Last week I didn’t blog as I was feeling a little poorly and really didn’t think that I had much to say, long work days, being a football mum and a frustrating leg injury meant life was very quiet and predictable. I wasn’t feeling much better at the start of this week but I have definitely improved since Tuesday and am back to the best of health, for which I’m very relieved. This winter I seem to have ducked lots of nasty viruses but in this past week I just felt so tired and achy.

Given that I do parkrun every Saturday unless I’m away, it’s been a shock to have to rest for the past two Saturdays. Last week was my home parkrun’s birthday and a really fun morning finishing off with a breakfast in the cafe. Although I have not run I have volunteered in my non running weeks. After physio appointments and practising my exercises daily, I was able to attempt a parkrun yesterday. Although nervous, I ran for 2 miles and then ran / walked for the final mile. I did have twinges and could feel the injury but it was the best feeling to be able to run again. Due to life plans, I actually have the opportunity to do 5 different parkruns in a row, as a challenge hunter this is great news and 4 of the 5 will be new runs to me, bumping up my total of parkruns visited. The first thing I do when I know my Saturday plans are different is to see where and how I can visit a new parkrun. Yesterday was not only about doing a parkrun, but a cycle ride too. Our daughter had asked to visit a country park where we have cycled over the years so we went over, this meant that as soon as I had done my parkrun I jumped onto a bike and explored the forest on wheels. We finished with a picnic lunch in the sunshine. Days like this seem so wholesome and fun. Whenever I think of the life I want to lead it is these sunny days living an outdoor life which show the way. When we got home I went to the kitchen to create and cook, after a few Saturday afternoons of making something special from scratch I feel I’ve got my cooking groove back and have enjoyed looking for new , seasonal recipes to try.

This year I seem to be reading a lot of books. I listen to one on my commute, generally non fiction and then have a fiction book on my Kindle which I read in the evenings or in bed. I’ve read three great books over the past fortnight. Still Running is a beautiful book about grief and purpose when those close to you die. Strangers -a memoir of a marriage is excellent, a divorce out of the blue and the writer’s mood from survive to thrive, whilst she grieves for her former life. The final book, The Authenticity Project is the only fiction, again about being true to yourself. Interestingly purely by chance. the three books seem to have similar themes about being true to oneself.

The heart photo above contains a beautiful water colour my daughter painted for our Easter card. She is such a talented artist and it’s a real delight to have some of her pieces. I am getting into full prep for her big birthday celebration in June. I stayed up until midnight last Saturday so I could book a table in the very nice restaurant we want to take her to. It’s one of these places that is always fully booked immediately so I was up and ready when the bookings went live at midnight to secure a table. My official email confirmation has my booking at 12.02am and when I checked later in the morning, it was as expected fully booked. I’m very relieved to have ticked that off my list, next I need to find a bar in Birmingham for cocktails and live jazz music. As I now have two weeks holiday, my aim is to make a real good start on her birthday plans, I want to create something very special for her. We have the hotel, meal reservations now it’s time for all the sparkles.