Author: jl.boreham

This weekend was a lovely sunny quiet weekend with lots of time for resting and reading. Both mornings involved a little run in the countryside at home first thing though, as a run just sets me up for the day. It wakes me up, releases all that adrenalin, empties my mind and allows me to be in the moment and really appreciate the important things in life. It also allows me to burn off some calories to partake in one of my other favourite activities, eating! I am sure if I did not run I would be at least twice the size that I am.

However, my runs are normally eventful and something usually happens on every run that stops me in my tracks and makes me think, and this weekend was no different!

Run number one on Saturday morning was around the nearby village of Bradfield and Dale Dyke Dam. A lovely 9 miles of pure beautifulness. Up and off early, no make-up, not a care in the world and I even forgot to brush my hair. Sunshine, lambs, moors, a traffic jam of sheep, streams, pretty villages and daffodils………………a gorgeous hour and a half to set me up for the rest of the day of relaxation!

Bradfield is a lovely little village. Very pretty, a few cafes and the area’s best brewery! I recommend the Farmers Blonde, Brown Cow and Belgian Blue…… I’ve sampled them all, but those 3 are my favourites. There is a lot of history here too, some of it not so happy. It is home to Dale Dyke Dam which when being filled for the first time on 11th March 1864 developed a crack in its embankment and burst. Three million cubic metres of water swept through the village and down the valley, flooding 4,000 homes and killing 240 people in what is known as The Sheffield Flood. Fortunately the dam is stable today and is so peaceful and beautiful you would never guess what went before.

Anyway, what happened today? Well, something that really amused me. I’m interested in people. I love to chat and learn about different peoples’ perspectives on life, interests, and, well, just people in general. So earlier that week, I had been interviewing for a post at work with one of my school Governors. In between candidates, we were having a good old chatter. He was talking to me all about spirituality and manifestation. Which led me to ask, “What’s manifestation?” Because I’m not really into that sort of stuff. Now, I’m a bit of a black and white sort of girl, I don’t do fuzzy grey areas. If there’s no scientific basis that you can show me that proves something, I’m not going to believe you and am very unlikely to buy into an idea. I’m a scientist and mathematician, show me the proof. I’ve never had my cards read or fortune told, I don’t believe in ghosts or anything like that. So he went on to explain manifestation to me. He basically explained it as the process where you visualise your desires and think aspirational thoughts with the purpose of making them real, and they will become real. Then he went on to give me a couple of examples of his own. Now, I was sceptical. My argument was that there was more than spirituality about it. You might have the thought, but surely it’s the action that you take which makes it come true, nothing else. For example, I’m a doer, not a going to do sort of person. If I desire something I find out what I need to do to achieve it and get on and do it, taking lots of small steps if needed. That’s what I’ve done all my life. I’m not manifesting, I’m just ‘doing’, because I’m a motivated and driven sort of person. There’s nothing spiritual about it, it’s down to the action. Surely you can think all you like, but without the action it’s not going to happen is it??

So there I was running along. It was hot, I was thirsty as I hadn’t taken water with it being a relatively short run. At numerous times during the run I had visualisations and thoughts about ice cream……..I often do! I wanted one so much to cool me down. Mr Whippy with chocolate flake, Solero ice lolly, my favourite pistacchio flavour gelato………any really, I just wanted an ice cream and had decided it would be my reward when I got home. I would call in the supermarket on my way back home and get an ice cream. Anyway, a visit to the supermarket was not required and this is why. I manifested an ice cream van!!!!! Yes, I got back to my Mini, and parked right next to it was Monty’s ice cream van. Well, I just could not stop laughing to myself. I’m still not sold on the idea and am putting it entirely down to coincidence but it did make me laugh and will have great pleasure in relaying the story to said Governor next week about how I actually manifested an ice cream van. You make your own mind up, but to me, that’s coincidence, not manifestation!

So that was the high of this weekend’s running. Now, for the low which literally did stop me in my tracks!

I’ve signed up with running club to be in a 10 man team to run the Barnsley Boundary Relay race. The race takes place on the route of the Barnsley Boundary Path, which forms a big circular route around the countryside of the town. It’s a 73-mile long, mainly off-road, trail route, and it is split into 10 legs with it being run like a relay. Duly assigned to leg 3 of just over 7 miles, I thought I better go and do a little recce on Sunday morning as this leg is right at the other side of town to home, and I have never run around there. I could see from the map that there were lots of places where wrong turnings could be made in fields so my plan was and is to run leg 3 a few times before the day of the race and commit it to memory, so that on race day I can just run, without a map, and hopefully not go wrong as my worst nightmare would be letting the team down.

I was very pleasantly surprised and it started well. The start is a bit industrial but you are soon out in the open countryside and it was much prettier than I thought it would be. I only took a few wrong turns which I’ll hopefully remember next time. There were cows, woods, pretty villages, bluebells (I love these) and fields full of rapeseed flowers. The latter was a bit of an issue as the route goes straight through the middle of a field of it and I am so allergic to it in terms of hayfever. I paid for it half an hour later and the rest of the afternoon so antihistamines will be required on the day!

However, shortly after the rapeseed field it all went slightly wrong as I fell down! I am so clumsy! There I was running through a dark wood on a little path. It all happened so quickly, one minute I was upright the next I was laid face down in the mud. I’d tripped up over an old metal fence post that was stuck up about three centimetres, camouflaged on the path. My second most spectacular face plant ever! Not quite as spectacular as my last one which needed a hospital visit and stitches, but impressive nonetheless and would definitely have got me a penalty on a football pitch. I flew through the air for a couple of metres and just lay there in shock for a moment wondering what on earth had happened. It had been raining the day before and was muddy so I had mud all up both legs, all over my skort, all up my arm and hands, in my hair…….everywhere!! So there was blood, sweat……but no tears. I did feel like crying because ouch, it hurt. You don’t bounce as well at 52 as you do at 12, but I put a brave face on and ran the last 3 miles. So now, I’m nursing a lovely black swollen knee. So the recce was worthwhile. Lessons learned: turn left not right at the first set of steps one mile in; take antihistamines before; beware of the fencepost sticking out of the path in the second wood!!

So there you go, the highs and lows of this weekend’s running, manifestation and clumsiness. So, how did I replace my calories this weekend, other than ice cream? No cake treats this weekend you’ll be surprised to know. After two afternoons of rest and relaxation the evening was an out to dinner night to try a new restaurant at Bradfield. Chicken liver parfait followed by seabass with chorizo, blistered cherry tomatoes, sauteed potatoes and lemon caper beurre blanc……………………………oh my, it was delicious! So good that I could not fit dessert in, which is most unusual for me.

Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a lovely weekend.

While the rest of the nation whipped themselves into a King’s Coronation frenzy, I have to admit it had largely passed me by! There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, I’ve been so very, very busy at work. I had not even had time to think about the extended weekend or what I was going to do until it was suddenly upon me. Secondly, I’m not very patriotic. I’m not anti royalist or anything like that. I neither love them nor hate them, I don’t have strong feelings either way. And I’m very patriotic to my county, Yorkshire, there is nowhere finer. But I’m not very British.

In theory, I know I am British, but in practice, I’m not. We are very fortunate to live in a democracy and to be able to be exactly what we want to be, and on the 31st January 2020, I became European and Yorkshire. I don’t harp on about Brexit, and I don’t have a problem with anyone who voted for it, I’ve let all that go. I just don’t identify with lots of the characteristics of what today’s Britain looks like to me. Characteristics like greed, selfishness, lack of compassion, individualism, loss of community, sense of entitlement, consumerism, a divided society, and a lack of respect for the world we live in. That’s why usually, as soon as I have a break from work, I’m on an aeroplane out of here, I can’t wait to see the back of it for a few days or weeks.

So when I was asked numerous times at work, “What are you doing this Saturday for the Coronation?” I thought, “Oh, perhaps I should be doing something. ” Then I had another thought………..my Grandma Kathleen and the china tea set! I suddenly thought, “Gosh, Grandma will be turning in her grave and be so cross with me.” Now Grandma, bless her, was the Royal Family’s hugest fan. There would have been bunting, baking, celebrations and the china tea set. I remember quite clearly the 6th February 1977, going with Grandma when I was aged five, to Halifax Road in Thurgoland and standing rigid for hours, waiting in the freezing cold, for the two seconds that the Queen was driven past on her Silver Jubilee tour of the UK. I remember the hat I made and everything about it. I also have very fond memories of Christmas Day afternoons at Grandma and Grandad’s when lunch had to be finished, pots washed and everyone had to be seated, in silence, in front of the TV for 3pm to listen to the Queen’s speech. Grandma was a very quiet, elegant lady and the only time I ever saw her get cross was when Grandad spoke during the Queen’s speech, which I still swear to this day he did on purpose every year.

Anyway, I am now the very proud custodian of the fine bone china tea set, and I thought she’d be so very disappointed if it wasn’t got out and used for the Coronation. So, I thought I’ll just get that out, and I’ll make an English Cream tea to celebrate the Coronation and then that’s me done with it.

So Saturday morning was spent baking my scones whilst watching Rishi delivering his reading on my mobile phone in the kitchen. I have to admit I did watch the whole of the 2 hours of the Coronation, mainly because I wanted to see what everyone was wearing. It was a very grand affair and very impressive to watch and it was lovely to see the nation coming together for once to celebrate something. I did actually secretly enjoy it.

I did something really quite funny though and was asked why I did it and I could not explain why I’d done it other than, “because that’s the way Grandma would have wanted it.” Despite there being no visitors planned, I got the whole tea set out, put sugar in the sugar bowl (I don’t take sugar), filled the milk jug up and made a full tea pot of tea in my Royal Doulton tea pot. I then laid it all out on the table with the clotted cream, strawberries, homemade strawberry jam, and the full works. I have to admit I did have more than a cream tea for one, though. I may have also eaten the cream tea of a few more as those scones were just delicious.

Oh, and I did do another thing that gives me away as being British. I like stripes in my lawn like at Wimbledon so I cut my grass and my lawn stripes did vaguely resemble those on the Buckingham Palace garden at the parade, mine may have been straighter.

So, with everywhere closed for the day, me being full of cream tea, and it being a lovely sunny day I thought I’d go for a little wander around my village to spy something else very British. It was a beautiful afternoon stroll, and what was going to be a quick walk took me hours. It’s so much better when you walk slowly and take it all in. I stopped to just sit numerous times and saw so much that I just would not have seen had I been rushing. I’ll share some lovely pictures of what I saw.

First stop was my favourite bench two minutes walk from home. I sit for hours on here. Just look at the view and the clouds. This has to be my favourite time of year, so green and so many flowers.

Another thing I like about this time of year is baby animals. I can’t believe how quickly they grow though. This little lamb was tiny two weeks ago and was wobbling about, barely able to stand. I’ve run past it almost every day, and now it’s almost a sheep. It bears no resemblance to two weeks ago. It’s lost it’s pretty look, I think sheep are quite ugly things when they get past the fluffy lamb stage.

Then I got lost in another of my favourite places……..the wood. Well, when I say lost, I’m not actually lost. I know roughly where I am, but I spend hours in here. It’s huge and I like nothing better than a wood and this one at home, in particular, is spectacular. And you have to come this exact week of the year. One week on either side and you have missed them ……………. the English Bluebells. If you want to see them in all their glory, there is nowhere better than this, but blink, and you’ll miss them as they are only this good for a matter of days.

It’s funny, you are never far from the reality of the modern world, but on a day like this, even the railway line through the village looks pretty.

I like to use all my senses and I love the smell of spring too, despite the fact that I get hayfever. That smell of pollen and cut grass I find so soothing. I also have a strange fondness for the smell of cow manure which friends find most bizarre. I don’t know whether it reminds me of Yorkshire and home, I’m not quite sure, or whether if just reaffirms that I’m in the countryside, one of my happy places, but for me the smell of cow manure is a positive smell, not a horrid one. Another smell I love, from the bottom wood below the railway line, is that of wild garlic. Such pretty white star like flowers and when you brush past it on the way to the stile its aroma wafts all around you.

It’s not just about Wild Garlic and Bluebells either. There was an abundance of Greater Stitchwort, Brunnera, Cellandine, Buttercups and Cherry Blossom. It was just beautiful.

Then I spotted the daisies. These always make me smile. They remind me of school and PE on the playing fields. Spring was ’rounders’ and ‘cricket’ time and once you’d had your turn and had been caught or run out there was not much to do other than make a daisy chain necklace or lay about in the grass working out, using that very reliable daisy, whether he ‘loves me or loves me not’, plucking off one petal at a time repeating the phrase until the final petal remained.

Then the wildlife. Look what I spotted. Not the greatest photo and a bit out of focus, but it kept flitting about and really did not want its photo taking, a Peacock butterfly.

Then it was out of the woods and back home via the Wagonway. This is your bit of history for the day. The village and surrounding area was built upon the coal mines. Coal mining, along with agriculture, were the main industries in the area. The Wagonway was built in the 1790’s and was a narrow gauge industrial railway which was used to transport coal from the village mine to the Calder and Hebble Navigation Canal in Wakefield for onward transportation. The coal wagons were pulled along by horses, on rails which sat on stone block sleepers, the horses walking in the middle of the two rails. The rails were taken up and sold in the late 19th century when the railway ceased to be used but the stone block sleepers remain and form part of a village heritage trail as can be seen in the picture below.

