March

March 20: Five hours in the garden and a 40 minute walk

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This post is going to take a long time to type. My arms and hands don’t really feel like they belong to me. In fact, half my body doesn’t feel like it belongs to me.

At 8.30 this morning, I helped Rene, the owner of our complex, and a friend fill holes in the grass/lawn. Something’s been having a dig, maybe a mole? So there were a lot of sunken patches that Rene wanted filled. So I had the rake to flatten the newly dumped soil, and then used the flat part of the spines to stamp the soil down. This is where I think I did the nerve damage. Joking, sort of.

Then I used the leaf blower for a good few hours to clean out all the farmhouse ground floor sections and to get the leaves onto the grass. And then I went through all the garden beds and blew all the leaves out of there too. And then I got the blower into the stones around the pool, and swished them all out. And and and! Normally, I despise leaf blowers. Great big horrible noise polluters … use a rake for crying out loud! But today, despite my wrists screaming blue murder, the leaf blower was a blessing … so many leaves in the garage, flower beds, behind bushes up against the buildings and so on.

No stopping me now! Once I’d blown every leaf bar 100 onto the grass, I then jumped on the ride-on lawnmower and sucked them all up (and mowed the very short grass at the same time too). By 11.30am I was done with the lawnmower, but I wasn’t done with the garden.

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Forgot to take before shots, but this is after I’d done the mowing …

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… on Rene’s trusty green machine …

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… so that the garden could look like this

While sitting with Rene on the outdoor couch, surveying our great work, I noticed the side of the garage was looking kind of raggedy, with dry brown grass growing up the wall. Who needs a pause? Not me! I got out the small hand trowel and dug out all the weeds and grass growing at the edge of the garage, so next time when we mow, the edges will be clean. Oh, I love a good clean lawn edge. To top it off, I finished the final edge around our house too, which I hadn’t done last time I was in the garden because it was in the shade and a bitterly cold wind made the whole thing unappealing.

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Love a good clean garden edge!

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Boy, Rene’s dog, is a constant foreman when I’m outside. The green shoots are mixed bulbs I planted in October. I can’t wait to see what comes up!

Then after a 30 minute break to eat some cereal for lunch (nothing in the fridge!), we loaded up the trailer to take some rubbish to the local council collection depot which is next door. Then it was home to put my sneakers on and walk down to Wohlen to buy dinner supplies at the local supermarket. I really didn’t feel like walking, really, really didn’t, but I’m glad I did. It was a beautiful afternoon with plenty to see.

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Every Friday people can bring their hard rubbish and bigger items here for a minimal fee

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Lovely flowers on the walk to Wohlen to go grocery shopping

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Happy chickens in the sun. I bought more eggs from the honesty box shop

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This dog loves sitting in the boot of his car. He’s there all the time, and it’s nice to see him on the walk to Wohlen

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Colourful display at the local supermarket

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You can also buy lawnmowers, outdoor furniture, horse blankets and gumboots with your TP and orange juice

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The bustling metropolis of Wohlen bei Bern

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Plowed fields (on the way home) ready for something new

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Farmer at work in another field near home

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Our place is looking pretty schmick! 😉

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Stoekli sans leaves, with clean garden edges 🙂

The sun was lovely today. Except for a few minutes when the moon was in front for the eclipse. Do you think I remembered, or even noticed? Nup. I was outside the whole morning and didn’t see a thing, that’s how focussed I was. (Or oblivious.) It was a bit misty/cloudy here so I’m hoping I didn’t miss out on too much. Without the right eye protection/glasses it would have been impossible to see it properly anyway, so I’m trying not to be too disappointed at my obliviousness.

The sunrise this morning, though, was amazing, and I did manage to drag myself out of bed for that! Leo called out for me to have a look and it was so good I donned my floral dressing gown and Birkenstocks at 6.55am and ran into the field between our house and the neighbours to get photos … then remembered they’d just sprayed the whole thing with liquid fertiliser only a few days prior. Thankfully the smell went away when I washed my legs!

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The sunrise was so impressive, I left the house in my dressing gown and Birkenstocks

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Lovely red sun

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This was the view to the right as the sun was rising. No Alps today

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Leo leaving for work. He passed me on the access road from our house onto the street. I was in a cleaner place, gawping

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Sunrise over the local council maintenance depot, from our front door

So, all in all, a brilliant day (other than my disaster dinner!) and I am going to sleep the sleep of the totally exhausted tonight.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

March 19: A new running path and distance

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Wow, my calf muscles were sore this morning! I could hardly walk when I got out of bed! Yesterday’s Badass Yoga, with lots of downward dog stretches, really got my legs working. So I thought I’d put them to the test again with a … wait for it … drumroll … 5km run.

