The sun has got his hat on!

Everything in the garden has suddenly spurted upwards, including the weeds which is hardly surprising given the amount of rain we've had in the last few weeks.

Angelica Gigas living up to its name!

Granny's bonnets (not the crocheted ones)

The exquisite flowers of Quince 'Vranga'

Acid yellow spider

Friend and foe hiding together in the undergrowth - how come the toad hasn't eaten the slug?!!!

Of course now I'm complaining that it's too hot and our clay soil will soon be like concrete and impossible to dig.  We Brits do like to complain about the weather - at least it takes one's mind off the gloomy economic outlook!

Entrelac test

I decided to have a go at the Harlequin shawlette from Jean's book.  I've never tried entrelac knitting before and so it's interesting to try a new technique.  As I had some Rowan Summer Tweed lying around I grabbed that and some 4.5mm needles and started to play.

Concentrating hard on entrelac

As you can see, I had to concentrate quite hard to begin with!  However, once I'd got the basic concept into my head I relaxed into and found it very absorbing.

Purple and green Harlequin in progress

 From the test piece I knitted I worked out how many base triangles I needed and off I went using one of my favourite colour combinations - purple and green.  As it's going to be quite drapey it will have quite a different look from the one in the book plus I've got some ideas for embellishment.

Blocked grannies

Finally, here are the grannies all blocked and ready to be sewn together.  You can see what a difference blocking has made and thankfully they all fit together OK (phew!).

The good, the bad and the ugly

The good

Good thing number 1

Sweet Shawlettes by Jean Moss

I won this fabulous book as a prize in a draw at This is Knit's blog.  This is very exciting as I am not known for being lucky in draws!

There are some lovely designs in here just asking to be knit even though I have several projects on the go as usual.  You can see the whole collection here on Jean's page and the ones I really like are Evergreen (a string of dangly leaves), Harlequin (knit in entrelac, which I've never tried before), Penumbra (an interesting looking cowl), Ceilidh (I just love tartan), Mantilla (such a pretty lace pattern and I have a selection of Kidsilk Haze colours in my stash to choose from).  I just know that I'll end up being naughty and starting something before the other things are off the needles!

Good thing number 2

A tower of grannies

Still continuing with my cushion theme I wanted to make a couple of cushion covers for use outside on the sunloungers.  I used Rowan Summer Tweed again and chose a granny pattern from one of my crochet blocks books.

The fabric that inspired them

I found this piece of fabric in a charity shop and it looked so summery that I thought it would be ideal as the backing fabric.  I took my palette from the colours in the fabric and just added a bright pink and a dark green to make the design pop.

Arranged on the cushion pad

I didn't want a conventional granny square look so I made lots of different sizes based around the measurements of the largest square.  I just made fewer rounds on the smaller ones.

Blocking

Here are the granny squares blocking ready to be sewn together.  It is so important to block this type of design, especially when using a yarn made of cotton and silk, as I have seen so many misshapen granny squares joined together and it really spoils the finished effect.

I'm going to join them invisibly and then crochet around the edge in a few different colours.

Good thing number 3

A beautiful Bumblebee in a rhododendron flower

We've had more rain.  Lots of it in fact.  So much that I wanted it to stop so I could get out into the garden and deal with the weeds!  Then the sun came out and everything seemed so alive and vibrant.

Wasp on my gardening gloves

There was a gigantic hornet in my shed but in the time it took to get my camera it had disappeared.  This little wasp took a liking to my gardening gloves.

Horses with jackdaws

The horses are getting help from the jackdaws with shedding their winter coats!  There must be lots of nests around here lined with soft hair from Esther and Kizzy.

The bad

I've got a health problem.  For the last couple of years I've been troubled with an ongoing sore throat and runny nose.  Sometimes my throat swells up and I can hardly swallow.  On several occasions I have been unable to breath which is very scary.  Last year I finally went to see the doctor he told me that it was probably just the remains of a cold.  Really?  I think not!

