Friday 1 February
I was a bit earlier leaving for the gym today, the warning light for the petrol was flashing and I didn't want to get caught in the rush hour traffic jam and run out of fuel. I managed a steady speed and was through the bottleneck just as the traffic was beginning to slow up. I was half an hour before the spinning and did my usual light dumbbell routine to warm up before doing five chest exercises for 3x12 sets. I still had time to run a kay on the treadmill before the start of the spinning. It was quite a hard session and the woman said to me at the end that she reckoned I worked the hardest in the class. It was another run on the treadmill after the cycling and is time I covered 2 kms. I built up my speed from 10 to 11.5 kms/hr in 0.1 intervals. I shouldn't have run so far as my heel was very sore afterwards and I was limping as I left the gym.
After I had breakfast when I was back home we left for the DIY shop in Sheppie to change the green paint Moira bought yesterday. I exchanged it for paint to do the brick work round the stoop. We wanted terracotta but they didn't have that colour and we ended up with a deep red, hopefully that will be all right. From there we went to the South Coast Mall and checked out the paint section at Game but they didn't have a matt green colour either. While there we tried to get a memory card for the camera but couldn't get anyone to serve us, they were all on their tea break. I managed to get an acrylic paint at the building suppliers in the Mall. It was just in a small jar and enough to do the job on the roof. The people their were Indian a d very helpful, the Indians don't like to see anyone leaving with having bought something. The guy open the jar of paint, spread some on a piece of card, dried it using a got air drier and let me check out the finished colour. It looked the right shade and a matt finish.
We got back in time for an early lunch then I showered and was going to get ready for bowls. The tabs in was today instead of Saturday, there was a big South Coast tournament on at all the local greens this weekend. Just as were thinking of going it started to rain, it was a downpour and we decided that the bowls was off. After about 15 minutes the rain stopped and there was plenty of blue sky showing, we got ready and headed for Southport to see if the bowls was on.
It turned out a lovely afternoon, sunny and very warm, any moisture on the green was soon dried out. I played trips and Moira pairs. I was number two and my opposite number was Tilly so we had good fun and some laughs. I didn't play very well and had trouble finding the pace of the green. But I made for all my poor shots with a winner on the last end. We were all square a sit was a long end, their lead had move the jack and was lying in front of it. I played long hoping to knock everything into the ditch but my last bowl got a wick and curled round and landed right on the jack, the winning shot. We stayed for drinks and on our way home the rain came on again, it was another torrential downpour.
After dinner there was a war film on TCM with Frank Sinatra. When it finished I turned to BBC Entertainment for the end of 'Strictly Come Dancing'. I though it was a repeat of last Sunday's programme but it turned out to be the results show, Edwina Currie was eliminated. Later there was 'Silent Witness', I feel asleep halfway through but wakened up to see the end of it.
Saturday 2 February
Moira wakened me with a cup of tea in bed this morning but I soon dropped off again I was dead beat. I had planned to leave at just after 7 am as usual on a Saturday for the gym but when I woke again it was 7:30 am. I got to the gym about 5 minutes before the start of the spinning and managed to do some leg stretching before it began. It was the fat woman taking the class and it was her usual routine of 4 sets of the same hill. It has the advantage that you know when the session is finishing and how much longer to go. I pushed hard as usual and it was a good workout. I wasn't running today, my heel was still painful and after the cycling I did my crunches and stretching routine in the aerobics hall.
When I got home Moira had some more boxes filled and sealed ready to go up to the loft. I did it before breakfast as I was still sweaty. After breakfast I gave the whole of the front door a coat of the Meranti stain, I will give it a coat of the clear varnish tomorrow. With all the work down I had my shower.
Alex had phoned yesterday he was at a conference at Selbourne country club with his company. He hoped to get a car but phoned at lunch time to say he couldn't arrange transport, so Moira went to pick him up. They were having some team building exercise this afternoon and Alex managed to duck out of it. He just stayed until 6 pm and Moira drove home back, he was eating at the hotel there. He is back working three days a week to train somebody for his job, he said they are paying him R700K a year. There are 90 people at the conference, all from his company, I didn't think they had so many senior people, I was under the impression it was just a small family concern. He didn't have anything else of interest to tell us.
After he was gone I watched football and rugby on the TV. It was the Calcutta Cup in the rugby and England easily beat Scotland. It was a late dinner when Moira got back and I Watched the Fulham v Man U game before going to bed.Man U won 1-0.
Sunday 3 February
No training today even though it was a lovely morning, the sun shining and no wind. He gym was closed on a Sunday and I wanted to give my ankle and heel a rest, so no running either. We both stayed in bed for an hour reading before I got up and made the breakfast. We were watching for Munro and his wife to go out to church and then I was going up to paint the roof that was splashed with white paint. I didn't want Munro to see me rectifying the part he was complaining about.
They left just after 8 am and I got the ladder out and set it up at the front cable of the house. I gave the white patch a rub with a wet cloth first and some of it cleaned off, before I started with the paint. The colour was a bit darker than the paint work on the roof which had no doubt weather with sun and rain over the last three years, hopefully the same will happen with the new coat and will blend in eventually. It only took me a couple minutes to cover the worst of it. I may go up on the roof next weekend and try to correct the line between the white and green which is a bit ragged.
After I had finished on the roof I started on the front door. I gave it a coat of varnish and it is looking very good. The one coat will be enough. Moira had gone out and got the Sunday Times while I painted and when she returned I spent the rest of the morning working on the crossword. Moira had gone down to Pat's later in the morning to borrow her shears and loppers to cut back the hedges and bougainvillea growing between our house and Mark's. Pat told her that Munro had been to her complaining about the white patch on our roof and trying to recruit her help in getting something done. Pat said she told him there want anything wrong with it. This guy has a definite cheek and if I get any more nonsense from him I might end up hitting him.