To date, I’d only ever jogged the same 4km path through the forest (a grand total of four times this year! Woo hoo!). This time I wanted to try 5km, so shuffled along my normal walking path towards Möriswil, then instead of going through the village on the bitumen road (which I like to do when walking so I can visit the miniature horses), I took an earlier forest road and didn’t see a soul the entire time. I used to listen to music when jogging, but lately, I’ve really enjoyed just listening to the peace and quiet, and all the birds, too.

The idea of running 5km today came from my friend Bec, who lives just outside Melbourne in Australia. She commented on a previous post, mentioning her fitness goals for 2015, then asked what mine were. I’d never actually written them down before, or thought about them much, other than wanting to feel fitfor15in15. So for the first time, I now have a proper list of fitness goals for 2015. I want to be able to:

  1. Do 2 minutes of plank
  2. Leave my elbows on the floor while lying on my legs or stretching out between my legs
  3. Do the splits comfortably again
  4. Fit into the strapless dress I bought after the Camino
  5. Have toned/slimmer arms
  6. Jog 8km (I’m not a runner though, so that could be unrealistic!)
  7. Improve my balance, especially on one leg doing yoga moves

I might add a few more down the track, but for now, that’s pretty good.

And my time running today was pretty good too, I think, finishing the 5km in 32 minutes 46 seconds. I walked for the first two minutes as a warm up, then had a mix of reasonably steady up and down gradients which saw me faster in the third kilometre (I’d like to think I was in the zone, but really, there was more downward gradient running than in the other sections). Now that I know this path is exactly 5km from door to door, I may have run my last 4km on the old track. There are no photos from the new path because I didn’t want to take any pauses, but I can tell you my head was as red as a tomato when I got home.

Thank you Bec, for encouraging me to write down my goals. Written goals are achieved more than those that aren’t, so it was about time I put them on paper. If I want to run 8km by the end of the year, it was time to up the ante, and seeing that inspired me to attempt my first 5km run in many, many years.

On a nervous note, right now, as I’m typing, a group of people who are interested in buying Liliane and Rene’s property – the big farm house, our Stoekli and the land – are wandering around the place. It’s incredibly sad thinking we may not be living here for much longer. The property has been on the market for two years (things don’t move fast here in Switzerland!) and this group have been here a few times before, so I think they’re getting serious. Rene and Liliane have had enough of the responsibility of maintaining everything and would like something smaller that they can lock up and leave easily for when Liliane retires.

Leo and I have often talked about what we’d do if we had the money to buy here. We’d turn some of the apartments into holiday rentals and set up a country B&B. It would be perfect, with all the grass and pool, for families and people who want to get away from it all. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re the ones who will eventually be getting away from it all – by moving! But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we’ll just keep enjoying what we have, which is pretty darn special.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

March 18: 30 minutes of “Badass” Yoga

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Local kids have turned a very dull grey wall ...

Local kids have turned a very dull grey wall …

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… into a lovely floral work of art …

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… but what a shame it’s all going to wash away when it rains! This is on my walk to the bus.

Exercising in the afternoon can be a good thing. Your body’s warmed up and you’ve moved around enough to feel a bit looser and ready. But it can also mean you get caught out by the afternoon slump, when the thought of a workout just seems like one step too far.

That’s how I felt when I came home from the city this afternoon. I’d already walked to and from the bus, then around the city, and I was struggling to get my brain into ‘exercise mode’. Who to turn to? Sadie Nardini of course! She’s becoming a go-to favourite. I found her Yoga Body Workout: Sadie’s Badass 30 Minute Yoga Flow: Energy and it sounded worth a shot.

This is one of at least three Badass workouts she’s posted on YouTube, and come on, with a name like that, who wouldn’t want to be a Badass and do some Badass yoga?! You can also try her Badass Detox and Weight Loss workouts, which also run for about 30 minutes. I might have a go at those two in the coming weeks.

For the Energy workout, you’ll need a yoga block or something to put under your back at the end. I dislike it when a workout suddenly uses a piece of equipment you haven’t been prepped about! I don’t own a block, but used a hardish cushion and, despite not being great, it was enough to prop up my back.

