Cold, wet and miserable

...and that's not just the weather...

I came so so close to just coming home again after I left the house this morning. I think it was when the second bus went past only letting two people on. At least they were slowing down at the big puddle by the bus stop and only one of them splashed the waiting wet potential passengers. I did, however, leave my brolly at home and while I had on my waterproof coat this did not stop my glasses from needing windscreen wipers and my trousers from getting soaked. Urgh. So this morning I ended up in work a bit wet, cold and just a smidgen miserable.

Now I’m at my desk I have put the bad-for-the-environment electric heater under my desk on, have a fleece on and am hoping no people come in today - the weather should put them off right?

Have I mentioned that I dislike November?

I spent a great deal of the weekend getting wet and grumpy too. Wet, well obviously because of the rain (some of it torrential); grumpy because I was tired and London was full of stupid people who get in your way, bump into you, stop suddenly and crowd out the shops. Mostly, I should say, it was a great weekend, despite the rain and the ‘other people’. It started with a ludicrously early start on Saturday morning when both Flâneur and I got up at 4:50. Yes. 4:50am. A time when ordinarily I would look at the clock and think ‘magic, another two hours at least until I have to get up’. We had booked ourselves onto the first train down to London and got up when we woke up to stop ourselves going back to sleep!

The train was good actually, despite it being so early. We were in First Class so had loads of room and the carriage was pretty quiet. I tried to snooze some more but it wasn’t happening, so we watched the sun come up and got excited about our trip. It was pretty nice weather when we arrived, even verging on warm (!) and we decided to walk the two miles or so to the hotel as the tube was buggered. As usual! The hotel was lovely. Flâneur had won a free night in a Hyatt hotel, partly I think because he is a loyalty card holder (Platinum no less!). So we decided to take advantage of it at the Hyatt Regency London, The Churchill. We arrive before check in, but figured we could leave our bags and go and find lunch. The reception was really busy (check out time!) but we were delighted when we got to the counter to find that they had decided to upgrade us to one of their club rooms on the 8th floor, which has its own private check in area. Oooh, get us! Checking in up there we were also told there was a room ready for us immediately, that they served complimentary cocktails and canapés in the exclusive lounge between 6 and 8 and that there would also be a complimentary continental breakfast in the lounge the next morning. Hurrah! Our room hadn’t come with breakfast so this was great news! ;o)

I got very overexcited by the fact we had been upgraded. I never get upgraded for anything. :o)

The room was lovely, but we only stopped in it momentarily to change and then headed out to the shops, the other reason for coming to London. Ah… Selfridges, Liberty, Muji, independent design shops, Fortnums… Bliss!! We had a very pleasant (but enormous) lunch in John Lewis and then the rain started. It was not so bad on the Saturday and we did enjoy all our shops, but having got up so early we both went through tired-grumpy-hysterical several times while brollies hit our faces and people barged into us and we tried to keep ourselves going. We were pretty exhausted and wet by the time we got back to the hotel around 7, but we sorted ourselves out and headed through the lounge and gosh, it was lovely. It was so nice to just kick back, enjoy a glass of champagne or three, some nibbles and just relax. We’d pretty much been on the go since for 14 hours so it was very very welcome.

Sunday we got up in time to enjoy the continental buffet (never one to let something free pass me by…) and then lounged about our room sorting out our packing (all the lovely things we’d bought the day before!) before checking out. It was lovely that check out wasn’t til midday as nothing opens in London on a Sunday before then anyway. We were Knightsbridge bound on Sunday and decided to head across Hyde Park as it shouldn’t have taken us long to walk. The weather, however, turned our pleasant stroll through the park into a steely determination to find cover! It was not just raining, but windy and by the time we were nearing the Hyde Park Corner end the deluge started. We got soaked. Well and truly properly soaked. I don’t think my feet dried out until Monday morning!! I was glad when we got to Harrods (where I had wanted to pick up one of Flâneur’s Christmas presents) and thankfully it had died down a bit by the time we left. More walking (we worked out we had walked a total of over 13 miles over the two days!), more shops and then the last train back on Sunday. Boy I was glad to have yesterday off work. It was a great weekend, but totally exhausting.

And now it’s back to work and me stuck spending all day shivering without seeing any natural light (sit in a draft, heating not working properly, come to work in the dark, no windows near where I sit, go home in the dark). Everybody say ‘ahhhh’…

Hmm… I wonder if going to the gym tonight will improve my mood? Maybe I should get some Vitamin D to replace the lack of sunshine which is clearly getting to me now… Maybe I should just quit my job so I can stay under the duvet every morning like I want to. Hmm… maybe not so practical. Still, it’s nearly December and that means nearly Christmas and sometimes it stops raining a bit in December. Finger’s Crossed!

