Well we made it safely to N.I. without excess baggage charges or any other problems. For 24 hours or so I was concerned that getting the all important pressies there would mean few, if any clothes, for Alan and I. Thankfully, due to my packing expertise, we managed a change of clothing or two so no embarrassment and a happy daughter. Now that the pressure is off, we can relax and be in total holiday mode, what a lovely thought. Six whole days of being looked after, relaxing and probably over indulging. I am intending to keep the daily walking up though which at least burns off some of the calories and makes me feel virtuous into the bargain.
How are your plans going? Going away early meant planning in advance and I am fairly pleased with it all. We even managed to spend our last evening in the company of our neighbours, which was really lovely. In the winter we tend not to see so much of the neighbours so the get togethers need to be initiated rather than stumbled upon. I knew I had come along way though when instead of busting a gut to prepare a meal on our last night in London, I was able to propose an Indian carryout without feeling at all guilty. They will join us for dinner on the 31st when they will get some home cooked food and we will all have much more time to socialise. My biggest tip to you this Christmas is to go easy on yourself, don’t try to do too much and enjoy what is really important.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Friday, December 09, 2005
Return to this blog!
I have been spending so much time recently developing my walker's coach blog http://walkerscoach.blogspot.com/ and my new walking initiative that this blog has become somewhat neglected. Well no longer.
I am sitting at my desk planning the day as I scroll my email. The response I was waiting for has arrived so I can schedule in an initial chat with a potential client. As you can imagine time is now getting very tight and I am juggling spaces in the diary trying to respond to the needs of as many clients as I can. As well as this there are the family commitments especially busy at this time of year when you have a school age child.
Yesterday saw me manically wrapping pressies at the school for the children's 'Christmas Wrap'. This is when they can choose a small present for mum, dad, older brothers and sisters, grandparents etc and have them wrapped nicely by members of the PTA. The children love this as it enables them to give a pressie that their parents do not know about. For my daughter it has been so liberating to pay for this with her own money and although I was allowed to wrap the pressie she choose for daddy, someone else was chosen to wrap mine so it will remain a secret.
Today is dress rehearsal for Ellie's concert so I have been listening to her lines all week and getting the costume together. Luckily it was easy as she is a narrator but when, at 8.30 p.m., she uttered the words 'I need to take my costume in tomorrow morning' I initially panicked. Why do they always leave it until bedtime before enlightening you of these needs?
Sometime today I have to return some things to one shop, find a basketball stand and ball, do the last of the shopping and find time between 4.00 and 5.30 to buy the Christmas tree. Thankfully come 6.00p.m. Ellis is off for a sleepover so Alan and I can have a night out. I can hear that glass of wine beckoning.
What prompted me to start writing again this morning though was the appearance of a robin just outside my window. It is the first one I have seen this year and he just perched on the railing and looked in then moved to a better vantage point on top of the washing line pole. Watching him sitting there reminded me of a book Ellie still has called 'Little Robin Red vest'. It tells the story of the robin who knit himself lots of vests to see him through all the cold days up to Christmas. However, day by day he ends up giving these away to other birds and animals whose need is greater than his and then when Christmas comes he is cold and has no vest left. Santa, finding him, takes him home and tells Mrs. Santa about the kindness of the little bird. Touched by this Mrs. Santa knits him a red vest which is how he developed his name. It reminds me of Ellie and me snuggling up to read it and of course the moral of the story. It is the kindness and thoughtfulness which often gets forgotten in the commercial whirl and this is the reality that the robin returned me to this morning. We all need reminded from time to time.
I am sitting at my desk planning the day as I scroll my email. The response I was waiting for has arrived so I can schedule in an initial chat with a potential client. As you can imagine time is now getting very tight and I am juggling spaces in the diary trying to respond to the needs of as many clients as I can. As well as this there are the family commitments especially busy at this time of year when you have a school age child.
Yesterday saw me manically wrapping pressies at the school for the children's 'Christmas Wrap'. This is when they can choose a small present for mum, dad, older brothers and sisters, grandparents etc and have them wrapped nicely by members of the PTA. The children love this as it enables them to give a pressie that their parents do not know about. For my daughter it has been so liberating to pay for this with her own money and although I was allowed to wrap the pressie she choose for daddy, someone else was chosen to wrap mine so it will remain a secret.
Today is dress rehearsal for Ellie's concert so I have been listening to her lines all week and getting the costume together. Luckily it was easy as she is a narrator but when, at 8.30 p.m., she uttered the words 'I need to take my costume in tomorrow morning' I initially panicked. Why do they always leave it until bedtime before enlightening you of these needs?
