Author: Maria Runs

So I mentioned a while ago that I had noticed an old postbox on one of my runs (an Edward 7th no less) after it had been mentioned on the With Me Now pod. I have tended to stick to the same routes on my runs- a sort of out and back through some fairly empty residential streets, or the longer run through the woods to Panshanger. Because of all the news about parks reopening, I figured Panshanger would be busy so I decided I would plan a different route.

My parkrun top had arrived in the week and I could finally take it out of quarantine, so of course I had to wear it on Saturday morning.

I could not decide on the wording for ages, but in the end went for “it’s still parkrunday”- because even without parkrun being on, that is what Saturday is.

I saw quite a few postboxes- loads of GR (5th) and some GR 6th- they seemed in better condition than the ER ones for some reason!

At one point I was running along a pavement and a fox was running towards me. I was about to go in the road to avoid it but luckily it ran into a driveway.

After doing the quiz (9/15 this week) I made us some pancakes for breakfast and then we got on with more garden jobs.

Project Pond continues! We were weighing the liner down with bricks, but these rocks have been dotted around our garden, some buried under soil or plants, so we’ve been gradually digging them up and moving them. We put them around the pond and then used the pebbles at one end to make a little ramp for any wildlife (I could pretend I was on Brighton beach when I was sorting  the pebbles into size order). Also more digging up of the horrible bit at the back.

And of course some relaxing in the afternoon. One rose has started flowering and it really is such a bright colour that in the evening it looks like it is glowing.

Top right – the fountains are blue to thank the NHS

On Sunday morning I did a route I’ve not been on for ages, to avoid the park and to take in more post boxes. I think I need to head out to some of the old villages near me to get the really old ones.  I ran through the town centre which felt surreal because I’ve not been there for so long (over 2 months). Most of the shops are shut of course, but I was surprised by how many people were out and about.

I had a rather delayed breakfast because when I got in the shower, the hot water wasn’t working. It turned out that something in the attic needed resetting which Andy did- phew. As it was warmer we did the pebbles in the pond (too cold on Saturday to be sticking your hand in the water). I also made my best sourdough loaf yet.

Although I need to work on the slicing because it still really exploded in the oven.

Have you bought an apricot parkrun top and if so what did you have written on it? 

But still a fun weekend with some Disney in there!

I was feeling very grumpy on Friday morning- yes it was a 3 day weekend, but we should have been in Disneyland Paris, walking down Main Street with an excited four year old, and looking forward to heading to the expo later to collect race numbers and t-shirts and be tempted with all sorts of Run Disney merch.

A flashback to December and posing in front of the castle…

I’d bought some almond croissants on my last trip to Aldi (16th March- the last time I went in a shop… the only reason I know this is because it was the Monday before the schools shut, and I’d popped in on my way home and had so many frantic messages from Andy saying about all the social distancing that was being talked about- I looked it up the other day because I was curious about when it was) and put them in the freezer (I don’t think you are meant to, but they are fine) so to begin our long weekend we had croissants for breakfast and pretended to be in France.

It was a lovely sunny day so we were then out in the garden for ages- I was doing easy jobs like potting on mint, putting courgette plants into grow bags, while Andy was carrying on digging the pond, and then digging up the horrible flower bed which is basically lumps of concrete covered in soil and matting.

I also made the most successful sourdough yet. I’ve been having trouble with it sticking in the basket, but since using some rice flour, and “seasoning” the basket in the oven, it’s working much better.

We went on a walk and I was very annoyed to see so many groups of people out- so many roads were having tea parties for VE day and they were not keeping apart from each other at all.  I did however see a new postbox (as I have not been running on the same streets that we tend to walk on)- I’m starting to tick them all off. Also my tea club (which arrived the other day) came out of quarantine- always exciting! I really should write down when things arrive so I know for sure when I can open them. Anyway, it’s peach themed which I love.

After all our gardening, we had tea and biscuits in the garden and listened to a podcast- very relaxing.