After lunch I sat out front reading while Moira began cutting the jungle at the back. She went mad and overdid the the hacking and cutting, it look patchy. I wasn't very happy as it looked terrible, it would have been better to have just left it as it was, we are leaving in three weeks anyway. We were going to leave all the trimmings for the gardener to clear up tomorrow but there was so much of it that we began to pack half of in bags. There were lots of thorns on the bougainvillea and we ended up with lots of scratches on our arms and legs. I had been annoyed with Moira with the mess she had created but I calmed down eventually especially when she went to our neighbour behind to apologise to them for the big blank space that was now there.
In the evening the TV was good, a double 'Millionaire', Andrew Marr, 'Strictly....' and 'Silk'. Unfortunately I was dead beat and my head was sore by 9 pm so I went to bed instead of watching 'Silk' which I had probably seen before anyway.
Monday 4 February
I finished my book this morning in bed before getting up. I was going to the gym before breakfast but wasn't bothering about spinning so didn't rush. I got there just before 8 am and did my own 'spinning' in the static cycles. I did my routine on increasing a level every minute up to the maximum of level 21 then I made my way down again. It was a 30minute session and hard. I worked on the upper body machines and did negatives, for my abs I just had a hard long workout on the push down machine, even doing a lot of side on push downs for my lateral abs. It was a good long session of nearly 2 hours.
After a late breakfast we went to the library to change our books. I got four new ones and began a Tom Clancy novel, 'Locked On' , as soon as I got back. It was a page turner and I spent the rest of the day reading it. Even in the evening I had 'Millionaire' on but read my book while the adverts were on and when the stupid questions at the beginning were asked. I read until about 9:30pm then got to bed.
The gardener cleared up all the cuttings from yesterday and took the bags to the gate. It is looking not bad now.
Tuesday 5 February
I spent a couple of hours in bed reading this morning. After breakfast I got ready for the gym and Moira dropped me there before going to do her shopping. I started off with the same cycling routine that I did yesterday, my legs were a bit stiff and sore but I hung on and managed the complete pyramid. I worked on my arms today, a lot of exercises on the cable pillars, I also did tricep dips stretched out between two benches. This last exercise used to be a killer for me but I managed 3x20 sets without much difficulty, my triceps must be getting stronger. For my abs I did 3x20 reps of hip extensions.
When we got home I got on with my book again, I'm finding it difficult to put down. In the afternoon I did put the book down and vacuumed the carpets and floor. Ray and Carol were coming for dinner tonight.
They arrived at 6 pm and we had a good meal and sat chatting until about 10:30 pm. It was a pleasant night and they are good company. We left the dishes until the morning, I'll do the, when I get up.
Wednesday 6 February
I didn't sleep too well last night and was feeling very tired this morning. After breakfast I sat on the chair all morning reading and eventually finished my book. I did a little bit of work before lunch when we cleared out the outside toilet and shower. A lot of the stuff that was stored in there can probably be thrown out or given to the gardener, we will got through it all later. We hosed and scrubbed down the walls and it is looking not too bad but I'll give it a coat of paint anyway.
It he afternoon we went to Southport to play bowls. Moira and I were on the same side, Moira lead and me number 2. We both played well and I had some very nice shots, our skip was quite good as well and we won easily by a 10shot margin. It had been relatively cool today and it was very pleasant conditions for playing bowls. Afterwards we stayed for drinks and got home about 5:20 pm.
In the evening it was another double helping of 'Millionaire' but nothing else worth watching after that . We got to bed early and slept well after our previous late night.
Thursday 7 February
Moira had an appointment with the urologist this morning at 11.45am to check out the bladder infection she keeps getting. She also wanted to see the podiatrist, her orthotics weren't right and were hurting her when she played bowls yesterday. We left the house at 10:45 am and she dropped me at the gym while continuing for her check ups.
I spent nearly an hour in the aerobics hall doing my full stretching and abs routine including twists, side bends and light dumbbell workout. I had half an hour left to work on my legs. I did negatives on the hamstring curl and leg extension machines, finishing off doing some leg presses pushing 80 kg. I had to wait for Moira she was held up at the podiatrist who made some adjustments to her orthotics and she has to try them out. The urologist said her problem was getting old and gave her a prescription for some cream.
After lunch I was going to paint the outside loo but changed my mind and painted the wall behind the TV in the lounge. I used the roller and it took just over an hour but it was very hot and I was soaked in sweat when I finished. I had a shower then settled down with the papers and managed to complete the crossword in the Telegraph.
More 'Millionaire' after dinner then a swashbuckling historical film, 'the King's Thief'. It was a load of rubbish but harmless fun. I got to bed at 9:00pm I was still very tired.
Friday 8 February
I went to the gym early this morning, we were going to Scottburg later and I wanted to get my training in first. I got there at 6:30 am and had over an hour before the spinning. I warmed up with my light dumbbell routine then did two exercises for each of the main body sections, upper, arms, legs and abs. I had a job finding a bike that was adjustable at the spinning and other people were having the same problem, the cycles are in a ad condition. The session was good a d I worked hard as usual. At the end I was talking to an old guy that used to spin when Dion was taking the class. Another person from that time was the woman from Edinburgh who comes out twice a year. She has a house at Bamber Woods across the road from us at Lourie Gardens. I said we should get together for a drink before we leave, she is her until April.
