I wish... I was a cross country runner (part 4)

Keep going. Whatever the weather.

Last Sunday I said I would put an appointment in my diary to go for another run. Monday was out; work and then a social event. Tuesday too; work and then Dad-sitting. So it would have to be Wednesday.

I got home from work on Wednesday and resisted the urge to make a cup of tea and eat a biscuit and have a sit down.

No! I shall not sit down and get comfortable! I shall change into a tiny pair of shorts and a T-shirt and get distinctly uncomfortable.

The first five minutes were the hardest. I ran up and out of the estate, down a lane towards the old mill, and ran alongside the River Uck. The path was deliciously muddy.

I stopped on a small wooden bridge and stretched my legs. I always stretch once I've warmed up. I don't want to pull a muscle. Injury sets you back so much, in terms of time and enthusiasm.

I set off again and entered Buxted Park, one of my favourite places in the world. I have been going there since I was a child. Exploring. Thinking. Escaping. 

I ran around one of the lakes, crossed the river again (using a bridge, not wading through it like The Eliminator - although I am tempted now) and strode towards my tree.

My tree.

OK, it's not really my tree. Not legally. It probably belongs to Buxted Park Hotel, which stands on the hill overlooking it. But it feels like mine. I always deviate from the path to say hello to the tree and touch its bark. We hang out for a bit. Have a chat. Admire the view. Then I say goodbye and continue on my way. Until next time.

The sun had dipped beyond the horizon so I headed for home and picked up the pace. It got hard. It was the first time I'd really pushed myself since The Eliminator, and I felt a bit dizzy after finishing with a sprint. I sat on the step outside my front door to get my breath back.

Sitting outside the front of my house is not something I usually do. But I quite like it. Watching the world go by. Saying hello to neighbours. It's a shame we don't have a front porch culture in this country.

Anyway. I digress. 

I didn't fit in any more runs last week.  I mostly worked at Barnardo's (full-time during half term). Then the rains came.

Excuses? Perhaps. But this coming week will be different...

This week I will go for 7 cross country runs in 6 days! Whatever the weather.

It will be March soon. Start thinking about what you wish you could do next month.

I wish... I still printed my photos and put them in albums (part 3)

I picked up the first memory card. I would start with the oldest photos and work my way forwards in time to the newest photos. That would make sense.

I put the memory card back down. I'm not a big fan of sense. Where's the fun in that?

So I picked up the last memory card, number 13, loaded it into my Samsung ES75 camera, connected it to my laptop with a USB cable, fired up the flux capacitor, and accelerated to 88 miles per hour.

My nephew Toby, ladies and gentleman. In case you're worried about saying something un-PC, Toby is healthy in every way, including his eyes. Cheeky monkey.

This was taken on a short cruise to Bruges in May 2014 for my Dad's 60th Birthday. Unfortunately the sea was so rough that we couldn't dock in Belgium so instead we bobbed around in the channel for two days.

My favourite photo from one of seven weddings I went to last year. The bride's name was Holly and the groom's name was... Darren? I think? I can't remember. They are friends of my friend Steven.

Steven asked me to be his plus-one at the last minute. Everyone assumed that I was his gay lover.

Which I'm not. Just to clarify.

Firle Beacon in August. Immense. The people in the photo are my friends Rupert & Nicky and Nick & Anna. I went for a walk and took some photos because five's a crowd, right?

Nicky & Rupert organised a weekend of camping because it was their last chance before they have a baby. It was very sweet of them to invite me and I absolutely loved drinking and chatting with them around a camp fire and then walking onto the South Downs the next day.

A summer sunset in Buxted Park. I adore this place and walk there regularly all year round. The way the sun illuminates the long grass like this and a breeze ripples through it in waves is an awesome performance that I just have to stop and watch.

I have seen so many photos that make me smile on just 1 memory card. What will I find on the other 12? 

What do you wish you could do that would put a smile on your face?