Sunday, February 27, 2005
It's a Sunday afternoon... I'm tired. Woke up on the couch this morning a little shocked and confused. I can't remember getting home last night. Apparently I was in fine form chatting away. However, the tape was playing but nothing was recording after a glass of fizz, bottle of white wine and two fine Coopers Sparkling Ales. Now I know this is a little excessive for a lass of 5'4", but has been done many a time before with reasonable faculties maintained no worries. However, I ran 18 miles yesterday morning. As a consequence last night the brain drowned and drifted away on a raft to some remote island (I wish), only to return at 6:30am this morning with a jolt as I lifted my fuzzy head off the sofa. Contact lenses out... brush teeth... get out of smokey clothes... go to bed...
Up again! So today I am supposed to be putting the finishing touches on my Methods chapter for my PhD. My supervisors expect it tomorrow. Hmmm. It ain't happening. My brain is mush. Not clever Kelly. But, hey, at least it was a good night... I think
Up again! So today I am supposed to be putting the finishing touches on my Methods chapter for my PhD. My supervisors expect it tomorrow. Hmmm. It ain't happening. My brain is mush. Not clever Kelly. But, hey, at least it was a good night... I think
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Never mind keeping the teenagers off the streets ... the old fogies are at it! Mo, Mary, Ben and I put on our inline skates (aka roller blades) on and hit the esplanade of Cramond. I totally scored last week from a GP at work giving me (for a small donation to charity) a near new set of Bauer inline skates that her daughter had grown out of. They came still in their backpack, with all the knee, elbow and wrist pads included. So, I got my posse together and boy was it fun! Mo taught me how to stop, turn, cross over, and going backwards. I think this was my third time on blades, but I'm sure my ability to pick it up quickly came with years of roller skating as a kiddie (the more stable two by two wheeles variety). It made me reminiss about my years aged 8-10 when I used to roller skate with my pal in England, Lucy Beecher. I rang her after to tell her. She is now a mother of two boys, and whilst we were talking her husband was playing spiderman with the eldest. She said she wouldn't know how to put her skates on now, let alone actually move in them. So it seems I've stayed the big kid and Lucy now has kids to do more adult things with!
The weather this weekend has been bitterly cold and trying to snow at every opportunity. Hasn't quite managed it, but it has been bordering on the cusp of 0C and below. Rollerblading in sunshine and snow was quite something.
The rest of the weekend (although cold) has been lovely. Sunshine, farmer's market (hog roll... drooooool), night out with the 'blading gang' at Bonsai for a Japanese feast, and today a magnificent run of at least 20 miles. Poor old Benno has been pretty viral this week. So today was a little over ambitious. He ran admirabley for most of the way and then bailed to the bus. Luckily I brought along my mp3 player and plodded the last 30 mins on my own bopping away. It was my favourite run cathing a bus out to the Pentland Hills by the dry skislope and then out into the hills, passed the reservoirs, along a creek and back down to Edinburgh via Balerno along the Water of Leith. I'm not sure exactly how far it is, but it must be over 20 miles through some of the loveliest scenic parts of Midlothian and Lothian. I've done this run a few times now, and it's taken me well over 3 hours. Today I managed it in 2 hours 55 minutes (that's even including brief stops for Ben to buy water and take off along the Canal at the end). I think I'm getting faster. We are well ahead of schedule for a fine effort in Paris on April 10th!
Hoorah!
The weather this weekend has been bitterly cold and trying to snow at every opportunity. Hasn't quite managed it, but it has been bordering on the cusp of 0C and below. Rollerblading in sunshine and snow was quite something.
The rest of the weekend (although cold) has been lovely. Sunshine, farmer's market (hog roll... drooooool), night out with the 'blading gang' at Bonsai for a Japanese feast, and today a magnificent run of at least 20 miles. Poor old Benno has been pretty viral this week. So today was a little over ambitious. He ran admirabley for most of the way and then bailed to the bus. Luckily I brought along my mp3 player and plodded the last 30 mins on my own bopping away. It was my favourite run cathing a bus out to the Pentland Hills by the dry skislope and then out into the hills, passed the reservoirs, along a creek and back down to Edinburgh via Balerno along the Water of Leith. I'm not sure exactly how far it is, but it must be over 20 miles through some of the loveliest scenic parts of Midlothian and Lothian. I've done this run a few times now, and it's taken me well over 3 hours. Today I managed it in 2 hours 55 minutes (that's even including brief stops for Ben to buy water and take off along the Canal at the end). I think I'm getting faster. We are well ahead of schedule for a fine effort in Paris on April 10th!
Hoorah!
Monday, February 14, 2005
I've just had a cheeky wee weekend in Wiltshire. Not quite the chilled Friday evening we'd hoped as Easyjet made things far from easy by delaying the flight for over 4 hours!? Happily there was a bar in the airport and the bar was well stocked with alkeyhol to keep the three of us amused.. in fact I think we kept the rest of the airport amused with our commentary come bevvie #4...
Anyhoo, we got there in the end. Damien and Mo took us back to his rented gatehouse on the grounds of Charlton House in Malmesbury... is it even possible to say the name of this village without sounding like you've got a plum in your mouth? We relaxed with a glass or three of red infront of the open fire until the wee hours.