I had a shower and breakfast when I got home then we set off for Scottburg. It took an hour to get there and we parked down at the beach. We walked up into the town and strolled along one side of the main road. We found a nice looking restaurant where we planned to have lunch later. There wasn't much to see in the town, the same old shops and the pace is beginning to look run down and tatty. We had a glance at some of the houses for sale in estate agents, the prices are relatively low and it doesn't look as if they are selling. We turned at the end of the shops and came back along the other side of the road. We cut into the bowling green and there was a cole of rinks being used for women's fours. We sat on a bench and watch one of the games for about half a hour.
We walked back to the beach again and sat on a bench and had a cup of coffee, Moira had filled the flask, and some biscuits. There were lots of people in swimming and as Moira had brought my swimsuit and towel I decided to go in. The water was quite warm and I stayed in for about twenty minutes. Moira paddled her feet and when we got dried off we headed up to the restaurant we had selected on our walk. We had a mutton curry which was all right but the meat was a bit tough. The good thing about it was that the price of R60 included rice, a papadom, chopped tomato and onion, and chutney. The total bill for the meal, two beers and tip was R150, just over £10, not bad.
We headed back to the beach again and sat on a bench. We had the rest of the coffee and rad our books which we had brought for an hour.
It was about 3 pm when we made our way home. Moira missed the turn off for Hibberdene and ended up on the toll road. It wasn't a disaster, it only cost R8.50 for the short stretch to Tweni junction.
As we had eaten out today we had a light snack at night, a mushroom omelette and then some ice cream. It was the repeat of 'Strictly...' that we saw on Sunday but the results part which we didn't stay up to see on Sunday followed. The double bill of 'Silent Witness' came on next and it was a bit easier to follow this week.
Saturday 9 February
There was a beach walk this morning from Tweni to Southport. It was to celebrate Southport beach being award Blue Flag status for its beach. We were up early had breakfast and down for the start about 15 minutes early. There was t-shirts for the first 100 people talking part, but there was under that number so everyone got one. There was the piper in his kilt who had taken part in all the previous beach walks we had done and he led us away with Scotland the Brave.
We wore our sandals but I found that sand got in them and it was uncomfortable, I took them off and walked barefooted. There was a water point halfway at Seapark beach. It was easy going to only thing that was awkward was the slope of the beach and a few small sections with some rocks to negotiate. It took us an hour to reach Southport, it was supposed to be 5km, I think it might be shorter. At the finish there was a water point and they had Poweraid which was quite nice. There was a flea market there and a guy signing accompanying himself on guitar. There was a bus to take people back to their cars at Tweni, but it wasn't leaving until 11am and that was nearly 2 hours to wait. We decided to walk back along the beach. The organiser and a lot of people were amazed that we should even contemplate walking all that way again. It wasn't long after we started back that we passed the last ones finishing, so most had done it quite quickly, though we think a lot baled at Seaport. It took just an hour again to do the return trip. My heel and ankle had been fine for most of the walk but towards the end it began to play up and it was sore again afterwards.
When we got back we showered and relaxed with a cup of tea. Before lunch I checked out the paint we had got for the brickwork around the bottom of the house and the stoop. It was a bit on the red side but it isn't too bright and should be all right, I'll do it tomorrow.
In the afternoon we went to the bowling at Southport. I was playing lead in a trips game. I had a reasonable game and managed some good shots. Moira was happy with her game today and her orthotics were a lot better after being adjusted, she didn't have any pain. We finished early when there was a shower of rain. It soon went off and we could have finished and maybe won, we lost by a couple of shot. We stayed for drinks a d got home at 5:30pm.
It was only football on the TV worth watching. Man City were playing Southampton and were dreadful. They lost 3-1, I think their hopes of retaining the league title are fading fast. The rain that cleared up at the bowls came on again and there was a serious electric storm with the thunder and lightening overhead. It had been very hot and humid today, almost unbearable, hopefully this storm will cool things down.
Sunday 10 February
We read for about an hour in bed before getting up for breakfast. When Munro and his wife left for church I got up on the roof again and did some touching up with the green paint. I painted over the waterproof material that goes down the inside of the front gable and had been painted white over the green. I re-did it in green and kept the line nice and even, the roof looks fine now.
When I came down I began painting the lower brick surround on the front of the house and around the stoop. It was the red colour I checked out yesterday and when I had it finished it was looking quite attractive. Steve came done to talk about sewage and the AGM where the cost will be brought up. The meeting is in march sometime and we will be long gone, I said we were happy to pay a special levy to get the job done once and for all. He remarked that the painting of the bricks was a good idea and seemed impressed.
The painting took me up to lunch time and we had our meal outside on the stoop. We stayed outside all afternoon and I read the Sunday paper then tackled the crosswords.
In the evening after dinner the TV was quite good. After a double bill of 'Millionaire' there was 'Strictly ...' followed by the courtroom drama 'Silk'. It was 10 pm when we got to bed and it wasn't as warm as it was last night.
Monday 11 February
We calculated yesterday how much money to exchange for our trip to India and Nepal, also to send to Suzy as a 'gift'. We wanted to reduce our assets here as I have to declare them on my tax return and we don't want the tax man to query how we manage to live on nothing. Moira was going to the bank to do these transaction this morning and also to collect my new driving licence. She dropped me first at the gym.
I started off on the cycle and gradually made my way up the levels to 15 where I pedalled for 8 minutes before coming down again to level 8, doing 2 minutes at each level. I increased the distance gradually again up to 11 than down once more, all the way to level 5. The routine took me 45 minutes and the sweat was pouring off me at the end. I then did mainly chest exercises and for my abs hip extensions and back raises. I had to wait a few minutes for Moira when I came out but she had done all the jobs though I will have to go to the bank tomorrow to sign the form for the transfer to Suzy.