Sometime today I have to return some things to one shop, find a basketball stand and ball, do the last of the shopping and find time between 4.00 and 5.30 to buy the Christmas tree. Thankfully come 6.00p.m. Ellis is off for a sleepover so Alan and I can have a night out. I can hear that glass of wine beckoning.
What prompted me to start writing again this morning though was the appearance of a robin just outside my window. It is the first one I have seen this year and he just perched on the railing and looked in then moved to a better vantage point on top of the washing line pole. Watching him sitting there reminded me of a book Ellie still has called 'Little Robin Red vest'. It tells the story of the robin who knit himself lots of vests to see him through all the cold days up to Christmas. However, day by day he ends up giving these away to other birds and animals whose need is greater than his and then when Christmas comes he is cold and has no vest left. Santa, finding him, takes him home and tells Mrs. Santa about the kindness of the little bird. Touched by this Mrs. Santa knits him a red vest which is how he developed his name. It reminds me of Ellie and me snuggling up to read it and of course the moral of the story. It is the kindness and thoughtfulness which often gets forgotten in the commercial whirl and this is the reality that the robin returned me to this morning. We all need reminded from time to time.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
My reward for getting out of bed.
I just knew it was going to be colder this morning as soon as I woke up, and the thought of burying under the covers was, for a few minutes, much more preferable than getting on the walking gear. However reason prevailed with a little help from my positive mental attitude which said that I was losing some excess weight by all this walking, I was feeling better, I had more energy, it was a great way to start the day and once I got out there I would feel great.
Ten minutes later I was out the door, warm up exercises completed but it was chilly. I wished for a scarf round my neck as I started off and I concentrated in getting into rhythm. At the end of the street though all was worth it - there was the most fantastic sky awash with reds and oranges and at various stages throughout the walk I could glimpse this and feel really privileged to be seeing it. The best view of all was as I turned to come home and I had to stop and take it all in, the grandeur and the glory of this beautiful feat of nature - thanks. I would have missed it all if I had snuggled back under the sheets.
Ten minutes later I was out the door, warm up exercises completed but it was chilly. I wished for a scarf round my neck as I started off and I concentrated in getting into rhythm. At the end of the street though all was worth it - there was the most fantastic sky awash with reds and oranges and at various stages throughout the walk I could glimpse this and feel really privileged to be seeing it. The best view of all was as I turned to come home and I had to stop and take it all in, the grandeur and the glory of this beautiful feat of nature - thanks. I would have missed it all if I had snuggled back under the sheets.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Still here but exhausted
I was asked this afternoon if I had enjoyed a good weekend and before I knew it I had responded 'great thanks', but then I stopped and reflected. It had been an automatic response but did I mean it. On reflection, yes, I did but not because it had been wildly exciting or very different weekend. It was good because at last we had finished the nitromorsing and had put the the emulsion paint on the hall, stairs and landing. Even though the woodwork is still to be done, this weekend was a great achievement. I ached as a result, and fell into bed last night after closing the paint pot at 11.00p.m. but I was happy, I could score that off the 'to do' list.
I was also exhausted because I had gone walking with a friend on Saturday morning along the canal from Mile End up to Islington - 10 miles round trip I think and the weather was so lovely. I was so pleased I had gone ahead with that, it would have been so easy to put that off so I could get more painting done and years ago I probably would. I am learning. Time for bed now.
I was also exhausted because I had gone walking with a friend on Saturday morning along the canal from Mile End up to Islington - 10 miles round trip I think and the weather was so lovely. I was so pleased I had gone ahead with that, it would have been so easy to put that off so I could get more painting done and years ago I probably would. I am learning. Time for bed now.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Determination and Survival
I can be pretty determined about certain things and I also think of myself as a bit of a survivor. I would also describe myself as a strong person but all those words and phrases take on a different meaning in the context of the film 'Touching the Void' which I watched last night on TV. Although I had bought the book for Alan last Christmas, I only had a brief idea of what the story was but last night I watched it unfold and I was continually on the edge of my seat.
