Saturday

Hi....

I got up early after a bad nights sleep to go and do the Park Run.  I was really nervous! I think it is because the only running i've done lately has been stop and start - with circuits and I haven't ran more than 1-3km in one go.  I was also worried that my hip might start hurting lots again.  I wanted to see how I went on because I have a 10km run next weekend!

Helen was messaging me, as she was going to do the Torbay park run - she hadn't done it before, but wanted to do it, because next weekend the NHS are taking over the parkruns, and she works for the NHS and wants to get involved.

So....off I went on the park run - determined to take it easy - not trying to beat any times...and at the time I don't think I enjoyed it at all - I just wanted it to be over lol.  I managed it without any major pain in 33.30.  Quite a bit slower than the last couple of times, but still not bad considering I wasn't trying to push myself really hard.

Photo's are usually put up on FB later in the day - and there was one of me that was truly awful! I looked about 65...it must have been taken as my foot hit the ground and my face dropped downwards! lol.  Soooooo bad.....so bad in fact that I am not reproducing here!

When I got home Andy wasn't up yet so I tidied up and got he dishwasher on and stuff...then he surfaced and we had poached egg on toast - and then he went in to the studio - and I had a nice bath - then played...and basically we were lazy for the rest of the day - which seems to becoming a thing!

Friday - 1st june

Wow - its June already!

Well, yesterday - I had a pretty good gym session.  Mixed it up again with circuits and running.  Makes a nice change to do something other than running, although it has made me realise how my muscles are not as good as they used to be! I used to do loads of gym and circuit training.  me and Lissa used to do circuit training at home - and we always had a good laugh at the same time, sometimes too much of a laugh so we couldn't do the exercises.  We learnt to skip quite well too - and it's nice to complain to somebody else that understands what you are going through - like the side plank - ahhhhhh how long left!!!   20 seconds!! I can't do it......  when you are on your own you either just give up or man up....I gave up on a few yesterday!

Anyway...I then had a shower and got ready and ordered a taxi so when when Andy got home, he quickly got changed and we went into taunton.  We went to the Cozy Club...had a drink and couldn't decide where to go for food.  We got to the door to move on and it was throwing it down...so we it didn't take much for us to decide to try food where we were!  We had a nice meal - sharing 3 starters - and then I had a chicken burger (tiniest piece of chicken) but it was really yummy - and I didn't feel that I had over eaten.  We shared a bottle of wine and had a nice chat..it was fun!!  We got home about 11.30 - and got a drink and watched Britain's got talent - which we barely stayed awake for....then crashed...although somehow it had got to 1.15am....

Don't think I even woke up until 9am this morning - which is unusual....I chilled for a bit - then went and stripped some wallpaper....which seems to be taking ages!  I then cut the grass - only on one side - as we still have the tent up on the other side! Andy won't put it down until he has been in it whilst it is raining! lol.  I didn't have much left to do when I could tell that the lawn mower was running out of petrol - so I ended up running with it to get it done!  That is not easy - it is heavy and the garden slopes, so the up-hill bit was quite a work-out!!

Got it done - came inside and then it threw it down again - so just managed to miss it!  I am in a dilemma again now - as it is almost 5pm....I feel quite tired....Andy is still working int he basement, but I dont know how long he will be.  Should I go into the gym? I siding on the side of no at the moment.....

Also - Park Run on a saturday seems to have gone to pot.....I should really try and give it a go tomorrow - as the 10km is next week....I haven't run any proper distance for a few weeks now because of my hip....I need to see how I get on.  Okay decision made...no gym tonight and park run tomorrow!

Mercky has just got onto me and she is paddy-pawing my arm and licking/sucking my arm too....ouch....her claws are like tiny razor blades - she is the most lovely cat ever though....always cuddling and giving me tiny meow's....

So...tonight we are having another Hello Fresh meal....it is Spicy Sausages with Sticky Caribbean-Style Veggies and Mashed Potato...we are eating much healthier since we started getting these meals.  We also have Chermoula Spiced Chicken with Courgette Rice and Lemon Yoghurt and Orzo Risotto
with Mozzarella, Chorizo and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes.  I often don't fancy it at all but it always turns out really good.

So....can't really type now as Merky is curled up on one arm...so I'll leave ya....

Thursday

Morning....

The gardeners are here at the moment - they get here at about 8.15am so I am normally in bed - and then I get up and go and chat to Chloe - don't know if she minds or not, but I enjoy chatting to her! I do feel a bit guilty though, chatting away whilst she works on the garden and I stand there with a coffee!  I am going to go to the yoga session that she goes to next tuesday...she is lovely and slim though and I'm a fatty - hope she doesn't see me in my lycra and think - wow - didn't realise she was such a chubster! lol....although that implies that she hasn't already noticed....  I don't mind that really lol....lost a tiny bit more weight - I am almost at 10lb - and not immediately after a run!  I always like to weigh myself just after a run as it is a chance to see the scales showing a bit less.  Obviously after I have drank water though it goes back on!

Tonight we are going out to celebrate being in the house for a year.  Andy won't get back until about 7.30pm....so he is going to come in , get changed then we are going to head straight into Taunton. 

It is strange to think that we have been here a year - it has gone so quickly!  We have done a lot though....we have - demolished the semi-kitchen in the annex and rebuilt a new one - including plastering all the walls and ceiling and putting a new (lino which I hate) floor.  We have taken down a wall and made two small offices into an amazing bathroom, we have installed a huge main kitchen - also including the floor and ceiling work, we have removed all the woodchip, plastered and decorated our bedroom, we have removed all the fire exit signs and door closers (sounds trivial - but quite a big job!), we have put new lighting, and shelves (which I made) in the games room - (but not decorated)...errrr......put curtains and curtain rails up in various places....oh yeah....taken out 4 toilets, 3 sinks and cubicles out of will-be annex living room and removed the toilet and 2 sinks and loads of asbestos out of the will-be annex bathroom, removed urinals and a sink and turned it into a utility room, created a gym in one of the rooms....running out of things now.....oh....we got a hot water boiler installed and now run hot water around the house....

