ADIÓS SAN MIGUEL, CIAO CAFFEINE
A slump was felt just a few weeks after galavanting with bounds of energy on the Scottish moorlands in October. After running from the doorstep straight in to an adventure playground of majestic scenes of rugged land and sea, the comparatively dull nature of my doorstep back home into urban familiarity was uninspiring, but I just didn't feel that great and heading for the local fells and moors didn't feel like a good idea either.
When I did get going again, a hamstring tweak has needed a week or two to calm down and during that period, a random blood pressure check revealed startling statistics that put the shits up me a bit. My readings placed me well in to the Stage Two Hypertension zone, and there isn't a third stage. 

I eat fresh and quite carefully, obviously I exercise more than your average Joseph or Josephine and so I had to confront myself with what I was doing wrong.
Firstly, I drink too much beer and have been doing for a number of years now. Not getting pissed or anything silly, I'm past all that, but a few cheeky ones, most nights and it becomes a habit. Perhaps I "reward" myself for a hard day at work, a hard run or just pop one open to wind down for an hour or two at night. Whatever the reason, exceeding weekly alcohol recommendations is one of the red flags for high blood pressure and my loyalty to San Miguel has been exposed beneath the deception of an otherwise seemingly perfectly healthy lifestyle. 

I knew I had to cut down, but sometimes a reality check needs a spark and a blood pressure check was it.
For now I'm assuming drinking too much is the main problem, but I also love my coffee and a heaped three-scoop press Americano style that's strong enough to stand your teaspoon up is how I like it. Limiting myself to just one of those per day now to keep the caffeine levels at bay too - so it's a rest from beer, coffee considerably reduced, along with cutting out any extra salt, reducing my cheese intake (which I'd admit has increased since going vegetarian/pescatarian earlier in the year) nipping delicious and authentic full fat Greek yoghurt in the bud and eating a small raw beetroot like you would an apple on a daily basis (sounds grim, but I love beetroot) ... and basically pulling all the stops out to hopefully avoid a trip to the medical centre and being prescribed tablets to address the matter.
A couple of weeks in to this self-cleansing regime and blood pressure checks have showed sporadic results at times, though generally a slowly lowering trend. But there is further to go and more time required to keep up the good work.
After the first few foggy days which I think was withdrawal from my mid-morning and afternoon cafetiere, I've noticed that I'm brighter and much more focused on things. According to the scales in our bathroom - which might not read accurate but are consistent at least - an astonishing five or six pounds have shed from somewhere and since getting out for a couple of tentative jogs post-hamstring strain, I can feel the benefits. I feel more energised and my running posture feels better somehow.
Maybe excesses of alcohol and caffeine have been diesel passing through a petrol engine all this time? Future running performance will tell.
I'm not saying I'm going tea-total, I like a beer or two and will certainly have a few over the coming festive period. I'm not saying I won't have a blow out and treat myself to two coffees one day either, but more and more it appears I've been slowly poisoning myself with two perfectly legal stimulants over a long period of time and will be very careful not to drop back in to the same habits.
Whether or not blood pressure will eventually settle down, at my time of life I'm sure there will be a multitude of other benefits from staying on this more straight and narrow trajectory in to the future.

WINTER BOWLING BREAK FEELS PERFECTLY NATURAL
Late Autumn I had a few good sessions on a restored community bowling green close to home at The Ley Inn and found it to be a cracking little green running well for the time of year and an amazing facility provided for free. I'll be back there to practice again before next season for sure.
Since then, I have not rolled a bowl for nearly two months, but have no real desire to do so just now. The weather has been dire or green conditions unsuitable whenever I might have had a window to nip out for a practice. We seem to be having an extremely wet Winter again and on the odd occasion rain subsides for a day or two, hard frosts have dropped. Approaching the Winter solstice, daylight is also in fairly short supply so all in all there seems little to be gained and no point even thinking about bowling again until in to the New Year.
It feels like a natural break from the game and one that this year, is a welcome one and will actually serve me better going in to next Spring and the new season.
I've certainly no lingering regrets about stepping back from Winter League duty and the team is on a great run, topping the table with a two point cushion just now so it's fair to say they haven't missed me either! The six man set up is thriving and hopefully Captain Marginson's Misfits will continue good form all the way to promotion at the first attempt.

CURIOUS ABOUT INTERNATIONAL INTEREST
These pages currently built up in this blog format have generally remained unseen until recent times. It's simply a personal diary of my own sporting recreation which I've decided to make accessible to the public domain and yet not advertise it as such. I'd prefer people to stumble upon on it.
Still very few of the many people I know are aware of it whatsoever, certainly within the circles of crown green bowling and running. Yet recently when I checked the Blogger stats column, remarkably there has been an influx of views - and worldwide too - including over thirty different countries.
I'd clocked interest from Singapore before, but now regular views from Hong Kong and Mexico are ranking second and third. I'm curious to know what these readers from the other sides (and this side) of the world think of my humble mutterings and invite them to leave a brief comment should they feel so inclined.