Saturday 5th October - A Day of Recovery and Football

Hello all.

I woke up in the middle of the night with stiff back and neck pain. To ease the tension, I jumped in the shower, alternating between hot and cold water. It helped a little, allowing me to return to bed for a couple more hours of rest.

When I finally got up, I stayed in bed for an extra hour, doing stretches in hopes of shaking off the pain. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much, so I decided to get up and distract myself with tasks, hoping that keeping busy would help.

The first job of the day was catching up on my cleaning routine by deep cleaning the bathroom. Oddly enough, the movement helped alleviate some of the pain in my back and neck. Every part of the bathroom received attention—the bath, sink, toilet, walls, radiator, and floor. It felt great to finally have the room where we go to get clean actually sparkle.

While I tackled the bathroom, Juli pitched in by cleaning the backyard, which was next on my cleaning list. I'm really grateful for her help. The act of cleaning seemed to spark something, as she then decided it was time to finally buy a carpet for Henry’s bedroom. Poor Henry had been living in his room without a carpet for months. After we finished our tasks, we visited a nearby carpet store and picked out a lovely carpet and underlay for his room. It should arrive in a few days, which is great progress.

After a quick bite to eat, I had to shift focus to getting ready for my afternoon football fixture. I was the referee for the Durham County Cup 2nd round, Willington versus Annfield Plain. With no assistant referees today, I had to manage the match alone, making every call on my own. It was a tough, competitive game, and I had to stay focused despite my lingering back and neck pain. Overall, I was satisfied with my performance, feeling I got the key decisions right.

After the game, I had a 45-minute drive home, and once back, I dived straight into my recovery routine: an Epsom salts bath, followed by meditation and stretches. This helped me unwind and recover a bit. Feeling refreshed, I made Toad in the Hole for tea—my favourite dish to cook.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing. I watched motivational videos on YouTube while enjoying my meal, then settled in to watch Never Say Never Again, a classic James Bond film on ITV4. I finished the night watching football highlights, with The Football League Show and Match of the Day. While watching, I continued to stretch and use heat therapy to ease the lingering pain. Hopefully, after a good night’s sleep, I’ll be ready for my next referee appointment tomorrow.

Grateful for the day’s progress and small victories.