Project 366 2016 #17

It's been an up and down week of crazy weather and moods for week 17 of Project 366 2016.
But it finished on a high.

Day 115
The final rugby festival of the season! It was cold and thankfully sunny at times for the 4 hours that we were stood watching the boy play. I am now looking forward to a Sunday morning lie in.
Day 116
A rather ominous dark sky followed us home on the walk back from school today. I'm struggling with not running this past week instead I have rested my sore calf and have been telling myself it is okay to pull out of a half marathon if I'm not fully fit.
Day 117
I needed to run today so I pushed myself out for a gentle run around the block that turned into a 3.2 mile run in memory of Capt David Seath. I also booked physio in Bradford on Avon which turned out to be very positive.
Day 118
How ridiculous is this frosty windscreen when it's nearly May?! Cold and sunny start to the day. No work meetings so a happier start to my working week.
Day 119
Physio told me to carry on running but no more long runs before the half in Hackney instead do some short and faster bursts. So tonight I did a 5k - and got a PB! The weather was crazy too and these rainbows looked beautiful across the Lane.
Day 120
A package for me today. I'm going to give these SIS gels a whirl on my weekend run in preparation for some fuelling in my half as I flaked with a drop in energy at the end of Bath.
Day 121
Tried out a SIS gel today and it set me up well as I ended up doing a pain free 9 mile run at race pace so I was one happy bunny! The sun actually shone all morning and I thought it may be time soon to swap the capris for shorts. Back home and the patio was looking lovely with lots of homegrown plants - well done hubby!

x x x

Project 366 2016 #16

Week 16 of Project 266 2016 and it was a mixed week of Spring weather with plenty of time outdoors.

Day 108
Almost the end of the rugby season and the boy had a festival at his home ground. The sun shone and it was a lovely morning.
Day 109
A dull Monday morning partly brightened up by the Spring blossom on the walk to school.
Day 110
Long training run today along the Kennet and Avon canal with 12 miles planned. A bit gutted to pull up just short with a painful calf. At first I thought it was cramp but it didn't shift and I fear I have pulled something - not the best thing to do with less than three weeks until Hackney Half.
Day 111
I spotted these tulips in the garden at work and thought how much like Drumstick sweets they look!
Day 112
School trip today and I spotted this big Lego Darth Vadar which I had to take a photo of for my Star Wars obsessed boy.
Day 113
I was so tired today and I climbed into bed early with the final episode of The People vs OJ to catch up on. If you haven't seen it I recommend it - although we all know the ending.
Day 114
A morning of housework followed by a relaxing few hours in my shack where I hid away with a magazine and a book. I go through phases with reading and today I binged on my latest library book almost finishing it off as I was so hooked.

x x x

Project 366 2016 #15

Back to school and work week. That's all I need to say for week 15 of Project 366 2016.

Day 101
Both of the kiddos were on sleepovers last night so I made the most of the Sunday morning and went out for a run. I had an hour and ten minutes before I was due to pick up my boy so ran 7.5 miles around the local lanes before it was time to get him.
Day 102
Back to school blues hit everyone today. The rain didn't really help either so I brightened up the day with some daffodils purchased from the local supermarket.
Day 103
Long run Tuesday and I finally feel I am almost back on track for the upcoming Hackney Half. Today I managed 11 slow miles through the morning mist and I had a pause for water by a local village church.
Day 104
A lovely sunny day for back to work Wednesday. The clock change in the holiday is now being fully realised as I came home from work and it was still light. On the patio the husband's sweet peas are coming along nicely.
Day 105
Tonight we prepped some fabric to make bunting for a summer get together. We got as far as unwrapping the fabric that we bought last week in the Tavistock Pannier Market.
Day 106
So tired today - my body hasn't quite caught up with back to work hours. Almost missed the photo today but here are the husband's chillis growing well in the kitchen.
Day 107
Saturday morning trip to town for chores and a trip to the library. I seem to judge a book by its cover and misinterpreted the cookbook thinking it was a slow cooker book - it isn't.

x x x

The Feast Collective {Camp Bestival 2016}

I am really excited to say that we are off to Camp Bestival again this year as official bloggers so if you need any questions answered about this amazing festival then send them my way!
Regular readers will know we have loved Camp Bestival since our first family visit back in 2010; our childrens' best summer memories always include this magical place.
In case you didn't know Camp Bestival is a yearly get together at Lulworth Castle, Dorset overseen by Rob da Bank bringing together families, camping, live music, adventures and food for everyone from 0-100+.
Year on year festivals have increasingly diversified to satisfy our taste buds. Long gone are the scattering of greasy burger vans and their place comes top notch food. Camp Bestival has always prided itself on the food it offers from the Feast Collective; a variety of food stalls and bars all conveniently found in one big tent.

This year these additions have caught my eye:
For me the Vietmanese street food of Pho Sho & American inspired ramen burgers with a Filipino twist from Pimp my Ramen - definitely a burger joint worth visiting!

For the coffee addicted husband Noble Espresso.
And for the children, 100% natural ice lollies from Polar Pops.

For all ticket info check out the website here.

Disclaimer: As official bloggers we are receiving a family camping ticket. As usual, all views and opinions are my own.

Musing on a Monday {Cornish Dreams}

As I sit in my conservatory, with the rain hammering loudly against the roof, I look back on our, far too brief, travels to Cornwall last week which reignited my Cornish dreams. We used to be regular visitors, staying with the Nomadic in laws in whichever cosy Cornish cottage they were living in at the time, and whenever we left my heart would sink as we were leaving the pull of the ocean behind us.

