Hump de Bump

 

 

 

Thanks to Mr S and his common sense, I no longer have to listen to the ersatz music accompanying the Couch 25K app and can get my funk on to the Chilli Peppers. Yay! So, the update is that I am still somewhat stuck on Week5, Run 1 which is 5 running x 3 walking, three times. I had another running week off as I was doing 7k walks with the dogs, and was completely shattered with the constant vigilance that a new introduction to the household demands. But, I went out on Monday for my first run in the dark with just my Rosie and it was totally amazing! Running for 5 minutes now seems nearly natural. I had my  high vis on, Chili Peppers on loud and my little dog happily jogging along, this run was as close to perfect as I have had. I decided to push myself and speed up a little, nearly running FAST!

 

Imagine my chagrin as I looked at my phone to turn off the tunes and the app and noticed a little message from the C25k app...it said:

 

Todays run was a little shorter than usual. Never mind, better luck next time.

 

Erm, Pardon me, Better luck next time?? What cheek, it was shorter because it was FASTER! Stupid app. Mr S of course found this hilarious, that I had 'been dissed' by my very own phone. I'm still looking forward to tonight's run though.

 

Tuesday found me at quilting class at The Crafty Fox, we are learning to make a flying geese quilt. So exciting! (Doesn't take much you say....) I have of-course set myself a mind puzzler of a quilt because I have a bundle of very cute but very limited size-wise vintage fabric so have not yet had the courage to cut up my stash. To further complicate matters, I want to sew geese of varying sizes so will have lots of measurements to calculate for homework. In just one lesson, I have an even greater respect for Quilters, it is such an amazing skill.

 

This is the quilt I want to make:

 

 

(www.craftyfox.ie)

 

This is my fabric:

 

 

 

I might have to chose an alternative though:

 

 

(www.missmake.com)

 

Today (Wednesday) found me wrestling a large stinky recalcitrant Labrador down our road. On Tuesday, I came back to find a very smiley dog with it's head poking out of my very crooked wooden blinds. Rolo had managed to escape from the kitchen. He cries piteously when he is separated from the family but I can't trust him with the full run of the house alone and unsupervised, so today I made sure to pull the door completely closed and locked the stair gate in front. 

 

I had a quick dash round the shops and was horrified to open my front door to be greeted by a Golden Blur dashed past into the street almost knocking me off my feet and in hot pursuit of a Little Old Lady walking a Westie. Luckily, said Lady was sensible and stopped calmly to let me catch the great hooligan who was giddy with excitement at his own ingenuity. I hadn't stopped to get the lead so ended up dragging a very twisty Rolo by the collar who was digging his heels cartoon-like, just like Scooby Doo being forced to follow the 'ghost'! He does make me laugh so, he is such a cheerful, playful dog, it is like he wants to live life to the full after coming so close to the chop. He is off on a day-trip at the weekend to visit a prospective family and while I will be very sad to see him go, tears will be shed but deep down I hope he does get on well there. He deserves a permanent home and we are becoming very attached.

 

Why is it, that I always manage to be in these sorts of situations when some of the most immaculately groomed residents of our street are out and watching the capers? Then, I had a quick coffee and decided to speed round the garden with the mower and then fixed myself what I thought was a very long cool glass of homemade Elderflower cordial and enjoyed a large glug when I was horrified to find that it was in fact, last Autumn's rocket fuel, my Rosehip Vodka. I was quite Pink when collecting the kids from the school bus. Oh dear. Drinking in the Afternoon...Alone! Ho Hum, I kinda wish it was Friday already. Thank-you for reading. xxxxxxxxxxxxx

 



 

 



 



 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Endorphins and Siesta's

Hello! I'm so excited I just had to pop into blog-land and tell you all that I managed to complete Week 3 of NHS Couch to 5k and am buzzing on the endorphins. OK now, it is not my third week of running but I feel delighted with myself for getting this far and feel so much fitter.

So, this week or stage involves:

1. 5 minutes of warm-up walking
2. 90 second run
3. 90 seconds of walking
4. 3 minute run
5. 3 minutes of walking
6. repeat sections 2.- 4.
7. 5 minute brisk wind-down walk.

So, written down in unforgiving black and white that lot looks quite easy, well I have to admit, now the 90 seconds of running are! A few months ago I could not run for more than one minute without feeling as though my lungs were going to burst and my eyes were to detach themselves, now not a problem. I'm annoying blasé, in fact. Until it comes to the three minute run that is, I'm feeling the force of gravity now all right, I'm feeling my own weighty mortality in fact but somehow me and the dog get to the end of the run. We get to the end of that run, three times this week. Running with the dog is such a fantastic laugh, her jolly lolling grin as she trots alongside me is so sweet and when we go running in the fields off-lead she bounces through the corn like a mad golden lion.

