting slower.  Looking forward to my next session in two days, although this one won't be so easy, 40 minutes tempo run!



I know I promised better things for today, but apart form the run I've not been up to much.  One thing I have done is I've started looking at dates and venues of next years marathons, I'd like to do one of the bigger better known ones if possible but not all have confirmed dates for 2013 yet.

Sunday 15 April 2012

53/366

Back to work today and a nice steady round to bed me back in.  Had a lazy afternoon in front of the tv and dinner round at Andy & Emma's.  Apart from the work bit it was pretty much what Sunday's are all about.
No ramblings from me tonight, I really should be asleep by now, will try harder tomorrow I promise.

Saturday 14 April 2012

52/366

Ran the usual 10k course and felt bloody awful, legs were like lead! Kept it going though as you can't give up because you feel bad when the big day comes.

It did get me thinking though that there is no structure to my training, I'm just running 5 or 6 miles 3 times a week, no variation.  So I've looked at a few training plans, most are only 12 or 16 weeks and it's 27 until half marathon day.  So me being me I've gone for a 16 week 26.2 mile training plan, yes you read it right, marathon distance in 16 weeks.  In for a penny in for a pound as they say.  Once the 16 weeks is done I'll drop it off for a few weeks and then pick up on a half marathon training plan to take me up to the big day.  All this is part of the preparation for a crack at the full distance next year. 



Not a lot else happening today, the usual Saturday routine, shopping, Granny Harry's and Mrs H's Mum and Dad's, oh and Roberts tantrums when his latest scooter trick goes wrong or he doesn't get his own way... good to be back home!

A few photo's from our little trip this week

Cell door at Brightons Old Police Cells

Brighton Pavilion

9 day old Tamworth piglets with Mum at Weald and Downland museum

Beach Nr Worthing

Weald and Downland Museum

Friday 13 April 2012

51/366

After a hearty two breakfasts from the pub adjoining our premier inn we headed off on quite a detour of our route home to the Weald & Downland museum.  I have fond memoies of a school trip there some 25 or so years ago.  It is an outdoor museum of buildings and farming over the last 600 year's.
Historic buildings from around southern England have been taken down and rebuilt at the museum.  Typically though the biggest attraction there was the 9 day old Tamworth piglets which Kelly and Louise instantly fell in love with.  It has to be said though whilst my nostalgic curiosity was satisfied the trip did little to stimulate the minds of the rest of my family, apart from the piglets that is.
This evening I come across the rare occurrence of a Grand Designs episode that I have not yet seen, quite a rarity seeing as I've seen most episodes more than once, thank goodness for series record on more 4!  So on that note I leave you for the dullcet tones of Kevin Mcloud describing the construction of a 21st century farmhouse in Wiltshire.


Thursday 12 April 2012

50/366

Didn't really know what I was expecting from Brighton, I didn't find it overcrowded by the gay community as I was led to believe.  The Lanes were nice, especially if jewelery shops are your thing.  The pavilion and its grounds are very nice too.
Mrs H booked us on a tour of the old police cells at the town hall, which was very informative and interesting, our guide, an ex local bobby gave an excellent insight into the history of the place. So much so that Mrs H was nudging me to make a donation to the museum as we left.
We finished the day off with a short drive to Worthing and fish and chips by the sea.



Wednesday 11 April 2012

49/366

Matt the manager phoned me today, Matt the manager manages Evans in Nottingham.  Matt the manager wanted to apologise for the lack of a return phone call yesterday and to assure me that he would personally look into the whereabouts of my purchase, he would let me know as soon as he found out.  A couple of hours later Matt the manager called me back to let me know it would be with them next Tuesday/Wednesday and that he will of course keep me updated.

Now given the fact Evans quote up to 5 days to build a bike up I reckon that puts us at about 21 days from date of order, which is exactly what Wilier quote.  If only the helpful girl that took my order had kept it zipped and left it at 21 days instead of making calls and assuming she could turn it all round in under 1 week we wouldn't have any of this bother...

