The heat is on

It's started to get hot. Every day this week has been approaching the mid-thirties, and apparently it's gonna get even warmer. I can't say I'm complaining though. I just need to be careful with the damn sunblock. I've got burned twice since I got here, both times because I'd changed into smaller clothes so I hadn't covered a tiny bit further up. Schoolboy error. By smaller clothes, I'm not talking about budgie smugglers just yet, but I'll have to get a pair eventually if only to set your young hearts all a'flutter with the photos.

Football was good fun as usual last night, even if I did play as badly as I've ever done. And to make it even more embarrassing it was WAGS night too, with beers and barbecue afterwards, so I even had an audience for my total ineptitude. Highlights included falling over on my face twice (once whilst trying to skin someone on the wing) as well as possibly the worst corner that's ever been taken in the history of football. A carefully side footed pass to the edge of the box missed everyone and ended up putting their winger clean through instead. All of this with the usual huffing and puffing and seriously heavy legs. I really need to work on my fitness here - it's so hard to run for long periods of time in this heat.

We've signed up for a new bike rental system this week though, so that should help. A lot of cities have this now - a load of bike docks and you use your mobile to unlock the bike and leave it back at any of the other stations. It's pretty damn cheap too, as long as you don't incur any of the fines. Only 10 reais a month, which works out around 3 or 4 quid. We're going to test it for the first time tonight to see what it's like, around the Parque do Flamengo.

The park is excellent - it's pretty much just one huge outdoor beach sports club. It's full of football pitches, beach volleyball courts, tennis courts, cycle paths and the like. It's only half an hours walk from the apartment too, which is class. I need my good friend Horst Abelgaufts to visit so we can resume the Tennis rivalries from a decade ago. At the minute I think I'm just about shading it.

We're also starting to get properly excited for Carnival in a couple of weeks; more specifically the arrival of Chris and Squeek, and possibly some additional secret Special Guests, yet TBC. There's still a lot of stuff to do in the apartment to make it fully presentable, but we'll get there in the end.

I expect it'll be a fortnight to remember. Or at least one to try to remember.

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