2010 - Hit the Ground Running

What a start to the year! I’ve barely had time to do nothing, let alone the time to blog about it…

We started with one of those sorts of weeks that should make your head spin, if it weren’t that things would never get done if your head was spinning all the time. After Christmas and New Year were over with, it was a hasty finish off of packing for Flâneur and then pick up the van, drive across to his parents, realise the screen-wash in the van isn’t working properly, get very frustrated as the slush on the road made the windscreen filthy and then drive down to Manchester. The latter of which would have been fine if it hadn’t been freezing cold, mucky roads and no working screen-wash. It was pretty hairy at times as I found my vision seriously impaired while driving and I was very thankful (a) that the motorways were quiet on the first Monday after New Year and that (b) it started to snow on the outskirts of Manchester, just as the traffic was building up and that meant my windscreen cleaned itself for the first time ever!

We did get there in one piece and the flat wasn’t so bad (not as nice as our Edinburgh flat) but the snow unfortunately did not stop. It was pretty at first, until we woke up to 4 inches of the stuff the next day and a rising panic about how I was going to get to Sheffield for a job interview!! (Oh, yes, nothing like packing it all in in one week!). A hasty call to my colleague to get her to check the railway websites and a phone call from the people in Sheffield to see if I was going to make it and reschedule if not (very nice of them!) and I was on my way. It was very very pretty, but I just didn’t feel like I could really appreciate it while I was worrying about whether or not I’d get to Sheffield, get back or get stuck!!

As it was, it all went ok. I got there, I got the job and I could then relax a bit. Well for a couple of days until the drive back north! I kept scouring the sky for more snow and examining the roads for signs of ice and checking the van would actually move again… The drive back was no less terrifying as this time the screen-wash was actually frozen, not just broke. We got pretty far without having to stop and splosh screen-wash directly onto the windscreen, but after that we stopped at nearly every service station to clean the damn thing. Freezing fog (and no idea where the fog lights were) made things even more ‘fun’ and by Hamilton I was ready to give up and stay the night in a travel lodge, anything that meant I didn’t have to drive anymore. But I pulled myself together and we made it home (with one or two more stops) and I have never been more glad to see my flat as I was then…

I did manage to fit in a swim when I was down in Manchester, in their lovely Aquatic Centre – the first swim in a good few months! In fact probably the first proper exercise I have done in a good few months… (so much so that I am surprised that I only put 2 pounds on over the festive period and that they have gone away again – hurrah!). It was lovely being able to go mid morning for a swim, so quiet, I could really get used to that! It was at its full 50m (and took some getting used to that there was no shallow end) and I managed my usual 1km in a very respectable 33 minutes 33. I was very happy with that. I had time to kill so I did a few lengths of backstroke too, timing myself to see which I was quicker at. Surprisingly the breaststroke beat the backstroke by a good few seconds. I’d always assumed it would be the other way round…

Now we are firmly in January, Flâneur and I are also firmly into our weeks apart. I managed to fill my first week without him to the full, seeing my dress maker (she’s starting on the sewing now!), teaching my class, trying to build a new bed with HMcM (who I think surprised herself with how straight forward it was), and then a FABULOUS night with my FABULOUS friends at Hotel Missoni, where we drank cocktails, ate lovely food, drank nice champagne and wine and generally appreciated what greats friends we are.

I shall miss them very much when I move south. Even though we don’t all get together that often, I like having them nearby, just in case an emergency night out or dinner is needed… ;o) But there will be fabulous weekends to be had in the future, and I’ve not gone yet…

I’ve had my first weekend trip down to Manchester (arriving late on Friday and leaving early on Monday), which was lovely – it’s a bit like dating again. Only with fewer meals out because we’re very poor having to run two flats in two expensive cities! It was nice to wander round the shops – Manchester is cracking for shops – and generally hang out with F. With a realisation that the wedding is only two months away now we also got a lot of the little niggly things sorted, on paper at least, if not in reality!