When we got home we spent the rest of the day out on the stoop where we had lunch and read our books. The weather was very. Ice a d extremely hot but on the stoop there was a nice breeze blowing which kept us cool.
In the evening it was more 'Millionaire' then an old British comedy film in black and white on TCM. It had a very young Spike Milligan and Warren Mitchell but was a load of rubbish and was only interest trying to pick out younger versions of those that later became stars.
Tuesday 12 February
I went to the gym after breakfast this morning, Moira dropped me there then went to do the weekly shop. The aerobics hall was in use when I got there so I did my abs and stretching outside the hall and also did an exercises on the inclined board and the hip extension frame. I did more upper body exercises as my right elbow was painful when I odd arm work. I also did shrugs, side bends and twists with a bar. It was a good work out.
When Moira picked me up we went to the Oribi Mall to the bank for the money gift. We went to the photo shop first to get my picture taken for passport photographs required for Napali visas and trekking permits, we picked them up when we finished at the bank. At the bank there was the usual wait at the enquiries counter for our business, that e only part of the bank where anything happens. When we were ready to go to the counter to be served this guy in a wheel chair arrived and jumped to the front of the queue. I told him there was a queue, but he claim that being a paraplegic he was entitled to go straight to the front. I told him to get lost as he was sitting comfortably in his wheelchair whereas we have to stand. He moaned and groan but we were served first. I signed the document to gift the money to Suzy but Moira also wanted to increase the debit order for the levy. This guy couldn't do it for some reason and we had to get back in the queue again. These banks are getting worse if that is possible. The last job in the bank was to use their phone to contact the credit card department and tell them we were going overseas and to email the credit card bills in future rather than my mail.
When we got home it was hot again and we sat outside and read until lunch. After our meal I began painting in the outside toilet and shower room. I just used the brush today and did all the surrounds, window and door frames. I will finish off the walls with the roller later. It was very hot and the sweat was dripping off me. I had a nice shower after I had finished.
After dinner and the washing up done it was a double helping of 'Millionaire' again. Later on TCM there was an old Humphrey Bogart film, ' The Big Sleep'. It was a bit difficult to follow starting half way through, but it was enjoyable.
Wednesday 13 February
I went to the gym at 7:15 am but the traffic was blocked going into Sheppie up the Country Club turn off. I had only time to do 2x50 sets of sit ups on the inclined board before the start of e spinning. It was a good session cycling and again I was soaked in sweat at the end. I did more abs exercises when I came out the spinning room, more sit ups on the inclined board and 2x20 hip extensions. I worked on my legs after that, leg extensions, hamstring curls, leg presses and the deep knee bend machine. It was another good workout.
When I came home I had breakfast and a shower while Moira went to the doctor's to make an appointment about the pain in my ankle. It was 10 am when she came back and told me the doctor would see me in half an hour, he wasn't busy. I told him what was wrong with my ankle and also the pain I have in my right elbow. He said the first was my Achilles' tendon which was what I had originally suspected. He told me to stretch it often, get heel raisers for my shoes which I asked the podiatrist to put into my orthotics, and he gave me strong anti-inflammatories. He said the elbow problem was a tendon injury as well and the pills would help this as well.
When I got back we sat outside on the porch and read until lunch time. We had lunch early as we wanted to go to the garden centre at Southport before continuing to the bowling. We left at 12:45 pm amd we were very quick in selecting a shrub for the space at the back garden where Moira had chopped the bush away. If we had gone to the club then we would have to sit around for nearly an hour, we went home and dropped off the plant and also picked up my prescription and got the anti-inflammatories at the pharmacy in Southport.
There wasn't many at the bowls, the weather was boiling hot. There was enough for one set of trips and a rink of fours with one split end. There was another couple of guys there but they were playing a singles competition. Moira and I were in the fours game, Moira playing three bowls in the split end. We played well and our side was well up at the tea break. The pair that were playing singles had finished their match and had recruited somebody that had just arrived, they needed another for a doubles game and the guy that was playing No3 for us moved to their game letting us finish off plating trips. Our opponents played better in the second half but we still won easily, i had a reasonable game betting some good shots in. We stayed on for drinks after the game.
More 'Millionaire' tonight but they are starting to repeat some we watched only a few weeks ago. Surely there is enough of this quiz to last for years and years before having to repeat. Unless the BBC only bought a few of the very old ones very cheap and just have them on a continuous cycle. Later there was a musical on TCM with Dean Martin and Judy Holiday, but it wasn't very good.
Thursday 14 February
I went to the gym after breakfast about 9 am. I warmed up with a cycle for 10 minutes most of it done at level 10 at a good fast cadence. I was going to concentrate on my arms after another warm up with the light dumbbells but my elbow started to become sore with especially bicep exercises. I took the anti-inflammatory last night and my Achilles and ankle were feeling fine but the weights were still affecting my elbow. I did only a few for my arms and instead worked on my back and shoulders. For my abs I did the crunches and stretching on a mat then some sit ups on the inclined board and hip extensions.
On the way home I picked up the papers and a few letters from the post box. I showered when I got in a d then sat outside reading the 'Telegraph'. We went out from lunch today at the restaurant on the river at Port Shepstone. We had the fish and chips with a beer to wash it down. It was quite nice.
The sky was very dark looking on the drive home and there was rain on the way. We sat inside with the papers, I managed to get a lot of the crosswords done. 'Millionaire' was more repeats of ones we had seen not so long ago, at least we saw the guy that won £1M again. I changed over to the Discovery channel for extreme sport but fell asleep after a few minutes.
