Sunday March 31st 2013 to Saturday April 6th 2013

Sunday March 31st 2013
Another sleepless night. Got Phil up at 3:45BST so with clocks ticking on an hour really got him up at 2:45GMT.  Cup of tea with him, back to bed, couldn't sleep, talked to missus about Pip for a good hour, got an hour of sleep.  Went out for a 6 mile run - it was minus 6 though (at the end of March!) damn cold.  Did a good time just under an hour.  Happy with that.  Lots more jobs again.  Made up a 3 wood from a MacGregor NVG2 Draw head, true temper stratus shaft and a purespin tour velvet sort of a grip, quite pleased with it.


Monday April 1st 2013
Well that was an Easter weekend to forget.  Up at 2:30 again, cup of tea. Sacked the milkman, good. Went for a 3.5 mile run at 9:22 pace, picking up papers on the way.  First one without Pip. Rotten.  Got it done, anyway, bit upset, but holding on in there. Took bosskat to York for a couple of days - bit of retail therapy in theory but more mooching about reminiscing and missing the little one.


Tuesday April 2nd 2013
Stopped at the Alhambra Court Hotel and had a nice breakfast and a pleasant stay all things considered.  We did the Designer Outlet then stopped at a nice country pub in Naburn called the Blacksmith's Arms - very good!

Wednesday April 3rd 2013
Up at 3:30, went back to bed, got up at 6am proper, got Phil up - went run to get papers.   Into the office for 8:30am.  All as good as it can be.

"Nothing lasts forever, so live it up, drink it down, laugh it off, avoid the bullshit, take chances & never have regrets, because at one point everything you did was exactly what you wanted."-Marilyn Monroe

Had a call from Hollie who'd got troubles with her kit so took some spares down at 4:50 and so was back home by 6.  Had tea, did a bit of gardening and stuff.


Thursday April 4th 2013
Got up at 5:30.  No pooch to walk.  Still feel hollow.  Went to work.


Friday April 5th 2013
Got up at 4:50.  Hollow. Work.  Going to finish early today - done a ton of work these past three days - who'd have thought work could help?

Sunday 24th March 2013 to Saturday 30th March 2013

Sunday 24th March 2013
Woke up with a slight hangover, let's say!  Took pooch out early doors - lordy it's damn cold.   Mooched about most of day.  Helped Phil tidy up his shed which was good.   Did two lots of dough which was also good.


Monday 25th March 2013
Woke Phil up at 4am.  Back to bed then woke up in Siberia and took the pooch out for a walk to get papers.  Glad I didn't go any further than paper shop and back as it was bitter.   Did six cobs; three white; three 50:50 looked marvellous when I set off for work.

Bench at Hulland Ward!

Looking a bit dodgy at Turnditch

Steady old drive in - 8mph over Turnditch due to dodgy road surfaces - gritter man there though so looking good for on the way back.   Good day at work.  Back home for 6:30.  Took pooch on the two mile loop and then watched Boris on the goggle-box.   Whatever you say about his buffoon like act you do end up warming to him a bit. 

Tuesday 26th March 2013

Up at 4am - got the Bovine Technician up.  Back to bed then up at 5:40.  Bread started.  Pooch walked and papers fetched.  Bread in oven this time with a tray of boiling water in the bottom as an experiment.  All working nicely. 

Wednesday 27th March 2013

Up at 4am - getting the wizard up.  Back to bed til 5:40.  Up and out with the pooch.  Off up to Sheffield. Back to the office; more private investigations.  Back home.  Tea.  Pooch Walk. 9:10 out for a run! Five miles at just under 10 min pace - last mile reet quick to get the average sorted!

Five mile run - fifth mile a minute quicker than the fourth!

Thursday 28th March 2013

Got up at 4am - Phil already up bless 'im.  Back to bed, up at 5:50.  Pooch walked.  Off to Aldi to pick something up I'd forgotten - it was still there - bonus!

Walked Pip two miles round the loop.
5 mile run after work - slightly slower than last night but still under ten minute miles.

Friday 29th March 2013 

Dayus horribulus.  Janette woke me up at 5, pip's barking.  So let her out, unfortunately someone had left front gate open and dog got away.  She was run over and died at the vets.   I ran two miles to try and find her but couldn't a kindly chap from Tissington had picked her up and took her to the vets. 

Half a pound on at group is a great result from where I was on Wednesday!!

Saturday 30th March 2013

Well, that was a day and a night - have never cried as much in my life.  Not really slept. Woke Phil up at 3:45, back to bed, still couldn't sleep. Went a five mile run at 4:50 probably still under the influence of half a bottle of JD.  Horrible day, did loads of jobs, anything not to think about the loss of Pip. More JD at night, not sure when went to bed - everything I did, saw whatever reminded me of her.   

16/2.5

Sunday 17th March 2013 to Saturday 23rd March 2013

Sunday 17th March 2013
Up at 4am, had to make sure Phil got something to eat before he went to work.  He seemed better but he's still not 100%.  Mission accomplished back to bed.  Got up at 7:30 took Pooch for a 3.5 mile walk taking in Sprinkshill Wood, Snelston, Snelston Park, Passing Mount Pleasant farm before dropping down by Clifton Cricket Ground and through the village back to home.   Did some gardening stuff cleaning up more of the tubs ready for cutting up for spuds and stuff.

Monday 18th March 2013
Up at 5:45 dead on.  Got some dough in top oven to prove.  Took Pooch up town and back to get papers.  Baked the dough so we've got a wholemeal loaf to test out later.  Am thinking about baking to raise £1000 for Cancer Research by September - we'll see how it goes!   Got home, had tea, chopped another barrel in half.  Went out for a run at 9:15pm.   Went to bed!

Tuesday 19th March 2013
Up at 5:40, dough in top oven to prove a bit.  Pooch walk/runned this morning and we were back home for 6:45 which is good.  Did the bread, had breakfast, showered, shaved and off to the office for 8:25am all good.  Went up to Sheffield, visited Lindsay Gillot's group got some feedback on a project I'm doing.  Back to office.   Training in the afternoon, very interesting stuff.  Off to group - 2lbs off.  Good enough.  Got home, Pip walked, went up to golf club for Wednesday night Lotto - it's up to £480 but prize wasn't won - you got to be in it to win it!  Had a very nice pint of a guest beer from Cornwall it began with D but can't remember the name.  All good.  Let the dog out last thing  and the gate had come open so she did a runner but luckily didn't go too far - lucky but panicky!

Wednesday 20th March 2013
Got up at 5:55!  Tired.  Took Pooch on 2 mile loop walk, breeakfast and off to work early.  Got a team meeting and said we'll have cakes so that's what's going to happen.  Took Pooch out at night for another two miles but not much to report.

Thursday 21st March 2013
Up at 5:55, Pooch walked in the bleeding snow.  This was our lane at 6am. Got papers, got back. Text from QEGS school closed - qu'elle surprise.

Into office for 8:20am - not mugh traffic about.

Friday 20th March 2013
Out with the dog early then training, bloomin snow everywhere.   Dog walked at night

Saturday 21st March 2013
Up at crack of dawn, dog walked.  Head office for training.  Help shift a ruck of snow.  Home, dog walked, cold as hell!


16/2

Sunday 10th March 2013 to Saturday 16th March 2013

Sunday 10th March 2013
Up early.  Took Pooch a walk round - damn cold.  Off to Whitworth Hotel for lunch.  Very good.  Watched England beat Italy in the Rugby - just good enough!  Me and Phil chopped some of the drums he  got from his work.

Gonna have spuds sown in em soon as frosts is gone. 

Monday 11th March 2013

Up early doors. Made sure Phil was out of his pit at 4am.  Back to bed for a bit then up and out with the Pooch.  Lord, was it cold this morning but at least it didn't start snowing until I'd got back home.  Which made for a long slow drive into the office I can tell you.   Went to see John H after work - he's been ill with pneumonia bless him so no golf for a week or two yet I reckon.  Then back home and took Pip out at 10:30!!  Tired, you bet. 

Tuesday 12th March 2013

Alarm went off  at 4am to make sure Phil was up but he was no worries.  Got up at 5:45 proper and took the pooch up town and back.  All good stuff! Into office farily early firing off emails left righ and centre!

Wednesday 13th March 2013

Up early - woke the lad up.  Bed and then up to take pooch out at 6am.  Only office til lunch - school is shutting at lunchtime.  Awesome.  So worked from home.  Sad news that Clive Burr, original drummer of Iron Maiden has dies.  Really sad - only 56 as well,  taught somebody how to play intro to "Run to the hills" a long time ago Andy Thomas from Elton - who's now a proper boffin scientist who messes about with particles and stuff (I fink). 

Clive Burr RIP, only 56.

Bosskat was in London today so did tea for Lucy and Phil.  Got a phone call from Jon Bigland and Ray Hirst about the 21st Big Lix Anniversary gig in November, which will be at the Empire in aid of the air ambulance appeal. 

Took Lucy to Football practice.  Took Pip out for a walk and then off to bed.   

Thursday 14th March 2013

Really, really tired.  Got up at 4am to get Phil up, minus 6 out there he says (he got one of them thar weather stations). Went back to bed, dragged myself out at 6am.  Took Pooch for a two mile loop - she spent about five minutes in a rabbit hole - the little swine.  Did the pooches brekkie, did Lucy's brekkie, got bosskat up.  Got to work nice and early.   Back from work - lots to do - comic relief in morning lots of baking to get done!  Chocolate Cake, Victoria Sponge cake, three loaves  all to a good cause.   Took poor pooch out at 10pm but she was happy enough - piddling it down with rain so we only went a mile. 

Friday 15th March 2013

Up dead early to get the wee lad up.  Got the dough out of the fridge and into top oven, gave it a quick blast so it could prove some more.  Took pooch up town and back - 2.8 miles and got back for just after 7am.  Got Bosskat and Lucy up.  Got the bread in the oven - read a recipe online that said you should do something called knocking the bread back so the baking part worked like this.  

Preheat at gas mark 9 for 10 minutes. 

Bread in for 8 minutes with door closed

Open door for 2 minutes

Shut the door and bake at gas mark 5 for a further 30 minutes (bit longer needed in ours I reckon).

Went to Hollie's Group - 7lb on - yikes - reap as ye sow!  Bloody whisky.  Then into group everything sold well so all good news apart from the weigh gain.

Got home, went for a run - have got to do it this way I'm finding otherwise there is no time!

Saturday 16th March 2013

Got up at 4am - made Phil  cup of  tea as he was sick in the night. Proper up at 6:50!  Took poocher out for a mile and a half. Downloaded Graham Parker and the Rumour; An introduction to..   Watched a documentary on BBC4 on him: something like Graham Parker - Lord, don't ask me questions. Fixed missus car - 10a fuse keeps blowing when it's cold and then the boot won't open.  Marvellous.  Got a load of soil from molehills near the Shrovetide Goal (with permission of course).  Drilled drainage into three of the tubs. Did a three mile run in the afternoon.  Watched England get crushed by Wales in Rugby.  Laughed at Leicester getting beat by Derby, hee hee. 

16/4

Saturday 9th March 2013 - Grindleford Gallop

Saturday 9th March 2013 - Grindleford Gallop

There were supposed to be a gang of four of us running the Gallop this year but a ridiculously inaccurate weather forecast scared a lot of folks off which meant Kathryn didn't show this year.  So me, John Pusey (my boss!) and Andy Warburton from web and design took on the challenge.   John had trained up to 11 miles and Andy up to 12 miles so as there was the chance of it being a struggle we did the Kathryn Briggs shortcut at the start of running up the road rather than over the other side of the valley it knocks only a couple of tenths off the total distance so you're still looking at 21 miles.   Weather was nippy and wet at times but nothing like the forecast.   John and me got round in 5 hours 16mins which is my slowest gallop with Andy finishing a bit later.  We hung about for a picture together at the end which was kindly done by a chap who was doing proper photos and did us a nice job, I think. 

The Grindleford Gallop Route

Froggatt Edge

Chatsworth House with a distinct lack of snow!

Me in me snazzy running gear - not been run over yet wearing it!

Monsal Head in the Distance

John Pusey - 19 miles in and 2 to go

Half a mile to go! Dropping down through Hay Wood

Sunday 3rd March 2013 to Saturday 9th March 2013

Sunday 3rd March 2013
Up early - took pooch for the three mile walk that we did on boxing day.  fields nice and dry now much better than last time.  Got back and prepped for the big run.  Ran from Ashbourne to Darley Dale - just under 18 miles but poxy Endomondo managed to lose my first mile which is why the lap time for mile one is 19 minutes and then immediately followed by the fastest mile of the day for Endomondo's mile 2 which was really mile 3 - such is life.  Top run though particularly liked coming off the road at Winster and coming into Darley Bridge through Clough Wood.

Monday 4th March 2013

Up early - pooch walked up town and back. Training at work.  Home - took pooch out - set up another indoor propogator thang - am going to get some little gem lettuces going in it I think. 

Tuesday 5th March 2013
Up early.  Took Pooch out - at the top of the hill she got off the lead somehow and ran straight across the main road (in the dark) through the hedge and onto the golf course.  Still pretty dark but she's a creature of habit so she was bound to be near some rabbit holes on the course - luckily she was near the ones near the temporary tee for the sixth.   So she got a severe talking to and then brought her home the little bugger - moral is - check the lead twice, don't ever let her off it - if you do head for the nearest rabbit holes chances are that's where she'll be!  Anyway in to the office for 8:30 as usual.  At 3.15 took a colleague to visit Ursula's St Neot's group - all went well.  Got home, took pooch out, went bed, 11pm dog barking.

Wednesday 6th March 2013
4:20am dog barking - pooch has got a bag on about something for sure.   Gave her a talking-to then back to bed. Up at 5:40, took Pooch up town to get papers, into the office for 8:15   Weigh in at Hollie Majthenyi's Belper group after work.  Maintained which is a major result!!!!!  Took Pip out for about a mile - she just wants to go to rabbit holes - once she'd had her snout in the two holes near the roundabout she was happy to trot back home which I was happy with as it was bloomin cold into the wind!

Thursday 7th March 2013
Up at 5:45.  Took Pooch on the two mile loop as it was raining.  The usual sticking her head down rabbit holes was made funnier still by the fact that she wanted to get in even deeper so did a handstand in one of them with her back feet stuck straight up in the air!  In to work for 8:15 - number crunching day today!

Friday 8th March 2013
Got up reet tired at 6.15 took Pippy a quick walk, then off to Belper to drop some stuff off for Hollie Majthenyi then into the office. Lots of good stuff then home for about 7pm, bed for 10:30 after watching  a bit of the cricket.    Pipster wasn't up for walking it would seem

Satrday 9th March 2013
Up at 5:15. Took Pooch walk. Grindleford for 7.30. Grindleford galloping at 8am.   5hrs 16 as Andy wasn't 100% bu twhat the hell the GG is always a trial!

15/10.5