Well it’s been a few weeks since I updated here so time to get the stuff out of the head and into the open. I’m hoping it’ll make more sense for me then.

This weekend marks the start of the half-marathon rush – 3 Challenge races in three consecutive weekends. And for the first time I’m actually quite worried. I’ve done two races on the bounce before; in fact the first two of these I did last year in similar fashion and that was coming from restarting training after the summer hiatus after losing Mark.

So why the concern? Well my last training run, a week ago, was one of my worst runs of all time. This sounds like an exaggeration but it’s been a long time since I’ve not managed to run 2 miles without having to stop. For someone who normally goes out for an 8-mile trip, this is a big surprise.

I’ve not felt 100% so have rested since. Perhaps it’s a bug of some description and I took the opportunity of getting some blood tests done during the week as I had a visit to the GP booked in for a medication review. I’m not expecting them to show up anything – at worst it’s probably a September cold waiting to strike me in October – but it is peace of mind. But having a week’s rest, I’m determined to give Macclesfield a go even if it means taking it slowly.

The kitchen build is almost done and jolly smart it looks too.A couple of adjustments to be made, a shelf to be cut and fitted and a new flooring to decide on, but otherwise it’s there. Much content was taken from all the hidy holes around the house to which the old kitchen had been deposited and many excess bits were taken to Cancer UK in town which they seemed to be really pleased about. I do worry that the shop may appear like a home-from-home now, the amount of household items I’ve recycled through them!

So the house is looking a bit more organised now. The garden had an autumn trim so looks more suburbia and less ‘Jungle Jims’ and all the citrus trees have come indoors now (I’m surrounded!)

No more running nightmares since the last (full) update but the sleeping pattern has gone crazy again. A lot of things buzzing around in my near conscious which are the usual insecurities and frustrations that life brings with it.

It was the year anniversary on 18th September of the murder of two police officers in Mottram (Tameside) and we rang the bells there to mark the sad occasion. The planned full peal unfortunately failed (a shame as the ringing was good for the most part) so we eventually rang a quarter peal of Cambridge Major.

I ate camel tonight. Bit like beef, but humpier.

And finally I found this on FluffPo: