Quick round up

We went to the beach and Spot got beach hair.




I finished the quilt top but am waiting for the fleece to arrive for the backing:-



I started my April challenge socks.... Completed one... Then frogged it cos I didn't like it. Have now nearly finished the replacement:- (needles conveniently cropped from photo). I like these much better.





Saw my first spring ducklings while on my run last weekend




And am now on week4 of my raceforlife training ( where it all begins to get a bit serious as you hear me wheezing from the next county! )

So there you have it! What you been up to?

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The Race for life widget has appeared

^^^^ See it? - Just up there?  I'll blog about it more as time goes on, but in the meantime, it's there and it's open for business! ;)

Race for life for Cancer Research UK - open for registration

My blog has turned pink(ish) as yesterday the registrations opened for Raceforlife  I have done this 5km run for the past 4 years, in all kinds of June weather (including hail one year - that was a blast!)  And will be doing it again this year.

If you are a woman and there is any way you can think about running, walking, or crawling 5km, please think about signing up for a local race.

The first person to comment below (on my blog, not on facebook!) with a link to their sponsor page for this year will get a £10 sponsor from me - just for registering! - Go on, make this year your year!

(My sponsorship page will be added soon with a little clickable widget to sponsor me, but I just need to check who else might be joining me this year, and which day is best as they do two in Guildford)

Phew

I did it!!! I ran the whole way! ;) - 5km of jogging at an average of 7 mins per km (I actually think i could walk that pace, but I didn't I proper jogged the whole way!!)  We were lucky with the weather, dry, slight chilly breeze.... 


I'd said I wasn't going to do it again after this year - maybe volunteering instead........ but you know it's a hard thing to give up! - never say never and all that.

Thanks to all my sponsors, and the three people that left me messages - I will add the donation for those tomorrow, they definitely helped me get round the difficult 4th km (past half way, but still with a way to go!)

I'm off to the bathtub now, I may be gone for some time! ;)

Race for life tomorrow ;)

It's funny doing this for the fourth year running (or maybe it's 5?? I've lost count!)  I've been very determined to finally actually jog the whole thing (I won't class what I do as running, it's barely more than a walk!) and in being so determined I've kind of turned it into a thing about me........ which is just all wrong.

You see it's been a challenge, I don't enjoy running, I don't feel good afterwards, I don't enjoy the training, I'm not good at it, I don't feel very natural (too many years ice-skating, I don't expect to have to put so much effort into moving forwards quickly)...... and there you have it, it's all about me...

So I tried to change it, when I didn't want to train, I remembered that people with cancer still have to get up every morning and go to work/take kids to school/be a friend/be a member of a family/live the day in whatever way it needs to be lived.  I have a choice, I can wait til I feel more like it, but that really isn't the point is it? You see it seems to me that it's a lot about raising the money for charity, but it's also about doing something that maybe isn't as pleasurable as you'd like it to be.

Someone once told me that you should not criticise or empathise with someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Now I'd heard the criticise bit, but not the other...... It seemed odd, surely empathy is a positive emotion in a way, supportive, helpful?? - But maybe this tiny tiny thing I have done has made me realise the truth of that statement.  Of course you want to try to share someone's feelings and try to identify when they are going through any kind of crap. But perhaps it just isn't that easy.  This little effort of getting up in a morning (not even early I might add) and going for a training run when I don't feel like it, is so unbelievably far short of living a single day with cancer........ It's true, I can never have empathy, I do not understand the magnitude of the feeling, not for those who have the illness or for those that are trying to help family who have it.

So, what I can do is be supportive, be there to be leant on, to be cried on, or laughed with, to fill days with sunshine ,smiles and hugs as far as possible, and in all honesty to not try to understand...... because I can't.

So I will race tomorrow, with a smile, and a lightness of foot (hahahaha, if you believe that.......). I have raised a fantastic amount of money, and that will change lives...I run for my best friend, for family, and for a number of blog and forum friends who are either living with cancer or have lost family to cancer.  It's not about how fast I do it, or whether I beat my other times, It's just about doing it....... me and about 2,999 other women! ;)

RACE FOR LIFE MESSAGES!

OK, I think  have found a way to record answerphone messages as MP3's. So, if you'd feel easier phoning a message for my Raceforlife playlist then you can either Skype me,  and leave your messages for race for life. I'll try to add a Skype widget to my blog for the next two weeks to make it easier. Although obviously I won't be online otherwise you won't get the answerphone!!!

