New Year, New Blog - Day 91

Day 91.

The first day of Easter and I didn't wake up until 10! That was an awesome feeling! I got very little done today except cleaning the conservatory roof with Sam. We didn't know what to use to clean it so Sam used some shower gel. The conservatory roof is now smelling rather nice! This evening I played on Call of Duty and spent a good deal of time on it this morning as well.

Tomorrow will be more interesting I hope.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 90

Day 90.

Easter break is finally here!! There are lots of us that need the time off to rest after what seemed a long term. Work was quick today. I did nothing for the first 2 lessons and then not a lot happened in hte next 3 lessons either. I just look forward to the next 2 weeks. 

I went to the workshop after work to try a new battery in my car and see if that solved the problem of it not charging. Nope. It seemed to last a bit longer before the warning light came on and then it went off within 20 seconds or so. It means that if I stall the car when I'm then I wont be able to start it again. I got home from the workshop and the battery light had been on the entire journey back. I tried starting it when I got back and there was nothing in the battery. It would just about tick over and that was it. A day on charge tomorrow it is then.

I almost forgot about writing this blog tonight. Its not been much of a blog recently, more like a diary. Oh well, I'm still pleased and happy that people are reading it :)

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 89

Day 89. 

A long day it seemed. That sounded like Yoda. It got to lunchtime and I was expecting to go home but I had 2 more lessons to go. Work was good for me and I was informed that today was in fact Thursday. Wednesday was yesterday. Did anyone spot the 'deliberate' mistake in yesterdays blog? Still, I don't care, its Friday tomorrow and then its 2 weeks of kid free freedom! 

I went to Chris' workshop after work to put the new alternator in Penny in the hope that it would solve the problem of the battery not charging when I'm driving the car. All was good until I started on the drive home. The same thing happened again. The battery light came on. This is where Chris and I are running out of ideas. I'm hopefully going to the workshop tomorrow to try a different battery and see if the battery is the problem. Needless to say I'm a bit disheartened but I know that Chris will get it fixed. 

Anyway, I need some sleep and hopefully something will get sorted tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 88

Day 88.

Today was pretty good and really quiet as Thursdays go. I got a fair bit accomplished with the 10s and 11s which is comforting as the 11s only have a few weeks left after Easter. A few of the 10s were missing today which made the class more managable. The louder ones were not in which meant less shouting from the teacher! I bet a few were skiving. The year 8s made chocolate rice krispies cakes in food tech. It was fun helping to make them and even more fun eating the mixture. Although I wasn't given any cakes at the end of the lesson which was sad. 

I drove to work this morning which was satisfying. The car park was empty so I was able to park pretty easily and without crashing. After work I drove to the workshop as I have to have new or refurbished alternator fitted. So we had to take that off of Penny and will replace it tomorrow. In the process of taking it off, I managed to crush my little finger. It hurt a lot at the time and now its still stings. It makes typing very interesting!

Chris also fitted my new CD radio. It looks stunning and I'm really pleased with it.

Tonight, I have have a lovely Chinese while watching Avatar and I'm going to have an early night as it feels like its been a long day.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 87

Day 87.

It was a great day! Fantastic weather, work was awesome, workout was hard and I rock at COD!

Work was interesting today. One of my boys managed to get 2 units of coursework completely finished. He only has 3 more to finish and that is his BTEC Sport course passed.

There was an incident in one lesson with a student getting sent outside, causing trouble, walking out and punching a hole in one of the doors. I'm not sure why he did it but he will no doubt be in a lot of trouble.

After work, myself and a few others had a tough workout with the kettlebells. It was harder than usual because 1) I was late out there and had to go straight into the warm up and then into the workout itself with out a break, 2) I was using a kettlebell with a bigger handle and it was affecting my grip and my forearms were fatiguing really quickly. At one point I was gripping so hard that I got a blister and pulled the skin away. It stung a lot but I'm a real man and didn't let it bother me. 

When I got back I was straight on the xbox with Mark smashing it on Call of Duty. We were on fire tonight and managed to reach wave 32 or there abouts. It was hard for sure but we worked well together.

Tonights plan consists of Facebook for a while and I might watch an episode of Alcatraz with dad and Sam. 

I hope you all have a good evening!

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 86

Day 86.

