23 March - Chiltern Choir
Super concert - Beethoven Mass in B, and Haydn Te Deum. For once I was caught (thanks to P the Photographer) looking at the conductor rather than having my head buried in my copy:
All good things come to end...
Well, shock horror, I got the job. So I think its time to slow down on the "mafimuskala" blog as my attention will be taken up by other matters. I'll post when something of major interest happens, but hearing about my trips to the gym or shops is not that interesting!
18 - 24 Feb
Mon: Felt better in morning after the food dump last night, must have been the fish. Hair cut, Body Pump, then walked to vill to fix a curtain rail at Thorpedale, post letter, bank cheques, bit of shopping.
Tue: Spin then MetaFit. Walked to vill for shopping (sea bass grilled with veggies tonight) and saw Nigel outside Thorpedale so stopped for a chat - he was very relaxed and using his glasses!
Choir in evening
Wed: Body Pump then Spin. When shopping in vill, meet Nigel wandering around so we had a coffee at Rootz together. He enjoyed his toasted tea cake!
Thu: Up to London for job interview. Watford Palace in evening for Equally Divided
Tue: Spin then MetaFit. Walked to vill for shopping (sea bass grilled with veggies tonight) and saw Nigel outside Thorpedale so stopped for a chat - he was very relaxed and using his glasses!
Wed: Body Pump then Spin. When shopping in vill, meet Nigel wandering around so we had a coffee at Rootz together. He enjoyed his toasted tea cake!
Thu: Up to London for job interview. Watford Palace in evening for Equally Divided
We thought it was well acted, and had lots of good insights into mother/daughter/sister stuff.
Fri: Usual Granny hair duty, then Spin.
Sat: Harlequin, lun ch at Rose & Crown. Michael and Anna concert in evening with G&P.
Sun: Body Pump and usual sunday lunch
15 - 17 Feb: Norfolk
Fri: Picked up M&A then off to Fakenham Races where I lost all my bets. Patrick cooked dinner, enuff said.
Sat: Leisurely up for lovely cooked breakfast after M&A arrived from their Scottish dancing the evening before. Out to Walsingham to see the snowdrops,
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Wells for walk on the beach, back for lots of excellent drink and dinner.
Sun: I ran to sea and back (3 miles), then we all walked there and along to twitchers hides.
Lunch at The George. Depart Cley and back home 6ish in time to take Nigel back to Thorpedale.
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Lovely weekend thanks to our hosts.
Sat: Leisurely up for lovely cooked breakfast after M&A arrived from their Scottish dancing the evening before. Out to Walsingham to see the snowdrops,
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Wells for walk on the beach, back for lots of excellent drink and dinner.
Sun: I ran to sea and back (3 miles), then we all walked there and along to twitchers hides.
Lunch at The George. Depart Cley and back home 6ish in time to take Nigel back to Thorpedale.
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Lovely weekend thanks to our hosts.
9 - 14 Feb
Sat: Body Pump with Mrs M, knees felt the squats! Choir workshop rest of day, excellent. Evening Quiz Night at Coleshill for their primary school, also good but we were last!!!!!
Sun: Walked back from vill in rain with veggies. Usual roast lunch with family
Mon: Picked up Marshallettes from T3 back from Aus. It was snowing. Body Pump after they went home, then coffee in vill with Mrs M. Snowed all day but it was slushy.
Tue: Spin in morning, then up to Caledonian Road to see a flat, yuk, back home for choir in evening.
Wed: Took G&N out for a nostalgia day around Kentish Town, amazing how much detail Granny remembers after over 80 years!
Thu: Spin, the helped G with new bed delivery. In evening up to London to have tea and drinks with Jon, then to see Privates on Parade:
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Simon Russell Beale was excellent, in fact all cast were good.
Tue: Spin in morning, then up to Caledonian Road to see a flat, yuk, back home for choir in evening.
Wed: Took G&N out for a nostalgia day around Kentish Town, amazing how much detail Granny remembers after over 80 years!
