Catching up with friends before they run away

I have had two awesome weekends with some stuff happening in between. And the awesomeness isn't even over yet.

So last weekend was my friends Simon's birthday. I had a day off work on the Friday so we headed to e Christmas market where we watched a guy playing with green goop outside the Lush shop and then we blew bubbles with him with our hands. I thought that was rather cool. Then it was the usual task of eating German sausages whilst indulging in alcoholic hot choc (or in Simons case - beer)

There is also a snow globe that you can play in but we didn't do that. Might indulge in that another day.

Saturday saw me attempting fairy cakes. Not my best batch ever but they did have comic book hero icons (batman, superman, captain America etc etc). I won't give my day job up just yet but they didn't look too bad. Once the cakes were safely delivered to the restaurant I headed to laser quest. Played two games. First game was everyone for themselves and I came 2nd. I was beatend by Jon who is the terminator I reckon. He was awesome. So to come second I was incredibly chuffed. The second game we wre in teams and there are some students mixed in as well. Some students had no clue what they were doing and were easy targets. Some students were very hot and I followed them. Most of the time I hid in a hides hole and got people as they went past. Came fourth in that game so again very pleased . Look out people I can use a gun lol. 

After shooting people with lasers we heading to a Greek restaurant where we ate copious amounts of food (some got taken home) and the whole restaurant sang happy birthday to simon. Well it see,did like they did. The evening ended with drinking. 

This weekend was a complete contrast. It was very chilled and I loved it. I visited friends in Birmingham. Whenever I visit them I try to go to my favourite shop in the whole wide world - The Oasis. A heavenly place of alternative wear. This weekends misson - to find the dress for my works xmas party. Now I was being sensible this time. I'm 35 in a couple of weeks and so I do feel my days of skin tight latex are numbered. So I was going for something tasteful. And I found it. It's beautiful. I need help getting in and out so logistics are required but I have fallen in love with it. I just need to accessorise and I'm wearing to the next event after the xmas party that I can. Maybe I could run in it... Unlikely.

I also managed to get some new running trainers which is good timing since I'm starting my marathin training again in January. They are very pretty and they felt so comfy. Hopefully they will stay comfy. 

I checked out the Birmingham xmas market which is a bigger version of Bristol xmas market. I'll be checking one out in Scotland next weekend as well. And I'm sure there is plenty of time to check others out before Christmas. 

The rest if time was chatting and drinking lots of tea whilst discussing Sian running a 10k which I sadly can't run with her (clashes with marathon) plus the next three mountains we are all climbing in 2015. Logistics are going to be interesting this time as we have extra peeps including sprogs (not mine!!) but I think it will be fantastic fun again. Looking at Isle of Man, and the two Irish ones. My marathn training may limit when I'm available. And I'll have to work any other races round them. But should be a fun packed year. 

Currently deciding if it's worth doing an adventure marathon in 2016 ( after saying that toronto would be my last). I really am tempted by the polar marathon although not sure how I would train for it. Maybe I could go to a warehouse with a freezer section and run laps in it. Plus I want to do my motorbike licence at some point.so much I want to do and not sure how I'm going to fit it all in. Good job I've kinda given up the idea of having kids. Don't have time ha ha ha.

Off up to Scotland to see other peeps next weekend. I've decided to do my blog weekly unless I have something amazingly fun to say. So probably be updating on Monday 1 December. 

Quiet week

It's been a week since I blogged. Very lax. Currently sitting trying not to think about the chocolate on the table. Which is my landladys birthday chocolate. 

Soooo what have I been up to since last time I blogged. Wellll I met up with my mate Liz at the Watershed. I haven't been to the Watershed in ages so it was really nice to meet up there. Had a nice meze and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine. The wine was definately well received. Had had a busy day. I do love catching up with people over wine and meze. It's always fun.

