A bit of everything

Weather: Blue sky, springlike even at -13 deg C
Activity: Very little due to affliction. I did make a cup of tea. Does that count?
Todays Tune: Eddie Izzard and Pavlovs cats
Comment: Always soak your Linseeds

I woke this morning at 7am knowing full well I wasn't going to be cycling or running or swimming or *insert other form of activity* to work as I knew I had to rest my leg. I was prepared for that. What I wasn't prepared for was the pain when I swung my leg out of bed and stood up. Getting down stairs was a slow process and walking the mile to the bus was even slower. I also wasn't prepared to wait for over an hour again for the bus - the first of which (due at 0819) didn't show, the second (due at 0844) also didn't show and the next (due at 0903) arrived 10 minutes late by which time, in -13 C temps this morning, I was frozen. I arrived at work exactly the same time as The Boss who no, hadn't got my text about my travel issues and was understandably pissed off at me as I stood, keys in hand, outside a closed shop at 9.35am when its supposed to be open at 9am.

The Boss had been remarkably understanding about previous travel issues during the bad snow when the buses didn't turn up for days on end but this I think, was the final straw. I'm kind of in two minds about the whole thing. On one hand I feel guilty because yes, I'm late and I open up and they've potentially lost 35 minutes of sales (not a lot...but every penny counts). On the other hand, its not my fault. I don't have a working vehicle and anyway, even if I could afford to fix it (I can't), I choose to cycle to work for environmental and health/fitness/financial reasons and on the rare occasions I don't/can't due to weather or illness, I have to rely on an expensive bus service along with 30 other commuters. But I feel the pressure (non-verbalised) is on me to have my car fixed and have it on standby, taxed and MOT'd ready to use on the 2 times a month that I maybe need to use it and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I've now arranged to lift share on those odd occasions with our very kind Chemist so hopefully this issue is a thing of the past anyway. Unless I have to catch a bus on the days he's not working :)

My friend Sue took me for coffee after work at our favourite tearoom. We like it as they hate us and try to make us sit in a dingy corner at a minuscule postage stamp sized table and so, we rebel and sit next to the window taking up a full 6 seater table. Woo, rebellion...er...yes. I like our weekly coffees, not only for the fact that I get to spend time with Sue and to eat the stickiest, gooiest thing I can find on the sweet trolley but also because its a cathartic ranting and hysterical giggling opportunity. And we take full advantage of it.

Today's session highlight was me showing Sue my new iphones' magical GPS qualities and inadvertently activating the ipod bit of it at the same time. I couldn't get the damn thing to shut up and so for a full 4 minutes - while I frantically pressed and slid my fingers across the screen, died a thousand deaths and tried to muffle it between my thighs - the rest of the tearoom (very full) was treated to A-Ha (I'm in my Morten Harket revivalist period). I could feel the daggers in my back from the 20 eighty year old women in Granny coats with cakes on their heads tutting and glaring and Sue did nothing to help by just falling off her seat laughing.

One day we will be asked to leave.

The walk home from the bus stop was even slower and now my gait resembles the hunchback of Notre Dame dragging his useless leg behind him. I'm well aware that I sound like a moaning, whining hypochondriac (perhaps because there is an element of truth in that :)  but actually I am remaining resolutely cheerful about the whole situation. Its not the end of the world. No its not. No really....I knew I would get an injury at some point and this won't be the last time so I am doing exactly as the sports physio has said (a friend is one) and in the meantime getting through all the paperwork and DVD watching and office-setting-up that I never get round to normally because I'm out Doing Something. My new 'office', which is upstairs, has phone, internet, books, comfy bed, a months worth of books, maps and DVDs. Its like being in student digs again. I feel the need to drink gallons of cheap cider and stock up on baked beans whilst reading Proust and theorising on Incredibly Serious Things ;)

I'm also permanently plugged into my ipod/phone with Eddie Izzards 'Glorious' and 'Definite Article' on. Laughter is the best medicine and at this rate, I'll be cured by midnight.