I have always felt at one by the sea and am sure it is where my soul needs to be. It makes me calm, it makes me still, it makes me listen, it makes me relax. My brain winds down; the chaos of everyday life and people, people, people, is washed away with the sound of crashing waves. The colours of the water and the smell of salt on the air washes a sense of calm over the stresses in my head. I switch off and feel connected to something.
I watch the children watching the sea and for a split moment we take our eyes off the rolling waves and they catch us unawares as we scrabble up the rocks. A quick lesson learnt to respect every single move the ocean makes. Surprisingly, the children laugh it off despite being drenched from the waist down. They seem to be in a happy place too.

Hours are spent walking the cliff tops, admiring the views, playing in the rock pools, running across the sand and sampling the local ice cream. These few days away were definitely needed; it brought our little family close again, it gave us time to push work worries out of our mind, it gave us time to think positive thoughts.

And as the sun set on our short break new ideas were ignited in our head; I want to go against the regular grain of life and follow my heart.
What if...?
Could we....?
Do we dare...?

x x x

Project 366 2016 #14

The second week of the Easter break was here for week 14 of Project 366 2016 and a last minute getaway was on the cards to cheer us all up following last week.

Day 94
The after effects of last week's flu are still lingering so today I took it easy in the garden clearing out the mess in my shack. It is my tidy space once again so I sat and chilled for a bit with the radio and even mustered up some energy to hoop for a short while.
Day 95
A wet day was on the cards so I booked Snoopy at the local Odeon for the kiddos and a friend. It was a sweet film and afterwards we went to the friend's house for pizza, a play and endless cups of tea for the grown ups.
Day 96
We needed a break, and a change of scenery, so today I booked 3 nights away in a caravan in Cornwall. Still not up for running I did a quick Davina workout before packing our bags.
Day 97
The site we are staying on is lovely and quiet with its own woodland walks. Following a day of travelling, with a detour to visit Castle Drogo, once we were settled in we took a walk around the woodland trails spotting countless Cornish pixies on the way.
Day 98
The reason for heading to Cornwall; the Atlantic Ocean. I am drawn to the sea and could sit peacefully for hours watching it and listening to it. We did this for a while at high tide at Widemouth Bay, following a day exploring further south at Cotehele and Tavistock; with a sliver of sand and rocks the children were happy and even laughed off the huge wave that caught us off guard soaking them at waist height as they scrabbled up the steps and rocks. It will be a memory that will last!
Day 99
Today we walked the coast path from Bude along to Widemouth Bay and back - a six mile round trip. Adding to that the miles we must have clocked walking up and down the beaches and this is the furthest my two have probably ever walked in one go. The sea air did us all the world of good and later that afternoon I ran back down to Bude from the caravan for a four miler before picking up some Fish and Chips and Cornish Rattler for tea. A perfect day.
Day 100
But it had to end. It has been a fabulous break for us all and today we packed up the van and headed back home to Wiltshire with talk of living a life by the coast one day. Back home my mother-in-law had popped in leaving us a lemon drizzle cake and a handpicked posy of garden flowers.

x x x

Project 366 2016 #13

I usually love the Easter break; two weeks off school and work giving enough time to wind down, relax, have a few lazy days and get out loads. However, when flu decides to come knocking it kind of messes things up a bit. Thankfully the days were sunny and even with the briefest of camera clicks I captured a picture for every day of week 13 for Project 366 2016.

Day 87
Easter Sunday and my girl was poorly. She spent the whole day drifting in and out of sleep on the sofa and consuming not one bit of Easter chocolate. Plans for dinner at the in laws changed and we had a quiet day which involved me baking a rather nice Primrose Bakery chocolate cake and doing an old Davina DVD workout which made my glutes ache the next day, but also allowed me to eat the cake guilt free!
Day 88
Bank Holiday and the husband had to work. My girl was still ill so we had another quiet day in and I tackled the housework; dusting, hoovering, ironing. It was all quite productive. I stepped out for some fresh air onto the patio when I realised I hadn't left the house in two days.
Day 89
I woke up feeling a bit off but needed to get out of the house - and I needed to run. I set off, planning to do some hill intervals, but a mile and a half in I couldn't face it so turned back to do my 5k route instead. Then the heavens opened and I felt invigorated - I love running in the rain. This spurred me on and I did 4 miles. I then dragged the kiddos out to walk to the shops hoping to find Inside Out - sold out. Then later in the day I realised I had the same thing as my girl.
Day 90
Today was meant to be my long slow run of 10 miles but that was definitely not going to happen. I woke early and dosed myself up with Berocca, hot honey and ginger, water and paracetamol then promptly fell back to sleep until past noon. I crawled out of bed to shower and dress and eat - thankfully I had an appetite. In the afternoon I sat and watched my boy and the husband pot up the Violas.
Day 91
Went downhill today and can't actually recall much about the day. I do know that the sky was beautiful and I managed to pop my ahead out to have a look and to get a sniff of fresh air. My girl is still suffering too - think this might be the flu.
Day 92
Thankfully the husband has been around to help and to occupy the boy and today he attempted to get him out on his bike - this quickly turned into a rugby throw around. I shuffled around in a daze, beginning to feel like a zombie.
Day 93
I cannot believe how much I have slept this week. I woke late again but felt like I was on the turn. A hairwash and blowdry felt so good and I managed to peg the washing out - although that felt like I'd just run a 10k race. The sun is shining again and our garden is full of ladybirds; we counted a patch of at least 20 on the garden fence near the Bug Hotel.

x x x