Bank Holiday Weekend
There is something about an extended weekend that is magical, it’s almost the holy grail of weekends. In the UK there are only a few so they are even more precious. This weekend is our 2nd bank holiday in May and it sees me running an organised dog walk tomorrow called “Go Walkies” in aid of Guide Dogs for Blind People, which will start from the Sankey Visitors Centre at 10:30. I am a bit nervous as I have never done this before and I am always worried that no-one will turn up. I have to go home tonight and make some cakes to hopefully sell, so a busy night ahead.
On Sundaywe are going out for breakfast with my in-laws, but other than that we aim for a quiet one. Just some rest would be good.
OOO, and I also made a chocolate cake for my friend Louise last night and by all account, it tasted pretty nice. I was disappointed as it pretty much collapsed when I tried to cut it in half, but otherwise, I was pretty pleased.
Technology & Me
or should that be Technology and I? Either way, the basic facts are that I LOVE technology, like properly don’t know what I would do without it. I genuinely get bubbles in my belly when there is a chance for me to get a new piece of kit and I have never once had the “fear” about trying things out.
Last night, I spent and enjoyable and excitable hour or so with Moochy whilst he helped me with a database problem. I had been commissioned to create something for work and was having trouble wrapping my head around the initial concept. Moochy helped me clear the water and off we went. We did get stuck on one bit, but with a bit of help from good and a “fully qualified geek” (I class myself as part-qualified), we got the project working 100% brilliantly. He is a fucking genius and it’s awesome to watch him work. No seriously, it’s awesome in the way it’s amazing to watch top class athletes compete or high end restaurants serve food – totally a class act.
In fact, our whole household is full of technology, no seriously, it’s gadgets galore…..as far as I can remember, we have got:
- A Mac-Mini
- A Laptop
- A Kindle
- A Netbook
- An iPad
- A PS3
- An Xbox 360 with Kinect
- A Wii
And of course not forgetting the Apple Aiport for playing Music wirelessley from one of the 2 iPhones in our house, or the 2 digital cameras and a handheld mini video camera. You have to also bear in mind at this point, that there are only 2 people living in our house. So the question I have to ask you all is, is this too much technology for 2 people….
Oo, who cares, I love a bit of kit and so does Moochy – bring on the next big thing I say…. xxx
Sunday love
God I love a bit of Sunday’s don’t you. A lovely lie in, followed by a little drawer tidying, followed by a little Dance Central, followed by Sunday lunch out, followed by a little Oprah, then maybe a little Kings Speech. Gorgeous
p.s. these are my neices riding the bus whilst we all have Sunday lunch.
Oprah Winfrey
I had to post today to talk about the legend that is Oprah Winfrey. She has just recorded her very last “Oprah” show after 25 years.
If you asked me to name a female role model, I have to say I wouldn’t ordinarily think of Oprah, but yet I do find myself quoting things from her show in life’s gamut of situations. For example, I once watched a wedding special where they followed “big day” preparations, which included ice sculptures, brides mother matching her outfit win place cards and flower dramas. At the end of the whole wedding day, they questioned guests about what was the ice sculpture of? What colour where the serviettes? NO ONE knew!!! in fact the only people that noticed the $10,000 worth of fine detail, were the bride and the brides mother!
Oprah is billionaire, a woman and an unashamed success. I love her a little bit. I would vote for her for President, wouldn’t you.
Man alive I’m tired
I am sat here on a Sunday night, considerably bushwacked. In my quest to have a weekend with “nothing” to do, I seem to be constantly on the go. This weekend has been no exception, but I am getting ahead of myself. Lets go back to Thursday.
On Thursday the Skills Funding Agency finally announced who had been the contract to run Community Grants 11-13. GMCVO, i.e. me, ran it in 2008-10, so we were fairly certain we would get it again. We didn’t. I was GUTTED. Gutted for many reasons, but mainly because it went to some global company called Tribal, who’s interest in local Charities isn’t their 1st priority. Not great for the sector, for the groups involved, for GMCVO and for myself. Not a great day.
My day got worse though. On the way home, I called into my mum’s to see my nieces, only to find out that my little sis was in hospital with chest pains. She has a pacemaker and it’s been giving her some grief… she’s fine thankfully, but we were all worried there for a minute. Plus I found myself getting both girls ready for bed, which takes a HUGE amount of energy and patience. phew
As if it wasn’t bad enough, I then spent all day in A&E with my Gran who is now 89 and has been having coughy/chest/dizzy problems for a couple of weeks. She has a habit of, let’s say, over estimating her ailments, but it turns out this time, she could have been onto something. She was admitted to Whiston Hospital with a suspected blood clot on her lungs, which is where she is right now awaiting an MRI scan.
I slept OK last night, but for some reason my body woke me up at 7:00am this morning and I couldn’t get back to sleep… 
Which was no bad thing really, as today was the Manchester 10k and even though I wasn’t running, Moochy was and so we had to leave around 9:3oam.