Quite a bit really - in a year from now I am hoping we have done the following....

Sort out the annex bathroom, bedroom, living room and dining room...decorated our living room...sorted out all the floor in the hallway, decorated the spare room, get a new carpet/flooring in the games room...

I'll update you in a year! lol.

So today....I might do more wallpaper stripping in the annex bedroom - and do another gym session - and get showered and ready to go out later. 

1 hour gym session in 10 seconds

https://youtu.be/KWOJ2cuEL28

You'll have to copy and paste this to see it. It's not very good....too fast....but my 1st attempt!

Tues/Wed

Hi

Yesterday - Andy was working from home - and I planned on a few things I didn't get a round to doing.  In fact what I did do, was so exciting that I can't even remember what it was.  I remember changing the cat litter, doing some washing, I repotted some house plants.  yeah...i had such an exciting day! 

I went into the gym and on the running machine.  i managed 2.8km.  I am not sure now whether I am using my hip as an excuse to bail....or if I am bailing because the pain in my hip is just so ANNOYING! Probably both...

We had another hello Fresh meal - Zanzibar Chicken curry - it was really nice again! Then we watched TV for a while and went to bed.

Today - is ONE YEAR since we moved into our awesome house!  We both thought it was 31st May - not 30th, so we planned on going out tomorrow night and celebrating! We will still do this because Andy isn't here today anyway! So...I am on my own for our houseaversary but we will make up for that tomorrow.

I have spent some time stripping wallpaper in the annex bedroom.  I went to pick up the replacement tiles for the back porch - and they are still not the same size as the black ones, so I think I am going to have to get white tiles and cut them down myself! Not the best plan....

Now - I need to make a decision - go back to stripping wallpaper or get ready and go into the gym.  I decided that I would run 1km - then do something else in the gym - then do another 1km - then do something else, until I have done 5km.  I said this to Lissa on messenger and she has sent me a bit of a circuit to do - so I will do the one she wrote as there are a few things I probably would not have chosen myself, so it means I'll do something a bit different (thanks Lissa!).

Just for fun - I might set up my phone and record a time lapse thingy....we'll see I have other things I need to do with my phone - such as set up my SHFT which analyses my run....hmmmm.....maybe i'll get my go-pro out and set that up! lol

bank holiday weekend

Saturday - was the laziest day we have had in a long time.  We sat down in the living room - and watched old films and played games on our computer/laptop and basically did nothing.  I really enjoyed it :-)

At 5pm Aston Villa - who Andy has supported all his life were playing in the final - their only chance of going back up into the premier league.  Andy was very loud and animated during the game - something I hate as he properly shouts and gets angry! Fulham who they were playing were resorted to dirty tactics apparently....anyway they lost.  The rest of the night was pretty crap as Andy was so gutted.....

Sunday....we went out into the garden and had some lunch from the BBQ....but we didn't stay out - we came back in and was as lazy as we had been the day before!

Monday - again we decided we could not be bothered to go out and do anything so we lazed around AGAIN! lol.  I did go in the gym though and do some stuff - including a bit of running.  In the evening....even though this was the night before Andy had to go to work....we got rather drunk - played pool - listened to loud music - sang lots to Queen lol.  We had a really good night

I am now feeling quite hung over......

Thursday/Friday

Blurg....

It is Friday morning and I am rather hungover. Last night was the first time in ages I couldn't get to sleep because the room was spinning...not to the extreme...but bad enough to be awful, and now I feel yukky.

Last night Andy got back after being away the previous night and Paul and Zack came around - because Zack is doing some work experience with Andy.  We played pool and had some drinks and me, Paul and Zack didn't go to bed until 3am.  Didn't feel drunk at all until I went to bed!

Yesterday....I decided to start sanding the floorboards in the hall.  Didn't get very far....it is not easy and I decided that I need to hire a proper big sander, which I wanted to avoid....but this took me ages:

I went and picked up the new boards for the part of the floor that just has big pieces of board....

I then did a 45 minute yoga class - from youtube, on the recommendation of the physio...it was alright I spose, but I used to working hard when I go in the gym...so this was a bit meh.... I ran 3km on running machine afterwards!

It was after this that Paul and Zack came around....leaving me, as I said, feeling rough rough rough...blurrggggggggg

So - dunno what I am gonna do today - cant do the tiles, cos need new tiles, can't do the boards because I need a sander....I have the annex bedroom which - I am not even halfway through - getting the wallpaper off, but I don't want to get into that today...Paul is working from home - well...our home....and Zack is with Andy are in the basement.  Andy has taken Zacks work experience seriously and plans on properly educating him which is really good.  So, I'm just going to have a lazy day I think unless me and Paul think of something to do (he hasn't got much work to get through apparently)....

So...I'll update you later.

Feel ick

Well....I put shelves up in the gym! I had to saw the wood down and get the brackets on the walls - something that was not really a challenge - but a year ago I would have stressed over lol.  Makes a difference in the gym - the shelves are in a recess, so they look quite good. Pleased I did it.

We had another Hello Fresh meal in the evening - it had aubergine in it - which I thought I didn't like - and other stuff I thought seemed a bit dodgy - it was a pasta meal and it was so good!!  Not had one we don't like yet - even when we think we are not going to like it!