Category: Stuff I love!

My Dad had decided to run 16 (not)parkruns in October to celebrate their 16th birthday, and on the final Saturday of October I headed over to run his 16th one with him.

It was great to see him complete it, and to run together too. He usually does a fair bit of cycling, and maybe 2 or 3 runs a week, so it was a challenge for him to get them all done. The weather played ball and we enjoyed our final run together (for a while).

Of course we had those amazing Crosstown Doughnuts to work through, and walked into town for a takeaway drink and to stretch our legs.

I ran to Panshanger on the Sunday, in a Disney top to pay tribute to the Run Disney weekends we’ve enjoyed in the past 2 years (although in fact this year the Disney Run weekend was the weekend after half term, so had we had gone, it would not have matched up with the run dates).

When in Disney for our wedding day and our anniversary we had shared an ice cream cookie sandwich, so for posterity I made the  Pret chocolate cookies, and we had them with some ice cream. I also made some Christmas cakes as that’s usually an October half term job but they were in the oven a bit too long and I think need re-doing.

Then it was back to work. One of my best work pals has a balloon business, and so gave me this cute Disney balloon for our anniversary- it’s still going strong 2 weeks later!

All was as standard apart from no yoga on the Wednesday as we had a late meeting. Runs on Tuesday and Thursday (in the dark-boo- why do the clocks have to go back still???), and walks on the  other days.

In fact it was lucky I had no yoga on Wednesday because it was a frosty morning, and as happens each year, the tyre pressure warning light came on as I was driving to work. I once tried to sort it myself but ended up panicking because there were people in the queue, I ran out of coins and managed to deflate my tyre instead, so after that incident, Andy helps me! So in the evening we drove over to the garage to check them and inflate them all. On the Thursday morning I had to drop some shopping off at my parents- it was cupboard stuff so if the traffic was bad I could leave it in my car and take it on my way home. As I was driving, I glanced at my car clock and saw that it said 23:20- not even the minutes were right (it was around 7.40 I think). It also said the wrong day (Friday), and then on Friday morning the time was back to being right, but the day said Saturday. I have no idea how it works- it must update by radio because when the clocks change (boo- I wish they wouldn’t) it just changes by itself. I think even my car wants 2020 to be over (and that is with the promising news of the vaccine and US politics).

We did have some beautiful sunrises and skies in the week, and the cold evenings meant we had the wood burner on for super cosy vibes.

Did you do any (not)parkruns? Apparently lots of people have done them who have not even done an actual parkrun yet, so that’s exciting news.

Do you like the clocks going back? 

We would usually go away on holiday in October half term, and had booked a few days this week, so before we had our long drive I had a short run to stretch out the legs, wearing my run Disneyland Paris top (to remind me of happier times…).

I find it a good time to get away because the first half term is so busy, but with parents evenings and assessments all due in the final week, there is not much work to be done in the holidays (versus other holidays with report writing or other tasks) so you can properly switch off. Google Photos keeps reminding me of trips- 5 years ago we went to Iceland, 4 years ago to Edinburgh and 3 years ago to Devon (we were meant to be going somewhere warm that year as it was Andy’s choice, and had booked flights to Croatia but then the airline went bust so we travelled closer to home instead), and the last 2 years we’ve been to Florida. As it’s now our wedding anniversary I think it is safe to say it will still be a tradition moving forwards. Andy had the week booked off, but we could not decide where to go- we wanted somewhere with lots of outside options as we are not going in to restaurants or cinemas or anything like that, and of course lots of places were booked. He found a cancellation of a self catering place in Cornwall so we jumped at that.

The journey there was fine- we stopped at the services to pick up lunch (they had a Pret- I was very excited) and had booked a slot at Stourhead because the autumn colours there are very pretty, plus it was around half way so ideal for a walk and lunch.

We were staying in a converted boat house on a lake- the grounds had some yurts for people to stay in too. It was so peaceful, and you could look out across the lake. It felt like somewhere that Bob and Paul would stay in for Gone Fishing.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we had booked a garden visit each day (2 National Trust places and the Lost Gardens of Heligan) and then around those headed to a town or the coast for a walk somewhere else. We had taken food with us (our place had a microwave and hob) so could be fairly relaxed about what time we headed out and back- no need to get to the shops or anything.