Then this year I had a eureka moment - the really bad throat closing up episodes happen around March/April when the tree pollen is about thus suggesting it could be hayfever.  More specifically, it's when Salix caprea, aka Goat Willow is producing it's copious amounts of bright yellow pollen.

I didn't seem to react quite as badly this year but then over the weekend I had another scary throat-closing up incident without any tree pollen in sight.  What was around though, and in great abundance was Oil seed rape.  Horrible, stinky stuff which I try to avoid as the smell of the pollen always gives me a headache.  This time though I felt really ghastly all evening and the following morning I felt no better so I took myself back to see the doctor.

The ugly

The doctor listened to my symptoms and agreed with my self-diagnosis, prescribing antihistamine tablets to help with the hayfever.  I also told her about my marathon running and that afterwards I feel as if my chest is a bit gunky, as if something's been shaken up inside my lungs (yuk!).

However, she also felt that I might be asthmatic.  What?  No way, that's not part of the plan at all thank you very much.  She made me do a breath test where I had to exhale into a contraption that measured my exhalation rate.  Then she made me do it several times more because she was very surprised that my reading was so low, especially for someone who runs marathons.

Flow measure and inhaler

So instead of just a remedy for hayfever I came away with an asthma inhaler, a flow measure, a chart to record my breath flow and an appointment for a Spirometry test next week.  Fantastic!

Three Forts Challenge

The weather had not been good all week.  It rained, then it rained and then it rained again for good measure.  It was, therefore, no surprise to find that on the morning of the Three Forts Challenge it was raining.

The good news was that it was nothing like as heavy as the last time I'd run it.

The bad news was that the tracks would be slippery and I was a bit anxious as I had a nasty fall in the final couple of miles the last time I did it.

In common with most trail marathons it's a lovely friendly sort of race with runners of all abilities.  Being a back-of-the-pack runner I enjoy seeing the speedy whippets dash off and on this course there is an out and back section so you get to see both the people in front of you and those behind too.

I'd taken a variety of outfits with me so that I could make a final decision when I saw the conditions.  It was cold and wet so I opted for long tights and long-sleeved top and I didn't regret that decision at all as it got quite cold up on the hilltops.  Someone told me that the total ascents were around 4000ft.  

Here I was snapped by the lovely Anthony from Sussex Sports Photography as I ran up one of the many hills!

As I'm not a sure-footed runner I took great care on the slippery bits.  Even so I managed to do the splits on one of the claggy uphill sections.  I chatted to several runners en-route which always helps to pass the time.  The marshalls were very friendly and supportive and provided us with water, squash, cake and biscuits.


Although I was aiming to beat my previous time I wasn't unduly concerned as I was feeling strong and when I reached the last 2 miles I still had 45 minutes in which to beat it.  However, there was no time for complacency as these 2 miles were all downhill and I was scared of falling over again.  So, I let the cluster of 5 runners who were around me go ahead and I watched them hurtling down with gay abandon.  I didn't!  I picked my way down really slowly and still managed to slip and slide although I didn't go right over again.  


However, my extra caution meant I took 30 minutes for that last section and one of the ladies I'd told to go ahead without me had waited around to check I was OK as she was worried that I might have fallen over again.  How kind!

Still smiling after 27 miles of mud, grass, loose flints, chalk, rutted tracks and a few hills.

My time?  

Oh yes, 6:07:03 - 14 minutes faster than before.  

Hoorah!

Marathon 26 done and dusted.

Now for marathon 27 in a few weeks.

Cushion craft

At last, the finished cushion for the dining room. I used a beautiful suede effect fabric as the base and attached the crochet front to it which has made it nice and firm.

I decided on a knitted i-cord edging as everything else looked too fussy. I used a strand of each of the back-ground colour yarns held together.

Here it is against the curtain. I'm really pleased with the finished cushion.

Another room and more cushions. One bargello, the other patchwork. I'm really having a cushion phase at the moment and I think it's because we've been renovating the house for so many years that now it's finished it's a relief to be adding some finishing touches!

