1601.14 BONKING

bonk
bɒŋk/ informal verb: 
1. hit (someone or something).
2. [BRITISH] have sexual intercourse.
3. (of a cyclist or runner) reach a point of exhaustion that makes it impossible to go further.

Who's reading expecting some sort of steamy blog post? Sorry to disappoint, this is about the 3rd definition.

Last Sunday was the first time in quite a while that I'd gone out with the cycling club. The weather was favorable and I'd booked the day off work (since I didn't know when I'd get another opportunity). It was great to be out, the turnout was good, we had 16 riders, as we made our way to a cafe in Kellingley near Wakefield. The ride out was without any issues but as we set off back it was into a nasty headwind which made each pedal turn a chore. Every hill felt like a mountain and the closer I got to Swinton (the start & finish point) the harder it became.

I got to the finish point and I was empty. Done. Unfortunately the 'finish' was still about 8km from home with 2 moderate climbs. It was at this point I remembered that I had an emergency flap jack in my pocket. It enabled me to take a slow slog home. The journey that normally takes about 20 minutes took me an hour.

Every rider gets a ride like this at some point. My fitness level has fallen over the winter period and I didn't take that into consideration.

1601.12 STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Rags has been going to Army Cadets since before Christmas. Last night she got her uniform, she was so chuffed when she got home. Today she auditioned for the lead in her drama class' performance of "Legally Blonde" and got it. She never ceases to amaze me.

1601.08 SCHOOL REPORT

I took today off. Reason being that tonight was Rags' school parents evening. I've always been an involved father, it's my place to be part of my childrens' education.

Rags has always had good reports from school but this is the first in year 9 (if you are older and without kids in school then it's the 3rd year) so it's the start of her GCSE courses. No pressure then!

We sat one by one in front of teachers who of I'd have seen them in the street would have thought they were also pupils (sorry students) of the same school. Each teacher in turn went on to say how fantastic our daughter was and that she was a "pleasure to teach".

We had promised that if she got a good report from EVERY teacher then she would receive a prize. Safe to say that this evening had cost us. I will be ordering her a new charm for her Nomination bracelet (what she has chosen). Afterwards we went for tea at the Ring O Bells pub (a Hungry Horse), it was free dessert night with main meals so the treat was even better.

1601.04 NEW CAR

Not strictly true, I'll explain. The last time I bought a car was 0707.26 (July 2007), it was a Citreon Xsara Picasso which is still going strong in the hands of Morticia's father. For the last 4 years (for reasons I'm not going to go into) we have leased our car. For 3 years we had a Nissan Qashqui, which was a wonderful car. A year last December it was time to change. After some deliberation we chose a Fiat 500L which ticked all the boxes.

For reasons again I'm not going to elaborate on the lease was to come to a premature end. As this all came to light over the Christmas period it has been a rush to sort things out. I managed to negotiate to purchase our current vehicle and this morning I completed the transaction.

We now own our Fiat 500L, It's a great car with character, a glass roof, loads of boot space and is nice and economical. I'm happy, relieved and satisfied with how it's all turned out. 

Our new car (taken a year before we owned it)

1601.02 SURPRISE!

One of the main reasons for visiting Morticia's mother was because it's her 60th birthday on the Tuesday following our visit. It was Morticia's dream to organise a bit of a surprise party. Preparations have been ongoing for some months now with a special cake being commissioned and secret communications with her partner. All this and trying to keep her mother from suspecting anything. Friends and family were invited and we organised the food and
drink. 

The day came and a suitable distraction was sorted to get her out of the house whilst I, together with Rags and [Morticia's mother's] partner put u up banners and balloons as well as preparing the buffet. Guests arrived and shortly after the birthday girl returned to a huge SURPRISE!!

Morticia's brother and family also came down (they live near us so the journey is 2 hours) and was the proverbial icing on the cake.

The party was a big success and I think will be remembered for years to come. 

Happy birthday Mother in law!

1601.01 LET'S GET STARTED

So I survived 2015. Today I find myself, as in previous years, in St Neots at the mother in law's. We drove down last night following a day shift at work. 

I'm not about to lay down any resolutions, to me they are pointless and just setting myself up to fail before I start. I've got some goals but I think I'll keep those to myself. The only thing I'll happily reveal is the fact that I intend to cycle further this year (last year I managed a total of 5017km) than last year. 