The weather was a bit cold and drizzly in Manchester, but I got a good spec near the end and Moochy was really pleased with his time of 57 minutes, 15 seconds. I was SOOOOO pleased for him as he’s not really done specific 10k training, just SHINE training. He’s my hero. xx
Then after watching Moochy in Manchester, we came home, he had a quick bath and then we went straight out to Whiston again to see Gran for an hour. She seemed fine…. thankfully, which brings us back around again to Sunday night. Tired.
Next weekend we don’t have anthing planned *crosses fingers*. So lets hope we can keep it this way. xx Phew.
Discombobulated
Oo, I feel a bit out of sorts this morning. Not poorly or anything, just having a reaction to the 6:15 alarm call this morning. Having had a lovely 13 days off work, it is a complete shock to the system to resume dawn starts, hour long commutes and a full day in the office. But I guess it pays the bills….
In fact, I was SO sleepy this morning, that I left poor Peggy dog outside in the drizzly rain and went to work. Moochy had to come downstairs after his shower and let her in and dry her off. Poor dog… and to make matters worse, she had had a poorly belly whilst she had been outside so must have been feeling a bit rotten. 
This weekend is going to be a busyish one as on Saturday I have to take the lovey Moochy for his ears syringed, followed by a trip for a birthday present for his mum and then a trip the sorting office for his mum’s other present. Back home for a quick 40 winks and then off out for 18:30 to a restaurant in Tarporley for the birthday meal.Then Sunday sees me going out for the day to Huyton on a special 1 day Wedding cake decorating course and as much I am loving the cake decorating, I would LOVE a rest…. Why is that after 13 days off… am I just lazy beyond belief… ermmm yes.. sometimes I am.
Shine Manchester 2011 – Done!
So then, we did it, our Cancer Research Shine Marathon 2011 is now officially completed. It had highs and lows, but we did it – well half of it. But more of that in a minute.
We spent the day part of Shine, preparing by pacing nervously around the house doing tidying type things to keep our minds and hands occupied. Eventually it became time to pack our stuff up (no mean feat) and take Peggy-dog to my mum’s which thankfully was stress free.
We got to Manchester at around 19:15 and made our way the GMEX (which is apparently now called the Manchester Central Convention Centre). We were really surprised at just how many people were there – maybe as many as 11,000!!! They were handing out water, reflective strips and snappy glo sticks and the atmosphere was great. What was also great was that Moochy’s mum, dad, sister and her partner Patrick came to see us off – what a a treat. It’s amazing how hugs and “Good Luck’s” make a difference to my nerves.
The walk itself was great and awful at the same time. The first part of the route took us through Salford Quays, so the views were great, and the miles did seem to be ticked off fairly fast with the surge of people. I was slightly gutted that before that, in fact, after just 1 mile, I started to experience the same hip problems that I had last week. This meant that I was in pain from pretty much mile 1
I really struggled with the decision about what to do, there were two events for Shine, the full marathon (what we signed up for) and the half marathon. Everyone sponsored me for the full thing and one of the reasons that I signed us was because I wanted to actually DO a full marathon…. I swung between going for it and doing that half right up until the pit-stop at 10 miles, when after a 5 minute sit down, I was in bloody agony and could hardly walk up a gangway to get past Manchester United. I kind of knew then there was no way I could walk the full 26 miles without being stupid pain, so I called it.
Even though I was gutted at not being able to do what I set out to do, I still walked 13 miles and raised over £300 for Cancer Research UK. Even now, the day after I am 80% sure I did the right thing, with just a nagging 20% wondering if I should have just see how I got on. The restless, painful night I had supports the 80%, but you just never know.
Anyway, as usual, we took some photos, but before I share them with you, I have just one last thank you. This goes to my lovey Moochy who only signed up to to Shine so I wouldn’t have to do it alone. We have spent the last 3 months training together and he has been just amazingly supportive – but over our 7½ years together, I have come to expect nothing less. I don’t often express my love for him publicly as, for the most part, I think these things are private. But he deserves a very special mention for walking and training with me for 3 months, not complaining once, gathering sponsorship and generally being my partner and 100% by my side.
So thank you Michael Keith Lysons, I love you and I couldn’t have done it without you….. xxxxx
Shine Manchester 2011 – Oh.My.God.
Well, Moochy and I have been training for about 3 months now and today is the day. We have to be at Manchester Central Convention Centre by 19:30 and even though we aren’t quite sure what time we are setting off, we expect the walk to take us in excess of 9 hours. Oh. My. God.
My belly is currently doing flip flops and my IBS has well and truly kicked in. Already been to the loo 3 times (if you get my drift) and I think it might be time for the imodium. (Sorry, TMI I know). I am doubly nervous, as last week when I tried to walk the final 20 mile training walk, I got pain in my hips and had to stop after 10. But I am dosed up with painkillers and I just have to ice myself before we go out.
I will of course have to ask you to sponsor me for one final time, but its for Cancer Research, so it is for a very good cause.Wish us luck…
