It was too wet to go out….

Just like Dr Suess’ “The Cat in the Hat”, the rain was awful this morning and I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t face three hours of ‘damp’ running. With a sense of irony, the kittens were equally as displeased, but that is academic as they are not allowed out at the moment anyway

All we could do was to sit, sit, sit, sit!

I had planned to get out earlyish and do 22 miles or so, but the greyness and dampness of the outside put me off from the moment I woke up this morning – note to self: It’s not always sunny outside so get real, and don’t be such a woos.

As an alternative, I decided to get down to the gym to at least try to use the indoor facilities for a long run, although the thought of 20 miles or so on a treadmill wasn’t that appealing either. Perhaps that is the difference between ordinary mortals like myself and the superhuman elite ultra runners; they are far more likely to train wherever, whatever!

Having confirmed my London membership would allow me access to the Guildford Virgin Active gym, I ran through the rain as little as I could to the car.

Constantia Uitsig

A new gym is always an unnerving experience but I have to say the staff we very helpful and courteous, so full marks to them in that respect. The different gym equipment is a different matter though. On the occasions that I have used a treadmill recently, I have been spoilt with screens showing a selection of satellite channels, but no such luck here. The screens they did have, although large, were a good thirty feet away, and the selection was premiership football (no), Holyoaks omnibus (errr, no!) or the BBC news (ok, but not for long as David Cameron is on). This was going to be a difficult session. In the end although I managed to figure out how to get the thing to give me more than a 60 minute programme, I was bored after 10 miles, so called it a day and then did some physio exercises, which I felt would at least make the session worthwhile. I still felt a bit grumpy that I hadn’t done my distance though.

It was still tipping it down on my journey home, but I was joined shortly after my arrival by Liz, dad and the others, who had all been to St Nicolas’ church, which luckily is only a couple of hundred yards down the road.

In her previous life, i.e. pre-England, pre-children and pre-me, Liz had worked in Cape Town at a place called Constantia Uitsig, where she had entertained the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Michael Caine, and as a treat she had decided to make a dish for our Sunday meal from a recipe book we have from the restaurant, a slow roasted shoulder of lamb with rosemary and garlic or Abbacchio alla Toscana. We didn’t include the garlic this time, as dad is not keen on the after effects, but did serve it with the recommended spinach, almonds and raisins.

It was delicious

After lunch the sun came out and with another serving of Eton mess, or simple meringue and cream, for those that wanted it, the afternoon was complete.