I did it!

Wow, I did it! I ran the Swindon Half Marathon in an official time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 15 seconds, lots faster than I was expecting. It was so much fun and the crowd were brilliant- handing out handfuls of jelly babies and cheering us on up the gruelling hill-climbs, I was grinning madly the whole way round. I can hardly walk today, but it was worth it. Not sure I will be doing it again in a hurry though!

Thanks again to everyone who sponsored me- so far I've raised a fabulous £310 for Prospect Hospice. And there's still time to add to the total, by clicking on the button below. 

Thanks!

sporty sabatical

Hello readers and apologies for my recent blogging hiatus. It feels like I've been spending every spare second training up for my half marathon, which is finally taking place this Sunday. My usual pontificating about pointless, pretty things will resume again shortly.

I'm starting to feel very nervous indeed, but people with former experience in these things keep telling me the nervous energy is a good thing - I hope they're right! I have also felt incredibly buoyed by the tremendously generous support I have received from friends, colleagues and, of course, you guys. If anybody else would like to sponsor me, you can click on the little button below. Thanks folks, and please wish me luck! xxx

barter books

I've been working away from home this week and was fortunate to be staying in the most beautiful town of Alnwick in Northumberland. I wish I'd had more time to explore it properly and visit the castle and nearby rugged coastline, but my full-on schedule didn't allow much time for play. 

I did get chance to sneak in a visit to the truly brilliant Barter Books, second hand bookshop, now famous for having discovered the 'original' Keep Calm and Carry On poster amongst a box of dusty old books. The shop is based in an old Victorian train station, with a railway-style buffet and the original waiting rooms complete with roaring fires. Alongside every book you could ever dream of, there are snippets of poetry, subtle art installations and even a model railway set whizzing above the brimming bookcases. It was the most mesmerising, geeky and yet comforting environment- really hard to describe. You really need to go there if you ever get the chance.

the roseland return

This week we returned to the Cornish fishing village of Portscatho, in the Roseland Peninsula, where we had the most superb week's holiday last summer. Whilst the weather wasn't quite as kind to us this time round, we still had a wonderful time filled with non-stop adventure, play and laughter, like never before. 

Admittedly there wasn't too much laughter as we tried to pitch out tent in a thunderstorm (clearly we'd lost our sense of humour at that early point) but the rain clouds eventually parted and treated us to lots of sunny spells for the rest of our stay.

The vast majority of our time was spent crouched over rock pools, bobbing about in the waves and feasting on naughty Cornish treats. We also took the little ferry from St Mawes over to the bustling port of Falmouth to rummage for hidden treasure in the brimming second hand shops.

Back at the camp site, the girls marauded around squealing with delight, surrounded by an army of small friends with bubbles, balls, wooden swords and kites. The fields were also home to a small flock of sheep, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs- the camp site lady would ring a hand bell in the morning at feeding time and the children all came running, desperate to help out!

We met a couple who had recently returned from paddling around the entire British coast in a sea kayak for 4 ½  months. The children were mesmerised by their tales of sleeping in bivy bags in car parks, not to mention the revelation that they only packed 5 pairs of underwear for their entire excursion! 

Needless to say, this encounter did nothing to stave off my ever-growing canoe obsession; I haven't quite convinced Steve of circumnavigating the British Isles just yet, but I think I might have him signed up to paddle the length of the Kennet and Avon Canal sometime soonish...

Once the girls were tucked up, Steve and I snuggled up in blankets, drinking cider, playing scrabble and treating ourselves to my dad's delicious blackberry vodka, which I had been saving for our holidays. I think it must have affected my usually impressive scrabble-playing skills as I lost every single game we played. I'm still sulking about it, but I will win back my scrabble crown at Christmas!

And now we're back home, preparing for the new school term, signs that the summer is drawing to its close. This evening has felt very autumnal indeed- we've been tucked up around the wood burner, watching 'Match of the Day' on the television!

I'll be trying to catch up with all your blogs over the next few days- what have I missed? x

cornwall bound

We're off to Cornwall for the week- fingers crossed the weather forecast is wrong! Have a lovely week xx

canoedling

Today my favourite boy turned 33 and I surprised him by hiring a canoe and taking a little trip down the river.

We paddled upstream, through lush farmland, towards the very source of the Thames. The river was so peaceful we honestly didn't see a single other boat or person for the whole afternoon. We found a secluded mooring spot to tie up the canoe and sheltered under the willows from the light rain with a very special birthday picnic.

Paddling back was much easier as we had the current to help us, which was just as well as we were feeling rather full and lazy after our feast. After a few collisions with branches and a near miss with a swan, my tummy muscles were also aching from laughing so much.

I want our own canoe more badly than ever- I am totally hooked!