The experience of the endorphins are very strange -not having tried any strenuous exercise before apart from hill walking -I am quite surprised at the strength of the elation that accompanies the end of the running, this occurs for me in two stages. Once immediately after completion and then after about an hour or so I feel again completely energized and am strongly compelled to go out and do it all over again! Weird. Ok, so come the evening I am completely shattered but it is a good sense of tiredness, of contentment almost.

Last week myself and some of the Crazy Dog Ladies accompanied by assorted dogs, children and husbands got up at the hideous hour of 2am and ventured out into the wilds of Co Meath to 'do' the Tara Dawn Run, a 4k run starting at 4am around the beautiful mystical and historic Hill of Tara, seat of the High kings of Ireland. So, the idea is, starting in the dark you race around the hill finishing up as the morning sun illuminates the valley beyond. We didn't run so much as potter around while the kids threw grass at us and each other, my dog stopped to eat all the sheep pooh and M's dog stopped because he didn't want to walk without my dog and S chatted and I tried vainly to take lots of photos in the dark! Great fun and all for a good cause. I hadn't been to this amazing place before and oh my goodness it is so beautiful and there is a bookshop close by! I cannot wait to go back. Maybe I will even run it next year...

This week the kids are finishing up school and for O, last days at his after school crèche, so it has been a bit hectic at times, sorting out last minute thank-you cards and presents, summer play-dates, and baking for the end of term functions. Our Principle is retiring and moving abroad which is very sad as he has been in the role since the school opened - just seven years ago and we have seen the school expand from 62 students to 375 for the forthcoming academic year. We wish him well.
Do you give Teacher's presents? I used to give cut flowers or sweets but this year I wanted to give something that was more sustainable and when I spotted these pretty Dahlias in the market I bought a couple. Very inexpensive, just add some tissue paper and tie with raffia and with a bit of TLC they should come back every summer. Tah Dah, a nice reminder of the little angels (ahem!) that gifted them.

So, instead of adhering to the List of Jobs that was supposed to be completed before the kids are set loose - jobs like painting all the woodwork and deep cleaning the kitchen and finally booking my driving test. I have instead been indulging myself with a couple of hours of reading, crocheting and watching old movies and the odd few minutes of siesta time. Oh, the luxury of being able to close ones eyes for a few minutes and day-dream in peace and quiet! I wanted to show you some pictures of the progression of O's Autumn Sunburst blanket but it has gone so dark and grey here it is impossible to take any photos now. The blanket was inspired my the colours in this walk and the first few circles photographed here.

I will leave you with some of the less (sic) blurry pictures from the Hill of Tara. Bye for now! xxxx

We interrupt this blogging hiatus

 

'Woman at her toilet' Jan Havicksz  (www.riksmuseum.nl)

 

To bring you unprecedented news, this morning my wonderful children got dressed, independently in their own rooms which meant that I was allowed to get dressed, ALONE in my own room. No inquisitive remarks about the state/size/colour of bits of my body, no stealing my bra and putting on the dog, no long stream-of-consciousness discussion of the latest Sponge Bob plot. It was nice, quiet and almost relaxing, five minutes just for me that I had so often craved when they were toddlers and hanging off me like baby gorillas.

 

 

(image from igcp.org)

(Baby gorillas! So beautiful.)



 

 Maybe if I am really honest a teensy bit too quiet. It is every Mothers dilemma isn't it? It is our life's work to prepare our little ones to become able and independent adults but little by little the wee caring tasks that mark babyhood then childhood, like feeding, holding hands when walking, tying shoelaces and the like slowly diminish. The rhythm of family life adjusts and while we are lucky enough to feel that fierce pride as we seen them growing up, it is a somewhat bittersweet journey, deep underneath we experience the acute loss of their early childhood.

 

In other news I am pleased to report that I went out for a run this morning and did not experience an agonising stitch in my side! I am still running the first week in the couch to 5k plan, as my running has been interrupted regularly, firstly by sore feet, then writing up my last essay for the OU and then a low-level virus that made me feel wiped for a couple of days.  I am feeling more confident though so hopefully, I shall be moving on to the slightly more strenuous Week2 plan next time.

 

As I jogged up the last hill towards home, myself and Rosie bumped into Mr E whose black Labrador Benjy is very fond of our Rosie so we had to stop for a sniff and a weather update.

Almost but not quite managing to supress his astonishment at the unexpected sight of my breathless, puce-faced lycra-clad self;  Mr E -after cheerfully delivering the doom-laded news that the week-end was going to be a wash out, softened the blow by leaving me with this jaunty riposte, 'Sure we are not doing too badly so far, are we?' Thanks, Mr E, we are doing just fine!

Hope all of you are too.xxx