December

I still don't know if the wrist (or scaphoid) is actually broken.  Three trips to the hospital have led only to a 'it might be broken' so I am off for an MRI scan on 21 Jan, by which time it will have probably healed anyway.

It has also become the scapegoat for my total lack of exercise in December.  I am seriously above fighting weight.  But I have a plan - as soon as the wrist can take weight I begin the Insanity workout (more on that another day).  If I can't start that on 1 Jan, I will run until I can.  I will make Easter my target to get to fighting weight and strength.

So here is a bit of a photo dump of recent weeks:

I don't like concerts

We went to see The Killers and The Black Keys, both at the O2.  They were great and 'smashed it'.  Except, I can't say I enjoyed them all that much.  Maybe something to do with not liking people much. I just can't seem to get into it.

The Killers

Enthralled

Berlin

We had a long weekend away in Berlin.  Boy, city breaks are expensive, but it was a nice break.  Its a bleak city, but interesting, and has much Gluwein (mulled wine).

The Berlin Wall. And Holly

Checkpoint Charlie

The Michel Burger Hotel bar - good place to stay

Outside the Reichstag

Currywurst and chips - an odd and quite crap German fast food dish

I like whisky!

After much perseverance, I can officially announce I like whisky.  I currently have four on the go and they are all mighty fine.  Thanks goes out to Mike C for buying me an Old Pulteney and my Gran for picking up a rather fine 18 year old Glenfiddich when she meant to get the younger and much cheaper version.  I also have a 10-year-old Talisker and a Laphroaig Quarter Cask.  Should do me for a while!

Contentment in a glass

Look at the bottles, not the eyes

The First Xmas

...in the new house.  Holly aced the xmas dinner on her first attempt and still had time to bake a cake and make truffles. Mad skillz.

Holly's lunch (I carved)

Holly's cake (I gorged)

Its now nearly 7pm, which means beer o'clock - gotta get it all in before 1 Jan!

Hope you all had a great Christmas.

When the git got going the going mashed him up

Over the last week I have finally, at long last, got back into some semblance of training.  Three sessions down the wall had me go from very bad to very bad but with some hope.  I did two sessions in the outhouse, mainly swinging kettlebells about as the wall is too hard at the mo.  So fitness is through the floor but at least I was on the road to redemption.

Then, on one of the first cold mornings of the winter, on a quiet cul-de-sac, the bike went from under me on a patch of ice and the mighty Harvey Right Hand Scaphoid was fractured.  Note: I still cycled another nine miles to work and 11 home.  Also note: this may not have been wise.

Me is woed

At least they think it is fractured.  With the low blood flow that the scaphoid (small bone at base of thumb) gets, if in doubt they whack a cast on it.  One doesn't want to suffer from avascular necrosis does one? (nurse looked impressed when I mentioned this). So I will be having another x ray on Tuesday, when healing will be visible if it is indeed fracture.  Then the cast stays on another five weeks.  If its not, it is just a horrendous sprain, the cast comes off and I am still stuffed.

Typing is actually quite painful

So at least a month of running and core work and not using my brand new and very expensive home wall.  But tonight, beer and whisky.

Keep it real folks.

The beginning of the beginning

I finally tried out the wall!  And I saw that it was good.  I can be confident it is also very well future proofed as I can't actually string together a route in my weakened state. But I did enjoy it at least.

I also have a heater on a timer set up so the wall will be a nice temperature for my arrival after work, just as soon as we fix the electrics. And a stereo - this room is badass.

Today I weighed even more that earlier in the week, despite eating salads and trying this new Intermittent Fasting thing (watch this: Eat, Fast and Live Longer - Horizon ).  It really hasn't been very hard so far.

You will only ever see me climb sans t-shirt on my own wall in my own home, never in public. Enjoy.

An all time record?

I seem to weigh 78.4kgs.  This is not good.  But I did run yesterday and gym today (managing another record of four pull-ups (sets of, I could have easily done more...)).  Anyway, at least it has begun.

An old man's rant

Since buying the house, we have spent a lot (or to put it another way, everything) on kitting it out.  What has struck me about the world of home wares and furnishings is the number of orders that companies have stuffed up in one way or another.  The current tally is below, and excluding the £400ish bed, the mistakes have cost the companies a total of £340 directly, plus expenses like admin and more postage.  I know these a big companies are shipping an awful lot compared to buying climbing gear – but I don’t think I have ever had a climbing or cycling order botched like this.  And you would think big companies work to even tighter margins where efficiency is critical.

Virgin - faulty phone line - £6 refund

Made - damaged shelves - £100 credit

Made - damaged desk - £120 credit

Made - missed delivery - £45 postage refund

Achica - wrong colour coffee machine - £15 refund

Achica - colour bled on bath mat - £9 refund

Fab - damaged picture – awaiting reply

Furniture Village - damaged bed – replacement

Pixmania – dented toaster - £45 refund

Some random cable shop – wrong HDMI cables – replacement

Anyway, despite my moaning, I am pretty glad most of these occurred as its worked in our favour (just as soon as Made get some decent lamps in stock!).

Well, that warrants a replacement

If you squint, it looks a little like 'titanium grey'

This came very well packaged, yet still...

The Epic Post of Wall

This may be a bit boring if you don't have an interest in climbing walls, or DIY, or structural engineering (I'd like to think) or squirrels...

Testing the roof

...looks solid....

The materials arrive

Replacing the insulation between the joists

Lazy man's kickboard

Going for approx a 40 degree overhang

Seems to be strong enough

Support for shelving

Anchors for the pull-up bar

The ply

POWER TOOLS (thanks Lee!)

James was recruited to drill 807 holes

...and then hammer in the t-nuts

Sir Roger Banister, our audacious squirrel

The first of my home-made holds

We even have a crack machine

A splash of colour

The matting - thanks to the new south London wall 'The White Spider' who gave me this gratis

We found him under our floorboards so cleaned him up and promoted him to the role of SOS

A late addition - another board for SOSs, inc. socket protection

The finished article

All in all, about six or seven full days works.  I am quite chuffed.