Famille Hobbs is currently relaxing premier inn stylee in Newhaven after an afternoon in and around Brighton Marina, I got myself some new running shoes from the Reebok store, very comfy indeed.  Tomorrow we head into Brighton town, just hope it stays reasonably dry.

48/366

Found this widget thing when messing about with Strava today, good for sharing run and ride routes for those who are interested.  And the clever thing is that the gps trail doesn't start or finish at my home.  Masking a set distance of the ride from a certain area makes it harder for those unscrupulous light fingered bastards who check ride logging sites such as Strava, Mapmyride etc to see where we live and what bikes we have.  If you think about some people (me included in the past) really do make it easy for people to target specific bikes and then give them an exact gps location of the shed it can be found in, madness really.




Phoned Evans earlier as the girl who took the transaction (I won't say sold me the bike, as she didn't have the need to exercise her sales pitch) told me the bike could be in the shop late last week.  Very optimistic as Wilier quote a 21 day delivery time.  Expecting to be told that the bike was not in the store yet I was not disappointed.  I was told though that the lady who looks after stock coming in and arranging to get it out would call me back later in the afternoon to give me an update of its whereabouts, I'm still waiting for the call.  Evans proving to me why I said I'd never willingly buy a bike from them again.  It's not that I'm expecting the bike before the 21 days quoted, I just don't like being told they will get back to me and then they don't.

My second frustration of today.... Freecycle, a great concept where people give stuff away when they have finished with it.  The website however is shockingly bad and the main reason I haven't bothered using freecycle in the past.  Louise for some reason though has registered and spotted a Juicer being given away this evening.  Knowing I'd quite like to try one she promptly requested we be the lucky recipients of the juicer.  An equally prompt reply and I was on my to West Hallam to pick it up.  I arrived at a very strange looking house, one that seemed to have been left in the 1970's, you know the sort.  I banged on the door only to be shouted at by an old lady...."I don't know who you are, who is it? I'm not opening the door, go away"  I double checked the address and postcode on my gps on my phone, I was definitely at the address given.  I gave it  a minute and knocked again.  Eventually the old girl came to the door, she knew nothing of a juicer or freecycle, and by the looks of her and her house I'm quite sure she wouldn't even know what a computer is let alone use one!

I emailed the juicers 'donor' Tammy asking if I had the correct house to be told in a rather short reply "no!"  No further information to assist me.  Convinced I'm the victim of a prank I head home rather pissed off.  I replied to Tammy stating I had been at the address given, just to be told I  must have been at the wrong house... No shit Sherlock!  Eventually Tammy offers up an excuse that she gave me her own address incorrectly and that she was at 119 .... Road and not number 19.  Funny that as the postcode took me to within two doors of number 19!

So that's my one and only experience with freecycle done with, I know people get some good gear off there but I'm not prepared to be fucked about by your average fucktard freecycle user, apologies to those freecyclists that have a brain cell.

*Another apology, to the 2 of you that wanted to read this at bedtime last night, I wrote and saved a draft early evening and forgot to send before the day was out.

Monday 9 April 2012

47/366

Not sure many bookies would have taken bets on today's weather, it is after all easter bank holiday Monday.  I enjoyed an early 10k run in the rain, not my quickest but after yesterday's bike ride I enjoyed a steady run.  It must be getting serious now between me and the running, I don't knowingly venture out into the rain for many things, Mrs H would vouch for that.

The rest of our activities today were suited to the weather.... Afternoon tea and cake at Dad's, the children got more chocolate and a good licking from 'Barney' the ginormous poodle.

Then this evening after a quick pit stop at Hobbs Towers we were all off to Mrs H parents for dinner, and I must give credit where it's due, it was a decent spread.  Mrs R's cooking has definitely improved over the years.