Finding my balance was a bit of an issue in this workout, which I think would be best suited to intermediate or advanced students. But don’t let that put you off! It’s still a great workout, especially if you have tight hips, as there are a few exercises which give them a deep stretch while sitting. I really enjoyed those exercises and hope the benefits are long-lasting.

If you know your balance is a bit rubbish, you can keep a chair nearby to hold onto. Luckily, our ceiling in the lounge room (well, all over the house actually!) is very low, so when I felt wobbly I could grab a beam. There’s no shame in having to put your foot down, literally not metaphorically, when doing yoga. Hopefully, towards the end of the year, my balance will have improved (it can’t get much worse I don’t think!) and I can hold positions longer, without getting my wobble on.

It’s now a few hours after the workout, and I do feel better than I did when arriving home. Another case of a workout living up to its name! The backs of my legs feel tight, as if they’ve done something other than walking, and my arms feel energised too.

Speaking of legs, here’s a random thought I feel like throwing at you today … I have a dent on the side of my right leg, near the top of the calf on the outside, from crossing it over my left. It’s there all the time … this is not a good sign … time to stop crossing my legs!

Following the weekend in Strasbourg and the internet meltdown last Saturday night, I haven’t had the chance for a while to post a list of stories and links I’ve enjoyed, so today seems like as good a day as any to get these out there. I hope they are a cause for inspiration, motivation, consternation or celebration.

1. Every day, I read, and enjoy, a creative lifestyle blog called The Private Life of a Girl. The author, Sophie, recently shared an incredibly moving podcast she’d heard with her readers. If you have a spare 25 minutes and the chance to sit somewhere familiar, quiet and comfortable, I encourage you to listen to Diane’s secret.

2. A new study shows Mozart mends minds.

3. Can you imagine being this flexible and strong? These amazing urban gymnasts are incredibly fit, in a way I could never be (and I feel confident saying never in this case!)

4. Two women do an intense martial arts display. My jaw is still on the floor.

5. Here are some food myths that have been proved incorrect, such as eat small meals throughout the day, full-fat dairy products are bad for you and so on.

6. A wonderful story of community members who learned sign language to surprise a deaf resident. It’s a commercial, but a lovely true story!

7. An article about exercising at different times of the day and what to eat afterwards.

8. And last but not least, these two visual comedians gave me many large and hearty chuckles.

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The first tulip leaves are sprouting at the self-pick, honesty-box flower farm. It won’t be long before we have hand-picked flowers at home, yahoo!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

March 17: Sweat, but no beers, on St Patrick’s Day

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Lucky

Totally forgot it was St Patrick’s Day until I saw Facebook photos of my friend Elisa all decked out in green, having a beer. Happy St Patrick’s Day to all the Irish, those who wish they were Irish and those out celebrating tonight who wake up with an Irish tomorrow.

Yesterday I went on a mission to “have a look” for some hand weights. swissrose, who writes a blog about life in Switzerland (and has an excellent A-Z of all things Swiss you should check out), cleverly suggested I could look at the local second-hand store, or Brocki, for hand weights. Unfortunately I read her post too late!

Silly me ended up buying the first decent 1kg pair I saw. They weren’t as expensive as I thought they’d be plus they have handles, which means I can hold two in one hand when I need a tougher workout. The idea of returning them and searching at the Brocki went through my mind for quite a while, but then I used the KonMari Method and realised these babies actually spark joy and will stay.

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Out with the old … they’ve done their time and will be a delicious meal soon …

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… and in with the new. Two 1kg weights with handles. How posh!

In order to give them their first workout as part of my St Patrick’s Day celebrations, I went straight to Fitness Blender and Kelli for something hard. And I found it. Brutal even. The Brutal Fat Burning HIIT + Dynamic Total Body Strength Training – FP Blend Workout (phew, that’s a mouthful I dare anyone to attempt after five pints of green Guinness).

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Some may say this is taking St Patrick’s Day celebrations one step too far

Kelli’s 28-minute workout requires just hand weights and a mat for some floor work. And it made me sweat, especially the HIIT (high-intensity interval training) sections which were burpees (yucko!) and crisscross thigh-slap jumps. They’re harder to do than to say, if that’s possible (especially when you’re in a confined space).

