The Dark Side

My lovely mother's 91st birthday - January 21st 2011

I'm desperately hoping she will be well enough to attend her 92nd birthday lunch in nine days time. She has just returned from a dash to the local district hospital with a suspected heart attack. Luckily it was found to be a (light) case of pneumonia. She is responding well to treatment but has clearly suffered a bit of a downturn, though remaining cheerful and looking forward to returning home. 

And the other Dark Side: If anyone can offer advice with dealing with social services provision for the elderly I would be very grateful to hear from you. Please email from my profile page, many thanks.

New Shoes, New Shoes!!

No - not these designer models

Or even these pretties

But these babies!!!

Sadly my 10 year old Nike Air trainers are falling apart

I'll still need these old friends though!

You know what? Only five days in and I'm loving my new fitness routine of walking( with a view to jogging, and possibly running, in due course). I met a real runner in *Blacks yesterday and she helped me choose suitable new trainers. No need for fancy soles, but MUST be comfortable. (I was lucky enough to find a pair in the sale for only £25.) When I'm ready to try a little jogging, probably after a week of walking my circuit, she advised me to do only two minutes of jogging followed by two minutes of walking and so on as I could manage, to begin with. 

I do hope I can keep this up. It's a glorious world away from the gym. It's about enjoying the fresh air and opening my eyes to the wonderful place I live in. Not only the local scenic pathways and the undiscovered nooks and crannies of the old cathedral city I live in, but the everyday streets I have previously hurried through blind to their ordinary beauty. Even the shopping streets or the footpaths along busy roads that are lined with natural foliage and trees showing their seasonal leaves and berries, often overflowing from an old hedge, or a mellowed brick or stone wall. 


I used to wish I could borrow a dog so that it looked like I had a proper purpose in walking about. Why oh why did I think I needed validation just to walk round the streets and byways of where I live? I've even found that some people will greet me, although more will bow their heads to avoid eye contact. So I've now made a resolution to shout, "Good Morning" at everyone I pass, rather like the Norman French who (in my experience) always "Bonjour" even strangers, at the slightest meeting. So I'll either be sidestepped - so giving me more room on the footpath - or I'll make some new friends!


First time out in my new trainers this morning. I reversed my route which made me a bit confabalosed at first. Also I was a bit late starting. Not a good idea on a Saturday as too many other people around getting in my way. But by reversing I found another scenic path which took me off the city pavements for a bit longer so will add it to my circuit. I also tried about a minute's jogging towards the end of the route, which confused a passing bus driver as he stopped his vehicle at the bus-stop I was approaching and waited for me!  I averted my eyes from the stares of amused passengers and then was forced by embarrassment to keep on jogging until it had passed me by. Of course by then I was puffing and blowing like a steam train and had to slow down to serious looking strides. You have to laugh! ( But not at me, mind.)

* Long-established leading UK outdoor clothing and equipment store, sadly just taken over by JD Sports one of whose horrible shops I had tried first. 

Fabtastic '70s Children's Party (for MMMC)

First get your 1977 cookery book

Then your unfitted 1970s kitchen

Next, rope these kids in ( they've got a nicer kitchen)

Get cracking with the sausage rolls

And some open rolls, " Make them look appetising!"

Banana splits somewhere on the busy '70s patterned plate,

 and tinned peaches - yummy!

Oooh - the drinks! That raw egg white should see off a few 

of the more irritating young guests

Just a minute - where's the piece de resistance?

Cheese and Pineapple hedgehog!

Oo-er - look at those happy faces  - go for it Carmel!

Footnote to history: did you notice that the title of this section of the book is "Party Pieces"? Published in 1977, a mere 10 years before Carole Middleton launched her famous company of the same name...mmmn interesting.

Run, Fat Bitch Run - and reap the reward(s)...

Blisters!

