We've had a really nice relaxed couple of days eating and drinking things that we generally wouldn't.
Next on the agenda is a walk in the forest and then we have to attack the half turkey that is lurking in the fridge.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Not quite there yet
6 hours driving
9 hours work
Still working
It's going to be finished before I go to bed though...
THEN it's Christmas :-)
9 hours work
Still working
It's going to be finished before I go to bed though...
THEN it's Christmas :-)
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Humbug
I am simply too busy for Christmas this year. I don't really have time to be writing this blog post, but if I don't write it, my dear readers will think that I have fallen off the face of the planet.
Today MK should be picking up the turkey from the butchers on the way home (don't worry, it's frozen) and then we can think about starting to decorate the tree that has been naked in the living room since the weekend.
Today MK should be picking up the turkey from the butchers on the way home (don't worry, it's frozen) and then we can think about starting to decorate the tree that has been naked in the living room since the weekend.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Christmas trees and humbug
We got a Christmas tree on Saturday and by the time we had carried it home, I decided that we aren't having one next year. That was confirmed when the stand broke as we put it up in the living room.
On the plus side, I made a really nice Paleo Christmas cake on Sunday afternoon from ground almonds, loads of dried fruit, a couple of eggs, an orange, a glug of whisky and some spices.
Now the countdown is on and we are trying to figure out what we need to have done before the weekend. That includes getting food but as of about 5 minutes ago, we no longer need to worry about presents for the kids.
Don't worry, I haven't killed them, I bought a Scalextric instead.
On the plus side, I made a really nice Paleo Christmas cake on Sunday afternoon from ground almonds, loads of dried fruit, a couple of eggs, an orange, a glug of whisky and some spices.
Now the countdown is on and we are trying to figure out what we need to have done before the weekend. That includes getting food but as of about 5 minutes ago, we no longer need to worry about presents for the kids.
Don't worry, I haven't killed them, I bought a Scalextric instead.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Sitting Down
I spend a lot of time sitting down these days because I am almost always at our customers offices and as consultants, we are not given fancy standing up desks.
Apparently sitting down all day increases your risk of heart disease and a number of other nasty things by 100%. So why do we (almost) all do it? Apparently exercising doesn't do anything to mitigate these risks either!
I would love to be standing up as I type this, but I don't have the option. When I had my back problems I managed to work standing up all the time, but now I don't make the effort to make the effort.
That's going to change next week. It's my 17th December resolution!
Apparently sitting down all day increases your risk of heart disease and a number of other nasty things by 100%. So why do we (almost) all do it? Apparently exercising doesn't do anything to mitigate these risks either!
I would love to be standing up as I type this, but I don't have the option. When I had my back problems I managed to work standing up all the time, but now I don't make the effort to make the effort.
That's going to change next week. It's my 17th December resolution!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Advent
As far as I can see, we are now half way through advent and we are a very very long way from being ready for Christmas.
- No Christmas tree
- Almost no cards written
- Many gifts not yet bought (or even decided what to get)
On the positive side, we know what we are eating and when (duck on 24th and turkey on 25th) and plans are starting to be pieced together to keep us busy between Christmas and New Year.
I am optimistic that I will be able to get the cards written this evening and sort out at least some of the shopping, but that means that the ironing will have to wait until another evening.
I expect that MK and I will also make time to watch the last episode of Forbrydelsen 3. (I think it's The Killing in English but I have to watch it in Danish without subtitles!)
Monday, December 10, 2012
Heavy Stuff
There have been lots of heavy elements to the last few days.
Friday was an early start and a long drive across Denmark to Viborg for a quarterly company meeting and our company Christmas party. My idea of only drinking spirits actually turned out OK, I stuck to schnapps until about midnight and then moved onto mojitos without sugar. They were better than I expected and kept me going until 2:00 when I hit the sack.
5 hours later I got out of bed, had a little breakfast and got a ride to Ålborg airport to fly back to Copenhagen. Having 3 hours to kill before the next party started, I decided to walk the few miles to Dragør despite the snow and sub zero temperatures. The walk cleared my head and I was ready to get back into the schnapps with the Danish Finn Sailing club for another 7½ hours of drinking and eating.
