4th January
We were all invited to an evening soiree at a dear friend’s house in the Village. We decided to walk, and reduce our green footprint (another one of my New Year’s Resolutions). I hadn’t realised just quite how dark it is in the Village at night, and as we made our way alongside the Loddon, towards the Great Barn and The Street I made a mental note to monitor Spencer’s wine consumption to ensure a safe journey home later. We had a lovely evening with good friends and staggered home at 9.30pm with the aid of Spencer’s industrial powered lantern which he had thoughtfully remembered to bring.
5th January
Spurred on by the leaflet in the December issue of the Basinga, Spencer
decided to pay a visit to the Royal British Legion Club in Crown Lane.
Surprisingly, given his military background, he has never got around to
becoming a member, so he thought he would go and find out some more details
about joining. I thought it would be a good idea for him to get out a
bit more and meet people, and it might give me an evening to pursue some
interests of my own. However, I was unprepared for what happened on
Spencer’s return. Apparently, he had gathered all the information he
needed about joining the RBL when his eye had been caught by another poster
on the window advertising Body Balance classes which are held at the Legion
hall. He had taken down the telephone number of Lisa (the organiser)
as he thought that perhaps I could do with getting out a bit more and
working off the excesses of Christmas. Well, what could I say?
Spencer was extremely encouraging, even dialling the number for me so that I
could speak to Lisa, and yes there was a vacancy to start next Monday
evening 8-9pm. I was reassured by Lisa that I would not be the oldest
person there. She explained that I would need to dress in comfortable
clothes such as a track suit and T-shirt, and that I could borrow a mat to
work on during the lesson. Spencer seemed a little disappointed when
he found out that a lycra leotard wouldn’t be required, but on balance it is
just as well.
6th January (12th night)
Took all the Christmas decorations down, and lugged the enormous Spruce tree
from the Hall to the driveway, for Spencer to deal with later
12th January (The day of the Body Balance
class).
For those of you who may be a little unsure, Body Balance can be described
as a combination of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga. Whilst I had a bit of
an idea what Yoga was, to be truthful, I wasn’t sure about the other two,
and didn’t know what to expect. I arrived early to introduce myself to
Lisa, and took up a position at the back of the hall. Everybody was
very friendly, and I didn’t feel at all out of place, bearing in mind that I
haven’t done an exercise class in over 20 years. Lisa explained that Body
Balance works on improving your balance, flexibility and core strength, and
is good for improving your posture and can help improve back conditions.
I said that all these things could do with improving in my case (especially
my back after moving that Christmas tree last week).
After an hour of exercising to music I was pleasantly surprised with myself.
I felt as though I had done something, without feeling completely puffed out
and exhausted. I had managed to attempt all the “moves”, with varying
degrees of success, and felt quite invigorated. I signed up for a six
week block of sessions.
I returned home to find Spencer sat in front of the TV with his feet up
drinking a beer. He asked how I had got on, and I replied “fine”.
I asked him dryly how he had got on with the list of jobs I had left him,
and he replied sheepishly that unfortunately he had fallen asleep and would
have to look at them tomorrow.
15th January
Still vacuuming up those wretched pine needles from the Christmas tree. How come they get in places where the Christmas tree has never been?