Hmph

I said I'd be better at this. And still, I neglect my poor blog.

Running:
Managed 5 miles in the gym which made me feel like a super star. 47min and all at 1.5 % - maybe I've not lost ever ounce of fitness, even if it feels like it!
A sweet (or sweaty) 5K was also managed outside. (I know, outside, that place with fresh air, and gentle forest sounds, and dog crap...) This was ok, I had 2 dogs, it was dead-flat and I took 29min. Not bad, but it definitely felt harder than I thought it should. Maybe I'm just too demanding.

Other News:
Probably secured some funding to help turn a stable area at the new house into a proper workshop. This is sooooo exciting. I can't wait. Still need to get all the paperwork filed, but the very nice people at our new local authority will help with that.
Finally, after far too many months got new lino put down in the kitchen and bathroom. I'd forgotten what it was like to have flooring in there not full of doggy teeth marks and ripped to shreds - quite refreshing really.

Had a lovely night with Spartan and Blarney last night as TheO was massaging them for her course. Great food, good chat and happy dogs. Perfik. Looking forward to another Nedding present this week - and a party at some point. Mmm much yuminess going on.

All of the rest of my news would be tales of tiles, and paint, and lighting, and fabrics, and tedious in the extreme to anyone apart from me and TheO; but, to be fair it's reached the point where it's tedious for us too.

My ridiculous news for the day is of bag-love. A love that only occasionally raises its perfectly supple, leather head and sings to the hills. Whilst shopping for the above fabrics/lighting/insert item of tedium/bin TheO bought the most incredible bag EVER for me. I drool at the very thought. A proper w/end bag of beauty and wonder - behold. Lily.

I think she's beooootiful. This picture doesn't do her justice, as the one I've got is 7 zips, not 5 and has a few more colours across the top. It's very silly how happy a bag can make a grown woman. It makes a v nice replacement for the overnight bag I was using last night (a Waitrose bag for life).

Off to get some delicious and not nutritious take-away. Then plan tomorrows run, and get the to-do list sorted.

Also a huge hug goes to RF who's having horrid house hideousness in the hills. A warm spot can always be found for you here!

New Mantra

Well I'm finally back to running. Another two 5Ks have been done since the last post. Both were pretty decent but it's 23 days since I ran further than 5K. This is officially a slump. Luckily I can't wait to build back up.

It's been a damn busy week but with 2 parties as well as the usual stuff.
1st one was a delightfully impromptu bash at Spartan & Blarney's place. Lots of fizz and chilli (cooked by my own fair hand) and chat. I had a wonderful time. TheO managed to give 3 full body massages and a shoulder massage... she must have been knackered! (And not as tipsy as the rest of us.)

The following day we made it back home and then out to RF and Wheeler's House Warming. We had head-torch cheilieeeee in a barn (genius), BBQ (in a barn) and a huge fire burnt all night. (Luckily it was watched by Wheeler who stayed alert* allllll night, just to keep us all safe; this is why the fire brigade came to check the charring the next morning.)
TheO and I had our tent and camped in the back garden/wilderness. We had the blow up mattresses and it was sooo comfy I slept like a baby. Although I clung to my head torch all night like it was some kind of life giving talisman and awoke covered in deep, dark bruises.

Finally this week we've begun to progress with the house. We've picked up more furniture (pretty), ordered more fabric samples, all the paint samples, and chosen a stove (pretty much). We met Kevin today and sorted out the delays (vomiting bug) and asked for all the wee jobs to be sorted out. Also met the decorator to get a quote for all that. And, and - on our return home the skip had arrived. It's now 1/2 full as 3h hard labour moved all the junk from the garage, conservatory and all the bathroom tiles out. It was most satisfying.

Oh, and my new mantra:

The one I use for running is - "not for one step". Over anything less than 16 miles this translates as - I will not walk, not even for one step. My shiny new manta is - "not even one broken plastic spoon". This translates as, not even one tiny broken plastic spoon will move to the new house. No unnecessary shit will be boxed, moved and unpacked. It's all being binned or given to charity. It all goes. The fluff goes, the crap you collect over the years goes, the computer discs for the old computer all go! I'm with William Morris on this, only have things that are beautiful and useful in your life. All the extraneous crap can go in my big ol' battered skip. Who knew a skip could make a girl so happy. (And they're only charging me £10 for the second week.)



