There’s not been a great deal to report on this week, yet again the weekends been something of a wash out. Unusually though it’s been work that’s disrupted things and not the weather. A long standing agreement to cover a couple of weeks of Legionella inspections in Brunei, followed by a short hop over to Singapore on the way back (hard life isn’t it), required flying out on Sunday and spending most of Friday night packing and sorting out schnizzle ready for the off.
Typically, whilst running around like the proverbial Blue Arsed Fly on Friday night, I happened to glance out the back door just as it got dark, to be greeted by a perfectly still night, with an enormous full moon shining down. It’s always the case that you wait weeks for a night like that to come along, offering the perfect opportunity to get out for a bit of winter Bivvying, and when it does, work stops play! Oh well, I suppose I need to earn a living and this job does give me plenty of opportunities to get out and about so I shouldn’t complain too much. I needed to see “The Old Cheese” before I disappeared off to warmer climates so managed to tie in a trip down to see her on Saturday with a bit of cycling and a cheeky overnight in the Van Friday night. The night started off clear, with the temperature just above freezing on the drive down, but had warmed up considerably as a storm front rolled in overnight and I awake to a bit of a gale blowing. I almost considered a change of plan due to the wind but was glad I didn’t, as I had a good morning out in the end. A quick wind assisted ride North through the South Downs from Steyning to the Devils Punch Bowl and back again gave the old legs a good work out. It’s a nice fast run up through that part of Sussex and the edge of the Surrey hills, fairly flat for the most part but with a couple of cheeky little leg testers once you get towards the top end to keep things interesting. An early start in the dark saw me back at the van by lunchtime with 100Km in the book, a puncture repaired and an interesting chat with a like minded lunatic, whilst admiring the view, at the half way mark. Leaving plenty of time for a nice long visit with “The Old Cheese” before heading for home. All in all, a good day out and everyone’s happy. Sunday morning, I managed to squeeze in a quick 10-mile plod around one of my local routes and a bacon butty for lunch with the ever-obliging Emma, before heading off to sit and stare into space for what seemed like forever at Heathrow, so it wasn’t a totally wasted day. It was a nice morning, with the sun shining and not too much of a breeze, and I was quite surprised at the number of other runners out and about. I suppose I was out a bit later than normal and I’ve been concentrating on the trails more recently, so I’ve not been out locally on the roads at the weekend for a while. It’s always nice to see some fellow runners, even if the only acknowledgment that each other exists is the briefest of exchanged glances, or the slightest wave of an otherwise still hand. It’s a bit of unspoken shared bonding and respect. Plus, it’s always nice to know that there are others out there making the best of their weekends and working up a bit of an appetite and I’m not the only idiot! And that was about it, another weekend gone. I’m sat safe and sound in Brunei now, having survived the 14 hour flight, I’ll grant you I slept through most of it, so it wasn’t actually that bad. The time difference is another matter though, who ever thought being 8 hours in front was a good idea, it’s 03:00 in the morning, I’ve been awake for 2 hours and I’ve got to go to work in a couple more! Oh well, it is what it is, and if I’m up I might as well make use of the extra time. Now where’s my running shoes? Apparently, there’s a whole new country to explore outside!
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Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
March 2024
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