Family Update

Crikey Charlie. You should've woken me. I didn't realise it was so long since my last post. So, what have we been up to.

Well. Last Friday we went to Eureka in Halifax. It's a museum for children - they can touch everything. It's a great place to go, especially when the weather is bad.

On Saturday, I went for a run in the park. It went quite well, and I managed to complete 2 miles. Not the target, but I am certainly getting there.

I went again on Sunday, but it didn't go so well, and then again in the gym yesterday. Tonight I had a rest. Back tomorrow.

Sponsorship is coming along, and I now have about £150. I would like more, and will be canvassing around the office over the coming weeks. My parents have offered £10/km - so there's another £100.
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Saw The Bourne Ultimatum at the cinema on Sunday evening. Like the last one (The Bourne Supremacy) it's very fast paced, with the action moving along swiftly. A great film - well recommended.
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Some friends came round at the weekend to show us their holiday DVD. They've been on a cruise and it looked spectacular. They all said it was their best holiday - ever. We were so jealous; so I picked up some brochures. Well, it costs nothing to dream, does it?
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I'm off work next week, and the 2 oldest are going to stay with my parents, in Bournemouth, for a couple of nights, before we join them. They are sooo excited. I'll let you know how that goes.
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That's all for now. Not a lot else to report. See you soon.

Running Man

We had a lovely weekend. The weather was lovely, and we spent a lot of time outside.
Firstly, at 6.30; I decided to go for a run. Mad. You'd better believe it. I chose the wrong route, and nearly killed myself!

On Saturday we spent the day at Chester Zoo. Not wishing to sound like an advert, it's a fantastic day out, and the kids had a lovely time. We went in to the Bat House, saw the monkeys, elephants, took a boat ride, went on the monorail. Phew! I'm worn out just thinking how much we packed in.

In the evening, we went to see Hairspray. What a good film. It's the sort that you can just let wash over you. No need to think too much about what's happening. The music was great - I'm thinking about downloading some of it.




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On Sunday, I went for another run. This time I was more sensible with the route, and managed to stay relatively flat. I ran 1 whole mile.
Then, I took the boys swimming, so even more exercise. Am I becoming an exercise junkie? I hope not (although I've already planned my route for when we go to Bournemouth later in the month!)

After that, we went to see The Simpsons Movie. What a laugh. Entertainment on all levels. My nephew certainly enjoyed the slapstick elements, and overall it was good fun.

To some friends in the afternoon, then an early night.
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Tonight I went to the gym. Ran 3.5k and it's not getting easier. Should it be? Maybe I need to keep going. Bag is packed ready for tomorrow. Perhaps I should do more running along the road - would that be better for me?
Needless to say, my feet are sore, and I need to wear better socks!!
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Training Begins

I've just returned from my first 'real' training session for the 10k run.
When I mean 'real', I refer to the fact this is the first time in the gym since deciding to take part in the charity event. Therefore, by default, it was the first proper session.
Now, by my standards, it was pretty good. I stuck 30 minutes on the time, for a random selection of hills and troughs, at level 2.
I set my speed at 6.4km/h and started jogging away. And do you know what? For the first 20 minutes it wasn't too bad. I pumped away, using my arms to help me; focused on the room in front of me and just kept going.
The last 10 minutes were not so pleasant, and it was then I realised that I need to put a lot more time and effort in, if I am ever to complete 10k. Today I managed: 2.3km. Hmmm!
I'm not too down. For the first time, I was pleased.
Next time, I think I'll forget 'Random' and set the pace on the level. Maybe I was being to ambitious.
There will be hills in the real thing, but I should build up to that, and not head straight in.
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On the sponsorship front, I already have the first few people, and some have even paid - so no pressure there then?
I'm looking to set up a page on justgiving.com - a website that manages charity collections. Once it's set up, I'll publish the details here.
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Tomorrow there'll be more running, and slowly and surely I will build stamina to get to the finish line.

Payday

It's the last day of July. Payday.
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It's been wet. Now, it's sunny. Cool, but Sunny. And for the first time I can wear sunglasses without them needing to be prescription. It's great.

I went to the gym tonight. Wow, will I ache tomorrow, and Wednesday and Thursday. Actually, I think I might go swimming tomorrow evening. I took the boys on Sunday, and with the lenses I wore goggles. Normally I don't like wearing goggles, they're not very comfortable. However they are necessary, and actually it wasn't too bad.

So, after work, I'll get in the pool and do a few lengths. The most I've done in one session is 1km. That's 20 lengths. Now I think about it, I'm quite looking forward to it.
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Went to Tesco this evening to pick up some Goats milk. The Baby was extremely sick this afternoon, and so we're going to give him a lesser dairy option. Well, I say 'we', but actually I mean The Wife - she'll be the one doing it. I also bought a selection of Marmite snacks. I love Marmite - remember the advert? "You either love it or you hate it". Well, I love it. No-one else in the family likes it, so they're all mine. Hee hee.
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This month is the most posted for me this year. Not bad. I really hadn't imaged I would have made it this far. As for Facebook, that has just taken off. There's no controlling it. It's totally addictive, and terrific fun.

I'll see you in August.

I Can See Clearly Now

On Saturday I had my contact lenses fitted. It was a weird experience, followed by a short lesson on how to remove and refit them. It's quite unnatural to play with your eyes. There is such a strong reflex to protect them, through blinking. Over time I will get used to this, a countless others have before me. At the moment, I just need to persevere until I get used to it. Once they are in, it's amazing. There are no more 'edges' where the frames of the glasses were. Just plain vision.

I've been given one pair of lenses for the week, and 2 different types. Apparently, one is more comfortable (read 'expensive') than the other, but I wasn't told which. That way, I can make a more informed decision. I'll be going back at the end of the week for a check-up and to get the first lot of lenses.

It's been an interesting few days, and I'm slowly getting the hang of putting them in and taking them out; although first thing in the morning is not easy.
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Facebook is taking off. I mean, it's already popular with millions, but a certain inertia seems to have taken hold, and 'friends' are popping out of the woodwork (so to speak). It's great to hear from them. My friend base has almost doubled overnight!
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I went to the gym last night, and starting to feel it now. The pecs are tightening up. You know what that means, don't you. Yep - I'll have to go again.
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Tesco are coming tonight. I love this delivery to your door thing. It's lazy, but after a hard days work, who wants to schlepp around a supermarket?
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Right - that's enough chitter chatter. Back to work. More soon.

Polling Day

It's voting day, for the local elections. I feel it's important to have a say. We have a democratic right to vote, and even though the choice isn't strong, if we don't vote we can't complain about the state of the political scene. Since I've never voted Labour, I have to choose between Tory or Lib Dems...
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You may have noticed the image on the right, of Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter kidnapped in Gaza. You can click on the image to get more information, and add your name to the petition to get him released.
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I also wanted to report on an amazing day yesterday, for my shares.
BSkyB announced their annual results, which were way above market expectations, pushing their share price up 7%. I sat and watched the value of my holding increase overall by £20 in one day.
OK - so it's not a vast amount, and The Wife brought me down to earth by saying that today they could lose £30! Spoil sport.
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I spent an hour in the gym last night. Had a really good workout - concentrating on cardio exercise, as well as some weights.
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Tiling has begun in the bathroom. Good progress being made there.
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Finally - I've decided to look into laser eye surgery. It would be wonderful not having to wear glasses. And, The Wife is all for the idea. I've requested an information pack and will keep you informed.
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Right then - it's off to work.
Have a good day.