An awesome day for me. Work was very good, although nothing out of the ordinary happened. It was just a good day! Everyone was in a good mood, no stress from staff or students and sausage, yorkshire pudding and veg for lunch. 

After work I sacked off the gym and was going to install a cup holder and tray for my car but ended up having a race with Sam to the local farm shop. I was very casual, wearing flip flops, which I have decided already that I dont like driving in. I won the race of course. 

When I got back from that, I went on COD with Mark, we like to play survival and we do pretty good at it. Its quite fun until wave 26 where we just get ruined by jugganauts and helicopters!

This eveing I went on an 11km run with Greg. It was great. I didn't think I would have it in me to go over 10km but I managed to get it done. My calf muscles are sore now and very tight so tomorrow I will be in so much pain! It took us about 1 hour and 20 mins which was good for a first time. Just need to work on bringing that down to under an hour and I'll be happy!

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 85

Day 85.

A very chilled out day. That hour we all lost last night was a killer and seemed to effect me more today that it should have. I watched another cycling classic today, Gent-Wevelgem. Eurosport wernt showing it live so I found it on the Internet but with Belgium commentary. I couldn't understand what was going on really and lost interest. I had a nap through it as well so I missed the finish!

I didn't take Penny out today, she has been charging all day. Hopefully she'll be better by the end of the week.

That was about as exciting as my day got.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 84

Day 84.

It was a very good day!! I drove Penny! My first time driving her and it was awesome! I was so scared but so excited! I did a wheelspin at one point, oops. I helped Chris from Simpson Autocare change a clutch on Suzie the Suzuki which was good as I have done a few of those and sort of know what I'm doing. That took a few hours after all the cups of tea and lunch. We took the exhaust off of Suzie as a few holes needed welding but as we discovered, Suzie needs a complete new exhaust. It was rusted all the way through. When Chris drove her out his workshop she sounds amazing without an exhaust on! I want to take Penny exhaust off although that will most likely cause more problems! 

After we had put Suzie back outside, I drove Chris to Chase Autos to see if we could pick up a cheap car with minimal damage. There was a Fiesta there that looked pretty simple and easy to do. Chris and I will have to look at how much parts are for it. I drove Penny for the first time on my own back from Simpson Autocare which was pretty awesome but I did feel like a little fish in a big pond. There were a few problem with beeps and flashing lights coming from the dashboard but I'm sure it will get sorted during the week. I won't mention the stalling and not being able to start her again.

My plan for this evening is to play Call of Duty with a friend and chill out for once this week.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 83

Day 83. 

Friday at last! The week seemed to drag on a long time and today was no exception! The weather was beautiful which was a bonus. I woke up feeling extra tired and sore from running last night. The coffees at work were much needed today! It was an easy day, every lesson was very quiet and laid back and it was enjoyable. In one lesson, we finished off watching a film called Holes. Its really quite good and my taste in films is apparently shocking! Its about a boy who is arrested for stealing a pair of shoes and his punishment is to go to a character building camp for 18 months. All these young boys do there is dig holes in a desert all day everyday. It gets very good at the end of the film and you should watch it.

I was expecting yesterday and it came but no one was here to pick it up so dad had to get it from town. When I got home after work, Sam told me the parcel was still in the back of her car and I casually walk out the back to go and get it. What I saw next made me ecstatic and overjoyed! Penny was sat out the back, all nice a shiny thanks to Sam washing her, she had her vehicle check and been taxed and is now totally road legal!!! I couldn't stop smiling! 1st thing I did was take her for a ride around the block with Sam. I think I was more scared than she was! It was awesome!! I loved it! Tomorrow I'm driving her to Chris workshop. Mum will be coming with me and dad will follow in the car behind, just incase. 

I don't care how big the picture it, she is AMAZING!

So that was the big news! I'm one happy chappy!

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 82

Day 82. 

A brilliant day at work. It was half decent weather, lots of lovely kids to work with and no problems or issues! Some of the year 10s had an art exam today so there were only 10 in the science lesson. It was a great lesson. The highlight of my day was going with the year 7 rugby team to play at Chelmsford Rugby Club against William De Ferrers school in the Essex under 12 final. The boys can play amazing rugby at times and it was a fantastic game. Some of the team put in awesome tackles and didn't give an inch when they were in defence. Baddow won the game 19 - 12 to become Essex champions for there age group. I was so please for them and the coaches for all the hard work they have put in since September. 

