And so as 2021 draws to an end I can reflect back and say that I rode every day this year, as a matter of fact I also rode everyday last year, so I am now up to a total of 761 consecutive days. Yeah! Some days I don't feel like jumping on my bike, but it's now difficult to stop.
 |
| Well that is another year |
Most of my riding has been in doors, in my bedroom on my road bike and turbo trainer. This year has been a horrendous one for socket fit, so I have not got out much at all on my mountain bikes, it's just too painful trying to stand out of the saddle. Plus, I am finding I am needing more and more time not wearing my prosthetic leg on my days off as I need the time to recover from being at work the 4 days that I am there.
Never mind, it's just the life of an amputee and no excuse not to exercise. It's probably all this exercise I have been doing that has caused me to lose volume.
I also devised another challenge to go along with my bike, and this as I recall I started in February of this year. I started doing crunch and oblique sit-ups. As the months went by I was steadily increasing how many I was doing each month, and with today being the last day of this current year I have just completed 18,000 this month, that is 600 per day.
Next year I am going to think of something else to challenge me. Oh! That is not all though, I have also been doing some core work using a gym ball and some free weights in the form of dumbbells. It took me a while to get used to using the gym ball, not so much because I had a weak core, No it's more to do with losing my balance due to my prosthetic leg. Again, it doesn't help when it is not fitting and dropping off or rotating as I exercise.
So while I am on about challenges, I decided to do something I have always put on the back burner and this is to get myself a guitar. I am a complete beginner. I bought a 3/4 Ibanez Guitar, still waiting for it to arrive, and I started reading a book I purchased by a guy called Justin Sandercoe. Within the first few pages, Justin advises not to start with a 3/4 or travel guitar...Ahh! Bloody typical... So I checked online for a full size guitar I liked. It was either a choice between a Fender Malibu or an Ibanez TCM50, both of which are electro-acoustic guitars. I opted for the Ibanez TCM50, and it arrived just the other day.
 |
| Ooh! Just like Christmas |
 |
| What ever could it Be? |
 |
| Ibanez TCM50 Vintage Sunburst |
 |
| Looks and plays lovely |
Now I don't know much at all about guitars, however I have to say I love the rich sound from the Ibanez, even when not plugged in, it is plenty loud enough in my bedroom and I have been practising learning some chords and strumming, so much so that I have very sore fingers with callouses forming on the fingertips of my Left hand.
Come the New Year, I am most definitely going to try and get booked in for some lessons and try and persevere. I am looking forward to being able to play a song, rather than just making a noise.
Other things this year that aren't very interesting, well after 2 years of being a vegetarian I decided to become more of a flexitarian and started eating chicken and eggs. I was just getting bored trying to find stuff to eat.
Not only that, I bought my dad a Ninja Foodie air fryer, and it seemed a shame just air frying vegetables in it. Now I can bang some chicken in, and it only takes like 22 minutes or so.
This year I also discovered I am seriously going blind, honest my eyesight is shocking, so I had to go and buy some new specs. Wow! At £400, they were a lot more expensive than I expected. Hopefully I don't look too much of a geek in them.
 |
| Having a little practice |
 |
| A lot more difficult than I thought |
Well, that is about all, other than to wish you all a Very Happy and Healthy New Year... Take care...
