Feeling like a lion in a cage

Yep, I’m a Leo but that had nothing to do with it.

When it began to snow (I’m laughing, I actually typed “snot”) in Christchurch on Saturday I got all excited. I really REALLY wanted to go for a run.

I felt like a child who had been told NO! What do you want to do?? The very thing you’re not allowed.

So the “off-season” sucked big time this past weekend because I couldn’t go for a run in the snow. And maybe I only wanted to do it because I knew I couldn’t. But how cool would it have been (literally too) to go for a run in the snow.

Probably great until I fell on my arse and caused some damage.

Before the glorious snow was the beautiful warm morning. As we were on our way to get our hair cut (yes my life can be that tedious too) I was almost whimpering to get out of the car and go for a bike ride. Sure, the fact it was friggin windy didn’t really bother me. Again, was it because I couldn’t that I wanted to?

Sunday would have to be one of the coldest days. I couldn’t get warm as quickly as I wanted and the fire was roaring most of the afternoon.

Tell you something funny. As we were arriving home (and Mark always reverses up the drive way) Mark spotted a delivery on the door step. It was flowers.

There was that awkward moment where we looked at each other then accused each other of having some secret admirer. Actually I didn’t accuse, I was too busy trying to defend myself. Nah, it wasn’t quite like that. Mark’s not jealous – though I did tell him this was a most unattractive side of him (with a smirk on my face).

The flowers were for me! Richard – the sweetheart that he is – had sent me flowers. The off-season means I’ve completed a milestone in my training programme and he was congratulating me and “looking forward to working together in the future”. Maybe he’s also anxious that I’ll go dashing off to someone else

It was quite amusing. Mark got to thinking that maybe he should have sent me flowers. I was laughing a lot on the inside. I said he should do whatever he feels like doing.

So much for thinking it was going to be a quiet weekend. I got that simply from the fact I had no training this weekend – or next, or the one after that!!!!!

As I said, haircuts, then followed by my long overdue Massage (I needed that), then popping around to the in-laws. We’ve had some work carried out on the house (they rent from us) and we wanted to see how it was looking.

Mark had to go pick up a clothes dryer and take it back to their place, then picked me up from my massage with their old (but newish) washing machine in the car. I need to put the washing machine on TradeMe.

Then as promised in a recent post on Ontri, I spent the afternoon baking since I had no training.

The lack of training hasn’t really helped me balance the gut-rot that I eat. I’ve consumed a bit of it and then of course I had to test the baking. And if I wasn’t sure, I tested again

Saturday evening it was off to The Volcano for a friends 40th. The menu was awesome. I had so much trouble deciding what to have.

After dinner we went back to their place for “games and dessert”. We played the sorts of games that 8 year olds might play. And dessert! I had (speaks quietly) 3 pieces of Pavlova.

We didn’t get home until just after midnight. That’s late – well for me it is.

Sunday it was chores day. Had to work quickly to get it all done in time to leave for lunch at Dads. Now that Dad is engaged, Ruth makes a proper lunch for Sunday. I doesn’t mean Dad’s effort is improper, but it’s more like filled rolls which we make ourselves, or supermarket pizza – that sort of thing. Anyway Mark had commented to me that he was hoping Dad would do savouries because he gets these really nice egg/cheese ones.

Mark was right in his element when we arrived because he had determined from the tomato sauce on the table it was indeed going to be savouries.

The rest of the afternoon was spent fighting with drop clothes (plastic things) that he was trying to cover our enormous Lemon tree with. I don’t think this will be a permanent thing and proper shade cloth will be bought.

Before we knew it 4pm had rolled by. We ended up watching Night at the Museum. A comedy with Ben Stiller in it. I don’t like Ben Stiller but it was quite a nice movie. Not sure that I’d rush to watch it a second time within 1 year though.

Today I biked to work. Yes I can hear you all. I’m in my “off-season”. Don’t fret, I took the “recreational pace” to heart and my average speed was 22.74km/hr. Now you’ll all agree that has got to be either an uphill ride, or it was friggin windy, or it was a recreational pace ride.

I was worried about the amount of work I had to do this morning. I was almost cursing myself for not having my laptop at home where I could begin to get the mountain of work under control. Anyway, I promised myself I’d just methodically work through my “to-do list” and here I am, almost 2pm and feeling like I’m in control again.

Right, best get cracking and carry on with work.

Oh, I said friggin twice (make that 3 times).