Wuss nation

After what seems like an eternity of an ice age, the British Isles are currently basking in a 'heat wave'.

I use the term loosely as the thermometer is yet to top 40C. I did actually see 32C on my car display yesterday, but that was after it had been parked in full sun for two hours.

Anyway, sunshine notwithstanding, I have been flabbergasted by the new moaning trend by the greater British public (native or otherwise) after so many months of grey, frozen and downright miserable coldness:

• it's too hot
• I can't sleep
• why is there no air-conditioning on the tube/on the bus/in your house/flat/caravan
• my feet/hands/face/head/eyeballs are swollen
• I have no energy/stamina/ability to walk anywhere any more
• I keep on having to drink water/beer/pimms to hydrate myself
• there's too much sun
• there's not enough shade
• the local pool/park is too crowded/not cool enough/too small
• I cannot find anything comfortable to wear
• I have to put sunscreen on/wear a hat/don sunglasses all the time
• the roads are melting/rails are buckling/rivers drying up
• they'll announce a hose pipe ban anytime now
• blah blah blah blah...

Good grief people! GET A GRIP!

Given the volume of hysteria this current weather phenomena has caused, I thought I would let the entire whinging contingent in on a little secret (or three) about the status quo:

1. it's called summer - you call read all about it here
2. one upon a time, it happened every year without fail (i.e. in the 1970s and 80s when I was growing up)
3. it is entirely normal

Oh, and 'heat wave'? Seriously? This is a walk in the park, trust me. Try a real version for starters:

Smokin'

And now get your arses in to the garden and enjoy a glass of wine al fresco.

Chill, people. Do everyone a favour.

The upside of down time

It has taken me a couple of weeks to appreciate my 'non commute' to client offices, being able to hold conference calls in the middle of a field (more below), not having to do the mad dash between early morning training sessions and the follow-on 'shower-and-get-dressed, drop-kids-off, battle-traffic-jams, sit-in-endless-meetings, roll-eyes-a-lot' mental merry-go-round, and then look at my watch as the evening progresses wondering what time it would be acceptable to doze off in front of the TV before it all starts over again.

Actually the only things I have been doing are the morning training sessions and the rolling of eyes bit. Mainly the former because IT IS FINALLY SUMMER and my fingers and toes are not blue with cold, and the latter because, ermm, well, uhmm... because it's free.

So, aside from a conference call with one of my business partners and our Big Client which took place (for me) in a field with lots of cows, my former rowing partner, and gusts of wind in the background,

(Big Client: "There's a lot of disturbance on this line... " Business Partner: "Yes, LCM, where are you?" LCM: "In a field. With cows. And wind. And my old rowing partner. But it's okay now! I'm behind a hedge!" Stunned silence and some nervous laughter followed. Happy to report we are still in business)

we have - for the first time in forever - placed THIRD in the Challenge Relay Triathlon at Dorney Lake yesterday.

Stunned - by the soaring midday heat
amongst other things

You may well notice that BB has morphed in to a *cough* slightly younger and blonder version of herself. Fear not, she lives on but has sustained a shoulder injury (all that heavy weight lifting with Elliott Hugh Casper Ralph James* no doubt) and her place was taken up by our super duper water polo-playing star from Down Under aka Shelley the Shark.

(*she has worn them out one by one)

Added bonus was finding my prodigal son @RunTeacherMan manning the stall of CEP Sports UK who did such a fine job 'promoting' my blog and twittering obsession to the boss man (payback for past hospitality?!), that I was donated a fine pair of fabulous new compression sleeves to aide my poor recovering post-massage (which was agony, btw) calf muscles. Provided I mentioned them on the blog. And followed them on Twitter.

And the colours are really groovy too

Simply stunning. And do the job.
The compression sleeves, of course.

Easy peasy squeezy lemon.

Once upon a time...

... there were a million and one a couple of hundred a dozen or so a few reasons why I have not actively posted recently, namely as follows (in no particular order, or so I am told):

• learning to appreciate 'down time' between client projects
• making more appearances at the school gate during drop-off/pick-up in ten days than I have in six years
• although much to my children's amusement (and concern, I think), not to physically drop them off or pick them up
• because I had meetings at the school as a governor
• and wraparound care is a wonderful thing
• which I had paid for in advance already
• and I wanted to watch the Tour de France/Wimbledon/other sporting events in some peace and quite for a couple of hours in the afternoon without persistent questions interrupting me (I know, I know, so sue me)
• training with the Moose
• early morning week day bikes rides
• very important shopping trips

• going to Henley Royal Regatta to catch up with the old rowing crowd and watch some excellent races
• and drinking some Pimms
• although only one glass as I was driving (I know, I know, but have you ever tried the train there and back? appalling, trust me, I would rather battle the traffic)
• laughing like mad at 'The Call Centre'
• laughing even more at OH (who is Welsh) who is falling off the chair in hysterics
• cringing at 'The Apprentice'
• but enjoying the tweet-fest that accompanies it 

It may be shallow, but it seems to take up much of my time. 

Proper blog posts can wait just a tiny bit longer.