Thursday 9th July 2020

We have killed the cross trainer.

Well, not killed it, but have fatally damaged it.

It would seem the main bearings have gone. Suddenly.

With us both doing 40 minutes a day this week, seems that it was the last straw, and yesterday began making loud clanking, banging noises. There is no w a lump when one of the cranks hits the bottom of a rotation, causing a loud thump to echo through the floorboards. So loud we can no longer do phys in the mornings otherwise we might wake the neighbours.

And then on Friday, Jools did an session, and I prepped myself for an afternoon session and the last of the week, and as well as the lumping sounds, there was rattling metallic sounds that traveled up the crank to my legs. I stopped after 2:23 of my 20 minutes.

And as I look at the display as I am pumping lard, in just a week we would have taken the odo round the clock and began at zero again. Instead its stuck at 1974, and there it will stay. As each eight minutes ticks the odo round one more number, think of the events that year, or what I was doing. Not any more.

So, we have to buy a new one.

But first, Thursday:

Somehow, I managed to sleep well and somehow wake up unrested. Not sure how that happened, but something to do with having one of those desperate dreams where I lost something and was trying to find it. Or in this case, find Jools and Nan, as I had wandered off after being obsessed with photography. I know, hard to believe.

I run round a city I thought I knew, up steep hills and though city walls, all to get what I thought was the perfect shot but I only had my compact camera with me, so the results were poor.

But there's always the next shot. Or not.

So, I wake up at half five, stressed and not at all rested. But Jools was up, all getting ready for hear early morning walk, making coffee and feeding the cats.

Jools goes out for a walk, I put the rubbish out and then do a session on the cross trainer, but clearly not all was well with it as it clunked with each turn. Maybe it would get better, the engineer inside me thought that unlikely.

I am done, so cool off, then make breakfast for me and Jools, though Jools' is left on the worktop while I set up the office, and am all ready to go at half seven. Jools comes back and makes coffee.

All is good.

And so the day presses on, and I get through my tasks.

The day did include a two hour discussion on German standards for corrosion protection. That's how I roll.

Outsdie the sun does not sine, but also, it doesn't rain either. But it cold.

Or feels cold. We resist the temptation to put the heating on.

Jools was going to go to Morrisons's to pick up a couple of fresh pasties, but she didn't seem too keen. SO I make burgers, cookied in the frying pan, and popped in fresh defrosted rolls. Only thing missing was an ice cold beer of three, as I had to get back to work after.

And into the afternoon. I go into the garden once the clouds thinned and allowed for some weak sunshine to brighten up the day. Not much new, but I was shadowed by Scully, who laid in the long grass and soaked up the sunshine, while keeping an eye on me in case I wanted to, I don't know, feel like feeding her an early dinner or something.

The second session on the cross trainer brought more banging and clanking, but the resistance seemed fine.

I do my session. Jools does hers, but reports lots of "noise".

Hmmmm.

Dinner was courgette fritters. Just fritters and nothing but the fitters. And a little garlic mayo.

I remembered to put all the parts in: grated hard cheese, lemon juice, roasted nuts and seeds, lardons. Yummy.

After clearing up, we have coffee and after writing the bog, I settle down to watch football. Villa v Man Utd.

I tried to enjoy it, but if neither team was going to take it seriously, neither would I. I give up on the hour with Utd 2-0 up and cruising. Walking in fact.