Feeling sorry for myself

This weekend was spent completely within the confines of our house. On Friday, along with some homework, Bodhi also brought a flu/virus home from school which wasted no time at all getting to know me intimately. It didn't seem particularly interested in Bodhi, with him more or less shrugging it off but has been playing havoc my fragile state following the ankle sprain.

On Monday, i headed into work to see if the virus fancied some of my work colleagues better than me. It didn't, and on Tuesday i felt so crap that i had to make an extraordinarily painful decision - stay home. It's my first sick day in nearly 10yrs of contracting. No work, no pay. Tough call.

I'm drugging myself up to the eyeballs with codral today and heading back into work to give this thing one more chance to see if it ditches me in favour of one of my fellow workers and leaves me alone.

We learn't some incredibly sad news that a friend in London died suddenly on the weekend leaving his wife and two very young girls without a father. Colin, you will be missed.

Tell em you love em and tell em every day,
Minas.

BBQs come and BBQs go but legends live forever

Hey;

Big week here. The Lovely Samantha has been burning the midnight candle to get her bubandbeyondfitness.com website up and running as well as making preparations for her boys' combined birthday bash.

Saturday was said bash. Bodhi's party was themed "Spooky" which included Musical tombstones, Mummy dressing (Wrapping toilet paper around each other), Witches brew (drink), blood jelly (raspberry) with teeth - it had it all. And as tradition has it, Bodhi's afternoon party fills the tin lids full of sugar and they get to run around for the evening while the adults soiree around the BBQ to celebrate my coming of age. Long may the tradition continue.

The old BBQ made one final hurrah on Saturday night before being officially retired. A more faithful servant you will not find, but after several skin grafts (new plates) over the years it has finally succumbed to that inevitable cancer, rust. It would go straight to the pool room (if only i had one). But, as they say in the movies, time waits for no one. As it was wheeled away, a new Matador Grande 4 burner with roasting hood, heat diffusion plates, wok burner and bottle opener was hooked up to mains gas to ascend the throne. The King is dead, long live The King.

Sunday was absolutely fantastic weather. Overcome with spontaneity, we hightailed it to Clovelly bay for a spot of sand and surf. Cooled off in the evening with a summer thunderstorm light show.

Thanks for all the well wishes during the week,
Minas.

Poisoned Chalice

Hiya;

The Manly Cole classic ocean swim was this weekend. You might remember i'd entered it a fortnight ago having not swum for several years. The zero to hero preparation was going quite well and I'd done the distance several times in training before hand. I was also supplementing the fitness regime with some cross training during the week playing soccer. Then i did this (sprained ankle) --->

So, the Cole Classic was swum without me even entering the water. It also means no soccer for at least a month so i'm well and truly gutted. My personal goal is to do an ocean swim this summer so I've entered a 1.5km swim at Dee Why in 6 weeks but as I sit on the couch looking at the obese swollen stump at the end of my leg, i'm already beginning to ask myself why why why.

Apart from the ankle (the fourth in 15yrs for me), our little family notched up another milestone - starting big school! The lower jaw did wobble momentarily as we walked him to school (no one saw it though). He just melts me.

If i'm truly honest though, it's a bit of a poisoned chalice with the whole pickup/dropoff shit fight that we now have to deal with on a daily basis. You've more chance witnessing a hen sink her teeth into a crying crocodile on during a blue moon than finding a spot in after school care.
Expats - hats off to you and yours.



see ya,
Minas.