Hibernation Season

So, it's November again and getting darker by the day. Well, it's really been November for a while now, but it's hit me really this week with the wet blustery weather and my deep desire to stay in bed until it gets light and then crawl back to bed when it gets dark again. Which at present would see me getting up around 8, 8:30 and going to bed at 4, 4:30!! Not good... November (plus my cosy comfy duvet) makes it very hard to get up when the alarm goes off. Hibernation season. The wet blustery weather I don't mind so much, but only if I'm inside, curled up listening to it happening outside. Alas I more than often have to be out in it, either coming to or going from work. Bah!

I have been pretty lazy this week and have managed to go to the gym a total of zero times. I brought my stuff to work with me on Monday, I took it home again. I brought my stuff with me to work on Wednesday, I took it home again... I cut my losses the rest of the week and figured it wasn't going to happen and I would just have to be extra extra specially careful with what I eat instead (which I pretty much have, well I do anyway at the moment). I'm not sure I'll lose any weight this week, but I don't appear to be putting any on at the moment, so that'll do me for now.

I did go to the gym last Friday, which I've not blogged about, and did a pretty good work out:

Total work out time: 70 mins
Total calories burned: 818.9
Total distance walked/run/strode: 8.6km

Not bad, eh?? Best yet in fact, and I really didn't think I'd do that well. Perhaps I should have gone this week after all... I always seem to surprise myself the most on days when I think I can't be bothered.

In defence of my laziness this week, I have been extremely tired. Partly the darkness, partly the weather, partly not sleeping well and a small part not feeling great. Another 'non-cold' with some symptoms that never develop. Tired and achy pretty much cover it. I'm still feeling tired today, but a little better. However, as Flâneur and I are taking a trip to London this weekend, I couldn't really have gone this evening anyway. Our train is at the hilarious time of 6:15 tomorrow morning, so a quiet night and early to bed is all I can cope with, to ensure I'm able to get up at 5 tomorrow. Urgh... It seemed like a good idea when we booked the tickets...

Gym and shopping

Phew. Back from the gym and exhausted! It was a tough old session tonight and I questioned several times whether I shouldn't just give up. I didn't, which is a good thing in the long run, but I might pay for it later (or tomorrow!). And at least I went, which is better than not going, which is what I did on Monday! I had had a pretty exhausting weekend and I just needed to go home on Monday after work.

On Friday RF and I flew down south to spend a day and a half at my parents', essentially to go shopping! We were up bright and early on Saturday morning and along with mum and my sister we headed off to go bridesmaid dress shopping at Bluewater in Kent (picking up bridesmaid number 3 on the way). We got there by about 11 and I think by the time we left at 4:30 around 20 dresses had been tried on by the 'maids. With varying degrees of success... In fact, it was the very last one, that we ended up getting. Which is nice because it was nearly the first one! What fascinated me was the variations in sizing. T is a size 6, R a 10. T has a similar (but opposite) problem to sister and me in that a lot of shops do not do clothes in her size. So she was trying on a lot of 8s. Some of them fitted very well (the dress she ended up getting was an 8 as the 6 was too small!), others looked like they would fall down if it weren't for the straps... And yet, I don't think R had the same problem with the 10s... I still don't really get how sizes can vary so much not just between shops, but within shops.

Anyway... We had a brilliant, if tiring day, getting all that we had gone for (sister's dress was bought online when we got home). We had a nice lunch, with fizz, coffee and cake (much needed) and some great chat. We also had a terrifying experience in Hobbs where T and R were pretty much bullied into trying on some items (and looking like 'I'm going to a glamorous funeral' - R). But also very excitingly - I found my shoes!! They're fabulous and gorgeous and I'm very very excited about them... Would love to post a piccie, but that will have to wait until after the wedding. Can't believe I have to wait 4 and a half months til I can wear them. Pout.

;o)

Eek! Four and a half months!

On Sunday one of Sister's friends (who is a qualified hairdresser) came over to play with my hair, the intention being that she would show my sister the technique so she could do it on the day. The outcome, however, was the friend very seriously considering coming up and doing it for me herself. How nice is that? I'd love it if she did as I think she'd do a great job. I promised her an invite if she did. ;o) We then had to hightail it to the airport to fly back North, and so I was exhausted come Monday. On the plus side I managed to not eat too badly at my parents' (which is a miracle) and weighed in at X-2 stone, 8lb 3/8 on Monday morning. Hurrah, a little spot of progress...

But I did manage to go to the gym tonight (as I said) despite being tired, and (again as I said) it was bloody knackering. I came close to quitting a number of time on the treadmill, but managed to keep it up with a number of psychological games: must run for at least a mile, might as well make it to 14 minutes, can't walk to this song (Gold!) etc... I did have to take a break to stretch after 14 minutes as my legs were getting sore. I then walked for a minute and intended to run for the remaining 14 mins (this is what I did last Wednesday). It was just too hard though and I had to pause it again after 7 mins for another stretch. Better that than an injury though. And I did go straight back to running (all this at 7.7km/h). But I did only manage 6 minutes, not the full remaining 7 as, frankly, that last minute really would have been just a step too far. Urgh. I had a better session on the cross trainer, so wasn't so far off the totals I hit last Wednesday in the end.