We were super lucky with the weather too. It poured with rain in the night, but when we were out and about it was generally fine- we had to shelter under a tree a few times, but we didn’t need the waterproof trousers.

Tuesday- gardens, seaside, Lizard Point.

Of course I had my autumn sweater with me too!

Wednesday- Lost Gardens and the wood burner on for a cosy evening.

Thursday- gardens, awesome cinnamon bun (yes, we pack our own cups because often the cups in places like this are tiny and it is almost not worth using a teabag in such a small cup…).

Then to St Ives, which was so busy – I dread to think what it would be like in the summer. After a bit (and finding a bakery with some amazing vegan options) we headed out to the coast for a more socially distanced walk.

On Friday we had to head home, and the traffic was awful from the start. It took us 9 hours and we were so fed up by the end. It was a good trip, and we were lucky to have been somewhere, but that is a very long time. We have not been to Cornwall much in the past because it seems like such a long drive (and we could have seen lovely coast in Dorset/Suffolk etc), but thought we would give it a go. When we arrived after the  Monday drive (which I think was a little over 5 hours) Andy said that we could have flown to New York in that time, and of course on Friday it could have been to Florida!  When we were nearly home Andy said he had to make a detour to his parent’s house to collect something, and when he got back in the car he presented me with this box:

Yes, a box of Crosstown vegan doughnuts (pistachio, honeycomb chocolate and pear and blackberry). I was not much of a doughnut fan (although I think that is because I’d either had the big greasy supermarket ones, or weird dry Krispy Kremes), but in Portland last summer we had a proper one, and then when we went into London in February we shared a Crosstown one- these are something special- they use sourdough dough and they are not overly sweet or stodgy. Anyway, they have started delivering more than just to London, but not as far as us, but Andy’s parents were in the delivery area- how exciting! A pretty good wedding anniversary surprise.

Have you been to Cornwall?  Do you like doughnuts? 

I heard a suggestion the other day that perhaps the clocks should not go back this year, because we really don’t need another hour of 2020! I don’t think they should go back anyway (lots of research around road safety for one) but I really think this could have been the year to get rid of it. At the moment my runs after work have been in the light, but on a few occasions if I’ve been stuck in traffic and arrived home later than planned, the final mile of my runs have been a little dark. Time to find and charge my torch I think.

Of course there has been lots of tea, and also a Caffe Nero gingerbread man to accompany a bit of work. Yoga on Wednesday has been wonderful- I am so glad that my teacher has carried on doing classes over zoom because I would not feel responsible in going to in person classes right now.

Last weekend was Panshanger parkrun’s 6th birthday! It’s crazy to think back to that first one. That was really the parkrun that got me into parkrun if that makes sense. Before then, I’d been going over to the St Albans one maybe once a month, when my dad and brother were free. At that time I was running with Sweatshop, and they had a poster up for the Panshanger one (remember when they advertised inaugurals?).  Once we started going there, it turned into a mostly weekly event, and on their first birthday I celebrated my 50th parkrun. They put a video on their facebook page and me in my Minnie Mouse skirt was in the first section of video. It was so lovely to look back and think about how it has grown since then. It really is a permanent fixture of our weekends now.

Dad decided he wanted to do 16 (not)parkruns in October to celebrate parkrun’s 16th birthday, and alongside that to raise money for Unicef, and once a month he has been keen to do a 10k, so it was perfect timing that on Panshanger’s 6th birthday we could run 6 (point 2) miles, and tot up 2 more (not)parkruns for him.

I wore my Panshanger top and parkrun long sleeved top, all very orange. He planned a lovely route through some fields over to Ellenbrook (the way he would cycle when parkrun is on) and at one point we rounded a corner and saw the most beautiful parkrun apricot-coloured tree. I had to get a photo of course.

I had a lot of work to get on with in the afternoon, but we did have a break where we walked into town to get our Caffe Nero drinks. I am still not wanting to eat in anywhere, but a 5 minute queue inside is fine, and then we can walk home the scenic way while we enjoy our drinks.