I’m really glad I finally bit the bullet and bought some proper hand weights. Hopefully the 1kg weight is enough to do some damage, I mean make a difference. To be sure, to be sure, tomorrow I’ll be sore.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

March 16: 20 minutes with Billy Blanks … on mute

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The need to jump around was strong today, so I thought a Billy Blanks workout might be perfect. As long as the sound was muted of course! I just do not understand how people can be so robotic and chant the numbers one to eight while exercising. It’s almost like they’re in a cult. I’m sure Billy’s fans would say it’s a wonderful fitness cult.

I’ve never done Billy’s Tae Bo before. My friend Sandra suggested him a while back (here’s a previous post with links to his longer cardio workouts) but when I saw how little time I had this afternoon I had to find something shorter.

Luckily, his 20 minute Body Shape workout popped up on YouTube and it was just right. Not much jumping around though, as the focus was on burning the arm muscles and that was fine by me! It’s still a problem area and I’ve just about had enough of the wobbly bits.

The 250g baked bean tins got a workout today, but I couldn’t help wondering how hard it would be to do these exercises, and how much more I would gain (or, in fact, lose!), if I had heavier weights. So I’m finally off to the city this afternoon to have a look at some hand weights. Just a look at this stage. If I buy them I’ll definitely try this Billy Blanks workout again, as some of the comments talked about how hard it was. I raised a slight sweat but my arms weren’t shaking at the end. Not good enough, me thinks!

My morning routine stays the same (unfortunately the time I do it varies quite a lot! I’m not quite springing out of bed at 6am when Leo’s alarm goes off) and I’m constantly surprised at how stiff I feel when first sitting on the floor to do the 10 minutes of meditation. Eventually my hips relax and it all feels quite nice.

Then I stretch out my legs for five minutes. At the beginning, the idea of resting my elbows on the floor is ludicrous – they’re almost a ruler’s length away from the ground when I first start stretching. Slowly, everything limbers up and just before the time’s up, I have my elbows on the floor, even just for a few seconds sometimes. Knowing this is the result, most days, keeps me motivated to hopefully be able to do the splits again. Will my 43-year-old hips let that happen?!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

March 15: An easy workout and the end of the Bluths

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Following yesterday’s long walk, I thought I’d focus on core and arm exercises tonight. The trusty chickpea tins were put to good use again, in a variety of strength exercises and punches. I did 15 exercises for a minute each, including normal and side to side crunches, push ups and plank. A minute of plank! It’s a miracle!

My sister very kindly sent me money for my birthday to buy hand weights. She said she didn’t mind if the money was spent on something else, so I’m in two minds – buy weights or put the money towards our next holiday. She was very generous! Buying them means more stuff in the house; I’ll check out what’s on offer and let you know if I upgrade. But never fear! The chickpeas will live to tell another story either way – as my trusty assistants or a hummus dip.

Today, we finished the Arrested Development television series, starring Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett and Michael Cera. Some of the episodes were comedic gold, some were a bit rubbish, but, overall, watching 68 episodes of the Bluth family’s escapades was a worthy time investment. The way the stories all tied together was incredibly clever, and Gob’s chicken dance will stay with me for a while. I can definitely vouch for it adding to my mental fitness in 2015.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

March 14: Five-hour walk from Aarberg to Wohlen bei Bern

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Apologies for this late post … we had an internet issue last night and nothing would send, nothing would upload, nothing would save … and after a few hours of frustration, nothing could stop me muttering “I’ll just have to do it tomorrow.”

So, a day late, here’s what we did yesterday …

After Tuesday’s walk into town with Pastora and Iva, Leo was also keen to get back into the walking swing. We did some walks in winter, but not many of length, so with the sun trying to shine (and a chilly two degrees to start the day) we caught the bus just after 9am to Aarberg, a beautiful little village further along the Aare river.

Unfortunately we didn’t go into the old town centre, so I have no photographic proof of how quaint Aarberg really is – we just walked straight off the bus onto the path to Wohlen. I’ll do a photo post about Aarberg in summer, when the trees in the main square have leaves. (*oops, didn’t manage to do that!)

There are many different wanderweg trails from Aarberg to our house, but we chose to go through Lobsigen, Baggwilgraben, Elemoos, Wahlendorf, Meikirch, Uetligen and then home. A surprise change of plans meant we ended up walking through Lobsigen, Baggwilgraben, Elemoos, Wahlendorf then Sariswil and home.