Friday 15 February
I went to the gym about 7:15 am this morning to be in time for the spinning. I was a bit early and was able to do 5x20 sit-ups on the inclined board first to warm me up. I also did some stretching to especially help my Achilles. The spinning was good and hard and as usual I was soaked in sweat. I did another 3x20 sit ups before moving on to work on my upper body. I did a couple of exercises for my arms but my elbow began to play up again. It is funny that the pills are helping my ankle but not my elbow, I'll just have to rest it and take it easy with arm exercises.
The weather wasn't very good today and it rained most of the time. We sat in after I had breakfast and showered. I read the 'Telegraph' and my book. After lunch we went to the hardware shop at Seapark for bolt type locks for the back door and the door into the garage. It was a quite well stocked store and its a lot handier than going into Sheppie. We got two locks and a tube of contact adhesive for my bowling shoes which are coming apart at the heels. When we got back I fitted one of the locks to the top half of the split farm type door at the back. The door to the garage wasn't so easy and I'll have to find a piece of wood to bring the level on the door for the lock up to the door frame. I might pick up a piece at the carpenter's shop next to the gym tomorrow.
Tonight on TV it was the 'Strictly...' that we had seen last Sunday but the results' show afterwards was new. While the first half of the dancing was on I watched part of an Abbot and Costello film on TCM, it is years since I've seen this pair and they are now a bit dated. .ater after the dancing results it was 'Silent Witness', but as usual it was difficult to follow, it jumps to flash backs without warning and you have to try and figure out where you are in the story.
Saturday 16 February
I found a piece of wood that will do for the door at home lying on the pavement at the side door of the carpenter's shop when I arrived at the gym. I warmed up with my crunches and stretching on a mat in the aerobics hall. I then did some work on my legs. I started with the heel/calf raise frame and it seemed to help my Achilles with the good stretch it gave. Next it was leg presses and deep knee bends on the machines before heading to the spinning class. It was the fat woman and it was her usual routine of four hills which I know of by heart now. It was all right and its what you make of it and as usual I gave it my all. The air conditioning in the room wasn't working and at the end I was really wet with sweat, I was going to call it a day so as not to contaminate the equipment in the gym with my sweat. I decided it didn't matter and did more work on my legs with the hamstring curl and leg extension machines.
After breakfast and showering I spent the morning reading. The rain was still about this morning but by lunchtime it was dry. There were still a lot of cloud about but we went to the bowls anyway. The rain stayed away and we had a good game of bowls. Moira was leading in a fours game and my match was a split fours. Fortunately Sandy said she would sit out the first half and let Spike skip and she would take over after tea. Spike wasn't a very good skip and we were well ahead at tea. After the break they were a lot better with Sandy in charge but they were too far behind to overtake us. I had a reasonable game and played some good shots. We stayed for drinks and it had been an enjoyable afternoon, the rain stayed away as well.
There was football on the TV, the FA Cup. Arsenal lost to Blackburn Rovers from the league below. Arsenal were dreadful. The next game, on after dinner was Oldham v Everton. Oldham put Liverpool out in last round and threatened Everton by scoring first. Everton equalised and I fell asleep. I woke up and it was half time, I decided to go to bed. Later I found out that the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Sunday 17 February
No training today, the gym is closed and I don't want to run and risk injuring my Achilles again now that it seems to be getting better. It was a sitting around day, after breakfast I got everything ready and began painting the main walls in the outside toilet with the roller. It didn't take very long and it is looking good. The Double Velvet emulsion is now finished, except for a little bit in the bottom of the tin which I have kept in case I find a little spot or two that needs a touch up. Once the painting was finished and all tidied up I put the bolt on the door into the garage. The only problem was finding medium sized screws to fix the backing wood on to the door first. I found four the right size but they were all different, and a mixture of screw heads. I got it on with Moira's help then fitted the bolt lock. It works fine and will stop any getting in from the garage if the automatic doors should open for no reason.
The weather was dry but it was overcast and a bit cold for sitting outside. We spent the rest of the day inside reading the 'Sunday Times'. I did all three crosswords in the paper. There was more FA Cup football on TV but I didn't bother with it and watched the BBC instead. There was a double helping of 'Millionaire' that we hadn't seen then Andrew Marr's 'History of the World' before switching back for the last hour of this week's 'Strictly....' Lastly we had the first in the series, 'Call the Midwife' which we saw early last year but was worth seeing again.
Monday 18 February
I read for an hour in bed before getting up to make the breakfast. I went to the gym later this morning and arrived there at 9:45 am. I RBSspent the first hour in the are ices hall doing my stretching, crunches, push ups, planks, and light dumbbell work. It was a good hard session before heading for the main gym for upper body and some leg work. I did a lot of exercises on the cable towers and for my legs I did heel raises with a goodly weight, leg press machine and calf raise machine. My Achilles held up all right to all these exercises and it is feeling much better, only a few twinges now and again.
It was nearly lunch time when I finished and got home. In the afternoon we sat outside and read. The 'Millionaire' that was on tonight we had seen not so long age and I continued reading instead. I finished my book a Bryce Courtney called 'Silvia' about the Children's Crusade in the 13th century. It was very good. I started another book, a Val MacDermid set in the Lake District called 'The Grave Tattoo'. It seems OK.
Tuesday 19 February
Moira was doing some shopping this morning, we don't need very much as this is our last week here. She dropped me off at the gym just before 9 am and I had a food hour and a half training. I didn't want to get too sweaty by cycling to begin with so left the bike to the last this time. I warmed up with my dumbbell routine, I did two sets with the 3.5 kg weights then another two sets using 5 kg. I did a lot of upper body exercises using free weights and then did more work on my legs with the heel raise machine and leg presses. I had about 15 minutes left for cycling before Moira picked me up, I kept the level at 8 and built up my cadence until I was at 100 rpm for the last minute. It was a hard session even though the resistance was moderate.