*Translation: got drunk and stayed up rambling round the fire with mates alllll night.

Two Weeks

Crikie. 2 weeks. It really does seem like a long time to have abandoned my little blog. It's only 2, I'm not quite sure how it coped on its own.

The reason for my abandonment is that a terrible apathy/lethargy/grumpiness/lack of desire to exercise came upon me. I did no exercise for 9 days. NINE. This is the longest since my first ever run. However it doesn't seem to have hurt me, and maybe everyone needs a break.

After Coll and the half (which I enjoyed) I'd put in a couple of half hearted small runs. But then we went away to Derbyshire for a few days to see Piano Man. Delightful grub was only barely combated by a lovely walk up and around The Roaches and, officially, the worst 5K ever known to man or woman. It was 34min with 3 mini walking breaks. Walking breaks - in a 5K - what happened? Now in my defence: it was quite hilly and we were up very high in the Peak District. But it wasn't as hilly as some stuff I usually do! Also, it was thick hot mist. So thick you couldn't see more than 15m in front of you. Freaky. Alas, alack this really made me angry. I'd gone out a bit peeved (I couldn't find my water bottle... I found it somewhere obvious that I'd put it. AAARGH) and was hoping that, as usual, the run would make everything better. It was shite.

However I don't think, at least I seriously hope, that 8/9 days of malaise can be blamed on one rubbish run. During that time I also felt a bit off colour. Just that 'I'm about to get a really bad cold' feeling. Tight limbs, little bit of congestion, scratchy throat. Usually I'd try a wee run as it more often than not makes me feel better, not this time. I was also suffering from a might blow of PMT. These things seemed to be conspiring against me. My diet was also rubbish as no one could be bothered to cook anything with a damn vegetable in it. Or cook at all.

Time and 'stuff to do' was very much against me. Things for the house and work have been taking up all my mental space. It's ridiculous but there are so many things to do. Packing, changing of addresses, deciding on everything from door handles to lighting, to colours, to furniture. I find it all a bit too much mentally. The constant making of lists ...

Seriously. I started this, got as far as 'lists' then felt compelled to research about 20 different tile options online. Jeesh. It's like my brain just.can't.stop.thinking.about.it.

So, where was I. Oh yes. A fantastic trip to Derbyshire, was followed the next w/end by Tigger, Badger and HH coming to stay. We had a lovely, very relaxed (I hope) time. On Saturday TheO had spied a Countryside Fair so we packed up Keith with multiple people and pooches (we had RF and Wheeler's dog Dougal to stay too) and wandered round feeling v v outdoorsy. If you had any combination of dog/gun/4x4 then this was the place for you. We managed to see some stunt riding (very impressive), fast pooches (almost as impressive), birds of prey and lots of shopping. I bought a mighty fine hat. (This is really the biggest news I could give - I look rubbish in hats, so this really was a first.) The outdoors made us crave some veggies for dinner and so we combated that with delicious cocktails (and some veggies).

The following day TheO was playing in a few finals at her tennis club ('cos despite all her protestations she's really not bad!). It was foul weather so our guests stayed with me and ate madelaines (thanks Badger) and drank tea. After they were safely departed I went to watch the matches. I turned up just in time to see her win the Ladies Doubles. :) However, another 3h were spent watching other matches (and desperately testing her on her massage homework) and then the Plate match in which she was also playing. Despite it being a hard fought, her partner was definitely having an off day, and they came away empty handed. Luckily the club kept the spectators supplied with tea so we didn't freeze to death. September 7th has never seemed so much like Autumn before.

Yesterday after a day at the house making sure they didn't put the new wall in the wrong place; (Honestly, I arrived moments before they were about to do that! However, disaster averted.) lots of making of furniture;mMeasuring of areas; and basic panic. I finally managed to get home and do some exercise. 40min on the elliptical machine with 1k weights on each arm. It wasn't fast and, as usual, the distance bit wasn't working - but it was probably about 4 miles. I also had the rolling setting on so it worked the legs quite hard. Just have to get back outside now. I know doing it makes me feel much better, and much happier. But the black dog is still nipping at my heels a bit. Ah well, I know we'll get there in the end, but occasionally it seems like there is far more to get done than we can achieve in the time.