This morning was very quiet
at the pool first thing and it seemed that some people were using the Bank
Holiday as an excuse to miss the swim session.
Even so, there was a man
swimming, exactly where I usually glide along; the whole open side of the pool
was empty and this stranger wants to swim in MY water, typical.
There was an empty lane the
other side of the lane that Steve and the guys thrash along in, so I moved over
to that.
Always 100’s on Mondays and
Steve had planted a schedule at the shallow end for me to work to, except that
I was’ Little Billy No Mates’ today, so I set about knuckling down to swim but
swam the set of 15 x 100 but on 2.30 rather than the 2.40 as shown on the
schedule. That did not give me much of a rest but my theory was that I would
not keep the lane to myself for very and so it was best to get as far through
fifteen one hundreds as I could before anybody else joined me in that lane. I
got to the end of the set before the serious invasion started as the late sleepers
drifted in one at a time. Steve had a handful of his usual gang to work with,
and they just get in and get on with it, with little or nothing in the way of socialization. Steve finds the session most satisfying because they all work so
hard at the sets and improvements are shown as evidence.
We had hoped for a short
bike ride before Steve had to get it to work but it was looking like rain and a
bit blustery to boot. We opted for hoping that the bad weather would pass and
that we could get out on the bikes a bit later but at this time it doesn’t look
any better; darker if anything and I don’t expect Steve home any time soon.
Other than that, I have been
sorting out anything we want to take with us when we go off to France. If
Steve and I do a theatre trip to London
we will travel light, usually very light; one flight bag between the two of us.
This next trip has a number of needs. Firstly it is a work trip for Steve. We
will be traveling to our base there with the truck and Nigel our
driver/packing man. We will go there in our little van, Petra the Peugeot, and so can throw in
everything we want to take, sports kit, bikes, everyday clothes and just a few
smarter going out to dinner with clients clothes, though even that is nothing
fancy.
So I have to pack a mountain of work clothes, because although it is a
work trip he will be with clients for some of the time and so needs to look
half tidy for that. There is a trip within the trip, when everybody but me will
go to the big antiques fairs in the South of France. These are held on
consecutive days and they will all be gone for four days and nights.
That leaves me free to work
on whatever project is next on my list without any interruptions. I can get on
well when there is a bit of peace and quiet. That does not mean that I will not
still be training but it does mean that I choose where I go, which bike route
and how far, though the when, will
still be first thing in the morning to get that part done and have the rest of
the day for myself. The cycling is wonderful with masses of country roads and
very little traffic. There are hills to one side of the town and flat-ish farm
land on the other side. I do all my running in the vineyards and that is sheer
joy. The old town centre is five minutes walk away and has ancient walls, where
there is a hour walk around the complete battlements path. Lots of great old
and interesting things to see and the town has literally dozens of nice
restaurants and café’s.
Where we stay is not luxury
accommodation but it is very comfortable since it is a good sized converted
barn that sits to one side in the large garden of the owners of the property
who have been renovating the main house as long as we can remember, whilst
living in the cottage all those years themselves. It has a high walled garden
and a locked gate at the front and electronic shutters so I can close myself in
at night. Sometimes when we stay, since we have been there many times, there
the owners go away and leave us with the three house and an acre of pretty
garden. We can drive the truck inside the high electric front entrance gates so
it is nicely secure.
Steve is dreading the trip
because it is such hard work with long hours; I on the other hand am looking
forward to a super biking holiday and doing some writing, maybe enter a poetry competition
or three.
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