The weather was much better to day, very warm and a cloudless sky until late afternoon when it clouded over and we had rain in the evening. We sat out and read, had our lunch on the stoop and more reading until about 4 pm. I did some useful work, I began cleaning and polishing my golf clubs with Brasso Moira got this morning. They are coming up ice and shining.
In the evening it was another repeat of 'Millionaire', ones we had only seen about a week ago. There was a cowboy film on TCM when I turned over, I don't know what it was about but I was in time for the gun fight finale. We went to bed about 9:30 pm.
Wednesday 20 February
I got to the gym at 7 am this morning and warmed up with 5x20 sit ups on the inclined board and 3x20 hip extensions. I then worked on the upper body machines before the spinning session. It was another hard work out on the bike and I did 3x20 sit ups on the inclined board when I came out. I finished off with some heel raises and leg presses to continue the strengthening of my ankle and Achilles.
Moira went out this morning for coffee with a friend who she used to walk with in Benoni, she moved to the South Coast and has a shop in the Mall at Shelly Beach. While she was out I read for a whole then cleaned up a few more of my golf clubs. It was nearly lunch time when Moira got back then it was off to the bowls at Southport. On the way we went to the garden centre in Southport and bought a climbing plant to put in at the fence beside the garage. We wanted a rambling rose but she didn't have any and we got a yellow flowering creeper instead.
The weather wasn't very nice, a lot of thick cloud and the wind was strong and blustery. We didn't expect many to be there to play, there was only enough for a trips rink and two of pairs. We played against each other in one of the pairs matches. We both played all right but the skips made the difference Moira's skip was Sandy and she played well. My side lost by lots. We had drinks afterwards, Moira buying me a beer as she had won!
I watched 'Millionaire' after washing up. It was another repeat and I worked on a crossword at the same time. After the quiz I switched over to the sports channel for the cycling programme but I feel asleep half way through. When I woke up I went off to bed and was soon sound asleep there.
Thursday 21 February
I read in bed for a couple of hours before getting up to make the breakfast. Moira had begun sweeping and then mopping the floors before breakfast. I was at the gym for 9 am and was going to warm up cycling but all the bikes were taken. Instead I had a session for my abs, not in the hall there was a class going on, but outside on the abs equipment. I did sit ups on the inclined board, hip extensions and various leg raises on the other inclined table. After that I worked on my legs today. I did all the leg exercises, heel and calf raises, inner and outer thigh machines, leg curls and extensions, legs presses, and walking ten times the length of the circuit area with two 16 kg dumbbells. In the middle of these exercises I did 3x20 sets on the abs push down machine. I was going to finish off with some cycling but it had taken 90 minutes to complete he above so I called it a day. When I got home there was a car waiting at the gate to get in. it turned out to be the guy to fix the garage door. Unfortunately he didn't have a new bracket with him, they hadn't told him the problem before sending him out, he thought it was just some rivets to put in. As he couldn't get back in time to fix it before we left it was decided to leave it until we came back next year. The guy advised not to use the door in the meantime incase it jammed on Monday as we were about to go. I parked the car in the parking area and will keep it there until we go. Moira had a few more boxes to put in the loft and I did it before having my shower. I gave the hatch cover to the loft a coat of paint, it was covered in fingerprints.
I spent most of the day reading my book, I want to finish it by tomorrow and get all the books returned to the library before we go but to leave it until Saturday in case they decide not to open then. Moira had gone to the Spar to get the papers earlier and when I took a break from my book I managed to complete the crossword in the 'Telegraph '.
The first half of the 'Millionaire' was a repeat but the second part was new. After the quiz there wasn't anything else to watch so I continued reading my book. I should easily have it finished by tomorrow. I went to bed just after 9 pm, I felt tired but didn't manage to get to sleep. I was also bothered by indigestion and had to get up for a Rennies.
Friday 22 February
I was tired after my sleepless night but I made for the gym at 7 am. I worked on my arms today after my warm up with light dumbbells. I did a variety of exercises for my triceps and biceps, the pain in my elbow was still there but not as serious as previously, the anti inflammatories must be helping. The spinning was the normal mixture of hills and sprinting. I did 5x20 sit ups on the inclined board before finishing with sets of heel raises and leg presses. There was a notice on the gym door that the spinning for last night was cancelled and it would be on this evening instead. I decided to come for a another session.
Moira went to the bank after breakfast to pick up the travellers' cheques and dollar notes. They had them at last,it had taken nearly a fortnight. I don't understand why it should take so long to get US currency, its not as if we were asking for something unusual.
The weather was lovely today. A clear blue sky, hot and very little wind. I sat outside and managed to finish my book after lunch. Before Moira took all the books back to the library we borrowed a spade from the gardener and planted the climber, we got yesterday, at the fence. I gave the gardener what was left of the paint that surplus after painting the outside of the house and also half a can of varnish.
I went back to the gym at 4:45 pm half an hour before the start of the spinning. I spent the spare time on the inclined board outside the spinning room doing sit ups until people started to arrive for the cycling class. I ended up doing 8x20 sets. The fat woman was doing the class and it was a slight difference from her usual 4 hills. We started with another version of bill climbing and then just 2 of her normal hill sequence. It was quite a good extra session for the day
Moira had the dinner ready when I arrived home then after the waging up it was time for the 'Strictly....' results show. After that there was the murder mystery series, ' Death in Paradise' which we saw .ast year in the UK. Moira was tired and went to bed before the end, I stayed to the end, it was very good even a second time. I was very tired and and slept a lot better tonight.
