26 Feb - 4 Mar: Looking forward to skiing with Stoker

Thu - Great start to the day: checked in online, lovely weather, pool heaters were on so swim was delightful and very relaxing.  Weather makes a difference, must be the genetic ancestral memories of african savannas, with bright blue sky, clear air, light breeze and warm sun uplifting the spirits.  Blues evening at Duilmun club tonight (on table with some manama singers) then off to airport.
Wed -  Evening spin class was full, so went to the 8:30 one.  I was the only bloke with the girls.  It was Ole's last class as he has got a promotion to the Ritz in Abu Dhabi, but he didn't let up.  Showered and changed at Ritz and into work by 9:55 feeling great.  Lovely clear fresh weather with warm sun, shame it doesn't stay like this all summer.
Tue - Back to bright warm weather.  Swam the whole of Mozart's Requiem again, just over an hour, before work. Choir in evening, more Requiem!
Mon - Leaving the training a bit late for skiing, but signed up for the circuits class in the morning before work.  Nice to exercise different bits.  Overcast and grey with some spotted rain.  Spin/abs in the evening with Whalid, it was tough..
Sun - Public holiday for Prophet's (PBUH) Birthday.  Weather coolish in morning, left at 7am cycled to Ritz for Sea's Pilates class (1 hour) which was like slow abs exercises but it made me sweat, then cycled back with the wind behind me.  39km in total cycling.

Had to stay in all afternoon while workmen fixed the bath that a visitor broke the bottom.  They glass fibred it then sprayed with white acrylic and it looks better than new!  Villa smells like a glue sniffer's paradise though.
Sat - Swam the whole of Mozart's Requiem!  Decided I was bored with failing to count laps, so dug out my rarely used waterproof iPod case and headphones and listen to Requiem which is over an hours worth of swimming, must be over 2km.  Could have carried on, I can't be swimming hard enough. Read 'One Day' by David Nicholls, characters weren't believable to me.  Strong NE breeze, haze and weak sun.  Decided to go for a walk to Al Jasra "Harbour and Beach" 7.4km in 1hr 24mins.

Fri - Up early, packed for a long ride and left at 6am.  Riffa fort, Awali (where I saw Seana going to Budiya for a ride), Zallaq, end of the beach road till the signs got too threatening about PRIVATE, up to Banyan Tree, Al Areen, F1, new road past Sakhir air base when it got very headwindy and blown sand/dust (this road without wind would be good for a 10 mile time trial).  Was making slow pogress at 10-15kph.  So decided that was enough, turned around and with wind behind me flew home via Hamad Town, often hitting 40kph.  110km.  Washed down bike, fry up for breakfast, feeling good and relaxed.

Decided just to lie down for "a little rest" and crashed out for 4 hours, waking after sundown.

Staff party tonight at Sheraton.  Turned out as expected, remind me never to have an Iranian singer at a party, it was only marginally better than the music at the Bahrain/NZ foorball match.  Back home at 10:45 "and so to bed".

19 - 25 Feb: Qatar interlude and "its the rules"

Thu - Felt much better this morning, with tummy settled down.  60 lengths before work.
Wed - 30 lengths with Stoker.  Lovely lunch at Zoe's, then took her to airport for flight back to Blighty.  Spin/Abs at Ritz in evening, but was still full up after lunch, felt burpey and a bit sickey so only did the spin (plus 20 mins row beforehand).
Tues - 30 lengths with Stoker.  Then we both went to Choir and onto Country Club for a meal afterward, joined by S & G.

Mon - 50 lengths with Stoker.  Then Diving AGM at Dilly - with usual small club politics just about under control!
Sun - Recovery Day from Qatar excesses!

