I've had enough.
Responses from tweets indicate it is the same whatever gym you go to, regardless of where you are in the world.
As I enter the Virgin Active Gym there is a board
'Lets make South Africa Proud'
Followed by a list of do's and don'ts.
'LET'S RESPECT EACH OTHERS BOUNDRIES, SO NO HARRASSMENT OF ANY KIND'
Do you know what that means?
It means if someone isn't respecting your boundries, you challenge an issue or just about anything else, you're likely to get sworn or shouted at, or told to mind your own business.
The pool has a current, yesterday I gave up after 10 lengths, I was in lane 1 of 6, the lane with the strongest current, lane 6 was empty and lanes 2, 3, 4 & 5 were occupied...by men and women training, with paddles and flippers and one guy was even using a snorkel.
The current was so strong it took me 10 strokes to swim up the pool and 16 to get back and most of that was sideways.
Just a thought, silly I know, 'excuse me Sir, would you mind swopping lanes, only I'm just here for leisure swim, maybe it'll be easier for you to swim in the current with your flippers on than it is me'
'fuck off'
I went back to the pool today, I was the only one in theRE, the pool was really cold, but at least the showers were working this week. Last week there was a problem with the hot water so after a freezing cold shower I thought I'd nip in the sauna just for a few minutes to warm up.
I don't particulary enjoy walking in the door and being eye to vagina, thank you very much, OK, people go naked in saunas, but knees bent, legs apart on the top bench, facing the door just really isn't necessary. I walked out, there was nothing I could say.
Anyway back to today, out the shower, why are the doors see through perspex? we don't all enjoy showing off you know. I return to the changing room, put my costume, googles and hat on the floor, open my locker put my clothes on the bench and grab my make up bag and go to the mirrors to sort my hair and face. I return to my bench and despite there being loads of space a woman has put her damp towel on my clothes, I pick it up and ask 'is this yours?' to which she just snatches it off me and puts it back as close to my clothes as she can. I told her I don't want wet clothes and could she move her stuff, she replied that I was to move mine, so I shoved her clothes and bag along the bench, with most of it falling on the floor, grabbed my stuff and went to another bench.
Big mistake...
Me: excuse me would you mind going to the toilet to insert your tampon
Her: Why
Me: *Gives up, gets dressed, buys coffee and blogs*
'LET'S RESPECT EACH OTHERS BOUNDRIES, SO NO HARASSMENT OF ANY KIND' translates to
'LET EVERYONE DO WHAT THEY WANT AND DON'T YOU DARE COMPLAIN OR THEY'LL HARASS YOU'
Showing posts with label virgin active. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virgin active. Show all posts
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
In the words of James Brown.....I feel good
Well I do and I don't.....
This weeks 'inspired' by Kate on thin ice, #grooving mums is all about 'Getting out there'
There will come a time when I don't feel the need to say 'since moving to South Africa' but at the moment I feel the need to keep saying it to explain why I lost my groove.
40 years of friendships, family, familiarity went over night, in fact the night of the 18th January 2011 when we flew to Johannesburg.
Yes it's fun and exciting, no the weather doesn't help, believe it or not we had burst water pipes in July when the temperature dropped to -5c and right now temps of 30c+ is too much for me. I don't know what to expect of the seasons, but right now living in these temperatures is very different from 2 weeks holidays. Anyway I digress.....
My groove is coming back. I've joined a gym. http://www.chickenruby.com/2011/11/blogging-from-gym.html
I've been volunteering with @santashoebox http://www.chickenruby.com/2011/11/baby-house.html
I'm also volunteering with The Baby House http://www.chickenruby.com/2011/11/baby-house.html
So I'm getting there and #groovingmums is helping, it is making me focus on a task each week and to do something about it, I can't follow some of the challenges that are set, for example going to the library, I went to go last week, but there was a shooting.
