Month: July 2019

Morning Glory Murder*

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“If you go outside you can see that the Morning Glory has two flowers,” Mum says to me this morning. So I do. Show you:

Work hard at Spin: it’s The Princess’s class – she’s back now after having her baby. Here I am with The Boss:

Here I am at Barre:

Work hard and Barre works its magic to cheer me up a bit. Love it so much.

Have lunch and a long sleep. Mum wakes me up. Fluffball is in now:

He wanders in the direction of his bedroom as I approach.

“It’s not a mealtime, darling,” I say.

We are watching the Roger Federer vs Kei Nishikori Wimbledon quarterfinal which we missed at the time.

Tonight the parentals are going out and I have a Midsomer Murders to watch with Fluffball.

I’m sitting on the grey sofa and the panther lies next to me, resting his head in my lap. I stroke the soft back of his neck.

Happy Saturday everyone!

*2019. By Jessica L. Randall. A Pleasant View Estates mystery, set in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Death Of A Garden Pest*

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We have a new studio manager at Cyclezone – you can see her here in the middle:

Am on one side of her and The Boss is on her other side. Work hard at Spin: it’s The Boss’s class and it’s a Hill.

Then teach Leg Pull Prone in Pilates. It goes well and my teacher is pleased with me. Here we are:

After class we go out for lunch at the farm with a couple of the others. It is lovely. Love my Pilates chums.

Have a sleep. Then Dad takes me to the doctor for my Zoladex injection. That’s all my cancer treatment done for another month – other than the pills which now have to take for the next three weeks.

Shell the peas and broad beans. Am watching Gardeners’ World with Mum. The panther lies on the floor at my feet: resting his head on his front paws, eyes closed. Every so often he twitches an ear or the tip of his tail.

Fluffball is sleeping under my chair in my bedroom. He’s such a gorgeous boy.

Happy Friday everyone!

*1996. By Ann Ripley. Book 2 in Gardening Mysteries starring amateur gardener Louise Eldridge.

Crust No One*

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Last night Fluffball doesn’t come in when we call him at suppertime. Worry that he has become trapped in a builder’s van or Worse. Eventually, at about seven thirty, Mum finds him. We are so relieved. Here he is last night:

This morning: work hard at Spin. Here I am with my Instructor:

Then have bath. Go to the beautician for new Minx toes:

And Pro-Gel nails:

Then have my horrible intramuscular bum injections at the cancer hospital. Am very brave.

Have a sleep. Now am learning Leg Pull Prone to teach in Pilates tomorrow. It’s a difficult move as at its top level it’s a plank where you raise first one leg, then the other and repeat ten times.

Dad has made Soda Bread, look:

Am sitting writing this on the grey sofa. Mum sits against the other arm. The panther lies in between us, resting his heavy head in my lap.

Fluffball is in and having his supper:

Today, he’s a good boy. We love our Fluffball to distraction.

Happy Thursday everyone!

*2018. By Winnie Archer. A Bread Shop Mystery Book 2, set at a shop called Yeast of Eden.

A Different Class Of Murder*

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Walk darling Gandalf in the woods and kiss and cuddle him. He is such a gorgeous and amazing boy: I love him so much.

Work hard at Barre:

Come home and have lunch in the garden. It’s hot today. Read The Anxiety Solution in bed. Sleep for ages.

It’s 6.22pm. Am going to sit with Mum in the kitchen whilst she makes supper. Is not good for me to spend so much time in bed. Supper will be Spaghetti with broad beans, asparagus and tender stem broccoli.

The panther lies on the kitchen floor at my feet. He is cleaning himself: he rasps his flank with a sandpapery tongue.

Mum is making a salad but I’d better post this as it’s 6.26pm and we need to look for Fluffball.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

*2014. By Laura Thompson. True crime book about the Lord Lucan affair.

The Anxiety Solution*

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Have a lovely walk with Dolly in the sunshine. Afterwards, try to show her owner how to remove grass seeds from her paws. This is complicated by the extreme furriness of Dolly’s paws, her reluctance to lift them up and how when she does lift up a paw, she then puts it down on my hand – putting all her weight on it. So I show her owner the video of us removing grass seeds from the Golden Retriever’s paws so she knows what to look out for.