Then my last little treat of the day was my chance encounter with these lovelies on my way through the field which adjoins my house. Now for anyone not too fond of cows this would be terrifying but as long as they don’t have horns I’m fine. Young boys will be boys and cows are no exception, this lot just wanted to play. A field of young bullocks, so very excited to have a human play mate. The main thing to remember is DO NOT RUN! If you run they will think you are engaging in play and will run with you, at you and everywhere. Just stand still, wave your arms about and make a bit of noise and they will come to a halt. They will not stop until they are very, very close though so if you don’t like them it does take a bit of nerve, but they were beautiful, so inquisitive.

This one was my favourite. He insisted on following me all the way up the field licking the leg of my jeans. My leg was wet through.

Almost home, but just couldn’t resist a quick half of beer in the local pub (the local pub being another British institution) where Charles was waiting for me for a photo opportunity now I’ve been promoted to Queen.

All in all, a lovely Coronation Day before I switched back to being European on Sunday.

Yes that’s right! I’ve been in trouble with the Police.

Now I’m one of those people who has always hated getting into trouble, I’m such a good girl. I was always star pupil at school, the girl with the pigtails in her hair in the choir, the one with the pretty dress and the knee high socks, quiet, shy, you know the one I mean. The worst thing I ever did was get caught hiding in the ditch, walking, in school cross country. It’s only as I get older that I realise I’ve perhaps missed out on being the rebel and I’ve become quite outspoken and adventurous. I think I’m making up for lost time.

This wasn’t a deliberate attempt to get in trouble with the law enforcement, but I’m finding more and more that I’m getting into trouble without trying, and it quite often involves my misuse of technology or running. Well this was nearly the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ as we say and involved both those things, running and my phone. My boys know absolutely nothing about this and if they find out I will never ever live this down. There is a silver lining to this story though so sit tight, it was all worthwhile in the end, even if the policeman did shout at me so loudly I cried.

So what have I been doing………..lots and lots of running. I had this crazy idea that I would enter the Penistone club running championship in the V50 female class. That involves running a minimum of 12 races this year out of a very long list to choose from. 3 road, 3 cross country and 3 fell races must be run as a minimum, and your best 3 scores in each category are those put forward, but you can run more if you want. Once I set my mind to something, I’m on a mission. Anyway, before I tell you about my mishap, and progress so far, here’s something that made me giggle. I have a bit of an obsession with shoes and this made me smile.

It made me smile because Johnny has competition! I know just how Johnny feels, I swear on my life they are all different and I’ve a way to go before I catch Johnny up! There are some for road, some for trail and some for fell. Some well worn, some newer, but they all live in their boxes and are cleaned when they get dirty. There’s a bit of brand loyalty on the running shoe front going on too!

I love shoes! And these are just the running shoes. If you want to know what a person is like you only need to look at two or three things, their eyes, their shoes and their smile. You can tell so much from eyes and smiles but the shoes tell the full story. Now modern technology is good. I’ve never been on a dating website but I can see the benefit. If I were looking for the ideal man I could not be bothered with all this looking for a needle in a haystack and kissing a thousand frogs before you find your prince. I haven’t got the time or patience. I can seriously understand why people just cut to the chase and go on these websites. I would want an extremely good advanced filter mechanism on there though, and am convinced I could get the shortlist down from hundreds to single figures with a few clicks of the mouse, I’m a bit choosy, and shoes would have to be one of the filters. Nice, well kept shoes are a must. Dirty shoes are a definite no! Pay attention to the type of shoe too. Sliders…………no…………he’s either too young for you or he’s having a midlife crisis if he’s got plastic sports sliders on. Anyway I digress. Running shoes sorted and championship entered, I’ve been doing lots of running. Three races in the last two weeks, one in each category.

It’s all about small steps though. Just put one foot in front of the other and keep chipping away at it. First up Herod Farm, the fell race. This will teach me not to look too closely at what I’ve entered. This nearly killed me. “It’s only just over 3 miles”, I thought, easy! Yes, three miles with 1,211 feet of ascent! It was an almost vertical mile and a bit up and an almost vertical mile and a bit down with an itsy bitsy tiny bit of flat on the top. I forgot my buff so my hair was in a race all of its own and I ran for three and a bit miles not being able to see where I was going, finishing 149 out of 162. It was a disaster, but I kept going and finished!

Anyway. I always say to my boys if you get knocked down 7 times just make sure you get up 8. So practicing what I preach, there I was a few days after for round 2. The Higham Hurtle. Now this went much better. This is the cross country one, so I’m in my comfort zone. Give me undulating ups and downs, fields, trails, water, and I’m in running heaven. 5 miles of beautifulness, loads of Strava best efforts, a PB for the mile at 7:46 and half mile at 3:40. Third V50 female and a respectable 44th out of 96 runners. I was buzzing.

That was until I got back to the car and checked my telephone which had been in my running waist belt. There was my voicemail from a very shouty and irate Detective Constable something or other from South Yorkshire Police telling me to stop ringing the emergency number and hanging up and if I really did need emergency police assistance could I please call back on this number. “What on earth is he talking about?”, I thought. I was then horrified to check my phone to discover I had rung the ‘999’ emergency response number 7 times in the space of 6 minutes while racing. The police had then proceeded to text me 3 times and finished by calling me and leaving a voicemail which ended by him saying “we think you might be running”.

I don’t know what made me feel worse. The fact I’d called ‘999’ seven times or the fact that the whole emergency control room had heard me puffing and panting my way around the Higham Hurtle. They finally managed to contact me and I explained that I had absolutely no idea how it had happened, my phone must have been pressed that tight against my body that the screen lock swiped and the emergency call button must have been pressed 7 times over the space of those 6 minutes. I apologised profusely, confirmed I was alive and well, but nevertheless I got a big telling off and felt so small. I’ve decided that my phone will not be coming will me on races where there are plenty of people to pick me up if I fall. It will only come with me when I’m running remotely on my own and it will be safely turned off unless needed. I absolutely cannot let my two boys know about this. They already think I’m dangerous out on my own in charge of a vehicle or mobile technology and this will just confirm all their suspicions about me being a bit of a liability when on my own.