Saturday we were transported back centuries by visiting the Avebury stone circles. Druids and white witches appeared from nowhere and banged drums up the street. I think the black witch at the front was having a ceremony for her pending marriage to satan by the looks of her!? Sue, Damien and Mo left us at the circles so Ben and I could have our 1.5 hours cross country run along the ridgeway trail from Avebury to Ogbourne St. George. Appropriately stopped at 'The Inn with the Well' and downed a shandy! It was a magic run. Sunshine, views out over the English countryside, mud (Ben falling over x3 hee hee), good chat putting the world to right and a visit running through Barbury Castle. Couldn't get the smile off my feet with that little gem of a run. That night we treated ourselves to a fine pub meal in a quaint but ridiculously busy English pub and then headed back to the gatehouse to set off fireworks!
Beeing the sensible wee boozers we all are, we left the car at the pub. Come Sunday morning, Ben and I ran to collect the car supervised by Damien on the bike. Unfortunately, we ushered Damien on and proceeded to get ourselves pretty lost somewhere by the Cotswold Water Park... thank God Damien found us miles away... otherwise it was a long plod back to Edinburgh!
Flight back to Ed. was AOK and had Ben's new comfy sofa to welcome us home.
Anyhoo, we got there in the end. Damien and Mo took us back to his rented gatehouse on the grounds of Charlton House in Malmesbury... is it even possible to say the name of this village without sounding like you've got a plum in your mouth? We relaxed with a glass or three of red infront of the open fire until the wee hours.
Saturday we were transported back centuries by visiting the Avebury stone circles. Druids and white witches appeared from nowhere and banged drums up the street. I think the black witch at the front was having a ceremony for her pending marriage to satan by the looks of her!? Sue, Damien and Mo left us at the circles so Ben and I could have our 1.5 hours cross country run along the ridgeway trail from Avebury to Ogbourne St. George. Appropriately stopped at 'The Inn with the Well' and downed a shandy! It was a magic run. Sunshine, views out over the English countryside, mud (Ben falling over x3 hee hee), good chat putting the world to right and a visit running through Barbury Castle. Couldn't get the smile off my feet with that little gem of a run. That night we treated ourselves to a fine pub meal in a quaint but ridiculously busy English pub and then headed back to the gatehouse to set off fireworks!
Beeing the sensible wee boozers we all are, we left the car at the pub. Come Sunday morning, Ben and I ran to collect the car supervised by Damien on the bike. Unfortunately, we ushered Damien on and proceeded to get ourselves pretty lost somewhere by the Cotswold Water Park... thank God Damien found us miles away... otherwise it was a long plod back to Edinburgh!
Flight back to Ed. was AOK and had Ben's new comfy sofa to welcome us home.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Apologies! It's not the most flattering photo ever taken, but it pretty much sums up my current mooooooood. Dedicate this one to you Mum.
So this is how I'm feeling....
Sorry... I hate to harp on and sound like a total whinger... too late... I've been really quite low recently. I'd say going back to before Christmas. Heck, there's even been teary sessions on occasion. What's with that? This may explain SOME of my negativity. This has been the first winter I've spent almost solidly in Edinburgh. The days are dark, short and cold.. and let's not forget, blustery, wet and icey. It seems to be contagious too as all the women in my office were equally as despondent and flat the last month or two. But I don't think it's the whole explanation.
Is it because I had to let a lovely boy leave from my life? ... mmmm that hurts
Is it because I have a year ahead of hard slog with this *~+#* PhD?... Ah ha... that's going to suck
Is it because I don't know what the frick I'll do with the PhD anyway?.. yeh.. that's playing on my mind
Maybe the uncertainty of the year ahead and the thought of probably uprooting and moving again this time next year? I think there's a feeling of being unsettled for sure.
Missing friends and family far away has to bite... Are you feeling lonely? Yep.. I feel it.
Am I becoming schizophrenic!? Ha ha, I'll stop with the question/answers session. I guess the winter has been a true soul search and an introspective time for me. I've hated it because I don't like to sit around a wallow. I mean Crikey! Have I had the most fortunate and fantastic life.. arguably.. in the world or what!?
But, I guess it's OK to acknowledge I've had a bit of a dip recently, and every body does. It's OK I guess to feel low, because then when I'm high again, I'll really know it, and boy will I appreciate it! Bring it on!!!
Is it because I had to let a lovely boy leave from my life? ... mmmm that hurts
Is it because I have a year ahead of hard slog with this *~+#* PhD?... Ah ha... that's going to suck
Is it because I don't know what the frick I'll do with the PhD anyway?.. yeh.. that's playing on my mind
Maybe the uncertainty of the year ahead and the thought of probably uprooting and moving again this time next year? I think there's a feeling of being unsettled for sure.
Missing friends and family far away has to bite... Are you feeling lonely? Yep.. I feel it.
Am I becoming schizophrenic!? Ha ha, I'll stop with the question/answers session. I guess the winter has been a true soul search and an introspective time for me. I've hated it because I don't like to sit around a wallow. I mean Crikey! Have I had the most fortunate and fantastic life.. arguably.. in the world or what!?
But, I guess it's OK to acknowledge I've had a bit of a dip recently, and every body does. It's OK I guess to feel low, because then when I'm high again, I'll really know it, and boy will I appreciate it! Bring it on!!!
