Merry Christmas

Christmas time is a time when cyclist theoretically get new kit, wasn’t Santa ever a cyclist? This year he seems to have forgotten I am a cyclist. No shiny new cycling stuff for me.

My haul this year was hankies, books and DVDs. The BIG ONE was a set of weighing scales with fat, bone, muscle and water percentages. I have set it up and will be plotting this along with all the data from my Polar CS600. My current body fat level is 22% which is in the normal range but on the high end.

Christmas Eve we were present wrapping late into the night. Why can’t Santa wrap the presents himself or get his elves to do it rather than leaving it to parents? Whilst we were quite organised we still had to try to determine who had been forgotten. Christmas Day was dominated by the new Wii Father Christmas brought my son.

The previous week we (my son and I) bought Mum’s present, a sweetie bracelet. Initially we agreed that it was to be repaid over 10 years at 80p a week, however, we finally settled for a one off payment of £5.00 up front from his bank account with me funding the balance. The £5.00 came from his first communion earlier in the year. It gave him an excuse to withdraw money, something he always enjoys. He feels very grown up going up to the cashier and signing his name, but the money in his account running out and he is wondering where the next top up is coming from, oh, and can he have a credit card. Mum liked the bracelet.

Now the cycling, Christmas Eve I did 38 miles around Box Hill with M. At Rykers Café at the base of Mont Box I got a puncture, the 3rd week in a row. Good job I fixed a spare inner tube before going out.

Saturday after Boxing Day, I did 36 miles with Big G. Big G has a saying “Life is like a dog and a lamp post, sometimes you are the dog and sometimes you are the lamp post”. Recently riding with M I am usually the lamp post, and a few weeks ago Big G would have kicked my behind, but due to the pressures of work he has been neglecting his training so today I was the dog and he was the lamp post.

Football news – my son was at Foolham on a training course Monday to Wednesday which he seemed to enjoy. We went to Griffin Park on Boxing Day to see a dreadful game of football, but at least the Bees came away with a 2-0 win.