2020 what can I say…three massive life events…and goodbye

Well as the title indicates what can I say…

I’ve recently stopped wearing my wedding ring. I guess that means I’m finally accepting the new order. As far as family life works now, we have an even childcare split of, 50-50, or at least we used to up until March(more of that later). So the children spend half the week between me and Amy and we do alternate weekends. We have tried to make the transition between Amy’s flat and the former marital home as smooth as possible for them. I bought Jake a new gaming computer and Mia new clothes and a nice art box. The main issue is during the school week because Jake and Mia have to lug two days worth of sports kit/books back and forth which is not easy for them. Having said this, they have been brilliant and I can’t ask for better children. They have adjusted amazingly well and I love them to bits.

In the last six months things has seismically shifted for me, my family, and the whole world. And that is putting it mildly. First of all, in September, the eighth of said month to be precise, my marriage broke down. It was a slow shift that somehow crept up on me. Whether I knew it or I let it happen are things are prefer not to dwell on. I have never been the most proactive of souls and my attitude of ‘everything will be okay in the end’ did not stand me in good stead this time. After six months of living apart, it still keeps me up at night. Don’t get me wrong things are a lot better. Amy and myself get on and meeting up is not as awkward as it used to be. Reading through the blog entries on this site is heart-wrenching. I loved bringing up my children, although it was hard both financially and emotional. I may not have prioritised my relationship as I should have but that is something I must bear. I can’t do anything apart from try and move forward as best I can. “I’m 51, and not in a relationship!” These were my first thoughts. I was panicking but with time I have a little more perspective. I still have friends, I’ve reconnected with my family. I believe Amy will always be there for me. Who knows, something good may come out of this.

So mid-march the world succumbed to the new Coronavirus outbreak and COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. In the UK we are currently in lock-down which means only leaving the house for exercise and shopping. I’m not going to go into any more details as reams have been written about this whole situation. My hope is that in the next couple of weeks we will be at the peak of new cases, and deaths sadly currently at 4914, will start to drop. During the lock-down the children have been living with me. It makes sense because the house is bigger and we have a garden and trampoline here. I have moved the trampoline next to the deck so we do not have to go onto the grass. It’s a case of unzipping and diving in.

Cooped up in the house 24-7 has its own issues but overall it hasn’t been too bad. We’ve settled into an uneasy routine of late to rise, late to bed and do your own thing. The latter is key in keeping everyone sane, especially me. Yesterday I introduced family time with all of us together doing an activity or watching a film. Not in an earnest way, just a way to get Jake off the PC and interacting a little more. Talking of Jake he is absolutely in his element in this scenario. As long as he can chat with his friends on Discord he is happy. Yesterday as part of the inaugural family event we watched Monsters Inc. I had forgotten how good that film is. I try to keep time aside to do stuff with Mia and Jake. Mia enjoys bouncing around on the trampoline with me playing dodge the ball with added flair. I get to watch Better Call Saul with Jake later in the evening. We are currently on series 5 and it’s getting good!

Work-wise, day to day, things are ticking along. Defects are fixed when they come in but those have dried up considerably. Most of my time is spent training and getting my skills honed. The good news is that being stuck in the house I do have more time to continue my shed build. The bad news is that I’m too depressed to do it. Actually that’s not strictly true, this weekend the weather gods were happy, the sun shined and I started building some bespoke shelving from 2×4 planks. The shed is full to bursting with stuff stacked up on the floor. It needs some order! This is an ongoing project which I’m hoping to complete soon. I want to be able to enjoy the shed before the house is sold. This will happen, at some point, preferably after the children have finished their schooling.

The Shed

The third huge life-event happened just after the pandemic took hold. IBM executives thought it would be a good idea to make me and my entire team redundant, all thirty seven of us. At first we thought, surely not now during this unprecedented world event. At least postpone it until things settle down. Sadly it looks like the suits at IBM actually have zero morals and/or consciences and are still planning on going ahead with the ‘resource action’. Total f**ckers. It looks like I will be leaving the company early August. Fingers-crossed that businesses will be actively posting job vacancies by then. At the moment it is drier than John Waynes saddle bags.

I think it is now a good time to close this blog. My first entry was on the first of October 2005 nearly a year after getting married. Nearly 15 years of bloggage. 3 entries per month on average and 455 total entries. Not bad even if I say so myself :-).

p.s. The world needs more smileys.

2019 is a new year

New Year’s Eve was eventful. We had borrowed a car from Colin and had used it to travel to and from friends over the Christmas period. Fiona invited us for a New Year get together. However the car broke just as we arrived. It would not go into gear with the engine running. I spent the evening fretting and eventually calmed down with the aid of Prosecco.

The next day a plan had been hatched. We were to try to get it fixed using Sally’s breakdown cover. This didn’t work because it didn’t cover the car which was a shame. The good news was that Ken’s mechanic friend took a look and sorted out the issue. Phew!

So we were able to spend the rest of the day relaxing at the ice skating rink in Worthing before heading back to London.

Today I have been removing the tree from the lounge and clearing up the millions of needles left behind. I think that will be enough chorage for the day. Tomorrow is my first day back at work. I’m toying with the idea of cycling the whole journey. I haven’t done that in at least a year. It could be the start of a new healthy regime…or not. Let’s see!

Summer 2018

It has been a cold long winter. During this time I have vainly fought the elements which were conspiring to wreck the floor of my roofless shed. I have fought a hard battle and am winning. Not only has the shed got a roof now but the rain and wind has abated and ushered in a couple of weeks of lovely balmy Summer weather.

So what has been happening in the Wollny household? Jake is now in Senior school and has been since last September. It seems strange to think we are almost at the end of the school year. It has flown by. Jake settled in very well to the far stricter Senior school regime but not without a few grumbles regarding homework, callbacks and detention.

Mia has blossomed and is finding life good in year 3. Last week she was awarded her 50 housepoint smiley badge which she proudly wears on her blazer lapel. We have been sending Mia for extra maths lessons to boost her confidence as she has struggled in the past. This I think is paying dividends and she is enjoying her time with Jackie on a Saturday morning.

This year I am 50 and had planned an epic cycle across the fattest part of Britain. The ride had a name LeLo 500 but alas itwill have to happen another time. I did go for an excellent ride around the Norfolk Broads for two days with Ben which was excellent although I have to admit that more time was spent drinking cider than actually riding our bikes. The Hammerhead performed excellently. I had swapped out the old saddle for my comfy Brooks and replaced the knackered rear wheel with a stronger 36 spoke version. The Hammerhead now has two century rides under it’s belt. This one and last years Dunwich Dynamo. I love that little bike.

Winter is upon us

Up until a few weeks ago it has been rather mild here in London. The weather decided to turn last weekend in time for the annual Blackheath fireworks event. We all trundled down there trying to find a shortcut through the new road layout at Loampit Vale.

The event as expected was rather good if a little chilly. We were accompanied by Trudi, Chand and the boys. Today it is raining cats and dogs. Jake has just finished off the FDR presentation. Now I know all about Fatboy and Bockscar which was the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.

Mia and Jake are doing well at school. Over the Summer Jake has got somewhat obsessed with football and has been collecting Match Attax cards. Mia has even got into it and has her own collection. Jake now has two 101 club legend cards, Stephen Gerrard and Robin Van Persie. I only know Stevie G 🙂

At the end of the summer term Jake took his grade 2 trumpet exam and got a high merit. An excellent result! After a little wobble he is cracking on with it this term and is learning ‘Is
This The Way To Amarillo’ and ‘The Music Of The Night’.

This term we have not had Warhammer club which is shame, I would like to get back into painting the figures which I found quite therapeutic. Jake tells me that next year the club will be started again, so fingers-crossed for that.

Summer seems a long way away. We had fun camping again with the Grandads at a campsite in Looe overlooking the bay. The downside to such a lovely view(on a cliff) was that it was very very cold in the evening. Mia loved going to visit the Shirehorse which one night escaped and was trotting about the campsite looking for tasty treats to eat. After a week at Looe we went to Woodlands again to meet up with the cousins. The weather was a little warmer and we had fun visiting the park and going on the rides. Jake had fun organizing the children and adults to have a football match.

I almost forgot our trip to France. Before meeting up with the families, Ben and I left for a road trip to see ‘Le Tour’. It was a great experience which involved lots of driving and lots of getting lost. On the first day we drove to the Dunkirk Decathlon and bought a couple of Btwin 320 folding bikes then embarked on a mammoth drive to the famous Le Man staying in a somewhat dubious Hotel Formule 1, but hey it was an experience :-).

On the second day we headed to Tarbes and found that the tour caravan teams were staying at our hotel. Ben managed to blag some freebie tops from the Direct Energie team. The next morning after removing all non-essential parts from our 6 speed folders we rode up a Cat 1 climb( I kid you not) on said folders namely, Le Col De Peyresourde in order to get a good view of the riders cresting the summit. Ben managed the climb in Ben fashion i.e. popping wheelies to the delight of the French tour fans.

I on the other hand had to keep stopping and vomited a couple of times due to the heat and exertion. I managed to ride all the way up although it took me a good while. Once at the top we found a spot and waited firstly for the caravan and then for the riders. It was hot and as the pelaton came past we were close enough to see the pain and suffering on their faces. I now knew that pain!

The remainder of the holiday was spent at our villa. We went on a few rides and relaxed by the pool. The weather was not brilliant but it was an enjoyable break.

Early in September we devised a plan to ride from Norwich to London on the folders. I prepped my bike by fitting a new bottom bracket and better cranks. When fitted ‘aero bars’ a.k.a bar ends to allow for a more aerodynamic posture. These worked remarkable well. The ride was great. The route was excellent and we managed to avoid a lot of nasty fast roads. Disaster struck at the top of the Lea Valley canal. My bike suddenly would not stay in any gear other than 2nd. While checking the bike out the bottom bracket looked to be bent which explained why the chain would not stay on. I had to ride the remaining 24 miles in 2nd gear which I can tell you was hell. This made us late for the victory meal at The Talbot. Instead we rode home and walked down the hill for a victory kebab.

The story of the folder continues however. When I had some spare time I took the bike apart and saw that one side of the bottom bracket was not welded at all. This weakness has caused the frame to bend. After several emails to Decathlon and a couple of visits to Surrey Quays they begrudgingly refunded my money and gave me by crank and bottom bracket back, which I was not expecting.

I now have a replacement for the Btwin called a Dahon Hammerhead mini velo. It’s a great machine, fast and light but sadly not foldable. This will be the steed I will use for my next epic ride.

The Tour de France Caravan comes to Tarbes
Dahon Hammerhead 5.0

That time of the year

It’s time for my almost yearly blog entry. Spring is upon us once more. This morning I was out in the garden planting some seedlings. To date I have tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, runner beans, corn and lettuce on the go. I have a dreadful case of lawn moss so that is next on my list to treat.

Last week I had the whole week off and it was great not to be working and spending some quality time with Jake and Mia. On Easter Sunday we went to Dulwich Park with Leandro’s parents. I took the children’s bikes and I can proudly sat that Mia is now cycling!! She is a bit wobbly at time but another couple of goes and she will be away.

We also met up with Adam, Granny and the children at Knole House for the annual Easter Egg hunt. The weather looked dodgy but it managed to stay dry. I had some nice cuddles with Baby Percy who is adorable.

This week the children are staying with GDK and having a hoot with Banana milkshake and biscuits on tap 🙂

I have not been cycling as much recently. I have strained my back a little so my excuse is that I am resting it! Now that the weather is getting better I want to start up the ‘big’ commute again. What I really would like is a new bike. I have been eyeing up the Surly Straggler or Genesis Croix de Fer for the commute. Maybe next year on the cycle to work scheme.

Autumn is around the corner

It’s mid-October and the mercury has been kind to us. It’s been almost summer-like. Last week Ben, James and myself took the ferry from Dover to cycle in the countryside around Calais. The weather was perfect and stayed at around 17 degrees all day. Even while waiting for the ferry in the evening, it still felt warm.

We had Mia and Jake’s parents evening this week and it was all good to report. Mia has settled in well and is a shining example to her class. Jake is doing really well in English and has been put in an advanced learning group doing comprehension and poetry.

Ben came round yesterday and we had a great evening, drinking Polish lager and chatting about anything and everything. We also watched The Apprentice which features a ‘Chand-a-like’ 🙂

Summer is here

This week has been lovely. In fact the last two weeks have been great. It’s been rather busy this week. Jake had a swimming Gala today, Mia had her tester session at St Dunstans and I have been running around on the Xtracycle trying to sort out my flat car tyre. I cycled down to Halfords in Catford and purchased Tyreweld and an electric pump. The tyreweld did the job but the pump was faulty so I will need to take it back for a replacement. Annoying!

Mia enjoyed her day at St D’s. She was a little unsure to start with but soon warmed up and enjoyed herself. She did hand prints and sang songs. The teachers there are so lovely, kind patient. I guess you get what you pay for 🙂

Yesterday was my birthday. I received some lovely cards from the babies, a Jake the Dog t-shirt, some flesh paint for the Warhammer figures and a set of brushes again for the aformentioned Warhammer figures.

Summer break or should it be BREAK…OUCH

We went camping in June or to be correct ‘glamping’. It was a family affair with Adam, Jo and the boys. Sally, Roy and Ken. The campsite was just under an hours drive away from Adam and Jo’s house in Exeter so we decamped there for the night before arriving en-masse at the Billingsmoor Farm near Butterleigh. The location was amazing. The tents overlooked the rolling hills which stretched as far as the eye could see down towards South Devon.

So it all looked like we were going to have a lovaly time. Good location, great weather, great company. Fun times! Then it all went wrong. It was early evening. Amy and I were pottering around in the tent tidying up. All the others were in Adam and Jo’s tent. Amy poured herself a glass of Baileys and said that she was going to see the others. I said “fine, I’ve nearly finished here, see you in a minute”.

Seconds later I heard a cry. I ran out and Amy was lying on the damp grass crying out in pain. To cut a long story short, she had slipped awkwardly and broken, nay snapped her tibia. A four hour visit to A&E in Exeter confirmed this. She spent the week in bed in the tent with her leg in a temporary plaster cast. We had decided to stay on for the childrens sake and they did have a lovely time.

Back home in Lewisham the prognosis was not good. She would need surgery to insert a metal plate in her leg, which unfortunately had set at the wrong angle. Fast forward to today. The operation was last week and Amy has been home in bed. I have been giving her injections in her stomach to prevent the blood clotting. In two weeks the cast will be removed then there will be a long uphill struggle to get her withered leg strong enough to support her weight.

It is now the Summer holidays and Mia and Jake are off, so we have had to call in a lot of favours for childcare. Today Colin had Jake and Mia and has taken them to The Science Museum which I’m sure they will love. Next week Sally is down to take over with Emmas help.

So all in all you could say in has been an ‘eventful’ summer so far. Last year Amy had her tonsils out, this year she has broken her leg. Fingers-crossed that next years he will have a job
that it will be injury free. One can only hope :-).

Mia’s first film

Jake has been really wanting to watch Epic at the cinema. He has been playing the official Nexus 7 app incessantly for a few days now and has watched the trailer many times. Amy asked Mia if she wanted to go too. This was met with a resounding YES! We arrived early enough to purchase some sweets. Mia and Jake chose their own confections. I chose a rather large bucket of popcorn. Once our tickets had been checked we went through into screen 5 and then cheekily settled into the premier seats. It was Friday, the cinema was not even half full so we thought why not? I am thinking of buying a season VIP pass because those seats are so comfy!

Mia was as good as gold and took turns sitting on our laps. Towards the end of the film she went to sit next to Jake. She sat there quietly looking like such a big grown-up girl. We shall definitely be going again!

Is it Spring? maybe

It is the middle of May and yesterday the temperature was only a chilly 9 degrees. We have had a couple or warm days but mostly it has been cold and wet. Again, I have put off planting anything in the garden so again I don’t have much going on there. I’ve planted some pea shoot, lettuce and radish but that’s about it.

Jake has lost another tooth, which happened last month. He ‘new boys’ are growing well and look huge. Jake has made a new friend Leandro, which make his ‘circle’ consist of James T, Ciaran and Leandro but of course things could change!

Mia has been doing rather well with her dry pullups of a morning. We may attempt going without soon. Scary! Her favourite thing at the moment is Peppa Pig. It is the only TV she has ever watched and loves it. She has watched her one and only DVD a multitude of times but thankfully Lovefilm have 60 episodes available online. Jake’s and Mia’s favourite episode is Polly Parrot. “I’m a noisy parrot! Oink!”. I guess you had to be there…

Amy has finished her course placement(only yesterday) and is stressing understandably about looking for work. She has enjoyed her time there and feels a little bereft. Fingers-crossed something will come up.

My Xtracycle odyssey it almost complete. It began in August 2010, so nearly three years in the making. I have just ordered a pair of nice Surly 1×1 forks, two Bontrager tyres and some inner tubes. I still need a seat post and clamp but can steal those from my Ridgeback. I must say that with the Freeradical attached I am shocked my the sheer length of the thing. It will be interesting to see how it handles.