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.

29 Jan - 4 Feb: Looking forward to a long w/e with Stoker

Thu - Stoker arrived at 5:45am. Back to Villa and for her to catch up on sleep, but she needs to get up for 3pm for her pedicure and haircut.  Very windy and dusty out our way. Trader Vics books for the evening, sat outside even though it was windy.
Wed - Spin/'pump' with See.  It felt tough at the time, but very quickly recovered so I couldn't have really pushed myself.

Tue - Choir
Mon -  Feels like Sunday as the actual Sunday was a blur of travelling and sitting in a meeting room trying to keep up with what was being said.  Went to spin/abs with Walid, it wasn't too hard but I sweated enough to make it look so.  Why can't I do press ups? (yes I know, too much weight to lift).

Sun - Up at 4:45 to go to Dubai to attend a due diligence meeting with the Gulf Fund.  In a conference room all day, just dashed to and from airport back to Bahrain at about 8pm.  This is not a jet set life.
Sat -  Relaxed start, bacon and eggs.  Weather was so nice I had to go out, so cyled over to Dilly to get a library book, then up past Marina West development to Budiaya 'beach', just 24km.  But I do have spin tonight.  Tomorrow is a business trip to Dubai to see a potential investment in an IT company.
Fri - 100km in just over 4 hours saddle time (avg 24.3kph)!! Had set alarm for 5:45, but it was still dark.  Decided to shift myself, so got up at 6 and was on road at 6:15.  Cols start but soon warmed up.  Riffa Fort, then down to Zallaq, Camel roundbout and then along to end of road till signs got too 'prohibited'.  Passed 2 groups of Wheelers coming back but decided not to turn to join them as they were looking too  fast.  That was 45km.  Drank gatorade and ate dates.  Back to AlAreen, up to Banyan Tree with hill no probs.  Down past water park to Fuds for breakfast, 69km.  Back to AlAreen, Zallaq and through villages (via Hamala for a toilet stop) to villa for 99.7 so poddled up road to make it 100.2km.  Knees and inner thighs are feeling it, but could have continued.  The weather made it - clear sky, sun and NO WIND.  It was still.  That makes all the difference.  Would have been a great day for going out on the boat diving but as the engines are kaput then cycling it is.

22 - 28 Jan: Back in the groove, sort of

Thu - In early for meeting.  Did nothing in evening.

Wed - Legs achey and wobbley, must be from the spin class!.  'Misery' dinner/theatre at Dilly tonight.

Tue - Choir tonight.
Mon - Spin/abs with Walid in evening.  Had a few minutes beforehand so did some Bodydoctor upper exercises.  Hadn't been for 2 months, so it was a bit of a shock to the system.  But it felt good.  Then popped into Diving at the Dilly to see what thoughts there were on the lack of an engine for the boat - its costing 3,500BD to repair and a new pair costs 11,000BD.  This is a bummer as I wanted to have a few dives now the weather was nice.  They are waiting to hear what the Dilmun committee have to say, if they will pay for a new pair then diving trip charges will have to go up, it would still be a bargain through.

Sun - Recovery day!
Sat - Short morning ride with Seana and group, Awali to Riffa Fort and then Golf club coffee.  Just 24km.  A nice way to loosen up after yesterday.
Fri - Right, decided to have a cycle, even though the wind was strengthening from the north.  Left about 8:30.  Awali then Riffa Golf Cafe for breakfast.  Down into desert, up soap box hill (the Wheelers call it this, I don't know why), then cut off road (over a ditch, i wouldn't do this again) to join the Dhurat highway.  Down to Bridge 3.  It was all going well and smooth,  too well.  Turned back across oil field and into the headwind.  Ground along with the wind noise blowing in my ears.  Dusty.  Stopped off for a cuppa at Richard's, then back via Hamad Town.  80km in all.  Felt tired but in a nice way, and pleased I survived the wind back.

15 - 22 Jan: Home alone

Thur - Still no exercise

Wed -  Still no exercise.
Tues - Slept too late for gym/swim in morning.  Chair at night - Mozart Requiem for 20 March in Bahrain and Verdi Requiem in Dubai on 26 March.
Mon - Got ready for a spin class, gear i the car, only to find its full and they aren't taken a waitlist.  I am not going to turn up in case there are no shows.  So lets see if I manage to get to the compound gym instead.
Well I did, just.  15 min row then 15 min weights.  Its a start!  Felt pool - it was cool but not too cold for swimming.  Lets see if I manage to have a swim in the morning.  Off to Dilmun Diving now.
Sun -  Doss day.  Stayed a bit later at work to start to create an impression that I actually do work there.  Got Skype working on Asus notebook with webcam.  Fiddled with Sony ereader which didn't like having been totally discharged but its now started again.

Sat - Decided I had to start afresh (5kg put on over UK break).  Cycled 58km down to Al Jazyrer beach.  SE wind so it was a brezze coming back.  Caught some youngster Bahraini cyclists by F1 and they drafted me, so I had to appear nonchelant and keep up 38kph for a while till I pulled over at Costa's for a coffee.  Didn't feel too tired.  Used new workstand and cleaned bike, I wonder if it will go faster?  Decided I had done enough exercise so didn't go to Ritz spin.

Fri - Relaxing day.   Managed a short tandem to Hamala Beach Resort with Stoker.  Go karting with Investorp staff outing in evening at F1 circuit (I was rubbish, I could have cycled faster), then dinner round at Seana's.  Took Stoker to airport for her 1am flight.

18 Dec - 14 Jan: Shovelling snow in UK

Xmas and NY fun in Chorleywood, Woburn Sands and Norfolk.
Back to Bahrain on 9 Jan