Come home and watch the Mel Wells question and answer session about anxiety and then start reading this month’s set book The Anxiety Solution. It’s good. So far it recommends walks in nature and meditation to combat anxiety, both of which I do already, so that’s good. Look forward to reading the rest of the book.

Have a sleep. Then shell the peas and broad beans whilst watching Kei Nishikori vs Roger Federer from last week. Kei has taken the first set but Roger is now 3 – 0 up in the second.

Fluffball is in now and lying at the bottom of the steps in the dining room, looking majestic.

The panther lies next to me on the grey sofa, resting his heavy head in my lap. Stroking the soft back of his neck, I gaze at the television.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

*2017. By Chloe Brotheridge. Self help book.

Woman In Gold*

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Yesterday’s Spin is The Boss’s class and it’s a Hill Climb. Work hard. Here I am with The Princess:

We find a racing pigeon at the farm but can’t report him as the registry is closed on Sunday. Apparently he’s been there for two weeks and they’ve been feeding him so he will have forgotten his way home by now.

At three o’clock there’s a goodbye party for The Master – he’s retiring and moving away. All my Spin and Pilates friends and instructors are there. Wear this dress:

Sit and talk to all my chums, which is lovely. The Boss gives a speech about The Master and they both cry. They have created such a lovely family at Cyclezone – will miss him so much. Tell The Boss that I will do anything I can to help her in the future. Give them both hugs.

Stay at the party till 7.15pm. The tennis is on so catch bits of it. Poor Roger – am so upset for him but amazingly well done Novak.

Last night we watch Woman In Gold which is about art restitution in Austria and stars Helen Mirren. Recommend it.

This morning catch train from parentals to gym. It is upper body day at training. Here is my Vertical Traction:

Do four sets of all my weights and trainer is pleased with me.

Wimbledon is not quite over for us as we have some recorded. We are watching Andy and Serena’s third Mixed Doubles match.

Fluffball just popped in. He has been up a tall tree today but made it down in one piece.

The panther lies curled up on Fluffball’s pink chair. He is sleeping.

Happy Monday everyone!

*2015. Feature film written by Alexi Kaye Campbell. Directed by Simon Curtis. Stars Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Bruhl and Katie Holmes.

Bye-Bye Baby*

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Spin is tough today. It’s The Boss’s class and it’s High End Endurance. Here I am:

Then it’s Barre which always cheers me up. Here I am with my lovely teacher:

See my psychiatrist and he thinks my mood seems a little brighter, so let’s hope that it lifts soon.

We watch the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles Final. Simona Halep plays an incredible match to beat Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 in just over an hour. Serena is just not match fit but mustn’t take anything away from Simona’s performance: she chases down every ball and doesn’t lose focus from start to finish.

Have a sleep. The parentals have gone out, leaving me to look after Fluffball. We sit in his bedroom for a bit:

Now he is in my bedroom, sleeping under my chair, and I’m watching the Men’s Doubles Final recorded earlier. The panther lies on the floor at my feet. I’m drinking Diet Coke and have just had my supper.

Happy Saturday everyone!

*1992. By David Delman. Tennis novel.

Breaking Point*

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“Now this is an era-defining rivalry,” Andrew Castle says. Roger took the first set on a tiebreak and Rafa is 4-1 up in the second set.

Roger thumps a volley into the net but then goes 30-15 up. He just misses the line with a backhand: 30 all. Now there’s a breakpoint for Rafa. Roger does a wild mis-hit and now Rafa’s serving for the set. Roger thumps a return into the net, then misses the baseline. “Roger’s falling to pieces,” Mum says as Rafa takes the second set 6-1.

Work hard at Spin this morning. It’s The Boss’s class and it’s extensive intervals. Here we are:

Teach The Double Stretch in Pilates. It goes well and teacher is pleased with me. Here we are:

It’s a hard class where we do Stage 2 of The Shoulder Bridge – lifting and lowering first one leg then the other whilst up in the Bridge.

