Half term highlights

It’s been a fairly low key week which was just what I needed. After our trip to Southampton, I was up on Sunday morning for my final long run before the Brighton half.

It was windy so I borrowed a tip from Hungry Runner Girl, and put a headband over my visor- this worked a treat and meant the visor didn’t blow off, and my ears stayed warm! I saw a bit of damage around from the storm, but not as bad as Ciara from last week.

I ran 10 miles, and although it rained at the start for a bit, for the most part it was dry. Once I was home it hammered down though- good timing! I did some stretching and foam rolling in the living room, and was very excited to see some goldfinches visit the bird feeder- I’ve not seen them since last year so this made me very happy. Also how beautiful is this red velvet tea? It’s black tea with a hint of red velvet cake taste, and because it contains beetroot, when you add milk it turns pink! So pretty!

Then we headed to the cinema to see Parasite (cup of tea and cookie as cinema snack- wearing a big hat is a good idea because you can put the cup in the hat as you go in). I really enjoyed it, but the last part was so tense, I was so on edge and just had no idea what was going to happen next.

Once home, what better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon than by baking? I made these bourbon-cream style hearts (from Nancy Birtwhistle)- they are very tasty too.

On Monday I had a doctor’s appointment first thing which I never look forward to, so after that was done I had some breakfast (needed something to look forward to) and wandered around the park.

It was such a beautiful day.

I had been given some vouchers for a local spa, and so had booked a massage there. It was very luxurious and zen.

You could go for a spa day, so loads of people were wandering around or sitting in the lounge with dressing gowns on (which I know is meant to seem relaxing, but that to me is not my idea of fun), and when it was time for my treatment I was taken upstairs to a room with a sofa, bed, sink, fancy mood lighting etc. I was given the choice of playlists (ocean sounds/ nature/ piano etc) and the therapist talked about my booking. Now when I phoned up, I had asked for neck, back, shoulder massage, and the person on the phone had named something that included these things. When I sat down, the therapist started talking to me about the facial part of the treatment- I wasn’t expecting that. She did offer to swap it for a full body massage, but I thought it would be hassle to go back downstairs and sort it out (they all have different prices, and my voucher didn’t cover the whole cost so I had to top it up)- anyway, I should have done that really. The actual massage was lovely, and then I had a scalp massage (which is why my hair looks a bit wet, because she added some oil too) but I have to say the facial was not for me.  Even though the products were meant to be OK for sensitive skin, some of them stung a bit, and my skin just felt all hot afterwards. But the rest of me was all relaxed. I just don’t like making decisions in the moment like that.

I did see a red kite flying so low across the road (when I was walking) that I could take a fairly clear photo with my phone- you can even see the forked tail!

Tuesday morning I had a lovely 7 mile run (so much colder than I expected- I wore a long sleeved top and expected to need to roll the sleeves up as I warmed up, but no, the wind was biting), and then decided to make some French toast with a Christmas panettone.

I finally got around to make some of the eco cleaner that I had seen on Nancy Birtwhistle’s Instagram (water, vinegar, surgical spirit and lemon oil) and got on with using it to clean the windows, bathroom etc. In the afternoon my sister in law came over with my niece and nephew- we went to the park for a bit and then came home just as it rained to have tea.

While in town I had visited The Pudding Stop, getting a vegan crumble cake for us to share, so we had that in front of the fire in the evening.

Wednesday I had a 6 mile run in another Disney top (long sleeved still going strong)- saw lots of flooding still. Also how good does that Pudding Stop special sound??? I didn’t see that on Monday! I spent a few hours at my mum’s, and then once home decided it was time for a hot cross bun, and some hot cross bun tea (which is sooooo good- a blend of black and rooibos tea with spices and fruity and smoky flavours).

I watched What The Health, which is the follow up from Cowspiracy (which I am not sure if I have seen)- it popped up as something I might like following on from Game Changers I imagine. It was interesting, but of course really linked to how things work in the USA- for example with the Diabetes Association sponsored by so many companies that make unhealthy foods, plus pharmaceutical companies who really have a vested interest in people being put on medication because it’s all profits for them. It was thought provoking and really terrifying because with the way things are going politically, this may be where our health care is headed too.

Thursday I was still in a Run Disney mood (and it was still cold enough to wear a long sleeved top)- 4 miles. When I got home I used a Lush hot oil hair treatment- I’d bought one in Southampton at the weekend. It looks like a lump of crayon on a stick, but you put it in hot water (I used half, as that was what the person in the shop recommended) and stir it around until it melts, leave it to cool for a bit before putting it onto dry hair. I had tea and porridge while I waited for it to work (20 mins) and then rinsed it off in the shower. It has left my hair really soft, and I would definitely use again.

I had a bit of work to do, so got on with that, had a brief break where I walked into town, got soaked, and then carried on with work. Andy was at home and we managed to get a few jobs done too, including putting up our newest pictures (the two in the bottom row in the picture above). We bought them on holiday in August and have had the frames for ages but only remember that we need to put them up when it’s too late to be hammering nails into walls in case it annoys the neighbours.

Then we headed to the cinema again, this time to see Just Mercy. It was a fantastic film- based on a true story and reminded me a lot of a John Grisham book. The subject (inmates on Death Row) was tough of course, and it just boggles my mind that in this day so called civilised societies still think the death penalty is acceptable.

On Friday morning I made some banana bread- what else are brown bananas for? I had a walk and did some work at home, and then packed as we were heading down to Brighton for the weekend for a jam-packed weekend.

Do you like running in long sleeved tops? I have a few (mainly from Disney) but the time for wearing them seems very short, because when it’s cold I’ll wear a t-shirt and jacket, and when it’s mild I’ll wear a t-shirt as I know I’ll warm up quickly.  Have you seen any good films lately?