Deluding Myself

Oddly for a Monday I'm on the bus. L needs the car tonight and I need to stay in Derby for the Rams' 25th defeat of the season. I only have a £20 note so I seriously doubt that they'll let me on the bus. Thankfully they do, although I now have a pocket full of loose change.

I struggle to work, carrying a wad of entries forms as thick as a copy of War & Peace, which my agent picked up from the running shop on Saturday. Then she emails me with a tempting offer and Ooooo do I fancy some of that. The Caythorpe Duathlon next Sunday. Although I don't have my bike. L says we have a huge array of bikes. Err yes... the kid's two heavy mountain bikes, L's old shopper bike, my old bike from when I was twelve... hmmm... don’t fancy any of them. It’s either use L's or the veteran beast that is our turbo bike. I plan to audition the turbo bike on Wednesday, so a decision will have to wait until then. Of course, it'll mean another low alcohol Saturday but Duathlons are a bit of a rarity.

I finally get the result for Doggo's one decent run at the show last week. We came 5th in the Agility, out of 143, so not a bad showing. L points out that he did better than I did yesterday. She means 'we' did better. We're a reluctant team.

I run to my parents and get the honour of someone blowing their car horn at me as they go past. I would like to think that the two occupants were female but I'm probably deluding myself.

We head off to the match, which as predicted ends in defeat but it's actually quite an enjoyable one, as massacres go. Derby pull it back to 3-2 with only 12 minutes left but Arsenal, I think, were clearly just toying with us and it finishes 6-2. At least we got slaughtered by a decent side this time.

Here's an interesting dilemma, whose name do I put on my 'Player of the Season' voting form. I have a horrible suspicion that Darren Moore is going to win but if they take into account the goal he gave away today he won't. Shocking. All the same, I reckon he'll get the sympathy vote. He's an excellent professional and it's not really his fault he's past it and was nothing special in the first place. Be a nice farewell present for him. I hope!

Because I'm out, L has arranged a dog friendly run over in Derby which is why she needs the car. So after the match I walk to Chaddesden to try and catch the R5 but miss it. The crowds leaving the football are just too dense to get through. So I walk back into Derby for the Red Arrow, quicker in the long run than waiting for the next slow bus.