Friday saw me watching the weston carnival. I haven't been to carnival for years. It was amazing, the clubs are definately getting better. The floats were fantastic. Went along with Dave and Hannah and it pissed down with the rain. We got soaked to the point I lost feelings in my hands. But it was worth it. 

The weekend that followed was a lovely and chilled. I went to the comic book store and oh my goodness there is so much I want to buy. Heading there after work on Thursday. Feeling like a kiddie in a candy store. Cannot wait.

This week I've been haven't been doing much because I've been working late at work. So tonight it will be the apprentice and tomorrow it is my Friday. Next week will be running

Tidy your room or you are grounded

Watching The Apprentice after a long day. I would love to interview propel by setting them tasks. The episode today was particularly cringeworthy. I won't go into detail as people may not have watched it yet. But it was dire. These are supposed to be intelligent people... Aren't they?!?

This week has been busy again. Monday was supposed to be an evening of sorting stuff out, mostly my room (I feel like such a teenager when I say that). As I have been rushing in and out, stuff has just been dumped and I have a corner where there is just piles of stuff. It needs to be sorted so my room can be a sanctuary of calm... Also I think my room has swallowed two packets of noodles, a tin of kidney beans and a packet of rice. Either that or the kitchen pixie has eaten them. I know I haven't!

Tuesday was off up to patchway to see my mate Babs. Apart from missing my bus and getting caught in traffic it was a lovely evening and it was great to see her. Next time I hope to arrive on time.

I have decided that after next Weds, that the following Weds will be me days. Days where I pamper myself, where I don't worry about my room or anyone else and focus on me. My skin is getting spotty and dry and my feet need a good pedicure. So weds will be a leave on time day and get home and it's all about me. So I need to get my room sorted for that to happen lol. Starting to formulate some ideas for sorting that corner out. But sorting will have to wait as I'm heading to the Watershed tomorrow to meet Liz and Friday I'm going to watch Westin Carnival. 

Well I don't think I can for a minute that my life is dull. 

Poppies and rock

Well the foot hasn't let up but it is getting easier to walk. Running still isn't an option. I tried running for the bus and still missed it, plus foot hurt so not a great idea. Spent the day at work with my foot up on a chair. And it difficult trying to type at an angle.

Spent Weds evening with my mate Dave. Bought him dinner which consisted of one of the take away meals in a box from tesco. I'm very classy me. Still it was nice to have a catch up, watch a movie and eat fake Chinese food. The great thing about Dave is he has known me for years and I can slob and there are no airs and graces cos he knows exactly what I am like.

Thursday I sat and watched other people run. If I'm not able to run next month (unlikely as I am getting better) then I must remember to take a book cos sitting waiting for people to run past you when you have no entertainment is a tad boring. It's fine when people are running past you cos you can shout out to them. Plus the food at the pub after is always nice. Opted for the gammon. Wetherspoons curry doesn't inspire me. The nice thing about Thursday night was knowing I had a lie in on Friday.

Friday was Halloween, Samhain, All Hallows' Eve etc etc. so obviously I was going to have a day off. I have finally eaten in Grillstock. It was yummy. I like pulled pork and I like cider so all in all I was happy girlie. The evening was a party and I got to dress up. Again I'm happy. Went for simple, devil costume thing. If I thought I could get away with bright red hair then I would have my hair in a bright red bob. Played drinking pass the parcel and almost had a glass of wine tipped over me (by accident, I wasn't starting any fights). Then in Saturday I headed to London with my friend Simon to see Black Stone Cherry. My first Wembley gig, and I'd never heard of the band before. London decided that shutting several bits of the underground would be a good idea and we eventually turned up at our hotel at 5 something, scoffed down some room service and headed over to the venue... Which was a one minute walk as we were on the doorstep. Epic, awesome. Theory of a DeadMan and Black Stone Cherry are now firm favourites. They were amazing to see live. The atmosphere was fantastic. Loved it.

