Home at last.

First posting from the new house!

We might not have a sink in the downstairs bathroom, or a washing machine, or many other things we were promised (builder obv. had fingers crossed behind his back) would be done by now; but we've got broadband which has SIGNIFICANTLY improved my mood.

Also - went for a run yesterday . Just 5K (29.30) but it was brilliant. Up hill for 1.2miles without any reprieve - but a great view when you got there - and the joy of running back down for the rest. Good to get the legs working again and feel the heart pumping. Also brought a smile to my ever stressed face!

Think TheO was v pleased to see this - I've been pretty terrible to live with over the last few weeks. I don't deal well with change/packing/moving/camping/any situation where everything isn't in its place. But we're getting there - sort of. Despite being promised (see, there's that word again) a joiner today he still hasn't turned up.

Over the last few weeks I must have done things of note, things that were fun and delightful but at the moment I can only feel the permanent ache of arms that have packed and carried too many items.

However, that said, we did have a party the day we moved in. Oh yes, 12 of us, 10 who stayed (on beds, with duvets and pillows) christened the new house. The heating did us proud - let us not talk of the hot water... it's very fiddly to set - and we haven't got the knack yet. Luckily there is also an emersion. Ah well, there's always going to be teething troubles.

All those that helped to lift and shift and unpack a vast array of boxes are due a huge thank you - or maybe another party - we could not have done it all without you. Special word goes out to Rockgod who obviously was born without the ability to say:"Sod you and your large bits of furniture and your old doors that you can't squueze a mouse through, sod your complicated items from Ikea." His patience was magnificent and everything he built is still intact! Genius.

Right - I'm off to clean/unpack/order my tax disc online/cancel by BT account/order more stuff/have lunch.

xx Thanks for the patience.

Question

Why can't I be the kind of person I am when I run?

When I run I am focused, determined, I push myself and I am goal focused.
I am also competitive, confident, assured, and generally quite happy with myself.

Let's just say the house/moving thing is going hard and slow. Much like a marathon you didn't really intend to enter, and your watch is broken, and the mile markers are non-existent, and the water stops are our of supplies, and the weather is 20 degrees hotter than expected, and you forgot to train, and you have blisters. Picture clear enough?

Addendum

OMG I can't believe I forgot to mention the non-sweating-scary-anorexic-looking-chick (all of 15) at the gym. She was either on the bike or the elliptical for about 40min switching between the two, never broke a sweat, and combed her perfectly straight and tidy pony tail between machines. She was also of note as she looked at TheO and me like something the dog had rolled in. She would obviously never come to the gym looking such a state, let alone leave it that way. Jeesh.

Run run run - Happy happy Joy joy

So, the title tells you I'm tired. It's late. I ran. It affirmed my position mentally as somewhere above 'slug', but below 'antelope' in the fitness tables, and made me a muuuuuch happier human being. Damn it, I might be addicted. Bad moods vanish with running. And there have been bad moods all over the shop (sorry to TheO).

However, in more pleasant news we went to E'burg last week to see Spartan and Blarney who took us out for a faaaabulous dinner at Wedgewood where we drank champagne and nibbled small nibbly things and felt very swanky. This was (an unnecessary but very welcome) part of our nedding present. The boxed bit was a Wii Fit. (Again happyhappy joyjoy.) More later.

After a day in Edinburgh finding more lovely furniture that WASN'T ON THE LIST OF THINGS WE ACTUALLY NEEDED - we headed home and dealt with other house related stuff.

A quick - off road 5K was fitted in (32 min of hell) before dashing off to celebrate Teech living another fine year. Dinner (mmmm, it was a yummy week) in Ducks was fab - the puds are to die for - and our small, happy band drank the place quite dry before heading home (again); us to find happy, tired dogs sleeping on the sofa as they had run with us too.

Finishing off the sort through (that terrible pre-packing stage where you chuck out/ recycle/give to charity all the things you've wasted money on over the years... I even found a shirt I'd never worn) on Saturday left Sunday free for TheO to go and play golf with Teech whilst I attacked the Wii Fit for the first time.

Wiiiii Fit: Great and frustrating and evil. Some of the games are brilliant. I particularly loved hula hooping and ski jump (where I did all the actions and even cheered myself at the end). The strength exercises are evil and made me ache like a mofo the next day. The yoga postures whilst focusing on the balance was brilliant. Less delightful (although hilarious) is when it shows your Mii as fat and depressed as it should be. It's just wrong. Also, why was my Mii shocked at being a lard arse? I was already aware I was a lard arse.

Finally the estate agents have visited. We might even put the old girl on the market and let other people have a lovely time here. Still waiting on them getting back to us - which seems to be all we do these days. (Sighs heavily.)

But, moving on. The 10K was marvellous. It was only in the gym, but it was all on 1% and completed in 59.14 which makes me think I might not have lost too much fitness overall. Also, I didn't need my inhalor at the end, so the other one must be working - and, I managed to keep a nice steady pace and not be too puffed until the sprint finish. I will suffer tomorrow. Oh yes.

Oooo in news forgotten in the whirl of post (I mean bills) - I received some actual Nike shwag a few days ago. I was contacted by them as they were promoting the Here I Am campaign of female athletes in loads of different sports. There's an incredible series of YouTube videos which I suggest you have a look at. (I would link them in by I get all tangled up with the Taiwanese site and can't read the instructions to imbed it/change language or do anything useful.)

I said I would happily promote this as not only to Nike ads actually show women working hard, sweating and competing (rather than being silly prissy little delicate flowers), they make clothes that fit me, and I love their trainers. So in return they sent me a huge promo book full of artwork and images from the campaign. All told in different styles and stunningly printed.

Real blogger shwag. Free stuff just for wittering on. I could get used to this.