Black and Tabby Runs

Coffeeneuring 2019 #6

Back in the UK, my 6th Coffeeneuring ride still had an International feel, as I rode to meet my Canadian friend. (I should point out, obviously I didn’t ride to Canada, she was over visiting her family). We met at “Grounded” in Corsham, which eagle-eyed readers will remember I visited as ride number 3 this year.

We had a lovely chat, and I again treated myself to the vegan dark chocolate brownie. This brownie is so good, as we ordered I said if they didn’t have any we’d go somewhere else and I wasn’t joking.

As we said goodbye, I realised that if I popped in somewhere for another drink, then this ride could still count as a Coffeeneuring trip.

Heading on down the High Street, I parked my bike up and walked back to Previous. This is a lovely little shop, with a tiny cafe upstairs.

I bought a birthday present for a friend and then hopped upstairs for an Almond milk latte. This was very good, and almost kept me warm when I got soaked on my ride back home.

5 miles cycled, 2 hot drinks drunk, 1 lovely catch up, and 1 Coffeeneur drenched on the ride home.

Coffeeneuring 2019 #5

Still in Berlin, I had promised my husband we could go on a “Bowie” tour of Berlin (as he is such an avid fan). We hired Donkey bikes again, and accidentally ended up with the exact same bikes as the day before (they all have names!) Much hilarity was caused when I finally realised my bike had gears – no wonder yesterday’s ride felt like hard work!

Husband had done his research, and expertly piloted us around areas of the city from Bowie’s time of living there in the 1970s with Iggy Pop. Some of these places are mentioned in the lyrics of his later song “Where are we now”, such as Potzdammer Platz and the biggest department store in Europe, KaDeWe. We found the recording studios “Hansa Records” in the pouring rain, which was rather a low point for me (but the opposite for Mr B&T!)

Outside the apartment that Bowie shared with Iggy Pop

I insisted on an early coffee stop (just to make sure it would be a Coffeeneuring ride – priorities, right?) at a denns biomarkt for an organic coffee and a snack that was marked as Vegan but I’m still not really sure what it was (slightly sweet, flaky pastry ish).

Organic soya latte and “Splitterbrotchen”

I had been worried about cycling around a city, and an unfamiliar foreign city at that, but I was surprised to find that drivers were very aware of cyclists and no one seemed to mind if you hopped onto the pavement for a short section if it was safer. I just wish such tolerance could be exported back to the UK!

Rather a soggy day, but 8.5 miles ridden around Berlin, a strong coffee with an unidentifiable snack, and one happy husband!

Coffeeneuring 2019 #4

International coffeeneuring this time (or should that be Kaffeneuring?) A short trip to Berlin coupled with husband’s aversion to walking, plus a flat city that is used to cyclists meant that I was easily persuaded to explore on 2 wheels.

We used one of the many, clever apps available these days to hire “donkey” bikes. We chose these mainly because they had a handy holder for a phone on the front handlebars, meaning we could use Google Maps to safely navigate us around the city.

We had (accidentally) managed to arrive in the week before the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. This meant that the city was full of displays and exhibits and interesting ‘stuff’ to look at. It was maybe a little ironic that as part of the forthcoming celebrations a massive stage blocked the iconic Brandenburg Gate.

Inside the dome of the Reichstag building

Brandenburg Gate -blocked again 30 years on!

Total ride was 11.5 miles, 1 good strong soya latte was drunk (we found the Einstein chain of coffee shops had soya milk), and many tourist sites visited.

Coffeeneuring 2019 #3

My third Coffeeneuring trip this year, no cake so far, but my hopes were high for Grounded in Corsham. This lovely cafe does offer a Vegan cooked breakfast which was my fallback treat in case of cake-failure.

A fairy speedy ride out to our closest small town, and having remembered a bike lock this time I didn’t have to bother any window cleaners to keep my bike safe, unlike last time (see here!)

Wanted my Trek closer than the official bike rack

I headed inside, ordered my coffee and with baited breathe asked if they had any vegan cakes. “Oh – only the dark chocolate brownie”. ONLY??? It was amazingly good, and because it was dark chocolate not too sweet.

I ate it all too quickly, and then decided I’d better put some effort into the ride home to burn it off!

5.5 miles ridden to Grounded in Corsham.

Coffeeneuring 2019 #2

Still enthused about this year’s Coffeeneuring challenge, when my car was booked into the garage for its annual service and MOT I decided to squeeze my bike into the boot and then cycle home (via a cafe) whilst I waited.

First part of the plan worked like a charm. After dropping off the car I cycled down into town towards one of my favourite coffee shops, Coffee#1 on Chippenham’s High Street. This cafe has really friendly staff, a range of dairy-free milks and offers a very fine vegan chocolate tiffin-style cake. Optimistic of not having to make do with a packet of crisps this time, I was practically salivating at the thought of this treat as I cycled up the High Street*.

