NOVEMBER

Sunday 1st November 2020

 

Good to read first half of Life Mask by Jackie Kay today. I like her Maw/Paw Broon monologue. Red pepper and lentil soup for dinner. Should be okay in this bubble for a month. Not so great for retail, hospitality and live entertainment industry. How far through 2021 before financial ruin? Jenni got all her domestic non-food stuff from Home Bargains for the winter. I wanted a new pair of trainers but only bought two carrots, some broccoli and a dish brush. This evening we had a big pie and veg dinner. Saw a brilliant film adaptation of Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry. I enjoyed the caustic wit of the angry out of work poet sent to the country to investigate the strange healing powers of his godson. The film had a similar appeal to that of ‘Withnail and I’, also reminded me a bit of ‘Peter’s Friends’. Listened to some Tom Lehrer songs. ‘I hold your hand in mine’ is a great bit of black comedy. I had a big bowl of porridge. I hope the weather is a bit calmer for the ride home tomorrow. 11.28pm.

 

 

Monday 2nd November 2020

 

Good to chat to Jenni first thing. Fluffed morning pages coz I’m a bit slack at present. I want a new bike. Nearly all the ones I like are well over a grand or just not much different from my 2006 Rockhopper kitted out with rigid forks. Got home after a muddy bit of Beamish and long stretch of tarmac. Jenni had a trip to the Metro Centre’s Hamley’s pop up shop. I typed up stuff for students and a lesson plan. Newsnight is lockdown. It’s not a proper lockdown. Kids can go to school. People can go to work. Pro sports are taking place. I forgot to wash some smalls and will do them in the morning or on Wednesday. I need to avoid bike sites for a few days. I need about fifteen hundred quid. 11.07pm.

 

 

Tuesday 3rd November 2020

 

Nephew Kyle told me Boyes in Consett is staying open during the so-called lockdown. I’ll be able to buy thermals, thread, Christmas cards, bike inner tubes, novels, stationery, kitchenware, medicine, book cloth, beanies and microwave steam bags. Won’t have to stock up on anything. Session at Waddy was fine: A2Z story, Rispetto poem, Chai Latte freewrite. Good to give feedback to writers. Good to be able to give/take papers. Nice to chat to Steve Wakefield and Sam Mason about lockdown and next year. Good to see Ali, Craig and Peter. Bus rides okay but still hate masks. Brand new one stank after twenty minutes. Tonight, I had a spicy bean burger and chips. Replaced BBC news with bike vids. Good online chat with Tony Gadd about bikes. Watched Steve Potts videos – legendary Californian frame builder. Keep reading up on bikepacking / trail bikes. Ordered a copy of Singletrack magazine. Took tablets for aching shoulder. I should be in bed now. 11.43pm.

 

 

Wednesday 4th November 2020

 

Nice walk to Consett this morning. Warmer than anticipated. Needn’t have bothered with the coat. Got a new pair of trainers. The ones I bought in 2011 are just about ready for the bin – almost worn through soles and splits in the sides, but they served me well on the bike and longboard. I got the last pair of size tens in the bargain sportswear shop. Grey and black to match my bike helmet and clothes. A tenner. Bought a couple more boxes of McVities special selection biscuits. Inadvertently purchased two tins of rare Bone Broth in Barry’s Bargain Superstore, thinking it was red pepper and lentil. This afternoon I cleaned the Rockhopper bike, photographed it and compared geometry with various other rigid bikes I’ve been eyeing for some time. To be honest, I don’t think any of them are so dramatically different that I need to upgrade in a hurry. On most, the fork crown to top of tyre distance is as much as on my bike. So besides 27.5-inch wheels over 26-inch, not much to go for with an upgrade. I keep checking components online. A lot of stuff is out of stock. Maybe I will have saved up enough money for a new rig by the time things start moving post-Covid. Meanwhile, spoilt Tango brat is threatening legal action coz the election vote doesn’t seem to guarantee him the victory he thinks he deserves. John Lydon is seriously misguided. 11.41pm.

