Friday?!?!

Well, it's friday and I hope you guys feel it more than me!

It is gloomy weather here! Not like yesterday's glorious sunshine :0(

Got up reasonably early today hurray! And have had my porridge and coffee, checked my emails and am almost ready to go... Today I am finishing the introduction of this very hard book and then seeing which chapters are relevant for me. Just plugging away really. I do feel good - conscientious and healthy and awake. Very square and sorted. DB is tempting me to have booze tonight but I say NO!! No, no, no! I hate alcohol, I am too tired and it makes me too fat! Much rather a night off in front of the tele. This is what going out in the evening does to you, makes you appreciate your downtime much more - it becomes a novelty rather than the norm and so you don't need to seek extra ways of entertaining yourself - e.g. drinking. I have my exercise club tomorrow am anyway, and then four hours of working in the afternoon. It is the Grand National tomorrow though, a vile horse race that everyone in the UK loves, including me. It does have a certain national celebration thing to it - pubs are rammed and everyone goes to the bookies and it has a naughty day-off feel to it.

Arg I am sore today! The exercise club was like PE at school and so, for me, a total dream. I adored it! Being told what to do, running in groups and warming up and down and doing stuff and ahhhhhhhh. We did a fitness test yesterday which meant a warm up (knackering!), as many sit ups as you could do in a minute (33) and as many press ups as you could do in a minute (31) and then a mile running race - which I won! Out of 15 people; I couldn't believe it! I did it in 9 mins 17 secs, which is ok. It is great for me considering how unfit I am- I wish I had done all this before I went to India and wasted away!!! So I am going back with bells on. I am *such* a keener, it was like being back at school all over again. It is such a great offset to the PhD too, which has enormous rewards but very very long-term and subtle, whereas this is immediate with people cheering you on and the instructor praising you (or not!) and being tested every month for improved health etc - great stuff.

But I am sore!

Well, I better work. Working until 1.30/2pm when I shall have some luncheon - a dippy egg and toast methinks - and then again from 2.30/3pm until 6.30 when I am free for the whole evening.

DB says the recession is hitting his business. This makes me worried :0( I am great on a budget though. In fact, I come into my own when it comes to counting the pennies and getting bargains. I remember once when DBs business was really teeny and I was doing my MA (back in the day!) years ago we were drinking tesco's own lager for a while cause we were so broke, and I was making mock-up takeaways. It was fun though because we really appreciated what we could have. Learning to cook well saves a lot of money. Then we got a comfortable amount of money and spent it all on wine and actual takeaways. And got fat! Then spent it on the gym! Oh it's all so silly.

x J