We had a few chilly evenings and mornings the week before last- for the end of November it has started to feel like we are getting closer to winter. A few days we’ve had gorgeous sunrises, but other days it has barely got light all day. We’ve had the wood burner on for a few evenings, and that is just perfect after having a cold run- it even helps my hair to dry.
On Tuesday I was going to meet Carrie again, but she couldn’t make it. I already needed to go to Hatfield to get some petrol, so I decided to park there and then run to the business park. I really miss that aspect of living there- around here the pavements are so lumpy from tree roots pushing up the tarmac, and the big trees make huge shadows so I do need my torch even on well-lit roads. In the business park, the pavements are wide and flat and well lit, and it’s fairly empty at the moment as everyone is working from home (sometimes after work it would be grid locked as all the offices emptied).
Anyway, it was cold and I didn’t have a jacket, only a t-shirt, so with the call of the wood burner at home I ended up going pretty fast. How annoying is that 3rd mile though? I think I had to stop at some traffic lights briefly on my way back. Otherwise such consistent pacing once I got going!
It still doesn’t even beat my (not)parkrun pb, let alone my actual one, but it felt good and that’s what matters.
On Thursday I had a meeting online which I rushed home for (technology at home may be more reliable than in my classroom…) and Dad had offered to drive over here to run together, so after finishing up he arrived and we headed on a route together. I’d planned a 5k although when we got back to my road we were just under and had to do a little loop on the street to make it up. Again it was so cold and misty and damp- I knew I’d warm up, and the trouble with winter running is that if I get warm and want to take my jacket off, it’s more of a faff having to take off my torch and high viz vest first, and then put them back on again. I decided to grin and bear it, although I’d forgotten my gloves which was a rookie error.
I couldn’t hang around too much after because we had booked an Aldi click and collect- who even knew that existed? In between lockdowns we had been going late at night maybe once a month to stock up on various bits, but I didn’t fancy it in actual lockdown. It worked pretty well although I don’t think we could edit the basket once we had put it through online. You parked in a bay, texted a number to say which bay you were in, and they wheeled it out on those flatbed trolley things. No missing items either, although when we got home we found out they had given us the wrong marzipan bars.
The babka for weekend breakfasts made an appearance again. This time I filled it with dark chocolate spread, some orange peel and marzipan (I had some which had dried up as I’d only used a bit, so it was no good for cake covering). A pretty good combination.
Yay to With Me Now pod keeping the parkrun love going all this time. Also look at those cute Christmas decorations/ eye pillow ready for yoga.
After my (not)parkrun plus a few miles (warm up/cool down) I had a yoga class and gong bath booked. I had a shower and some toast and then got into my yoga clothes, got my blanket and eye pillow ready and loaded up my laptop. We had an hour of yoga first, focusing on breathing and gentle movement, and then I got into bed under my blanket for the gong bath. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep at one point!
Later on we walked into town- I decided to have my Frozen cosy to fit with the weather, plus a reindeer hat and my Mickey gingerbread mask because I’m on the Christmas countdown now.
On the Saturday evening I watched The Bake Down do a live podcast- they also did a scone class but I didn’t do that, although I watched some of it to see how their online classes would work. I am quite tempted by the pretzel one in January.
On Sunday it was such a grey and misty day- As I ran over the bridge I could hardly see the top of the factory (it is a white building)- I am not sure if got light all day! We did have a walk in the afternoon but mainly time was spent indoors getting on with jobs and ordering Christmas presents.
Do you like winter? I am not fan of the dark days, but I do love a frosty and cold day.