Joe Simpson, assumed dead, after a horrific climbing accident managed to make it back to camp against all the odds, the biggest odd being his very badly broken leg! After emerging from a huge crevasse, he is elated at what he has achieved and the fact that he has come out of a place where he thought he would die but that elation soon turns to despair when he realises just how far he has still to go and the huge barriers that are ahead of him. The task ahead was awesome and how often are the tasks that we face awesome. The big picture, so useful and inspiring in some cases, is what often works against us because of its enormity. The great coaching in this film was the fact that he realised that he was only going to achieve anything by breaking the entire task into smaller pieces and dealing with it bit by bit. So he set himself challenges of getting from where he was to a certain point in 20 minutes. In this way he managed to succeed. Wow! - I was pretty speechless at the end and I found myself pondering the synchronicity in places and at times. My advice is to get the video or DVD and watch it yourself, I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Joe Simpson, assumed dead, after a horrific climbing accident managed to make it back to camp against all the odds, the biggest odd being his very badly broken leg! After emerging from a huge crevasse, he is elated at what he has achieved and the fact that he has come out of a place where he thought he would die but that elation soon turns to despair when he realises just how far he has still to go and the huge barriers that are ahead of him. The task ahead was awesome and how often are the tasks that we face awesome. The big picture, so useful and inspiring in some cases, is what often works against us because of its enormity. The great coaching in this film was the fact that he realised that he was only going to achieve anything by breaking the entire task into smaller pieces and dealing with it bit by bit. So he set himself challenges of getting from where he was to a certain point in 20 minutes. In this way he managed to succeed. Wow! - I was pretty speechless at the end and I found myself pondering the synchronicity in places and at times. My advice is to get the video or DVD and watch it yourself, I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Where did last week go?
Last Monday I was excited and hyper when I created my blog. It felt like a real achievement and the first thought on Tuesday morning was another post so what happened? I'm dammed if I know!! Somehow the week happened and did so in such a way that no other posting developed. This week I am determined that things are going to be different - you may not get a post every day but there are definitely going to be more.
Reading a colleague's blog I have just discovered she has moved house again. Does this mean another change of phone number Marion? If so, can you let me know what it is and answer your email - I thought you had left the country. She does sound happy in her new house though so I look forward to hearing a bit more about it when we get back in touch.
I have been catching up this weekend with an old friend. Although having planned to go walking in our beloved Lake District, we left it too late to book and she came to London instead.' A bit different walking terrain', I can hear you say and you'd be correct but it was still fun. When you are walking in an area of Essex caught between the M25 to the south and the M11 to the west, one could be forgiven for thinking it might be noisy and rather polluted. Well, it was gorgous, helped by the fabulous weather we have and are still experiencing. On Friday we set out to do a 9 mile walk which, without any effort developed to one just short of 12 miles. It took us through country lanes whose hedgerows were heavy with hips, haws, elderberries, blackberries, sloes and no doubt some poisonous ones too. We pigged out on big fat juicy blackberries and wondered why no-one had picked them. We also walked along the side of large open fields, pretty villages and visited St Andrew's church in Greensted which is apparently the oldest wooden church in the world - the oak trunks that form the walls of the Nave have been dated back to 845AD so there you are. Worth a visit and so wonderful that this lovely little church is open to the public and remains in pristine condition - I was very impressed.
On the following day our plans were scuppered initially by engineering work on the Central Line which meant getting to Debden and back from Theydon Bois would be a nightmare journey. Forever resilient though, we headed instead for the part of Epping Forest that comes very close to the house and took a well loved walk through the forest to Butler's Retreat where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch sitting outside and watching riders, mountain bikers other walkers and others who arrived by car to enjoy lunch or coffee.
As we walked we talked - well we hadn't seen each other for months so there was lots to talk about and it was ideal conditions to catch up. Not so, our last walk in April when the weather was so cold and windy that we trudged in single file trying to keep our head out of the stinging hail. Most of the catching up on that occasion was done in the pub.
In 1999, I talked Janet into doing a sponsored walk along parts of the Great Wall of China which was fantastic, such a brilliant experience. Yesterday I was trying again - not a sponsored walk this time, although it could be, this time I want her to accompany me along the along the Inca Trail in Peru. This has long been a dream of mine and I cannot think of anyone I would rather go with. I have talked about it so often that Alan, my husband, keeps saying 'go and do it'. Result - I am going to, probably in May 2007 which may seem a long way away but if I want Janet to come too I have to honour her commitments and in the meantime, I can fit in shorter walks along the North Norfolk Coast Path, the Colderidge Way and many many other places I would love to explore. Is walking a love of yours? If so, where is your favourite walk and where is the ultimate place for you to go and walk? Is it the Inca Trail?