As we were meant to be going to DLP with Andy’s family, we’d decided to do a Disney quiz on the Friday night. Each pair (4 in total) did a round- in the end we did a higher/lower, longer/shorter round, where they were given two films and had to say which was longer in length, or which took the most money. Of course I got ready for the quiz by bringing out some mascots, wearing a Disney top (my Let it Go one) and wearing my ears. I was going to swap to my other pair of ears during the zoom break (you know, where your 45 mins is up so you have to re-start) but Andy put the other pair on so everyone noticed right away!

We finished the evening watching Illuminations (the Epcot firework show that is sadly no more).

I’ve enjoyed my Saturday morning routine so kept it the same- a run before the quiz (12/15- my second highest score). I saw this lovely flag while running, with lots of different flags decorating it. A nice reminder that these celebrations will be happening all over the world. We put down the underlay, liner and then filled the pond with water. All very productive.

I also did some jobs and pottering inside- putting our Tiki Room picture in a frame, drawing Stitch and making myself a Run Disney medal. I know the weekend was princess themed, but I wanted to draw Olaf, and he is friends with 2 princesses and I was meant to run 2 princess races, so it made sense to me. I did 8k on Saturday and estimated that I would do 13 on the Sunday, although I ended up doing a little more. We also had a gingerbread biscuit which we bought at the Christmas markets in DLP, so it was Disney themed all round!

On Sunday I headed off for my normal longer run, making it a bit Disney themed with my Run Disneyland Paris half marathon top, and also the bright headband. One bit of my route takes me along some woods and across the edge of some fields, and it really reminds me of the countryside we ran during the Paris half- I could almost imagine I was there.

At the finish line (or in my garden, however you want to look at it) Minnie was there to meet me, and I didn’t even get told off for a photo.

I had to do the medal in front of the castle pose (Andy had bought the lego castle ages ago and apparently it was going to be for us to build the first year we could not go to Florida for our wedding anniversary, but because we missed our Disney weekend he got it out to cheer me up- it’s going to be a fun project for us).

Then once showered I put on my “I did it” top, also from DLP, and posed with my medal. As you do. I think Andy was worried I was having a bit of a breakdown. No, just Disney fun.

What are you missing right now? Have you successfully recreated anything at home that you are missing? The Pret almond butter cookies have been a hit with me as I love them and always buy one if I go in a Pret (we don’t have one here otherwise it would be a very regular occurrence!).

Usually my birthday is around the May Bank Holiday, so often we’d head off somewhere for a 3 day weekend. We’d not booked anything for this year, partly because we had Disneyland Paris for the following weekend, and also because the Bank Holiday had moved to the Friday, so it was just a normal weekend. On Saturday morning I still wanted to do my not a parkrun run, and be back for the quiz. Typically if we were around, I would have gone to Ellenbrook Fields for parkrun, met my dad there, run with him and then headed back for pancakes made by Mum. In order to replicate that, I made us pancakes and sent my parents a photo!

It was sunny on my not-parkrun at least!

Danny on With Me Now had mentioned postbox cyphers, and I had thought that all the ones near me would be ER ones, but by chance I glanced at one on my run and it turned out to be an Edward 7th one (I had to google it when I got home because I could make out the VII but not really work out the letter shapes).