 

 

Thursday 5th November 2020

 

Forgot we are in Lockdown when I woke up. Made no difference. Haven’t been outside, probably won’t be out tomorrow either. Furlough scheme is being extended till next March. Bank of England has created 150 billion pounds to prop up the economy. Yay! How do they create it? Do they type a number into a bank account? I looked at Surly Bridge Club bike today. The cheapest in the range. It’s probably not the right bike for my needs. I think I need the Karate Monkey. I should stop blathering on about it. I’ve had too much chocolate today. I had a bowel movement for the first time in over sixty hours. Been at the computer nearly all day. Listened to a lot of great Joan Armatrading songs. Watched Newsnight. Mainly American election. 45 is about to give a speech so I’ve got News 24 on. Want to see the meltdown before ‘it’ crawls under a fucking stone. I am quite warm, but my feet are cold. Some long cold nights ahead. 11.38pm.

 

 

Friday 6th November 2020

 

Can’t remember what I did today. But very chuffed to get a copy of Singletrack mag delivered this morning. Easily better than any other bike mag in a long while. Hardly any adverts, hardly any full-on product pushing. Mainly just articles about biking in great locations. Fantastic pix and well-written pieces. Only read a few articles so far but well chuffed to get it. Heard from Jenni about Xmas logistics. Did some copy-ups this afternoon. Watched a few BBC4 Annie Nightingale programmes this evening. Lots of punk and new wave. Been catching bits of the news. How did Trump even get elected the first time? The Clash are on. I never really warmed to them. Nothing wrong with them, maybe I just missed the boat. Souxsie, The Damned, The Skids, Elton John, Gary Numan, Frank Zappa. I’ve been quite warm with my three jumpers. But my feet are cold. Too much chocolate, too much computer time. Bit of aluminium vs steel bike frame research. Time to knock it off. 11.47pm.

 

 

Saturday 7th November 2020

 

Woke about half seven. Up about eight o’clock. Read an article in Singletrack magazine. Then typed up more stuff. Don’t need to do the Waddy prep until Monday. I got a bag packed and had a better ride through Beamish wood coz the ground has dried out. Then got a sliver of metal stuck in my rear brake rotor and thought I was going to have to walk the bike to Gateshead. Luckily, the bit flicked out and everything was okay. But I’ll have to set off earlier next week coz I’m arriving too close to dusk. Jen has 32 bottles of pop in her room. 64 litres. Biden is going to be next US president and Trump is having a hissy fit. Me and Jenni watched a bit of Strictly and an ace episode of Inside No 9 – Tempting Fate – about three wishes in a dead hoarder’s flat. Going to get another hot chocolate and see the end of the news. 11.50pm.

 

 

Sunday 8th November 2020

 

Watched UPRIGHT this afternoon. Brilliant 8-part series starring Tim Minchin. Road trip with a piano and a young girl across Australia in a pick-up truck. Numerous disasters along the way. One of the best things I’ve seen this year. Me and Jen had mega mushroom pies with veg for tea. Enjoyed the Elton John biopic ‘Rocket Man’ this evening. Not as much as Bohemian Rhapsody but still excellent – drugs, booze, sexuality and family dysfunction. Think UPRIGHT was more moving for me. My feet are freezing. But my shoulder/arm seems alright. Jenni is putting on a little programme about the fifty worst movies ever. 10.58pm.

 

 

Monday 9th November 2020

 

Chatted with Jenni then got ready to ride. Damp day so the trails were a bit grotty and the bike got dirty again. But not so cold. Even on the downhill bits, my hands were okay. Checked out the Sonder Bikes website again. Amazingly, the Frontier is back in stock and available from Alpkit at Metro Centre, but I’ll have to wait until next month to check one out. This evening I keyed in student texts and got some exercises in place for tomorrow. Ibuprofen kept a headache at bay. Elsewhere, there’s talk of a successful vaccine. 11.12pm.