I do talk to strangers, but this isn't a country where people sit bump into one another in a cafe and strike up a conversation, the school run is just that. I've turned into a 4x4 school run mum. I had a 4x4 in the UK but my kids walked, cycled or caught the bus to school, here I arrive at the gate in my 4x4, sunglasses and *Radley handbag, stop long enough for the kids to chuck their bags into the boot and we're off.
The internet is crap here, as in on or off and very, v e r y, slow, uploading pics is a night mare, as I'm using the computer in the gym I'll have to add some pictures when my lap top has been fixed.
I was forced to go up to see a neighbour last night after tea, hubby said 'just go, you never used to be in' and I had a fab hour up there drinking wine and gossiping, nattering, god how I miss that, just being able to chat with someone without having to time the phone calls or skype with the time difference.
I have dates for coffee and lunch that I've initiated and an all day party at some botanical gardens end of November, my step son is coming out for 10 days, then me and the boys fly back to the UK for the first 3 weeks of December, they haven't seen their dad for a year, then my Mother in Law is out for January.
It all looks good fun and busy, but it's been a long and difficult battle and all of the lovely things coming up do leave me rather flat when life goes on as normal, as I don't do normal, I don't do hours in my own company day after day. I need things to level out to stop the ups and downs.
I guess it took me 40 years to get where I was and I was happy, I was going somewhere, I had independence, freedom, a career, family, friends and now I've just got to start again...time to reinvent myself, take on new challenges, have new experiences...I just need a bit of help to get going and #groovingmums is giving me that.
*Radley handbag...small and compact, can be worn over the shoulder and tucked under the car seat, feel much safer with it than a larger bag.
This weeks 'inspired' by Kate on thin ice, #grooving mums is all about 'Getting out there'
There will come a time when I don't feel the need to say 'since moving to South Africa' but at the moment I feel the need to keep saying it to explain why I lost my groove.
40 years of friendships, family, familiarity went over night, in fact the night of the 18th January 2011 when we flew to Johannesburg.
Yes it's fun and exciting, no the weather doesn't help, believe it or not we had burst water pipes in July when the temperature dropped to -5c and right now temps of 30c+ is too much for me. I don't know what to expect of the seasons, but right now living in these temperatures is very different from 2 weeks holidays. Anyway I digress.....
My groove is coming back. I've joined a gym. http://www.chickenruby.com/2011/11/blogging-from-gym.html
I've been volunteering with @santashoebox http://www.chickenruby.com/2011/11/baby-house.html
I'm also volunteering with The Baby House http://www.chickenruby.com/2011/11/baby-house.html
So I'm getting there and #groovingmums is helping, it is making me focus on a task each week and to do something about it, I can't follow some of the challenges that are set, for example going to the library, I went to go last week, but there was a shooting.
I do talk to strangers, but this isn't a country where people sit bump into one another in a cafe and strike up a conversation, the school run is just that. I've turned into a 4x4 school run mum. I had a 4x4 in the UK but my kids walked, cycled or caught the bus to school, here I arrive at the gate in my 4x4, sunglasses and *Radley handbag, stop long enough for the kids to chuck their bags into the boot and we're off.
The internet is crap here, as in on or off and very, v e r y, slow, uploading pics is a night mare, as I'm using the computer in the gym I'll have to add some pictures when my lap top has been fixed.
I was forced to go up to see a neighbour last night after tea, hubby said 'just go, you never used to be in' and I had a fab hour up there drinking wine and gossiping, nattering, god how I miss that, just being able to chat with someone without having to time the phone calls or skype with the time difference.
I have dates for coffee and lunch that I've initiated and an all day party at some botanical gardens end of November, my step son is coming out for 10 days, then me and the boys fly back to the UK for the first 3 weeks of December, they haven't seen their dad for a year, then my Mother in Law is out for January.
It all looks good fun and busy, but it's been a long and difficult battle and all of the lovely things coming up do leave me rather flat when life goes on as normal, as I don't do normal, I don't do hours in my own company day after day. I need things to level out to stop the ups and downs.
I guess it took me 40 years to get where I was and I was happy, I was going somewhere, I had independence, freedom, a career, family, friends and now I've just got to start again...time to reinvent myself, take on new challenges, have new experiences...I just need a bit of help to get going and #groovingmums is giving me that.
*Radley handbag...small and compact, can be worn over the shoulder and tucked under the car seat, feel much safer with it than a larger bag.
Blogging from the Gym
I joined a gym. Not just any Gym, but a Virgin Active Gym. I'm not getting paid for this blog, nor I have I received any incentives, I just Love this gym.
I needed to get out more and especially to exercise. In the 9 months since we've been in South Africa I have put on nearly a stone in extra weight and at 40 I could do without it spreading further.
The only exercise I've been doing is sweeping and mopping the wooden floors, I tried a keep fit DVD but there is always someone in our house or in the garden, unannounced, fixing, gardening or cleaning the pool. I started jogging, but that was rather pathetic and by the time I'd dragged myself half way round the estate the golfers had tee'd off and I was dodging the balls.
We are with Discovery for our medical aid and as a vitality member I paid R735 as a one off fee and got a Virgin Active bag, I then pay R89.90 a month to use the pool, the gym, saunas, aqua room and access to all the classes. I only have to book for a spinning class as they seem to be the most popular.
At the moment I swim, I love swimming and used to swim at County level. I started off last week with 10 lengths, the following day 20, then 30 and then swam a mile 3 days in a row, my best time so far is under 40 minutes.
The kids have joined me and they go after school, sometimes I'm there twice a day. It cost R90 for each child as a one off fee and they can use the same facilities as I can at no extra charge.
The changing rooms are spotless, fantastic hot water in the showers and plenty of lockers.
I'm not a big fan of these communal changing rooms and the 12 year old comes out in fits of hysterics at the 'old' men and their dangly bits everywhere and I although I'm not shy, I really didn't appreciate the woman opposite me who, stark naked, lifted her foot onto the bench and proceeded to rub cream onto her inner thigh, I was sitting down at the time and it really wasn't a pretty sight.
The eldest is working out right now, I have a headache/migraine and really didn't feel like swimming at the moment, so I'm sat in the cafe with a latte, using the computers and the internet.
I needed to get out more and especially to exercise. In the 9 months since we've been in South Africa I have put on nearly a stone in extra weight and at 40 I could do without it spreading further.
The only exercise I've been doing is sweeping and mopping the wooden floors, I tried a keep fit DVD but there is always someone in our house or in the garden, unannounced, fixing, gardening or cleaning the pool. I started jogging, but that was rather pathetic and by the time I'd dragged myself half way round the estate the golfers had tee'd off and I was dodging the balls.
We are with Discovery for our medical aid and as a vitality member I paid R735 as a one off fee and got a Virgin Active bag, I then pay R89.90 a month to use the pool, the gym, saunas, aqua room and access to all the classes. I only have to book for a spinning class as they seem to be the most popular.
At the moment I swim, I love swimming and used to swim at County level. I started off last week with 10 lengths, the following day 20, then 30 and then swam a mile 3 days in a row, my best time so far is under 40 minutes.
The kids have joined me and they go after school, sometimes I'm there twice a day. It cost R90 for each child as a one off fee and they can use the same facilities as I can at no extra charge.
The changing rooms are spotless, fantastic hot water in the showers and plenty of lockers.
I'm not a big fan of these communal changing rooms and the 12 year old comes out in fits of hysterics at the 'old' men and their dangly bits everywhere and I although I'm not shy, I really didn't appreciate the woman opposite me who, stark naked, lifted her foot onto the bench and proceeded to rub cream onto her inner thigh, I was sitting down at the time and it really wasn't a pretty sight.
The eldest is working out right now, I have a headache/migraine and really didn't feel like swimming at the moment, so I'm sat in the cafe with a latte, using the computers and the internet.
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