Sat - Lovely start to day - clear sky and breeze.  Went to get dinghy out, but couldn't till 10am when Mr Dexter was to arrive "its the rules".  So in meantime went out on the dolphin watch and saw lots that played with us.  Out on Trimaran which was fun though wind started to die.  Lunch, packed and back to S&N where R&G came round for pizzas and final drinks.  Back to airport and to Bahrain by 10:30.
Fri - up at 7:30 to catch 9:30 flight to Qatar.  Met by S&N, then driven down to QP beach club where we camped, eat lunch, drank, swam, "braiied" (we were surrounded by SAs), talked, drank and staggered back to campbeds to sleep in the open air.  Almost like a Saudi desert trip.

12 - 18 Feb: Tour du Bahrain and visitors

Wed -
Tue - Up early (5:00 yawn, no time for swimming) to go on day business trip to Dubai, then choir on way back from airport.  G&S coming over from Riyadh.
Mon - 60 lengths this morning.  It all seems too easy.  I am obviously not trying hard enough.  Broke a filling, so off to the dentist this afternoon, then if feeling OK I have booked for spin/abs tonight.  Did feel OK, hard intense class with Walid.
Sun - Still feeling good in the morning, but legs a little 'heavy'.  50 lengths, mixture of breaststroke, crawl and arms only.  The Stoker and Stalker had a girls night out at the O2 arena.
Sat - Amazingly I was not aching at all this morning.  Woken up by some workman chipping away at something by the side of the house at 6:30, but dozed till 9:30.  Hot sunny day. 50 gentle stretching lengths in afternoon, and spin/abs in evening which I took easily though still sweated.  Watched Hurt Locker on DVD, tense film but episodic and not much of a storyline.
Fri - ' Tour du Bahrain'.  My first 100 miles.  As I was feeling antsi, decided to burn off frustrations by cycling round Bahrain.  Left at 6:20, Budiaya, Amwaj, Sitra, down to Dhurat where I met up with Les who kept me company for a while .  Tree of Life, over to walk up track to Banyan Tree, down to Al Areen, along to Camel roundabout, then home.  177km in 7:37hours and I allegedly burned over 7,000 cal.  Felt fine up to about 125km, then slowed down across desert to get to160km - the century miles!, and feeling tired back fairly slowly.  Every two hours stopped for stretch, water and dates.  Wind was kind and light from the west,  Shower, stretch and bacon and eggs when got back.

Extra Mozart rehearsal 5-7, then I went to see The Book of Eli at Saar Cinema.  Not original - a mixture of Mad Max, David Carradine Kung Fu and Clint Eastwood Man with No Name, and the revelation at the end was not believable - but heh, the whole film isn't supposed to be believable!

A full, long and satisfying day.

5 - 11 Feb: Good while it lasted, now all alone again

Thu - No exercise
Wed - 50 in 24 again, but this time I was faster and more sure of the counting, so I reckon yesterday I skimped on the number of lengths.  Spin/Abs tonight.
Tues - 50 lengths in 24 mins in morning.  Choir tonight.
Mon - 40 lengths in 21 mins (quite slow!).  Spin/abs in evening at Ritz - abs session was 12 mins of continuous sets of squats/pressups/crunches, I didn't stress myself too much!
Sun - 30 lengths swim with stoker.  Cooler day (18 deg) and very windy.  Then bit of shopping, finalise stoker's new glasses, lunch at Cafe Coco and take her to the airport, and into make an impression at work.  15 mins row and BD gym routine in evening.  The villa seems very lonely without my stoker and her guitar!  Just heard that Verdi in Dubai has been postponed to May, which I can't do 'cos of cycling through France.
Sat - Lazy start to day, then gym (rowing and BodyDoctor exercises for me) and 20 lengths swim.  Seef Mall and Frangipani for sushi lunch.  Spin/abs in evening with See, not too strenuous.
Fri - Stoker went to gym, I was pathetic and didn't.  Friday brunch at Riffa Golf Club with Seana and Richard.  Very good spread, especially the japanese.  Managed not to go to the cinema in the evening, much to stoker's annoyance.