On Saturday night we fancied a film, and so watched Enola Holmes- an enjoyable film (some filmed locally) but it got the Manic Street Preachers song (Enola/Alone) in my head.

The weather on Sunday was beautiful, and I enjoyed a run around local streets, taking my time and taking photos of all the trees. I just can’t resist stopping!

I did some baking (pumpkin cheesecake brownies from here) although a total blogger fail as I took no photos! What was I thinking??

In the evening we watched one of the Michael Palin recap shows, and I just loved it. I think he is brilliant, and it was so good to see parts of those travel series again. Perfect Sunday night viewing.

How do you feel about the clocks going back? I feel like it’s dark when I get up anyway, so I’d rather have some light in the evening.

I am not one to wish my life away, and normally at this time of year I would be getting cross about all the Christmas things in the shops (I am normally the frame of mind that it isn’t Christmas until December), but do you know what? This year I am all ready to get festive! With so many trips and events being cancelled, I am looking forward to some actual constants. Even if we are in the most severe lockdown, we can put up our Christmas tree and watch Home Alone.

I was given my first Christmas card on the 1st October (by a child in my class- love it), and my Christmas baking book arrived- it is filled with so many cute designs. It’s been so cold so a hot water bottle and long sleeved pj tops have been in order. I just feel like I am going to embrace the holidays now and have an enjoyable few months.

I had my regular Tuesday and Thursday runs, seeing some lovely autumnal colours. Andy was out one evening (it was his mum’s birthday and thanks to the rule of 6, we could not all go) so of course I had beans on toast in front of Bake Off. Plus some Battenberg later.

Anyway, a rewind to last Friday and I’d booked a shoulder massage after work because I was starting to struggle to look over my shoulder when driving- never good. Town thankfully was fairly quiet and I popped into Caffe Nero to get my free drink after.

It was parkrun’s 16th birthday, and I felt a bit fed up because of it not actually being allowed to come back in October any more. I know that everyone has different opinions, but I feel like they did a very good job of looking for research to find out how safe outdoor activities are, and after listening to the podcast and watching some of the live Q&A’s I felt very confident that it would be relatively safe (compared to other things we are allowed to do at the moment such as go to the cinema or sit in a restaurant and have a meal).  Anyway, my dad has decided to run 16 not parkruns in October, so I thought I would have a go too. On Saturday I did a 5k at home and then (after changing my t-shirt because it was raining  and I was soaking) drove over to have a 5k run with Dad. We went for our normal route and ended up getting very very wet- the bridleway was more like a shallow river in places! (top left pic is my dad’s feet trying to find a dry route)

We totally loved it though, and I felt so much better after. Running with others is really so different to running on your own and it does lift your mood in a different way I find.

My hairdryer had been intermittently working for a few months, and on Thursday evening it finally packed up, so I had damp hair from Thursday until Saturday. I had some vouchers leftover from last Christmas, so decided to treat myself to the GHD dryer- it had good reviews and I do have very thick hair so anything that can speed up drying time is a bonus. Anyway, I could click and collect so after our not parkrun I stopped in town to pick it up.

My B&B tea order arrived too- with gorgeous festive parcel tape- honestly all the signs are here that we should be celebrating nice and early.

On Sunday it was the virtual London marathon. Some people in my club were running it, but after initially hoping to do similar routes they all ended up doing different ones. My run leader lives fairly near me, so my plan was to run in the morning, and then head out later to try and cheer her in at the end. I managed 9 miles and got totally freezing- I need to remember that this pink jacket is not waterproof! I saw so many flooded paths, and a huge tree had blown down blocking the entrance to one of the paths. I loved that the London marathon was going on though- I saw a few people with bibs on and loved giving them a big cheer as they ran past.

Once home I had one of the best hot showers (and then regretted it when my skin was itchy and burning after the shower), and watched some of the elites on the TV. After breakfast I dried my hair (a dream with a hairdryer that works!) and then walked out to try and see my run leader, but alas she had changed her route due to the floods so I didn’t see her.

I then did some rainy day projects- using my burn pen to make some number block puppets for my classroom, and making a spiced pumpkin cake.

Did you take part in the virtual London marathon? What did you think of it? Did you celebrate parkrun’s birthday at all? Are you ready to start embracing the holiday season?