 

 

Tuesday 10th November 2020

 

Morning pages in bed for a change. Arm not as bad as a couple of weeks ago. Seem to spend longer and longer these Tuesday mornings on getting ready to leave for the workshop. Chuffed to not cut myself shaving. Chuffed to get to Waddy for one o’clock and do a bit extra on the session. Syntax stuff; played around with romantic fiction; reread the rispetto poem from last week. Had a crack at a group villanelle, didn’t get it finished though. Bus rides weren’t bad. But quite a few students on the return journey. I did some shopping in Tesco. Had spicy bean burger and chips for tea. And my first ‘festive’ mince pie. And for supper, a hot chicken sandwich with apple sauce. Watched a few bikepacking videos – some were more bike pushing, dragging, carrying than actual riding. I don’t think the terrain should be so savage or the luggage so heavy that days are spent hiking the bike.  The Colorado trail race was one of my favourites. Then Ben Page on ice plains. I liked his Jack London quotes about solitude. I have eyestrain. Maybe the computer screen is too bright. Maybe it’s finally time to bite the bullet and buy new glasses. Might book an eye test online. Computer off before half ten. Might read in bed. 10.50pm.

 

 

Wednesday 11th November 2020

 

So, I made an appointment for an eye test for tomorrow. I procrastinated with written work. Read a great Singletrack article about bothy dwellings – remote basic small shelters used as stone-built tents by backpackers and bikers. Some have stoves, cooking pots, raised platforms for sleeping bags, but all fairly rustic. I’ve tried to steer clear of politics today. Watched a good bunch of Barry Godin instructional bikepacking videos. Enjoyed his 550-mile Scottish Highlands tour and his knowledge of what to pack for a trip. I found a great review of the new black Sonder frame and forks which now come with ‘boost’ bolt-through 148mm/110mm wheel axles instead of quick release. Really pleased to hear this. Had a bit of online chinwag with Jenni. Told her about my bloodshot eye. She mentioned body traffic in Gateshead being at normal level. I listened/watched Olivia Hyde promo gig online for her upcoming solo album. She put a few Bad Pollyanna songs into the mix. Also, ace covers of Hazel O’Connor’s ‘Will You’ and Christina Perri’s ‘Jar of Hearts’. I felt a bit better this evening. Did some physio for my arm. Should get to bed so I can be up early to make myself presentable for the optician. 11.32pm.

 

 

Thursday 12th November 2020

 

Out this morning to get my eyes tested and choose a new pair of glasses. Maybe, having talked with Jen this evening, I should have gone for more expensive than a hundred quid; I’d be knackered in America. Got McVitie’s special selection nine-quid biscuits for a quid today. Slept a bit this afternoon. Body clock a bit skewed. Read a Singletrack article. Did online training then a bit of Waddy work. Talked on the phone with Jenni and pondered more over frame size for my next bike. I don’t want a shop to talk me into buying something I’m going to hate. And I don’t want them to Yes Sir me and my idiosyncrasies to secure a sale either. I am trying to measure myself for height, ape index and stand-over. I’ll probably end up buying fuck-all. Can’t do anything until current lockdown is over. In politics it looks like Cummings won’t be in No10 much longer. We live in hope. 11.44pm.

 

 

Friday 13th November 2020

 

Unlucky for some. The weather picked up and I got out on the bike. Tried to find a shortcut from the cycle path to Beamish but ended up back at Flinthill. Took the road for a while to Sunniside. Hated it. Don’t like traffic. Pleased to get some responses to questions about frame sizes from Sonder and Surly riders; the consensus being you need to try medium and large frame sizes for each model. Which is what I’ll be doing with the Frontier. I reckon I’ll be going for the medium. My eyes were a bit blurry this afternoon. I’ve had headaches again. Hopefully, the new glasses will be ready to collect early next week. Me and Jenni watched the news. Cummings has gone. Chuffed about that. The Yorkshire Ripper is dead. Chuffed about that. Fell asleep during an episode of Vera. Jenni is having a ‘Not Poodle’ for supper. 10.47pm.