Saturday 23 February
It was another session at the gym, my last before leaving on Monday. I got there just before 7:30 am and warmed up with the light dumbbell routine. Then before and after the spinning I did two exercises for each of the body parts to have a final complete workout. The fat woman was on again for the spinning a d it turned out to be an hour long class. She did the same as last night but added an extra hill session making it three instead of two. It was a good hard workout with the cycling and the weights.
I had my breakfast when I got in and spent the rest of the morning reading and doing crosswords. Moira had been getting things sorted out for packing into the rucksacks tomorrow. Moira also went into Sheppie to get some cakes at the Spar for our going away token at the bowls, she also bought a curry at the take away for dinner tonight, the cupboard is now bare. The weather was looking very nice again today, no clouds about and very warm. I saw Steve and told him we were preparing everything for leaving on Monday, he invented us round for morning tea tomorrow. Hopefully we will have most of the work done as we are going to be tied up in the afternoon as well, we go to Ray and Carol's for lunch. I told Steve that Alison had our keys for the house and he said he would also keep an eye on things.
We left a little earlier for the bowls to check out the car wash at Southport to get the car looking good when we hand it back to Hertz. I wanted to get it washed tomorrow morning but the guy said they closed on Sundays. I then considered getting it done after the bowls but he said the last car for the day was the one he was now cleaning. I wonder about some people and how they run their business, most people are working and don't have time during the week to go looking for a car wash, but they do on a weekend only to find the place closed.
Moira and were against each other again, it was trips and we were both leading. Bob was playing second on my side and Moira had Val. The skips, Tom who they call grumpy was mine, and a new woman who had moved from Hibberdene was the other, neither of them were any good. We won by a mile and it was Bob and myself that were getting all the good bowls in. Moira played not bad but Val isn't very good. But it was good fun and both Bob and Val can take a laugh and a ribbing about some of their way word shots. Everyone appreciated the cake and there was also other goodies there for a couple of birthdays, so it was quite a feast at the tea break. I said a few words of thanks to the club and was sincere about how welcoming and friendly everyone had been. We stayed on after the game and had a drink, a guy told me there was a little place at Seapark that did car wash and opened on a Sunday. He also told us that there was a petrol station about 20 kms from the airport on the motorway where I can fill up before dropping the car off at Hertz. We left at 5 am and got home in time to see the football.
It was QPR v Man U, it wasn't a great game and United won 2-0. We had our heated up curry which was very nice and watched a cowboy film on TCM. It was quite good but was in two parts, the second half staring at 9pm and going on for another hour and a half. We decided that the first part was enough and got to bed. I was still feeling tired after a very hard six days of training at the gym.
Sunday 24 February
We were up at 7 am and began getting everything ready for our departure tomorrow. Moira continued and got the packing finished while I got stuff put in the garage, some boxes put in the loft, the cover for the loft opening painted, another coat of paint on the Harare ceiling where there were some fingerprints and finally sweeping the garage floor which was covered in leaves. After breakfast I went to the car wash in Seapark and I got the full package, pressure cleaning of the outside, the carpets vacuumed and the tyres blackened. It cost R50 and is looking very nice. I had a shower then we went to Steve and Pat for tea and cake.
They were very pleasant and we talked about the complex and the people in it. They don't like Munro one little bit. I think they are being very friendly in order to recruit support for their proposals for the upgrading of the sewage system. I think the funny woman is doing the same thing, she has been at Munro's a few times lately and they are hatching something. In a way it will be good to get away from it all.
We left Steve's just before 1pm and hopped in the car for our lunch date with Ray and Carol. Their neighbour, Liz, who we met at New Year was there and Lynda Adam Bill arrived later. bill had been playing in a KBA tournament I the morning at Uvongo. It was a nice traditional English lunch of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. I had a little more than my normal to drink and was feeling a bit tipsy when we left early, Moira using the excuse that we had a lot to do before tomorrow.
When we got in we watched the TV which is better than normal on a Sunday evening. We had 'Millionaire', Andrew Marr's 'History of the World', 'Strictly...', and 'Call the Midwife'. This was the episode where the character played by Miranda Hart first appeared, it was very good. It was 10 pm when we got to bed, both very tired.
Monday 25 February
We were up early and after breakfast spent the next couple of hours finishing the packing and tidying up. I put another two boxes up in the loft with the camping chairs, the TV and the DSTV box. Anna said cheerio to Moira and was very friendly but we didn't see Munro. Moira turned off the water and electricity before leaving and we gave the house keys to Alison on the way out.
I drove all the way and the motorway was only in the Durban area, we made good time. I found the petrol station the guy at bowls told me about, it was 20 kms before the airport and I fill up the tank. We dropped the car at the Hertz section and the guy must took the keys and that was all that was to be done. We got an email from Hertz later with the finalised account, they said they had to put R30 worth of petrol in, probably the amount used for the 20 kms from the filling station to the airport. We should get about £100 refund for the deposit left on the car.
We had 2 hours to wait for the plane to Jo'burg. We had a problem at the check in with the weigh in our hand baggage and we had to distribute some of the things into the rucksacks and carry our heavy fleeces. We had no trouble going through security and the plane left on time. We were flying to Lanseria, Moira had made a mistake when booking on line and got us to the wrong airport. It didn't make a lot of difference but Alex wasn't happy about the long drive there.
The flight took an hour and we grid for watch alex on the phone to tell him we had set off on time. There was no reply and Moira sent him a SMS. He got the message all right and was waiting at the drop off/ pick up zone when we arrived. It was a long drive from Lanseria to Boksburg but the roads were unrecognisable to us, all new motorways, so it was quick getting home. All the motorways in the Jo'burg area are set up for e-tag rolling but it isn't operational yet there are so many objection and it is going through the courts.
