I haven’t been to the garden for some time, primarily due to the poor weather.
However, my clematis has flowered which is quite impressive for a 99p plant which looked half dead when I bought it.
The potatoes should be about ready for digging but nothing else grew. Not surprising really given the late planting and very dry conditions over the growing season.
More pressing is the matter of the paving flags. It seems that some lovely lads decided to try knicking the flags. Fortunately they were disturbed and did a runner but not before stacking most of the path in a pile next to the gate. The next job for the garden is therefore to re-lay the paths.
I am hoping to go this Sunday (9th) and will hopefully get things sorted in a day.
Stay posted.
Wow, it’s been a long time since my last post but a LOT has happened.
I attended the recruitment presentation in August and started the ball rolling with the paperwork. Two weeks later I took the AST (airman selection test) and two weeks after that went for my interview and medical.
All stages so far passed and it is looking good.
Final part of the application/selection process was the fitness test. This was the moment when I would find out if all my hard work had paid off. Three months of running, cycling, rowing and jumping around in front of the telly with the wii have resulted in me being two stone lighter and a lot fillter than I have ever been. But is it enough for the RAuxAF.
Only one way to find out…the dreaded bleep test!
I needed an 8.09 to pass and manged a 9.01. Woohoo! Spured on by this I flew past the minimum requirements for press-ups and sit-ups which meant I have passed the final test!
After some snap (egg mayo butty and a pot of tea) I swore my oath to the Queen (attestation) and am now a serving member of the Royal Auxilliary Air Force!
It turns out that if you want it enough you can go from couch potato to regiment gunner in 13 weeks.
Next step is Pre BRT which starts on 28th October so I need to keep up the pressure on my fitness. For now though it is time to take a weekend off and celebrate a job well done!
My seedlings aren’t growing. Not a carrot or swede in sight. On the plus side the spuds are coming up a treat and the clematis on the arch is still alive.
I will need to get some more weedkiller as the stuff I put down appears to have fed them rather than killing the damn things off. If I don’t get rid of them soon I will have to dig the paths off again!
I had to cut todays training session short for the first time. Part way into the 20 minute run (rowing machine session) I got cramp at the back of my right leg. I have not experienced this before (during training) but suspect it may be due to not warming up properly. A word of advice – WARM UP!
Todays drama aside I am happy with my progress. In an ideal world we would have had less rainy mornings so I could get out and run instead of using the rower but exercise is exercise and I feel good for it.
Just need to book in at the docs now to get my nose sorted and things should be hunky dory.
For the past few weeks I have been responsible for looking after a garden. This is a relatively new hobby of mine but is one which I very much enjoy.
The garden in question belongs to an elderly lady who, despite many years of lovingly tending the veg and flower beds, has decided that the garden is too much for her. She has kindly allowed me to take over the garden so that I may indulge my hobby.
I have so far dug cleared the paths of weeds, dug over two of the three veggie patches and sown some carrots, swede and potatoes. The latter are doing well but the carrots and swede have barely put in a show. Although they have only been sown for a little over two weeks I expect the limited sprouting is due in part to the dry weather. Hopefully this weekend will help remedy that.
There is still a veggie patch for me to dig over and few flower beds which also need weeding and planting. I also have around 30 bags of rubbish to take to the tip at some point.
Lots of work still to do!
Today I ordered some cycling shorts and a helmet ready to take the bike out on Monday for a spin. Undecided whether to go after work or head out early morning. I have an assignment due in next week so it would be a good idea to keep my evenings free.
Anyway, I am feeling pretty good about myself at the moment. I have kept up with the exercise routine with the exception of the timed runs. This is as much to do with not having a suitable watch as it is with not wanting to push myself too hard too soon. Give me a couple of weeks and I will be doing the times.
I also intend to get to the doctors this week to see about my nose. I have been having some difficulty breathing when running and suspect there may be a sinus problem. Hopefully it will be sorted in time for the recruitment presentation.
Since the last update I am now the owner of a pair of running shoes, which I have actually used for running!
Two early morning runs to be exact. I can’t describe how good it feels to get back from a run first thing in the morning, hop in the shower and sit down for brekkie. Okay so I have only been twice and both times was only about a mile but it is a start.
I have also dug out my old mountain bike. Nothing fancy, just the 10 speed that’s been gathering dust in my dad’s garage for the last 18 years or so. I will be going out on this soon and will hopefully be using it to get to work in a couple of weeks.
Overall I am sticking to the exercise routine and feel good. I feel more energised (although the early starts are catching up with me now) and focussed. I have also lost weight and my legs and upper body are more toned.
Can’t wait to see what I am like in another 4 and half weeks!
It has been a tough day today. The muscles were tight this morning particularly in the shoulders and we had a wagon to unload at work.
After 3 and half hours hand-balling 100kg bails around I am stiff everywhere (almost) and starting to ache. I am also tired, although this is probably due in part to waking up at 5:15am this morning for some strange reason (half six normally). Still, I have todays training to do and I am determined not to miss a day so 15 press-ups, 20 sit-ups and 20 minutes on the rower here I come!
Ok, so I applied to join the Royal Auxillary Air Force (RAuxAF), also known as the RAF Reserves. However, having done so it occurred to me that I am not exactly fit and that some serious training will be needed if I am to succeed.
Roll on the training blog.
I am due to attend a recruitment day on the 20th of August so the target date is set.
So what exercise routine am I going to use? Well, there is a RAF fitness guide with training plans for different roles, so I will be using the ‘Gunner’ plan. Primarily because it is the role I have applied for, but it also happens to be the easiest for me to follow.
Basically I will be doing pressups, situps and running/cycling 6 days a week. I will be supplementing this with the rowing machine and wii in order to make it a little more intersting and to allow for bad weather at training times.
I am already on day 3 of the plan and already I feel more toned and healthier. I am optimistic about the end result.
Stay tuned for updates as my training prgresses.
After spending many minutes wondering what to do with this domain name I have made the decission to start a blog.
Yep, I intend to add yet more totally pointless twaddle to the ever expanding pile of crap that is gradually engulfing the internet.
There is, of course, an outside chance that there will be some useful information to be found in this site at some point, however, I wouldn’t expect too much if I were you. Still, you may want to stick around, or at least check back from time to time, because when everyone else is talking about this blog you really don’t want to be left out in the cold.