To quote my previous post (in case you don't know what I'm talking about):-

• OK everyone it's another year for the race for life. Now as most of you know. as yet I have not managed to run the whole 5k non-stop (although my jogging pace at the moment might as well be walking anyway!) But this year I'm going to ask for your help to get me through.
  
  Now I don't want to keep asking for sponsorship (although feel free if you have the urge - link in the sidebar there!! ) but I wondered if you would do something else for me? - I will pay £2 for everyone who sends me an MP3 encouragement message of 20 seconds or longer. What I was thinking was that I would make a playlist of all the messages, and some of my fave running tunes for my ipod, and hopefully if I hear those messages from around half way round (when I normally get bored/tired) it'll keep me going. You have plenty of time, my race isn't until June 20th and you can email them to me up until the Friday before for inclusion in my playlist and the £2 donation from me.
  
  There seems to be plenty of software around to record mp3 voice messages - just google "record mp3 voice" although I haven't tried any yet as I've only just had this brainwave!! If I find out from anyone that any are great or terrible I'll let you all know!! ;)

 Now the only trouble is that I only have the software to save the phone messages for 2 weeks (runs out on 23 May) before I have to pay for it, so if you want to do this by phone please try to do it in that time.  These messages are really just for fun, so feel free to be creative. Join in with friends or family, down the pub, in the garden or anywhere you like..... just remind me why I'm doing it!  If you want to use a PC and normal recording software then there is no rush to do it, The two week limit is only if you want to use the phone.

Just in case everyone should happen to go mad and send me messages - I may have to put a monetary limit on my donation (in the region of £50) - just in case 300 of you send me messages!! ;)

Race for Life - I need your help!

OK everyone it's another year for the race for life. Now as most of you know. as yet I have not managed to run the whole 5k non-stop (although my jogging pace at the moment might as well be walking anyway!) But this year I'm going to ask for your help to get me through.

Now I don't want to keep asking for sponsorship (although feel free if you have the urge - link in the sidebar there!! ) but I wondered if you would do something else for me? - I will pay £2 for everyone who sends me an MP3 encouragement message of 20 seconds or longer. What I was thinking was that I would make a playlist of all the messages, and some of my fave running tunes for my ipod, and hopefully if I hear those messages from around half way round (when I normally get bored/tired) it'll keep me going. You have plenty of time, my race isn't until June 20th and you can email them to me up until the Friday before for inclusion in my playlist and the £2 donation from me. Email to auntienoo{AT}googlemail{DOT}com Replacing the {AT} and {DOT} as appropriate.

There seems to be plenty of software around to record mp3 voice messages - just google "record mp3 voice" although I haven't tried any yet as I've only just had this brainwave!! If I find out from anyone that any are great or terrible I'll let you all know!! ;)

Where have you been?

Well Ok that's not fair as it's me that's been AWOL!  I just got bored of writing the same things and life seemed to be moving in repetitive cycles for a while there - well I suppose it always does doesn't it. I just need to find a new angle for it.

Anyway, the chicks are all grown up now, 3 hens and a cockerel. The hens are laying already so they are finally making me a few pounds! - or at least paying for themselves.

Spot is adorable as ever, getting a little slower in her dotage (not necessarily a bad thing), but still lovely and with a character all of her own!

Knitting has been continuing as ever, hats, gloves, socks and a jumper or two!

And there's been a bit of work, but the less said about that the better.

It feels like spring will be here soon, the temperature seems to be rising a little, although it's still raining at every available opportunity.  And as ever, February has heralded the Race for Life events. I've signed up and there's a widget in the sidebar there for anyone who wants to sponsor, but this year I have a few other ideas up my sleeve, so keep tuning in here for details.

I hope you're all well and haven't had too wet and snowy a winter, I'll be back here soon - Honest!

37mins 22 secs

Yep I completed 5km in 37 mins.  Not too shabby to say that I hadn’t trained.  We started the race in hail stones, jogged our way through that, sun and drizzle again at the end, but it was actually so much better that running in the heat we had last year.   My sister did amazingly well and ran all the way to complete it I think she said 4 mins 12 quicker than me (she had the stop watch so did lap splits) .  I am so proud of her running all the way – I had a long walk in the  middle stretch! – It was a good start for Bex though as she has also committed to doing the 10k for Cancer Research in September, I am totally in awe of her, a link for her sponsor page is here for any family/friends that are equally in awe……. .10km is at best an hour of jogging, ….. I can’t even think about that!.   I’d also like to say a special thanks to Sue, who although she wasn’t running this year, still showed up to support us, and given the weather,  that was probably braver than us running (at least we kept warm!)   It made so much difference to see a smiling face half way, and again towards the end…….it gave bex and I both the encouragement we needed.

