The House where People Used to Run

I've been out for 4 days now, and Peter for 4 weeks. The hallway, lined with trainers, collects dust. Running magazines flop through the door but remain in their plastic covering. Heart-rate monitors have nothing to monitor but the scurrying of the mouse's feet...
When we gave up climbing we never had the heart to get rid of our climbing gear so the hooks in the hall still have our climbing shoes and harnesses and quickdraws and trad. gear hanging there. Maybe it'll be the same with the running stuff - trainers with authentic mud from all over the country still attached, preserved for ever.

In the meantime I remembered last night what having a cold is for. Its for going to bed with a good book about climbing Everest. I re-started Stephen Venables account of climbing the Kangshung face. There's nothing quite like vicariously risking life and limb crossing treacherous crevasses from the safety of your own bed. I don't know if I'll finish it though because I discover I remember what happens all too clearly. Spoiler Alert! He gets to the top on his own but then they all nearly don't make it down because they're too wazzed. American climbing dude loses bits of his fingers which doesn't improve his rock-climbing.

On a lighter note, the final part of last Friday's story, which I didn't bother to relate was that Peter lost the headphones for his mp3 player while answering his phone when he was cycling to NB etc. He was so annoyed at himself when he got home and he realised what had happened he was going to cycle back down the road in the dark, nearly to Prestonpans, to see if he could find them. I took him in the van but there was no sign of them.

Well, just the other day, the same nice people who let me have a free pair of trainers, if I'd review them and put a link from my blog got back in touch and said would I review a pair of headphones with the same conditions attached? Of course I would. Looks like Peter's getting a new pair of headphones. Unless it turns out to be THE pair of headphones Peter lost. That would make a good story wouldn't it? Well, maybe not. I've still got a bit of a fever, so maybe only if you've got a fever. He did originally find those headphones on a train so there's a kind of finders keepers poetic justice going on.

I am officially off sick today, which is very unusual and is making me a bit paranoid. I want to go outside but am afraid of being SEEN. However, I need some fresh air. You can be ill and go to the beach can't you? Of course you bloody can, I'm off...