Health related topics first: I was due to have my next phone call with Dr. Rahman on Monday afternoon, but there was no call at that time. After some chasing up, I managed to get a call from his secretary, who stated that he did not need to talk to me now and will schedule another call in 4-months (the appointment subsequently came through). I am taking it that this is a good thing - that he did not need to talk to me - however, his secretary did slightly confuse things, and advised me to talk to the cancer unit for my PSA level results (from the previous week); that is scheduled for the coming week.
Focusing on my personal development, on the health front, I continued with my walking regime and that is going exactly as planned, albeit with another surprise. For the long walk in the past week, I did push myself, just with the view to aim for a similar time than before. The end result was a very surprising reduction of 59 seconds, when compared to the first one undertaken 6 weeks back. I could feel it on my back, but nothing lasting. To be clear, it is not about the timings being a ‘race’, more about a way to measure any potential improvement and being able to keep these going, whilst reducing the time it takes; will see how they continue, but happy with how this is unfolding.
I decided to take this overall health improvement challenge a stage further and have now acquired a bicycle. Whilst I already have one, that is a small fold-up type that I acquired during the Covid shut-down era, to help us get out and about. The one I picked up on Sunday is a monster! It is one of the balloon tyre type bikes and they are something I have always liked the look of, but it is about getting one that ‘speaks to you’; this one shouts……….4.5 inch wide tyres, 20 gears and a frame that gives it a superb overall stance. The plan? Well, that is to begin on the flat coastal paths near us, then maybe build up to some hills (we have enough around us). I have noticed that the walks have been great for building my calf muscles back up again, but the quad muscles have not seen the same development; the bike should help with that. As with the walks, this is a test and I will see what unfolds. It may prove too much, but I will certainly give it a try and see if it facilitates this current, ‘get fitter / increase overall abilities’ focus; watch this space.
The past week was a slightly disjointed one, with the usual routine being out of sync. That impacted my ability to reach the ‘10 biographies per week’ target, with only 5 being completed (I should be able to catch up on these in the coming week). I also pivoted over to my inventory of signed Knight’s Cross holder photos that I sell via my other website. Many hours were spent on adding just under 100 new photos for sale, covering all arms of service. The marketing of them then followed and some of them have already been snapped up. Good to focus on something else for a change, but the impact on the Volume 7 work was there.
I got to spend a little time with my son Karl, on Thursday, being with him for an appointment, with other appointments taking place for Sandra too. This week was my daughter Alanna’s birthday and some time back, we discussed the possibility of taking a few hours out, whilst the kids were at school, and visit places of interest. Thankfully, the weather was good, but a bit cold, and we decided to take a trip to Hever Castle, as Alanna has a deep interest in the Tudor era. She had an indulgent few hours and for me, a nice opportunity to be with her on her special day - previously, that would not have been possible, due to work commitments. Sandra and I were with her on Friday evening for some food and obligatory cake. We rounded off the week by having some time with the grandkids on our usual Saturday, then a trip out to a different part of the Kent coast, to view, try and acquire the insane balloon tyre bike.
A different week to the usual routine, but one with some nice high points and achievements / advances in certain areas.
Your time is appreciated.
Best regards
Peter