This is just a rambling little update for friends and anyone else who might stop by.

In the Pink:

As some of you know, I’ve been bitten by the exercise bug recently. Having successfully given up smoking and feeling so much better because of it, I went the whole hog and joined a gym. I’m pleased to say that not only has this been a particularly pleasurable experience, despite the muscle soreness, but I’ve also achieved a couple of things in fairly quick time.

First of all, I’ve actually gained weight. While this might not be a cause for celebration for some, for me it is a big thing. I’ve been underweight for a number of years now, due to illness and a necessary change of diet. By underweight, I don’t mean painfully thin but certainly slim for my height. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been exercising 3 to 4 times a week (this includes static bike, treadmill running, rowing and various other torturous devices). I have found my appetite increasing (although I am aware this also happens when one gives up nicotine) but the weight I’ve gained is not on my waist line. The only explanation is this extra weight is muscle mass, baby. My wife said she’d noticed my legs looking bigger and better defined but I honestly thought she was just being her usual encouraging self. I’m also rowing between 6 and 8 ks each session and can already feel the difference in my shoulders and arms as well so I’m more convinced it IS muscle. I’m so pleased with this result; I can’t begin to tell you.

The second thing I’ve achieved is I’ve been able to bend over and touch my toes. Again, this might not sound like a fantastic achievement but I’ve had such problems with my hamstrings and with a weak back. (Short story - I fell off a cliff many years ago and my back has never been the same) To achieve this is a big step forward for me. It means I’m not only getting fit but I’m getting more limber too. I think this becomes much more important for people as they get older and I’m pleased I’m seeing this progress.

More on Ink:

On the tattooing front, I had another session recently that was all about getting the ideas for my sleeve down. As I have a great dialogue with my tattooist (something I’d recommend anyone developing before they get any ink), we sat down and he spent an hour or so doodling on my arm with a pen before we decided on an agreeable theme. Then I spent two hours under the needle while he started to map out the line work for my sleeve. At the moment, it looks a little messy and a bit all over the place but I know what we’re doing and can see past this to what the final piece is going to look like. I won’t be showing any more pictures of future work until it is just about complete because the next few steps are going to make it look as though it is half done and not very interesting. I do intend updating on my progress as I go and a little later down the track will run a “started like this – finished like this” photo blog.

Feeling Shirty:

The weather here is definitely starting to cool down. This time of year is my least favourite. My wife calls it my ‘PMT’ time of the year. She says I always seem to get down around this time and she is right. It has to do with the changing weather. I’m such a fan of summer and warmth but autumn days are so hard to pick. I get dressed warmly, go to work, feel uncomfortable because the day has turned out warmer than expected, but then I can’t do anything to cool down. Or if I dress like it is still warm, the day ends up being chilly and I freeze. It is, quite simply, a pain. I feel slightly ridiculous complaining about it but if those close to me notice the change in me, then it is important I recognise it too.

Getting Dirty:

We’re planning our winter garden at the moment. We’re digging out the old summer vegetables and trying to decide what we’ll put in for winter. The obvious root vegetables like potatoes and carrots are definitely on the list but we’re also thinking we’ll put in some spinach, beans and peas. Toni has let some of our herbs go to seed so we can sow them and keep them for summer. She has made a start with the Basil plants. Man, those seeds are tiny but she has already got a real good lot from last year’s plants. We’ve got a great patch of thyme and oregano.  I'm not sure how seed collecting will go from these but she is going to give it a go.  I'm for the idea of pulling both patches out, replanting them in pots and growing them inside over winter.  We'll wait and see, I guess.

Slowing Down:

Toni is reading a great book about a family who decided to live a year following the ‘slow food’ manifesto. For those of you who don’t know, slow food is a “movement founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy as a resistance movement to combat fast food. It claims to preserve the cultural cuisine and the associated food plants and seeds, domestic animals, and farming within an ecoregion.” Basically, this means relying on local grown foodstuffs. There is a heap of information on line about various ‘slow’ organisations.

I like the idea of the ‘slow’ movement because it has grown to be more about more than just food. The idea that we don’t take enough time to do the things even our parents used to do is quite sad. Information, entertainment, transport, fashion and life, generally, seems to move so quick these days, I wonder how we ever find the time to get anything done. The ‘slow’ movement supports the idea of taking the time to think about what you’re eating, appreciate the taste in your mouth and the effort required to get the food to your table. When you do take the time, things taste so much sweeter. It is an ethos I think we can apply to most activities in our lives. It is certainly one I intend adopting.