I must apologise to those who may have thought they were playing me at draw something today, it was in fact Louise.  She had custody of my phone for most of the afternoon/evening.  You may have found it easier playing Louise, unlucky if you do as she's not having it back, I actually suffered withdrawal symptoms whilst watching her playing you.

Sunday 8 April 2012

46/366

Well that was a cracking ride today....  Got up on time, went through the usual pre ride rituals of 4 weetabix, cup of tea, get drinks for ride ready, sort out all back pocket stuff, jelly babies, inhaler, tea cakes, gel in the event of a 'bonk'.  All was well, I set off on time destined for Sheffield.  It was a nice drive up there, very little traffic around.  Conditions were OK, 10c and dry although the ground was wet from overnight rain.

Upon my arrival of Sheffield it suddenly dawned on me that I had everything with me except one key piece of equipment, my GPS.  Without this I'm up the proverbial creek with that broken paddle form Oxfords boat yesterday, with no computer on the bike either it would have been hard to use the cue sheet given.  Now some would argue that I could have still rode and used said cue sheet, and they are right, some people could.  Not me though, I'm not into this faffing about and stopping every ten minutes, I like to keep my head down with the occasional glance at the GPS to check I'm still on course.

So rather pissed off I turned around and headed back home.  A quick unload of the car and fitting the GPS to the bike I selected a route of similar distance to what I was expecting to ride today and headed west into Derbyshire and Staffordshire.  Not done this route for some time, the roads west of Burton are very nice and quiet. That old foe of mine Hanbury Hill still has a nasty kick but as most hills these days was easier than last year.

I did forget about the psychotic dog that sits outside a farm just past Hanbury, I spotted him on approach and gingerly rode towards him.  I got level and thought last time may have been a one off, and then WOOF, he sprang into action, baring his teeth and snapping at my ankle, I trod on the pedals and sprinted, for a little dog he has got a turn of speed, I had to keep going until he gave up.  It's a wonder he didn't get hold of my ankle, he was giving it his best shot and I feel lucky he didn't manage to make contact.

The ride home from the half way point of Hoar Cross was quicker than the way out thanks to the westerly breeze that pushed me home nicely.

I've recently started using Strava a site similar to Daily Mile.  The main difference though is with Strava you can split the ride into segments such as the climbs or long flats to measure your progress against other strava users and of course your self.  It doesn't integrate with Facebook and Twitter as well as Daily Mile but it's features do seem better, for the time being I'm using both whilst I get used to Strava.

Distance = 114.5 km
Time = 4 hrs 17 mins
Ave Speed = 26.7 kph

2012
Road Bike = 1320.6 km
Indoor = 331.4 km
Ran = 217.9 km
Total = 1872.9 km

Saturday 7 April 2012

45/366

Busy morning at work today, it's amazing how much bread is shifted, nearly 400,000 loaves this morning at our depot, and here was me thinking people ate chocolate at easter.

Part of my afternoon was spent preping for tomorrow's Audax, getting the bike ready, usual stuff....tyre pressures, lube chain etc.  Then came the realisation that removing the mudguards at the first sight of spring was a bit premature, the thought of a soggy arse in Sheffield really didn't appeal to me.  So it was back on with the crud race blades which might as stay on now for wet rides when the new bike turns up.

Had a small spot of fortune today when opening my box of goodies from a well known online bike shop sung about by Dianna Ross and friends.  As well as my pedals and mounting kit for a bike computer they had packed 2 folding tyres in the box, got to be happy with that, if I'm being picky I would say I'd prefer 23's instead of the 25's I got, still probably a good move as a winter tyre.

Better hit the hay and get a decent sleep before tomorrow mornings trip north for what I hope will be a lovely ride.