Not wanting to be put off in my quest to be fastest female V50 I was there 6 days later for the Spencer’s Dash. Now this was a Thursday evening race. Not a good day of the week to race. I’ve done 4 full days with 330 children by this point in the week. And it’s a mainly road race and I don’t like running on tarmac. I was exhausted before the start of the race. Anyway, it went ok. I remembered my buff, had a good run and got a second fastest mile. I did look 82 not 52 at the end. But I did manage a smile, or was it a grimace, at the end to the two lovely gents shouting ‘Come on Penistone’ and ‘Well Done Love’ as I literally limped to the finish line after someone in their infinite wisdom stuck a huge hill in the last half mile.

Anyway, the silver lining! The interim results are out for the club championship now the first race in each category has been run and scored. And who is sitting in first V50 female position and third in the whole club………………..oh, gosh, it’s ME!!!!!!!!! You’ve just got to be in it to win it! I’m just going to keep turning up to as many races as possible, putting one 52 year old foot in front of the other, keep eating my body weight in carbs, cake and ice cream and just keep myself out of bother with the police, and what can possibly go wrong!?

But there’s always someone who will rain on your parade isn’t there, or as we say in Yorkshire ‘piss on your bonfire’…………..and my two are just experts at this. I thought, “I know what I’ll do, I’ll send them a screen shot of the club league table with their own dear Mother in third place. They’ll be so proud.” These are the responses I got:

George by the way is currently the very fast 5 minute mile runner in first place. I doubt very much he will be sweating with me in third place! It’s nice to know however, how much faith my boys have in my running ability. “How’s that happened then?” and “How are you 3rd?”. No sign of a “Well done Mother, we are so proud of you.” Neither do they know how much trouble I’ve got myself into with the police in pursuit of super stardom.

I could be put off by my mishaps, and stay indoors, but no, I’m going to keep going one step at a time. This could be a real life version of the hare and the tortoise! Watch this space, make way, old lady coming through! So the messages in this post are: your never too old; keep going one step at a time; getting knocked down is ok, just make sure you get up again; and DO NOT run with a mobile phone tightly packed in a waist belt. Onwards and upwards!

No, he’s not my new man, he’s a boat! And a very fine canal barge he is too. He is newly painted green and red with his name on the front and is very beautiful. He has a full kitchen, comfy seats, and a flushing toilet. What more do you want or need.

I was trying to think of something relaxing and restful to do with a 20 year old after exerting myself on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge at Easter. You both want to spend time together but your idea of fun can be a world away from theirs at this age as you have different ideas of a good day out. Mine normally involves movement , exercise, and fresh air. His involves as little movement as possible and an over indulgence in alcohol. So a compromise had to be found.

Anyway, this one was a success. I hired a canal barge for the day. His name was Ben and I’m in love.

We drove to Skipton to collect him and spent the full day pootling up and down the Leeds to Liverpool canal.

Said offspring was in charge of the boat and brought his able assistant along in the form of his girlfriend – his real one, not the one he is growing in the jar of water.

What did I do? NOTHING! I sat on the bow like Kate Winslet in the ‘Titantic’ film with a cup of tea and a book all day, it was wonderful, partly because I’m still a little stiff, well not a little, a lot, as it was only two days after the Three Peaks. Oh, I did make the crew a bacon sandwich down in the galley, and I did buy the drinks at the canal side pub we moored up at – that was the alcohol compromise. But I did make them get off the boat to operate all the swing bridges.

It was an extremely enjoyable restful day with me being chauffeured for a change. The canal was quiet with it being a week day, the sun was shining and we saw so much wildlife. The skippering was first class, much better than I would have been, and no wildlife or other boats were harmed on our inaugural canal barge sailing trip. All in all a lovely family day out on the beautiful Leeds to Liverpool canal.

This was a tough one, but it really is Yorkshire at its finest!

I last walked this over ten years ago and it was hard then. How I came to do it again is beyond me as I distinctly remember saying last time that I was never ever doing it again. However, somehow you forget the pain and tears. There I was, school holidays, a perfectly sunny and clear day forecast, if not a little cold and windy, so I thought, “I know what I’ll do, I’ll do the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.” I love being outdoors on days like this in places that offer complete solitude.

So what is the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge? It’s a 24 mile (38.6km) route which includes 5,200 feet of ascent, summiting three of Yorkshire’s finest and highest mountains Pen-y-Ghent (723 metres), Whernside (736 metres) and Ingleborough (723 metres). It’s absolutely jaw droppingly beautiful. To complete the challenge you must do the route inside 12 hours.

First up, Pen-y-Ghent, quite possibly my favourite, although I do like Ingleborough. It was a tough little early morning climb. This one involves a bit of scrambling around, but within about an hour or two you are up at the top and summit number one is conquered.

It’s then a long way down the other side and almost a 10 mile trek to the next summit which is Whernside. The countryside here is beautiful, lots of little streams, birds chirping, fields full of Easter lambs and a nice flat section where it was possible to do that little bit of running. The sun came out, the jacket was off and it was glorious.

Then you cross a number of boggy bits and a stream before you reach the road and the mighty Ribblehead Viaduct. This is one of my favourite parts of the walk. The viaduct carries the Settle to Carlisle railway line. It is a beautiful Grade II listed structure and is the longest structure on this line. It was designed by John Sydney Crossley and started in 1870, opening in 1875. It has 24 spans and required a 2,300 strong workforce to build. It was a challenging task, in tough terrain and over 100 men lost their lives during its construction. You cannot entirely comprehend when taking in its size how it was constructed primarily with manual labour.

Then it is time to press on up Whernside. I don’t like this one! It goes on for ever and ever, is the tallest mountain of the day, is unbelievably windy, as you’ll see on the video, and is just a bit bland. But summit number two was reached, very slowly, and my smile was not quite as big as on reaching summit number one, I was frozen due to the wind chill.

Then finally as the sun was starting to drop in the sky, the long trek up number three, Ingleborough. I like the climb up this one almost as much as Pen-y-Ghent. The summit of this one is completely flat like a moonscape. Being the tallest mountain on the west side of the country you can see all the way over to the coast and the sea from the top. I’ve re-gained my smile as it’s the last peak of the day……..only six miles back to the start now.

Then it was off back down to the start. Mission accomplished! There was a lot less running than I thought there would be but a very respectable time of 8 hours and 40 minutes, a full 2 hours quicker than my 40 year old legs carried me last time. I burnt off over 3,000 calories so had great pleasure in replacing them over the following few days, and I didn’t cry so that was a result! 😂 Yes, that’s right, last time I cried all the way down Ingleborough I was in that much pain and by the time I got to the end I was being held up by a fellow walker. This time I made it all the way around, on my own two feet without one tear or tantrum. I was still hobbling around three days later but everything slowly started to get back to normal. Would I do it again?? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! If I ever, ever utter that I may do it again please stop me!!! But it was a beautiful day out in Gods own county.

