Month: August 2018

The Land Of Plenty*

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Suzy drops me at the gym for the first time since I think 7th May. That was my last Personal Training session before I went to see the oncologist about my breathing and all the lung treatment started.

It turns out that can still lift weights! Lift 15kg chest bar; 10kg triceps; 20kg pulley; 7.5kg High Pull; 20kg lat pulldown; 20kg shoulder press; 35kg arm pulldown. Manage four sets of everything. It feels great to be lifting weights again. Also is just good to be back at the gym – am reclaiming as much as possible of old life.

Walk home from the gym and make self a toasted halloumi and avocado sandwich. Chat to MadFatRunner. Listen to Leonard Cohen’s I’m Your Man album. Have a small sleep.

Wake up and listen to Leonard Cohen’s The Future album whilst knitting. This is how knitting looks now:

Am pleased with it. Clean contact lenses. Now am listening to Leonard Cohen’s Ten New Songs.

Hannah is picking me up at 7.30pm and we are going out for dinner. Haven’t been out for dinner with a chum for ages. This is meant to be an event with the crew. Dave and/ or Suzy may join us later but the others can’t make it.

A friend who is a fashion stylist is running a workshop to Find Your Authentic Personal Style. Write “My authentic personal style is Escapee From Dodgy Seventies Cult.” She responds “Brilliant šŸ˜‚”. So will be wearing my massive new black flares with a black vest top and old striped cardigan this afternoon. Show you:

Happy Tuesday everyone!

*2001. By Leonard Cohen. Song that appears on the 2001 album Ten New Songs.

To Kill A Labrador*

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Work hard at Spin. Here I am with The Master. There is an instructor today who haven’t encountered before, but as you can see in graph I push myself:

Dad brings me back to the flat and this person visits again. We have cuddles:

We have cuddles. I love him. He is one of my best boys. He paws me if I stop stroking him.

Now Suzy is here and we are having Nut Roast for supper and need to chat to her and make a tomato sauce and a salad.

The black tuxedo cat who lives nearby has visited. Maybe will see him again.

Is good to be back at the flat but the television is not working so we have to watch things from the digibox library or DVDs.

Happy Monday everyone!

*2016. By Kassandra Lamb. A Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy Mystery, Book 1.

The White Lioness*

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Up early to feed a white lion at Paradise Wildlife Park. Here is Moto:

Get right up close to him and he takes pieces of meat out of my hand. He does a little bark to make me hurry up with the food which is very loud. It’s so exciting to be so close to him. He is so handsome and has such Big Paws šŸ¾. Look at those blue eyes. The white lionesses prowl around. One eyes my little cousin who is the right size for a snack. She stands very still and stares at him.

There is also a white tiger called Baikal:

He is sleeping as he had his big feed yesterday. The zookeeper tells us that they give the big cats a big feed every three days.

We see jaguars:

And snow leopards:

And there is a beautiful young cheetah. Here she is:

We see Misha the wolf having her lunch and belly rubs:

And we see these zebras:

There are also black and white ruffed lemurs, red ruffed lemurs and even black lemurs.

Heartily recommend the Paradise Wildlife Park. Book your day out there here:

http://www.pwpark.com

Have a sleep this afternoon. Am exhausted like a big cat after all the excitement of the day.

Mum has just caught the fluffy monster. Can tell him that we saw his real Dad (a white lion).

Happy Sunday everyone!

*1993. By Henning Mankell. Book 3 in the Kurt Wallander series of detective novels, set in Sweden.

The Thirty-Nine Steps*

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It’s The Princess’s class today and it’s High End Endurance I think – or feels like it. That’s 75% – 85%. Let’s see if graph has come up:

Effort says 73% but that is because of all the blue (60s) and grey (50s) before the start of the class – during the class I stay between 75% and 85% as am meant to.

You can see me with one of my Spin chums in the photo.

When we return home from Spin this person is waiting for a third breakfast:

I give him some more breakfast and then he goes out. Then have a bath.

Have been sleeping and sitting in the garden with the parentals.

Going back to the flat Monday to Wednesday and am trying to make some arrangements with my chums so am not on own. Suzy is coming to stay.

Am up to here with knitting my new scarf:

Am sitting under my crochet blanket and watching Gardeners’ World with Mum. We are recording the 1978 version of The Thirty Nine Steps which is on Talking Pictures at 6.55pm to watch after supper.

Need to get cracking with my knitting.

Happy Saturday everyone!

*1915. By John Buchan. Adventure novel. A classic that has been adapted several times for film and television.

Black Widow*

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It’s The Boss’s class today: High End Endurance which means staying between seventy five and eighty five percent effort. Manage this. Let’s see if can show you graph… Here it is. Stay in the green and yellow zones apart from during the warm-up, which brings average effort down:

You can see me with The Boss in the attached photos.

The yarn has arrived for New Chap’s scarf. Show you:

Last night we watch Black Widow, the 1954 film recorded from the Talking Pictures Channel. This is a new channel, number 81, which just shows old films. Black Widow is good fun.

Go to cancer hospital for pre-chemotherapy blood tests. Start my new cycle of chemo on Monday. The tests are to make sure my white blood cell count hasn’t dropped too low. If it has, won’t be allowed next chemo cycle.

The fluffy monster has been in and out today, looking for food. Mum is in the kitchen cooking.

We watch the fluffy in the garden at lunchtime: he crouches by the hedge, gazing into it. Maybe he is watching the birds who live there.

It’s a bit cold, but I have my crochet blanket for warmth.

Am making some plans with my chums as will be back at the flat Monday to Wednesday. Suzy will stay with me and we’ll go out for dinner with the crew on Tuesday. Then will walk Dolly on Wednesday. Need to unfreeze my gym membership so can go on Tuesday so have emailed the gym.