I find myself exhausted now though and looking desperately forward to the first weekend where I don’t have to go anywhere or do anything in particular. A real bum-about weekend with no travel!! I think I’ve got just two weekends to wait, maybe??

Progress Report...

In my flight of whimsy yesterday I forgot to report on my progress with 'The Challenge', which technically has now ended. Well, in the 11 weeks I managed to lose (drum roll please):

Half a stone.

Yup, just 7 pounds.

That's not so bad considering I have done no exercise to speak of for the last 3 weeks as November has killed my will to do anything and December is brining me a cold. Poor excuses, but they're the only ones I've got and I'm sticking to them.

This is probably the best I have done in any challenge of this sort, but still not quite the target I was aiming for. Luckily everyone else seemed to gloss over the end of the challenge too, so I suspect it might well get extended. Phew! Flâneur would probably love to take our TV down to Manchester with him in January, but he wouldn't love it the way I do so it's probably for the best that it stays with me.

And now we are well into the festive season where food is a plenty and time to exercise scarce. I will have to be very careful not to put any of those lovely 7 pounds back on, but I will try. Wish me luck (again!).

Wishful thinking…

Renewing leases and taking up new ones makes me even more want a home of my own, that belongs to us (not someone else) and has all the things we want from a home. I’ve started mentally listing what these things are, and I’m sure Flâneur is fed up of me asking him what he wants from our fantasy home… But here are a few of the things anyway, because maybe by writing them down they might one day come true.

The basic is ‘I want a house with a garden’… The garden so I can grow vegetables and have apple trees and a dog. The dog is very important. As for the house, so far it should have…

• a large kitchen, with one of those large central islandy bits. In this kitchen I want a dishwasher (Flâneur’s not so fussed), a proper large upright fridge freezer, and proper sized cupboards. Oh and a gas hob. That’s extremely important.
• a large bathroom – big enough for a nice large, deep bath and (as well as the sink and loo) space for a nice comfy chair. And if there is enough space, a separate shower too.
• a dining room. I’m not so fussed if this is a dining kitchen, but space for our large dining table that’s good for entertaining is a must! If it’s a separate dining room, then it could double up as…
• a library. Or basically a room full of books as between us we have tonnes. This could be in the dining room (see above) or in…
• a study. For Flâneur. That isn’t also a spare room. That has room for his drawing board, his computer, a large number of his books, a place with good light that he can draw and paint by and that is properly heated so he doesn’t freeze.
• a large master bedroom with an ensuite shower room. Because I love our ensuite, I love not having far to go when I inevitably need the loo in the middle of the night and it’s great when you have guests. The bedroom needs to house a large kingsize bed and enough storage for both of us, at least!
• at least 1 (preferably more) spare rooms – for guests. We’re unlikely to be able to afford more than that 2 at most, but this is all about dreaming… And they would have proper beds, not futons, that were made up and didn’t have to be constructed every time someone came to stay (or taken down again when they left).
• Somewhere for me to sew – this doesn’t have to be a big room, but it would be great to have somewhere where my sewing machine was set up, with storage for all my fabric and other bits and pieces so they aren’t in a public space. (I'd also like the time to sew more, but that isn't so much about the house...)
• A nice living room – we’re not showy, this can be modest, but I suppose it should be big enough to fit more than the one slightly rubbish sofa we have now! Oh and an open fire.
• a garden – did I mention the garden? for the dog, and vegetables and apple trees…

I’m not sure if we will ever be rich enough to fulfil my dreams, but it’s good to know what you ultimately want… As for what the house should look like, as long as it’s an interesting building (not 1960s-present day suburbia), then I think I’ll be happy. Flâneur would probably want modern, I’d probably want old. But I think I’d be happy to compromise on an old exterior with a modern interior and that might make us both happy. As long as there’s a garden and a dog….

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!