Reading a colleague's blog I have just discovered she has moved house again. Does this mean another change of phone number Marion? If so, can you let me know what it is and answer your email - I thought you had left the country. She does sound happy in her new house though so I look forward to hearing a bit more about it when we get back in touch.
I have been catching up this weekend with an old friend. Although having planned to go walking in our beloved Lake District, we left it too late to book and she came to London instead.' A bit different walking terrain', I can hear you say and you'd be correct but it was still fun. When you are walking in an area of Essex caught between the M25 to the south and the M11 to the west, one could be forgiven for thinking it might be noisy and rather polluted. Well, it was gorgous, helped by the fabulous weather we have and are still experiencing. On Friday we set out to do a 9 mile walk which, without any effort developed to one just short of 12 miles. It took us through country lanes whose hedgerows were heavy with hips, haws, elderberries, blackberries, sloes and no doubt some poisonous ones too. We pigged out on big fat juicy blackberries and wondered why no-one had picked them. We also walked along the side of large open fields, pretty villages and visited St Andrew's church in Greensted which is apparently the oldest wooden church in the world - the oak trunks that form the walls of the Nave have been dated back to 845AD so there you are. Worth a visit and so wonderful that this lovely little church is open to the public and remains in pristine condition - I was very impressed.
On the following day our plans were scuppered initially by engineering work on the Central Line which meant getting to Debden and back from Theydon Bois would be a nightmare journey. Forever resilient though, we headed instead for the part of Epping Forest that comes very close to the house and took a well loved walk through the forest to Butler's Retreat where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch sitting outside and watching riders, mountain bikers other walkers and others who arrived by car to enjoy lunch or coffee.
As we walked we talked - well we hadn't seen each other for months so there was lots to talk about and it was ideal conditions to catch up. Not so, our last walk in April when the weather was so cold and windy that we trudged in single file trying to keep our head out of the stinging hail. Most of the catching up on that occasion was done in the pub.
In 1999, I talked Janet into doing a sponsored walk along parts of the Great Wall of China which was fantastic, such a brilliant experience. Yesterday I was trying again - not a sponsored walk this time, although it could be, this time I want her to accompany me along the along the Inca Trail in Peru. This has long been a dream of mine and I cannot think of anyone I would rather go with. I have talked about it so often that Alan, my husband, keeps saying 'go and do it'. Result - I am going to, probably in May 2007 which may seem a long way away but if I want Janet to come too I have to honour her commitments and in the meantime, I can fit in shorter walks along the North Norfolk Coast Path, the Colderidge Way and many many other places I would love to explore. Is walking a love of yours? If so, where is your favourite walk and where is the ultimate place for you to go and walk? Is it the Inca Trail?
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
At last
After asking the 'will I, won't I?' question for ages as to whether I should have a blog, I have decided the time is right for one. I have to say the catalyst has been my wonderful coach Judith Morgan whose suggestion that a blog would let me discuss, write about, share and get feedback on all the areas I am currently interested in and working on, made so much sense that why did I not work that one out for myself?
Now I am feeeling really excited so thanks Judith, I am going to email you now and let you know that I have done it.
So what can you expect from this blog? Lots of information, an insight into what I am working on and interested in, and probably lots of requests for your thoughts on a wide range of ideas and issues. In turn, I hope you will get inspired, be entertained and want to log in regularly to find out what is going on.
Well as it's 10.25 pm and I have more than a full day ahead of me, I shall say good night but leave you with a great recommendation. If you enjoy travelling and have not been there yet, add Seville to your list for a weekend break. It's a fabulous place with loads to see and do, great weather and it is full of brilliant tapas bars. For guidance and to help in the planning, have a look at http://www.exploreseville.com/ written by Jeff Spielvogel who is my hero. His site and information became our bible so check the site out.
Now I am feeeling really excited so thanks Judith, I am going to email you now and let you know that I have done it.
So what can you expect from this blog? Lots of information, an insight into what I am working on and interested in, and probably lots of requests for your thoughts on a wide range of ideas and issues. In turn, I hope you will get inspired, be entertained and want to log in regularly to find out what is going on.
Well as it's 10.25 pm and I have more than a full day ahead of me, I shall say good night but leave you with a great recommendation. If you enjoy travelling and have not been there yet, add Seville to your list for a weekend break. It's a fabulous place with loads to see and do, great weather and it is full of brilliant tapas bars. For guidance and to help in the planning, have a look at http://www.exploreseville.com/ written by Jeff Spielvogel who is my hero. His site and information became our bible so check the site out.
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