Unexpected Visitors

 

Unexpected visitors.

What a lovely day it has been, one of those rare times when nice things happen in a continuous stream of unexpected happiness. You would think it was my birthday or some special celebration day but it is not.

The morning started with Steve and I getting our run kit on and driving a couple of miles to our usual start point on Angmering Park Estate, where it is possible to do a handful of totally different run courses, different distances and different scenery.

 We did our eight mile loop today that starts off in the opposite direction to any of the other  runs of habit. We have only started this one during the LD when there has been restriction as to how far from home you could go for exercise purposes.

 Normally we would drive out a few miles further to start a longer run, using The South Downs Way. The reading we are getting from the Garmin Forerunner, that we have only had since the beginning of last years race season, and we are now finding indispensable, keeps telling us this new run is a best in a year but in fact we have only upped our mileage during this time because of the possibility of doing a longer distance triathlon. Needless to say all the events we had entered have been postponed, some until next year. Today’s run was another best for the distance though, by half a minute off the previous PB. So that was an excellent start to our day, a nice little boost.

It was the first time in ages that there had not been a showy sunrise because it was overcast most of the way. The route we are taking is rather dark in some places now that the canopy overhead is more or less complete with the new season growth; another chance to say ‘The woods are lovely, dark and deep’, to each other. It is probably the most regular remark during the summer runs, so thank you Robert Frost, for having burrowed your way so deeply into our fitness regime that you are always just a breathe away.

There are far less deer about now and I can only think that the estate has culled some of them because, beautiful as they are, they are also pests to the farmers in large numbers. All Steve and I saw today was one main road casualty just before we turned off the main road and into the estate. And then one more at about mile five who was a handsome young male with a set of antlers well on the way to full growth.

The only other change we noticed was outside one of the pretty cottages in Patching village where the cardboard cut out of our Prime Minister that had been there for a while, had been removed. Can’t say that I will miss him from that spot.

After we got home, Steve had a couple of bagels with his coffee for breakfast, since he would be doing heavy work today, packing the first container he has had to work on for four months. 

The weather has been sunny and bone dry for weeks now and yet when the first heavy days work comes along it rained. That was a pain in the neck, if not lower parts of the body. None the less the job has been done and we are thankful for the work after so long with nothing on the horizon.

I had just taken all my clothes of ready to step into the bath when my phone rang. It was a young telesales man from a company that I use regularly. He opened the conversation with; “Good morning Mrs Belt I hope this is a convenient time to have a few words with you”. I  responded by saying that I had one foot in the water and that I was getting in the bath after and 8 mile run and was glad that it was not a face time call! He had all my details to hand of course, including my age, so he remarked that an eight mile run was very impressive at any age let alone mine, and that I had made him feel guilty because he didn’t do any exercise at all apart from walking the dog three times a day and that I was obviously far fitter than him. We continued with a quite long conversation about fitness during which I told him that a good way to start getting some fitness back would be to try a jog-walk between lampposts when he went out with the dog and that the dog would like it even if he found it hard at first.

Eventually I told him that he had best get back to whatever he was supposed to have called me for before he got the sack for his company if anybody was watching him. He laughed and said that he was working from home for obvious reasons right now. But he did have a better than half price deal on offer, that I did take advantage of, so in the end we were both happy. He gave me his name and telephone number. I finally got into my bath.

 I was never so glad that I had been making a habit of getting properly dressed every day and not just throwing on comfy clothes during this time when I am mainly at home, I had even made an effort with my hair, not that that ever lasts long with the strong curl that I am blessed, or cursed with that is a matter of opinion.

While Steve was out at work, I had delightful morning when two of my best friends popped by. The first was Elaine who lives immediately opposite the pool, Littlehampton Wave. She had come on her bike bearing a delicious looking home made fruit cake all wrapped up in fancy packaging and with a pretty greeting card too. Nice little catch up chat to boot. 

 When the front door bell rang later on I though it must be a delivery man but no! It was another face that I have been missing and had only been thinking of a few moments before. I couldn’t believe what a nice surprise it was to see another dear friend Michelle, who has been one of our swim set for many, many years, standing on the front path with an enormous arm full of Sweet Williams, my dad’s favourite flowers.

It was such a delight to have not one but two great surprise visits from friends that I so sorely missed right now. Our swim set, is also a strong social set and we take any excuse to go out for a meal after our Saturday night club swim. Birthdays, celebrations of any kind or simply because we have not been out for a few weeks. Theatre, cinema, events or any of the above.

Friends and family, life blood.   

Spit and Polish

Spit and Polish

Apart from a short early run today, it has been something of an almost back to normal day at home for me. First some office work to be done. That means that I will be sitting at the computer as Steve tells me what he needs done. There was nothing stressful to do at all, just a few messages and another few things that need to be typed. Steve and I have different area’s that we can manage computer wise, but the main difference is that he needs me to do the typing since it would take him forever plucking one letter out of the sky at a time. Of course when you have no interest in learning a basic skill like typing, it is harder or when it comes right down to it; just plain impossible, it ain’t gonna happen. My typing speed is not marvellous and I do have to check everything but, because I like to write I have found my own way. I like to keep up with my friends and seem to be incapable of sending a short email note, so most quick lines from me will be getting on for a page. 

After about an hour of office jobs, Steve left for work at our warehouse where he is packing the first container packing job we have had in for over four months, thank you very much for nothing Covid 19. This work, is to ship goods that have been in storage there for a long time. Like so many other small businesses, this period of time has been quite disastrous for us. Steve has been going to the warehouse a couple of times per week during the LD and has used this dreadful damaging time, as many other business people have, to have a good sort out and tidy up and a bit of a spring clean. He even found the Muscular and Skeletal wall chart that I had been asking him to bring home to go on the turbo room door. He found it behind a stack of packing materials.

My morning continued with a repair to one of our sitting room curtain that has suffered an age ripe rip. They are big heavy curtains and so I made the repair standing up at the window and now it looks much neater. I don’t sew as well as I did when I was younger due to a bit of arthritis but even though things take a little longer and may not be perfection I probably am a better seamstress than many ladies these day. Making your own clothes and doing repairs has gone out of date, it is a throw away world as well as a new, new, new spending world.

I have nearly always got something on the go handiwork wise. My mother taught me to use a sewing machine and gave me her old treadle when I was a teenager, she had bought a brand new modern electric sewing machine on the never-never. As a child, when Mum was making an item of clothing for me, she would make me help her. That way I learned all about cutting out, the use of pins and charged with some of the tacking and trimming. My dancing schools, (I went to one for ballet and another one for tap acrobatics and modern dance) were always telling mothers what costume would be required for festivals and concerts. Mum searched the jumble sales for clothes that could be taken to pieces and re-modelled into a tap dancing outfit. I remember the awful challenging times of her struggling to make ballet tutu’s. She got very bad tempered but in truth, she was nothing short of brilliant at that sort of thing, my outfits were much admired.

Now in her shadow, I currently have, three pairs of light summery trousers cut out right now, all from the same pattern. One pair is almost finished just a little bit of hand stitching left before they are done. The next pair is half done, all in one piece with some detail to work on. The third pair is basically just about put together but no over-locking done and without the waistband attached. I also have a dress cut out but still attached to the tissue pattern. You would not believe that pile of material I have stock piled in a cupboard. Call me a nightmare if you please, Steve does all the time. I admit it. I am a nightmare.

I was thinking about my mother only yesterday. She died in Worthing Hospital from renal failure in July 1986. You never forget your mother you know. Mine was a bit of a tyrant and would slap me as look at me as a kid, but she would kill anybody else who tried to harm me. 

I cannot believe that it is so long since she died and even longer since she spat on her hankie to wash my face if we were out somewhere where I should be clean and tidy. These days there are baby wipes for that purpose. I realised recently that my cat does not like baby wipes and so I presume babies don’t reckon much to them either. Since we have been confined to the house for the most part, I have taken to spitting on a tissue to wipe the cat’s eyes for her, and I can tell you for absolute certainty which she prefers. She always complained and struggled with the baby wipes but doesn’t even raise a little paw when I use the spit and clean method. Thanks Mum for all you did for me.

