Odd Thomas Odd Blog

After the frustrations of work this week - and every other week since the beginning of March, if I were to be completely honest - taking Friday off for a day trip to London was a very much needed break. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment trip as I can do that any weekend.  This was a trip with my cousin to the London Diving Chamber down at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, St John's Wood, in order to undergo our Fit to Dive medicals as we both suffer with asthma , and ready for returning to diving this year along with an intended trip back to Sharm El Sheikh with Emperor Divers in October - Icelandic volcanic ash permitting! * As per the medical back in 2008, it was a general discussion about our asthma and a few tests, such as spirometry tests , pee tests and nervous tests, the last of these being to ensure I have no problems with musculature control, not to see how I react to the doc shouting "Boo!" at me from various angles.  In case you were wondering...

Okay, not so much fatboy as love-handle boy, but the Great North Run 2008 was still a challenge! As per usual, I was a little late booking a place to stay but was incredibly lucky to find a characteristic little guest house called Bush Nook about a month beforehand, situated along the A69 between Carlisle and Newcastle. My little bed - very comfy! Slept like a log! The shower/toilet room - where I broke the flush :-$ Some of the room's character :-) Due to the bad weather on the way up on Saturday, I was rather late arriving and the owners were starting to wonder if I would arrive at all. I did ... seven hours after I set off. I know I'm not a speedy driver, but that's a long time even for me. The forecast was that there would be showers on the Sunday morning, so I had made sure that I had a suitable running jacket. I didn't need it. When I opened the curtains first thing Sunday morning I was greeted with a view that made me long to live in the hills: Imagine waki...

I have to confess that since I arrived back from Egypt I haven't been particularly inclined to post any entries, hence the last couple of rather half-arsed posts! So, I guess its about time to update you on the rather excellent time I had out there :-) The whole purpose of the break was for my cousin and I to gain the PADI Open Water Diver certification, something that - at that time - I wasn't particularly interested in doing, but it was a break from work so why not?! He had hoped to achieve his certification whilst on his honeymoon in the Maldives but despite numerous questions about what he would need, they neglected to inform him that he needed a medical because of his asthma.  Normally, this would not have been a problem as they have a doc out there.  Unfortunately for my cousin, the doc went on holiday the same day he landed in Kuredu! Talk about bad timing. So Egypt became the target with yours truly chosen as the buddy and accompanied by my cousin's wife and her fri...

Cor blimey guv'nor, 'as it been that long since last we spoke?!?! I guess I've been a bit out of it lately, disappearing off on one of my lows. Or as my old friend Michelle would say, off having my monthlies: all the mood swings only without the gore. Unfortunately, I've been pretty quick to anger these past couple of weeks, and have snapped at my family, my colleagues and my boss, though there is still a part of me that thinks one or two of them deserved it! As I went to see the docs about my asthma which has been playing up for the first time in about five years (so I am now back on the ventolin *sigh*), I figured I should ask about my mood problems. He felt that it wasn't family that was the problem, but work (won't argue with that), and said I need to take some time out ... what a stroke of luck, as I'm off to Sri Lanka next week for my cousin's wedding! Though if I don't come back in a better mood, I need to go back and see him... So, I guess a...