Still here

For the time being at least!

I have spent a lot of the day mulling things over but the jury is still out regarding the future of my blog.  Having written it for two hundred and eighteen days part of me is loathed to stop now, whilst another part of me could walk away.  Never known for making rash decisions (unless it concerns purchasing vast quantities of fabric) I need to take time to evaluate what I'm doing this for, but aware that if I stop I may live to regret it, I have come to the conclusion to keep going for the time being. So, here goes....

As sisterofMG750 predicted in a text early this morning, it wasn't difficult to find things to keep me busy.  First job being to tackle the washing and ironing mountain that had built up over last week when I was too busy to notice let alone do anything about it.  The arrival of H downstairs yesterday morning wrapped in a towel looking for pants, socks and a school shirt alerted me to the impeding crisis on the clean clothes front.  It took a large part of the morning but I think it has been averted!

Next up trying to sort the money we raised on Saturday into bags of change that the banks will accept so that I can pay it into my account.  Sounding a bit like a 'Grumpy Old Woman', or heaven forbid 'Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' it does rankle me slightly that unless I hand the money in, bagged up in the correct amounts of 'no mixed coins', so that they can weigh rather than count, they won't touch it.  This is not helpful to a fundraiser whose donations do not come in such neatly packaged sums! Thankfully H is far less fussy and more than willing to take a pound worth of copper, five and ten pence pieces to spend at the local shop! The shop may not be so welcoming when they see him coming back tomorrow with the next bag!

I could always put it in the 'Coin Star' machine at the supermarket but am loathed to give them 9.9% of my money for the privilege, but thinking about it this would make better business sense than the 100% it's costing me to reimburse my Barnardo's fund for every bag of change that I give to H!

Money sorted I started planning how best to do the rest of my jobs so that I could incorporate my dog walk and then, once home, put the heating on, curl up and not have to go out again - when it dawned on me that today is a run day and I hadn't as yet been for my run! Damn!

A somewhat chilly two degrees outside I tried to convince Al that we could light the fire and curl up in front of it instead... BUT I'm glad we didn't. After a slow start I found my running legs and ran our five mile route in my second fastest time.  It was exactly the run I needed to blow a few of the cobwebs and dark clouds away. Not quite basking in sunshine but feeling better this evening than I did this morning - which is a good way to finish the day.

M - 532
Brighton Half - 89
Glasgow Half - 313
Distance covered                  5.2 miles
Total Distance covered      384.5 miles

Thrown off course...

and not sure of the right way back.

Painting the faces of a group of students on Saturday we were talking about what I was raising money for, and they were all of the same opinion that they couldn't ever imagine wanting to run anywhere let alone a marathon.  Remembering how I'd felt last month whilst running around the city I was a student in, I pointed out that perhaps they didn't feel the need to run because they felt fit just by being twenty, and that in another twenty years perhaps at least one of them would find themselves buying some trainers in an attempt to do something about recapturing that feeling!

Woke up this morning and don't think I'm on my way to turning any clocks back, although my skin is trying it's best to make me feel youthful by erupting in a fresh bout of acne, which at forty four is just not right! Every other part of my body however feels old, my hair has decided to turn to frizz and I just feel run down, jaded and so far removed from the peak physical condition I am aspiring to!

Not for the first time I am thinking that if I want to do this without constant pain in my ankles and knees I'll have to get serious about doing some glute exercises, and if I want to feel better I'll have to eat better, but right now I'm a bit too tired to get my head around it.

I have for the past week been so looking forward to having a bit of breather today, and decided to indulge myself by tackling one of the nicer jobs on the to do list. Part way through doing it and a very dear and wonderful friend phoned to tell me that what she thought was an abscess, is in fact an abdominal tumour and is currently awaiting surgery to have it removed.

Stuck in the most horrible period of limbo until they operate and discover exactly what they are dealing with and what the implications for her future health will be, there is nothing anyone can do except sit and wait.

My day kind of lost direction after this.  The dogs were walked, albeit in a rather aimless way (especially as our usual route was blocked off by livestock and so we just had to tramp around some fields in a bit of an ad hoc manner until it was time to come home) but no matter how hard I searched for some way to make sense of it all, there is no justification for what's happening.

With an unexpected change in perspective it has made my blog about my aches, pains and domestic trivia seem somewhat shallow and trite and I'm struggling with the whole concept of it this evening. Time I think to go and immerse myself in all the jobs that got side lined earlier and just see what tomorrow brings.

M - 533
Brighton Half - 90
Glasgow Half - 314
Total Distance covered      379.3 miles

TEN MILES...

and thirteen hundred pounds in the bank (extremely smiley yet slightly haggard face!)

We did it! Set off at eight and completed our route in a little under two hours - all TEN miles of it! What can I say - it was a LONG WAY!! 

