Good morning folks
I hope you are in fine pre-festive fettle.
Here is the latest hotch-potch of bobbins from the blend of chaos that is called my life!
The BIG move
And hopefully the last move for a good number of years!
A move that came out of nowhere really.
We have been renting since departing the caravan in 2023 (& probably will be renting until the end of time now). I went to see the Landlord about something and this new place was mentioned, so without thinking (about timescales and the practicalities of shifting soooo much junk), I agreed to a move date in 2 weeks time.
Without going into the boring details of a more-than-usual-chaotic-move, it was hellish. I was not a well man before we started and ground myself into the ground to get it done. Nosebleeds, conjunctivitis, dizziness (more than normal) and a weariness I have only felt whilst doing shifts on that bloody awful once every 3 weeks, L-O-N-G W-E-E-K, which was a 72hr grueller, I ended up doing four 14hr days back to back, just to get the flat emptied and into the new gaff.
As it was a midweek move, I couldn’t ask my usual moving crew (my Dad and my brother), so I thought I would get some hired muscle.
Obviously living in 1970s price land, as I do, I got a shock when I checked prices.
If you are thinking about moving, discard ANYVAN.COM
Website looked ok, easy enough to book. Got a follow up phone call straight away. Paid upfront (always risky). All looking good until a week to go.
Half the price of cheapest local mover, who had warned me about going on prices!
Email: “Check your removals information, as it will cost you more to add items on the day”
So I checked and realised that the original booking (which I had checked and rechecked and written down in my yellow “House Move” pad, was missing a few items: Fridge freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, sofa and two armchairs!
Add to booking, which then asked me for all the measurements, which I did (all a bit of a pain at 6am, whilst trying to get out of the door to work).
“Recalculate price”
“£133,615” (no word of a lie, I wish I had got a screenshot).
I must have missed a decimal point, so I did it all again and the price came in as roughly double what I had paid (and now the same price as local bloke).
I rang to check the day before that all was set and that van and two burly blokes (or ladies) would come to my flat in a big (enough) van, walk up my stairs, carry my dismantled stuff downstairs, transport it roughly half a mile, then carry it in/upstairs to the new place.
“You have booked a ground floor to ground floor move!” was the reply.
Bugger, so the wallet and card came out again (struck a side deal on the day with driver).
Removal day arrived, I was up at 5am and ready, even carrying some stuff down the stairs to save time (I know, I know, you don’t buy a dog and bark yourself, but I just had a bad feeling).
At 8am, Tadjudeen texted, “Just leaving Manchester, will be there at 9am.
9:30am, a HUGE, long Mercedes Sprinter did an audacious sweeping reverse into the side street and straight away his grumpy mate was not happy about the stairs.
He asked to use the toilet and piddled all over the seat, floor and everywhere.
Dealing with professionals then, good start, keep calm…
“Please do NOT take the legs off the sofa, as one is dodgy and won’t go back on again.” Did they listen?
Washing machine got damaged on the way (it was on its last legs), so had to source a new/second hand one the next day.
After about 6hrs, they were done and off.
Then it was just a case of 5000 shuttle runs with the car…
So, for the next 4 days I worked my sorry ar$e off and somehow got the old flat empty and filled the new house and shed with a million boxes.
I have enforced a ban on any question starting with “Where is the…”
Wish me luck 😊
Dunnerdale fell race.
Way before I knew we were moving, I put two entries in for the Dunnerdale fell race.
One for myself and one for Lina.
She had done the Rusland Show race and enjoyed it and had a shiny new pair of Inov8s, so I thought I would show her a classic Lakes race, without trying to kill her round Ennerdale, Wasdale, etc…
“A condensed Lakeland Long” I was told.
Just 5 miles/8km with 5 climbs and a good social do afterwards.
As it happened, it fell on the weekend before the move and common sense said “Scrap the race, pack some boxes”, but we had already sorted for my parents to look after the bairn and the atmosphere was a bit over tense in the flat, (plus I had paid for the race and heard good things about the pies!)
So, ignoring the half packed boxes and work to do, we snook out at dawn to get to Dunnerdale. A drive that is not straightforward, even for runners in the Lakes!
A good turn out, a semi decent day (for early November, I,e. it wasn’t snowing) and a rare chance to run together! We set off at the back of the back and watched the leaders disappearing into the distance. A race with a bit of everything; mud, rocks, bracken, some good running, more mud and more rocks. It felt like a longer Lakes classic, but over much quicker. What is not to like about that 😊
The pies at the end were outstanding and it was great to catch up with the likes of Mr. Tonkin, Darren Parker (the mapmaster man) and Rob & John (old school P&Bers).
The A65 has become an absolute nightmare drive, so it was the long way round via the M6-A66-A1, which is longer but as quick in my eyes.
Next stop, persuading Lina to join P&B!
Lee Mills is not happy!
The last Sunday in November was supposed to be the auspicious LEE MILLS RELAYS. A four person/four leg/same leg relay from Bacup, in deepest, darkest Pennine Lancashire. Lina and I had been chosen as half of an all-star (!) team of 4 by the legendary Doni Clarke of Todmorden (who was in another one-man team, running all 4 legs himself!)
Lina & I had been for a recce round the course a few weeks back and everyone was psyched up for what is an end of season low key but competitive relay.
Nobody was quite as competitive as the weather, which snowed heaps, then melted and then flooded everywhere.
After weeks of trepidation, the race organiser did the only thing they could do and called it off. All bets carried over until next year!
2024
Early December is too early for a review, so will try and shoehorn one more blog into this year.
2025
(This is about as close to the Lakes as I am getting right now!)
An empty calendar is a dangerous thing (as it gets overambitiously filled with races), but as a rough draft, next year looks something like this:
February: Wadsworth Trog
March: Haworth Hobble
April:
May:
June: Ennerdale Horseshoe & Buttermere Horseshoe
July: Wasdale Horseshoe & Lakeland 50
September: Three Shires fell race
October: Langdale Horseshoe
November: Dunnerdale fell race & Lee Mills Relays
(Something will happen in April & May, but I just don’t know what yet!)
So with an unbalanced mixture of mystery cardboard boxes and lame arsed running, that is all for now.
Raiders round-up
Close season, which means no victories nor defeats.
A time to calm one’s nerves before the nervous-breakdown-in-weekly-instalments that is the new season!
Hurrah for OTBF.
On The Back Foot podcast signed off for the season and the Nipper & I scooped an award 🙂
And finally…
A possibility for 2025?
This soundtrack is ace 🙂
Until the next time amigos
Johnny
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