40 bags in 40 days

Yesterday marked the start of Lent in the Christian calendar. 40 days of trying your hardest to abstain from something. Usually I have to confess that I don't give up anything and continue to gorge on life's delightful treats. This year WAS going to be the same as ever until yesterday when a good friend posted a link on Facebook to decluttering, to be precise chucking out a bag of rubbish everyday for 40 days.
Yep, that's it! What a good excuse to declutter my life. Thinking of it as 'Spring cleaning' :-)

Now for some of you that might be a difficult task. Not for me! Although I wouldn't say I am a hoarder, I do have a very large stash of everything, far too much. So this year I am going to attempt to ditch a great deal of it.
You would think that with two family house moves in the past three years, the amount of unwanted clutter might be at a minimum. No! Unfortunately that is not the case. As a home educating mother and father figure and self confessed craft addict, anything and everything has a potential use. So it's stashed away for the moment in life when the light bulb is on and it materialises into something beautiful......well that's sort of how it is intended.

So, a quick read through the idea of the challenge and I'm off...inspired to throw away.

Day 1: The shed.

Just one hour in my lovely little shed and 5 (yes 5) boxes of rubbish are recycled and given away to friends who can make good use of the items no longer needed here. Oh this feels good!

Day 2: A rainy day so indoor decluttering.

Embarrassed and shamed myself by exposing the interior of kitchen cupboards and drawers. Arrrr....how could you live like that??
2 drawers and 2 cupboards cleared out :-)

This is obviously a before photo. It actually wouldn't close properly due to all that clutter. It does now though :-) :-) :-)

Turned on computer to discover that I have almost 8000 emails in my inbox. RIGHT, time to clean up (this challenge is about cleaning up all areas of my life). Manually deleted just over 4000 emails then discovered 'Roll up' through a friend which helps to eliminate subscriptions. Subscribed and am not free of 65 subscriptions. Wooo hoooo! Doing well!

I'm wondering if I shall be able to sustain this level of clean up for 40 days? Will I have anything left at the end of it?

Day 3:

I've woken up and the first thing on my mind is 'What am I going to clear out today?'.....
Fearing my clear out is becoming an obsession!
There are so many areas that need sorting and the temptation is to dive in and do it all at once. That may well be a quick fix to the 40 bags but will not be sustainable over 40 days and both go together as part of the challenge. So, I'm having to restrain myself and tackle small areas of the house at a time.

Tackled the dreaded larder cupboard today. One whole bag of rubbish easily disposed of due to resident weevil infestation in my flour. I blame the kids for that for spilling the contents all over the cupboard! Apparently you can help prevent weevils by freezing your flour for a few days as soon as you can after purchase. Hmmm the thought of frozen weevils is not in the slightest bit more appealing!
I'm finally throwing out all the out of date jars that have festered at the back of the cupboard waiting to be eaten. They were there last time I tidied and are still there so obviously no great urge to eat the contents. Good bye rubbish!!

Before

Ta dah!

I've had a little move around too :-) 

Yes I know, that top shelf is never going to look tidy but it's all okay and as neat as it can be!

I got quite carried away today and tackled one under bed drawer too throwing out old creams and lotions that didn't smell too pleasant.

2 bags!

There was also a strange moment today. The Little Lady discovered that a bunch of tunes that I had purchased from Amazon years ago, were present on our Kindle. I got listening to them and found a lovely track that I downloaded to play to the children way back in the days when we sat by the hearth singing and engaging in moments of loveliness. Now nothing too weird about that hey. But when I was clearing under the bed I found the written lyrics to the song! Just that one song - VERY weird! I haven't looked at that for years. Hmmm??
Mind now puzzles at the likelihood of a coincidence or some hidden message?

Here's the song......

'Land of the silver birch
home of the beaver
Where still the mighty moose
wanders at will

Blue lake and rocky shore
I will return once more
Boom diddy aahh da boom diddy aahh da boom diddy aarr da boom arr ar'

There's more.....but you'll have to look it up yourself.