Not having had the opportunity to run my favourite seven mile route yet with HMG, I spent some time working out a way of incorporating this into our ten miles this morning, which meant that we ran a bit of an odd loop to start with but I think it was worth it in the end! Especially as we got to run past the house where HMG had lived when she was a teenager and I got to have a sneak peak into the world she used to live in.  Perhaps one day I'll take her up to Eaglesham - something to look forward to sister and school friend of MG750! On second thoughts I think the Glasgow 10K and half marathon next year may suffice!

Really pleased that the ten mile milestone has been ticked off, but not altogether sure how I feel about it not finishing at parkrun. It's hard work getting there with three miles still to run, but psychologically we did think that perhaps it was easier as we don't think about it in terms of three miles - it's just parkrun - but it was nice to know that we can run that sort of distance without a fifteen minute break and toilet stop en route!

Cursing myself for not having cleaned the bath before I went out, and making a mental note to make sure it is not the first thing I have to do on returning home from a ten mile run in future! I did eventually get to sink into the lavender infused water I had been dreaming of, and despite waiting for Al to get home just in case I couldn't get out again, I did manage to haul myself out a while later!

Brunch eaten I went into overdrive rushing round doing all the jobs that needed doing today, washing, ironing, putting clothes away, washing up after brunch anything to avoid sitting down knowing that when I did it was highly probably that I would either seize up, fall asleep or both!

At time of writing I am forcing myself to stay awake long enough to finish this (to put this into context it's quarter to four in the afternoon!).  

I am exhausted. It has been an exceptionally busy week but it has been worth it.... exceeding all expectations the thirteen hundred pound mark on the old totaliser has been reached, and I've run ten miles. I think a quieter week next week is needed, time to recharge the batteries and relax a bit in preparation for running eleven on Saturday! Can't help feeling slightly robbed that there isn't slightly longer to bask in our ten mile glory...

M - 534
Brighton Half - 91
Glasgow Half - 315
Distance covered                  10 miles  (have I mentioned that at all?!)
Total Distance covered      379.3 miles

Leeds Juggling Convention

Why did I waste so much time dreading this?!

No one wanted to be a butterfly! Or a tiger, or Spiderman or anything else I had learned how to do yesterday! But somehow I stumbled my way through a dog, rabbit, cat, numerous star patterns, magical tea cup (still not convinced I heard him correctly!) and my own personal favourite Harry Potter - on the loveliest wee boy who was so proud of himself for having been grown up enough to watch all the films including the scary bits, but floored me a little when, asked if he wanted me to just paint glasses and a scar, requested Harry Potter skin! I dabbed a fairly dry sponge over his face a few times and I think he was happy! In the end it was a fun afternoon but it hadn't started off quite so promising...

I was completely overwhelmed on our arrival - HMG having been dragged along for crafting skills and moral support!  Thankfully Al was already there, two cafetieres of coffee down and in full juggling convention state of excitement (I love seeing him so animated and gregarious) but still astute enough to notice my distress. He was great - fetching us tables, chairs and stuff from the car whilst I just stood there in a state of shock.  All set up but no interest in our stall, I wasn't fairing much better and was desperately trying to plot our escape - but there was no easy way of slipping out unnoticed as it would have taken a good twenty minutes to pack our stuff up again which is a long time to lose face, and unfortunately the ground didn't offer us the option of opening up beneath us!

Thankfully trade did pick up, and by the time the request for the tea cup came I was in full artistic flow, just as well really!  Asking for donations instead of pricing our services worked well and taking a batch of brownies was definitely a good move! A trip round the hall flogging them at the end of the afternoon saw us nudge past the fifty pounds I had been hoping for, and a donation from the Juggling Convention saw us come away with a whopping eighty three pounds and fifty eight pence!

Unfortunately I still have nine bags of creative crafting activities to shift so not entirely sure that it's job done, lucky then that we've been invited to the York Juggling Convention in January to do it all again!


M - 535
Brighton Half - 92
Glasgow Half - 316
Total Distance covered      369.3 miles

Uh-oh!*

*or another four letter word with roughly the same meaning! 

It's harder than it looks!

It is a mark of what good friends HMG and Garden Girl have become that neither of them batted an eyelid at being asked to come round this afternoon for a couple of hours of face paint modelling... I'm not sure they were quite prepared for what followed as they were transformed into tigers, flower fairies, spidermen, elves and butterflies! 

Trying hard to follow the directions of the face painter who had so kindly given up her time to come and show me what to do, I couldn't even get the water bottle to spray mist on the paints! Every time she did it a fine flow of vapour appeared, every time I pressed the pump... nothing! This led to much hilarity and thoughts of a very long queue tomorrow as I attempt to get started.

Not a complete stranger to a paintbrush I was surprised by how hard it was to paint on the left hand side of the face, let alone get anything approaching symmetry between it and the right... but I think I have mastered enough of the basics as long as the children (or adults) are less than demanding! There may be a lot of lop sided butterflies in Leeds tomorrow afternoon!