Friday 6 April 2012

44/366

So it's that time of year again, no not Easter, The Masters in Augusta.  I love watching a bit of golf and this has to be the best tournament to watch, the course is stunning and always brings out the best and worst of the field. 
I used to play golf badly and have always watched the pro's in awe as they effortlessly stroke the ball somewhere near 300 yards down the centre of the fairway, delicately chip on to the greens from seemingly impossible positions and then manage to read the slopes and contours of said green to sink the ball.
1st round in and Englishman Lee Westwood is leading the way.  O""ne good omen for Westood is that every time The Masters has finished on easter Sunday the player with caddy number 53 has won, you guessed it, Westwood's caddy is number 53.
Went for a kickabout on the park with Robert this afternoon, football is another game I played badly.  I did make the school team once, we lost eight nil and that was the end of my career before it ever took off!  Robert spent most of it in goal in his proffered position of goalkeeper, he's actually quite handy between the posts.  Whilst I attempted to bend 20 yard free kicks around him he mostly picked them out of the air, the occasional lob did manage to fox him though.
I really am whacked now after only 4 hours kip last night and another 3am alarm call in the morning, so I bid you farewell before I nod off without setting my alarm.

Thursday 5 April 2012

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Firstly may I point you towards this facebook page for our friends charity events to keep little Cerys's memory alive and to help other people who have to deal with this terrible condition - Big Hearted Cake Bake  This is the first of three events this year, I will be keeping you informed of the others as well as harassing you for money when the time comes.

Took another short run today, just to check the hamstring really, it was hell at first but once I got going it eased off a little and I actually finished quite strong, for once I knew when to quit though and called it a day before any problems came back.  Robert joined me on his bike again, but his heart wasn't in it today, he was severely lacking in motivation and kept stopping at every opportunity.  Can't blame him really, he did well to do over 5 miles yesterday, another 3 today was probably a bit much to ask.

Today I have mostly been playing Draw Something, the latest app craze to take the smart phone world by storm, apparently I am only one of 50 million to download it in the last 50 days!  In the unlikely event you don't know what it is I'll tell you.  It's a simple drawing game where you choose one of three words to draw and your opponent has to guess what it is you gave drawn.  Anybody who knows me will also know this is not a good game to play with me given my artistic ability, or lack of!  Still it has kept me amused.  I have also downloaded the android kindle app and also my first ebook, a collection of short cycling related stories, so far it's proving an addictive read. 

I've not read since my time at Tesco, I have a long list of titles I still want to read but just don't seem to get the time.  Instead of watching the usual drivel on the telly I intend to get some reading done, much better for the mind!

Work tomorrow, only for two days though then yet another week off, no big riding plans though as next week is family time with a short break to the south coast thrown in.  I do have the small matter of a 110k Audax in my home county of Yorkshire on Easter Sunday though, looking forward to that.  

Not a clue who this loon is nor what he is doing, made me smile though

Wednesday 4 April 2012

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What's going on with our weather, last Wednesday after a cracking bike ride in the sun I was sleeping on the back lawn getting sunburned, this Wednesday we're stuck indoors whilst it's snowing, well a sleety, snowy, rainy mixture.  Can't really complain though, in all the weather hasn't been bad this year, I know we need more rain, but I don't care for the wet stuff so in general I've been happy.

When it had almost stopped I headed out for a run with Robert in tow as it's the school holidays.  The shorter of my Attenborough circuits at 5.2 miles.  It was cold out there, the wind chill was well below freezing and there was a stiff 20 mph headwind at times, testing conditions indeed.  Robert did well considering, we did have to stop once as his face was hurting into the headwind and the rain had started again, I'm sure he didn't allow for this when saying he'd come along.  My troublesome hamstring played up towards the end, I really had to ease off to almost walking pace for the last 1/4 mile, gave it some good stretches when home, hopefully it was just complaining about the cold...

Sit ups and press ups again today, sit ups quite easy, I'm sure I'll be able to nail the 100 pretty soon, press ups another matter.  I managed 33 in total today, a huge 13 in my final set!  Ok so it may be a while before I hit the ton on those.