Day 4: The study/larder/laundry room

My 40 day challenge was not the first thing on my mind this morning you'll be glad to hear.
I had planned on taking the kids out for a hike on this (unbeknown to me)  beautiful morning. I saw a little note on the local information site advertising the walk which crossed the local Roman road twice. Wow! Amazingly enough the threat of leaving the children with family for the morning whilst I enjoyed the blissful scenery by myself was enough to insure promises of good behaviour and no complaining.
Everyone seemed to want to talk to me this morning (as seems to be the case most mornings when I'm in a rush to get out) so my plans to arrive on time were scuppered and I found myself in a half dressed state running to catch up with the last walker just as they disappeared along the footpath and out of site. I must have looked a bit of a plonker with one gaiter on and the other in hand!
Walking through the peaceful countryside is just what was needed. It's amazing how nature works to clear your mind of clutter. It's so good on so many levels. Exercise, fresh air, socialising and in this case learning quite a bit about the history of the local area. What's more, if you take a buddy for the youngest child it seems that they complain far less and explore more. So returning home, I had four tired, happily aired children :-)

This was an old healing well. Inside you could see the spring bubbling away. Folk used to walk to this well via an ancient avenue of Ash trees and bring their sick to this well for healing. Apparently there used to be signs of use right up until fifteen or so years ago. Folk used to leave remnants of the suck child's clothing attached to a nearby Hawthorn tree.

Interesting!

This afternoon on day 4 of my 40 day challenge, I embarked on The Study. Well we call it that. It's a little room at the back of the house that triples up as a utility room/larder/study (and at the moment - common dumping ground). Oh those drawers and that filing cabinet have been crying out for a bit of tlc for months (okay, years). Everything had got into such a muddle with paper and things literally spewing out of the drawers and piles of unfiled paperwork. Jee whizz! This clear up business is not for the feint hearted. But I'm determined, so I sauntered on.
There's always that moment where the whole place looks a whole lot worse when you're trying to tidy up. That moment when you remove everything ready to sort it before putting it all away again.

This is that moment!

Looks like a bomb has gone off!

I've taken great pleasure in throwing a whole bin bag of paperwork away and sorting all those drawers :-) It still looks a mess though as I am yet to clear the main of the room. Today's clear out was a good one. I found several early examples of the children's artwork which made me smile and some lovely photos too. Plus I found an old birthday card from Tim. He wrote inside that he loved me very much. I always knew that he did :-)

Tomorrow is a 'no tidy' day. The challenge allows you a day off! How will I resist the temptation?

Ruby's adventures in Wonderland

I cannot believe it! My darling daughter (aka, The Little Lady) celebrated her 10th birthday today. Where does the time go? One whole decade of fun and laughter....oh and of course those rather famous tantrums!
In our house it seems that birthdays are definitely occasions to look forwards to. Planning of parties begins often immediately after the previous birthday has passed. It's a little dull for me as I cringe at the passing of the years in my own life, but as a child, I can see the sheer pleasure and joy of being the centre of attention, planning and attending parties and of course receiving birthday gifts.
So about six months ago or so, The Little Lady began to plan her birthday party. This years theme:- Alice in Wonderland. Wowzers!

Many years ago in a previous life, I used to have time to think about and carefully plan birthday parties, I actually built up quite a reputation for the level of excitement raised as a result of my efforts. It's not like that now. I have VERY good intentions but some how time just seems to whizz on by and I pass from having huge amounts of time to being caught up amidst a mad rush!

It wasn't quite as daunting as it seems, I did get some early ideas together (well in my head anyway).
The costume has been bubbling away in my thoughts for quite some weeks and warranted a trip to my favourite fabric store Mason's! Arrr that store.....I lose myself in there amongst the rolls of fabric and bits and bobs, it really is any creative persons dream place.
So I found the fabrics and trimmings I thought I needed and popped them in a safe little place back home ready for when the moment arose. Of course the time passed and I didn't actually get around to starting it until Thursday last week (with only three days to go) and of course The Little Lady didn't choose a simple design. Oh no! She chose a rather lovely little lacy ballet number. It was rather beautiful. We took inspiration from a picture on Pinterest. However, what I hadn't anticipated was the lack of stretch in my bargain lace fabric. So of course whilst fiddling away (as I do) last week and attempting to craft my masterpiece, we encountered a few minor problems actually squeezing my costume on. With life's busy schedule and a severe lack of time I made a last minute decision to go for plan B. (Well actually there wasn't a plan B but I quickly thought one up!)
A few years back, the girls took part in a rather lovely dance show and one of the costumes I made for the pair of them were beautiful romantic style leotards and skirts. I was really proud back then. So   yesterday I made the decision to use them again. Of course The Little Lady had to wear Miss P's stuff as she's grown quite considerably over the past few years (must be over feeding her!). The only technical hitch was the fact that her knickers were to be visible (now that won't do), the only thing for it was to whip up an over skirt to cover the tutu and create a rather mmmmm pouffy skirt. I'm so glad I saved my last old worn out duvet cover, it worked just perfectly.
Oooops! Almost forgot to say that the costume was indeed for the White Queen. I cannot ever recall there being a White Queen, but I am assured that there is one!

