Goodbye old friends...

Yesterday was a sad day. I bade farewell to an old pair of friends who have travelled with me for many years, the hills of Wales, the streets of New York, Boston, Paris and Berlin, and supported me during many a match of badminton. Sadly their time has come and they had to go...

My trainers had really got to the point where there was no grip whatsoever, and the side seams had started to fall apart. Also when they got wet, they would smell. The most notorious incident was in Cornwall where the damp grass in the campsite made them unbearable. Not even vast doses of Odor-Eater gas helped made any difference until they dried out. Copious amounts of mud over the years had stained the once white material until it was a dark grey and they had a generally grim appearance.

Not being a follower of fashion, I've never actually paid for a pair of trainers, instead I just use my Dad's cast-offs. This sounds grim, but he is a keen runner and used to replace his trainers every few months. However now he's in his 70's, he doesn't run quite so much and doesn't replace the trainers quite so often. Hence this pair having much more than the usual amount of wear. He had a new pair that he didn't want any more and so it was time to take the old Reeboks out to the bin. It took a lot of effort but with the support of my cousin, I managed it. I did get one last pic of them though.

I'm worried about badminton. I've kind of adapted to the lack of grip to make sliding part of my technique. I have a horrible feeling I'm going to go for a shot and fall flat on my face.

It tried to snow today. It was really impressive, strong winds and snow travelling sideways up the valley. But it didn't last and it's nearly all melted now. Oh well.

Spent some time rewatching the Top Gear American road trip, which can be found on Youtube and other places. It's great. One of the most entertaining things I've seen in a very long time.