Pink & Green

Look what came in the post today!

The photo doesn't really do the colour justice. It is a lovely vibrant green with black undertones which is just perfect for the tree. I can now properly commence the Big Project ©.
Many thanks to Minerva Crafts for such excellent and quick service.

The Race for Life on Sunday went really well. I completed the 5k (3 miles) in 33minutes and 50 seconds - a thoroughly respectable time! The weather, grey and miserable was not ideal and certainly not as lovely as Saturday had been. All the same, looking on the bright side, it didn't rain until after the race was done.

My total raised so far is £178 which is more than I hoped for - I'm so pleased! My owl came with me and I wore the ribbon as well. The crowd was great, really supportive. As I rounded the last corner I could see my gang of friends at the finish line and I just couldn't help but smile and put in a bit of extra oomph for a sprint finish. Brilliant experience - if you've never done it I highly recommend it - it's good for the soul.

Afterwards was a little less saintly - we hit the pub! I think we deserved it, to be honest. A burger and some real ale was just what was called for!

In less happy news, my poor long-suffering team went to Wembley and came home empty-handed for a seventh time. ONE DAY it will be our turn. But it just wasn't to be. I'm not a bitter fan - you can't be if you support a team like Brentford. You take the rough days with the smooth days. We had an absolutely stunning season this year - scoring first against Chelsea at Griffin Park was definitely the highlight. Finishing 4th overall is a good achievement, although very disappointing not to have beaten Yeovil. Maybe next year? 

Finally, the saga of the porch is still ongoing. I think we have pretty much made our decision, although I can't help but wonder if the decision was actually made for us. One of our finalists advised that the quote did not include the removal of the brick wall (were they just going to work round it?! Or perhaps dismantle it and reconstruct it 2 feet out of the way...) and furthermore the width of the unit was non-negotiable, even if it was 10cm too wide! (You can't fit a 1200mm frame in a 1100mm gap without a TARDIS). Needless to say, that company will be getting a "better luck next time" from our judging panel.

Run for your life

In two weeks time I will be doing the Race for Life at Medina. I've never run anything before (school sports don't count, especially as I was always last). I started jogging in 2010 just to see if I could. Simon, my husband, is very into his sport and I wanted to be able to join in. Then something life-changing happened. My grandma, my lovely, beautiful, unique grandma was diagnosed with cancer.

It was the start of a fairly devstating time for the whole family. She was diagnosed in March with bowel cancer and decided not to have chemo. She spent a summer doing as much as she could. She came to the island, she saw friends and family. But by autumn she was getting worse. She passed away on 1st December 2010.

A few months later my uncle was also diagnosed with bowel cancer. He did have some chemo but the cancer spread. On 1st December 2012, exactly two years to the day after my grandmother, my uncle died.

During this period I didn't keep up with the running. I'd walked the Race For Life in 2010 while my grandma was still alive and wanted to run it one day, but the fitness didn't support my aspirations.

In February 2012 something else happened that changed all our perspectives. My cousin suffered from a bilateral pulmonary embolism. He was 30 years old. He was young, healthy and fit. He died.

It was one of those moments where you take a long, hard look at life, what you're doing and what you hope to achieve. I decided to join a gym and that, by hook or by crook, I will run the Race for Life (run, not walk) and hopefully raise some pennies for Cancer Research while I'm at it.

Life got in the way, of course. Last summer I managed to tear my ankle ligaments and spent 11 weeks on crutches including one week in plaster. I didn't let it get in my way. Since last October I have been training hard, going out in snow and rain to build up my fitness levels and now I'm finally ready to get out there and do the 5k.

To some people, 5k doesn't seem that far but it is a real mile stone for me. I don't intend to stop there. I've gone from couch potato to someone who resents missing out on a lunchtime run because I have a meeting. Who knows, next year I may be doing the 10k!

I knitted the above ribbon to wear on my shirt when I go out there in two weeks time. I hope to do myself and my relatives proud.