Reaching a peak (flow)

Hello Blogg-ettes,

Well Christmas was spent mostly in Cannock Wood, enjoying catching up with friends old and new, watching Villa lose at Villa Park and seeing relatives...

The infection I caught in Tenerife eventually went. It was a slow process. Us transplantees have an artificially reduced immune system so our bodies don't reject our organs.. I had to to get some magic drugs from the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital - and take things easy..

Strangely my lung capacity stayed at 23 per cent - even when I was feeling grotty. That's the weird and wonderful world of peak flow for you!

SO I guess the break came at the right time...

New Year was fun in Lancaster. Thai food (see pic) then a Champagne do at a friend's.. But it all seems such a long time ago now..

I found out a job I had missed the application date for in Stafford, may have been still open. So I spent a frantic two days doing the forms, CV and meeting the people spec, but turns out it was closed.

But it made me update my details and get back into applying for stuff. The bad news is for the people of Cheshire and Merseyside, you have got me living and working up here for a while yet.

I have other irons in the fire...

Since recovering from the infection I have been going to the gym every other day. It made the first table tennis session of the year less painful.

It is less than six months until I compete in the Europeans in Lithuania.  Wish me luck..

Until next time..

Ciao

Mark

Berlin banter and k9

Hello Bloggettes,

Thanks for all the emails from people who saw me on Sky TV and in the Lichfield Mercury, Widnes World, Widnes and Runcorn Weekly News, Wire FM etc following the awards... all appreciated..

Well it has been a busty time in Markville.. I flew out to Germany on Friday 13th (I know, I know) through the farce that is EasyJet (long walks with hand luggage at Liverpool Airport, no moving stairways!)

I found my way (more through luck than judgement) to Alexplatz.... where I met up with Katrin. Spent a great long weekend there- the first time I had been there for a while..

We had food cooked by her on the first night and wandered through the Eastern part of Berlin - It is hard these days to tell where is where...

I found an afiinity with the old GDR flashing light men on traffic signals (they had been replaced by the West German ones) - I bought a t-shirt and badge... Bring the old ones back..

We had an all day breakfast and met up with Juli, (at Houdini's All You Can Eat) and had dinner with Stefan in the evening which included sourkraute (yes they did get the joke!)

When I got back home. I had to unpack and pack again to go to Newcastle for my check-up and prodding and poking by the medics up north...

I was feeling lethargic and tired and my lung function showed a 10 per cent down turn - They think it is just the endless colds I have got since working in this office and the travelling...

The x-rays showed no further damage (good thing) So I must just keep doing the right stuff, gyming, swimming and looking after myself...

My weight is down toi 73kg - the lowest it has been since 2002... A recent printout at the gym said I am now the perfect weight and muscle mass for my height... So I am doing everything right my end,.

It is just frustrating that all the work and my lung capacity is still a fraction of what it should be... Damn the rejection...

Busy week at work but tomorrow should be relaxing - I am going to see Frank Sidebottom on an open bus tour, then a gig, then a night in a hotel... Bring it on!

Been enjoying our MSM chats K9 by the way - Bring on our vodka fest - She always makes me feel more human...

MUSIC: Gabriella, BWO, Nick Cave, Moby

Only a week to go before Jay-Z, Pendulum and Linkin Park!