Look! There she is smiling at the camera :-)

A rather empty cake stand...although look at that tea plate!

The other element that we've been planning for a while was a the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. It simply has to be done. I thought it would be rather fitting to use vintage china tea cups for the occasion. I'm in ownership of a couple of sets myself but I rather like them and didn't want to risk breaking them so we set about trawling the local charity stores in search. It's really rather fun shopping for a themed party and looking for vintage china is right up my street I've decided. Having looked on Ebay, sets are really rather expensive (£12 or so for a cup saucer and tea plate), some of the charity shops try charging the same but mostly you can pick up a pretty cup and saucer for under two pounds. Much as would have loved to have kept them all, I figured they could be used for the party and then given as gifts to the children to take home at the end. It worked a treat.

Theming games around Alice in Wonderland was no problem at all. If you have a little imagination you really could go to town and create the most amazing environment and fun menu of past times. When I set about looking for inspiration my mind itself was set into a flurry at the sheer extent of the endless possibilities. In someways for me as a creative person I found that bit the hardest as I am so limited by time and energy these days. I'm not really one to settle for second best but sometimes I realise that I don't have a choice and have to go with it.
So we played croquet in the kitchen......'Play your cards right'- in the sitting room, Alice's game (my take on Kim's game - the memory game where you look at the items on the tray, cover them up and then try and remember them) and pass the parcel with forfeits. My little little house seemed fit to burst with 13 children and four adults occupying the downstairs (note to self - 'This house is not suitable for parties'). The situation reminded me of the book titled 'The Little Little house' did you ever read it? Mama May thinks her house is too small so her wonderful wise aunt suggests that one by one she bring in all her animals and then reverse the process. After much chaos, Mama May realises that her house is just fine :-)

The party went down a storm (in a tea cup - sorry late in the day!), the children rather enjoyed supping lemonade from teacups and nibbling on homemade biscuits :-)
A very generous friend of mine jumped on the waggon and volunteered to make the birthday cake. Now I do actually relish the opportunity to do this myself I have to say, even though I have made some rather disastrous birthday cakes over the years, but the thought of one less job to do was incredibly appealing so I willingly accepted her offer and what a delightful and delicious cake it turned out to be. It seems that it was quite a family affair, with all members contributing their efforts to the decoration. I even managed to get it home in one piece (just) and didn't drop it despite its heaviness.

So all in all a good day - no wait, a good weekend. It seems that virtually the entire weekend has been consumed with one child's birthday and the preparations. Giddy aunt! How glad am I that these marathon events only come around once a year. (Times by three of course in my case!).
With regards to my house......when everyone left (some an hour and a half after everyone else) and the temptation to crash had passed and all  the cleaning up complete, I am proud to announce my house is really rather lovely and just perfect for us :-)

Lily Loula - our very own Cheshire Cat :-)

Sunshine loveliness

Ooooh wasn't today a beautiful day!
I went to bed last night wondering what I could do with my small folk today? I trawled through the local paper and checked out the local 'Things to do pages' on line, but nothing really jumped out and inspired me. By my, when I opened the curtains this morning after a peaceful slumber, the sunshine beaming in through the window calling me outside to play. It truly felt undeniably Spring-like. Yay! At last :-)

I've been suffering this weekend with my second bout of a cold. Strange that! I endured the symptoms of a head cold only two weeks back and am feeling a little disgruntled at having been caught once again after a week of feeling well again. This latest episode wasn't one that liked my being outdoors initially. We popped into town on Friday and Whoa! That was not a good move. I felt dreadful upon my return and had to wrap up once inside to regain some core heat!
Today the air was warmer and the wind was at a minimum and that sunshine, didn't it beam :-).....
My instant thought was to take a little stroll along the river in Lechlade and visit the little old church there, followed by hot chocolate in one of the local tea rooms. (Hot chocs have become the new eating out treat in this ere household in recent years).
We didn't actually make it out until 1pm following every ones fiddling about with this and that, you have to run with it as it shines at this time of year as the sun still goes down around four. So with not many potential hours of loveliness remaining we packed up and drove.
Burford was closer than Lechlade and called to be explored, so to save time that's where today's adventure began.
Now, we've explored Burford many many times before, but only the shoppy bit on the hill, ooh and a little bit once when we took my grandparents for a picnic along one of the little side streets. Today we planned to walk the river.

