Not as good as last year.

I won’t be riding again, so you get the totals a day early. This was my worst month for three years, quite pathetic really.

Hobbes isn’t well. In addition to the existing FIV and thyroid problem, he’s now got either lymphoma or adenocarcinoma, we should know more tomorrow when we get the result of the biopsy. If it’s lympoma apparently it can be treated to an extent with Prednisolone, if it’s adenocarcinoma it can’t be treated.

He spent the day at the vets today for tests and came home minus large patches of fur where they’d taken blood and done an ultrasound scan. There was of course the astronomical bill to go with it. He is at least eating food again which is something he’s not done for nearly a week.

The most important job today was to compile a list of names for future servers, by referring to the Father Ted Canonical Priest List we’ll be fine for the next 100 or so servers.

Feel ill, ride bike, feel ill, eat breakfast, feel ill, open presents, feel ill, eat lunch, feel ill, ride home, feel ill, sleep, feel slightly better.

Bit of an anti-climax really. Hopefully I’ll feel better for the re-run on Saturday.

Apparently it’s christmas tomorrow, and I don’t feel in the slightest bit festive. The closest I’ve come was a few pints of Festivity at our work christmas party on Friday night.

A quick night tonight, partly due to a speedy sticker-up, but mainly because we won 5-0, and by 31 pins which was pretty much their average score for a leg.

Housing Admin took the full 8 points, Treasurers went home empty handed.

Last night saw me wandering round Westonbirt Arboretum armed with a 30D attached to a monopod. Some of the pictures came out OK, a proper tripod would have been useful at times though.

Plenty more pictures in the gallery: Westonbirt Arboretum photographs

All shots were taken at ISO3200 and are unprocessed. If I get a quite hour or two over Christmas I might fettle them properly.

First ride on the 456 this morning. I did the usual Uni route so I could try it out on some familiar ground. There were a few issues with the seatpost slipping, probably because I greased it too well, but other than that it was ace. It rides well, not too disimilar to the Stiffee, but it fits better, and you can run the forks at 130mm without feeling like you’re going to fall off the back of the bike. I left the forks at 100mm for most of the ride, increasing them to 130mm for the trip down off the downs, but dropping them back to 100mm as I rode along the canal.

Now for the obligatory bike/sofa pictiure.

I’ve unshimmed the brake, sorted the saddle out, and have now test ridden the 456.

After extensive testing in the wilds of Caledonian Road, I can report that it’s very nice indeed, even with the forks wound out to their full 130mm. Proper ride tomorrow probably.

A quick pic from earlier.