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Small indications that life is returning slowly to the before-times. On my walk today I was listening to old episodes of Just A Minute (only Sheila Hancock survives now), not sure when exactly from, but they seemed early on because there was still some discussion about the rules and Parsons kept asking the audience to make the final decision. I used to love listening to Kenneth Williams era JAM as a kid and a student - he took it too seriously, gets mock and genuinely petulant when he loses (no idea why that would appeal to me. I still feel it hard to believe that I have actually been on this show a few times, once with Sheila Hancock (and Parsons of course) so am directly connected to these original shows.
Anyway two or three times on the walk the sound of the show was drowned out by planes flying overhead on their approach to Luton airport. Incredible that the noise from a plane is loud enough to cancel out the sound from earbuds in your actual ear, but I was more struck by how I'd got used to the peace and quiet of a world where hardly anyone was flying anywhere. And I felt a bit sad that we were heading back to the old ways.
I guess I will feel differently when I have to fly somewhere myself.
Ended the week with a Friday evening dance party, followed by an intense session of "What's the time Mr Wolf?" and "Grandmother's Footsteps". It was a good work out, but I was more or less up to it. A third of the year has been passed by and for most of it I've been mainly out of commission, but this was the first time I've felt like I'm back to more or less full energy for parenting. And given the day starts at 6.30am or earlier, full parenting energy was never the same as full energy. It's so good to be feeling normal again.
Charmingly my son wanted to be a baby wolf in "WTTMW?" so it became a team sport with tactics added as there were two wolves. Then when we started Grandmother's footsteps he said "Can I be a baby Grandma?" which was a nice image. Is that just a baby? Or a miniature grandma? And if the latter what does that say about how grandmothers breed?
I celebrated the end of the month with a bottle of Free Damm alcohol free lager (as recommended by Lee Mack on the Adam Buxton podcast). It took me to the end of Dry Janpril and I am in no rush to return to boozing (and still feeling like this might be a permanent decision). One non-alcoholic beer is enough. It feels pretty much the same as a real beer (Mack argues that as alcohol takes 20 or so minutes to get into your bloodstream, any immediate feeling of intoxication is just psychological anyway) but what's the point in having more if it has no other effect? Maybe just as a prop to stop people asking why you aren't drinking, which is the major downside of giving up booze - not that I've had the opportunity to experience that this time round.
I've lost half a stone since my operation (and I don't think that was all testicle) though giving up booze on its own has not had much effect on my weight. I am back on myfitnesspal this week and it's having an immediate effect. I have a proper incentive to keep the weight off this time, as being a uniball makes one more prone to diabetes and high blood pressure. So maybe this time will be the last time we have to go through this annoying fucking yo-yo that regular readers are more than aware of.