Sunday was the obligatory sightseeing. Stood in a queue for a while to see the ceramic poppies which were fantastic, I didn't queue for the whole time cos it was raining and I managed to get a glimpse. Then went to see a exhibition of paintings and drawings on witches and wicked bodies at the British Museum. Well worth seeing, plus we got to see an ancient Chinese scroll which only goes on view a couple of weeks at a time as it is so fragile. 

Monday seems a bit dull now. 

Adventures and running

Ive done it again. I've managed to not update my blog for weeks (well days) on end.

however i am trying out a bluetooth keyboard and apart from some sticky keys every so often i am finding it abit easier to type on than the ipad screen. Definately easier to correct mistakes although it has just taken me about 5 mins to write the word definately.

So what have i been up to. Well the last two weekends have been race orientated. The  first was Amsterdam Marathon where i managed a respectable time of 4hrs 54 mins and 10 secs, wiping off 15mins off my London time. Considering I did less training for this one plus I started too fast (kept up with my friend Emily who runs faster than me and then second half i had to walk run) i was very happy. planning on putting a proper training plan together with cross training and making sure my nutirition is correct. Hoping to get my time under 4hrs 50. 

After the marathon Emily and I vegges and ate alot. We  did go round a lovwely museum the day before so it wasnt all running and eating.

How ever i did sustain a niggle in my foot which i hoped would go away by the following weekend. 

When I returned back to Bristol I spent alot of time sleeping (when not at work) and my friend Simon took me to Pieminster to celebrate my marathon. I probably ddiint enjoy it as much as I could have as I was faling asleep.

Saturay of the weekend just gone, i headed up to Leicester. To run a half marathon. I stayed at my friends Clare and Keiths and it was lovely to see them.Clare was getting ready to head to Morrocco in the early houra of the morning on a school trip so it was up to Keith to see me safely to the start of the race. Theniggle was still there but alot better so figured I would be ok running with it... big mistake.Mile 7th mile, the muscle on the underside of my left foot decided it had had enough and started to cause me a lot of grief. The only way to contimue was to hobble/run/walk. I went up onto my toes for a little while but that caused other muscles to protest. I eventually hobbled in but I waspleased i had finished. It  wasnt a wellorganised race. Not enough toilets and running along side traffic on busy roads. Still I got anice medal and bright orange t shirt.

My foot has been taped up and Keith didnt mind me lying around watching Tv on his sofa. Today at work my foot has been in constant acheyness and Ive alternated between having it up on a chair and not having it up on a chair. I wanted to get stuff done but I cant stand on it too much and i have to keep trying to rest it. Not running this week -prob not next week either but I have no races till February so its no biggy. just need to ease myself back in and then I can start booking the races in for 2015. My main race is the marathon I will be running in Toronto in May.

The other problem is that as I cant run, I really want to run. Tonight was really boring. Room needed tidying as I have been a whirlwind in and out of my room. As im busy every night now till next week this was my last chance to do it before next week. Ive unpacked from Leicester and started thinking about waht to pack for this weekend. The nxt two weekends after that I am in Bristol but already busy. Then off to Brum and Scotland for the end of November. December is starting to fill up and Im sure illstart  booking in visits to people for Jan. Feb-April I will have to be clever with my time, as t will be training, so prob wont be seeing people much and then I have my three weeks in Canada when I get to see my amazing family. Im sure ill have more adventures planned after May but for now Ill enjoy the next few months and live life to the full. The new year approcahes and it can only get more exciting.

Flying solo with no electricity

So I am here in Amsterdam with Emily. Ready to run a marathon in two days time. Well I'm kind of ready. I'm sure I'll make it round. 