At home Mum usually gives me my own mini pot of tea on a tray (everyone else has coffee) and also my own milk jug, which has turned into a bit of a joke with my dad and brother trying to use it without my mum seeing…. so of course I had to replicate this too! I had some Vicky’s Sponge Cake tea (black tea with raspberry)- yummy. Andy joined me for birthday pancakes. I felt very lucky because despite the lockdown, lots of people had sent cards and messages (including my absolute favourite – a video of my niece and nephew singing happy birthday to me), and someone sent me some beautiful flowers(in the top picture)- they even came with instructions on how to put them in the vase so that was an enjoyable activity to do. The Post Office did sterling work delivering some Hotel Chocolat hot chocolate sachets and the Fearne Cotton Happy Vegan book (it even has a recipe for vegan French Toast!). Andy got me a card themed perfectly, with someone wearing a Stitch hat and eating a Dole Whip- the BEST Disney snack (officially- voted on by DFB!). As with so many things, actual outings are postponed or cancelled- we had got ourselves tickets to see Queen as a sort of joint birthday thing, and that’s now been put back to 2021. Andy got us tickets to see The Killers- it should have been this June but it’s now in 2021 too. For both of our birthdays my parents had got us tickets to a comedy show in St Albans (next week- currently being rescheduled)- we were going to go out for dinner together and then go to the show.  We shall have fun next summer. So that I had something to open Andy gave me a pack of those wafers from Austria- I love them and we have been re-watching Friends and there is always a box on the counter- he must have been listening because I now have a 12 pack-one a month until we see the band apparently! Not sure they will last that long!

It was glorious weather so we spent a lot of time outside- Andy was digging a pond and I was pottering about with seeds and things. I’d made a carrot cake so we had a pot of tea and cake in the garden in the afternoon, and then I had a few calls (I love a Whatsapp video call) to my parents and Andy’s parents.

I’d gone for a Totoro theme with my t-shirt and hoodie, and requested that as my birthday film.

We watched the subtitled version and at the end I found out that they don’t subtitle the end credits- the song is very sweet and basically tells the story, so we had to then find the dubbed version. We then went down a bit of a You Tube wormhole, watching the Kimmy theme tune,  some random songify songs,  the Disneyland Paris Christmas parade, and finally  Wishes (the final one where all the crowd sing along).

Dates + Nut butter shall always be the greatest food once back from a run.

On Sunday I went for my run over to Panshanger. I kept it a bit shorter though as we needed to do more decorating. Although most of the paths are wide, I got a bit stressed towards the end because I came across a few groups of people who just would not move. I always feel that it is polite for both lots to move- if I move to the left, please move to the right and show me that you are making the effort. I was ending up running a long way into the fields, where it’s all rutted under long grass, because people would not even step one foot to the side. Grrr. Also, the car park is closed but people are now parking in the laybys and along the country roads- it was a lot busier than I had seen it before.

I’d made some more bread for us to have on Sunday. After lots of online reading, it turns out that the baskets for proving need to be sort of seasoned (heated in the oven a bit, or put in there are the oven cools). The rice flour seems to be helping too- it came out more easily but was still a bit flat. PB&J for one and honey for the other piece. We actually finished decorating the hall too! Well, I mean we have now painted the walls (and reached the high bits with a brush taped to a mop handle)- still need to do all the woodwork but at least all the sheets and mess can be cleared away. I also plucked up the courage to record a voice message and send it in to With Me Now- it’s my fave parkrun podcast, and it’s great that they are still keeping going despite parkrun being paused. They had asked for audio contributions for the last few weeks but I didn’t feel brave enough, but then they asked again to hear from different people so I had a go (had to download a new app and everything).

On Sunday night Andy made a lovely but rather spicy tomato and spinach pasta, so to cool down I had some of this delicious ice cream (it’s oat based and sooo creamy) with some berries, and we started watching the new series of Bosch. A good end to the weekend.

What is your record for the longest time spent decorating one room? Seeing as we started in August 2019 we are probably going to reach a year before we properly finish! Have you had many things postponed or cancelled?  I don’t mind so much if things are postponed, we have a long list of those (seeing the Athletico Mince podcast being filmed, Rhod Gilbert comedy show, seeing Ash, Queen) but a couple of things have just been cancelled (including Nick Offerman- from Parks and Rec- he was going to be brilliant) and that’s a shame because you don’t know if you will get another chance, whereas at least with postponed things you can still look forward to them eventually. Have you started on postbox bingo? I’ve seen a few GR’s on my walks so I am going to do a run to see lots of them too.