Big Andy's Blog

The weekend. Friday evening I met up with Cesar (he’s just back from his honeymoon in Thailand) at the Nag’s Head and joined by Marion in the back garden for a few beers in the sunshine. Nice!

Saturday we bought beer food and supplies from the super-market and crawled back under huge backpacks (both of our rucsacs weighed at least 20kg) back home to cook for my parents. Marion made a delicious Tagine and some tasty gazpacho, while I made black olive bread and lemon sherbert (from Jamie Oliver’s “Jamie’s Italy” cookbook. We also did some chores and I juggled in the garden — something that I’ve not done since moving to this house. It was great to be out in the fantastic weather juggling in the garden; so relaxing and good fun too! The meal went well and it was super to see my parents who were both in top form.

Today, Sunday, and the weather again was hot but mixed with some clouds. We had breakfast in the garden and read on the grass in the garden. I juggled some more and Marion finished her book. I’ve just finished “Kings of the Mountains” by Matt Rendell and now I am going back to “The Golden Notebook” by Dorris Lessing.  I’ve just made some cumin bread (adaption of the black olive bread with a tablespoon of cumin seeds instead of the black olives) and I need to put it in the oven now.

This week ahead: study, run, juggle.

Greets folks, sitting here in the lounge at home waiting for the pizzas to arrive it’s been a hell of an ill week for me. Sunday morning I woke early and watched some of the Chinese GP before going back to bed then re-awoke feeling really really cold and chilly despite the fact that it was a gorgeous day with lots of sun hotness and blue skies. The next days until now I have been struck with this fever (one moment hot, the next cold) which meant that sleep hasn’t been easy – for Marion either – and the last couple I thought I’d gotten rid of the fever only for a stomach bug to hit me. So, fingers crossed, here’s looking forward to my first pizza in ages.!.

In this time since being ill I have watched the majority of the first season of “The Wire” (BBC 2 are showing all 5 series back-to-back!) reading up on web-design techniques:

Good Evening, just back from the second run of the week. This evening I ran along the River Thames to the boat house and back in 33mins. Monday I ran along the river and then through town in 26mins. Today I’m feeling more alive than after Monday’s run. Last night I went to the Berkshire BCS CV Clinic at Reading Town Hall. It was quite useful to speak to the chaps there, and I have taken many points from the evening.

Now something totally different: Lent. Not a believer in any god or
religion but full of belief that too much of one thing doesn’t do you any
good, I am giving up chocolate and crisps for lent. For the last I don’t
know how long Marion and I have been eating too much sweet food. We watch a
film and have some chocolate, we feel like baking and make some chocolate
chip chocolate muffins or brownies or something sweet, we go to visit a
town and what’s the number one priority: find some cafe with a good
selection of cakes hot chocolate and sweets. Not good if you do it all the
time! So we’re giving up chocolate from today until Easter Sunday (40 days
away). Marion is giving up chocolate, having alcohol except on special occasions.
I am giving up chocolate and crisps, and having sweet deserts except on special
occasions. Check back for more updates!

Kidderminster. Tonight I take the train to Kidderminster for the next part
of my Masters CIW training course. I am now on CIW Foundations (part 3 out
of 5) which deals with the basics of web-design, re-covers networking, and
introduces project management. Hopefully I will arrive in time to see some
football in a pub. A couple of days away from work, it seems as though all
my holiday has been taken away by going on these IT courses in
Kidderminster, will be good and nice to relax on the train and get some
reading done.

Football. It’s Champions League week this week (quarter finals first leg)
and last night ManU drew with Inter in Milan. It was a great game but ManU
should have taken a few goals back to Manchester for the return leg in two
weeks. The first half was a lot better in terms of possession and chances
for ManU (how did they not score?) but then in the second-half Inter got
back into the game and had a few chances themselves. ManU, however, should
have scorred with the final kick of the game from a free-kick from Ronaldo
which (luckily for the keeper who hadn’t seen the flight of the ball) was
at the keeper. I watched it round my friend Cesar’s house, cheers Cesar for
the beer and pizza!
Tonight it’s:
Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
Real Madrid v Liverpool

Running. I’ve not been running in a couple of weeks. Lazy me. But I will go
running soon I promise. It’s a viscious cycle when you stop running. You
want to go and you feel that you need to go but you feel that the days
since you went running last are counting against you in some mad crazy way.
Plus it’s sometimes easier just to stay inside and not go running. Now it’s
getting lighter and lighter in the evenings the excuse or reason that I was
too tired at work to go running is becoming non-valid so I can go running
along the river in my evenings after work. I much prefer going running in
clean air along a river, than along a canal and along roads (as I do at
work). We’ll see how I get on in the next few weeks!

Sitting here reminiscing on the week gone past it’s safe to say that I’m knackered.

Marion’s parents came to visit us (their first time to the new house) Friday to Tuesday. We visited London and Windsor and Reading. My Parents got to meet Marion’s parents, they got to meet my brother. Full action packed weekend!

Sat: Wow what a hang-over. Last night spent wishing Keryn a farewell, we went to Oakford Social Club then Purple Turtle. Too much drink in too short a time, Sat morning was difficult! Trains to Oxford replaced by bus so had to re-think and decided on Windsor instead. Brilliant bright blue sunny day, bloody cold though. Took the train and arrived at lunchtime and walked around, then out into Windsor Great Park along the Great Walk. Back towards town and a late lunch in any pub we could find. More shops to see and then back to see my Parents in Sandhurst. This the first time all 4 of them were together (last summer Marion’s Mum met my parents) and it was a delicious evening, with lots of food and great company. To finish off we played Arsehole (or trou-du-cul), then skated on ice home.

Sun: We walked around the sights of Reading (along the river and through town, stopping off at the excellent Picnic for some warm soup (it was bloody raining and freezing outside). My brotheralso came to have a cuppa and meet the parents on Sunday too. In the eve we had take-away curry and watched “Breakfast at Tiffanys”.

Mon: A day to see London. A very wet day not to venture out of the house unless totally necessary. No choice but to brave the conditions and go into London. First stop was the Tate Modern although I’d seen the normal exhibitions before it was good to go again, to see the strange weird and demenous paintings. I love the Tate Modern! Lunch in a pub by the river then walked towards Covent Garden along Fleet Street and into the Twinnings shop. We also took in Ben’s Cookies, China Town, Leicester Square and then finally, made it back to the train towards home. Knackered and cold. More curry and “A Life of Brian” for more britanica for our foreign guests. What a fantastic weekend!

wow, another white morning. Marion gets the day off of work because people cannot get to work but I have to now go outside in the wet slushy snow and cycle to work. I cannot wait!