 

 

Saturday 14th November 2020

 

Big lie in at Jen’s. Waddy and bike stuff in morning pages. Read a few Jackie Kay poems. Watched about six episodes of Still Game. Those senior citizens in Glasgow getting up to their silly antics – the episode in which Winston rips off electricity so the neighbours can get free winter heating is hilarious. Also, the second-hand car episode and new golfing / park on the roof episode. We had veggie burgers for tea then watched gameshows. A poet was in touch about the possibility of me helping print a collection. Bill Bailey was ace on Strictly Come Dancing again. My eyes have been a lot better today. 11.00pm.

 

 

Sunday 15th November 2020

 

Got some notes down for the next workshop. I’m helping a poet to put a booklet together. Got an enquiry for a zine. Washed up a load of crockery. Did some right arm/shoulder exercises. Jenni put Sky Arts on this evening: saw Tommy by The Who performed live at the Albert Hall; now, U2 are playing on a small circular stage in the middle of a massive indoor Berlin arena. 10.40pm.

 

 

Monday 16th November 2020

 

Said Bye to Jenni at half ten and road over to Tanfield Railway via Watergate Forest Park. Pretty windy day. I took a detour through a place called Kip Hill near Shield Row then up the hill to Stanley cycle path. When I got home, I looked online and found a way to cut off loads off the messy bit of my usual route this winter. I typed up last week’s lesson plan and got a new fiction prompt. In the morning I need to choose a piece from a novel or short story that peeps can read and ask a lot of questions about. It will only be around three hundred words. I watched a couple of Karate Monkey bike vids. I’m still unsure about frame size. My shoulder/arm was playing up again today. Hoping it will calm down by the weekend. Might have to go out later in the week to pick up my glasses. Tomorrow is workshop and food shopping day. Not thought a jot about Christmas yet. If I could avoid the whole thing this year I would. 11.21pm.

 

 

Tuesday 17th November 2020

 

Pleased to get prep sorted in time this morning. Chuffed the antifog cloth that Jenni gave me worked. Good to be able to get on the bus and not fucking lace myself walking down the aisle; not drop coins at shop checkouts fumbling for exact change when my glasses steam up. Workshop went well. Probably for the best I mislaid handouts containing sweary stuff. Good to try out a few fiction exercises. Back home I had veggie burger and chips, caught the news headlines then switched to bike videos. The Surly Bridge Club takes 26-inch, 27.5-inch and 29-inch wheels. But maybe a trail bike would be better. 11.50pm.

 

 

Wednesday 18th November 2020

 

Bed around two this morning. Didn’t sleep so well and was up by half nine. Pages were a chore. Felt rough all day. Watched some ace Smith and Jones e-bike hill climb videos. Like mototrials but on mountain bikes. Really impressive. I wouldn’t consider an e-bike until my sixties. I got some notes typed up, finished the proofing on some interview questions for Helen Steadman’s blog and sent them out. Depressing TV news: to have an extended-family Christmas, Brits have to double down on restrictions either side of a few carefree festive days. Is it fucking worth it? More infection. More death. And you won’t be able to work, travel, or go to gigs without a vaccination, allegedly. Took time out, listened to Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘The Dreaming’ albums. Then did ninety minutes of correspondence for a poet’s pamphlet. It might become a side-line for me. We’ll see. Need a socially distanced way of making money next year. Been all over the Surly and Sonder bikes again: a Sonder Frontier bike costs £800. But separately, the frameset is £300, and parts are £800. So, that’s £1,100. Eight hundred for parts (with a spare frame and forks) plus £800 for a Surly Karate Monkey frameset still comes in at £250 cheaper than buying a full £1,850 KM bike. Go figure. 11.51pm.

 

 

Thursday 19th November 2020

 

Caught up on copy-ups. Good to get out on the bike in the bright stillness – even if it was just 5 degrees and bits of non-tarmac/non-gravel were extra muddy. Good to hear from Jenni. Pleased she enjoyed the Tim Minchin online gig tonight. His album is out tomorrow. Good to see the Bike Wales e-bike challenge video and to find out there’s a GIANT bikes superstore in Prudhoe. Big cheese and mixed pepper toastie then bed. 11.50pm.

