Reynard

I as in the same boat pretty much up until recently. The first week I played I was moving around the court not bad at all. I was fucking wrecked right enough but I got through it. I drove home and had a bath in dettol to help the muscles. And sat down with a cup of tea and felt my hamstrings tighte. I tried to stand up and basically couldnt It took an entire weeks worth of stretching to free them up a bit. I played the following week but I was virtually immobile. I couldn't push off to go forward and my pelvis was sore which made it hard to move side to side. It does get better though. I'm probably 80% fit now compared to my younger days and each week I get stronger and faster.

Definitely. It gives you the biggest cardio vascular workout of any sport. The guy I play with is jsut learning to play and isn't as good as me at the moment. He hits the ball well but I win the points because I know where I want the ball to go and I can hit the nicks most of the time. I am hopeful he will stick with it and improve enough to start beating me and we can get a bit of niggle going on the court as well as keeping fit. I was going to join a gym to get fitter but I really didn't see the appeal of treadmills and weights. I prefer to be doing something with a bit of an edge. So I'm glad I have a playing partner. The guy I used to play moved to Australia He was on a par with me. The games became war like. I love squash, it's fucking excellent.

If you have good hand eye co ordination then you'll be fine. The ball travels much much quicker than the other sports you mentioned but its relatively straightforward to pick up. Start with the blue Dunlop ball which is slightly over sized and it bounces higher off the wall. It is one of those games that if you play someone that is on a par with you then it can be awesome. If you play someone worse than you then you'll end up standing in the "T" at the centre of the court making your opponent run around like a fanny. You burn off around a 1000 calories in an hours worth of playing. And you.ll give your heart, lungs, upper body and legs a total going over when you play. It will get you fit really quickly. I've been playing off and on for nearly thirty years and have just got back into it. Theres stuff on youtube that will show you how the pros play and it will give you tips on how to play the game tactically. Unfortunately the ball is so small and it moves so quickly that it is virtually never televised. A shit clubplayer is still hitting the ball at well over 100mph. Try it. If you get any good I'll give you a game Tesco were selling Dunlop rackets for £4 the other week. I bought a couple for my mate.

I burst the strings on a squash racket this evening and also burst a ball. A good evenings work. I got a new Prince racket for half price at the weekend though so all is not lost. I just liked the other one better and I had the grip built up to suit my big hands. Played for two hours there. It must be the hardest workout you can do exercise wise. My playing partner goes to the gym four or five times a week and is fit, but he is always totally fucked after playing squash.

Nostril hair. When you hit thirty the stuff just seems to fucking pile down your nose from somewhere. Get it to f**k.

My wee boy starts school this morning. That's him into the sausage machine for life.

Shooter - bog standard conspiracy type film. Was pretty good though. 7/10

Sin City - AC/DC

Elvis Costello - A good year for the roses

The Kinks - Lola

Polly - Dillard and Clark

Hickory Wind - The Byrds

Lifted most of the tatties now. The peas are finished, pulled and composted. Still getting a couple of cucumbers a day and they are superb. The toatoes have been a bit shite so far. Not ripening due to the shit weather.And my daughter pulling them all off the vine when they get big The runner beans are flowering furiously just now and are beginning to turn into the bean bit. There will be hunners of them in a few weeks time. The onions have probably another month yet before I start howking them out. The leeks can just stay in the ground 'til I want them. It's been quite a good year for some stuff and pish for others due to the rain. I am going to make the vegetable patch much bigger for next year and I have started building cold frames and stuff and have plans to build a much bigger wooden greenhouse. I'll make that myself next summer maybe.

It is a tremendous film. Well worth a look.

I watched a Korean film called Brotherhood. About the Korean War. It was a superb war film. 10/10

That would be totally out of character

Well done Andrew. Great win.

He's no housewifes choice though. Like I am.

He choked that game.

Jones can swing it late too. If he is back to anything like close to the bowler he was before injury then I'd have him in the side. And maybe alongside Hoggard. You can just about get away with the likes of Harmison in the side if you have other bowlers to carry it off when he is having a Bob Willis rythym problem. Englands bowling is shite just now.

Cheers. Its a good days walking. I enjoyed it thoroughly as well. Ghlas and Lawers were the first hills I ever attempted the weather beat us back the first time. Thigh deep snowdrifts were too much for me.

Was up there last weekend. How did you find it? I was bloody wrecked at the end of it. Dinno whether it was just me or whether it was actually hard work. I'm normally ok walking just about anything but it was a lovely sunny day and quite warm. I wonder whether the heat was doing me in? I've never actually done any walking on a nice day before. Its normally firing it down sideways.

Aye thats the way we did it as well. We came back down the staircase at the back of the hill though. The Hill looks more dramatic going up the stream though. It's an impressive looking summit.

That's something I've never managed. I want to go back and do that but the weather was just too horrendous to even try it the last time. I like the Cobbler, it's a memorable hill.

I didn't notice a path. It's fairly grassy and near enough straight up to Lawers. There may be a faint path but I was blowing out my arse at that point and was following my mates footsteps. Steeeepp You'll be going the opposite direction to me. In which case it will be a piece of piss