We both headed from different airports.emily from Heathrow and myself from Bristol. For me it was my first time flying alone. I've flown before but usually with other people so this time was a tad exciting. I watched as people queued up for the bag drop that wasn't even opened yet (you've checked in, you'll get your seat) , got felt up in security (security lady touched up my ass) and watched people jousting for position to get on plane (again it's prebooked seats!). I decided to take Sals approach which was pretty laid back and moved only when I needed to. What was the rush people! Met Emily at the amsterdam airport and we use the metro to get to our apartment. We are staying in an apartment so we can cook pasta when we need to plus it's just easier to chill out in an apartment. We managed to navigate a supermarket to get a few supplies before settling in for the night. TV was amusing. Some guy cooking quiche (in Dutch) - he was no Jamie Oliver. And the bbc programme The Musketeers. Actually there are a lot of British programmes. One wonders why they can't make their own.

Friday morning had an interesting start to it when I plugged the kettle and tripped the flat. So no electricity. That meant no coffee for Emily. That was not good. So we got washed, headed out to the marathon expo to collect our numbers. The expo was alright but not as good as the London one. Plenty to see and buy but I didn't buy anything. We did get a free t shirt (decent one too) and wristband. We also took a photo of us by our numbers. As we had no electricity the mobile phones were for emergency use only. When we got back there still wasn't any electricity and we were deciding to go and ask the cafe up the rd if we could charge mobiles when the landladys friend turned up. We worked out it was the kettle that had cause the problem and we were swapped a new one. We have electricity. Operation charging stuff had begun. With that problem sorted we went out to the supermarket to get weekend supplies. After trying to work out what ingredients were in things we headed to the tills and one was card only. As we were paying with card that wasn't a problem. What was the problem was is that they only accepted maestro which neither Em or I have. Luckily there was an ATM in the shop which took Visa so I quickly got some cash but as that till only took card I asked em to take the new packed shopping to another queue and we would have to have rescanned. When I got back Em was in the queue for the card only till - I pointed out the error and she realised what she was doing and moved to a till that took cash. We had to move fast because the ice cream was already starting to melt so when we got back to the flat we threw it in the freezer. After that we decided a little walk would be a good idea and we went for a little jaunt. Amsterdam is very pretty. Now chilling before starting today's pasta fest. 

Catching up

So again I've forgotten the blog. Looking at the date if the last one I'm a little behind so I'll either have to write a massive long blog or just summarise... I'll summarise.

So two weekend ago I pass my motorbike theory test. The was almost violence as the guy next to me wouldn't stop humming. Luckily for him he stopped. Not that I would have done anything because I wanted to pass. How I passed I don't know. I was sure I failed but somehow I passed. I now have 2 years to do my test in. I'm thinking of doing a week intensive course, somehow I think it's easier. I'm hoping to look at doing spit next year but it is down to finances and what else I'm doing.

I also ran the Bristol half marathon in a time of 2hrs 10. Not an overall personal best but it was a pb for Bristol so please there. I'm running brighton half in feb and aiming for 2hrs at that one. But before that I have amsterdam marathon and Leicester half to run. Currently tapering in readiness for amsterdam. I'm currently fighting a cold off so today I'm doing nothing. I spent some time in the sunshine but sleeping seems to be on the agenda so I can run tomorrow. Aiming for about 12 miles. My problem at the moment seems to be eating enough. I'm just so tired all the time!

The last few weeks have been busy with seeing people in the evenings and chilling out. Been catching up with friends, running, watching great British bake off with my landlady. I saw my mate mo who I haven't seen in ages and I was finally able to give her my Yule present to her. Everyone is just so busy it's difficult to catch up.

I've also been doing my painting. Probably going to do a bit more later or tomorrow. I'm currently working on a sunset scene. Has oranges and yellows and reds. Needs some pink and then a silhouette of a tree against it. Well that's the plan. I've also got a few others in the pipeline which I need to jot down. Got a load of glass beads that I want to use and some crazy ideS for them. Hmmmm. Need to clear off my crafting table... Again lol

Oh and I have signed up for toronto marathon cos I didn't get into London marathon. Going to combine it with seeing family and having some adventures. So just need to get accomodation and flights sorted.wxcited about May 2015. 2015 I might also do a week in the sun, depending on my finances. It's all about how to juggle the finances. Lol