the Ark

Posted on Sun 29 July 2007 at 11:41

I’ve been too busy building an Ark to get round to blogging but allay your fears, stop the worried phone calls (nobody phoned!!) we are all well, hale, fit and healthy.  Well, to a degree anyway.  I have had a cold on and off for weeks, just can’t seem to shake it.  Nothing dreadful, just a low key sniffle, mild sore throat, aching chest but it won’t go away.  Not bad enough to keep me off work but enough to make me feel worn out.  Although we have only had three frosts so far, it seems to be colder as the house itself feels colder than we are used to.  Not to worry, after August, it should start picking up a bit and I should throw this cold off.  Melissa and Steve seem immune in spite of my best efforts to smit them!!

The reference to the Ark is due to the amount of rain we have had recently.  Well, we already have 2 cats to kick off with, pity they are not a breeding pair!  The rain we have had recently is simply amazing…….stops to look for figures to back that up……………no, couldn’t find any up to date rainfall data: perhaps the monitoring stations have been washed away?!!  Suffice to say, the rain has been amazing – it just fell out of the sky, not taking time to rain.  But that is what makes New Zealand green and it IS winter so this is not a complaint, merely an observation.  This morning, the temperature at 06.30 (yup, I had to go to work on a Sunday morning!! {BASTARDS!!}) was 16 degrees inside with no heating on and 12 degrees outside.  For midwinter, that’s not too bad at all – reminiscent of a summer’s day in Peterhead.

Doing my usual butterfly impression and flitting from one topic to the next then fluttering off to pastures new then back to to something already mentioned.  That’s because life is flittery and fluttery, not straightforward and rigid………..  Anyway, because of this stupid cold, I had to cancel my induction at the Gym on Tuesday – I woke up full of aches and pains, and my throat was sore, so I cancelled.  But finally on Thursday morning off I went to the Gym (the YMCA Gym no less!!) and had an induction and did a 90 minute workout.  It felt really good to finally be doing some exercise.  So good in fact, I went again on Friday and did it all again.  Now, I particularly like bench presses and the other one like it  - flys perchance – where you lie flat and bring the weights up from the sides?  I always get a real sense of achievement with those 2.  Not today – 2 days after my last session.  I feel like someone has taken a hatchet to my body and wounded me severely in the process.  However, that type of ache brings an immense satisfaction.  And when you get home from the Gym and can hardly lift the kettle because your muscles are so fatigued and wobbly, that is also, strangely enough, a feeling of satisfaction that you have worked damned hard.  Well done me.

Have I mentioned I have agreed to walk a half- marathon?  No, I thought not – in my usual butterfly stylie, maybe I should have mentioned that a few weeks ago when I was first asked.

http://www.coolrunning.co.nz/races/whangamata/info.html

Really, it is a bit of staff health promotion and bonding session all rolled into one.  Hopefully, enrolling at the gym will increase my fitness levels so that I can at least finish this.  I still think that I am as fit as ever I was but on recollection, it is 20 years since I ran a half-marathon!! – now that is really scary.  It seems like just a few years ago.  But we only have to walk it so barring a sprained ankle or some other ridiculous mishap, hopefully all will be well.  That’s in September so the worst of winter should be over and well into spring and I should be fitter, leaner and healthier…….don’t hold your breath. 

I forgot to mention, the Steven has gone on another trip to Christchurch - more induction.  It pisses me off considerably that although I had the most intensive induction known to man, it was all done on-site.......Right, the next job I take, I want my induction in Hawaii, Tenerife, Egypyt, The Balearicsand Machu Pichu - got it?..........He will only be gone a few days and this (APPARENTLY) is the penultimate induction course.  The very last one of course, falls on my birthday............Thank You Deptartment of Corrections, thank you very much!