At this point – I had a sudden horrible thought. I’d remembered my bike, I’d picked up my helmet, I had cash to spend – but I’d forgotten to pick up a bike lock. Chippenham is hardly the crime capital of North Wiltshire, but I still wouldn’t leave my lovely Trek there, unlocked and out of my sight. Somewhat less enthusiastically (in fact, I nearly turned around and headed straight for home) I carried on, thinking I might be able to order a takeaway coffee whilst keeping my eyes on my bike propped up against the window. Or wheel my bike inside. Or just shout my order in from the doorway. Or .. or … or ask the lovely window cleaner who was hard at work cleaning the cafe’s front windows. Bless him, he said of course he’d watch my bike whilst I ran inside to use the toilet and buy my coffeeneuring reward.

My chocolate treat was in sight! I propped my bike against a table, out of his way, and dashed inside, only to have my hopes dashed when I was told they hadn’t received any cakes that morning. They did at least have soya milk, so it wasn’t a totally wasted trip, but I’m starting to worry that the theme of my rides this year might be NO CAKE!

Little bit chilly for sitting outside but needs must

Total ride was 4.5 miles, drink was a soya latte, cafe was Coffee#1, window cleaner was a top bloke.

Coffee from Coffee#1 on Chippenham High Street — Scenic 😉 Still no vegan cake

* For anyone local, this was before 9:30am so the High Street was still open to traffic. You didn’t think I was cycling through a pedestrianised zone, did you??!

Coffeeneuring 2019 #1

Coffeeneuring 2019 begins!

The days are getting shorter, the weather is colder, I feel like hibernating, it can only mean one thing – It’s time for Coffeeneuring! (Explanation of what Coffeeneuring is given here, but briefly it’s a challenge over 7 weeks or so to get out on your bike and simply go for a coffee (other suitable drinks are available). 7 weeks, 7 rides, 7 different cafes).

Starting this year as keen as a keen thing, I decided to cycle to tai chi, and then call in at the local farm shop cafe to see if they’ve managed any vegan cakes yet. Or at least, a non-angry way of telling customers that they are very sorry, but they don’t have any cakes suitable for a vegans diet (which would be a change to last year’s experience here!)

In my mind, I would cycle effortlessly to town. I would float into class all pink cheeked from the fresh air, and remove my helmet with a hair toss worthy of a shampoo advert. The reality was an incredibly muddy slog in, then an inability to find anywhere to park my bike resulting in it having to be chained to a small tree and a hasty scramble up the stairs to avoid being late. Taking my trainers off I realised I was splashed with mud nearly up to my knees. Those who remember “The Royle Family” will appreciate I could hear, in the voice of Jim Royce, “serene, my @rse!”

Never mind, I enjoyed the lesson and retrieving my bike I headed out to Allington Farm Shop. This is a lovely, and very popular cafe (with bike racks) and I took the last table between a group of mummies chatting about their husbands and a pair of silver haired ladies gossiping about friends. Yes, the cafe had soya milk, but yet again my enquiry about the possibility of a vegan cake was met with a very short “no”. Ah well, Biscoff biscuit and a packet of crisps it was, then back home through the mud again for a change of trousers.

Coffeeneuring 2019 #1 completed! October 16th 2019, 7 miles

The Curly Wurly

Photo of Somerdale parkrun sign — Welcome to Somerdale parkrun!

Saturday 12th October 2019 was parkrun day, like any other Saturday, but more particularly it was parkrun away day. Well, for the Chippenham Harriers (my running club) it was, anyway. The coach was booked, seats purchased, plans made. The destination was to be Somerdale Pavilions parkrun, not too far away from Chippenham and home of the famous “Curly Wurly”.

The parkrun is in Keynsham, in the grounds of the now closed and redeveloped Cadbury factory. The trek over soggy fields to another soggy field was not inviting, but the veritable maze of tape marking the route was. I’ll post my Strava trace of the run which hopefully will illustrate what I mean:-

and the close up of the Curly Wurly:-

Nothing illustrates the Curly Wurly better than this video made by Mike, one of the Club stalwarts (and a former Chairman of our club). I finally appear at 4 minutes in (wearing a red t-shirt under my Harriers vest). Turn the sound on – the tune is called “The Curly Wurly!

And before anyone snitches to my physio, yes I ran but I also walked. I tried my best to “run clever”, but I also just enjoyed myself. Fabulous!

May you live in interesting times (or not)

So that was an “interesting” Summer.

We survived moving my daughter out of her student house and back home for a month, and then re-moving her and all of her stuff back into her next house. We managed to rearrange furniture so that her room could be described as “cosy” rather than tiny (it is very small).

We survived my son receiving his excellent A level grades, confirming his place at Exeter and then panicking to get ready to move out. We’ve seen a LOT of Ikea this summer -2 different Ikeas in 2 days was a new high. I feel partly Swedish.

We survived moving my son and his mountains of stuff down to Exeter. Helpfully, his room is huge, with plenty of space for everything. That’s the difference between what the same amount of money buys you in Oxford and in Exeter!

