Cycling or alcohol

In the Spanish village where we spend half our life there lives an old Japanese woman. Her name is Yoshi - I do not know if this is her real name,  or a nickname - perhaps even it is a shortened version of her real name,  but everybody in the village knows her well and calls her that.  I have not seen her since the pandemic started, but I am told she is still doing well. The bar that she has owned for over 60 years has not been open for almost two years though, and now has a 'se vende' sign outside. Clearly she's calling it a day after all this time and selling up. Yoshi is as fit as a fiddle, and well into her 80s now. She is still playing a round of golf everyday apparently. She told me once she had set sail from Japan as a teenager in the 1950s in a small yacht with her husband in search of adventure. They sailed from country to country over the course of many years until they arrived in the village where they went no further. They knew they had finally found the place...

Temptation noun:  a strong urge or desire to have or do something . : or something that causes a strong urge or desire to have or do something and especially something that is bad, wrong, or unwise. According to the Oxford dictionary,  the word temptation has two subtle but importantly different definitions. It can be the word to describe the urge itself, but can also be the name of the thing that causes that urge. In Plaza de Naranjos (Orange Square) yesterday, at around noon, the low winter sun was just starting to rise  above the peaks of the picturesque orange trees that line the square. The perfect warmth was hitting Rachel and I full in the face. I sat down and briefly took in the view of the beautiful 15th century square with the trees and ripened oranges silhouetted against the deep blue sky. Then I closed my eyes and soaked up the warmth. It had been a long journey from Manchester and an obscenely early start to the day.  We were  sat outside our favou...

On the eighth day God resurrected us to new and eternal life.  OK so I'm not religious, but after 8 days and a whole weekend of intense exercise and no alcohol (save possibly traces in the Christmas mince pies that I am trying to devour before leaving the country on Friday) I certainly am feeling resurrected to eternal life.  I really do feel like a new person already, and there have been some very interesting observations that I have noted in my physical and mental wellbeing after only 8 days dry.  Firstly sleep, I have worn a sleep tracker to bed for years now, and I'm hitting nightly scores higher than I have ever seen - 9 hours of REM and deep sleep one night over the weekend, and an 83/100 score - unheard of for me. I've noticed that my eyes are producing a lot of eye crust in the mornings which is usually a sign of a great sleep too.  This has resulted in a lot more energy and motivation at the weekends. I have always exercised intensely on the bike during the ...

Friday night when in the UK, means one thing only, has done for years - MPA. JW Lees's Manchester Pale Ale that is. Brewed down the road in Middleton and religiously consumed in my local pub from around 4.30pm onwards. I have it poured, unusually for Manchester folk, with minimal head and it is delivered to me from the cask just as I like it, without me even needing to ask. Here's an example from a past visit.   This would invariably be followed by a meal out or a takeaway curry as a treat for a long week of self-discipline. Either way, by the time I'd consumed 3 or 4 pints in the pub, I'd carry on drinking afterwards, usually until the late hours or even early hours of Saturday morning.  I knew tonight would be a real test of resolve - my first major hurdle so far. The first UK, Friday night since starting all this just 5 days ago. As I mentioned in the previous post, if this is to work I need to keep to my routine. I'm not locking myself away from society and all ...

I don't intend to write a blog post every day, but I think on day 2 it is important to put down my thoughts and feelings for many reasons. Firstly, I am now detoxicated, well rested and feeling much more alive after the weekend's excesses. Therefore, it's natural for me to now reflect on how I feel about starting the blog and putting my issues in the public domain. Do I have any regrets or worries? Absolutely not, the only regret I have is not doing this sooner! If anything it has galvanised me and being able to document the journey is working for me and helping focus my mind on the things I love as well as helping me think about the solutions.  Secondly, as I am at day 2 I have had a chance for my family and friends to read and process my first blog post. I don't think the contents are a surprise to anybody, but I was worried people may not appreciate me airing them publicly. I couldn't have been further from the truth and I have had some very supportive comments f...

My latest drinking session started at 11.15am on Saturday 15th of January 2022. Whilst it's now the Monday after, the session went on for so long that today is actually the first official day of non-drinking. The pain on the side of my head, from the fall I experienced in the early hours of Sunday morning is still throbbing. I could not walk or talk - I was completely fucking legless. I simply don't know how I managed to walk back home from the local pub, I fell and stumbled constantly. My Son (apparently) had to help me up the stairs and in to bed.   I had been at the Etihad stadium watching City beat Chelsea. By the 12.30pm kick-off I had sunk three pints already. Half time another one and after the ecstasy of seeing KDB's wonder goal, I went back to the 93:20 bar and drank two more after the final whistle. That was just the warm up.  As many City fans do, I went to Mary D's beamish bar after the game where we met fellow supporters and joined in the revelling - two mo...