I've got another cushion cover on the go but this one's for the sun-lounger and was inspired by a piece of fabric I found in a charity shop. I'm crocheting squares in different sizes using the colours in the fabric. I've only got a couple more squares to do.

This weekend is marathon number 2 of 5 and so far the weather forecast has been dire so I expect I'll be getting wet for 27 miles up on the South Downs!

Time is on my side

In our London marathon race packs this year there was a fridge magnet, the idea being that you peeled off the black bits to reveal your finish time.

I'd saved it and visualised it reading 4:45:00.  In my heart I really wanted it to read 4:40:00.  As you can see, it doesn't say either of those!

It will remain on the fridge as a reminder that sometimes things don't go quite as we'd like but also to annoy me and spur me on to get that elusive pb later in the year.

To put my disappointment into perspective, I mentioned yesterday that a young girl, Claire Squires, had died during the marathon.  I read about her death early in the morning and when I checked out her charity page for the Samaritans it was showing around £1000 as lots of people had been to make donations in her memory (before the marathon she had raised around £500).   Her sudden death has really moved everyone across the globe and donations, of mostly small amounts such as £5 and £10, have been flooding in to make her total a staggering £245,000 last time I looked.  My thoughts and prayers are with her family at this sad time.

To pb or not pb

What is it they say - pride comes before a fall? 

Well here I am! Looking happy and relaxed at the start of the London marathon, my 25th and the place I was going to get that elusive pb time.

My training has been hard, focussed and has produced great results at 1/2 marathon distance.

I was well rested and raring to go, armed with a carefully thought-out strategy for pacing myself throughout.

You can see where this is going can't you!

The weather forecast was in my favour - cool and bright with showers. Just what I like. How do they get it so wrong? Apart from the first 30 minutes when it was coolish it was HOT and this is never good news for me as I just don't perform well in the heat.

The race started and I was relaxed. I was on a mission and I concentrated on my pace, maintaining an average of 10.5 minute miling to arrive at the halfway mark in 2:18:51, almost exactly what it should have been. But there was a problem; I was feeling a bit sickly from the heat and maintaining that pace was taking its toll. My head started pounding and my tummy felt ghastly. I was well hydrated and sipped my sports drink at regular intervals but I could feel myself struggling.

I could see a lot of people struggling and there were many people receiving medical attention at the side of the road. I remember seeing one young woman lying in the recovery position with a team of medics around her and I noticed how young she looked. I later learned that a young woman had collapsed and died just near Green Park, which is nearly at the finish, and I wondered if it was her.

I won't do a blow by blow account of my race as that would involve a lot of teary moments, struggles and self-pity, suffice to say that I struggled on and on and even at the 22 mile mark I could still have gained a small pb if I could have maintained 12 minute miling but I just didn't have it in me. Even with just 800 metres to go I was still fighting as I noted that if I upped my pace I could make it home in under 5 hours.

I asked my legs to go faster but they were dying and I just couldn't muster any more energy. This is the first time that I haven't sprinted down the Mall to the finish line. As I finally shuffled across it all I wanted to do was crawl into a corner and sob. When Mike met up with me I was a sobbing wreck who sobbed even more when he hugged me! For some reason I didn't want to have my photo taken - another first as even if things have been tough I usually feel proud and manage a big smile. Not this time.

So, with a finish time of 5:00:47 I was 10 minutes the wrong side of my best time for London.  To make myself feel better I noted that my time 5 years ago was 5:45 so technically I'd beaten that.  But I'd really wanted to beat my long-standing pb of 4:50:55 set in 2006.

At least I got another nice medal and a goody bag and today I'm feeling much more positive about it.

I've got 4 more marathons to crack this year but only 1 of them is a road marathon so I shall have to attack my pesky pb in September at Thanet. Unfortunately this is an undulating route so my task will be harder.























To make myself feel today better I've been out for a 2 mile plod and I really don't feel as if I've just run a marathon

That's given me a great boost. I will beat my pb, I will beat my pb, I will beat my pb!