Thu: Spin, the helped G with new bed delivery. In evening up to London to have tea and drinks with Jon, then to see Privates on Parade:
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2 - 9 Feb
Sat: Bodypump for both of us at 8:30, good session through Cherry said I didn't do all the right postures! Weather sunny at last. "Popped" to Guildford to give G&N a day out. Used their Shopmobility electric assisted wheelchair, brilliant. Good value lunch at Loch Fyne.
Sun: Weather back to cloudy and cold. Managed 50 balls each at the driving range till hands froze, then coffee at Rootz, picked up G&N for Sunday roast lunch, and generally lazed around for the rest of the day. Played with re-arranging lounge, too much clutter to make much of difference!
Mon: Clear and sunny start to day, so ran (slowly) to WP and tried Body Conditioning class - easier than MetaFit, more like step/aerobics, but no weights like Body Pump. Jogged/walked back. V.nice in the sunshine, but then got cloudy as day progressed. Route (2.6km) :
Tue: Brompton into London to meet Mike S for pub lunch and hear how Investcorp is getting on...just the same it seems!!!! Went to Covent Garden to try and get cracked mug replaced, now have to plead lack of credit card voucher so I emailed a copy of my statement instead. On way over to Mayfair, got £30 fine for cycling on the pavement near Piccadilly!!!!!!! Silly - I could have stayed on the bus lane, but it said "bus only" so thought it wasn't allowed, moved onto an empty pavement apart from 2 ladies in blue anoraks hiding their yellow jackets who very nicely gave me a fixed penalty.
Back home backed a sultana and cherry cake, don't know what all the fuss and mystic is about cake making (maybe will when I taste it!):
Made Michel Roux's red onion, fennel & chilli tartin, fabulous:
Sun: Weather back to cloudy and cold. Managed 50 balls each at the driving range till hands froze, then coffee at Rootz, picked up G&N for Sunday roast lunch, and generally lazed around for the rest of the day. Played with re-arranging lounge, too much clutter to make much of difference!
Mon: Clear and sunny start to day, so ran (slowly) to WP and tried Body Conditioning class - easier than MetaFit, more like step/aerobics, but no weights like Body Pump. Jogged/walked back. V.nice in the sunshine, but then got cloudy as day progressed. Route (2.6km) :
Back home backed a sultana and cherry cake, don't know what all the fuss and mystic is about cake making (maybe will when I taste it!):
Wed: Took car to Toyota service and cycled back, 5.3 miles, it was very cold and my fingers got chilled. Not pleasant with the traffic and potholes and puddles, but nice to be out in the sun before it got overcast.
Better going back as its more downhill and I used our best SeakSkin gloves, but still chilly!. Cooked a lemon drizzle cake:
Yummy!
Walked down to vill for shopping, nice to be bundled up and warm in the cold wind.
Read Francis Report, I think it was too long and repetitive and not well structured. David Nicholson should resign, he has the leader at Staffs and then the NHS throughout all this, and as Francis says "its a truism that an organisations culture takes it from the leader". So how can Nicholson change the NHS culture? Its not that he would be a scapegoat and just getting rid of him would make it all right, but he was accountable for the disaster and the systemic culture, and implementing the recommendations would then be seen to be more likely without him than with him.
Thu: Sunny bit cold morning. Dr M was free in the morning, so we fitted in a driving range and 6 holes of golf, the I went to 'Abs Fab' and Metafit, which made me feel distinctly unfit. Overcast again. Popped G into Watford to pick up her new glasses in the afternoon. Baked a fruit loaf:
Out tonight to HHFT Consultants annual dinner at Buckinghamshire Golf Club Denham Village, hoping for the first red wine since Friday night (I've be restricting myself to two long drinks a night e.g. cinzano and soda, G&T, Pernod & water).
Fri: Well, as suspected, too much red wine last night. Up early to get lift with Dr M to Denham to pick up car. Then Granny hair etc. To T5 at 2pm to pick up Jon. In evening, out to Rex to see Life of Pi...yawn.