And what a lovely excuse it was – a Bernese mountain dog became our guide through the forest just after Elemoos. She became totally overexcited when we met her, and ran to the path to lead the way. It was like she knew what to do, so we thought she was walking home and encouraging us to follow her. She kept turning back and checking if we were still there and then running ahead, on the exact path we were planning to walk. Then she’d run back to us for a pat. When I was deleting old photos off my phone because the memory was full, she ran down to see what was holding me up, and barking as if to say “Come on, hurry up, what’s keeping you, let’s go!” The surprise and comfort of walking with a dog was so sweet, even though we kept encouraging her to go home.

Turns out her name is Luna and home was where we first met her, when the track dissected some farm buildings. We found this out from the closest vet surgery, in Sariswil, where we went to get her microchip checked. The vet said Bernese mountain dogs love company and love to explore. Her owners were on a day-trip to the ski fields, so she adopted us as her family for the afternoon to keep her entertained. Oh, the lovely Luna. The vet waited with her until someone, arranged by the family, came to take her home. She was unsettled as we left, and I was too. Really makes me want a dog even more!

All up, a great day. We saw so many animals – dogs, cats, horses, sheep, goats, ducks, cows, chickens …

So enough from me, I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story. I think the internet crashed last night because I tried to upload so many!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

March 13: Lots of tripping doing 30 minutes skipping

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Another Friday the 13th rolls along and, thankfully, I’ve stayed out of trouble again.

After yesterday’s run, I thought I’d keep the pace high by doing 30 minutes of skipping on the terrace. It’s going to take me years to master the art, but jumping around in this stop-start way is the only way to learn (check out the video from my previous skipping day to see how it can be done by an expert!).

It’s really noticeable that when my concentration’s gone I can only manage a few rotations before snagging my foot on the rope. But when I focus on something in the distance, with my head and neck at the right angle, then it can be a good few minutes before anything goes wrong.

Previously, I’ve only ever done 15 minutes of skipping, but knew it was time to go harder. I stopped after 15 to kick the football with my neighbour’s daughter for a few minutes in the sun, then resumed the final 15. That little break probably helped a lot.

Happily, I can report there’s less tummy bounce happening these days. Well, one would hope so after 10 weeks of daily exercise! It’s been an amazing experience and I’m so glad I’ve stuck with it.

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Worked up a bit of a sweat!

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Bit misty, but thankfully not as windy as yesterday

Today has been a day of study. I had to let go of one of the online courses – the nutrition one – because I fell too far behind, but I hope to pick it up again in summer, because I find the topic very interesting (and luckily it’s free!). So now my full attention is with the Body Matters course, which is all about exercise and how it … um, well … affects your body, believe it or not.

One of the lecturers, Dr Steven Blair, stated inactivity and low fitness are the major public health problems of the 20th century. Dr Blair (and others) say 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise – such as walking – is required per week in order to maintain a healthy fitness level. Or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise. Of course, nutrition is important too. He said too many people have a positive caloric balance on too many days – ie we’re consuming more than we’re burning. Factors include increases in sedentary jobs and transport options. We sit more at work and can be delivered closer to the door. He also has the scientific proof that you can still be overweight and fit, and that your fitness level is much more important than your fatness level.

I won’t rabbit on too much, other than to say it’s been a very productive day and I’m looking forward to catching up on the rest of the course (I’m about two weeks behind already!). All good stuff for being mentally and physically fit in 2105.

Also, if you missed it, here’s another little post from today about woodpeckers.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

The first woodpecker for 2015

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At the beginning of my morning routine (10 minutes of meditation and five minutes of stretching), I lost concentration on my breath for a few minutes because of a wonderful sound.

The woodpecker is back! He or she lives somewhere in the forest behind the house. Spotting him/her has always been impossible, so I have no idea which species it is. According to Wikipedia, there are quite a few different varieties of woodpeckers in Switzerland.

I’d like to think it’s this one, because it’s so pretty!

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Photo credit: “RO B Carol Park green woodpecker crop” by Andrei Stroederivative work: Amada44. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RO_B_Carol_Park_green_woodpecker_crop.jpg#/media/File:RO_B_Carol_Park_green_woodpecker_crop.jpg

The sporadic sound, like gunfire, is surprisingly quite soothing. That’s a nice way to start Friday the 13th, don’t you think? Maybe later I could sit somewhere in the forest with binoculars and … no, no …

March 12: 4km run and a bathroom cupboard cleanup

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The tried and tested 4km path through the forest was stomped on again by me today. This was only my fourth run/shuffle this year, which I’m finding hard to believe! The previous ones were January 10, February 13 and February 20. The weather and a sore foot have played some part in this, of course, but I really thought I would have done more by now.