Fumbling along

The cushion front is now finished and waiting to be attached to its backing.

I outlined the flowers and leaves in the same colour that's on the curtains and then created the background by following the same outline in a lighter colour to give it a sense of flow.

The backing fabric needs machining together and then I can attach the crochet panel to it. I've chosen a suede-like fabric which was leftover from another project and matches the background of the curtains perfectly.

I think I might create a crochet border once I've attached the panel but I don't know quite what just yet - perhaps leaves or maybe a daisy chain effect. I'm sure I'll find the right thing when I need it.

In the meantime I'm trying to get to grips with a new crochet stitch and I'm not getting to grips with it at all!

It should look beautiful but I definitely haven't mastered it yet.

Hey ho.

A shiny new pb - no fooling!

If I'd posted this on All Fools' Day you could have been forgiven for thinking that it was a joke!

My training for my 2012 challenge has been tough, especially the speedwork side, and I was bitterly disappointed that I didn't do as well as I'd expected at the Tunbridge Wells 1/2 a few weeks ago. However, on 1st April I ran the Paddock Wood 1/2 marathon, smashing the pb of 2:06:39 that I set there back in 2005 to finish in 2:00:59.

I had a big smile on my face for the whole day and we went out for a lovely meal in the evening to celebrate. It's really given me a boost and I just hope I can use this success to spur me on to a faster time at VLM in just under 3 weeks.

Fantastic news

This morning, David Cameron made a very important announcement at the Alzheimer's Society conference. He spoke about 3 themes in dementia; of improving health and social care, public awareness and involvement, and stepping up research. Mr Cameron expressed his ambition to tackle dementia as a “personal priority”.

I heard about this last week and was overwhelmed with joy when I heard that the amount of money allocated for research into dementia would be doubled.

Of course this information was embargoed until after his speech and so I was unable to write about it until now even though I wanted to shout YIPPEEEEEEEE from the rooftops! All of a sudden it feels as if our lone voices have been heard and someone has realised that dementia is a ticking timebomb for our ageing population and the issue must be dealt with now.

So now I feel as if my marathoning and constant campaigning to raise awareness have not been in vain. I hope all the others who have done the same and more will feel as if there has been some progress at last. Long may it continue.

This news has really given me renewed hope and I shall run my marathons with a determined stride, defeating dementia with every step.

Onwards and upwards as they say.

The weather is still very warm and dry which is a concern as the South East has been declared a drought zone with a hosepipe ban coming into force next week. Our water butts are nearly empty, ponds and rivers are drying up and with no rain forecast for the foreseeable future things are not looking good for wildlife, gardeners or farmers. The lack of water doesn't seem to have stopped the weeds growing though and I seem to be fighting a losing battle with them in the front garden!

When not in the garden I have been busy crocheting leaves. Lots of them in all shapes and sizes. None of them seemed right. I crocheted all of the leaves in my flower book but with the exception of the fig leaf (seen here, bottom right) none of them would do.

I then resorted to my 1970s crochet books for inspiration and lo and behold I found several of the designs in my flower book had been copied and given different names! I still didn't find what I wanted and so I experimented. Long thin pointy leaves, short fat round ones, ferny ones etc etc until finally I created the 2 seen here top left.

After much arranging and rearranging of flowers and leaves I pinned them together ready to sew. Next I'll start crocheting around them to fill in the background then think about what will go on the back of the cushion. Crochet? Curtain fabric?

It's been great fun and I can't wait to start my blankets now.

I caught this sunset a few nights ago and I love that the glow has created a heart underneath the sun!

Holey voley!

Sunday's run was tough and those hills hadn't got any smaller but the good news is that I ran the whole 20 miles in 4 hours, just like last week. I was very pleased as the only other time I've done this route I was so tired that I had to walk the last 2 miles and arrived home teary and downtrodden in 4.5 hours!

