Day 91 - Happy Birthday

Today I would like to wish a very happy 55th birthday to my husband, my rock, my support crew, Kevin.
This picture is of him when he was 17 and with not a care in the world.

Day 90 - Multi coloured sky

Just couldnt resist taking a photo of the fiery colours of the sky this evening. Amazing.
That's all....

Day 89 - Sunshine and Shadows

Tonights trail run was the first evening run of 2016 in the daylight!
It was a bit overcast and threatening rain to start, in fact we just missed a downpour, but then towards the end the sun came blindingly out and gave us shadows at a time of around 7.30pm (thanks to british summer time).
Max is saying 'have you got my best side?'

Day 88 - spring cleaning

Spring cleaning is no fun but the results are so pleasing!
We completely emptied the conservatory and cleaned everything from top to bottom. Very tired but glad its done.

Day 87 - an early run

After the clocks went forward it was very difficult getting up for an early run before junior parkrun this morning, especially as for some reason I couldnt sleep and had only really got to sleep at around 3am! In the end I was glad i did though as the rain held off and as my route took me along Poole Quay, I got some excellent pictures, including this huge ship.

Day 86 - A very windy parkrun

There were a lot of spirited people running Poole parkrun today despite the really strong winds! Couldnt manage to get a picture of the wind but heres a picture of parkrun spirit - Kev and his hi-five in progress :-)
(photo credit Nick Marshall)

Day 85 - happy 30th

Today my eldest daughter Stephanie turns 30 years old.
To say that makes me feel old is an understatement!
thought I'd look back at some old photos. she can only be about 3 here. 27 years later still as smiley though :-)

Day 84 - a good number

Today my registration form arrived for the London Marathon.
thats my number in the middle of the page. 5505
Silly, but I do love a really good race number! And thats not a bad one in my book

Day 83 - National Puppy day

Today is supposedly National Puppy Day?
I'd never heard of it but still is a good excuse to legitimately post pictures of puppies!
Daisy seems to have been getting all the press recently so I thought i'd go for a picture of Max when he was a baby. Gosh 9 years goes fast!

Day 82 - Piles of flowers?

May blossom yesterday, and lesser celandine today. Carpets of the stuff on my walk today. Both signs that spring is really on the way. However while the hawthorn is edible (fruit, petals and leaves), the celandine is not and is poisonous if eaten, and can cause itching on the skin. Although strangely enough, herbalists have been known to use it to treat piles - Apparantly the knobbly tubers of the plant resemble them and according to the doctrine of signatures this resemblance suggests that it could be used as a cure!

Day 81 - Ne'er cast a clout...

...till May be out.
So the saying goes, but it doesn't refer to the end of the month of May, but instead the May blossom (or Hawthorn) flowering.
So today I saw some May blossom out. Time at last to cast a clout (remove a layer of clothing) people! :-)

Day 80 - a bargain

Charity shop bargains - gotta love em.
I am notorious among the family for collecting chairs and mirrors, so i try not to add to my collection too often but when I saw this leather chair and footstool at the Julias House shop where my dad volunteers for just £5 because it had a worn section on the arm, well, i'm afraid it had to come home with me.... I mean, a fiver?

Day 79 - That's rubbish...

Its a shame when your walk on the lovely heath is spoiled by the actions of a group of people that clearly havent been brought up properly.
I only had a small bag, but i was trying to be a responsible pet owner when i picked up 6 cans, 2 plastic bottles and 3 crisp packets from the area where the kids ride their mountain bikes.
Come on people, clear up!

Day 78 - Wild animals

Many of my colleagues either went to do an activity yesterday, or visit the Marwell Zoo. I decided to go for a run instead. I didnt miss out entirely on the wild animals though as this little fella was just outside the door this morning :-)

Day 77 - A rare treat

Arriving at the Marwell Hotel for a work conference it was a treat to find such a great example of my favourite car in the car park.
This is a 1963 Jaguar E-type 3.8 coupe. So a year older than me and in much better shape I must say! Just a shame we didnt hear it start up....

1963 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupe

1963 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupe

1963 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Coupe

Day 76 - Daylight!

This evening I actually managed to go out for a run with the sun just still in the sky, and finished before it got dark!
Admittedly it was only a short run, but it means not long now till the clocks change!

Day 75 - The Ides of March

This Picture is by Vincenzo Camuccini and depicts the death of Julius Caesar which is an event that made the Ides of March famous.
It is in fact just a date on the Roman Calendar that corresponds to the 15th of march.
The Romans did not number days of a month from the first through the last day. Instead, they counted backwards from three fixed points of the month, The Nones (5th or 7th, depending on the length of the month), the Ides (13th or 15th), and the Kalends (1st of the following month). The Ides occurred near the midpoint, on the 13th for most months, but on the 15th for March, May, July, and October.

Day 74 - Leave nothing but footprints.

Removing the signs from the Larmer Tree races at the weekend. And making sure the only thing left were the trail shoe prints...

Day 73 - That Hill...

Yes we had to go up that hill. 2.5 miles ish into a 20 mile race. Dont think my legs forgave me after that!