26 Jan - 1 Feb
Sat: Up to town to help Lulu look at flats around Clapham, the back home via Brent Cross, Tamarind Thai, and seeing Lincoln. A brilliant tour de force by Daniel Day Lewis, and very thought provoking film. Ok, its very wordy and little action, but thats what it was being a politician in a divided country.
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Made us want to read "Lincoln and his Rivals" on which it is based, a book I bought after Obama praised it, but have never got round to reading it!
Sun: BodyPump at gym in morning, first time for this class and it was good upper body toning. Its busy though and tends to get booked up early e.g. its already full for next Sunday. Golf driving range in afternoon. Lulu went back around 5pm.
Mon: Went in to Hillingdon with Dr M for Director of Nursing interviews, then cycled back at lunchtime. Fairly miserable with crappy bike lanes and gutters clogged with rubbish (from snow?), coolish and it started to rain after Denham. Anyway, 13 miles in 1 hour 10 mins.
then back into Uxbridge in evening for HHFT Governers meeting. back home at 8:30. And I don't get paid for this!
Tue: Spin & Metfit. Choir in evening.
Wed: Spin & Metafit - felt a bit damaged by Metafit, not sure I will continue this high impact, high intensity pseudo circuit training. Then attended HHFT Board meeting in afternoon.
Thu: First golf round, only time for 8 holes, 4 each and 62 strokes each!
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A bit breezy and the ground very waterlogged underfoot.
Alice came round to dinner, then we all went to Django Unchained. Excellent film, brilliant acting.
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19 - 25 Jan
Sat: Snow around. Spin at gym, coffee in Rootz, veg from J&J May. Very villagey.
Sun: Attempted circuits at gym, but "cancelled due to snow" huh? I got in why couldn't the instructor? So 45 mins in gym instead - rowing, cycling and situps. Pick up Lulu from T1 at 12:30.
Out to dinner at Peruvian restaurant in Canonbury for Henry's 23rd birthday. Weather wasn't too bad despite dire BBC warnings. Pisco Sours to start!
Took Lulu home to Clapham enroute to Darvells
Mon: BMW in for service in Watford, used the time to shop at Asda.
Tue: Stayed in for hot tub service call (new heater required), then took G to Amersham for hearing test.
Wed: Spin, then I tried metafit class - like old fashioned quick circuits or the "on the spot" canadian airforce exercises popular in the 50s & 60s. Felt useless at it and very stiff, so will try again!
Thu: Spin, then G duty (aborted Nigel meeting, glasses and Tescos). Out to Rootz for dinner with Mrs M - very nice.
Fri: G duty (hair,Nigel pickup and coffee) then metafit.
Sun: Attempted circuits at gym, but "cancelled due to snow" huh? I got in why couldn't the instructor? So 45 mins in gym instead - rowing, cycling and situps. Pick up Lulu from T1 at 12:30.
Out to dinner at Peruvian restaurant in Canonbury for Henry's 23rd birthday. Weather wasn't too bad despite dire BBC warnings. Pisco Sours to start!
Took Lulu home to Clapham enroute to Darvells
Mon: BMW in for service in Watford, used the time to shop at Asda.
Tue: Stayed in for hot tub service call (new heater required), then took G to Amersham for hearing test.
Wed: Spin, then I tried metafit class - like old fashioned quick circuits or the "on the spot" canadian airforce exercises popular in the 50s & 60s. Felt useless at it and very stiff, so will try again!
Thu: Spin, then G duty (aborted Nigel meeting, glasses and Tescos). Out to Rootz for dinner with Mrs M - very nice.
Fri: G duty (hair,Nigel pickup and coffee) then metafit.
13 - 18 Jan: Snow
Sun: as Jon missed Xmas, we had a rerun with the Marshallets over. "Such fun"
Mon: Clean up, take down Xmas decorations, pop to Brent Cross with Jon to buy suits etc. It snowed a bit but not really enough to settle.