When I eventually got home from that I was straight out again for another run with Greg. Thats twice in 4 days! We ran for longer, over a bigger distance and run quicker. We did 5.5km in 33 minutes with an average speed of 9.9km. My goal is to get up to running 10km in an hour. I ache SO much now and think I'll be walking funny tomorrow! I will let you know how much I ache tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 81

Day 81. 

A much better day at work. All my lessons were great and really pleasant to be in. As the end draws near for the year 11s, the amount of coursework they are finishing and handing in is making it all seem worth while. That last lesson was a cover lesson and the work that was set was for the wrong class. So we all moved rooms and used some computers to design a sweet box. Now usually its hard enough getting kids to start work, but one of them didn't want to stop working and he is known for not working. 

After work I tidied my room (yeah thats right, I can tidy) and dusted. I now have a BOSE surround sound system set up in my room and everything sounds so much more awesomer. It goes perfect with Call of Duty!

The hardest part of my day was spinning. Oh my goodness I thought I was going to vomit! Jo was back, the normal instructor and she just doesn't get tired! She was relentless and doesn't like people who don't give it their all. Well I did give everything and it took 10 minutes before I was ready to walk home. I might have made things worse because I decided to run home. Every little helps. 

This evening was spent playing COD with Mark. We dominated everything and did awesome! Pure geekness.

Anyhow, legs are tired, brain is tired, eyelids are heavy and I certainly need sleep!

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 80

Day 80. 

It was an alright day apart from one lesson which ruined my day. Everything was great up until then and that lesson really put a downer on my day. It was years 9s and they wouldn't be quite for the teacher or each other, a few of them didn't have pens and the teacher had the cheek to ask me to lend pens out and they didn't even get there infringement cards struck! Thinking about it now, I should have said no or that cards needed to be struck. I hate some kids! There are ones that I don't like or get on with, but there are a small number that I hate! I'm sure they don't speak to their parents like that. I never spoke to my mum and day in such a horrible way. If they do speak to their parents like that, then they deserve to get shouted at. Rant over.

After work was the usual kettlebell workout. It was a tough one today and I can certainly feel the effects of the the run from yesterday. We learnt some new moves and I got them really quick. The finisher was squats with 16kg in each hand. It was hard but I powered through. 

Tonights plan is to get this blog done nice and early, play a bit of COD with Mark and then watch Alcatraz with dad.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 79

Day 79.

A very good day for me! Work was awesome. It seems that when the weather is good, all the kids are good. It was Jennys birthday at work today and she is only 21. I couldn't believe it when she told me how young she was! I found a video of her favourite actor, Nicolas Cage, singing happy birthday. She will treasure that moment forever! So a special happy birthday to Jen. 

After work I headed to the gym. It wasn't as busy as it usually is and I had a good weights session. I'm starting to get past the achey stage and past the point where I do a couple of exercise and feel drained. I worked on my biceps and triceps today. Last week I was able to do a couple of sets with a light weight and that was me done. This week I was able to do a lot more but nothing compared to what I used to be able to lift. I enjoyed it tonight. 

After the gym I went for a 5km run with Greg. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. It was amazing to get out and do it. I now feel that I can do it again with no stops. I just hope my legs will be ok tomorrow and not ache at all. 

It was a very good day and I feel good that I can get fit for holiday.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 78

Day 78.

Woke up feeling good this morning. After yesterday being a bit negative, I felt quite positive today. I got up and stuck the TV on to watch another cycling classic. Its the biggest, longest and most prestigious race in the cycling calendar. The Milan-San Remo is well over 300km long and 298km of that is the racing. I only managed to catch the last 50km of the race due to Eurosport ALWAYS showing something longer than they say they will. By the time the coverage started on the Eurosport HD, most of the exciting racing had happened. The peloton had already split with one of the big favourites left trying to chase back into the leading group. For Mark Cavendish, the race was over. There were other big named riders who stood a chance at winning in that group as well but no one wanted to take up the chase. In the leading group, most of the big names and contenders were battling it out on the last few climbs. The king of the classics last year, Philippe Gilbert is always going to be a contender and he has proved how to win classic races. Unfortunatly he crashed on the assent of the Poggio with a few other riders and was out of the running. The other contenders in with a chance of winning were Fabian Cancellara, Vincenzo Nibali, Simon Gerrans and Tom Boonen. All team leaders for this race, all the strongest riders from their teams. There were others that were in with a shout, John Degenkolb, Oscar Freire (3 time winner of Milan-San Remo), Matt Goss and Peter Sagan. 