Yesterday I did a good session of pyramid intervals @ 8:21 minute miling (pyramid intervals are so called because you increase the distance of each interval and then decrease back down to the starting distance; eg I ran intervals of .3, .4, .5, .6, .5 .4, .3 miles with 1.5 minute slower recoveries inbetween ) and was very pleased with the way my legs responded after such a tough run on Sunday.

Just look at this sweet little vole.

We were just pottering around in the front garden when Mike spotted her sitting right in front of him.

She was so busy eating that she paid no attention to us which suggested that she was probably looking for food for her family.

It always feels like an honour when a wild creature allows us to have an insight into their world.

Mike's niece Emma is taking ballet lessons and she needs a tutu for the summer show. As Sharon, my sister-in-law, doesn't sew she asked if I'd make it for her.

I haven't done much sewing for a while, except for making household things such as curtains and cushions, so it will be an interesting challenge.

I'm not looking forward to that froth of net!

I've crocheted more flowers and think I've got enough now. I quite like this arrangement but need to think about how I join them.

I spent ages last night experimenting with leaves but couldn't get just what I wanted using any of the patterns I have so I'll have to make up my own.

I like the idea of sinuous stems winding across the cushion as I think it needs some splashes of green to liven up the reds.

As for the background I'm thinking about a sort of freeform approach of just following the shapes. I might join the flower motifs where they touch or overlap and then work as one would with tesserae in mosaics using the technique known as 'Opus Vermiculatum' where you form an outline around a shape.

Crocheting an abundance of flowers (not forgetting the running!)

Having had a winter of knitting, I'm in the mood for crochet!

I have 1 big crochet project and 1 big knitting project in mind that involve using up my collection of Rowan Summer Tweed. This is a lovely, tweedy, nobbly yarn made with a mix of cotton and silk. I already had lots of odd skeins left over from various projects and I've been adding to them by buying up bits and bobs on ebay.

I was inspired by Kaffe Fassett's Madras Blocks throw to create 2 summer blankets, one knitted and one crocheted. I'm not using his pattern, it was his vibrant colour combinations that inspired me and set me thinking.

Being nobbly, the yarn isn't ideal for crochet but I just love the flecks of colour that run through it and blend so well so I'm paying no attention to the rules of crochet which state that you should use a more free-flowing yarn!

As a taster project I've decided to make a cushion cover of flower motifs to get used to using the yarn and find what works best.

I am taking the colours from the fabric of our dining room curtains and blinds to create a series of crochet flowers and leaves in various sizes.


These 2 flowers came from the wonderful book shown below.

It really is a treasure trove of beautiful flowers and leaves to knit or crochet.

In the book they look incredibly realistic due to the colours used.

But I'm not looking for realism and so I've just chosen a couple of flowers with a pleasing shape and created them in colour combinations that I like and which tone with the curtain fabric.

Plus, as the yarn I'm using is aran weight and the patterns are for 4ply or dk the flowers are much larger than in the book. These 2 each measure about 10cms across.

Then I had a bit of fun making up my own simple patterns.

That's the joy of crochet as you can create a wonderful selection of things using just a few basic stitches - these are made using just chain, double crochet, 1/2 treble, treble and double treble.

I had fun just piling them up on a cushion to see how they look together.

The next few evenings will be spent trying out new shapes and colour combos which I find very exciting.

Then all I have to do is decide how I want to join them together. I know I don't want a flat effect, joined using a chain mesh, so will probably pile them on top of eachother and then embelish them with more crochet trim or beads. The only limit will be my own imagination. I like that.

No running today but my second 20 miler tomorrow. The weather forecast is better than last week when it poured with rain and blew a gale for the whole 4 hours!

I'm planning to run my most challenging route this time which consists of nothing but hills. It will give me a good idea how my training is going.

Ladybird Love?

Don't they look sweet cuddled up together!

Unfortunately I think they are both forms of the Harlequin Ladybird which is the most invasive ladybird on Earth and has spread from Essex to Orkney in only four years and is now one of the fastest spreading non-native insects in Europe. Scientists view them as a major threat to our native species so are looking at ways to control their spread.