So thank you to all who sponsored me, I hope I did you proud……… you should know that I am honoured that you chose me to sponsor.   I know that there are many many women who do this 5km every year and it really is an incredible show of will and determination to see them all ages, all levels of fitness, push themselves to finish that 5km.

My Justgiving widget will soon miraculously turn to point to the p/hop page…… just to keep you on your toes!! – I will explain that more fully when I change it.

In the meantime, I’m off for my annual Jazz pilgrimage on Friday for a week, so this will probably be my last blog before that.  I may try to blog from my phone while we’re away, so if you’re after a bit of fun, music  and jiving, keep your eyes peeled! ;-)

It's that time again.

So here we go, it's Race for Life again!

A widget has, miraculously, appeared in my sidebar for anyone wishing to make donations, but please know that I don't expect much. I know that everyone is having a tough time in the world right now, and every penny counts.

However, If everyone that reads this blog just sponsored £2 then I would easily double, and quite possibly treble my target.

To this end, and to encourage people to sponsor less that the cost of a pint of beer, anyone who comments with a link to their own raceforlife sponsor page before midnight on valentines day (errr UK Time!!!) will get a £2 sponsorship from me. I will limit this to the first 20 people, just in case you all go mad! The reason for the early deadline is to get you to register and commit to doing this years race. You don't have to run it, walking, jogging, anything is fine!

Go on, what are you waiting for?  Sign up here

edited to add: I will make all the donations together on Feb 15th or thereaboouts otherwise I may end up confusing myself!

Yes (punches the air)

I just ran 3 lots of 8 minutes. Obviously I'm now too knackered to type...... but I'm dead chuffed. Off to watch the F1 now :)

A touch chilly!

Well most of Britain has been blasted by 3" of fallen snow - not so here :( We got some snow showers yesterday but nothing really stayed. It is flippin freezing though. My sister and I have been out running this morning and although we warmed up nicely with the jogging the tops of my legs were ice cold to the touch when I got home. We're doing well and on week 3 of the couch potato plan but we need to keep up now to be on target for running the whole 5km's on 7th June. We have 10 weeks, and it's a 9 week plan and we're on week 3...... but as made apparent by my Bump the other week, things can go wrong and we don't want to leave it til the last minute to be running for 30 mins. And it's flippin' hard when it's so darn cold out!!!!!


In this weather there really is only one thing for it!!!! :-

Knitting!!!!!

Firstly I finished my Express Lane socks from the new online magazine The Inside Loop . I modified the pattern by knitting a slipstich heel ('cos I like them!) and shortening the leg by one pattern repeat. I also did a sewn bind off (bottom of that page!) because I am wholeheartedly sick of socks that I have cast on or off too tightly!!!! - These are perfect, very, very stretchy. And the yarnover method of short rows is so much neater than the wrap and turn. - Great pattern.Secondly, I have started a Central Park Hoodie. I am knitting the second size, and have modded the pattern to allow for a little waist shaping as I really need a fitted cardi at the moment. I also will be putting buttons on it as I've seen loads on Ravelry with buttons and think that looks best. (Jo028's is one of my faves but she hasn't blogged about it yet - when she does I'll link to it!!! But she has made some great cardi's lately so you should check out her blog!) The back is coming up spot on size so it will be a snug fit, but I can always make the fronts the next size up if I feel like I want more ease when it's done.

Well I do hope you're all keeping warm. Happy Easter!

How was January for you?

Well my goodness already a month of the year has gone - where does the time go?

In view of the fact that it seems to have sped by, I thought I'd have a think back over the month to see where it all went!!

Well I have been knitting furiously, so that accounts for a lot of the spare time - the Sunday cardi was finished (I'm wearing it now and it's snug!!) and Mavis was started and finished..... AND I've done the back and one and a half fronts of the Graffiti hoodie. I also made a little bag, for a round robin gift exchange on the forum, and made two dishcloths for another swap, one knitted and one crocheted. Hmmmmm that does explain some of the swift passing of the month then!

In making Mavis I finally learnt how to do matress stitch properly - and boy am I glad I did. I referred to my Stitch n Bitch book (which is great in times of crisis as the instructions are always sensible and easy to follow) and I am so happy with the result. I have always hated sewing up with a passion, not because of the time it took, but because to me it always spoilt my knitting - frankly I was crap at it!!! In recent years I've taken to knitting most garments in as close to one piece as possible and it has for the most part, worked. But knitting huge pieces can be tedious, and in some instances can spoil the shape........ so I'm REALLY happy that I've finally learnt to sew up properly. It did take a long time - and I got dreadful back ache (I was doing it on the ironing board - well let's face it, it needs to feel like it has a purpose in life), but the result was so pleasing and I'm chuffed. (Can you tell?)