On the final climb up the Poggio, Nibali showed that he was in great form and went for it with about 9km to go to the finish. Cancellara went with him and Gerrans somehow managed to tag along and stay with 2 of the best decenders in cycling. All 3 stayed away until the end with Cancellara doing all of the work, pulling the other 2 along to the finish line. It was at this point the TIVO box stopped recording and I had to finish off the race on YouTube. Gerrans is the stronger sprinter of the 3 and showed it when he out-sprinted Cancelara and Nibali to the finish line. A deserving winner? Yes, he had to deserve it, he dug deep and his legs didn't fail him at the end. Simon Gerrans was the winner last year as well and is most certainly an early season rider. It was an exciting finish.

My cousins and I tried to have a bonfire this morning at Grandads field. We didn't have an petrol so it didn't last very long. My Aunty thinks my pyromaniac skills are getting rusty as I rely to much on petrol to light things.

This afternoon I cleaned a big brass doortop. We have had it for about 10 years and it was filthy when we got it and I decided to clean it with Brasso. I spent a good 6 hours with cloths and a toothbrush getting it shiney. Its not perfect and still has dirt on it but its a totally different colour and looks good! My room smells of Brasso now and it has made my nose go a bit funny. I did a before shot but I havn't done an after shot yet so I'll get those up tomorrow. I watched Daredevil. It was an alright film but not one I'm going to watch again in a hurry and then I watched Gone In 60 Seconds. I do like that film purely for Nicholas Cage. He is an awesome actor and makes that film work. My dream car is in that film. A 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500. Google it.

I hope tonights blog has been a little more interesting for my dedicated readers.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 77

Day 77. 

A day of mixed emotions I guess. I was working with Chris most of the day at the workshop. I have a date when Penny will be back on the road. The 2nd of May. That is the date Chris was given by the people at VOSA (who check vehicles) when their next available appointment is. Its a lot longer than I had hoped to wait but its a start. Chris has some other options and I hope that they will be sooner. We did a little bit of tidying up on Penny today and at the end of it all, she didn't start! We think the battery was dying so it had to but put on charge. I just keep telling myself its nearly finished. 

This afternoon I watched Wales beat France to win the 6 Nations Grand Slam. It was a brilliant game. Wales just keep getting better and better. They do deserve the win and the Grand Slam. It was such a good game that I wasn't really interested in watching England v Ireland. That game was very scrappy and full of mistakes. The rain didn't help the flow of the game. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 76

Day 76.

A good feeling as its Friday. I'm gong to keep it short and sweet as its late. It would have been on earlier but I decided to be an Xbox geek and play COD with Mark. A very good day. Feeling positive about work and enjoying it more. I think the better weather helps.

Ok, its late and I'm falling asleep. I'll have to do an extra special blog tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 75

Day 75.

An awesome day! I woke up feeling pretty tired from spinning still but buzzing because ITS MY BIRTHDAY!

Work was really good. I made sure to tell as many people as I could that it was my birthday. I got a card off one of my year 10s. That made me smile! I got some really cool cards from people I work with. So thank you for those. I took part in a quiz at work against some students. It was a team of staff and we had harder questions and only just won! It was quite difficult some of the rounds. I made cup cakes for everyone at work and they were a massive hit! Although someone couldn't handle her sugar and it sent her a bit hyper. 

On the left, strawberry cheesecake. On the right, red velvet.

After work I opened my presents. Was hoping that my car would be waiting for me all ready to go but I can wait a little longer. It shouldn't be much longer. Back to the presents, Sam got me some t-shirts which are amazing! 

From The Big Bang Theory

From Scrubs

Do I need to say where its from?

They are so cool! Perfect for me! I also got a rubics cube key ring. It work properly and looks so cool. I havn't messed it up yet but I'm sure that will happen soon. Mum and Dad said they would buy me an iPad 2 or if I wanted the newest version I could pay the rest. Alternativly, if I wanted a new laptop they would put some money towards that. I am very grateful for this and will get thinking about what is best. 

