First date numbers 16, 17 and 18 - variable standards!

We're still hanging in there but have got a bit iffy on the timings of our date nights and, like the rest of my blogging, I'm being very lax at recording the dates (blame it on the sunny evenings but more of that in a sec).

So what have we been up to?

Date 16 was completely fab and pushed our never-done-before-not-sure-if-we-want-to-try limits. We went to a Murder Mystery Dinner at the local stately home.  It was a beautiful evening so we walked over and were welcomed with drinks in the garden before the 'fun' started. Tim and I were probably the youngest there by a few decades and most of the other diners had come with friends. We ended up sitting on quite a boozy table (so suited us fine) and watch the story of a murder on a yacht unfold. After being fed a duff clue by the lady sat next to me, I had no idea who-dunnit, but I would say neither did 90% of the others there. We had even more fun trying to find our way home in the pitch black across a narrow bridge. The moral of that one - don't knock anything until you've tried it.

Date 17 was a Date Day - we both had the day off for Anya's birthday party prep - did very little prep but lots of dog walking, beer garden lunching, a wander through a sculpture garden at above mentioned posh house and a little shopping. The weather was with us, we reminisced about "this time 7 years ago..." and even Tim's ruddy Blackberry remained happily silent. A really perfect birthday date (and it wasn't even mine - Tim you have a week to plan that one!)

Date 18 was a bit impromptu and I'm not sure we even agreed it was a date before it started. The sun was beaming, we got the kids to bed early and had tea with a bottle of wine in the garden. We only moved inside once it went dark (and the final Big Brother had started - but less mentioned about that the better it makes me look!).

Cross my heart - will attempt to be more with it for next week!

SkyWatch Friday - Come on England

On Wednesday the whole of England ground to a stand still at 3pm to watch the football team struggle to stay in the World cup - thankfully the 23 over paid men managed to beat the smallest footballing nation in the competition to get through to the next round. The one off JCB above was on their stand at a Quarrying Expo under a huge screen to show the match live.

Fly(ing tackle) around the world at Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday - flying not falling

I've been rather lax with my photos recently - this was from the centre ring at the Staffordshire Agricultural Show - I wouldn't like to do the Risk Assessment for this activity.

The big kids couldn't take their eyes off the show.

Euan wasn't as impressed - he was far more interested in the quieter tractors.

Go and see why the rest of the world are looking up at Skywatch Friday

Now you are 7

You've got all grown up, you....

... must watch all episodes of Come dine with me and Saturday kitchen.
... still love Aston Villa but you don't want anyone to know (peer pressure has become a big motivator in your life).
... recognise nervous (it makes your tummy bubble, gives you a lump in your throat and makes you go quiet) but you know not to be scared.
... have discovered the joy of books - under the covers, shouting at brothers to leave you alone.
... become a music obsessive - keyboard practice daily, try to work out the instruments playing in every tune, know loads of bands.
... live by the clock after learning to tell the time - (gosh it's 10 o'clock already, where has the day gone)
... love Dr Who (the monsters aren't real you know - it's pathetic to be scared!) but cry at reality TV (talent shows when people have to go home are unbearable)

keep growing up but not too quickly xo

Ten years of moving - things i need.....

1.  An iPod sports arm-band. I have just discovered a podcast to take me over 9 weeks from the Couch to running (supposedly non-stop- yeah right!) 5K.  There's up beat music with a nice American man telling me when to walk and when to stumble forward slightly faster. Very good idea but carrying the MP3 player cramped my style, I tried to make an ingenious knicker pouch pocket for it but it kept falling down my trouser leg so I resorted to sticking it in my bra and hoping that no-one I knew would see me (not that I would know as don't wear glasses out and with my pumping music I could hear no-one else).

2. To remember to close my mouth when running through swarm of midgy fly things - added protein but can catch on the tonsils - doesn't make for a good energy boosting snack.

But feel that I'm making progress, after my third run I could still walk the following day.

UPDATE:

I have t got back from another run and need to add that -

3. To remember to run with my mouth closed even when it's raining as big fat juicy flies seem to favour that weather!

4. To leave the sun loving dog at home when it's raining - dragging her behind me slowed me down!

Woe is me

Today I'm going through the five stages of grief.

Denial - I can't have lost all my photos from my lap-top while trying to sort them into some type of order. They must just be hiding

Anger - Stupid computer what have you done with them, ruddy Tim what have you done with them, flipping Picasa thinks it's clever than me

Bargaining - Just let me find a few of the nice ones, how about a couple of Bucks birthday party so he'll believe that he had one when he's 20.

Depression - I'm currently wiping the tears from my keyboard so must be on my way to.....

Acceptance - Yes they really have gone - but I have got lots backed-up on a hard-drive so it's just a big chunk of this year that never happened in picture form. I cross my heart that from now on I will be more organised, back-up and do paper copies of the nice shots!

