Time For Bed

L's hand is busy again this morning. Her efforts to lighten my load, welcome though they are, are wasted as regards cycling, as I bottle out today. It is raining and has been most of the night.

Oh my God. England collapse from 59-1 to 127 all out on the last day of the second test and go on to lose. Miracles don't happen after all.

Driving to work the roads are flooded, even parts of the A52. It is also very windy. So at first it seems a correct, if frustrating decision, not to cycle. However, the journey is so painfully slow by car; I wonder whether it might have been better to risk it. It would almost have been my own mini triathlon, a bit of a swim, probably a bit of a run and all while still on the bike. Forecast says tomorrow should be dry, so will cycle tomorrow no matter what.

We thought we'd cracked it with Swimfit but now the website won't let us sign back in without a membership number. A membership number which it seems to have omitted to give us. The system just keeps saying, "To enjoy continued access to the site you'll need to become a member of Swimfit". We have. We have.

Finally after reregistering three times, I finally spot the membership number halfway down the fifth screen that I select off the main menu. Nice handy place to put it. So it's all systems go, for now.

Swimfit offers you a swimming target to achieve 'virtually'. L opts to swim the entire length of the Thames. She has 337km to go. She's just showing off, I’m only swimming the channel, but that should keep me going until I retire! Currently I'm still wading out from the beach at Dover.

Back home and we debate whether to run or swim. First we have to wait for Riccado to turn up with the shopping (that's Ocado to you). He's booked for 7pm but last time he turned up at 5.30. Typical of him to be on time and make us wait this time.

While we're waiting L requests something 'hot'. Regrettably she means food, so I whip up a spicy curry for the four of us.

Finally the delivery comes and at around 7.45pm we opt for the run. Although it's 8pm by the time we've fitted all the lights and reflectors to Doggo's running coat. We kit him out in all kinds of paraphernalia so that he can be seen.

Run is good. I haven't run for a while and my legs feel very strong. The cycling must be doing me some good.

L's hamstring is playing up and I heat up some oil to massage it for her. We have four types of oil: - 'Time to unwind', 'Time to relax', 'time for bed', 'time for passion'. I opt for 'time for bed', for no apparent reason. L won't let me use 'time for passion' in case it has hidden powers.

I give L's hamstring a good pummelling. After which she takes over the massaging and deals with my aches. We finish the day more or less as we started it but with added lubricant.

Flat Tyre

What is it about the prospect of cycling to work that means I always have to steal a quickie first. Perhaps it's the thought that it could be my last with the prospect of getting mangled under the wheels of some juggernaut lying in wait once I'm on my bike!

Anyhow made it to work in one piece. Pretty uneventful this morning; no problems, although very windy; no fellow psychos I mean cyclists to race against. I have given up on the cycle path; decided you need a 4x4 to do it justice. I took it easy, L would have been pleased with me. Crap time though!

L reports that Doggo enjoyed his morning drag particularly the autumnal leaves, which are great for a comfy dump. She reveals that although last night's Pilates was a bit naff; her body aches, so obviously it wasn't quite as easy as she made out.

Had a bit of a mishap on the way home. Good job it wasn't worse or else this morning's shag may well have been my last. I got cut up by a motorist on the way home. Due to the wet road and wet brakes, I knew I was unlikely to stop in time, so I aimed for the pavement. Unfortunately curb was somewhat high, so rather than bump the bike up the curb I kind of smacked into it. It felt like quite a collision but it was probably only at about 5 mph. Unfortunately what made it worse was that, due to the fact I couldn't extract my feet out of the baskets on my pedals, I also toppled over sideways. The upshot of this was a flat and damaged tyre. So had to do my first ever 'on the spot' tyre repair. I have always carried a spare tube, tyre levers and a pump but have so far never had to use them in anger. Repairs went well, although my tyre is wrecked. Will order some more, grippier ones off the internet tonight.

Was a tv-aholic for the night, we watched a programme on alcoholics. Sobering stuff if you excuse the pun. Makes you worry about your drinking; although some of the people were drinking 200 units a week! Two out of the four subjects in the programme died while it was being made, one of them aged only 26. Doggo lightened things up towards the end and started chucking gloves around the living room. He's very adept at sniffing them out even when they aren't left lying around. Well at least if he was playing with gloves then he was leaving my socks alone.

We went to bed; resisting the urge to take a night cap with us.