I thought long and hard about posting this one but I actually think it delivers quite an important message, in amongst all the flower pictures from one of my happy places.

So what have I being doing this very weekend……..well I’ve been falling apart actually. So I’ve been to a happy place in search of three of the things that cheer me up – flowers, food and sunshine. I’ll tell you about where I’ve been in a minute with lots of lovely photos interspersed throughout, but none of me this weekend, as I actually do look like I’m falling apart, a bit like a panda having a bad hair day. Think dark circles, no sleep and a bit fraught looking. The trouble is these days, “I’m not OK”, is just something we don’t say often enough. There’s a stigma to not being Ok, particularly in the UK, and Yorkshire in particular. We are supposed to be tough! How many times has someone said to you, “Are you OK?” and you have said “Yes” when the real answer is “No I’m falling apart, can you just hug me for a minute while I cry on your shoulder.”

So what have I been doing this weekend. I’ve been doing exactly what I’m telling you not to do and telling everyone I’m ok when I’ve been falling apart, avoiding everyone and anyone and crying uncontrollably to myself in random places.

So, don’t believe everyone when they say they are ok, they might not be. We all look at things on social media and think what a perfect life someone has. But what you can’t see is everything else that’s going on in their life. You could use this blog as an example. If you look through it you would probably think I am a cross between the world’s greatest cake and pastry chef, a fit at 52 running machine and adventure junkie, and someone who swans around drinking cocktails and going out for lunch. What you don’t see is all the other, for want of a better word, ‘shit’ that goes on in the life of the Yorkshire Girl, and I’m sure the lives of most other people on the planet, which I’m continually keeping myself busy to avoid confronting, and well, quite frankly, this weekend it has really got me down and I’ve crumbled and sunk alone.

Facebook is another prime example, don’t believe anything that’s on there. I don’t post on there that often and have a very small select ‘friends’ group. I’ll update my profile pictures every now and again like I have done this weekend and I’ll send birthday messages, like I did last week to my youngest son, as Facebook seems to be the only way you can communicate with the younger generation these days. Otherwise I just use it to follow groups I’m in relating to running, adventure sports and other interests. On my profile picture update it looks like I’m having a lovely evening with my two boys, and I was, and of course that’s the message that I give to those that see. What you can’t see is that at that moment that photo was taken I also felt like being at home, in my PJ’s crying into a hot chocolate with a packet of digestive biscuits.

So why do we say we are OK? I think it because we are scared of the response we will get if we say we aren’t and we don’t want to be a burden to anyone. We are supposed to be the strong one who carries everyone else. We are scared we will be seen as weak, not being able to cope or worst of all you could get the response I got from my mother on Friday when I fell apart and actually said I was not ok…………..”Pull yourself together!”. Whatever you do, do not say that to someone! It’s really not helpful. The fact that they have told you they are not ok probably means they have tried to pull themself together and can’t see the way, they are looking to you for a hug, an ear to listen and a bit of direction as they see you as being the one person they can turn to. It’s at moments like that, I wish I had a sister.

I remember being on the Camino and I reached a café in a small hamlet just before a place called Carrion de los Condes. Outside sat a French man. I would guess he was in his early 60’s and he was sobbing uncontrollably. Instinctively, I asked him if he was OK and gave him a hug. He assured me he was fine (which could have been a good thing as my French is very rusty) and that was that. Then I saw him later that evening, much more composed by now, and he actually came to speak to me (in English) to thank me and tell me how much that hug meant at that moment. I have no idea what his name was or anything else about him, why he was crying, nothing, but what I learnt from that was that a small act of kindness goes a long way.

So the challenge for you this week is to ask someone if they are ok and give them a hug, they might just need it.

My challenge to myself for this week is to “Pull myself together!” No, I’m joking. The words a lady who I met on the Camino gave me were “If from today I do not continue walking on my path, searching far and living according to what I have learned on this journey, I have arrived nowhere.” I’ve no idea where these words are from but they are wise words. So this week I am going to continue walking my path, even though I have no idea where it’s going, crying uncontrollably when I feel like it (but hopefully not all over my papers at work), challenge myself to say “No I’m not ok” if anyone asks me, and try to start to make sense of all the ‘shit’, as it’s about time I did. This is really not like me, I’m very smiley, strong and happy 99% of the time but I believe absolutely every one of us has days like these, even if we don’t admit it. It just feels like I’m surrounded by a huge broken jigsaw right now. All of these random pieces of different puzzles. The task is to be brave, work out which parts of the puzzle I need to keep, which parts I need to address, which parts I need to discard, and then work out how it all fits together again. Easy…………………not!

So where have I been. Well, I’ve sobbed my way around Sheffield Botanical Gardens in search of flowers and sunshine and the pictures are of all the lovely flowers I found . Half of them don’t have titles as I’ve no idea what they are but they did succeed in making me smile through my tears. Enjoy!

The gardens are amazing and for me they are one of the treasures of Sheffield. They are maintained by Sheffield City Council and are free to wander around. There are over 5,000 species of plants in 19 acres of parkland. Designed by Robert Marnock and opened in 1836 they contain a spectacular Grade II listed glass pavilion, restored in 2003 and containing tropical plants from all over the world.

I had not been here for ages and had forgotten how lovely it was. It was one of my go-to places in the summer of my maternity leave 20 years ago. I pushed that pram around there for miles getting my son to sleep and then collapsing on a bench to read my book with a coffee.

So that was the flowers and sunshine bit. Not too far away is Bragazzi Italian delicatessen and café, one of my favourites, so I had a flat white, lovely warm focaccia sandwich with Italian ham, melted scamorza cheese, San Marzano tomatoes, basil and olive oil. It was delicious!

And the other good thing to come out of the weekend is that the first crop of rhubarb is ready so it will be a lovely rhubarb crumble later!

So don’t forget, ask someone if they are ok, give them a hug and whatever you do don’t tell them to “pull yourself together”.

I’m on holiday from work for Easter! It’s not all adventures, cocktails, ice cream and growing old disgracefully though. Sometimes I have to be really responsible and morph back into my role of ‘Mum’ or ‘Mother’ as I am affectionately called (but I hate the latter title because it makes me sound very old). They’ve always called me ‘Mother’, I’ve no idea why. Now, this role is not half as glamourous as my role of ‘Middle Aged Adventurer’ or even ‘Competitive Athlete’ but it is huge fun (most of the time) and the most rewarding role I have. I’ve missed them loads and I love to have them home. But they do drive me slightly crazy and this is why…………I’m convinced girls would not be the same by the way, but I’m sure they come with their own challenges, or so my friends tell me.