Unfortunately, I can’t say I’m improving! Using the MapMyRun app on my phone, I can see I’ve done 31:15 (fell over), 26:15 (must have had a tailwind), 29:32 and today’s effort was 27:19. A bit all over the place really. And I do like to stop for the odd photo or two.

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There was an incredibly cold wind today, which made this blue-sky run not as much fun as it looks like it should be

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The sun lead me along the path

But, it’s done and it was good to be outside, even if the headwind was freezing and it felt like I was on the verge of getting an ice cream headache the entire way.

This morning, I was motivated to get out of bed early and tackle the bathroom cabinets. For some reason, I really felt the need to declutter. I’m sure there’s a scientific reason for this (or a mental one!). The thought of “the mess” in one of the cupboards was making me cringe. There isn’t really all that much stuff in there, but then again, there is … know what I mean?!

Old things went that hadn’t been used in ages. I held them and asked the Marie Kondo question, “Does it spark joy?” In some cases, it was more like, “Could that make me sick?” A red lipstick (how long should you keep them for before they go off?), green eye shadow (what was I thinking? Haven’t worn it once in three years), a makeup bag, an old mascara (which was a great size for travelling but it’s a few years old now and it says to keep for six months on the packaging), two makeup brushes and some penicillin tablets past their use-by date (for tonsillitis which flares up now and then). I thanked them all for their efforts and in the bin they went.

Then, to top off my OCDness, I made a list of every item of mine in the bathroom, everything, using the Evernote app, and sorted them into groups such as Creams – Face; Creams – Body; Nails, hands and feet; Cleansers; Perfumes; Oils; Face; Eyes; Lips; Sunscreens … you get the idea. There are now 16 different lists within the “Bathroom Supplies” notebook. I know, I know … I need a job.

At least I now know the names of everything I use for when they need replacing. If they get replaced. In an ideal world, I’d just use soap, moisturiser and a toothbrush, but I’m not quite that minimalistic (yet!). And I don’t think my sensitive skin would love me for it either. Most of the lists aren’t extensive. I have two perfumes, four oils, and five sunscreens all in various states of emptiness. But I do have seven lipsticks (mattes and glosses) and six lip balms … hmmm …

Some things were simplified. I love tiny ziplock plastic bags for travelling (about 7cm x 8cm) and had several made-up with cotton buds (must clean my ears to get the water out after washing my hair), headache tablets, penicillin tablets, toothpick things, the occasional band-aid or Compeed plaster (a must on all long walks), hayfever tablets … oh the list goes on.

Rather than the four or five I seemed to have in various states of use, I now have one, and only one, ready to go in my travel toiletry bag. Which is just a small waterproof makeup bag really. Lots of people swear by the ones you can hang, but for me they’re too bulky. The bag is now ready for any spur of the moment weekend trips, and will oggle me longingly with a desire for adventure every time I open the lower cupboard.

Does your skin go crazy in winter? I get a shocking case of winter itch which sometimes prevents me from getting to sleep. It seems to happen most, when my skin is warm but dry, while lying on the couch or in bed. Thankfully, a good chemist recommended a body cream at the start of the year and it’s hardly been an issue this year. I didn’t take it to Strasbourg and whadiyaknow, after three days I was covered in tiny, red, itchy bumps. It’s starting to go away now thanks to this …

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This stuff is the best winter-itch cream. Life saver!

What other wafflings can I bore you with from today? Umm … I watched another Miss Marple, I searched the internet for jobs (nothing!), I read, I ran, I ate … oh yes, and how I ate!! For some reason, I have a hunger today that can not be satiated. After the run, I immediately had a glass of water, four small round slices of a baguette with soft cheese, salmon and cucumber, then an apple, then a cup of tea, then a few spoons of yoghurt with protein powder and fresh raspberries, two small easter bunny chocolates (5cm high), then (yes … and then!) four rice cakes with honey drizzled over the top … and I still can’t wait for dinner!

Just writing about it is making me hungry. I’m off to warm up two of these little beauties, which we had fresh last night with a salad. They were delicious.

Wishing you a wonderful day.