Last Wednesday:

Total work out time: 68 mins

Total calories burned: 792.3

Total distance walked/run/strode: 8.38km

Today:

Total work out time: 68 mins

Total calories burned: 780.1

Total distance walked/run/strode: 8.3km

Which when I view it like that, doesn't look so bad today. Not so dissimilar to last week. Phew!

Latest update

After a slightly rubbish week for exercise last week, I am determined to make it better this week. After a good start last week at the gym, my life then ran away with me and I managed no other time to do any serious exercise. On Tuesday evenings I teach an evening class in Palaeography, so no chance for doing anything on a Tuesday night. On Wednesday I had an appointment with my dress maker (very very exciting. Fabric is all chosen, design is being finalised, and she wont really start work on it until the new year, giving me loads of time to shift a bit more weight). On Thursday there was a do on a work, which netted me some much needed flexi time. I had considered running home from the office as I had all my kit with me and it's nearly 2 miles, but after a couple of glasses of wine that was so not happening (did help me power walk home though)!! I suppose I could have done something on Friday, but I was way too knackered by Friday... ;o)

On Saturday Flâneur wasn't really up to going for a run as he's still pretty bogged down with a hideous cold. It was a beautiful day though (at that point!) and he had promised to get cheese for Wastrel and SAM who we were visiting that evening. So we decided what the hell, we'll walk to Waitrose. It's a good 5 mile round trip from our flat, but it was a really nice walk and we got some lunch in a coffee shop on the way home, so it wasn't so bad. And the walk will have done us both the world of good!! When we got home I spent the afternoon making apple chutney with apples from W&S's apple trees. There were about 2 or 3 different types of apple and it made a lovely sweet and tasty chutney. I was very pleased with it in the end. The last batch of chutney I made (with apples from their last house) I thought was a bit too vinegary, but this stuff was much much better, in my opinion!

Chutney made we then headed on up to The House (W&S's place) with BC and HH, armed with two jars of said chutney and a truck load of cheese. It was Halloween and Wastrel and SAM had done a wonderful job of making their house spooky and full of creepy things! It was really superb! A warm welcome and a tasty green drink (orc's blood, apparently) greeted us and a good crowd of guests. I was pretty tired and flakey and headed to bed around midnight (but did appreciate the brazier and toffee apples before going). Flâneur slunk into bed around 3:30, having joined in apple bobbing and poker and more wine, and declaring my friends a bad influence before snoring away... I'm sure he needed no influence or arm twisting to stay up! To say he didn't look so great on Sunday would be putting it mildly and he was nearly entirely responsible for us going to bed at 9:30 last night! Yes, I know, 9:30!

So, back at work today (boo hiss) and then was off in the gym this evening. Oh, and today was my weighing day... I was X-2 stones 9lb 7/8. Which is ok. Not great, but better than last week! And means I'm back to having lost 3lb in four weeks. Which is not so good... But hopefully it will pick up from now on. And if I really am going to keep weighing myself on a Monday (rather than Sunday), well I was actually X-1 stone 0lb on the Monday (the day after the official start day when I weighed X-2 stone 12lb and some). So that would mean I've actually lost 5 pounds, which would be much better. Who's adjudicating this thing??

Anyway, yes the gym. It was a bit quieter tonight (perhaps the students are away?) and I got to do both the treadmill and the crossramp without any waiting around. I was extremely pleased with my treadmill performance tonight. I didn't think it was going to be that great as the going was pretty tough at the beginning. I thought I was going to have to stop and walk at one point and decided I should at least try and do 10 minutes before walking, and as I wasn't sooo bad at that point, I just kept going. So after my initial 1 min of walking while I fiddled about with the settings on the machine I managed to run for a whole 25 minutes, straight! Go me! Over two miles... I was doing it at 7.7km/h too - gently upping the speed. I'm looking to get to 8km/h soon, but need to do it gently rather than ramp straight up to it. I think that's sensible. I don't want to go up in speed but loose my time in doing it...

So my stats for tonight are:

Total work out time: 68 mins

Total calories burned: 767.6

Total distance walked/run/strode: 8.18 km

Woo hoo! Better than last Monday, just, and when you add the fact that I walked to work this morning (in a good 35 mins), hot footed it to the gym (a good 20 mins) and then home again (another 20 mins) I ended up having exercised off a lot more calories than I had eaten today (before dinner). Which is good for weight loss at least!

Right, I'm off to stretch again now before my legs seize up!