Not Being Alarmed

  

Not being alarmed

I woke up naturally at 5.20 a.m. this morning, that is over and hour later than on our run mornings. I could tell by his breathing that Stephen was also awake. I asked him why he had not set the alarm, because before we went to bed last night, he told me that we would go for another swim early today. He said that we were going for a swim and it didn’t matter that I had slept a bit later, the tide was also a bit later today.

So we pulled on our swim suits, then drank a quick coffee. I went upstairs and slathered myself with my HUUB LUUB to help the wetsuit slide on more easily. At this time we are donning the wettie indoors and driving to the beach ready to plunge straight in the water.

It is amazing how the habits of the nation have so quickly adjusted to life under Covid; it looked like any early morning in California with people engaged in all kinds of activity close to the sea and in case you are wondering, we have spent many holidays in California with friends and competed in loads of events there. Dozens of runners and walkers were everywhere, out in the early time slot just as we were.

I had brought my old flippers with me today in the hope of keeping up with Steve.  It was a bit better though it took me a while to get them on even with very light little waves moving me about. I hear you ask why I didn’t put them on before I got in and walk in backwards? Well simply I thought that that would be even more hazardous. The flippers were a problem area though, and as I started swimming I realised that I had a little stone pressing right on the fleshy part on the side of my little toe.  I tried to ignore it but in the end we were in deep water when I stopped to try go get the stone out. By that time the flipper was well and truly sucked on hard and I had to get Steve to get it off and then help me back on with it. Yes, yes, I am a pain in the neck at the very least and most of the time.  

 

Timing wise it was just before high tide and the current was flushing, rather than flowing gently and we had drifted half a breakwater by the time the flippers were in place. At last we got our swim in but still did not go that far along. It was better with the flippies even though I still don’t kick that hard when using them, but there is not much wrong with my body roll and that action alone gave me enough extra speed to not be dropped as far as Steve would usually gain with me swimming, trying to stay by his side.  

Again as I said, we didn’t go that far and that was because Steve judged that I should not do too much, since this was the first week in over three months that I have done any swimming at all. We have hammered the turbo and upped our run mileage to double what we were getting in, but of course the pool has been shut. It would be daft to thrash away and invite aches and pains. I am not at all worried about that and I know that it can build up gradually again I am a sound plodder rather than a racer anyway. That goes for all the triathlon disciplines in my world. I do have naturally good endurance levels. Everything else is going very well and there is no need to push the swimming when it has been on rest mode. I know that I could do a long swim if I needed to, that is in the bank to withdraw any time, it is also firmly in my head. A big part of getting through triathlon events, is in the head.

Once at home again and out of the wet wettie, we dressed for TV classes. We did an hour of the New York City Ballet workout. That has a warm up section, then floor exercises for core strength and then a ballet class. Even though we have been making a regular date with the workout having found it very early in the LD regime, I am still surprised how much Steve enjoys it and he has got to the point where he knows each set of movements and knows what all the ballet terms mean. His arm movements are still a little bit blokey, but he is definitely getting there and gets through each set at the same time as the pukka ballet dancers, male and female, on the TV who are all rock solid perfection. We are both sweating by the end as with any other exercise.

After the ballet we continued the movements of the morning with several short and very different Qigong classes. You can find sessions from 5-10 minutes long up to normal class lengths of 45- 60 minutes.

The last effort of the morning was a turbo session. System going well, and strong, for that matter. We have all made sacrifices during the scary old time that none of us were prepared for, and one change of attitude that I have had is about keeping things for best. That during the threat that has surrounded us seems suddenly to be really stupid. So I have been wearing clothes, that have been kept for high days and holidays, just for every day use, for whilst I am indoors writing, as I am now, doing the ironing and for dinner, instead of not taking a pride in my appearance because I have been stuck indoors.

 The silliest example is that because I do not usually in the old world, go out the classes of any sort, I found myself without a yoga mat and by the same token, as I have mentioned with my former best clothes, I have taken and very smart Karen Millen heavy weight wrap, a stole, if you like, but a nice warm one that I have used a few times to go the theatre instead of wearing a jacket, as a very posh, soft and cosy exercise mat. It was given to me as a gift and I am quite sure that the gift givers won’t mind at all as long as I am happy.