Equipped with ourselves and the dog, a little money and a phone, off we toddled. I had anticipated a two mile trundle today with many moments of pause to paddle, climb trees, admire the view......hmmmm, the best intentions hey!

The mystery child in the red coat.....

Enthusiasm was up on the first couple of miles as we reacquainted ourselves in each others company....all good.

We saw the river in the distance and seemed to be walking in parallel to it. I was certain that at some point there had to be a foot path that would lead us across the fields to admire it's beauty at close quarters.

That alluring river and pretty Church in the distance 

Two miles further and we could see Taynton church in the distance, still beyond the river....surely there had to be  footpath to Taynton? NO!

We kept trundling (younger members of the party not to happy by this point), there had to be a foot path to the left at some point?

Complaints step up, bribes in the form of a possible trip to the traditional sweet shop, start to flow!

Still we keep walking but still no footpath to take us to the river which is now just a tease in the distance. Finally I resort to Mrs Sat Nav in the hope of some light on the subject. Of course there is a way through but we're not there yet!

The moss on this wall practically glowed with the sun shining on it (picture doesn't do it justice)

I've pictured Jenny dog with her 'wolf' shadow before. It was with us again today :-)

The Barrington's. There was actually a heron on the green which provided a moment of distraction.

*Note to self, Sat Nav's work well when used when travelling by motor car as distance passes rapidly. On foot, this is NOT the case (well not with winging children in tow!).

**Second note to self, map out route prior to commencing!

Pressing on.....it's amazing the number of possible distractions that can be conjured up when desperation sets in. I should have just turned round and gone back but the potential excitement I was searching for was ever there out of reach. Animal tracks in the moss on the road, old tin cans discarded on the verges, Spring flowers emerging, the list is endless....almost.

Well, we walked to Little Barrington, then Great Barrington, Taynton and finally back to Burford.
Little Jenny dog didn't complain one bit :-)

A whole bundle of cock pheasant tail feathers to add to the collection.

Our two mile adventure turned into EIGHT miles of drudgery and complaints from the children. Why don't they share my enthusiasm for the good out doors? (Contemplates leaving children at home next time!).

We made it....I survived!

Mmmmmm

All was made well as we did make the sweet shop and the tea room (just).

Heres's hoping that you made the most of the sunshine and had a perfectly delicious Sunday XXX

Sunday morning stroll

I do like a good wintry stroll, especially on a crisp Sunday morning where you have to wrap up warm to avoid becoming a victim of 'cold fingers, nippy neck, back draught or tingly toes'. Oh those Winter woolly layers, Mmmmmm :-)

Having not gone on many of these rather lovely leisurely strolls in recent years, I am reminded what an absolute treat it is and how amazingly lucky we are to live in such a beautiful and scenic part of the world.

Sunday morning was beautiful. Frosty, but accompanied by the most brilliant sunshine. Oh to get a really good dose of vitamin D, arrrr......
So off we toddled with Small boy and his friend, myself, a very eager Jenny dog and my dear friend who is finally able to keep pace and join us in such pursuits. Of course keeping pace is not really something that happens when you take two small boys out into the country. The world is full of so many wonderful distractions. It would be a sin of the worst kind to make haste and set any serious pace on such a fantastic morning.

We took to our village lake to explore the seasonal changes and enjoy the beauty that surrounds right on our doorstep and what a total delight it was.

The sun's energy beaming its dappled rays through the bare trees created the most incredible reflections in the water and the colours of the vast variety of mixed plantings feasted our eyes on the most stunning palate of hues. How often do we think of Winter as being drab and dull? You have to see beyond that sometimes and look for the colour, it really is there if you open your eyes.

The boys were thrilled to see that recent rainfall had caused the water level of the lake to rise and overflow, whooshing over the edge of the storm drain and belting out at break neck speed into the little stream below. What an excitement to paddle in the stream and feel the waters energy pummelling on your wellies.

Further on we observed the excellent efforts of the estate gardeners and their ground clearance work to encourage new growth and strengthen the banks and to give rise to clear and inspiring views across the water.

