Thursday 16 February 2023

Thursday, 16-02-23

 Morning, one and all.  No frost this morning.  In fact, I think we might have had a bit of rain overnight as the ground is damp and, in fact, the forecast is for light rain at times.  It looks like the sunshine is over for a while.

The bulbs are all popping up now and the early ones are looking lovely.  I took a few photos, the first from the back and the second at the front.  Very pretty and they make me happy.


(We will ignore the hiding weed, OK?  It's time is nearly up!)

I didn't do an awful lot yesterday but I did, at last, start the Couch to 5k thing on my phone.  The first week comprises one minute running and 90 seconds jogging times seven plus a warm up and a cool down.
I know one of my words for the year is 'Confidence' but, as yet, I don't have the confidence to go out and run so it was a case of round and round the garden like a teddy bear!
It was perfectly manageable as far as strength/stamina was concerned but it was boring, I'm afraid.  You have to find your own music and I don't know how to on my phone, nor do I have any subscriptions.  Advice, please.
Anyway, you are supposed to do it every other day, building up as the program says, but I think for a while I will repeat the first one but daily, to get me into the pattern.   My ankles don't hurt at all which is great because I rather expected they would and, while my jogging would win no prizes for style, at least I CAN and for a number of months after I injured my ankles and calves around two years ago, I thought I never would be able to again as there was no 'springiness' in them.
So it's all good!

Today there is stuff in the diary again!  The first is that I will be going shopping earlyish this morning and the other is that mt friend, Val, is round for lunch.  I've prepped most of what we are having for lunch and am really looking forward to seeing her again.  She lives about twenty minutes' drive away and we try to meet up once a month.

Well, better go - there's stuff to do before I can  go shopping.  Have a lovely day, whatever the weather is like your way.  xx


20 comments:

  1. Jogging/running! You really are a changed woman/gym bunny now aren't you, Joy! Well done you. I couldn't jog to save my life, never mind run for a bus. Have a lovely lunch and catch up with Val. xx

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    1. LOL - Mum and Dad would laugh their socks off, they really would! I can't run, not really. It's more a slightly more energetic walk really at the moment. xx

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  2. It's so cheery to see signs of spring isn't it? I have snowdrops, primroses and hellebore in flower. I have also noticed buds on my hydrangea. I do have an abundance of green flowers on something else but I have never found out the name of the plant since we moved here a number of years ago! Perhaps that will be something I should do - instead of looking around the garden centres for it take a photo and show that instead, someone might recognise it!! Have a great day.
    Suze x

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    1. It's really lovely!
      My very last student gave me a plant when I finished with them, a camellia, and not only have I not killed it, it has a couple of flower buds that look promising.
      Take a photo and use Google photos - I've identified several plants that way.
      xx

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  3. Well done on getting started on the jogging and running. It's something I could never do even when a slim teenager!

    Spotify is a place for music on phones - it's what we will use at our exercise group, it's supposedly easy to use - so they say

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    1. I wonder how much it costs - I will investigate, thanks Sue. xx

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  4. Well done on starting the couch to 5k. You've probably done the most challenging step.
    I found the stop/start method doesn't work for everyone. Sometimes a steady paced walk followed by a gentle jog can be the best way to ease into running, then gradually building up your distances over time. Listening to music isn't always the best method either. It can lead to a faster and unsustainable pace. Hope this helps, but I'm sure you'll discover what works best for you. Xx

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    1. It's extremely helpful, thanks, Jules. I think I'm good with the stop, start - I like the 'recovery' times. Good point about the music - I must investigate. I know when I was swimming, I would have music in my head (almost always classical) and I know what you mean about pace.
      xx

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  5. Those bulbs look pretty. This time of year is a bit hit and miss with the weather isn't it

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    1. It really is variable and sometimes there's such extremes of temperature within the same 24 hours. xx

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  6. Good for you, it sounds like you are doing amazingly well. I've not jogged since we lived on the farm in Oxfordshire and we were far enough away from any sort of civilisation, so I knew that no-one would see me!!

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    1. That is exactly the point. I suppose that when I do venture onto the streets, it will be pretty safe anyway. xx

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  7. A minute running can feel like a long time when you first start - good for you.
    You sound like me with the phone music thing - we use Amazon prime and I've only recently downloaded the app so that I can listen to music that way, I'm such a technophobe!
    Alison in Wales x

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    1. I have Prime too. Is the music a freebie? xx

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    2. Yes, absolutely is. Go into the App Store and download it - it may ask you for a couple of details but it's fairly easy. It does try to sell you music unlimited but we just ignore that x
      Alison x

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    3. Thank you very much indeed. Something to take a look at over the weekend. xx

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  8. Bravo, absolutely no way I would do this! You could listen to a podcast ... as someone else said, music might be inappropriate rhythms, and a podcast would take your mind off it being boring.

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    1. That's a very good idea, thanks very much. xx

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  9. Beautiful flowers! I'd say a podcast. I listen to them all the time. It keeps me from sitting watching television. There are some really interesting ones out there - everything from crafts, organising to cold case crimes.

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    1. Thanks - that sounds better than music although I did discover this afternoon that the Ode To Joy (appropriate!) from Beethoven's 9th is about the right tempo - as I sing it anyway. I wonder about some Vivaldi or some Bach. Food for the spirit!
      xx

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