We all went to Prezzos for dinner tonight. It was delicious! I have never been before but it was amazing! Certainly going again. For started I had Calimari and garlic mayonnaise and for main I had a massive pizza, which I couldn't eat all of. So that is muy lunch tomorrow.

Proabaly the best thing until last. The Cake. It was gigantic! I couldn't believe the size of it! We measure it and is a little over 6 inches! Inside the cake it was multicoloured as well! Sam made it all today and she has done a bloody good job on it! I am so impressed.

The birthday boy

The beast

Its a rainbow cake!!

Heaven? Yeah!

So today has been excellent and I have loved every single second of it! I have some wonderful friends and and a lovely family. Thank you all for making it special.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 74

Day 74.

I'm going to keep it short as its late and I'm tired.

Work was fun today, I made cheese and tomato pizza. I then ate said pizza. It was delicious.

Afterwork mum, Sam and I went to the Bells house and had tea and cake. It was Aarons birthday yesterday so we sang happy birthday to him. He is 10. I can remember him as a baby and he is now in double figures. Life has flown by.

I went spinning tonight for the 1st time since before Christmas. It wasn't as brutal as I thought it was going to be but I guess I shall see tomorrow.

Its my birthday tomorrow. I'll be 23. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 73

Day 73.

Pastoral day at work and it dragged! I was with year 7s and they were discussing health, hygiene and puberty. It was weird to hear the questions being asked on all topics were the same questions being asked when I was that age. 

I had some good news about Penny today. She passed her MOT with a few advisory things to change or watch out for. I was so relieved that she passed, Just 2 more things to get sorted and I'm away. They are the vehicle check and tax.

I finished watching Immortals. It turned out to be a really good film. I don't want to spoil it or give anything away but there were some awesome fight scenes.

This evening dad and I finished off season 6 of 24. I'll be glad to have a few weeks rest from it but I'll miss it until we start the next season. After that, we started to watch the new series called Alcatraz. It has potiential to be something unique and brilliant but it could also go way over the top. I liked what I saw and I hope it continues to be a great new show.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 72

Day 72.

An ordinary day, not much to shout about. I took my external hard drive to work and asked the tech guys to have a look to see if they can get anything off it but that was unsuccessful. I shall try my next option of taking it to somewhere in town. I don't have any plans for salvaging it after that so lets hope that someone out there can help me. 

I started watching the film Immortals this evening. I was quite impressed with what I saw. The story seems easy to follow and its the kind of film I like, about myths and legends. I havn't finished watching it yet but will finish it tomorrow and let you know about it.

I played a couple of hours of COD with Mark tonight. I think were getting a little bit good at it. 

Anyway, time for bed. 

Until tomorrow.

Jim.

New Year, New Blog - Day 71

Day 71.

An unusual Sunday compared to what I'm used to. I woke up at 8 (as usual) and had 1 stage of Paris-Nice to catch up and 3 stages of Tirreno-Adriatico to watch. The 2 races are similar in both being early season stage races in preparation for the longer stage races later in the year. They both have some pretty long grueling climbs and some short but very steep climbs. They both have flat stages too. Yet they have been raced so differently. Paris-Nice race was won by Bradley Wiggins, the first Englishman to win since Tom Simpson in 1967, was a race that didn't offer a lot in the way of attacks by the big name riders. Bradley missed out on the yellow jersey by 2 seconds in the opening individual time trial stage and on stage 2 he took the lead by only a handful of seconds. The next 5 stages were all about Team Sky defending the lead that Wiggo had. There were no real attacks and any rider high in the General Classification (GC) was followed sharply by Team Sky or Wiggo. Comparing this to Tirreno-Adriatico, there were a lot of attacks by riders high on the GC and the jersey has changed hands a few times. Both tacticly different yet equally as exciting. I do love cycing!

The next thing on the cards for today was to watch France v England. England were clinical in attack and very very strong in defence but lacked dicipline. They gave away 7 penalties in their own half and France scored from 5 of them. Charlie Sharples yellow cards was harsh considering a French player had been warned for doing the same thing 2 minutes earlier. England were lucky to come away from Paris with a win which boosts Stuart Lancasters chances of getting the job full time. 

Sam made fajitas for dinner tonight and they went down a treat! I could eat them all day if I was given a chance. 

Now it is time for sleep.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 70

Day 70.

