Julius Caesar

July is a quiet month.

Not for any specific reason, more happen-stance than anything – only a couple of gigs and a stag do for my brother-in-law-to-be at the end of the month – but I’m glad of the quieter couple of weeks ahead, a chance to get properly back into routine after our wonderful holiday. It’s also well timed as next month is lining up to be a doozy!

August kicks off with Becca’s birthday right at the start of the month, the following weekend I’m in Edinburgh for the traditional day at the Festival with my friends, and then the weekend after that there is a wedding to attend on the Friday (which means I’m missing The Cure when they visit Glasgow that day, some people are so selfish!), and the very next day we are off to see the mighty Foo Fighters, and we end the month with Skunk Anansie.

Of course the wedding will be the focus, it’s not often your favourite sister gets married after all, and as I’ve got a reading to deliver I guess I’d better get my ass in gear and figure out what I’m going to say. Ohhh who am I kidding, I’ve already got the perfect piece picked out (and no, it doesn’t feature any alliterations) and the real question is if I can hold it together and make it to the end without greeting… feel free to place your bets…

Aside from all that, it’s back to the gym and back to the physio for me. I have a long standing ankle problem that is the remnant of an over zealous tackle when I used to play 5-a-side. I’ve lived with it for the past coughs 15 or so years but the recent physio I had on my hip, and the exercises for that, aggravated it so back I go for more gentle, helping torture.

Thankfully the gym program I’m now on is built around accommodating that, which largely means a lot of walking and core/arm work. The former is great as I have a very happy companion for walks – once he gets past the fact that no, this time it’s just a walk, there will be no ball throwing – the latter means every cough is accompanied with a grimace and I can barely lift my arms above my head most days. Hopefully over the coming weeks I’ll see a difference, and with body measurements taken, it’ll be tangible one way or another!

Of course free time means more time for hobbies, but for a change I’m not really planning/hoping to achieve anything this month, just taking each day as it comes. I tend to have Saturdays to myself whilst Becca is working and it’s been interesting to see how I react to not really having a plan for those days. It usually boils down to; get up, walk/feed the dogs, do some chores, then… see how the mood takes me. I’m loving life this way. Last Saturday I met a friend for brunch, did some writing, played piano, and chilled out with my two little furry pals.

Here’s to a quiet July!