I then survived a week of coming home to an empty house (well, the cats were there and hungry so they were pleased to see me) and life was settling down as myself and Mr B&T embraced our newfound empty-nest freedom. All was going well. Right up until the moment on Tuesday afternoon when I was called down to the Finance Director’s office and abruptly told that due to cost savings my job was now redundant, and I would have a meeting with my manager in the morning to discuss the situation.

Oh – and I could go home for the rest of the afternoon if I wanted.

Redundant?

Now?

ME?

Shocked doesn’t cover how I felt. Shocked, shaking, unable to speak, slightly teary is probably closer, but still doesn’t cover quite how stunned I was. Imagine being unexpectedly slapped hard in the face – that was basically how it felt.

When I stopped shaking long enough to drive safely I collected my belongings and drove home. Walking into the house mid-afternoon didn’t stop the ever-hungry cats from greeting me expectantly, but I just felt empty and unable to breathe. Instinctively I changed into running gear, found running shoes in the garage and left the house. Because I hadn’t run for nearly 3 months my Garmin took ages to find any satellites. I wore my oldest, saggiest leggings so I didn’t look too keen, and I set off walking. I chose my most runned-route because it heads out towards the woods on lanes, byways and footpaths but is still fairly even, hard packed trail. I might need a run, but I didn’t need to twist my foot again. I walked for 5 minutes or so as a warmup and then tentatively started running. I continued tentatively running for 10 minutes, then walked again. Each step was a mindful monologue of “is my ankle okay? Yes, it’s okay. Is it okay now? Yes – still okay”. At the furthest point from the village I did indulge myself with a short but heartfelt face-screwed-up-proper-ugly-crying-wail. Thank God I didn’t meet any dog walkers at this point. My husband called at the precise moment I hit the hill so chatting to him gave me the perfect excuse to walk back up the hill.

I did manage another 10 minutes of running and then another 5 of walking, and I had just enough road left for a short trot to finish. I was actually pretty pleased with 40 minutes for 3 miles – and my head felt so much clearer (although my face and eyes were much puffier). My foot felt fine afterwards but a little tender the next day, but to be honest the entirety of both my legs felt pretty stiff by then. I felt a little guilty for running, and did call my run on Strava “Don’t tell the physio!” Hopefully no long term damage done, but immense short term therapy achieved.

I had another meeting on Friday, another trot out, and then a day of tentatively poking my foot and ankle. I’ve just had my final ‘consultation’ meeting and am officially redundant with 4 weeks notice which thankfully I don’t have to work. Just a short handover meeting on Monday to come and I’m done.

What a strange feeling. Might go for a run this afternoon…

2019 – the Year of the Second Comeback

Apparently comebacks are the in-thing at the moment. From the Spice Girls to Spitting Image, everyone who was ever anyone is coming back. Not being one to shy away from jumping on a bandwagon, but always wanting to go one better, I’m about to launch my second comeback of the year.

First comeback was getting back into running again after letting things slide after starting my new job. This was pretty successful peaking in running the Invader Half marathon. After this I ran a couple of recces of a stage of the Cotswold Way Relay with Liz, and I was happily running several times a week. My strength and stamina were increasing and I was envisioning having a great off-road season this winter.

Unfortunately the saying “pride comes before a fall” was demonstrated quite literally at parkrun at the end of June. On the second lap that goes through a field I landed awkwardly, my ankle twisted under me and I went down like the proverbial sack of spuds. Long story short is that I badly sprained my ankle, which swelled up so much it looked like an elephant’s leg, with no running for nearly 3 months.

Now? Well after waiting patiently for my ankle to heal, doing the exercises the nurse gave me every day, I finally gave up waiting and booked a physio appointment. And then another appointment. And another. My ankle is now back to normal size, I can hop on it, and even balance on it (briefly) with my eyes closed – I love my physio exercises! Lovely as my physio is, I’m really hoping that my appointment next Friday will be the last time I see him for a while.

Fingers crossed for me!

May the Fourth parkrun

May the Fourth (Star Wars day, of course) fell on a Saturday this year. Saturday is also parkrun day, and the first Saturday of the month is pacing week, so of course our parkrun had a Star Wars parkrun. I’d signed up as a pacer again (first Saturday of the month), so naturally I had to appear as a Star Wars themed pacer.

Reappearance of the Princess Leia outfit

I was pacing 32 minutes again, but I was finding it difficult to run to a steady pace this week. I pressed on, and with about a kilometre to go I apologised as I passed a runner in front of me. “I was hoping to stay in front of you!!!” she wailed, so I told her to stick with me and we’d get her in under 32 minutes. Coming up to the line I told her to sprint ahead, and seeing as I came in in 31:15 means she was definitely under 32 minutes. This is the first time I’ve actually had someone running with me and relying on my timing, and I was delighted we did it (even if I was too fast!)

As I waited to get my barcode scanned, another runner told me that he’d had me in his sight all the way around, and was really pleased with his time as a result. Two satisfied customers- the force was strong with this one today!

Note – in case you missed the first appearance of the Princess Leia costume, it was here. And yes – I was impressed I still fitted into it as well!