Day 72 - " Here we see...

..(cue David Attenborough voice) ...the Yellow Tabarded parkrun Volunteer in its natural habitat, in this case it is Moors Valley. This helpful but sometimes shy creature can be seen congregating in groups at parks and similar venues every Saturday morning. Then they will spread out and position themselves in pre-designated spots, the better to spot and herd groups of runners. If you are lucky you may hear their varied calls of 'Well done', 'keep going' and sometimes 'single file in the finish funnel'.

Population numbers can fluctuate though, so to help keep the numbers up, all you need to do is join them, by putting your name down for volunteering at your local parkrun.

Day 71 - Tree Down!

Spotted an epic tree fall at the side of the trailway today. I'm guessing it may have been right across the path at some point as a lot of the branches were cut or broken.
I'm glad it was cleared up before I got there or I would have had to do a lot of scrambling while carrying a bike!

Day 70 - Pink Elephants do exist...

This is one of the pictures of the day on the Telegraph website today. Yes its true, pink elephants do exist and you dont have to be drunk to see them, just very very lucky, as was the tourist in South Africa who snapped this one. It is actually believed to be an albino.

Day 69 - Fungus the Bogeyman's breakfast...

Yes I know it looks like something that Fungus or Shrek would have for breakfast, but I've re-discovered breakfast smoothies. Magical secret weapons in the struggle to make sure I eat enough and of the right stuff while marathon training. In just a few minutes you can make and consume a decent breakfast, so would recommend them if you are in a hurry. This one has:

About half pint of milk
A squeeze of honey
One banana
A handful of raspberries
A handful of blueberries
Half an avocado
A handful of spinach leaves
A dollop of greek yoghurt
And a pinch of Turmeric

Couldnt eat that lot in a hurry in its normal form, but blitz it all for a minute and it goes down a treat, and for some reason only tastes of banana and honey!

Day 68 - International Womens Day

What better picture to put up today than the 2 women who had the most influence on my life when I was younger - My Grandma & my Mum

Day 67 - I won a cycling jersey

via a twitter competition no less, from OS Leisure, and it arrived today. Apart from my gloves and helmet its the only proper cycling kit I have! Wont make me a better cyclist but at least I'll look more the part :-)

Day 66 - Mothers Day

Its a bit sad, Mothers Day, when you havent got your mum any more.
So, I thought I would find the happiest picture I could of her, just to try and remember the good times. Of the pictures I have, which aren't many and which i need to rectify by going through some old boxes, this was pretty much the happiest, and was taken on mine and Kev's wedding day. I love this because she looks so fit and healthy.
Love you mum, and miss you every day x

Day 65 - a little indulgence...

While shopping I spotted this little hawaiian shirt, and had to buy it ready for my new grandson in the summer. Well whats the point in being nearly a Grandma if you cant buy cute baby clothes now and then? :-)

Day 64 - A new running vest

This should brighten up my outfit for the Larmer Tree 20 mile next week! A new Peacock patterned running vest in honour of the resident peacocks at the Larmer Tree Gardens where the race starts.
Might need to wear as a top layer if its as cold as this week though!

Day 63 - World Book Day

Continuing the book theme today, as its World Book Day I thought I would share a picture of the book that really got me into reading when I was about 8 or 9 and started me on the path of reading pretty much all the books i could get my hands on.
Thanks Walter Farley - it may or may not be many peoples idea of a great book but it captured my 9 year old imagination.

Day 62 - Happy birthday to the Cat in The Hat

Today is the birthday of the creator of the Cat in the Hat and many other favourite characters, Dr Seuss.
I remember enjoying many of his books as a child and so did my own children.
A favourite of my daughter was The Foot Book, so this is my chosen image.
probably quite relevant for a runner too!

Left foot, left foot

Right foot, right

Feet in the morning

Feet at night.

Left foot,

Left foot,

Left foot,

Right.

Wet foot, dry foot

Low foot, high foot

Front feet, back feet

Red feet, black feet

Left foot, right foot

Feet, feet, feet

How many, many feet you meet.

Slow feet, quick feet.

Trick feet, sick feet

Up feet, down feet

Here come the clown feet.

Small feet, big feet

Here come pig feet.

His feet, her feet

Fuzzy fur feet

In the house and on the street,

How many, many feet you meet.

Up in the air feet

Over a chair feet

More and more feet

Twenty-four feet.

Here come more and more..................................and more feet!

Left foot. Right foot.

Feet. Feet. Feet.

Oh how many feet you meet.

Day 61 - Y Ddraig Goch

That means 'The Red Dragon' in welsh because today is St Davids Day. I was nearly going to post a picture of the only daffodil in my garden but then spotted this on the internet. A huge dragon sculpture installation has appeared on the banks of Caerphilly Castle. It breathes smoke.

I do feel a slight affinity with Wales as I started school there, according to my parents used to speak welsh, and despite everyone telling me it always rains there, I seem to remember many hot sunny summer days on the beach in Pembrokeshire. I may be looking through the rose tinted glasses of time, but I prefer to remember it how I remember it!