Here’s an example of the pasties I’ve been baking…
I wonder if you'd call this a swastika of pasties?
…and here’s the spaniel who’d dearly love to eat one of them.
Some of the best puppy dog eyes I've seen.
That’s thirty seconds of your life you won’t get back 
.
I’ve had a lot of different things start to go right for me recently, and as much as I realise I’ll probably jinx everything by even thinking that, it’s tough, I wanted to post. Some things are probably pretty trivial, but the cumulative effect is a nice one. Even things like feeling my kicks are slowly improving and getting higher (they might not be, but they feel that way at least) are representative of these little pluses. It’s fair to say I’ve had some surprises too, most of them very welcome.
First up, my job looks safe. It’s been pretty tense over the last few months for everyone working for the council down here, as a giant merger of the main body and the districts have had people fearing for their jobs. I was lucky enough to be confirmed in my current role last week which was a massive relief having just taken some more money out on our mortgage to be able to get the house done. Then over the weekend and early part of the week, Murphy seemed to be getting ill. His stomach was gurgling like crazy, he didn’t want to eat and was all slow, tired and unmurph-like. We took him to the vets as a precaution and typically the day he went he seemed fine again. They say the best cure for a toothache is booking an appointment at the dentist after all… He’s got a few tablets to help settle his stomach now which is good and he’s back to his old self.
Work on the house seems to be going well. What was a massive hole in the floor has transformed into proper foundations and there’s even a floor now. It’s been built up with hardcore, gravel and sand and tehn compacted, and today they’re laying six inches of concrete on top of it all to form what will actually be the floor we lay the wood on. It’s exciting now to have something substantial there and not just a big pit of mud. Once the concrete sets properly I intend to get out there with big pieces of cardboard to represent the kitchen appliances and furniture so I can see how best to lay everything out. The walls will go up pretty quickly apparently, I can’t wait personally!
My best friend’s stag do looks like it’s been sorted out, it seems we’ll be heading to the wilds of bristol for a weekend of drunken debauchery wholesome male bonding with vehicles and guns of different kinds. It’ll be nice to have the little break away because other than the prospect of being sent to Worthing again for more training, I don’t think there’s any chance of a holiday this year. Although saying that, having a nice new home with a bathroom and kitchen will certainly feel like a holiday compared to the last couple of months.
This Friday is the monthly Rock Night as ever, and it should be a good one. One of my friends and training partners has joined the RAF and is off to do a tour in Afghanistan for six months so we’re seeing him off in true TSD fashion . I think that’s it for now, certainly everything I want the wider world to know, but yes, it’s been a good week so far.
Time for some music, first up is a lovely uplifting song which would easily have made it on to some of my older playlists had I known it then.
..and this is what I’m listening to a lot lately..
That’s the conclusion I came to sitting in traffic at a roundabout on the way to work today. They especially seem to like it when I sing ‘Photograph’ at them. I expect it’s my dulcet tones.
Tonight my little dog is heading to the vet for his booster shots, I can’t believe it’s a year since I was carrying the tiny, fluffy little maniac home. He doesn’t mind going to the vet, but he doesn’t like the vet himself, not since he was ‘violated’ with a thermometer. “Di…did you see what that man just did to me…?’ his eyes seemed to say, the poor little chap. Thankfully he doesn’t have to go very often, for some reason dogs seem to cost a fortune for anything, whereas cats are a bit cheaper. Cats are bargain pets.
Murphy has a ‘monster’ (a fluffy toy with rope legs and arms) which I bought him for his birthday which he is absolutely addicted to. It’s beginning to be the bane of my life. It’s impossible to sit down at home without this slobber-covered monster being put down in front of you with the saddest, most expectant eyes looking up at you. He’s not sure what he wants to do with it most times, normally it’s thrown somewhere for him to fetch (he’s always so proud when he brings it back), to play tug-of-war with me, and occasionally to hump it. He’s cute though, so he gets away with it.
I’ve started to notice just how many slopes and stairs there are between my home and my work. My knee is utterly knackered at the moment, I’m ok walking slowly on the flat, but throw a gentle slope or some steps in and that’s it, pain time. It’s got to the stage where getting to the staircase at work means I have to take a deep breath and just go. I’ll just have to go and see the doctor this week, providing I can get in to see one. It’s starting to feel a little better when I’m just walking around, but if it’s something bad I need to know.
I’m still a million miles away from training, running, kickboxing – anything I enjoy basically. I went along to the sessions on Sunday which was ok, as I got to help the kids a little from the sidelines, but it was mostly just depressing. The ‘theme’ for this month is some serious concentration on hyung, which I could really do with. Watching everybody else doing it just isn’t the same. I’m not sure I can face going along and watching every session between now and whenever it is I can put my dobok back on. It could be a while.
More insights into the world of Bovine music tastes soon.
Today, my little dog Murphy is exactly one year old!
Here he is just before giving his new green pulling toy a good going over this morning. He’s such a good dog on the whole, apart from his apparent shoe fetish – he loves to chew them. According to his Kennel Club certificate today is his birthday, so he’s now one year old!
Training was very hard last night, the warm-up was a very tough one and the whole lesson was very fast-paced. During the speedy basic drills there were times when I wasn’t sure if I was coming or going. We did some kicking forms too, yours truly was last to finish. It’s not always best to finish first, I’m pleased that even though I took longer, my techniques (while not great) were better than some around me. It depends whether you look at it like a speed or endurance drill really, ideally it’s both, but I have some time to work up to being both fast, and performing really well.
We did some self-defence, and my new ones mean I have a couple of new ways to bring someone to their knees, or put them down flat on their back. It’s just a case of getting the technique just right so they’re powerless to resist. It’s a science, that’s for sure.
When I got home I was really beginning to feel what the previous few hours had thrown at me since my hurried trip home from work, and took myself straight to bed for a little reading and to let myself wind down and take in everything. It didn’t work very well at first, the first hour or so I just felt really wound up, but later I was able to close my eyes and get a peaceful nights rest. I’m a great one for replaying the days events in my head as I drift off, I find it helps me make sense of it all and figure out what’s what.
Let’s have a couple more tracks to close with, the first one is for me, it’s not easy listening that’s for sure but listen to her voice! If you do start listening, give it a whole play, the guitar riffs are fantastic.
Arch Enemy – Blood On Your Hands
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And the next, I heard it on another blog recently and it reminded my how much I like it. Definitely not one for just me this one, everyone should enjoy this.
When In Rome – The Promise
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