The party was really good. I was the youngest person there and I would say that the average age was somewhere around 55, but they were very warm and welcoming and we had a good meal (sous vide cooked duck was the best I have ever eaten and rather a gourmet surprise). We drank and shot the breeze for a good while until I got a lift into town and took the train home. I also me the guy who built and owned my boat. He was glad to hear that it is still alive and they all seemed happy to have a new member or two. The other "new" guy last sailed a Finn in the first Danish championships 49 years ago and is planning a comeback next year!
Not surprisingly I took the opportunity to have a quiet day on Sunday whilst MK and the kids were out at football and making Christmas decorations with friends. I did shop for and cook a pretty good roast meal for supper so the day wasn't fully wasted.
It has snowed heavily for the last 48 hours so we are getting increasingly snowed in. Thankfully the world seems to continue turning here when it snows so we are just getting on with life.
The final heavy point was that when I weighed myself this morning, I was heavier than I have been in about 18 months. It's an odd time of the year to decide to try and lose weight, but that's what I'm doing.
Friday was an early start and a long drive across Denmark to Viborg for a quarterly company meeting and our company Christmas party. My idea of only drinking spirits actually turned out OK, I stuck to schnapps until about midnight and then moved onto mojitos without sugar. They were better than I expected and kept me going until 2:00 when I hit the sack.
5 hours later I got out of bed, had a little breakfast and got a ride to Ålborg airport to fly back to Copenhagen. Having 3 hours to kill before the next party started, I decided to walk the few miles to Dragør despite the snow and sub zero temperatures. The walk cleared my head and I was ready to get back into the schnapps with the Danish Finn Sailing club for another 7½ hours of drinking and eating.
The party was really good. I was the youngest person there and I would say that the average age was somewhere around 55, but they were very warm and welcoming and we had a good meal (sous vide cooked duck was the best I have ever eaten and rather a gourmet surprise). We drank and shot the breeze for a good while until I got a lift into town and took the train home. I also me the guy who built and owned my boat. He was glad to hear that it is still alive and they all seemed happy to have a new member or two. The other "new" guy last sailed a Finn in the first Danish championships 49 years ago and is planning a comeback next year!
Not surprisingly I took the opportunity to have a quiet day on Sunday whilst MK and the kids were out at football and making Christmas decorations with friends. I did shop for and cook a pretty good roast meal for supper so the day wasn't fully wasted.
It has snowed heavily for the last 48 hours so we are getting increasingly snowed in. Thankfully the world seems to continue turning here when it snows so we are just getting on with life.
The final heavy point was that when I weighed myself this morning, I was heavier than I have been in about 18 months. It's an odd time of the year to decide to try and lose weight, but that's what I'm doing.
Snow
Friday, December 07, 2012
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Looong but good day
It may have been apparent from my absence from the blog that we have been away for a few days. We flew to Manchester on Friday evening to spend the weekend with family and for DK to have a check-up on his feet in Manchester.
We arrived on Friday evening without incident in a rather boring and slightly tatty Ford Focus (glad we didn't buy one of those). Saturday was spent observing the world of consumerism in Bicester Village and then a relaxed evening with B, E, T & KP including a crafty pint and fish and chips for supper.
(At the risk of reading like a "Gill's Elevensies" stream of consciousness, I shall continue)
On Sunday we saw P, A, J & T for lunch. Monday we shopped in Tamworth. Tuesday we did the Think Tank in Birmingham and Wednesday we returned to Manchester for the check up.
The doctor said that DK's feet look better than they ever have. He runs well and the stiffness that we were worried about didn't concern her. We left his brace behind to be recycled for some other poor little mite in another country and headed to the airport, happy to be told that we don't need to go back for a whole year rather than the 6 months it has been until now.
The joi de vivre did ebb away somewhat as the evening wore on and we were delayed by 2 hours. The result was that we were not in bed until 2:00 this morning and getting out of bed for work was something of a struggle.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
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