As I’ve mentioned before, last weekend was meant to be the Disneyland Paris run weekend, and it was going to be a 10k and a half marathon for me, so with the help of the Run Disney Paris Fans facebook group I had a Disney themed running weekend at home instead.

But first, the rest of the week- nothing much different. I started organising my apps into colour order which I really love because it keeps the screen looking so much tidier. I’m still going with the 10,000 steps a day, and earned another Garmin badge. Although I still can’t navigate the Garmin app- I can find a badge if it pops up, but ask me to find it now and I’d be looking for ages. I was feeling a little more tired and wondered if that was from the flu jab, but the main thing was that my arm hurt (I have a little bruise there) especially when I ran. One day we had waffles for dinner- hummus and avocado, and then peanut butter and banana.

Bake Off and crumpet/ autumn bouquet/ gorgeous oat milk from Minor Figures (from Bird & Blend), sourdough bread.

The difference in weather from my Tuesday to my Thursday run was crazy- Tuesday it was so warm I was in shorts and a vest, and on Thursday it was long sleeved top plus long leggings.

Of course Wednesday was good with the return of Bake Off. I watched it on Wednesday before yoga and really enjoyed it, although I have never seen a pineapple upside down cake covered in cream. Surely the point is that you can see the pineapple?

On Friday I did a bit of prep for the race. I had a card mount from a picture that I hadn’t used, so I turned it into a Minnie Mouse selfie frame. Also wore Olf pj’s because it’s freezing! Facebook loved to remind me that  years ago I had run the half marathon….

On Saturday I did my 10k, wearing a Disney top and also my magic band as it’s Minnie themed. When I got home I had my hand drawn medal, plus a 10k medal that I earned on a virtual race back in the summer but it had only recently been sent out, so I thought I’d wear it  after this race. I was quite pleased with the time- 1:02:24- my fastest 10k in quite some time.

I had a lot of work to do so got on with that, and then in the afternoon we met my parents for a walk at Panshanger park. We wandered across the fields (not really the parkrun route), seeing loads of birds including green woodpeckers, jays and a kestrel. It was very enjoyable but also really cold- it kept raining and I hadn’t taken a hat with me, what a mistake!

Once home I made a Battenberg cake (I’d had the marzipan for ages but hadn’t got around to it- seeing it on Bake Off gave me the incentive), and then in the evening I fancied a Disney film to keep the theme going. I was going to watch Enchanted, but it wasn’t on Disney+ for some reason, so I watched Finding Dory instead- just what was needed.

On Sunday I went off for my half marathon, Disney gear on again. I ran to Panshanger park, did 2 laps and a teeny out and back (it’s 3 miles there and just over 3 miles a lap). It was windy but I really enjoyed it. I listened to a podcast for the first bit, and then switched to a Run Disney playlist that I’d made (basically all the upbeat Disney songs that I love). I do find it strange running to music because I like to run to the beat, so if the song is a bit slow or fast it feels a bit disjointed.

My time was 2:22:22 – all the twos! Once home I collected my goodie bag (repurposed from an actual Run Disney event) and picked up my medal. I’d earned the Brooks medal a while ago (April?) but only recently collected it, so thought I’d save it, because Run Happy fit the Run Disney theme to me. I had designed a 36k challenge medal as on the RDPF page the 36K challenge was Ratatouille, only I realised that I had only run 31k (half + 10k) and the 36k included a 5k too. Oops.

We had our free Caffe Nero drinks from Vitality to collect, so we walked into town (a little over 5K) for me to make up the distance. I wasn’t making the mistake of not wearing a hat again, so I wore my Minnie gingerbread hat and of course my Minnie cup cozy for some more Disney theming.

Not quite the same as Disneyland Paris, but good fun and a different weekend. I do feel at the moment that all the weekends feel the same – the only difference is whether I see my parents in their garden or not- so it was good to have something to do to make an event of the weekend.

We finished by watching the rest of Giri/Haji- we’ve been watching an episode a night for most of the week. Less of a Disney note to finish on!

Did you see Bake Off?  And if so, what did you think about the pineapple cake? Do you like virtual runs?