I also registered for the race for life this month - and have been training 3 times (yes only 3, but hey it's January, it's dark, it's cold, and the race is 5 months away... and I started the month with a cold (sniff).......... okay I know that's not quite the attitude, but come March I'll be much more pro-active!)

What else happened??? - Well I had to work a bit, which is always time consuming.... and has culminated in the filing of a self assessment online on a website which apparently doesn't work when more than three people try to use it! (Or some other such reason for it being down on the 31st Jan) Honestly the slogan of "tax doesn't have to be taxing" has never rung so untrue!!! - I wouldn't mind but it wasn't my fault it was left to the last minute (something I don't usually do - the last week maybe, but not the last day) but I was let down by the accountant when I needed an answer to a question........ which took him a week to answer. I know it's his busiest time of year, but I was doing him a favour by filing the SA myself anyway - he should have been doing it. Methinks we will be finding a new one!

So that's kind of where January went!

February is already shaping up to being an exciting month! - I have decided to raise some more chickens. Some will be table birds (sorry !!) and some will be to extend the laying flock, especially as apparently the hybrids don't lay too well after a year/18months. I want to raise these new chickens from eggs though, and, what's more, in a natural way with a broody hen, not an incubator. So the first thing to do is to find a suitable hen for sitting, which I think will be a silkie or a silkie/sussex hybrid, which apparently turn broody at regular intervals through the year. Then as soon as she is settled and hopefully goes broody in a month or three I will get some hatching eggs of different breeds. (I really want an egg basket of different coloured eggs, so am looking at Legbars, barnvelders, and Dorkings - for blue/green, dark brown, and white eggs respectively ...... if I've got my breeds right!! and Sassos for the table birds) If the silkie doesn't go broody - well at least I'll get a few more eggs!!! LOL

So that's how the time has passed round here - how was the start to your year?

Race for life starts here!

Well as you may have noticed, my little widget is back for this year's race for life! And this year is special..... oh yes!

This year I will (just) be 40 by the time I take part. I know that 40 is nothing, but the ever increasing aches and pains, and the length of time it takes me to get up if I should be so silly as to lay on the floor with my nephews or the dog, tell me that the passing years do have a little effect!!! For those of you who were reading here last year, you will remember that I ran half the 5km distance (in run/walk/run intervals) and completed it in 38 mins.... Not bad, but I felt I could have done better. So having done it once and now being more aware of what is involved, I am training with an aim to run the whole 5km this year, and in so doing gesticulate in a very unladylike manner at 40!!!

So far I have realised that I am nowhere near as fit as I ended up last year - but I am starting my training with plenty of time to ....... errrrr...... get into my stride!!! I found a great training schedule called Couch to 5km in two months. Which seems to suit me better than the race for life training schedule. I am also mapping my training routes on http://www.mapmyrun.com/ so that I can monitor how far I am training. I am hoping that by June, I'll be able to do the 5km in 30 mins !! (I'm so far managing 3.5km's in 30 mins so only another 1.5 km's to fit into the same timescale.... easy!!! LOL)

I have also been awarded an award by Gilraen and Terri

How lucky am I? Thank you both so very much. I love reading each and every one of the blogs in my list over there on the right (the exceptionally long list) and whilst I don't comment as often as I used to, I do read each and every post! so if you're name's over there then I hereby present you with this award.... 'cos you all make my day!

There's not much else to fill you in on at the mo.... I've actually been working a bit (really!), and I've started knitting this hoodie in some DB merino that I purloined off the blogless Pictish when she was bargainously de-stashing!!!

Spot and the chickens are doing well... Spot's been in a funny mood lately, whenever I enter a room she disappears into another, when I go in there she re-locates to where I've just left!.... she seems happy enough though so perhaps she's just like a teenager who needs her own space! She doesn't go anywhere she's not allowed, doesn't go upstairs or anything, just likes to be in a different room to me.... Funny little girl! (perhaps I should check my deodorant is working!)

(as an aside in just putting that link in for the deodorant, which I have used avidly since I was a teenager.... as it actually isn't an anti-perspirant, which I am passionate about!............ I've noticed the difference in price in the USA - I pay £4.55 here..... I don't mind 'cos it lasts ages and works well, but perhaps I should try buying from the States while the exchange rate is so good!)

Right I'm off now to watch "The Lakes" on ITV3. Hope you have a good evening, and a lovely rest of week....... Oh and they forecast snow - YAY!