Roger breaks Rafa’s serve to go 3-1 up in the third set.

Fluffball come in.

Rafa wins the first point on Roger’s serve. Let’s see if he can break back. Love thirty. Fifteen thirty. Come on Rafa. Roger serves his first double fault of the match to take us to fifteen forty. Thirty forty. A long rally and we’re at deuce. Roger hits it into the net: third break point of the game. Rafa hits it into the net and we’re back at deuce. Rafa hits it out: advantage Roger. Rafa hits it into the net again and Roger holds for 4-1.

I need to concentrate on the match. The panther lies next to me on the grey sofa: amber eyes fixed on the television.

Happy Friday everyone!

*1996. By Martina Navratilova and Liz Nickles. Tennis murder mystery.

Summer Garden Murder*

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Work hard at Spin this morning. Spin always seems tough when I haven’t done it for a while – in this instance not since last Friday.

My friend takes me home and we have a coffee in the garden. Mum wants you to see the garden. Here are some photos:

We sit in the garden with Fluffball. He vomits up a fur ball which is his own fault as he won’t let anyone groom him.

Wash my hair for the first time in a while.

Have lunch and watch the first set of Halep vs Svitolina but it’s so dull that go for my sleep early.

Now we are watching Serena’s match recorded earlier.

Last night Fluffball stayed out really late so let’s hope that doesn’t happen again – we were walking the streets calling for him at seven thirty. Our next door neighbour found him hiding under Dad’s car: silly Fluffball.

Am on the grey sofa with Mum and the panther.

Happy Thursday everyone!

*2005. By Ann Ripley. A Gardening mystery.

Break Point*

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Rafa is a set and 3-1 up against the six foot six, big serving Sam Querrey. 3-2 now. Struggle to warm to Querrey: maybe because he just seems mainly tall-with-a-huge-serve. Also he beat Andy at Wimbledon in 2017. Not that I could support anyone against Rafa anyway. He just always gives a hundred percent, all the time, every point. He’s the ultimate inspiration. Oh no it’s 15 – 40 on Rafa’s serve. Come on Rafa!

Back to deuce. This is most nerve-wracking to watch. Advantage Nadal. Come. On. Rafa. Phew. He wins the game and is a set and 4-2 up.

This morning: walk Gandalf. Here we are:

Kiss him and cuddle him: love that boy so much.

Also work hard at Barre. Here I am:

But back to the tennis where Rafa is serving for the second set at 5-2. Thirty love. Forty love. Forty fifteen. Game and second set Nadal. Murmurs as news filters over from Centre Court that Roger has beaten Kei Nishikori in four sets.

Rafa breaks in the first game of the third set and holds serve to lead 2-0. “It’s relentless the intensity: whether it’s on the practice court or in the quarterfinal of a slam,” Tim Henman says. We’re at deuce on Querrey’s serve. Querrey hits an ace to get the advantage. Back to deuce. Something else happens that I miss whilst I’m writing. Querrey hits yet another ace to win the game.

Rafa runs out to serve, carrying his two towels, hands one to a ball girl. A good first serve: fifteen love. Another good first serve: thirty love. He wins this game to love to lead 3-1.

Mum goes out to look for Fluffball. Rafa has another break point on the Querrey serve. Hits it into the net: deuce. Double fault: advantage Nadal. Rafa whips the ball past Querrey and he’s got the double break: 4-1.

Querrey wins the first point on Rafa’s serve but now it’s 30-15. Rafa thumps a first serve into the net but the second serve’s good: 40-15. Suddenly we’re at deuce. “Doesn’t want to give his opponent any glimmer of hope,” Tim Henman says. Advantage Nadal. Rafa thumps the ball into an open court: 5-1.

Sam Querrey wins his serve to love. Rafa is serving for a place in the semi-final. Mum can’t find Fluffball. She comes in to watch Rafa serve for the match, sitting next to the panther on the sofa. 30-15. Rafa throws down an ace: 40-15. He whips the ball past Querrey to set up a semifinal against Roger.

Right, I have to go and help Mum look for Fluffball.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

*1978. By William Brinkley. Tennis novel.