Planning is beginning for Cardiff in October, well Mrs H has been looking at hotels, the usual Travel Lodge and Premier Inn bargains are not to be found though, they must realise that thousands of runners will be in town that weekend.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

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Ride to work voucher appeared in my inbox today so the new bike has been ordered.  21 days delivery is quoted on orders from Wilier, the girl in shop stated I could get it by the end of the week, I'll not hold my breath whilst waiting.
For some reason I was feeling quite aggressive today, something that used to be a regular occurrence but thankfully now is a rarity.  I've had run ins with the local pompous prick over the past couple of years and for the life of me I don't know why it won't escape my mind, every now and then it pops up to irritate me, and bring out Mr angry.
This cock is a bully, but not in the stealing your dinner money kind of way, he's much cleverer than that.  He will very openly criticise you and keep chipping away in hope that you react.  You try not to, but he keeps at it with little digs, comments here and there until you do.  Then he quickly turns the tables, your reaction is now making him the victim, again he'll poke so you react again.  Now he'll go to a position of authority, before you know it it is you that is harassing him!
I'm quite ashamed to say I was played like this and that it still affects me now at times, I'd love to ring the little twats neck, but I'll make do with pissing myself at the occasions when he proves he can't ride a bike as well as he thinks he can and falls off.  Even then someone else is to blame!  He'll get his comeuppance one day, I just hope I get to see it.
Thankfully I am in a much better place now than I have been in the past few years, I'm happy at work and at home, I have control over my mind 99% of the time, we all have bad days, mine just remind me of the bad times and bitterness towards ex employers and foes.
I could kip on a washing line as some would say so will leave just in time to send today's blog today!

Monday 2 April 2012

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Monday morning equals weigh in time, as usual for a Monday morning I stepped on the scales.  This morning they told me I have reached my original target of 14 stone, that's 2 and a half stone lighter than when I started 'dieting' last August.   It doesn't end here though, another half a stone would be good.  It would also be good to loose the beer gut, I've started one of those 100 ..... programs on both sit ups and push ups to try and tone up the wobbly bits.

Saw a blast from the past this morning, a fella skating along in Bauer rollerskates, not seen those for years.  He was most happy speed skating along the cycle lane, took me back 20 odd years when most off mates had the same boots.  I was never good or confident enough to own my own pair, I preferred the relative safety of a skateboard, not that I was much good on that either.

Skateboarding down Spinney Rise was certainly an adrenaline fix though, Toton's steepest hill drew the local youth and its various wheel based transport modes.  How none of us ended up having a serious accident I'll never know.  I guess it's down to the well known fact that children bounce well.

Sunday 1 April 2012

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Don't judge a book by its cover.... Wirksworth looks like a nice place, well the bit I've seen on my bike rides does.  And based on that we drove out there today to have a wonder around the small Derbyshire town.... we didn't even get out of the car.  The market place is very picture postcard esque but that's about as far as it goes.

Carsington Water became the back up plan, a short walk, a grumpy teenager dragging her heels because she'd rather be at home doing nothing and a cool breeze meant we didn't stay too long, long enough though to decide we'll be back to tackle the 8 mile walk around the reservoir.  On that occasion though we'll leave the grumpy teenager at home though.

Much to my pleasure it surprises me how many of you read this.  My reasons for this year long daily blog experiment are to test my writing skills and observations as I would like to write some kind of autobiography in the future as a record of my life for my grandchildren and their children to read.  I've been quite taken back by people's kind remarks and interest in what ramblings I have.  Whilst it is not the best written journal I feel some of my entries are written well, whilst some are not so strong.  It doesn't help that some nights I'm barely awake when I write.  Thank you for your interest and kind comments to those who have made them known, and to any silent readers I may also have.

Hopefully I will receive my ride to work voucher via email tomorrow so that I can actually order my new bike.  For two years I've been promising myself a 'summer bike' and to be honest I wasn't expecting it this year, it's only because of this scheme I've managed to convince Mrs H it's not a bad idea.