2 weeks

Not that I'm counting. Cue John Rachmaninov...

The autumn weather has been good though: Beautiful sunny days, getting up to 20 degrees sometimes. I hope it continues for a bit longer! My sister Luce is coming for a Visit next week, having just flown across the pond to Londres on a plane. She should be able to experience the wonderful Belgian weather.

I don't think much of this Augustijn Grand Cru. It's probably off. What a waste of a 9% beer. I'll drink it anyway just in case it isn't off.

Back to beautiful sunny days and sleep. I should mention the Flandria again, because I'm really enjoying this bike. Been riding it lots, as per Eddy Merckx's training recommendation. The bunch is getting smaller though, probably because all the (alleged) dopers are being caught. Actually, Verhagen only joined the bunch after he was caught, and I haven't seen much of him lately anyway. Mr. Yates, J. has gone home, but hasn't explained his high testosterone levels to the Belgian feds yet. And now, Mario De Clercq has (allegedly) been found with growth hormones in his house and markings in his diary relating hematocrit levels to the taking of unspecified products! But they were supposedly fictitious and merely part of his research for writing a novel one day.

You see the lengths people will go to do win the sprint? I think they are all afraid - very afraid - of Guido, and well they should be! He was in very good condition over the last two months and that probably cracked De Clercq, who couldn't even bring him back last Sunday week.

I have thus decided to write a novel, maybe about my fantasies of winning the Schelde sprint against these guys. I have been writing notes in my diary, relating the amount of muesli bars, chocolate and beer consumed on the previous day to my sprinting speed. There is a clear, but totally fictitious correlation. e.g. three beers at 9%, 5.2% and 4.8% = a slight hangover, dehydration and 57 km/h.

Note 1: Augustijn Grand Cru (9%) needs to be washed down with Palm Speciale (5.2%) just in case it's off. I don't think it was, but I had to make sure. I now have Doubts about the Palm Speciale. If these Doubts continue, I will need to restock the Beer fridge. There have been shocking depredations in that department of late. I must check the fridge again - I could have sworn there was more beer in there five minutes ago...

Other stuff

Had lunch with the Elder Sunderlands today in a somewhat trendy little spot in Gent centrum. Took about an hour to get food due to having only one chef but that was ok because it left time for idle chatter. The decor was noteworthy - the bottom half of the restauraaaaa was all modern, but the top bit was original XXXth century with painted wooden beams and bare bricks and stuff. Interesting combo - on the one hand it looked as if the workmen had left it half done and gone off for a (slow) lunch break, but on the other it actually worked. So I now know of a place to have lunch in Gent where it takes an hour to get food.

Back to ogling train timetables from Gent to Zaventem luchthaven...