They both arrived back within two days of each other and within 24 hours their rooms were an absolute tip again, although I think they may be a little less tip like than at Christmas as I can actually see the floor, but it’s early days.

Only one day into the holiday and I have already transitioned quite effortlessly into the role of full time chef, personal assistant, launderette attendee, chauffeur, personal shopper and beautician.

So a typical day in the life of ‘Mother’.

Request number one…….”Can you help me book return flights from Bristol to Faro in June, I’ve booked a villa with my mates?”; fifteen of them, boys and girls, all descending on one Algarve villa………….think ‘Love Island’. So, we are doing a degree in Astrophysics but we need assistance to operate the EasyJet website! But of course I assisted and flights are now booked.

Request number two (this is gross so if you are squeamish skip this paragraph). Can you get rid of this blackhead on my back? So then I get my makeup bag and utensils out and morph into beautician for extraction of said spot. Job done and the other one needs a lift to his girlfriends. Hopefully not the same girlfriend as the one that it looks like he’s going to grow over the Easter holiday in a glass of water! Seriously, I’ve just stopped asking questions!

Chauffeuring done and everybody says they are going to be around for dinner so I spend two hours cooking a Spaghetti Bolognese. Then the text arrives to say we won’t be back for dinner after all, so Bolognese sauce goes in the freezer for another day.

Then I fall over a pair of wet shoes in the hallway. We have a shoe cupboard for shoes, we also have a rug inside the front door to protect the wooden floor. But the most sensible place to put a pair of wet shoes is in the middle of the wooden floor to leave a water mark on the floor and ensure that someone breaks their neck on the way to the kitchen.

I decide I’ve had enough for one day, the house is quiet because they are out, so I decide to take a shower, wash my hair and go to bed early with my book. Or so I thought! Now this next occurrence has happened before and they know it drives me insane and I have a proper “Mother take a chill pill” moment, so why they still do it I have no idea. We have one of those ‘magic’ cupboards…..the one that ‘Mother’ ensures has a spare of everything in so we never run out. You know the one I mean. It contains toilet rolls, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, laundry products, cleaning products etc. We’ve had it since they were born and the contents never change. So why is it then, when they run out of shampoo in their shower, they take my coloured hair shampoo out of my shower (neither of them has coloured hair), rather than getting a full bottle of their shampoo out of the ‘magic’ cupboard which is closer to their shower.

So there I am, wet through, in the shower when I reach down for my shampoo which is not there. ‘Mother’ really did need a chill pill at that moment when she had to get out of the shower, cursing, to retrieve her shampoo.

Anyway, said day was repeated three more times. Different days and different dilemmas but all along similar lines, until I’d had enough. I love them dearly but it is so important to take time for yourself otherwise you go crazy and it stops being fun. So I went AWOL. The answer to “Where are you?”, was as follows!

Yes I lasted four whole days before I drove myself down the motorway (after turning down the bass and adjusting the seat in my car……but that’s another story) for a little bit of an escape; half a day at the Turkish Baths, Harrogate. I don’t tell them exactly where I’m going for fear they’ll be waiting outside for me when I come out, I just disappear. The lady on reception when I telephoned the day before said they had just one space left for the morning session, provided I did not want any treatments. I explained that I just needed a phone free lie down in a darkened room for the morning in the baths so that would be fine.

The Turkish Baths are amazing. If you are ever near Harrogate, go! They are fully restored Victorian Turkish Baths that underwent a major restoration at the turn of this century. Harrogate itself is a beautiful town. In 1571 the water springs were discovered which made Harrogate a ‘Spa’ town. In the 1880’s the then mayor of the town came up with, and had developed, an international quality bathing and hydrotherapy centre which became the Royal Baths. The baths opened in 1897 and the water was pumped to them from various springs around the town and treatments were offered for conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism and sciatica. After the war the number of wealthy visitors coming to take treatments declined and the Baths limped along until they finally closed in 1969. They remained closed until they underwent a restoration project costing millions commencing in 2002. All the glazed brickwork was restored along with the terrazzo mosaic floors, ornate wooden carving and Arabic decorations.

Inside there is a cold plunge pool, eucalyptus infused steam room, showers and a caldarium of three rooms, each one intensifying in heat as you work through them. It is heaven! The sign on the wall in reception by the coffee machine says it all…….’Perfecting the art of relaxation since 1897′. By the time I got there I felt like I had been born in 1897 but three hours inside the baths sorted me out. Before you come out, there are some lovely loungers to lay on, as they recommend you spend at least 20 to 30 minutes acclimatising back to a normal temperature before you leave or you can go a little light headed. I laid down with my book for the last 20 minutes and oh my goodness, I’m not embarrassed to tell you that the next thing I remember was being woken up to tell me the session had ended…….I just hope I did not snore!

So that was my perfect morning of rest and relaxation. I just had time to purchase a little treat in reception as I’m running low on it and this is a good recommendation for anyone who has trouble sleeping. This last year my sleep pattern has been severely disrupted by that time in my life. I’m hot, then I’m cold, clothes and covers are on, then they are off, then I need the toilet, then I’m wide awake. It drives me crazy but this little bottle really helps me get to sleep. It might be psychological but I don’t care…..it works for me and that’s the main thing. It’s basically a pillow mist of lavender, chamomile and patchouli. It’s all natural and just one little spritz on my pillow if I’m having a night when I just can’t settle, and some focused breathing and I’m soon off into a relaxed slumber. So that’s another mid life crisis tip…..I’m just full of them.

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you, there’s a Betty’s in Harrogate too, like the one in York, so I went in there after, but no cake pictures were taken because I had eaten my treat before I even thought about photos. But it was a delicious end to a lovely relaxing day going AWOL. I am now safely back at home ready to take on another fun filled day in the glamorous role of ‘Mother’.

The other weekend I had a lovely weekend at home with not much planned and sometimes that is just the sort of weekend you need. I was ready for a little rest.

First I had my usual morning coffee with my bird feeders, but this weekend it was so sunny it was warm enough to sit out on my garden bench for coffee, with a coat on of course, it’s not quite cracking the pavements yet here in Yorkshire!

I noticed this weekend just how much the spring flowers in the garden have come out with the little bit of warmth and sunshine following the snow and the garden is starting to look really pretty.

It was so nice by lunchtime that I decided to have a little drive out to the Peak District and the village of Eyam for a little hike and a bit of fresh air as I’ve not been to this lovely little village for quite a while.

