Tuesday and I am awake early after a poor night. I check my social media and emails and get up to a coffee. I pack my gym bag and set off. This is a result of yesterday’s conversations about varying my exercise and making an effort to have a less sedentary life style. I arrive at the gym already in my gym gear and head for the gym floor and a cross trainer. I am being cautious and set the machine to do half an hour at level 11. After 35 minutes I have shed 361 calories (not as efficient as the rower) and gone 3.63 kilometers. Having worked my legs I work my way across the upper body gym machines till I can do no more. I retreat to the warm showers and have a long and free shower. In the lounge I have coffee and a bacon and egg roll as I check my phone. The friend I was going to have coffee with in the afternoon can not make it so I have the afternoon free again.
On the drive home I fill the car and check the tyres, so that’s done for Christmas now. Once home I put the recycling bin out and have another coffee. A friend messages me to say that she and one of her daughters are seeking refuge in the local library as builders continue to make their home difficult to cook in. It would seem these builders are confirming the stereotype of being shaky on project planning and deadline meeting. I unpack my kit and then retreat to the Shed filling the squirrel feeder as I go. I write a couple of brief letters and then try to write the poem that was trying to get out while I was on the cross trainer. There are moments when things come but allude being put into words straight away. I finally get the thing down and in a form that feels right. The music was loud in my head so the poem should be to. I might give it to next months Stanza meeting to talk bollox over. Halfisch means shark in German.
AS I PRESS ONE FOOT AFTER ANOTHER IN THE GYM I SENSE THE RHYTHM THAT TOOK ME, MARATHONED ME AND TOLD ME YOU’RE ALIVE. I REACH FOR THAT FEELING LIKE A LOVERS ARMS AROUND ME, I NEED SALVATION AS I FIGHT TO STAY ALIVE. I STRIDE ON RAMMSTEIN LOUD IN MY EARS HALFISCH HALFISCH HALFISCH DRIVING ME PERPETUALLY MOVING TO STAY ALIVE, I AM AFRAID IN THIS STRUGGLE. HALFISCH HALFISCH HALFISCH IN DER TIEFE ES EINSAM IN THE DEEP IT IS LONELY SO DIE TRANEN SIEHT MAN NICHT SO NO ONE CAN SEE THE TEARS.
I clear the Shed and return to the house before popping over to the post office to send my letters. I have no idea when they will arrive with the state of the post as it is at the moment. As I return an Amazon man delivers several packages, one of which is for me. I whisk away my package and immediately wrap the contents for Christmas. I am still waiting for one important present to arrive but as it is coming from America I am not holding out much hope of getting it by Christmas. It was supposed to be here by today. I settle down to write the blog as my partner finishes work for the day not feeling well. We eat early and ease ourselves into the evening which will be short as we both need to get some much needed rest.
