Friday,and its a day of no work so I can choose what I do, which is a real luxury. The day starts with a muesli breakfast and the ritualistic filing of my medicines boxes. I have two identical ones now so that I can stay a week ahead. It means that if I travel or go away I can always carry a spare supply with me conveniently. To be frank when I write my blog a day late like this Friday I have to sit and think about what I actually did the day before . I check my phone to see when people called me which acts as an aide memoir. It is a sad comment on how little attention I pay to much of my life or how forgettable so much of my routine life actually is. I tend to remember thematic events, for example I know that I did a lot of washing so that by the end of the day all my clothes were clean, dry and stored away and that I wrote a letter. I always remember when I have written letters because it means I have been in my Shed. In particular yesterday sticks in my mind because of how inky my hands got using a new pen nib holder and aubergine drawing ink. Although I remember that part of my morning, before the luxury of my Shed, was given to me giving my eldest daughter a lift into town so that she could go to the gym and to her circus skills session. Most of my morning was spent in the Shed writing letters. My lunchtime was spent with my partner eating and doing the days crossword puzzles before taking a call from a friend. There was the inevitable short walk to the post box and the wander round the garden taking pictures. This time was prompted by a butterfly resting on the lounge window ledge.
At some point my partner went to the hairdresser and I went to the garage to train in the garage. I gave myself an hour at a reasonable resistance. I tried to use my aerobic training mask but I could only mange a couple of minutes with it as the effort was so great. This is a new challenge, I need to be able to get back to being able to start a session with a ten minute slot of using the mask. Its good for my lung capacity. It was a hard session as my stomach is still sore from Mondays injection. I have a sore area on my stomach at the injection site and a noticeable lump under the skin that is uncomfortable. It is eases over time as the depo injection disperses but it is usually less sore at this stage of the week.
Metres 
Time & Calories
By the time I am out of the bath and my partner has returned from the hairdresser no one can be arsed to cook so we order in Indian and watch a film together followed by a new series on channel 5. Its all escapist stuff before going off to bed having, in an act of great will, cleared he kitchen and put the dishwasher on. I go to bed feeling word itchy. Not only have I not written the blog but I have poems washing around inside me. The wine gum hangover one just won’t materialise and now I have a new one sitting in there fermenting. This one is about the silence and the rage of Autumn, the vulnerability of survival and the distance of spring, but it too eludes me at the moment.
Saturday and I am up early and write yesterdays blog with a cup of coffee before taking my partner a drink. Today is big. There is a new carer looking after my partners mother, so that is a visit to be made and there are new tyres for my car to be fitted at some point. My guess is that other stuff is going to crop up as well it always does. We eat a bacon bagel breakfast and clear the decks for the day. No sooner had I finished breakfast than the door bell rang and Mr Kwikfit was introducing himself. I move my car to a quiet adjacent road and leave Mr Kwikfit to get on with the tyre fitting. It takes him less than an hour before he’s at my door handing me my keys. I retrieve my car and feel relief that I have new tyres for the coming winter and travels. I watch the early day football match keeping one eye on the Amazon site to see when my books are going to arrive. What does arrive in the post is a blood form for my next oncology appointment, but no date for the appointment. I guess it will turn up sooner or later.
By the time my partner returns the match is over and I am just finishing clearing the garage work bench so that I can use it in future to mend some things that have in bags of pieces. By the time its all done my new books have arrived. These books are written by the three tutors on the residential writing course that we are booked on in November. They look to be an interesting mixture. One of them comes with a warning about content. I do not remember any one at Don Giovani popping out before hand to warn those of a nervous disposition that the opening scenes include rape, murder and seduction. Any way I think I am in for some interesting new poetry and perhaps some new fiction.
As I said it looks like I am going to be introduced to some new authors over the next few weeks. I have to say I am looking forward to meeting the authors in person and being tutored by them. Apparently they read some of their own work as part of the experience. I wonder how the context will be set. So having given them a first look and found that the mighty Brentford had got an away draw this week, I headed to the garage to do a short but rugged training session on the rower. In a full hardy moment I set the resistance to maximum and go for it as it is a training rest day tomorrow. Result! I row a personal best for the level.
Time & Calories 
Metres
I recover in time to eat chicken fajitas and then flop on the sofa to continue to write the blog I started this morning. The rest of my evening will be a film, perhaps some football highlights but definitely some new poetry.
