Mine was going pretty well until I had a call, from the agency we were letting a place via, that the landlord has decided to take the place of the rental market and sell it instead – after we’ve already coughed up the cash for references etc. Only planning to let because the place we were planning to buy was taken off the market because the seller had decided to rent it out instead! Apparently no way to recover the cash we’ve spent either as there is no contract in place yet.

Given our place is due to go to exchange in a week and complete a week after that I’ve got a job on looking for a rental place quickly so I’m left without a London home! Might even have to consider pulling the plug on the sale of our own property. Not ideal…

Other than today has been fine. WFH so went for a 5K run at lunchtime (quicker than I’d expected given I’ve put on half a stone over the winter) and several good work related conference calls.

A long day at work, though with nice colleagues, then a quick diversion on the way home and now I own this:

So, fairly excellent.

I was doing well until I sheared a fork damper rod bolt putting my fork back together after solving a clunking problem. I think it might have been fatigued because I didn’t put that much force into it. There has been much swearing, although I did manage to rescue the sheared section.

Hopefully the shop can source a spare by saturday or thats two days of biking over the bank holiday missed. 🙁

Sacked off work early to spend a bit of time with the family, who are all grumpy and horrible and fighting. I need a rest but i get to go to my other job for the next 4 days as my wife has decided to give up work. I’m tired, grumpy, and well and truly in need of a holiday, but I get to use all my annual leave going to work at my other job. Do I win?

Work has been ridiculously busy week, but I’m home now and not back in work until 25th, so I’m very happy.

Plus I’ve just scoffed a handful of mini eggs and a sticky toffee hot cross bun, which was awesome!

Whoa, Cranberry. Wasn’t this dicontinued some time ago?

Looking up after the postman came. MTB Stems slammed, out front mounts installed, colour coded bottle cages x 2 on the road bike added, New iphone magically set up very quickly from a newly appreciated iCloud, 23mm Schwalbe One added to the front of the TT bike which is packed and tucked in the car/garage ready for an early off tomorrow.

Kids to bed soon and relax….

Good – Took my nephew on the trails around Swinsty today, he loved it.

Bad – Lost my phone somewhere between leaving the house and 15 minutes in at swinsty….. possibly even left it on the car roof whilst I was putting the bikes on. Not insured either!!!!

Wasn’t this dicontinued some time ago?

Lego stopped making them, and then they went from £150 to £250 on Ebay, I’ve just picked that up for 125 Euros, so I’m happy.

Last day of a few away in Northumberland with family. Wandered around Cragside house today and we all had a ball. Sore legs after big sunny walks every day. Cannot complain 😀

Quite a decent day here in Kirkcudbright, woke up at 5.30 for some reason, thought bugger it i may as well get up so switched on espresso machine and scratched my balls for 5 mins whilst i worked out what i was going to do and in what order, had a double espresso then made a 10litre pot of Arribiatta sauce for stocking the freezer, had a shower then scrambled egg breakfast, followed by a cappuccino then cycled to work along the river, watched the kingfishers at Cumston bridge for 10 mins and just sat and took in the sunny morning whilst dangling my legs over the edge, made it in to work at 10am and made 1200 mint/clove essential oil infused milk choc bars for an order, tidyied my mess up up and set machine for making rose oil/rose petal dark choc bars t’morn, left work at 1.30pm and cycled back home along the river. Got home, had cappuccino and a slice of sponge cake my mum made, then took toby (dog) out on bike up the woods then across golf course where toby spooked two deer and back home along the river, thought i saw an otter sliding the mud banks on river but not 100% sure. Popped across town with dog to see mum, got fresh scones and toby got a cheese scone for himself – back home at 5pm, made big pot of veg chilli for tea, ate tea and now about to have a brewdog elvis juice as i service my Fox 34’s – listening to 6music and i expect i’ll be in bed before 10pm.

Very pleasant day, hope t’morn is just as productive.

Absolute bobbins of a day, without going into it too much detail I saved someone’s life.
That would have been a truly epic day, apart from the fact that it was someone I know who was to blame for the need to save someone’s life.

Got to play ambulances as I drove a stretchered patient who was in the back of the Gator to the awaiting air ambulance.
Offered the Trauma Dr use of our first aid kit (A few bandages) and a can of wd40 (Sadly no zip ties or ducktape in it)

Due to stupid knee pain tomorrow I will not be using my non refundable train tickets to Blair Atholl for a week in the Cairngorms and then using my non refundable train tickets home

Someone at work said “waving our collaberative footprint” on a conference call at work yesterday…. I still don’t know what it means… today has been a day of trying to forget that someone actually got paid a lot of money to come up with that bullshit 🙁

Home after a weeks work in Suffolk via a rather rubbish drive including an hour to get round the roundabout from the A12 to the M25. Wife and daughter in Australia so freezer special and Aspalls for tea and Netflix on the box. Currently rebuilding the Enigma roadie with more Aspalls ready for tomorrow. Could be worse.

Today said farewell to my two sons-they’ve stayed with me two nights- won’t see them for a fortnight now. Had a lovely couple of days and a nice pedal around FOD with then today.

Bit dusty as I waved them goodbye from the Cheltenham station platform. Had a lump in my throat as I walked back to the car.

Had a few days of reflection which have made me conclude I need to resign from my current job. Maybe go back to part-time as I was before or do something different.
I’ve just reviewed some of my behaviour over the past year and it’s clear I’m suffering from job stress and associated depression. The new yearly targets are even harder so I don’t want to end up in a coffin, I have to go.
This means telling my dad to f-off with his advice about the importance of money, and his asking “well what else are you gonna do?” questions. I need to tell him where to go, in order to save myself.
All melodramatic, I know, but I’ve not felt this bad for ten years when I was stuck in a very dark place.
Resigning on Tuesday.

Not a bad day today, had to deliver a bike to a customer first thing this morning, that his wife to be had bought for him without his knowledge, the morning of his wedding! Big smiles on his face and I’m sure the wedding went well too…

Got back to work, which kept me busy all day too which was good…

Yesterday wasn’t bad either, work was again busy, went down to FoD for a ride with mates later on, and got home and an old friend popped round to check I was ok.

Tuesday sucked mind… And i guess I’m about to start feeling the effects of it (the GF cleared all her stuff out whilst I was at work and left me, this time I suspect for good!) over the forthcoming bank holiday weekend… Still, could be worse, nobody to argue with now at least! 🙄

Long day today. Early on had a poorly lamb with an abscess under the skull which then burst. She is still with us but may need to be euthanized tomorrow if no improvement (showing signs of brain damage). Then drove dad to Newport for cataract op and used the time he was in there to drive to Swansea to collect some Wheels for my Land Rover off a mate. While there I looked at a couple of VW vans and test drove one. Not sure?? Back to to Newport and then home in time to grab a bite and then back out to a planning meeting for the upcoming OMM Lite at the end of the month. Finally home by 10.30 tonight. Just back in from delivering an awkward pair of twins on a first time ewe. Perhaps the toughest birth this year so far (and there are only 5 left to lamb!). But mum and lambs are both doing fine. So a quick catch up on STW and off to bed.