It's been a pretty full week this week, with work and social commitments keeping me more than occupied through the last week of August. My clinics at the hospital were a little full on and, like many others I've spoken to this week, the humidity seems to be rather draining. Wednesday's trip to Newport also saw some interesting cases and lots of cancellations and non-attenders, possibly due to the bright, sunny weather.
Thursday is where the highlights of the week came in - arranging a trip with my friend Luce and her two children and dog for a walk around Snuff Mills, on a slightly cloudy morning. It was great to get out for a walk, especially having worked the previous three days in hot and stuff conditions. It gave me the taste of going out as a family unit too - and was great fun playing games with her children. It was hard work but I really enjoyed their company!
The River Frome runs through the Oldbury Court Estate, whilst Rupert runs through the woodlands
With the recent cancellation of my gym membership, I also felt the walk did me good - purely on a health point of view. With walking to Snuff Mills and around the location, I must have walked a good 6 miles (not far for most, but definitely an improvement on my usual jaunts!). I really must visit there more often.
Friday came too quickly and I continues my work in Chippenham. It was a fairly quiet clinic, but enjoyed working alongside Keith and learning from his pearls of wisdom. I am also being fitted with contact lenses, a challenge that not many have had the benefit of trying with my prescription. Hopefully I'll manage them this time!
Saturday has been reserved for my best-friend Sarah's birthday party - a trip to Skirmish Paintball in Portishead. I've really been looking forward to this for weeks. We spent ages setting up and many of us were raring to go full Rambo style to vent our life frustrations through a paintball match. I think our party looked rather dapper in our camouflage!
Firing Squad Ready! Sarah's Birthday Paintball Party - image credit Skirmish Bristol
The first game went terribly, with some of the opposing team showing a blatant disregard for the rules and the safety instructions. One guy who was clearly out (judging that his top looked a bit like a Dulux Paint sampling strip continued to play on. He then decided to continually shoot me at point blank range, taking about 7 shots to the kidneys, one on the inner elbow and one to the palm of my left hand (through thick gloves) trying to protect the rest of the body. I currently look part-dalmation with the marks all over my body swollen and bruised right now. Still...if I do sign up to do silly things, it's the least I can expect!
What a welt! My arm after someone shot me from 50 cm with a paintball gun
The day was otherwise fine and I really enjoyed the adrenaline rush that I got from taking the risks of running from cover to cover and taking on the objectives. It is also like a full body workout as the amount of running, crawling and clambering over obstacles throughout the day is intense. I was disappointed I couldn't manage the football (Swindon away) but heard I had missed the game becoming abandoned following a severe storm (I missed FOOTBALL and a STORM! D'oh!).
The evening arrived and we had reservations at La Piazza 1 in Fishponds for a birthday meal, stopping off at the Cross Hands pub on the way for a few drinks. The restaurant was pretty busy, but the service quick and the food tasty. It was a really nice way to refuel our batteries after an intense day and a way to unwind. After a few stops at pubs on the way back home, everyone crashed at mine for a Jackbox games party, finishing the evening at about 2:30 am.
Sarah's birthday meal at La Piazza 1 in Fishponds
With a slight sore head the next morning I had little time to waste - my storm chasing buddy, Laura, had arranged to visit me so a day of catching up, watching movies and enjoying Staple Hill's Page Park and Wetherspoons was in order. We finished the night with a takeaway and watching YouTube videos of tornadoes and lightning, reminiscing our memories of this year's chase, but also building anticipation to the 2017 chase. It's getting closer by the day....
So, if you've made it this far and you're still reading, then thank-you for taking the time to catch up. I've not a lot planned for this week, so don't get uyed to these lengthy blog posts!
Until next week, stay safe!
Jason
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