Yep I decided to invest in some new lighting in the cellar here in the Quirky Museum. Also, I’ve had a few nice runs and while Rachel is away…..
With Rachel being away visiting Hannah for a little while, I have been cracking on with a few things. Firstly I got Val, my friend and electrician, to fit some new lights in the cellar. When he turned them on, my first reaction was to wonder where my sunglasses were – they are so bright! Also just one switch, in place of a triple switch which used to spark.
So while there is a little stuff to clear out, a handful of old bricks and some rusty nails, this has got me wondering what the cellar could be used for. Like many other cellars, it is a little damp, so that rules out routine storage.
There is a little room down there which is a wine cellar. There aren’t many bottles there nowadays but I couldn’t resist looking them today. The oldest I could see was a couple of Mead 1969. This, by the look of it, was home brewed in the era when Rachel’s dad kept bees and wine making was a popular hobby for many. Although I’m teetotal, I am very tempted to have a little sip one day!
My car is currently loaded ready for a tip trip first thing tomorrow. You see there are bits of old carpet, Lino and underlay as I’m embarking on decorating our bedroom. As ever, I always have grand plans and then things are never quite so straight forward. Every decorating or DIY task seems to come with a snag or unexpected problem. And so it is with the ceiling. I was merrily painting the ceiling with a nice fresh coat of matt white when a very fine layer of lining paper came off and stuck to the roller. What should have been a quick, easy job, ended up being far more involved. It is, nonetheless, still progress….
Running
You might know that I’ve been a little despondent with a few injuries lately, plus my breathlessness when trying to run uphill. The solution? Seek out a few nice FLAAAAT runs, which I did just that a few days ago on the Grand Union Canal.
I did seven miles in a tad over one hour. Although my pace is slower these days, I still felt pretty pleased with myself. My cardiovascular system handled this run okay, although my feet were complaining a bit!
I bumped into my friends Paul and Holly who were out for an evening stroll, so I walked a little with them (who cares about my average speed on Strava?!). That was nice, I enjoyed seeing them and briefly catching up on their news.
Following on from my previous post about my difficulties in running up any kind of hill, my kidney consultant has been in touch (seems we are now on first name terms now!). He emailed me to say he thought my breathlessness was down to the cocktail of blood pressure medication which works by dilating the blood vessels. This is all very well, it does work. However when I try to run uphill and place extra demand on my cardiovascular system, the blood pressure is insufficient to allow enough oxygen-rich blood to get through to my muscles. He suggests I reduce the amount of medication and monitor my blood pressure very carefully, so we will see how this goes.