If you don’t know Eyam, it is worth a visit as it has a great deal of history. The village became famous during the Black Death Plague (Bubonic Plague) of 1665 and 1666. The plague reached the village in a flea infested bundle of cloth from London, which was delivered to the local tailor. Shortly after, he died, and the plague started to spread amongst the villagers. The villagers decided to completely isolate themselves from the rest of the country and surrounding area in order to stop the spread of the plague. The outbreak lasted for 14 months and only 83 of the 350 villagers survived. There are all sorts of little bits of history regarding this event dotted around the village and one of these is Mompesson’s Well, named after the Reverend William Mompesson, to whom the villagers turned to lead them through this pandemic. I walked up to the well on my visit. It is about a mile and a half out of the village, up on the hillside. Its significance is that it is was a dropping point and the place where everything the villagers needed to survive was deposited by the outside world in order for them to collect it later the same day.

There is a lovely view from the top of the hill but the most spectacular thing today, in addition to the daffodils, were the clouds. They were quite enchanting with the sun shining through them and you know how I love clouds.

On the way back I had just enough time for one small adventure. A plunge in the ‘Plunge Pool’ at Rivelin Valley. It’s quite simply a pool at the bottom of a waterfall in the River Rivelin, Sheffield. I thought I’d just have a little look to see how fast flowing it was, and how cold it was after all the snow melt of the previous few weeks. But I just could not resist. The wet suit was on and I was in. Freezing cold but much better than a jacuzzi! My face says it all!

And then to top off a lovely day I got home to my Mother’s Day greetings card on the rug! Yes you heard that right……one card….. I have two children but one card! Funnily enough I got one card on my Birthday (three days late). The one that forgot my Birthday remembered Mother’s Day and the one that has forgotten Mother’s Day remembered my Birthday. Or perhaps they are just sharing the card sending responsibility out, I don’t know. It’s a good job I love them lots and the message more than made up for it! I can’t wait to see them at Easter as it’s been months and despite them descending and creating chaos when they return I still miss them so much!

I will forgive the forgetting of the odd card, although I do like kisses in my card so I’ve sent a little sarcastic tutorial message about the location of the ‘x’ button on the keyboard for when typing your message on an online card order. Oh yes, I forgot to say, it was an online card order with the message computer typed inside! It would be far too much effort for a student to go to a card store, hand write a card, put a postage stamp on it and then locate a post box! No mother is worth that when you can sit in the comfort of your gaming chair and order an online card at the touch of a button. But it’s the thought that counts! Now, I know we have to move with the times and I might be getting a little cynical and long in the tooth but there are just some elements of this modern world of convenience that I just can’t adapt to. If you get a card from me I can guarantee that it won’t be an online one. I will have handpicked it personally, it will be handwritten in my best handwriting and it will have a little personal message. If I’ve not seen or spoken to you for ages it might even have a letter in it. Call me old fashioned but that’s just the way I do it!

And what a fantastic Birthday this was!

Now normally I don’t really celebrate my Birthday. I think when you’ve had small children you focus on their Birthdays so much that yours becomes just another day. Then there is the fact that we’ve all had two pandemic Birthdays, one of them being my 50th, so I wasn’t really planning on this one being anything special.

The boys are still away at University until Easter so I decided to go away to the Lake District for my birthday earlier this month as it probably has to be my favourite place in the UK, and I’ve not been here since my two running races around Ullswater and Helvellyn in October. I just adore it here. It’s an adventurer’s playground. If you don’t like mountains, lakes, walking and solitude then you’ll hate it. But I love all those things.

The lake, and namesake village, of Buttermere was my base this time around. Oh, please can I have a view out of my bedroom window like this every morning, not just my Birthday morning?!?!

I’d decided on Buttermere for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve not stayed here before to explore its hills and fells and secondly it is the base for exploring Haystacks.

Haystacks was the favourite peak of Alfred Wainwright so I thought if it’s his favourite it must be quite spectacular. He described it as a “place of great charm and fairyland attractiveness.”

So first a bit about Alfred Wainwright. He was a British fell walker, guidebook author and illustrator, and quite a fascinating chap. I guess you’d describe him as a bit odd. He was agnostic and had absolutely no time for religion. He also described himself as antisocial and would avoid engaging with other people at all costs. He used to wander alone on the fells and his 7 volume pictorial guides to the 214 Lakeland fells, containing his own illustrations, are the go-to guides for anyone who loves to wander in these parts.

He died in 1991 and his ashes are scattered alongside Innominate Tarn on the top of Haystacks. So, I thought that it was about time I paid him a visit, because although he was quite a solitary figure, he did come out with some quotes which were absolutely spot on and resonate with me so much.

The first of his quotes which you’ll hear me say a lot is, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” Too right. And my birthday was freezing up in the lakes, but suitable clothing worn, off I went in search of birthday adventures after my full Cumberland Breakfast…..yum!

So here is where I went, what I discovered and a few absolute gems from Wainwright thrown in for good measure.

First summit of the day Fleetwith Pike, reached by going directly up Fleetwith Edge. At 648m this is a difficult climb and isn’t really a walk, large parts of it involve scrambling on all fours and if you aren’t comfortable with heights, it can be a bit of a challenge. I’ve trained myself to like heights so that wasn’t too much of an issue, but even I was glad to get up to the summit cairn, it was hard work! You are rewarded with the most amazing view of Buttermere Lake, Crummock Water and Haystacks from the top.

“The fleeting hour of life of those who love the hills is quickly spent, but the hills are eternal. Always there will be the lonely ridge, the dancing beck, the silent forest; always there will be the exhilaration of the summits. These are for the seeking, and those who seek and find while there is still time will be blessed both in mind and body.”
― Alfred Wainwright, The Western Fells

From the summit of Fleetwith Pike you then make your way towards Haystacks. But not before you come across two amazing little discoveries enroute. Dubs Hut and Warnscale bothies, both members of the Mountain Bothies Association. A bit of an explanation about these cute little discoveries. They are managed by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA), a registered charity whose purpose is: ‘To maintain simple shelters in remote country for the use of all who love wild and lonely places.’

The MBA was founded in 1998 and looks after approximately 100 of these mountain huts. Over 90 of them are in Scotland but these two are a couple of the few they maintain in England. They are all unlocked and anyone can use them free of charge. There are no facilities, no electricity and no piped water. Well, when I say no facilities, Dubs Hut does have a cute little stove for you to light a fire and a camping kettle. Both have a source of water nearby, Warnscale has a fast-flowing ghyll close by and Dubs Hut has a yellow bucket and pipe capturing the mountain rainwater runoff but both would need a good filter or boil before consumption. Fortunately, I’d got a small bottle of prosecco in my rucksack to celebrate my birthday………why have water when you can have prosecco!

