Wed

So last night - I went to a yoga class for the first time.  I walked in thinking I was really early and thought - crap - its half way through a class! But luckily it wasn't people were all just on the mats ready to go!  I got a place....and off we went - starting off by laying on your back and breathing....not really my thing to be honest!  It got better and there were some hard moves - one I couldn't do at all....I though - bet Lissa can do this (so you know Lissa - you sit down then lift your legs so that you body is folded in a v-shape and hold your toes - imagine you sit on the floor and reach down to get hold of your toes - well it is this position but with your feet in the air!)...after the class I felt really good! I thought - I should go home and eat a salad! I didn't though - I came home and had ham, egg and chips hahaha.  Not sure if I'll go again - might give it another go....

Wednesday morning - I enquired about an industrial sander and ended up picking it up.  Actually, I filled in an online enquiry - then the bloke called me back, and I decided to go for it.  my car was full of stuff for the tip so I went there and emptied the car.  The tip is probably the place I have visited more than any other place since I have lived here!  I then drove all the way back to a place just around the corner from home to pick up the sander.  They didn't know what I was talking about! So I googled the phone number of the guy who called me back and realised it was Brandon's and not Bradfords! AND it was just around the corner from the tip!!

Back I went....got a big sander and an edger sander and all the sandpaper (which cost £95!! just for the sand paper!) and then came back home - cleared out the hall - and - quite nervous - turned on this massive sander and started on the hall.  I'd watched many youtube videos....and felt i knew what to do....it was fine!  Apart from the fact that not all the boards, actually none of the boards were completely flat - so it sanded the bits it came in contact with and left loads of bits! 

I'll put a post up at a later date when it is all done with pictures of the progress....as its quite impressive really....

The edger was heavy and had a mind of its own but I had the same problem - where the boards dipped down - the really dark varnish wasn't touched.  Plus - the varnish would get hot with the sander and smear and clog up the sandpaper.  So - it was really hard messy dusty work and i felt that I hadn't really achieved much in a day....when I look back on the pics though - I had.

Andy was still away...so I just chilled watched some TV and got to bed.

Monday/Tuesday

Hi,

Well yesterday I managed to go out and run 10km for the first time in ages.  Well, I say run...there was quite a few walks - mostly on the hills... I did it in 1 hour 12 minutes....which is 36 minutes per 5km...so i obviously can't keep up my 5km pace over 10km - but is not bad considering the hills!  The down hill parts help!  Anyway - I was not in too much discomfort with my hip, which is awesome.  So - I have my first 10km race on Sunday arrgghhhhhh!!!  I checked the route and there is a massive hill!!  So....I'll walk up the hill and make up the time running back down it!  I have to leave here at 7am, so Andy has already said he doesn't want to come which is understandable, but it is shame that I'll have nobody there to cheer me on or see me come through the finish line :-(   Guess I'll come through the finish line - wander back to the car and come home lol. 

After my run yesterday - I recovered for a while - did a bit of wallpaper stripping....yes still not finished....then I had a bath...chilled out for the evening...

Today...Andy got up and went to London and is not back until Thursday night.  I am planning on - guess what - yeah, stripping wall paper...and then going to a yoga class tonight...

Trying to hire a sander for the hallway too - that'll be good to get done.

So...guess I'd better go strip.....

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