-2°C. Snow soon.
A cold week with a front that wants to push it away as much as we all do. There will be snow, but probably not enough to close work I think. There are many hopeful souls out there though.
I’ve been on my turbo, that signifies the end of the longest lived cold I can remember; the despair. 17th of January and I have not ridden a bike this year yet.
1°C, clear & still
Back to work tomorrow, energy is returning along with my voice. Out goes the despair of getting another damned cold straight after the previous one.
Half an hour on the turbo plus some weights and stretches, that did nicely. Shame the mild winter has given way to such hard frost and ice.
Racing bike repairs are under-way: new headset= in, new pedals= on.
The wheel rebuild awaits, I have to post that one off though.
My Commuting bike could do with a new saddle, only because I don’t like this one. It’s not the right shape. I spend enough hours on it to easily justify the cost- about £45.
7°C, sunshine.
The Doc says I probably have a second cold straight after the first. Unlucky, but not a serious worry. Presumably, there is no reason that you couldn’t be infected with two colds at once.
Snow is on its way, though it may not fall here. The Mirror paper predicts -15C and blizzards, though view predict that every time the temperature dips a little. Nobody believes them any more. Well, no-one worth mentioning does.
2°C, cold penetrating fog.
Still ill. All this started on the 7th of Dec. That makes it a month. Or is was it two colds separated by 5 days around Christmas. There is a shard of comfort when I hear that there are so many others with long persistent chest and throat infections.
There is no end in sight yet. I have taken the day off since 1/ my voice nearly failed yesterday & I am timetabled for more lessons today, 2/ I took the dog for her early morning outing by I saw purple spots before my eyes the whole time.
Will the world’s end begin like this.
9C, rain.
TV repairman has visited. It took two hours when he fitted a new motherboard, updated firmware and stuff. So far, no ugly interruptions to the sound with a loud, high hum for 8 seconds each time I change channel. There’s time yet.
All clear I declare, it’s fixed beyond any doubt.
9°C, calm & grey.
Still ill as the line in the Smiths song goes, but I’m bored with talking about it.
My router is probably the cause of poor internet connections at home. The latest stage in this sorry, tedious saga is a new firmware.
Every time I try something, the smartphone & laptop connect and I am filled with optimism. Then after streaming media, like a online video (my favourtite is Vimeo), the waiting sign comes up and it eventually time-outs.
Another idea is that the routes is failing, perhaps a mechanical failure. Often the connection fails after some time watching BBCi Player. Perhaps the heat can stress a weak component or solder joint.
The only solution to that is a full replacement.
Is rioting good fun? I’ve never tried it myself but I hear that they’re rioting in Northern Ireland, something to do with how often they fly flags. A decision made by democratically elected local government, it’s said. Their own leaders have told the rioters to stop, but continues today.
In NI, have a long record of extreme action triggered by trivial, silly issues- flags, parades, marches and so on.
So with such absurd causes, what is the real reason for that behaviour?
11°C, light cloud.
The girl who served me today in the grocery shop didn’t look right. She rested her head between each customer, pale. I asked whether she was unwell, she sighed with the word- “yes”.
There is some comfort in this, almost all of us feel poorly in this way at this time. All activity is an uphill push, leaving us pale and breathless.
Galling though, for me, is the missed opportunity for some good cycling in this decent weather. Here is the mildest winter break in years. Some parts of this nation has 13°C highs this week. I can only look outside.
7°C, clear, cold wind from sea.
Cycling: ~4,409 miles.
Fewer miles than I hoped for due to several problems-
I want to clear 5,000 miles in 2013 (by as much as a thousand miles to make up for 2012). To this end, the summer bike needs a good overhaul to avoid mechanical problems and ensure that it’s more fun to ride.
This point generates another list for January-
Not too much cost, but quite a long turn-around while it’s away at the Campagnolo service center. No need to ride it until March though.
7°C windy, showers.
Not again: less than a week after the last cold, I get the next one. This is all sore throat and malaise with a bostin’ headache. This is where the best laid plans run aground: I could have clocked up another 200 miles and potentially breached the 5,000 mile mark for the year.
But no, not this time.
Micycle 