There are also platforms to use as beds if you want to stay overnight, or need to stay in an emergency, but I decided I quite liked my hotel! I wouldn’t be averse to staying in one overnight for fun but I don’t think I’d be one hundred percent on doing it without a friend as they are so remote and in the middle of nowhere and you are stuck spending the night with whoever turns up, in a very lonely location. I did however bump into a lovely walking group in Dubs Hut who were fun to share a cuppa and a chat with, I’m not quite as unsociable as Wainwright. In fact, I’m not unsociable at all, I love to chat, too much!!

Warnscale quite possibly has the greatest view from any mountain bothy in the UK. It looks out over the whole of the Buttermere valley and on a clear day you can see the Irish Sea. I had to get the flask out here and just sit and rest a while.

“Oh, how can I put into words the joys of a walk over country such as this; the scenes that delight the eyes, the blessed peace of mind, the sheer exuberance which fills your soul as you tread the firm turf? This is something to be lived, not read about. On these breezy heights, a transformation is wondrously wrought within you. Your thoughts are simple, in tune with your surroundings; the complicated problems you brought with you from the town are smoothed away. Up here, you are near to your Creator; you are conscious of the infinite; you gain new perspectives; thoughts run in new strange channels; there are stirrings in your soul which are quite beyond the power of my pen to describe. Something happens to you in the silent places which never could in the towns, and it is a good thing to sit awhile in a quiet spot and meditate. The hills have a power to soothe and heal which is their very own. No man ever sat alone on the top of a hill and planned a murder or a robbery, and no man ever came down from the hills without feeling in some way refreshed, and the better for his experience.”
― Alfred Wainwright

Then it was onto Haystacks and the discovery of Innominate Tarn. It is exactly as Wainwright describes it and it does truly have “great charm and fairyland attractiveness.” I can see why he liked it and why he wanted this to be his final resting place.

By this time the sun was dimming in the sky and knowing it was another couple of hours walk back to the hotel I decided to descend and call it a day as my little legs were tired, the bar was beckoning, I was hungry and I needed my bed! The food was delicious. Now I can be a sophisticated eater when I need to be and can eat ‘haute cuisine’ with the best of them but I’m sorry, when I’ve trudged up a couple of peaks in the freezing cold there is only one thing for it………pie and beer!

Day two of the Birthday weekend I was up early ready for another day of adventures. When I’m off on an adventure I don’t mind getting up early. It’s about the only time I am a morning person, when I’m walking, exploring or adventuring.

“Morning is the best part of the day for walking. The air is freshest then, the earth sweetest. The flowers preen themselves after their bath of dew, and stand erect with rare self-assurance, proud of their bright clean colours. The birds are happiest in the morning, and most lively then. They dart across the path before you, wheel and soar above the trees, swoop unerringly to their nests. They chatter and chirrup and sing in unending chorus, blithely contented and gay, and so very very glad to be alive.”
― Alfred Wainwright

I’d decided I wanted to walk around Crummock Water which is next to Buttermere as it would be a nice flat walk after the hills of the day before, but also because it is supposedly one of the prettier and quieter lakes in the Lake District with the tallest waterfall in the county, Scale Force, off to one side of the lake. I’d not been around this one before and it really did take my breath away. It is beautiful. The weather was perfect, a really cloudy sky but dry and perfectly still so it made it so atmospheric. The lake’s surface was like glass and everything was reflected in it. I love clouds at the best of times but on this particular day, reflected in the water, they really were something else.

“Clouds are the most transient of nature’s creations. They come out of a clear sky, disintegrate before your eyes, vanish. You never see the same cloud twice. Every moment of its brief existence brings a change, a change of form or tint or texture; but its beauty remains constant to the end. The beauty of the clouds is there for us to see every day, if we are not too busy to look up….”
― Alfred Wainwright

Half way around the lake you pass a way marker pointing you in the direction of Scale Force. It’s a good half mile uphill climb from the edge of the lake. When I reached it, it was beautiful but you can’t quite see the main waterfall, just the lower fall. I can’t resist a bit of a challenge and I really wanted to see the main waterfall. I stood a while and pondered whether I could climb a piece of exposed rock to the left of the lower fall to get to the next level. I eventually decided to go for it and it was the right decision. I got absolutely soaked from the spray and blowback from the waterfall as it was quite windy up the gulley but it really was such a spectacular sight and so worth the effort.

Being both wet through and freezing cold by now, I called it a day and headed off to the car for the three-hour drive home, vowing to visit more often as this was my idea of the perfect weekend and the best birthday adventure ever!

This post is more snowy pictures than words. Storm Larisa certainly delivered! I got up last Friday to my poor little Mini underneath a pile of snow.

It was going nowhere as I live at the bottom of a big hill. School closed, so it looked like a working from home day. It literally snowed all day but just as I logged off my laptop before dinner the snow stopped and out came the sun for the last couple of hours of the day. Now I love playing out in the snow so couldn’t resist a quick walk around the village before the sun went down. It’s at times like this when I just love Yorkshire. It looks so pretty in the snow. So here’s just a few photos of the village I call home.

Saturday was even better as the snow was still there and the sun was out again. I need to get some serious running training in as I’ve got a race coming up so I managed to dig the car out with a shovel and drive the few miles to Langsett reservoir and moor. There’s no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing, apparently, so I attached my spikes to my running shoes and saw it as the perfect opportunity to do some hard uphill training in the snow.

I just love it here. It’s the perfect escape, up on the moors, and you can run for hours and not see a soul. It’s hard going when it’s snowed though as it feels twice as hard. The views more than make up for it and it was just beautiful. I only managed just short of seven miles and it was a slow seven miles at that.

I also had the wrong clothing on! In my running tights the bottom part of my legs are uncovered and about 3 miles in I had to turn back, The snow had drifted and was above knee height and ice and snow on bare legs is excruciating. It stings so much and feels like someone is cutting into your legs with razor blades. I stood it for around five minutes and then it stopped being fun so a hasty retreat was made.

It’s always windy up there too, head wind outbound and tail wind on the way back. I’ll make no excuses for my choice of headwear. My little skull cap keeps my head so warm and the wind out of my ears. I have so much hair though and I am acutely aware that it makes me look like I’ve got two ears like a spaniel where my hair sticks out but sometimes fashion has to give way to practicality!

This was hard, up and up and up through the woods. A bit like wading through treacle, two steps forward and three back.

I felt so exhilarated though after my snowy run. I just love being outside exercising. Its so important to me to get out there after a busy week at work. All life’s worries and stresses are a million miles away when you are out adventuring in a happy place.

There were of course refreshments involved. This time Bank View Cafe came up with the goods …….. a Terrys Chocolate Orange Luxury Hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and a piece of flapjack but I have to admit, I was so cold and hungry, it disappeared very quickly and I forgot to take a picture. Sorry!