Today was a great start to the weekend... I should have made the most of a great lie in but instead was up at 8am ready to start the day!
I am glad the weather has started to improve as it means I got to do something that I enjoy the most-cycling! Not only that but today I got to do it with a great friend-Mark! I headed out mid morning and cycled past his house then made the 'I think I've gone past your house' phonecall. All was sorted in the end and off we rolled. We headed out towards Latchingdon and Mundon before heading back.
 We had a great ride and then found myself back at home thinking if I could have done a little more and maybe got a little more hot and sweaty.
Strange as you may think... I did wear my shorts and flipflops today! It may only be March..but hey lets make the most of it!
This afternoon I watched Wales v Italy. It was a fantastic game and Italy defended brilliantly. They didn't really have a choice as Wales were by far the dominant team. Wales deserved the win but I don't Italy shouldn't have won by so much.

Next week is my birthday...the grand old age of 23....but anyhow age is just a number..and your as old as you feel! Although I'm not even sure about how old I feel.
 I'm not sure how exactly how im going to celebrate it this year, I will be at work alday afterall. I am hoping Penny the Peugeot is all mot'ed and ready to be driven!  So yeah....my birthday Thursday....so feel free to suprise me in any way you wish! :)

Great end to a Saturday....Indian...Beer.....film what more could I ask for!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend all!.........

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 69

Day 69. 

The last day of the week never fails to disappoint in the fact that we all know tomorrow will be a lie in and no kids for 2 days. That feeling of knowing its the last day is amazing. 

Work was good, it always is on a Friday. I helped one small child learn to swim, well, sort of swim. I helped get him working on kicking his legs. It was awesome to help someone who 2 weeks ago wouldn't get in the water to getting in and using a float to swim. Well done little man. He also splashed me quite a lot. After that, the rest of the day was a breeze and went really quick. 

After work, the beasting began with a tiny 7 minute workout. It wasn't that hard so I guess I was doing it wrong but it was a long 7 minutes. It was only burpees and they a press up into a jump up with a clap above your head and then back to a press up. Not a lot but getting up and down takes its toll.

Not a lot went on this evening, I just helped at F@ST club. Its a youth club at Tile Kiln church for those aged 11-16. Thankfully it was a quite and relaxing evening as there were a lot less youth than usual. Although a relaxing evening has made me tired. I was going to stay up at smash it on the xbox with a few beers but the increasing number of yawns is slowly tempting me to bed.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 68

Day 68.

A great day! Work was cool, a little loud in one lesson but it was still a great day. 

After work I went to Simpson Autocare to fit the replacement injectors into Penny the Peugeot and see if that fixes it. We fitted them, put everything back in place, connected the electrics and air hoses and then the moment of truth....

I'll tell you if she started or not tomorrow.... Only joking. 

She started and sounded marvellous! There were no knockings and clankings, no miss-fires, leaks, shakes, rattles or anything that shouldn't be there. There was no thick smoke coming out of the exhaust either. This made me so happy! Chris and I were both so pleased and really happy that we can finally get her away from the workshop. All that is needed now is an MOT and VIC (vehicle ID check) and then taxing. I am so excited about this!!!

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 67

Day 67.

All better now. I'm rid of the cold at last. I woke up feeling very sore though. My back was really stiff this morning from kettlebells yesterday. It has been stiff all day and has made moving around the classroom quite difficult.

A good day at work. It was loud as wednesdays usually are but it was still a good one. Lots of work is getting finished this week from my year 10s and 11s. One of the year 9s wanted to cut my hand off in textiles and he even got the scissors and went for it. He had a smile on his face and he was joking about it (I hope!) Then he wanted to stab me with the scissors and slit my throat, thats when I took the scisssors away from him. 

There was no rugby for year 7s after school as they had a rugby 7s tournament at another school. I don't know how they did but I shall find out tomorrow.

When I got back, I caught up with stage 3 and 4 of the Paris-Nice race. Bradley Wiggins is wearing the yellow jersey which really suits him. Some exciting riding in the early season and the peleton seems to be flying faster than I've seen for a few years. It does seem weird seeing the peleton without HTC Highroad/Columbia. Something I will have to get used to though.

I decided that I wanted to go spinning again tonight. I got to the gym and find out it has been cancelled for a few weeks while they refurbish the spinning studio. I was quite disappointed really but I still did an hour on the bike. I was hoping to get a bit more out of it but the gym was getting busy and the bike was squeaking.