They've been over-wintering in our bedroom and each day I'd find them in a different place, usually around the window frame but never together until the other day.

Now they seem to have disappeared and I suspect they might have gone outside, tempted by the warm weather we've been experiencing. As it's now turned cold and wet again I bet they wish they'd stayed indoors.

Yesterday was my first 20 miler of the year so you can guess what the weather did - it poured with rain and blew a gale at me for the duration of my run! I didn't mind really as once I was wet through I couldn't get any wetter so I just got on with it.

I'd chosen a route that was unrelenting in its hilliness for the first 13 miles. I was either going up a hill or down a hill for the full 13 miles with only a few hundred metres of flat bits. What usually happens when I run this route is that I'm really tired for the remaining 7 miles and my pace slows right down but yesterday I didn't slow at all. In fact, even though I stopped to collect a newspaper at the shop in a neighbouring village, I managed to shave 15 minutes off my usual time and I ran the last mile (mostly uphill) at marathon pace to finish in 4 hours exactly.

It was a great confidence booster.

Mega-March

I thought it was about time I posted another sky photo. This beautiful sunset was about 5:30 this evening.

I'm starting this post on 29th February having consumed 2 glasses of a very nice red wine. This is the last alcohol to pass my lips until after the London marathon as I am really going to put every effort I can into achieving my goals.

My diet is vegan for the duration of Lent and although I already eat a healthy vegetarian diet I always find I have lots more energy when I manage to cut out all animal products (basically just dairy and eggs). By the time Lent is over though I am yearning for a chunk of cheese!

Today I ran one of the sessions JJ has given me. 1 mile warm-up, 3 miles @ 9 min miling then 1 mile cool down. Then I did my core work and stretches (my ITB is a bit tight again so I might need a trip to see Mary Massage Lady - ouch!). Rather than making me feel weary, the session had the effect of energising me for the whole day which was brilliant. Tomorrow will just be a 3 mile trot across the fields to loosen everything up.

Mike's scarf is finished and blocked, modelled here by me as he was being a diva and refused to model for me!

At least he took the photo so I can't complain too much.

I like the way the wool stripes and it feel really warm. Even better, it looks decidedly manly so hopefully Mike will wear it.

He's very pleased with it anyway.

The other thing I like is that the pattern looks good on the back as well as the front.

So many single thickness scarves look fab on the front but horrid on the back and it's always difficult to get a scarf to stay the way you want it to so you end up displaying the back as well.



This is how the sunset had developed at about 5:40 this evening.

Tunbridge Wells - the return

I can hardly believe that the Tunbridge Wells 1/2 came around so quickly. I've been training so hard for my marathons that it just sort of sneaked up on me. Last year I ran my worst time ever for a 1/2 marathon there and I really didn't want to repeat that experience!

Before the start I was chatting to Mimi Anderson an amazing ultra runner whose progress I followed avidly when she completed a run from John O'Groats to Lands End gaining a Guinness World Record for the fastest time. As we chatted she marvelled at my own GWR for knitting whilst running the london marathon and it made me chuckle when she took a photo of me for her blog!

It was a glorious day; sunny and bright but not too hot and with no wind. Perfect running weather. I felt good at the start and settled into my pace well. I was aiming for an average of 9.5 minute miling which meant that on flat bits I had to run something beginning with a 9, on the downhills it was something beginning with an 8 so that on the uphills I could just dig in and plod up them.

I reached mile 6 in 57 minutes which was spot on with my pacing. Then came Spring Hill which is just a long slow upward drag for 1.5 miles. I probably must have lost a few more minutes there than I expected and didn't recover them because by the time I hit 10 miles my pace had slowed to 10 minute miling. How annoying. Then my mind started playing silly beggars with me and I failed to increase my pace so I decided to treat the last 3 miles as a marathon pace tester and not worry too much about it.