The boy's were reminded of a fox that they had found in the hollowing of tree roots; a dead fox. They had awaited the decay of its flesh to enable them to explore closely the structure of its bones. Today the moment of readiness to examine the creature were upon us and challenging thought and practise were instrumental in excavating the poor thing. Nothing prepared me for parenting a child with such gross interests!
The fox carcass was exhumed and balanced precariously on the end of a stick which was carried at arms length. It still stank!
I have to admit that the jaw of the fox was intact and was....interesting!

I know.....rather yucky!!

Further on, the boys admired the bridge which had been cleared of its tangled mass of creepers, exposing its face wall and several 'secret' doorways. These required some careful navigation but were explored non-the-less with great enthusiasm.
A badgers paw was hooked out of the lake in the same spot. Amazing how the water had preserved the flesh. Thankfully it was returned!

A slow pace meant many treasured moments to stop and admire the incredible scenery. An hour or so of wonderful fresh air and another collection of memories to be kept forever :-)

Back to just us.....

*A week late.......better late then never!!

We've had a rather delightful week this week, just us......that's me plus my three, (oh and Jenny dog, Lily Loula and The Stick!)
I think that we really needed a break from the chaos of late (the chaos of Christmas....isn't Christmas supposed to be  a time for relaxing?? Seems like it's becoming increasingly stressful these days, might have to reconsider the whole workings of the season next time round). So just me and mine.....BLISS!!

Most of our clubs and activities don't recommence until next week, what a spot of luck that is....did I say how lovely our week has been?? Hehe!!

So Monday when the large majority of folk were returning to work, we rejoiced in being able to crawl out of bed when our bodies were ready to do so. A client called by mid morning but the rest of the day was spent just moseying around simply being.......in the afternoon, we exerted ourselves a little with a trip to Banbury to see 'Paddington'. I had a little nap mid way through.....(it's the warmth, dark, moments peace where the children are distracted from inflicting pain on each other and the gentle hum of folk savouring popcorn) but can honestly say I loved it (well what I saw of it anyway). If you haven't seen the film yet, it's well worth a watch :-)

Tuesday saw Miss P out at a friends for a spot of 'teenage catch-up', the Little Lady invited herself to her fiends house to plan her latest business venture so Small Boy and I ventured to on the first of many power training walks in preparation for my marathon Moon Walk (see previous post).

Wednesday....arrrr Wednesday....that was another of those 'stay at home and be' days.....I do so love those days that seem so rare these days.
It was really quite a delight to whop the heating up to 17 degrees (I know, I'm really going for it this year) and just sit back. For once there was no fighting amongst the small people they happily busied themselves for quite a while. I even got to spend a little time hooking away at that blanket. It's coming along quite nicely now and is almost at the desired length. Rather funny how that's happened really. One minute it seemed that I was only just beginning my mammoth blanket project and the next...well, take a peek!

Hehe...stripy socks too!

I shall have to work out how I'm going to edge it next.
So whilst I was busy bumbling about with my things, Small Boy was busy at working drilling, hammering and sawing wood on the sitting room hearth. He worked away for hours quite happily until he had created a bed for his Rara (that's his exceedingly dirty comfort blanket). He's commissioned me to make a duvet and pillow for it when I have time :-)

Mean while, The Little Lady decided to cook up the soup for lunch. She's becoming a useful 'dab hand' in the kitchen and seems to have a real flair for food preparation. So from my little sanctuary upstairs I relayed information on how to create tomato and lentil soup and within half and hour the delightful aromas came wafting up the stairs. She was quite pleased with herself, even more so when small Boy commented that it was better then mine!

She even laid the table too!

Miss P spent a little of the day doing some studying then a lot of the day creating 3D figures with Loom bands. The craze that seems to be coming to a halt the world over is still very much alive in our house with amazing creations being churned out daily. We took a little trip to the local garden centre this afternoon and The Works were selling the bands off at just 10p a pack......we have an even better stash now!

The other little thing that is already proving 'life changing' this week, was my 'on a whim' purchase of a 'Crock Pot' or Slow cooker as they are better known here. Well what a delight. Just ten minutes prepping and chucking in of veg, turn it on and six hours later after going out or busying yourself with whatever....Ta day!!! Dinner smelling delish and ready for tucking into. It's like having your own chef! This really is the answer for a busy single mother with no reliable other to help out when you return late from activities. Thoroughly recommend :-) :-) :-)

Oooh look, there it is....talking of which....... the smell of yummy offerings is wafting up the stairs right now! Mmmmmmmmmmm :-)

I almost forgot our visit from this little poppet...........                    

Sooo cute!

