Nearly a week with no running and more festive activities

Last week turned into a bit of a rest week. After having a bit of a sore throat on Sunday it turned into the lurgy on Monday- I am pretty impressed I got this far through the term without being ill. Monday is a rest day anyway and so we just had a little walk in the evening and that was enough.

On Tuesday I had planned a run, but I felt pretty achy when I got home from work, so we walked around to the shop to pick up some throat sweets and ibuprofen (Andy also picked up some cold and flu medication and the lady on the check out ID’d me but I think it was because she felt sorry for me!). I was getting sore sinuses and although my throat didn’t really hurt, I was losing my voice coughing a bit, so admitting defeat and resting seemed like the best option.

There was no yoga on Wednesday and I had again pencilled in a run, but when I got home all I wanted to do was lie on the sofa, and drink hot (fruit) tea with a little honey in it- I just had no energy for anything.

Thankfully by Thursday I was feeling a little better. After work we had a team afternoon tea which was really lovely.

It was a vintage tea room inside a pub, and all the cakes were home-baked on the premises, including the most squidgy brownies and lovely warm mince pies with more mince than pastry (always a winner). We had to each take some cake home as no-one could manage a slice!

We did a little secret Santa and I was given a lovely penguin decoration (I love penguins) and this went straight onto the tree as soon as I got home.

Look how cute the label is! One of our team had made personalised labels for each person to stick on the presents so they stayed a secret.

I did see some gorgeous sunrises this week as I was heading off to work- the pink hues are hard to capture but the sky looked pretty amazing.

When I got home my tea club had arrived- more festive blends with  Eggnog (rooibos and spices, no eggs thankfully), Figgy Pud (another spiced rooibos) and Mulled Cider which is the most gorgeous apple tea. (We were meant to be going to the cinema that evening too, but I think we have learned that we should not book tickets when I am somewhere else because I will always underestimate how long I will be! I think the last film we managed was Ralph Breaks the Internet. I am super excited about Mary Poppins though).

On Friday after work I met my friend at The Waffle House. We walked up into town first to look at the St Albans Christmas market, which is still tiny, but not quite as tiny as last year. They had a few local stalls (like a glass blowing stall based in Sandridge) but I didn’t get anything- I am pretty much there with Christmas presents now so it was nice to wander and not feel the pressure of needing to find something. The outside of the restaurant was really pretty, with fairy lights everywhere and little reindeer lights by the water so the lights were reflecting- I felt very festive indeed.

I fancied something wintery, and on the Specials menu was a waffle with apple, cranberry and ginger with gingerbread ice cream, so my decision was made! We sat inside by the fire and it was so cosy in there, and lovely to have a catch up as usual.

When I got home Andy had put the fire on, and we watched Arietty, which is the Ghibli version of The Borrowers. As a side point I’ve been loving the podcast Ghiblioteque- they discuss a different Ghibli film each week (after watching it- they do have spoilers)- the Totoro episode made me so happy to listen to.

We have not started on the Christmas movies yet though- I think not finishing until very close to Christmas means it doesn’t feel close enough yet, although we have been making the list of the classics- Home Alone, Muppets Christmas Carol, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Snowman and In Bruges so far, plus things like the Community Christmas episode from a few years back.

What is on your Christmas film list?