Alex has two new dogs but they are just as wild as the previous ones bark noisily and jump all over you, they pay no attention to to anything Alex says. Alex went back to work after dropping us off and left the BMW for our use. We didn't bother going out but I stretched out on the couch and went to sleep, the dogs were outside and eventually settled down.
Alex made a curry for dinner and it was very nice. I washed up afterwards then we watched a Wild Life programme on TV. It was all right but these people have to make every situation dangerous and problematic to try and introduce lots of drama to the programme. We went to bed at 9 pm and I slept fairly well though it was a hot night.
Tuesday 26 February
I phoned Tom after breakfast to make sure he was in and told him we would come visiting in an hour. We walked over to Homestead Dam and along to the end and up to Southy to Tom's. On the way Lynn phoned we had sent her an email before we went out as we couldn't find her phone number. We arranged to go out with her, Donnie, Neville and Cheryl on Thursday to an Italian for a pizza. We stayed for a couple of hours chatting about Afprod, the pension changes and the people we know. He has built a laps at the end of the pool and we sat there in the shade with a cup of tea. The weather was very hot and there was no wind that we got on the coast that kept us cool here. We are going out with Tom, Allan and maybe Kobus on Friday to the pub for a drink and Tom has invited us round for a braai on Sunday.
We walked back for lunch and called in at Pick-n-Pay on the way for some thing for lunch and tea bags, Alex doesn't drink tea. After lunch we took the car out to drive down to see if we could find Hannime's house. it was the BMW we had and I drove, it was a bit awkward at first and the doors lock automatically after a few seconds and its a job to find out how to open them again. It took a few circuits around Lakefield before we found the house but there was nobody in, she may be working so we will try on Saturday.
Moira was going to go out to see Marlyne at 4pm but a thunder storm began and we had to let the dogs in out of the rain. She will see her tomorrow. After dinner tonight we watched the second half of 'Millionaire' then I read my book until bedtime. I have started Andrew Marr's 'History of the 20th Century' on Kindle. It is very good.
Wednesday 27 February
Tom phoned today after breakfast he had said yesterday that Jenny had begun running but was having pains in her knee. Some character had sold her a pair of shoes at R1000 tat was supposed to help but didn't. Moira had told her to go to a podiatrist and get orthotics. She had been on at To, about this and he was calling for the phone number of the one we went to. Moira couldn't find his card and I looked up the yellow pages, he wasn't listed but I found another one locally, in Oak St. I think they are going to try there.
We didn't do anything else today but sit and read. The weather was hot and we opened both doors to allow a through draught which helped. The dogs didn't bother with the doors being opened and stayed out in the back garden, they are well behaved when Alex isn't about.
I got the draft of my blog for the time we have been in Umtentweni brought up to date and corrected for mistakes. I will will post it before we leave for India. I tried to find a way to incorporate photos from the iPad into the text but I haven't been successful up to now.
We watched 'Millionaire' and had dinner and the washing up done half way through. When the quiz finished I read my book for an hour then went to bed. Alex had a mosquito repellant and pad that we put on. I was bitten a number of times last night but this did the trick and I had a good night's sleep.
Thursday 28 February
Alex wasn't working today and got his MG out that he was taking on the rally tomorrow. He cleaned and polished it and had it cleaning by the time he had finished. He also brought out his other MG that he had stripped down complete, the engine and gearbox rebuilt and the bodywork re sprayed before putting it all together again. It looks very nice.
I phoned Afprod head office and got the phone number for Meyerton mill. I phoned looking for Vivian but he was at a meeting. I spoke to Marrijie who was glad to hear from me and she promised to get Vivian to call me, he didn't. I will try again tomorrow.
The plan was to got to the place in Edenvale where Moira ha ordered two more batteries for the camera. Alex didn't have a map book and couldn't get the address to come up on his sat-nav but he k we the area and directed us roughly. We tried to get the area on google maps but it was useless. We followed Alex's direction to the Barbara Road off ramp from the R24 motorway and came to the area Highway Gardens. It was a gated suburb and the guard at the gate was very helpful and directed me to the street we were looking for. It wasn't so easy when we found the house, there was a security gate and no bell or intercom. Moira ended up phoning the woman and she came out with our order. On the way back we called in at the hardware store, Built It, which still had the original name Manny's, on Great North Road. It was now a huge place and we were looking for pressure cleaners, just to price them. They only had one and it was R1000, we will probably get one when we come over again for cleaning the walls on the house in Tweni. The huge store had everything DIY and its a pity it wasn't down at the coast.
A.ex had finished cleaning and polishing his car when we got back and was then going out for lunch. He got back late in the afternoon them went out again about 5pm to the pub, we hardly saw him. I spent the afternoon reading and working on a few problems with my blog. I have figured out how to get photos on to the blog easily but am still having a problem with the scrolling the blog for editing. I checked on google to find that it is common problem. The only solution that was offered was to try scrolling using two fingers, unfortunately that didn't help for me. Nobody on the web had any other suggestions.
We went out for dinner with Donnie, Lynn, Jaryd, Neville and Cheryl. We met them at an Italian restaurant at the little mall where Jimmy's Prawns is on North Rand Road. We were a bit early and they were a bit late but we were all together by 7:15pm except Donnie who was coaching swimming and got there later. We all had pizza, Moira and I sharing a ham and mushroom one between us, they were quite big. It was a good evening and we chatted about all our old running acquaintances and what they were up to now. The only surprise was that Derek Wilson and Heather have divorced. Neville hasn't changed much and is still a bit of an old woman. Moira told me later that Cheryl didn't approve of us doing our own thing and wandering all over the world, we should be near at hand for our grand children and at their beck and call, like they are. We weren't late and were home for 10pm and I for to bed straight away.