Lance comes clean on taking drugs. I feel so let down. What a self justifying act. I'm tempted to throw away his books.
Tue: Took Jon to T5 to catch his flight to Kabul. Granny to Amersham Hospital for hearing test, but "computer wasn't working" so after a 30 mins wait we were told it would have to be rebooked. Amersham Hospital is a dead zone - lots of cars in the car park but noone in the hospital, bizarre.
Choir in evening - Haydn Te Deum and Beethoven Mass in C this term.
Wed: Led Mis at Watford Vue with G&N. Amazing spectacular, well worth braving the charm of Watford Vue.
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Thu: Spin, then 50 balls at driving range.
Fri: Snow as forecast, so predictably:
Mon: Clean up, take down Xmas decorations, pop to Brent Cross with Jon to buy suits etc. It snowed a bit but not really enough to settle.
Lance comes clean on taking drugs. I feel so let down. What a self justifying act. I'm tempted to throw away his books.
Tue: Took Jon to T5 to catch his flight to Kabul. Granny to Amersham Hospital for hearing test, but "computer wasn't working" so after a 30 mins wait we were told it would have to be rebooked. Amersham Hospital is a dead zone - lots of cars in the car park but noone in the hospital, bizarre.
Choir in evening - Haydn Te Deum and Beethoven Mass in C this term.
Wed: Led Mis at Watford Vue with G&N. Amazing spectacular, well worth braving the charm of Watford Vue.
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Thu: Spin, then 50 balls at driving range.
Fri: Snow as forecast, so predictably:
- schools dither over closing
- panic buying and supermarket shelves empty
- drivers crawl at 5mph on clear straight roads, then slow down on hills so skid when trying to get to top
5 - 12 Jan: Skiing
Its that time of year again. Off to Stansted to catch Austrian Airlines to Innsbruck, then coach transfer to Hotel Alpbacherhof. Picked up skis and boots, and then experienced the first swim in outside pool and saunas before great meal. Fabulous hotel.
Sunday was good skiing, Monday cloudy with snow, rubbish viz and tricky. Tue through Thu lovely and clear. snowed Thu night and fri morning so last skiing was tricky again.
Up early on Saturday to get back home around 10:30am.
Jon came back at 5 before he headed out again. We sorted ourselves out with washing etc.
Sunday was good skiing, Monday cloudy with snow, rubbish viz and tricky. Tue through Thu lovely and clear. snowed Thu night and fri morning so last skiing was tricky again.
Up early on Saturday to get back home around 10:30am.
Jon came back at 5 before he headed out again. We sorted ourselves out with washing etc.
1 - 4 Jan
Tue: Took G&N out to Radlett Savacentre to return M&S items. Exciting. Went to driving range again, both hit well considering.
Wed: Gym then driving range, still hitting well. William Penn are pathetic with failing to publish their new class timetable. Swimming pool is still closed "till 7th".
Thu: Took Nigel up to London - Selfridge's book store, Covent Garden LT Museum book store, Waterstones in Picadilly, then Hatchards.....do you detect a pattern?
He seemed to enjoy the underground trains and connections.
Fri: M&S with G&N to buy her a bed. Then excellent sandwich lunch at the Rose and Crown. Supper with G&P in evening followed by Silver Linings Playbook at Rex. It was OK, but not to my mind meriting the Oscar nominations its just had
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Wed: Gym then driving range, still hitting well. William Penn are pathetic with failing to publish their new class timetable. Swimming pool is still closed "till 7th".
Thu: Took Nigel up to London - Selfridge's book store, Covent Garden LT Museum book store, Waterstones in Picadilly, then Hatchards.....do you detect a pattern?
Fri: M&S with G&N to buy her a bed. Then excellent sandwich lunch at the Rose and Crown. Supper with G&P in evening followed by Silver Linings Playbook at Rex. It was OK, but not to my mind meriting the Oscar nominations its just had
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