You know what would be nice? To have a year or two when it’s possible to visit a news site without a solid screenful or two at the top of the front page being devoted to the same depressing and/or terrifying story. Although I suppose that would probably just mean we’d gone back to ignoring the climate crisis and marching, eyes wide open, toward the likely near-extinction of our species.
Anyway.
Another minor DIY success this week, after realising that the lack of isolating valves in the pipes to the utility room sink wasn’t an issue as I could just turn the hot water off at the boiler outlet. Once I’d done that, it was the work of minutes to replace and reseat the washer in the hot tap that had been dripping for years (despite being turned off so hard that it was effectively put out of use). I now have working hot taps everywhere but the kitchen, where I still have to turn it on under the sink every time I want to wash up.
I also got round to the annualish mammoth freezer defrosting session. Annoyingly for an expensive and supposedly frost-free fridge-freezer, it’s always slowly filled itself with ice. Not in the food compartments, but starting with the elements behind the inner back panel, and slowly expanding until the drawers are frozen in place and the panel starts to bulge out. Clearing it basically requires a couple of hours blasting it with a steam jet from a wallpaper stripper, which is tedious to say the least. This time I also poked a pipe cleaner down the drain hole to make sure it was clear – if that fixes it permanently, I’ll be simultaneously pleased and livid (and very surprised, to be honest). It’s over ten years old now, so I suppose it wouldn’t be unreasonable to replace it, but it seems a shame when in other respects it still works perfectly well (the milk is cold, the food stays fresh, and even the light works when you open the door).
Reduced running mileage this week, in the aftermath of the Tarpley 20. I seem to have developed a minor case of tibialis anterior tendinopathy (a purely Google-based diagnosis, I should add), which I’m sure a bit of rest and some frozen peas will soon sort out. With nothing in the calendar for Sunday I did give parkrun a decent effort though, and despite a lot of mud I somehow managed a course PB and ninth place (my first ever single-digit finish token). That was mostly thanks to a lot of the usual speedy people not turning up of course, but I’ll take it.
Apparently Saturday was the 40th anniversary of John Belushi’s untimely death, so I took that as an excuse to rewatch The Blues Brothers. I think it’s probably the film I’ve seen the most times, starting with a late night showing at the Southampton Odeon in around 1988. The DVD I have came as a double bill with The Blues Brothers 2000, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to watch that. I guess I probably should, in case it turns out to be less terrible than I fear.
It’s finally starting to feel like Spring isn’t too far away, with the first flowers coming out on my Magnolia. I’m sure I’ll be complaining about the heat before we know it.