About that time I passed Tiger and Snoop Dog and Tiger shouted that they were just trotting around slowly. I grunted something about their 'trot' was my sprint and said we'd meet up at the finish.

I finished in 2:10:54 which again was slow but at least it was 2 minutes faster than last year. I did manage to sprint the last 100m as a woman came alongside me as if to overtake and I thought "no way lady" and just took off with a big smile on my face.

Now being a slower runner I am quite used to the crowd having dwindled at the finish and the 'celebrity' having disappeared so it was a lovely surprise to have a good crowd cheering me home and then as I crossed the finish line to be greeted by the warm and friendly smile of a nice young man whose face I recognised but couldn't put a name to straightaway.

He beamed at me and said "well done" and put the medal around my neck, then he said "no, really well done" and shook my hand. His warmth and generous praise made me feel so special that I completely forgot that actually I was quite cross to only have knocked 2 minutes off my time rather than the 4 minutes I'd planned.

I toddled off wondering who he was and just happened to turn round and on looking back I saw he was a double amputee, wearing racing blades - it was Richard Whitehead an amazing and inspirational athlete!

The most interesting thing about that encounter for me was that I simply didn't notice that he didn't have lower legs. All I saw was a warm and friendly face who was genuinely pleased at my own personal achievement.

On his website he says "My aim is to use London 2012 as platform to inspire people from all walks of life. This includes not only disabled athletes, but able-bodied ones too – anyone who may want to get out there and run. I am living proof, that with enough desire and determination, any obstacle can be overcome." He truly is a great ambassador for the sport and I hope he achieves great things at the Olympics, though sadly I believe he won't be allowed to take part in the marathon.

Why am I making so much of this encounter? Well, it's because I understand his frustration at being referred to as 'disabled' rather than as the athlete that he clearly is. He does not feel less able-bodied and he has proved time and time again what a tremendous athlete he is. In my own little world I am a 'fun runner' because I run marathons for charity. My frustration with this soubriquet, which is used to define anyone other than the speedier runners, is that it does not give any credit to the amount of training that we slower runners do and seems to denigrate our achievements. Do we not also complete the 26.2 miles of the marathon? Yes, we jolly well do. Rant over!

Thank you Richard, you will inspire me to achieve my goals this year.

I also saw the wonderful Johnny J who I chat to on the Runner's World forum and who gives me lots of advice. When I told him that I was disappointed with my time and really wanted a pb at Paddock Wood in 5 weeks he went home and wrote me a schedule that I could incorporate into my marathon plan. He also said that if he decided to run it that he will pace me for part of the way. Thanks JJ.

Snow, Tiles & Training

The weather forecasters said that it wouldn't snow on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

They said it wouldn't freeze.

I believed them.

Wrong!

No sooner had I put the horses feed outside on Sunday morning than it started to snow and I had to dash out and move it into their shelters. As for it not freezing, well I had to stand on their water butt and jump as the ice was so thick!

This also meant that a run along the lanes was impossible and Mike wasn't happy at the thought of me going across the fields and so I ended up doing my 15 mile run on the treadmill. I'd already done 7 miles on it the day before as the lanes had been too slippery so it was really hard to make myself keep on with it; but I did. At least I have the option so I mustn't complain too much about it being boring (but it is!!!).

As a break from weaving in ends on Oregon I decided to make Mike a scarf using some Rowan Tapestry yarn in shades of grey.

I knew he wouldn't like anything too fancy so I searched through my stitch library and found this simple tile pattern which met with his approval.

I'm using the yarn double to make it nice and warm and I'm pleased with the way it's coming on. I'm now about 18" inches into it and have just done 4 rows garter stitch to start and added a row of garter stitches at each side to give it definition. It's looking quite manly so I think he'll like it.


Later on Sunday the snow stopped and the sun came out and I noticed how beautiful this succulent looked in the porch.

It's a Rhipsalis pilocarpa and I love its growth habit and the way its stems are covered in hairs.


At this time of year it has the added bonus of these pretty little flowers.