A true inspiration

I have woken up this morning to the most wonderful news. My brother in law Matt has just been given a kidney and panaceas transplant.

It is not every day that you meet someone that stands out as truly inspirational.
I often encounter folk who have done amazing things but usually those are one offs like training for marathons, helping someone in a crisis etc. Occasionally you meet someone who really stands out as being truly inspirational. Someone who endures feats like no other for months (often years) on end with little or no complaint.
Matt is certainly one of those people.

Having been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three, Matt has had to endure years of insulin injections and hypos when he hasn't quite got things right. But through all this he has still lived life to it's full and to someone meeting Matt for the first time, you would never know what suffering he endured on a daily basis.

Finally, yesterday morning, Matt received the call he has been waiting about eighteen months for. (Not one suitable donor, but two :-)). After nine previous calls which turned out to be 'unsuitable' his opportunity for a better life has finally arrived.
Of course receiving a donated organ does mean that someone else has had to die and usually that person was a fit and well individual prior to their death. It's a difficult situation to be in; wanting a donor to come along but at the same time not wanting to think of someone else having to lose a loved one. Life is unpredictable and tragic situations do occur meaning that people do die before their time. What is lovely about donating an organ is that part of your loved one is able to live on and help support the life of another.

For Matt the waiting game has been long and arduous. In many ways he was fortunate, he didn't get to the point where he was on dialysis prior to his operation. He was however in a constant state of tiredness and of feeling unwell (none of these stopped him from throwing my children around in play :-)).
How amazing are medical advances?

The road to recovery will be long but having the donated organs (if they work) should mean a new found quality of life for Matt and my sister Emma.

Sending out love and positive healing thoughts, and eternally grateful thoughts of thanks for the medical team that enabled this life giving miracle to take place :-) :-) :-)

Are you on the donor list?????

X

Moon Walk 'here we go'

Back in 2011, two lovely friends and myself trained and took part in the London Moon Walk. It's a marathon walk (yes the whole 26.2 miles) around London.....at night......wearing a fancy decorated bra (oh yes!!)..... to raise money and awareness into breast cancer. Besides being for a good cause, it is one hell of a good/great challenge.

Back then when I initially signed up for the challenge, I thought I'd do it without any training....well it is only a walk isn't it??!! Ummm....WRONG.....this challenge was and is, far more then 'just a walk'. It  is a challenge of endurance, a challenge of emotional strength and a challenge to conquer all.......those who are unlucky enough to develop cancer will be all too familiar with such challenges but on a very different level.

Of course I realised very early on (I think it was the day when I tried to walk just a mile at speed) that I would need to train and train intensively, if I was going to stand a chance of completing the challenge and walk away unscathed at the end.

So four years on and two of us friends are entering again. Why?? I hear you question, well for me this time is a personal challenge to walk it faster...that's all! 

So back in October, I signed up and last week saw the start of months of training, (four months to be exact!). It's not an easy feat to get out there at this time of the year, especially not following the wonderful festive period of over indulgence.

So new trainers at the ready and off we go......

Week one consists of three, three mile walks at a gentle pace....quite a nice way to break us in really and also something that I can happily involve the kids with too without too much moaning :-)

This week was week two, still gentle walks but this time four miles in length....well it just didn't happen.....not according to plan anyway. I thought I'd go out with the Small Boy on the first walk of the week, him on his bike and my walking...gently...or so I thought. We trekked off along a country road which had far more traffic then I thought and so the supposed 'steady' walk became a break neck full out power walk. Four miles of it too! Not surprising that I ended up with a blister on my heel on the first wearing of those new trainers :-( oooh errrr, not what I needed with that only being the first walk of the week!

The second walk was much the same, although this time I did opt for a more traffic free, safer route. 

Only two days on since the blister, I had to lather my heel in Vasaline and layer up the socks to limit the friction. It was pretty sore to start off but to be honest the pain nulled after a mile or so.

I was reminded why I had decided to take-2 on this challenge yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the weather was somewhat warmer then it has been recently. You see so much more when you walk (even at a pace), many more elements of our wonderful surroundings that we just take for granted in out fast paced lives. It's also a change to just be at peace with yourself. You have much time to ponder life when distractions are at a minimum. 

So 'heeeelllllooo again' bum muscles! Good to know you are still there somewhere. What a treat lies ahead for you :-).........

If any of you fancy joining me on my marathon training challenge or if you just fancy a walk in the country, it would be good to have you on board! XXX