Feel better now that's off my chest, although feel I could slip back to stage 4.....

PS If you have any nice photos of my family this year please send them to me!

First date numbers 14 and 15 - doubling up dates

Tim's been globetrotting again (think it was New Jersey last week, Paris this week) - so we missed a date night. We both planned a night over the weekend without telling the other, so we did them both (how spontaneous are we!).  Tim's date was on Friday - we had a posh wine and cheese night.  We blind tasted various nice wines and ranked them (with some very interesting comments - not sure these would make it into a published wine guide - "tastes like hangover", "warm porridge", "jelly").

The favourites were me - La Chasse du Pape Sauvignon Grenache 2008, described as displaying exotic and white flowers notes, I thought it had a damp smell (then trying to get more artsy), like rain on rocks.  Tim's favourite was Gavi Cortese 2009 which is described as having a lemon palate and a nutty finish, he thought it was like boiled sweets. I was put off because it smelt like rolling tobacco?! The best cheese was Blue Stilton - yum!

Saturday night was my turn - we'd had a beautiful week so my plan was to go for a romantic evening walk along the canal - unfortunately it hammered down all day and night, so with a babysitter booked I had to find a quick alternative. The alternative was a night down the village pubs - not the most romantic of evenings but lots of talking went on and if we won a million pounds right now we know what we would do with it!

Ten years of moving - conquering the fear

The last time I went for 'a run' I was 15 and it was the annual hell of school cross-country.  Even then I hated running, I'm just not built for it and what's the need when walking gets you to the same place slightly later?  My 15 year old self cleverly avoided the whole hour hell of the cross-county by bribing the route monitor (the class fat girl who happened to have a sick note) to let me duck through a hedge a few minutes into the race. I hung around until the race leaders ran past then tagged onto the end of them.  I didn't have the 6 inches of mud stuck forming a heavy clay heel on the bottom of my trainers from crossing the newly ploughed field (we were very rural!) so managed to sprint well up the school field to the finishing line - I was very pleased with myself coming third and getting all the wow you came out of no-wheres, I did let them go to my head!

It was later announced that the first three runners would be representing the school in the County cross-country trials. Shear panic - a vow of never running again - over 20 years later I have just broken that vow.

Thanks to my pledge to get moving over the next ten years, I thought it would be important to get those feet going a bit more quickly. In fact a few friends have set me various milestones a 10km run next year, a half marathon the year after and (laughingly) the London Marathon (remember - I have ten years, if I start now I may finish in 2020!).

So I have now completed two 45 minute runs (well I was out of the house for that long). I set off at 7am so I wouldn't see anyone I knew, I left my glasses at home so I wouldn't see anyone I knew. The first time the sky was blue, the birds were singing, it was almost nice to be out. The second time it started raining sideways - not so good and I discovered that my new trainers aren't waterproof.  I tried the run two minutes, walk two minutes method of training. I managed to stumble forward for nearly two minutes, stumble forward less quickly wishing for an oxygen tank for just over two minutes.

Apparently this exercise is good for you - the week after my first running attempt I'm not sure my legs agreed with that statement, hoping for just a few days of protesting this time.

London Marathon hahahahah - I'll take the London Snickers instead.

PS teenage me did have weird fashion sense and yes did wear odd shoes.

Skywatch Friday - A swallows and amazons weekend

Click over to Skywatch Friday to see what other lovely people have been gazing up at all week.

Ten years of moving

My little sister has recently set up a new blog (over here) to chart her progress in a ten year goal of 'being a grown up'.  The challenge was set by the comedian Mark Watson in February, the basic idea is to nominate something which, over the next ten years, you would like to accomplish in your life. It could be an aspect of your personality you would like to change. Or it could be something quite specific, like learning to drive. Or it could be something really stupid. But you have to genuinely want to do it.  Not wanting to be left out and doing pretty well in ENJOYing 2010 (see this post for full explanation) I got drawn in.

TYSIC (Ten Year Self Improvement Challenge) officially started on March 4th (yes, as usual I'm slow on the up take but may be my challenge will take care of that and what's a couple of months in 10 years? ). Every week – or month, depends how well it goes – or year, if I do really badly - progress is summed up via comments on Marks blog (he's planning on publishing a newsletter of the most interesting/bizarre/heroically failed/perverse/illegal achievements. Prizes may even be available - recognition is always good!).  And the project will end on March 4th 2020. Apparently on the 5th we will all go on holiday together.
 
So here goes -

I will put one foot in front of the other and repeat

What does this mean? Mainly get off my seat and do something less boring instead, go places I've never been and meet new people. I won't stop with the feet moving even if it's a bit scary or tiring. Hopefully it will get easier and much quicker with practice!

I've got a new pair of trainers and now it's time to start using them xo