I have become convinced that there is bound to be someone (if not several people) there tomorrow with a lot more skill and experience than me and so will be offering up the use of my paints for a donation if they would prefer to do it themselves!

Dog walking duties pre face painting fun means no parkrun in the morning. Apart from when I was recuperating from an op this time last year I have never been at home and not gone... it's going to be a strange feeling at 9 o'clock tomorrow , and can't help but wish that if I have to miss it, could it not have involved some sort of lie in?

Still a long way off being ready for tomorrow, but not wanting to let you down for the second night in a row with no blog sisterofMG750, I have put writing this ahead of things I really ought to be doing. Already shattered and with a long day ahead of us tomorrow, not to mention the small matter of a ten miler on Sunday morning I think I'd best go get on with the pressing job of turning H into The Flash (whoever he is?!)

M - 535
Brighton Half - 92
Glasgow Half - 316
Total Distance covered      369.3 miles

All go!

There is something inherently wrong with trying to find time to write about not having any!

It's been a busy day, in a busy week, that I can't believe started with me having thoughts about getting a job! Already struggling to fit everything in that needed to be done today, the news that H had been called for a casting audition in Leeds this afternoon was close to being the straw that broke this camel's back - but not quite!

I have no idea why he wants to do this as a profession. It is soul destroying.  This time it was for a company who will apparently purchase your car whatever state it is in, and they were casting for a number of roles. This meant that the reception area was filled with hopeful luvvies of varying ages and appearance but all bearing the same trade mark fake smile and feigning interest in each others careers. No words this time (which was a slight relief after the teflon coated trousers incident) just a dishevelled fifteen year old boy slouching on a sofa - job should be in the bag really!

This unexpected alteration to my afternoon's plans did however mean that I didn't have time to run with Al this evening which was a shame. I plodded round my three miles first thing this morning, it was OK just another one ticked off the training plan really. Al, on the other hand, bounced through the door having run five, and the closest to post run euphoric I've ever seen him! Clearly without me to hinder his pace he had flown round! It was nice to see and hard to watch all at the same time. Chuffed that he was so pleased and proud of him for doing so well, yet awash with running envy - an odd mix of emotions.

An evening off this evening at Westival Saviour's. A pamper evening with lots of luxurious products to try and buy.  The last time I went we had spent the evening having a facial and I had assumed this evening would follow a similar format, so thought I'd save some time arriving ready to cleanse! I realised my mistake on arrival when luxury Christmas gifts to give you the red carpet treatment clearly meant come looking like you're about to walk down one!

Had a lovely evening Mrs J, an oasis of calm amidst the chaos - thank you. It was just what I needed but I still can't imagine a life where I get to spritz the room with aromatherapy mist, sit back and relax! Perhaps I should take a leaf out of your book - then I might arrive looking a little more serene next time! Forget casting for a fifteen year old boy, how about a role for a messy mum?!

M - 537
Brighton Half - 94
Glasgow Half - 318
Distance covered                 3.4 miles
Total Distance covered      369.3 miles

Deja Vu

But hopefully with a different ending...

My house is awash with crafting materials. Pompoms, feathers, pipe cleaners, toilet rolls, paper plates, painted egg boxes and googly eyes! Sound familiar - not, I hope, because you have had the same fate bestowed upon you, but because I've been here before!

Determined that this will be the last time I will see said crafting materials I am busy making them up into bags, so that each one holds all the constituent parts for a bug, a paper plate owl, an egg box flower, a pill box and two toilet roll pillow gift boxes.... now all we have to hope for is some children who would rather craft than juggle on Saturday, or some forward thinking parents who think this would be just the ticket to take home with them to liven up a dull day sometime in the future.

Still scarred by the whole Westival experience I am trying not to get my hopes up, amid fears that I may well be stung a second time round when the afternoon doesn't unfold quite the way I would like it to! I've put way too much time into it already to ever see a return on my investment, but at least I know this time they will at least be a nice bunch of people!

What I still haven't found time to do is have a go at face painting. Part of me is convinced that it can't be that hard, the other part of me is wishing that I'd spent more time in the past putting on make-up and then I might stand half a chance! I don't know what's stopping me from having a go, but I think it may have something to do with the fact that finding out that it's harder than I think when I can't do anything about it for the next day or so will only stress me out more - better to live in oblivion and worry about in on Friday when I've set aside the whole afternoon to practise.

A quick Google search on face painting ideas reveals some pretty hideous designs which people are clearly happy enough to be photographed looking like - and then put on the internet - so perhaps is won't be so bad after all, or maybe I'll just offer stars, hearts and flowers and be done with it!

Right all this talking about it is making me want to go load the brushes and give it a whirl... BUT I've cards to make tonight that need posting tomorrow, crafty bits to finish sorting and more jam to label for dispatch - however this time I'll check which is the right side before I start writing!

M - 538
Brighton Half - 95
Glasgow Half - 319
Total Distance covered      365.9 miles