All cried out

My last ever day of training before I take redundancy and start the good life trying to make and sell crafts.
This was a session showing workers how to use baby simulators so that they can use them with young people and highlight some of  the realities of becoming a teenage parent e.g having to put the baby's needs before socialising etc, with the aim of providing an experience where the young person starts to consider the age at which they may want to become a parent.
The babies are quite an entertaining training tool to use, and generally attract some weird looks when the participants take them out over their lunch break; In one session I facilitated, a participant was standing in a supermarket queue caring for her "baby" when its arm fell off - completely traumatising a small child standing further back in the queue ....
Jackie

I've been Zero'ed

I went to the masseur on Friday ,and was offered a session called Zero Balancing. To quote Louise who performed the treatment ."Zero Balancing is a hands-on body and mind therapy to release tension held in the bones and deep joints of the skeleton".  It felt at first like she was doing nothing, but as the treatment went on I was so relaxed and virtually asleep. I was told to rest up for a couple of days so no running at the moment and it's glorious outside (that's the down side). The plus side is I do feel energised and free from the aches I normally carry around with me and I now  want to get running again which for a while I have felt a lack of motivation to do.

I have started to put an itinerary together for races I want to have a go at. Some I have done before (Notts 50k), quite a few fell runs (including the stanage struggle) and a couple of ultra marathons (one being the new ultra peaks 40miler). Hopefully the energy will stay but I'm back for another Zero balance in august.

Colin

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

This week is recycle week.  I decided to try and have a bit of clear out by using up some scraps of materials and making a few throws -

Out foxing the foxes

I have been noticing more that foxes are out in the daylight hours. On our run yesterday while skirting around the old ski slope at Cossall a young fox darted across my path, and then today walking through the grounds of MFN we saw a young fox wandering around. As soon as it saw Jac it was off (don't know why). Jac thinks it because she runs so fast and that she would out fox it?
At the moment we are seeing lots of young animals and birds on our runs. It's a convenient reason to stop and take a break. Running's great but you do have to take the time to appreciate the surroundings.

We were having a discussion today about what to call a dog. It came about after bumping into a friends brother with his new rescue puppy. We thought for a jack Russell , Russell or jack would be good and Bernard for a St Bernard. Standing on a park shouting jack Russell if you had a pair of them would get you some strange looks.

Cobblers

I took my watch strap, which keeps breaking, to the Cobblers today hoping that they might be able to fix it for me, and save me the cost of having to buy a new watch strap.
Not only did the very nice man at the cobblers mend it for me, he wouldn't charge me for it either.  It was only when I asked him a second or third time if he was sure, that he suggested I make a donation to the charity box instead.  How lovely was he? 
Thank you Timpsons
I also got some really helpful advice and tips from  the man at my local sewing machine shop when I popped in to buy a darning needle (I'm wanting to do some free embroidery),  and had a nice chat with the librarians about a book I'd borrowed which I was returning.
It makes you wonder where we'll all be when the supermarkets and the internet manage to close down our town centres and high streets.  None of the helpful advice, conversations and kind deeds will be available online.  It kinda reminds me of the lyrics in Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi"  "You don't know what you've got till it's gone"

Jackie

Oh coots

It's a bit hectic at the moment. Firstly we are entering a busy period at work so long hours. Secondly we are in the process of looking /selling up. Thirdly we are trying to keep on top of the allotment, it's taking some to keep it watered this year as last year it was only partly dug over.   With regards to the allotment we have most things in and just salad plantings at regular intervals.

On a plus side and not hectic, going down to the allotment is providing the chance to see the young coots growing up at the moment they're a bundle of fluff. While watching them the other day we were informed that there are a couple of red kites in the area and a buzzard.

The fell race on Friday was good in a sadistic way. Legs definitely felt it especially the quads. I had a great ascent (hill climbing is a strong point) but I was left looking like I was going backwards coming down by one guy. Think I got a 28th position in 50.29 minutes for a 6.2 mile race. Not bad for a first attempt .

Colin

Elvis has left the car park

I was thinking that this mornings run was going to be a bit tame compared to Col's fell race in Castleton last night. It was only his second fell race, and I think belting down some of the sheer drops unnerved him a bit, but just as I was starting my steady canal tow path plod, two pot bellied pigs came darting across my path, closely followed by a bloke in shorts yelling "Come back Elvis"

Elvis reincarnated as a pot bellied pig

Jackie