Yes - nobody warned me about those silly little socks that barely cover the ankle and kept slipping down. Plasters and thick socks tomorrow! Yes, again tomorrow, because I am on a mission/ New Year's resolution, to drop some weight and be fit enough for walking around Bondi and Sydney in the summer heat on our visit. Only three weeks until we fly, but I am hoping to make a difference after a sluggish UK winter. I've tried healthy eating and cutting back on alcohol etc, and even tried three months at the gym before our last visit two years ago and none really worked that well for me. 

So now I'm going for the simple answer. Running. Well, walking actually. No faffing about with ipods irritating my ears or pedometers that kept falling off and erasing the info. Not even a shower. Just got my kit on - M&S joggers, old but barely used trainers, old longsleeved T-shirt, light fleece ( it was a bit cold this morning) and those stupid socks. I'd worked out a circular route in my head and reckoned that as long as it took me about 30 mins it should have some effect, and I would manage to keep it up. I also realise that as I improve, my time will too, so I shall probably have to find a longer route by week three. But the main thing is for me to keep it up. 

And that's where "Run Fat Bitch Run" comes in. It's the title of a book by Ruth Field and the subject of an article in The Times on Tuesday. See the link here to her blog and see also her facebook page. No I haven't bought her book either - but I like the way she talks. This, my first morning,  I had to wait in for a parcel delivery . I sat there in my gear raring to go, until the parcel was delivered, when suddenly I felt tired from getting up so early - though it was 11am by now. Also it looked like rain outside and was chilly when I'd opened the door to take the parcel in. Then I heard that voice in my head: " Run, Fat Bitch, Run", and was out of that front door like a shot before I could boil a kettle for coffee and a nice sit down on the bum shaped dent in my sofa ( read Ruth's blog side-panel).

Boy did it feel good - along the way as well as when I got back. It rained twice but I hardly noticed. I tried a bit of 'interval' training ( 20 paces walking, 20 paces jogging) as I crossed the close by Salisbury Cathedral on the first section of my run. Thankfully no tourists to hear me gasping for breath like a chronic smoker ( I don't by the way). Just the occasional dog-walker and shoppers taking a short-cut. Anyway I soon gave up that idea and went instead for long strides, as that apparently works your bum muscles almost as well as squats and other unsightly and boring gym stuff. By that time I was out the other side of the close and onto a quiet-ish back road with a slight rise to a main road. Funnily I hardly noticed the traffic as I was intent on keeping my stride and looking anxiously for the turn off past an old riverside pub, and onto a scenic walk which would take me back to the town centre. I had a brief moment of panic thinking I'd set myself too long a distance as it seemed much closer when I'd passed it in the car (!) Thankfully, just after a very smartly dressed middle-aged country gentleman had stepped out of my path as he raised his hat, I spied the turning. Phew. Shortly after that as I made my way past some 'executive' housing ( never noticed them before), and being greeted by another elderly gent (perhaps I'm not as fat as I think I am??), I heard a woman's voice over my left shoulder. Without slowing my stride I turned and saw that I had collected a companion. She was a similar age, enviably slim, though not dressed in jogging kit, and kept up a conversation while also keeping up with my pace all the way back into town. Apparently she does this walk every day also just to keep fit. Well she looked good on it though I didn't mention that I would be earlier tomorrow as I felt that I'd heard enough about her divorces today. 

So back to the rewards of running/walking. Yes I felt great. Yes I'll do it again tomorrow. It wasn't hard and I didn't feel silly (well I did a bit at first). And as I'd just had a piece of fruit before I set off, I had been looking forward to a late breakfast on my return. The porridge was already simmering in the pan when I remembered that we had no milk. I always add raisins for sweetness, but that's still a bit dry. Lawks a mercy, what to do?

Delicious and healthy organic probiotic yohurt

Oh - but look at that use by date. Never mind, let's see what else is lurking at the back of the fridge:

See that date - perfect!

Ladies and Gentlemen, " Porridge Royale!"

I wonder how your New Year Resolutions are coming along?