Happy Friday everyone!

*1954. Feature film. Stars Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, George Raft. Directed by Nunnally Johnson. Written by Nunnally Johnson and Hugh Wheeler.

Knot Guilty*

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Have a successful Spin session – here I am with The Master. Hopefully can show you graph. Let’s see:

Notice all the yellow for over eighty percent effort now that the panther has gone. Enjoy Spin So Much More now that the panther has left.

It’s been raining today so the fluffy monster has been inside a lot. Here he is:

He was sick a couple of times last night but is feeling better now.

Watch Nazi Victory: The Post-War Plan – Nazification after lunch which is about SS bride schools and antisemitic clothing laws and ADIFA – the Nazi clothing line. It is fascinating.

Have just been knitting outside under my crochet blanket whilst wearing my crochet shawl. It is sunny outside now but we have come in to watch Gardener’s World.

It is spaghetti for supper – yay.

Happy Thursday everyone!

*2014. By Betty Hechtman. Book 9 in the Crochet Mystery series starring Molly Pink.

Dead Men Donā€™t Crochet*

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MadFatRunner makes me a crochet shawl to go with my blanket. She is a machine – it only takes her two days.

Today I wear my new trousers from Myla Clare:

http://www.mylaclare.co.uk

Mum picks me up and we drive to Dolly’s house. Dolly rugby-tackles me from behind and then we walk to the park. We don’t go up Primrose Hill anymore as my lungs can’t manage it. Here we are:

We attract a lot of attention today – as sometimes happens – with various people commenting on what a beautiful dog she is. Which, of course, she is.

We race home to walk Gandalf. Here we are:

He is my best boy. He finds an enormous stick and starts carrying it home but we exchange it for a treat. I kiss him on the top of his head and cuddle him.

Painventory

  1. Ache that comes and goes in left arm – I think from Gandalf pulling on the lead. He has a harness but doesn’t like it and he’s very strong.
  2. Sore hands and feet – chemotherapy side effect.
  3. Lower back pain – from Spin I presume.
  • After this rainbow scarf am knitting am going to make one for New Chap out of this yarn:
  • It is a bit dull for my personal taste – was hoping he’d go for something a bit more brightly coloured but he asks for something that is not more than two colours, including black. It will motivate me to finish this current rainbow scarf quickly.
  • Have a small sleep – am Very Tired after walking both dogs and now am watching the most recent Gardeners’ World with Mum. Am going to forge ahead with my knitting:
  • The yarn is Sirens by Lion Brand Mandala from:
  • http://www.woolwarehouse.co.uk
  • Lion Brand Mandala do all these yarns look:
  • Right, I need to get on with my knitting.
  • Happy Wednesday everyone!
  • *2008. By Betty Hechtman. Book 2 in the Crochet Mystery series, starring Molly Pink.

    • Hooked On Murder*

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    Look at the amazing blanket that MadFatRunner crocheted for me. Love it So Much.

    We have been watching Life On Mars and she has been crocheting and I’ve been knitting. There are lots of knitted scarves and crocheted blankets in Life On Mars as it’s set in 1973.

    Have my sleep and now am sitting up in bed writing this. It is windy outside. Leaves blow in the breeze. Some of my plants are not dead such as the spirea. Show you:

    Somehow it has survived months of drought. It’s called Joseph’s Coat – presumably because of the multicoloured flowers.

    A couple of neighbourhood cats have visited and a wood pigeon.

    Right, must get on with my day.

    Happy Tuesday everyone!

    *2008. By Betty Hechtman. First book in the Crochet Mystery Series starring Molly Pink.

    Life On Mars*

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    Do well at Spin – spend plenty of time in the yellow zone. Show you graph:

    Then go out for lunch with Hannah. Haven’t seen her for ages so it’s good to catch up.

    Hannah takes me back to the flat. Then MadFatRunner arrives and we start watching Life On Mars on DVD as DVD player working whilst TV and digibox are not working.

    Then another chum comes round with her dogs. Show you:

    We are meeting them for a walk tomorrow afternoon.

    Have had a fun-packed day of humans and dogs so have just put a nut roast in the oven and made a salad. Going to microwave some rice and MadFatRunner is heating up some chopped tomatoes to make a sauce for the nut roast and having a seasoning crisis.

    Looking forward to supper and to watching some more of Life On Mars.

    Happy Monday everyone!

    *2006-7. TV series. Stars John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White and Dean Andrews.

    Why Didnā€™t They Ask Evans*

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    Can actually show you a pictorial representation of my mood. So, here is today’s graph:

    Notice all the yellow for over eighty percent effort.

    Here is one from Monday before mood came up:

    Notice that can’t get into the yellow zone at all. There are lots of differences between low and high mood but this is a measurable one. Also today have the resistance up to 7, 8, 9 and last week was struggling with 3 and 4.

    Have spent Hours on the phone today – another sign of Not Being Depressed.

    Also, now the panther is gone am able to chat to my chums at Spin.

    Just watching the Men’s High Bar Final. Soon it will be Epke Zonderland, the Dutch superstar who has just qualified as a doctor, in case the gymnastics doesn’t work out. Here he is:

    It’s 5.55pm. The fluffy monster is in, looking for supper but it’s not yet a mealtime. The grooming mitt has arrived and he doesn’t seem to mind it, so that’s good.

    Yesterday we watch Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? It is silly but good fun. Tonight is Unforgotten – yay!

    Zonderland takes silver although his routine looks perfect to me. He can console himself with his medical degree.

    Had better go and groom my fluffy monster. It is cold and grey outside.

    Happy Sunday everyone!

    *1934. By Agatha Christie. Murder mystery novel. Another one where the TV people have inserted Miss Marple: she’s not in the book.