Sunday 11 January 2009

a challenge to my 365challenge ...?

You may not be aware of this, but I'm one of those annoying people who wake early (most of the time around 6.30 a.m.) without any problem (or alarm clock!), and then I'm awake, so I'm ready to get doing things. That's meant that a good proportion of my 365challenge miles have been knocked off in the early hours, before work.

The routine has often been: get up, shave, go to gym, shower, come home for breakfast, read/check emails, then bring my wife a cup of tea in bed as her wake-up call (she having been blissfully unaware of my absence and exertions in the gym), then off to work, still usually managing to get in well before 9 a.m.

Just how annoying is that?

And of course those early starts meant that my challenge has kept well on track, if not ahead of schedule, and the rest of the day has been mine to do with as I please (or as much as work demands allow me to). But all of that may be about to change ... as my morning routines are about to be unceremoniously hijacked by THIS creature:

Meet Susie. She's a 4 year old Lab, who we adopted on Friday, courtesy of the North West Labrador Rescue.


We've been looking for a a new dog for a little while, after we lost our old guy, Podge, in October 2007, at the grand old age of 16 years. It's taken a little time to be ready to replace the old guy, as he was such a wonderful dog, but (and I'll whisper this for now), I think we may have lucked out with Susie ... she's fantastic!


She was a family dog who was put in the Rescue as the family's economic circumstances had changed, and both adults had to go to work full-time and long hours, so they didn't think it was fair to leave Susie for so long each day. She is well-trained, and knows most of the key commands, and even, on that first night in her new home, accepted the instruction "Stay" when we went upstairs to bed ... off she went to her new bed and we didn't her a peep out of her until I got up in the morning and went down to her. She is so lovely, with a beautiful temperament, and already she is great off the lead, chasing balls and playing with other dogs ... and most importantly, coming back to us on command. What have we done to deserve such a beautiful dog?!!

But ... and here's the complication for my 365challenge ... my mornings will never be "mine" again, as I've got this beauty to take for a good long walk in the mornings now.

Of course Donna (Mrs C) will still have her cuppa at around 8 a.m., and know nothing of the goings-on in the world before this,
but clearly, I'm going to have to adjust my schedule significantly to allow me to find time to get to the gym at another time in the day!

Work will have to be curtailed earlier than ideally it should (but hey, I
work hard enough anyway ... surely I deserve a little (more) me-time!).

I'm sure the 365challenge will continue to be met, but there may be a little adjusting to be done.

Susie ... you are a complication, but you're worth it! Welcome to the household.


1 comment:

  1. Glad to know things won't change too much for me!!

    ;o)

    ReplyDelete