Friday 20th November 2020

 

Hot water bottle on my lap on the couch downstairs. Reread some of my summer writing. Surprised to find bits and pieces in morning pages usable in the next zine. Good to chat to Mam and Ernie on the phone this afternoon. I fell asleep with a copy of Singletrack on my lap. Then had fish fingers and chips. This evening, I listened to Tim Minchin’s new album Apart Together. Jenni rang to talk about his livestream gig and to tell me about her mam’s enthusiasm for training courses. I was chuffed to get a reply from Sonder bikes. Their Gateshead shop has a medium Frontier that I can check out next month. I’m hoping my financial situation stays stable enough to make a purchase. I will then own an entry-level bikepacking rig with 27.5-inch wheels and a 12-speed cassette with single chainring drivetrain. And if I want to go for the Surly frame next year or the year after, I can. And hopefully that will last the rest of my days. Just component upgrades. The internet has been a bit slow tonight. I read a few reviews of Rooney-prizewinning author Caitriona Lally’s debut novel ‘Eggshells’ from a few years back. Social misfit wandering the streets of Dublin collecting junk and trying to connect with mythology. Might be my kind of thing. Need to get back into reading fiction again. 11.26pm.

 

 

Saturday 21st November 2020

 

Woke at half four this morning. Don’t think I got back to sleep. Hate it when that happens. Especially when I’m going out on the bike. Did shoulder exercises then got ready to go. The ride over to Gateshead was ace. Slight tailwind and good pedal cadence. Found the Kip Hill exit off the Stanley cycle path; cut off the muddy Beamish bit, straight down the hill and up the other side to Causey Inn. Amazing how dry the Gateshead trails were. Had a look around the rocks at Watergate Forest Park. Got to Jen’s place at two.  We watched Tim Minchin’s gig online. Jenni’s fifth time. Like a Later with Jools Holland set-up, but all the musicians were Tim’s band. Interesting to see him reading extended intros for many of the songs. Pleased I listened to the new album a couple of times prior to the gig. Poignancy outweighed humour. And all the better for it. Me and Jen went out for chips. Then watched the gig again. This evening another food delivery, including loads of 2-litre bottles of fizzy pop. Heaviest bags I’ve hauled upstairs for a while. We watched Strictly, The Chase, then Jonathan Ross. Little Mix looked designer boutique but sounded factory floor. I ate mini scotch eggs and chocolate biscuits, watched the news. Always good to be here. 11.07pm.

 

 

Sunday 22nd November 2020

 

Bit of shoulder pain this morning. Seemed to get better after a few exercises, but I would have preferred to see a doctor a while back as opposed to just talk to one over the phone. Me and Jenni had a big politics chat this morning. Well, Covid and Christmas. Can’t be arsed with any of it at present. Might feel better in a week or two. Pleased to be checking out a bike for size next week. We had a canny pie and veg dinner today. This afternoon we watched ‘Still Game Live at The Hydro Glasgow’ on YouTube. Brilliant stage-show of the hit TV sitcom; Loved Isa’s mushroom trip. Watched some hilarious wild-camping instructional videos from a northeast fell walker. Big thanks to Helen Steadman for publishing an interview with me on her blog. Pleased with the colours, Anomalies photos and intro. Jenni has been looking at Christmas presents for family and friends. I’ve been looking at bike stuff. We had ravioli on toast for late tea/early supper. My feet are freezing. Three pairs of socks plus trainers. Rest of me is okay. 10.55pm.

 

 

Monday 23rd November 2020

 

Good little lie in. Me and Jenni laughed at her wakeup alarm: sounded like a mad cow in a music box. Ice cream van tune with a big moo under it. We listened for as long as we could then turned it off. Had BBC news on much of the morning. New vaccine 70% effective. More testing. More restrictions for hospitality when we come out of national lockdown next week. Good ride home. Got over some rock slabs. Took the shortcut round the back of Bluebell Inn and connected with the Stanley cycle path, braved the headwind home. Bike okay, right shoulder not so. I want to know what I can do, what is safe. What will help in terms of exercise; have I got shoulder impingement, a touch of arthritis or have I torn something? No good masking the bastard with painkillers. It doesn’t really hurt; it’s just very weak and doesn’t feel right. Sensations in the bicep, down to the hand some days. Then fine on others. What the fuck? I got last week’s Waddy lesson plan typed up and notes for the next one. Hopefully a decent day. Hopefully I won’t need to buy much this week. 11.42pm.

