After work ride

Posted on 6th Sep 2011 by essiep

Windy & cooler, CR:25 miles

Rode after work today, the shower has been cleaned of legionnaires, but is has to be tested before I am allowed to use it. Early evening light is fading fast now it’s September, but at least I could ride the ‘best’ bike and choose my route. A real feature of holiday rides is the effect of proper rest. Real athletes must benefit so much from deep rest, the effect on your energy levels is so strong.

Missing a day’s ride in the holidays feels just like stress, by the end of the six weeks, you need to ride.

Legionellosis in the shower

Posted on 5th Sep 2011 by essiep

17C , some rain

I am forbidden to use the shower at work. Legionellosis has been detected in the showerhead, the boss told me I couldn’t ride in tomorrow because of it. There must be a way around this, maybe wash in a sink for just one day- it depends how long it takes to sterilise it. I have to wonder about the shower here at home- perhaps I should remove the head and leave it in a bucket of bleach overnight. It’s maybe worse here because I only shower at home once a week (the mostly shower at work). Is this why some people leave the showerhead lying on the shower floor to let the water drain?

back to the millstone

Posted on 4th Sep 2011 by essiep

19C, rain early & late. CR:57 miles

Well, is that all there is? All there is to a summer holiday? Work tomorrow & today’s ride has removed fizzy-legs that has bugged me so much while doing that damned marking. Sad that I didn’t make it to Scotland this year.

Next year is my 10th in this school; so what do you get for 10 years service? A: a stomach ulcer? Maybe this academic year will a bit better than last.

60 watts

Posted on 1st Sep 2011 by essiep

11°C, perhaps upto 21°C, light cloud. CR:28 miles

60 Watt bulbs will cease to be made in the Eurozone from today. The govt. have effectively banned them amid media stories that folks are hoarding incandescent bulbs. I suppose it’s a bit like the food parcels passed over the fences of schools that adopted healthy eating policies. A policy undercut despite the apparent benefit to the populous. News reports always show mercury-vapour lamps as the new low-power replacement. They have, just like last time, ignored the other alternatives. There are a number of types: tungsten, mercury-vapour, Halogen and LED. I have always hated mercury-vapour lamps, especially strip lights because of the quality of the light. That means for me, flicker. They flicker at 50Hz which is quite annoying when seen in peripheral vision though less obvious seen directly. The colour of the light is odd too- slightly pink in direct light but the room is cast with a green glow that is so obvious in photographs taken in that room. My choice- Halogen where I need bright light, LED if not.

Maybe a fritillary?

Last day of summer

Posted on 31st Aug 2011 by essiep

19C, cloudy, CR:29 miles

Our local free newspaper is a lot of fun. It’s full of schools boasting of their record breaking GCSE results. It’s their best year ever, they exclaim. But wait, it’s always the best year ever, the results have gone up each year for the last 24 years. So, of course it’s their best year. It would be weird if the results stayed level for a year. How many years does it take before they notice the pattern.
Are they all too sensitive to risk upsetting the teenagers by telling them it’s all getting easier?

It’s the last day of summer but looks as if autumn is already here. The remaining green plants are starting to turn already. The long dry spring is said to be the cause of an early autumn.

14st. 8lbs

Posted on 28th Aug 2011 by essiep

15°C Rain

That week of rain cost me half a stone in weight. Good result then, it was a bit late coming off this year. Cycling feels better for it. It was only four days of long walks in practice a minimum of six hours for most of them, not desperately strenuous, simply long. the first one turned into a quagmire, a boggy Moelwynnion ridge which became increasingly windy and wet. the Rhinogs are better for that sort of walk probably. As the days wore on, the air dried, and some of my kit did too. It ended beautifully, though rather smelly in the car. I was sad to come home, but more rain did approach.

That was the good bit, now it’s only one week ’till the new term. So much to do still!

Self seeded, perhaps from birdfood, who knows?

Another record

Posted on 25th Aug 2011 by essiep

11C, rain. CR:60

Only to echo last week, the GCSE results are out today, likely to be the 24th consecutive year of higher results. The changed course structure will get some of the credit this time, it’s more modular now, so girls will probably do better. This story is worn out.

BBC The Education minister wants to end modularity, so perhaps we’ll see the boys catch up from nest year. The Daily Mail report was interesting, in almost every respect, they got their fact diametrically opposite to the truth. They said boys were closing the gap (the gap has widened), that the yearly grade inflation (which they blamed on Labour) had finished (the increase is about the same as last year). They couldn’t have got it more wrong. Why do people buy this newspaper, everything they print is wrong?

Later: Sunshine after an afternoon decorating. Rode for 60 miles and felt really strong. No aches, stiffness or discomfort, the ride simply flowed nicely. The end of the summer holidays is often like this.

Playing “house”

Posted on 24th Aug 2011 by essiep

20C, sun then a shower.

What a domestic day-

Valet the car, (it took hours)
Fill the compost
Replace missing roof tiles (fiddly since one tile in the middle is nailed).
Wash the roof windows (have they ever been done?)
Vacuum
Laundry, 3 loads

I deserve a medal.

After a long weekend of camping/hiking I’m full of energy. Though I was doubtful of my own fitness, I didn’t get sore feet or feel worn out in any way. That’s after four 6 hour walks; if anything, I got more energetic towards the end. A good result, credit to burning off some nagging restlessness.

Moelwyns, Arenig and a Rhinog

Posted on 23rd Aug 2011 by essiep

19-21C, days of rain then sun, milky at times.

Moelwyns ridge walk (dreadful non-stop rain once we got on the ridge
Short walk near Ffestiniog (2 hours)
Arenig Fawr, excellent day, though the air became milky later
Rhinog Fach: a change of descent this time, we cut out Y Llethr and dropped down past the lake and some quarry works. There was a stairway to nowhere, that I failed to photograph

We’re going to have known nothing like it.

Posted on 18th Aug 2011 by essiep

8°C, rain to come.

In a few hours the kids will get their A-Level results, the news will fill with arguments about grade inflation, the kids will pose for photos where they jump up holding their certificates aloft. Head-teachers will praise hard working staff, “young people” and support staff. The format is well established, the exam results have increased every year for 28 years. So what do you say to kids who are ‘put out’ by talk of exams getting easier? You could do what many do- lie by saying the results only reflect better teaching & hard work. I suggest they view the results in the context of 2011 standards. Students could say “I have a grade B (2011) but you got a grade B (2001) old boy”. It’s like a vintage, and after all, the structure of courses changes every two years or so. You can’t compare like with like with this pretty constant change. The media will try to anyway.

Shall I repost this next week when the GCSE results are released to kids?

Latest: the results have stayed the same for the first time in 28 years, within 0.5% anyway.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes