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@jonsiesblog
A few updates...
A few updatesā¦
20 Jan 2019
I broke the news to my mum and dad today, probably the hardest thing Iāve ever had to do, that I was diagnosed over Christmas with pancreatic cancer. I saw one specialist this week and sheās passing my details on to the oncologist so I will be starting chemo soon. Iām well at the moment, in a little pain but nothing the co-codomol and oramorph canāt handle. Iām eating well, have notā¦
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The Big C
My sporadic blogging stuttered to a close over a year ago with a busy to the Xmas ballet and I havenāt felt the urge to pick up the virtual pen until now when I finally have something worth writing about ā me. Worse than that even because my blog posts from now on are going to be all about me and my health woes. Big yawn I guess but if I donāt write my thoughts down then theyāll just rattleā¦
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The Janus Films poster art for the previously unreleased uncut King Kong (1933)
@anniejones96 when did @lukewrichards grow this beard? Odd how we've never seen him and Oscar Isaacs in the same room at the same time ;)
Punch up at the Ballet
Every year I pick an event for us to go to as a family in the hope of generating a bit of Christmas spirit. This year it was the turn of The Nutcracker at St Davidās Hall. I was working from home on the day of the event so it was literally shut the laptop, shower, change into glam-rags and itās Christmaaaas! We were initially very happy to see that there was an offer on bottles of prosecco at theā¦
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The Praed Street shuffle
Itās very hard to fit any training into my day for the Velothon Wales with a mahoossive commute both ends of the day so Iāve resorted to cycling between Paddington and the office . Itās only 5km each way and the Santander bikes are a bitch to ride, heavy and under-geared, but itās better than nothing. The problem is, some days there just aināt no bikes to be had. Take yesterday for instance āā¦
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Racing in the Zwift Streets
Big changes to my Zwifting setup today. My Wahoo Kick smart trainer was overheating and giving some dodgy results and Wahoo have been incredibly responsive, agreeing to replace the entire unit in double quick time. I am so impressed. So my old kickr is boxed up for replacement and a new Kickr arrived this morning. This means that I had a choice to make ā do I stick with my Rabbit.de bike which Iā¦
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Cycling for wimps - Indoor Training with a Wahoo Kickr and Zwift Island
Cycling for wimps ā Indoor Training with a Wahoo Kickr and Zwift Island
Iām your average middle-aged bloke (well 50plus ā is that past middle aged? scary thought ā best not dwell on it) who has tried over the years to stay fit mainly through running. I travel a lot for work so the brutally short british winter daylight hours mean keeping it going during the darker months can be a challenge. And a bad winter makes it that much harder to get back on the fitness horseā¦
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Ā Kubo and the Two Strings
We saw a remarkable film at the Chapter in Cardiff today ā Kubo and the Two Strings.Ā The film is an animated version of an ancient Japanese mythā¦. no waitā¦actually itās an original story created from an idea by one of the character designers named Shannon Tindle. But I have to say if I hadnāt researched that I would have assumed this to be an ancient tale.Ā The story revolves around Kubo, aā¦
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Ā Now my wife will tell you Iām no cyclist, she thinks itās probably because I didnāt learn to ride until I was eight or nine coupled with my inate clumsiness and total lack of balance that makes me less than steady on a bike. But Iām nothing if not stubborn so Iāve decided to ride the Velothon Wales event in July next year and IāmĀ going to try to do it in under five hours. The motivator for me to do this is to raise some money for various charities (seeĀ my just giving pageĀ for details)
Winter is coming and this is going to need some training (que inspirational Rocky music) :
Just to complete the course I will need to ride 140km which is twice as far as Iāve ever ridden. To do it in five hours Iāll need to ride twice as fast as Iāve ever done on my longest ride. And if you throw in a category 2 hill and a category 4 hill ā the cat 2 hill being Breconās infamous Tumble which is 5Km of screaming death (at least that is how it appears in my nightmares) then I think itās a fairly stiiff challenge.
Iāve given myself a fair whack of time to prepare for the ride (itās next July) but the days and the weather are drawing inĀ so I intend to do a combination of indoor and outdoor (or IRL āin real lifeā if youāre down with the kids) riding. The indoor training will be done on a fixed bike using a Wahoo Kickr smart trainer and Zwift indoor cycling software ā more on that for gadget geeks in future posts. The outdoor training will be done on my new Boardman Team Carbon Bike (I had to do something to justify buying it) mainly up and down the nearby Taff Ā Trail.
As the weather this morningĀ was sunny and fine (if bitter cold) I decided that Ā opportunities this good for a long outdoor ride this side of spring wouldĀ be limited so I should make the most of it. With that in mind, fuelled with coffee and Danish pastries (breakfast of champions) I took to the open road. This is me looking rosy cheeked and enthusiastic and if Iām honest, more than a littleĀ demented:
The plan today was to ride from Cardiff to Merthyr via Pontypridd, passing through many of the settings for Alexander Ā Cordellās Mortymer trilogy such as Quakers Yard and The Navigation pub:
These were some of my favourite books growing up so riding past some of these heritage sites of the industrial revolution that he so vividly describes is a huge pleasure.
The ride was stunning today with the path alonside the River Taff in full autumnal regalia:
ButĀ the fallen leaves at some points did makeĀ it difficult to tell where on-road ends and off-road starts ā no fun on my waffer-thin road tyres:
There was plenty of fun to be had en-route including a long stepped assault course section. Thankfully a sign at the top explained to the novice that riding down the steps was not advisable (as if):
The best option seemed to be Ā to pick up the bike and run with it in a style reminiscent of Chris Froome in the Tour de FranceĀ (I wish):
Ā Another bundle of laughs was negotiating cow-catchers (not that there are any cows on the route ā itās just what I have christenedĀ them, goodness knows their actual name). Some of these are such a tight fit that I know now what re-birthing feels like:
Indeed it was a cow catcher that was responsible for my first fall of the day (yes i fell off twice ā did I mention Iām an awful cyclist) when I slowed to a crawl to pass through one but couldnāt get my foot out of the pedal clips ā cue slow motion sideways collapse into mud. The second fall of the day was in trying to mount a curb ā again foot stuck in pedal ā cue slow swan-dive over handlebars in front of a crowded row of shops. Ā This cycling lark is hilarious and Iām sure Iāll get the hang of it given a few more decades.
I got to the halfway point of the Merthyr Travelodge in two and a half hours. Itās the least photogenic spot on the route and hereās a photo to prove it:
Then it was downhill all the way home passing kayakers, bonfire builders and all manner of industrial and agricultural delights:
Four hours there and back and homeĀ in time for the rugby (worse luck given thhe result) with only my pride dented. Thereāll be more exciting tales of dangerous cycle rides to come ā in the meantime if youāve enjoyed this (or even if you havenāt) please visitĀ my just giving pageĀ and donate whatever you can afford Ā ā every little bit will help.
Riding a bike is like falling off aĀ ā¦.bike Now my wife will tell you I'm no cyclist, she thinks it's probably because I didn't learn to ride until I was eight or nine coupled with my inate clumsiness and total lack of balance that makes me less than steady on a bike.
Riding Velothon Wales 2017
āOver the last couple of years a number of family and friends have been affected by cancer and a friend I have had the good fortune to work with is living with Motor Neurone Disease.Ā As a fifty-three year-old with nothing worse than a dodgy knee and a beer belly I realise how lucky I am so I trying to raise some cash for Cancer Research and MNDA, two charities that do research into finding aā¦
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Mezza Luna
As you might have seen in my previous post, we got an offer from Wriggle for mezzas at Mezza Luna that was just too good to pass up so, in the heart of a Monday night we found ourselves deep in the City Road for a Mediterranean meal. First thing to note is that, unlike many restaurants along this stretch of City Road, Mezza Luna serves alcohol. Not just that, but they also do a very fine Lebaneseā¦
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Wriggle Cardiff
If youāve not tried it yet, download the Wriggle app, log on, set the dials for the heart of the ādiff, and enjoy some (truly) amazing foodie bargains. Goodness only knows how they do it but we got mezzas for two at Mezza Luna yesterday for Ā£12! Thatās a reduction of Ā£18! And it all went like clockwork.Ā First impressions of Wriggle is that itās some kind of black magic but hey! Whoāsā¦
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Other people's money: the Apple story
Other peopleās money: the Apple story
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Pettigrew Bakeries
The lucky people of Victoria Park have a little gem on their hands with Pettigrew Bakeries. Located across the road from the park in what was formerly a pet and hardware shop, not only do they bake amazing bread, cakes and pastries but they also have a delightful home with a gorgeous Victorian frontage.Ā Once inside youāll be struck by the dazzling white tiled interior which stretches back for aā¦
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Society Standard
Is something exciting happening on Whitchurch Road? Itās certainly beginning to feel that way. With several recently opened indie food venues such as Le Pot, Ā Coco Rico and Got Beef joining more established favourites like The Crispy Duck it seems that Cardiffās foodie options are growing rapidly. From Newport Roaad and Roath Park, rolling up through Wellfield, Crwys and City Roads it seems likeā¦
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Kumar's and Milgi Lounge- City Road
Kumarās and Milgi Lounge- City Road
Kumarās Well. That was a quirky night out I must say.Ā On the recommendation of the always excellent @gourmetgorro we went to Kumarās on City Road for my daughterās birthday meal. A mix of committed carnivores and vegetarians we needed a venue that offered a good selection of both and Kumarās fitted the bill. Plus itās BYOB so even better. The food ā as foretold ā was excellent. The Mandarinā¦
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