 

 

Tuesday 24th November 2020

 

Had to wing a bit of the session this afternoon. And it was a better workshop for it. Analysis of unfamiliar novel extracts. Plot lines from object lists. I still feel shit after being in a mask on public transport. Feel sick most days that I’m masked up. I never feel like doing much when I get home. I’ve got my new glasses. They are okay. Not much different from the last ones except these ones have full frame. I got my food in and was home by quarter to six. I watched the news. Three families can mix at Christmas in bubbles. I am already in a bubble. Hope to work on my next book tomorrow. Good to chat with Jenni. Good to hear from Helen Steadman. Looking forward to seeing her new novel ‘The Running Wolf’. I’m feeling burnt out. Don’t know how I’m going to pull off multiple workshops next year. Don’t know how I managed six or seven a week back in the day. I’m thinking of trying yoga for aching joints. Need to be sure I’m not going to fuck myself up in the coming months. I saw a few GIANT mountain bikes in Motech’s window this morning. Don’t really like the ones on display. I’d rather have a Sonder Frontier. And later, a Surly. I am tired. I ate two sweet mince pies. Saw some ace mountain biking videos. Hans Rey, Martyn Ashton and Steve Jones. OK 11.27pm.

 

 

Wednesday 25th November 2020

 

PayPal account was a pain today. It let me buy STAY FANATIC!!! Vol 2 by Henry Rollins but then new security kicked in. It wanted me to use a code sent via text message. But the phone number on my account is a landline number so it didn’t work. And the only way to update it is by opening the account and changing personal settings. But how do I open it without an access text message? Well and truly snookered. Or so I thought. Eventually got it all sorted with annoying automated phone messaging and online help desk. Hate the way some assume everyone uses a mobile phone. I watched Full Force, the new Chris Akrigg video today. Amazing climbs and hops on rocks and up streams, through woods on his new GT e-bike. Quite a few top riders are getting in on the electricity these days. Been introduced via Facebook to the poems of Bernard O’Donoghue. I’d seen the name but not studied the work. Richard Skinner posted photos of a few pages. I had a nice steak pie and veg tea. Saw Chris Akrigg interviewed on an e-bike programme about his new video. I did quite a few exercises for my shoulder, which isn’t so bad this evening. I aim to do a lot of reading tomorrow. Started keying in some Writing Marathon stuff from January 2015. 10.35pm.

 

 

Thursday 26th November 2020

 

New exercises for shoulder seem to be easing things a bit. One, involving hand pressure against a wall, is recommended to be repeated every couple of hours. I was supposed to stay in today and do copy-ups, but the weather enticed me out for a walk up to the post office to pay my gas and electricity bill (lowest of the year) so I went for a walk by Hownsgill viaduct and found some ace little trails, and rediscovered the one that goes right back to Moorside. I last rode it on my Saracen Exile bike back in 2002/3 but had forgotten it. Trail was a bit sludgy but I’m sure it will firm up in the springtime. Lots of the other trails were decent condition though. I listened to Olivia Hyde’s tribute set for her dad and Sophie Lancaster this evening. Then some cover versions: Alice Cooper did a canny rendition of Lou Reed’s Rock and Roll; Johnny Cash did Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus, as did Def Leppard; My Chemical Romance did Queen’s Under Pressure; Franz Ferdinand covered Blondie’s Call Me. I read about the new Covid tier system. The recent lockdown measures have little bearing on things for me, so I doubt this will either. Thing things might go belly-up after Christmas, though. 11.13pm.

 

 

Friday 27th November 2020

 

Good intentions shot to shit. Thought it might be good to spend the day planning next week’s Waddy session but only got outcome sheets typed and the previous plan. I haven’t critiqued any work. Or selected prompts for the half-marathon. It’s been really fucking cold. I think the big wheat bag on my shoulder has eased joint pain. I forgot Mam gave it to me, but it works. You heat a cloth bag of wheat in the microwave then apply it to the aching body part, but not directly onto the skin, and let it work the magic. It smells of lavender. I watched a 2012 World Biketrials Championship round from Belgium on YouTube. Really good, but I still see trials these days as gymnastics with a pogo stick. Anyway, Gilles Coustellier took the win. Jack Carthy and Kenney Belaey also on the podium. I listened to The Beautiful South, looked at more bikes. Very good of Helen Steadman to leave deluxe copies of her new novel ‘The Running Wolf’ on my doorstep. I am going to Jen’s early tomorrow, so no more work till Monday. 10.12pm.

 

 

Saturday 28th November 2020

 

Slept with lots of clothes on last night. And the wheat bag heat treatment on my shoulder. Spent much of the morning prepping for the journey to Gateshead. Heated up bike clothes with a hairdryer so I was warm. Got halfway up the street and thought something was wrong. Then I realised I was wearing a woolly hat, not my helmet, and went back. Had a decent ride over. Just a bit chilly and rain started halfway. I got to Jen’s at two. I talked to Janet for a while about Covid and Xmas. I still haven’t done much yet. I’ll wait until 1st December or after the Waddy session. I’ll be going to the bike shop next week. I won’t be buying until well into the new year. I don’t really want much for Christmas. I spent a few hours washing up while Jen was out working. I fell asleep with the android device in my hand. Jen returned at half seven. She gave me an egg and cress sandwich. We watched The Chase and the Jonathan Ross show. I’ve had numerous hot chocolates. Checked Covid updates. No idea how the tiers will go in the next couple of weeks. I’ve had it quite easy, really. Lucky to be able to come to Jen’s place. 11.00pm.

 

 

Sunday 29th November 2020

 

Me and Jenni had a big lie in till eleven. Had our breakfasts and sat talking about Christmas logistics for an hour or so. I had some lentil and red pepper soup for dinner. Jenni had some lentil-based meat substitute (a bit like veggie haggis) in a plastic pouch. Afterwards we got ready to go to town for supplies but outside Jenni felt a bit dizzy, so I walked her back to the house then headed out alone to get stuff. Mask made me feel sick again. We watched game shows then had pie and veg evening meal. Followed by sweet mince pies and custard. Watched a film called JoJo Rabbit about a ten-year-old Hitler Youth member who finds a Jewish girl in his house and becomes disillusioned with the Fuhrer. My eyes got a little sore. I drank hot chocolate and watched a couple of Survival Lilly’s bushcraft YouTube vids in bed. Lilly half built a small shelter in one vid, worked on her forest camp in another, and did a sleepout in a tepee on a winter night in a third. She has badass camping equipment. I am tired now. Don’t think I need supper. Maybe a few peanuts and an orange. I didn’t do enough shoulder exercises this weekend. 11.29pm.

 

 

Monday 30th November 2020

 

Hard ride home (hey, I like that for a title). Gusts of wind forcing me to use easy gears, but at least the trails have dried out. Was home by quarter past one (two hours). I’ve worked quite well today. Typed up student papers and writing-prompts that I came up with in yesterday’s morning pages for tomorrow. Been looking at bikes again. I’d love a Surly, but they are so hard to get hold of during the pandemic and are made of steel and cost a fortune. I don’t think I’d be as tough on a bike as some people; I’ll just go with the Sonder Frontier for the time being and hopefully a medium/large Karate Monkey will come on the market when the time is right. Been listening to a lot of unfamiliar Lou Reed songs. I am keen to get a good night’s sleep but want to watch Newsnight. My TV licence is due for renewal but can wait till it’s convenient. I’m hoping to get paid tomorrow. I need to start on Christmas stuff. Reckon I can do it all for about £250. Just seen on social media Labour are abstaining from voting on the new lockdown measures. This will piss Mister Johnson off good and proper. I did shoulder exercises again tonight. Used the heated wheat bag again. This year is getting close to the end. 10.44pm.