More walking

Tatton Park.
I am getting some value out of my National Trust membership.

Yesterday, I just about made it over the magic 10000 steps.

Today, I am on 12560 so far. I have checked my 'stride length' and the step counter is calibrated to it, so it appears that I have walked around 9.8km today, so just over 6 miles.

It got to be a struggle at times, but it's worth doing just to get my activity levels up.

I was going to do some stargazing, but as I appear to be escalating - pain and fatigue - I have decided that bath and hot water bottles are the only option.

Some of you know this already, but I have to share - I received a phone call today from James' school. Now just remember that I work in a school (when I am not skiving off, obviously).

The jist of the call was to tell me that James has a breaktime detention tomorrow. Fine. The reason for this? Not carrying his pen and pencil in a pencil case, but carrying it in his blazer pocket which is DANGEROUS (apparently) and has now become a detainable offence in his school. Half of his group are on this detention tomorrow. I mentioned it to an esteemed colleague when he rang to see how I was - he asked whether he would get suspended for walking around with his pens in his top pocket on his shirt. I am afraid that when the person on the other end of the phone told me this (it wasn't the member of staff who had set the detention) I clarified, just to check, because I wasn't sure that I had heard her. I realised that she was only the messenger, so I restrained myself in the only way that I know how - I said "Fine, he will do the detention, but that reason is ridiculous". I have since written a forthright note in his journal for his form tutor.

So, watch out...pens are DANGEROUS. In fact, right now I am sat in a high risk environment as there are TWO pens on my desk right next to me and a number of potentially lethal items such as paper clips and a memory stick.

I need my painkillers.