I have a picture that I though was really quite funny.Click on it to make it bigger.

Until tomorrow. 

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 66

Day 66.

Felt better this morning when I woke up. I'm happy about that! I think I have failed, or at least going to fail, with my aim to put something interesting in my blog today. 

Work was pretty good today and I managed to help get 4 different bit of coursework completed for my year 11 boy. I don't think he has completed that much in a single month let alone day! A very productive day for him. 

I experienced a new class today. A year 9 maths class that I'm going to be in every week. Some lovely students in there and some that were close to being thrown out the window! It will be interesting to see if attitudes change towards maths over time. Probably not.

After work I did workout with Woody, Jools and a few others outside in the sun. It was good to get back exercising after having the sodding cold. I felt great afterwards and I feel almost 100% better too. My back is a bit tight now though. I'll soldier on.

Not a lot else to report on. I might get to the gym tomorrow after work so I will have something at least to write about tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 65

Day 65.

Still felt quite rubbish today and my throat has gradually got worse and worse as the day had gone on. A good day at work though. I was in charge of an exam just after lunch and that involved sitting down in a room with 2 candidates for an hour and a half, doing nothing. I was almost ready to fall asleep but thankfully I didn't.

Its mums birthday today. We celebrated it by ordering in a Chinese, but as mum and dad have both given up meat for lent and Sams a vegetarian anyway, it was all vegetarian food. It was still good though. Mum got a few books for her craft stuff, some more craft stuff and some flowers. Sam made an amazing gigantic cup cake for mum and it was delicious. 

Mother with her cake.

The big cup cake with baby cup cakes around it.

The inside of the cake. Yum!

 Dad and Chris went to get the replacement injectors this morning and fingers (and toes) crossed, Penny should have life again sometime this week. There is a small small chance she will be here for my birthday next week.

I just realised, I didn't post a picture of dads birthday cake last Monday.

Dad with his blueberry cake.

Well the internet is being gay tonight and very slow so I shall end here. I'm determined to put something interesting in tomorrows blog.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 63

Day 63.

Woke up still feeling quite rough, my neck was sore and felt pretty much the same as when I went to bed. Lets hope I'm better tomorrow. 

Today I went with Chris from Simpson Autocare to pick up some new injectors for Penny the Peugeot. We found a set for £95 from where we purchased the engine from. We got back to the workshop and Chris started to fit the injectors and found out that 2 of them were ******! 1 had a chunck of the clip missing that holds a fuel pipe on and 1 of the injector ends was so mangled that it was only good for a landfill site! We were both in a state of shock really that we had been sold them in that condition, and were both unhappy with the company we got them from. Do they think that a company that claims to be 'specialists' can get away with selling broken parts to a repeat customer? I guess a bit of the blame has to fall on me for not checking them while we were there but I really didn't think I needed to. I won't be using them again unless its the last option I have. They have shockingly bad reviews on their Google page. Bunch of cowboys! Still quite upset about it.

Once I got home I watched the Strade Bianche, a classic cycling race from Tuscany and the finish in Siena. I was only able to watch the final 20km or so and was glad I was able to. Fabian Cancellara made a break about 15km from the finish line. He attacked on a small climb and no one with him and no one was able to catch him. He used his time trialling skills well and powered his was to the finish line, finishing 42 seconds ahead of 2nd place. I love the early part of the cycling season. Its when all the classic one day races happen. There is so much history and tradition around these races. 

Well its getting late and I'm still feeling really tired so I'm off to bed.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 62

Day 62.

Manflu strikes again. I had the day off work whick was a shame because Friday is the best day of the week for me and I missed it. I felt as if I have let those I work with down. I want to apologise for not being at work because I do feel bad. I have been under the covers all day nodding off while watching tv. I have been drinking lots of honey and lemon and I think its been working. My throat isn't as sore but my nose is always running. I had a proper sleep this afternoon and that seemed to do me the world of good. I had a bad afterwards which made the aches go for a while but my neck is a little sore. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Until tomorrow.

Jim

New Year, New Blog - Day 61

Day 61.

I have felt rubbish all day! I think I'm getting man flu. My throat is getting sore and everything tastes bitter. My nose has been running all day and is also getting sore. I have to try and soldier on for one more day. It's Friday tomorrow and then the weekend.

Until tomorrow.

Jim