There are loads more changes on the cards at work with a new shift pattern being implemented in April and the possibility of a forced transfer to a new team (as they attempt to balance numbers following last year's exodus).

I'm hoping we can pull off another holiday this August , it's a very important event in our family's year and our visits to Wales a very special to us all. 

Then there's the beard. I've had a goatee on and off since I was in my early 20s. The style has been tweeked over the years and since the hair on my head went has been the only hair above my neck for some years. About a month ago I decided to myself that I would let the beard grow down and that it has. The plan is obviously in the public domain now since it extends down from my chin about an inch. Morticia wasn't chuffed but I think she's started to accept it since she bought me some beard conditioning oil for Christmas. My boss hasn't said anything (since our appearance is regulated) so for now I'm going to enjoy it and see where it goes. 

My beard featured in my
onesie on Boxing Day!

Oh, and Star Trek is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year.

1601.01 HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year to everyone. Except David Cameron. 

Hoping 2016 is going to be the year when everything just finally works out. 

1512.29 THE BIT IN THE MIDDLE

I've been lucky enough to get a few days off this Christmas. So what have I been up to? Nothing. Not a thing and is been brilliant. We had family visit on Christmas day and Boxing day, the rest of the time the 3 of us just relaxed, watched TV and ate junk food. I have strong views about the sales on Boxing day so I will NEVER be one of the people that makes people have to work unnessesarily.

Today is the last day before I return to work and we've just done a bit of shopping and tidying. I left my bike at work on Christmas Eve so tomorrow I'm travelling in on the bus.

1512.27 STAR WARS - THE FORCE AWAKENS

The Captain's Movie Review in Seven Words :

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Star Wars: The Force Awakens http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488496/

Ok I finally got there. I waited for the crowds to subside a little, especially since the cinema is close to the the largest shopping centre and the arena.

1512.25 THE CAPTAIN'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

We started the year with a funeral for Uncle Mick, I was also just recovering from my second cycling accident. It was a low place to start, we hadn't had a holiday in years, I was getting physio for my injury and my self confidence was on the floor.

The good news was that I had a new bike (which I was yet to ride) and the best news was that our eldest had come back home. Our family was complete again.

Snow came and went in February and I started riding my bike again.

A free trial on Ancestry.com gave me the opportunity to continue the feeble start I'd already made to my family tree. This time I made some real strides. The breakthrough was finding a long lost cousin who had already done plenty of work. I found the story of my direct ancestor who had changed his surname, this opened up the story. I traced back my family to the Norman conquest and a poor Knight who came over with William the Conqueror. Further still I traced the family line back to Norway then Sweden. The furthest concrete record I found was for a king of Sweden and the last of the Yngling dynasty. After that it was all in the history books and subject of myth and legend. If it's true then I am a direct decendant of Odin. I'll take that.

After months of indecision and pondering I decided to join a cycling club. It was time to add a social layer to my hobby. I joined with a group who met up on Sunday mornings about 8km away. They're a great bunch, I've ridden some great rides this year including a 100 miler to York. I also rode my first sportive in August conquering Holme Moss. All in all a great year of cycling.

There was a general election this year where we hoped that the horrendous coalition government would be over. Well it was. But not in the way I hoped. The conservatives won with a slight majority. We are in for a hard 5 years of cuts and austerity. This was reflected at work where in August our jobs were declared "at risk". This remained the case until last week when the status was removed as many have chosen to leave recently.

Terrorist attacks over the world, especially in Paris changed the world all over again.

The derelict pub that in its day caused us loads of headaches was finally demolished. We now have a lovely view of Don Valley.

After the great news last year of our eldest daughter's return and reunion things seemed to be going well throughout the year. That is until late summer when unexpectedly she walked out cutting off all ties. This was the case until a few days ago when she visited. Things are still in the early stages but I'm hoping we can develop a relationship over the coming months.

The summer saw us on holiday for the first time in 3 years. We visited our favourite Welsh place, this time staying in a beautiful cottage across from the beach. We've booked again for next year.

Rags went on a school trip in October so Morticia and I took the opportunity to have a short break in Scarborough. It was our first holiday together since our honeymoon.

It's been a hard year. At its worst it was horrendous and difficult which of course tainted all of the good. I have to say though the year is on course to end on a high point, but that is the subject of another post.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!