Does my bum look big in this

I realise that over the last two weeks I have been a bad blogger - a very bad blogger indeed.

In my own defense, it was Easter - and I have actually been spending loads of time with my exercise bike.

Training began in earnest when my over-honest (just) four year old said "Mummy, you're fat". Full marks for observation, son.

In goes knife: "fatter than a house - your bottom's the biggest bottom in the world, mummy."
Small child runs off sniggering!

So I've geared up the training, and even though the weight doesn't seem to be coming off (must be hormones?) my stomach muscles are pulling (I hadn't expected that to happen!) and my leg muscles (top of legs) are definitely doing something.

I inwardly laughed the other day when a VERY fit young man (Early 20s) told me he's cycled 30 miles and he was sweating so he thought he'd got the wrong kind of bike to do the ride. I put it down to beauty not brains - I mean, 30 miles! Just an hour of solid cycling on the bike is bringing me out in a very rosy glow!

It's my birthday next week, so have again put in an order for cycling shorts.

And I've signed up for Rosemary Conley classes (As an aside, I can't bear the confessional tone of WeightWatchers. "I confess I had an extra glass of wine" - it just makes me want to snigger and cheat just so that I can make a shocking confession to see the looks on their faces. (Does this make me an evil person?) At least Rosemary Conley is based on some common sense - fill your tank up with calories and anything you don't burn off will be stored as fat - so get burnin'.)

Next weekend is the Action 100 riders party. To celebrate 25 fantastic years, the party is primarily for the cycling fundraisers to recognise the achievements of riders past and present, as well as looking forward to future successes for the charity. Guests of honour will include Lewis Coghlin, Head of Fundraising for Action Medical Research, and Mike Pope, an inspirational above-the-knee amputee who completed the ride in 2004 with his specially designed artificial leg.

So I now have just a week to get myself sylph-like and fit enough to cycle along the tow path to the venue: I just love an impossible challenge!

PS Now have over £70 of online sponsorship and a further £40 offline, without even having asked yet!

PPS Squeak croaked! (See previous entried ref mouse in office)

'fessing to the parents

Started letting family know I'm 'IN' - has been the root of much riebald commentary and amusement.

Father sent email:

Barmy one
you can borrow my waterbottle and vaseline
Dad

For someone who's communication with me is normally limited to (phone) "I'll get your mother" unless the subject of HIS grandchildren arises (note, his grandchildren, not my children), this is ground breaking progress!

There may be some hidden benefits to undertaking this ride after all. Just don't let him start of the subject of chaffing.... not sure this is great father/daughter bonding matter.

Squeak

No - it's not my bones. Temporarily out of action due to a football injury so there's not a peep coming from my cycle or cycling machine at present!

But we do have a new addition to the office team, which in the absence of any cycling advances may be amusing in a kind of 'passing interest' way.

A small mouse. And his mates.

We knew there were a few mice in the building - it's an old building, but as they hadn't appeared in our office we were tolerant and even quite endeared. My children named him Mickey, but then decided that as he wasn't balck and white he should be called Squeak. And 'he' was confined to the coridoor.

But when I came into the office yesterday Nicci was looking flustered and pointed to the bin. Squeak (or one of his friends - I'm not naive enough to believe that mice come in ones!) was gymnastically balanced going through whatever crumbs he might be able to find.

We hatched a plan - Operation Squeak Extraction was on. I grabbed rubber gloves. Nicci grabbed a cardboard box. The box sealed him in and I lifted him out to the car park - it was kinder than extermination. Only it wasn't. We're no match for the nible footed Squeak who managed, somehow, to escape.

Having followed the debates in 'Computing' about which colour wires mice prefer, we are now on red alert and can't allow Squeak to stay put. The site manager has called in pest control.

And I feel oh so cruel, arranging the extermnination of a tiny furry creature.

How does cycling 100 miles for charity sound as penance?

Can now be sponsored online

My online sponsorship form is now up and live.

The money is going to one of the best causes imaginable: Action Medical Research genuinely touches hundreds of lives, every day.

You know the sugar cube you got when you were a child - they helped initiate that.
Take a look at their website: http://www.action.org.uk/

It's going to be a long and painful 100 mile challenge - I'd like to make it worthwhile, so if you can sponsor me - thanks!

There's a link in the sidebar on this site. (And don't forget that if you click on the google ads on this page, money also goes to the charity.)

Thanks for your help!

Ouch and words of wisdom

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

Got to the weekend feeling very smug that my cycling (albeit on an indoor exercise bike) was causing me no pain.

'Tis true: pride does come before a fall. Expecting the front of my legs to hurt like billio was just plain wrong. It's my butt! Come Saturday I was walking like John Wayne.

And just as I started to recover, bam!

Kids in car, ready to take mine plus few other wisecrack six year olds off to an Easter Holiday football course, I kick a football wearing high heels. Not clever. Ankle goes over and gives out. It was as much as I could do not to swear in front of a car full of flapping ears.

I know to my expense that anything I say will be repeated, especially if they think they shouldn't.

In fact (and this has nothing to with the ride, but hell, I'm not getting on a bike for a few days at least) I spent a sleeples and tormented night a few weeks back after being called in to see my six-year old's teacher on 'a disciplinary issue'. I had visions of him having beaten up a smaller child, or tearing up books in a tantrum.

His grand offence was say the word 'bugger' - and then deny it. Does laughing with relief make me a pants parent? (I know I should take it seriously, especially the fibbing bit but I can't articulate the sheer relief.)

Anyway, am expecting the article on Brenda Dickinson, the lady who started the Action 100 bike ride to appear on Friday.

And am now properly registered to do the ride - my debit card didn't go through originally as the form didn't have an issue number on it, which is apparaently par for the course when submitting lots of financial information on a single piece of paper - has made me quite nervy (quite rightly) about filling in other forms to go through the post ever since.

And I've applied for an online sponsorship form, so watch this space for financial requests. (Please read whilst feeling drunk and full of goodwill towards the whole world - I'm sure I was when I signed up!)

So whilst my fitness may not be heading in the right direction, at least other things are!