Brrr

It's my day off and I'm sat at home getting a few bits done online. I'm pretty chilly.

I've made an appointment to give blood on Monday, hopefully this time my haemoglobin levels will be high enough to donate. I finished my iron tablets last Monday so I think it's unlikely my levels will be low. I'm going to have to rush straight to work after I've donated as they are only doing an afternoon session this time and the earliest appointment left was 55mins before I was due to start work. They usually say to allow an hour to go through the whole process but I have found it to take only 30mins in the past and I know they have now changed the process slightly to make it quicker. Some Mondays I start at 4 and some at 3.30, unfortunately next Monday is a 3.30 day so I have asked that I can come in at 4 and make up the half an hour this week. So this way I have an hour and 25mins after my appointment starts to get done and get to work. I imagine I won't need all that time but it's better than constantly looking at my watch thinking I've got to be at work for 3.30.

Tomorrow I am working the early and then am going straight to the gym. I will also be walking to work as my car is away getting fixed this week.

This afternoon I am going to a garden centre near where I live that also has lots of Christmassy things this time of year, then tonight one of my friends who I haven't seen for a while is coming over. I am trying to make the most of working earlies/days off this week. I have today off as time in lieu due to working extra last week. I got to choose which day I had off so went for today as it was a late shift.

The weather here is a bit dreary, think it's predicted to be a rainy Christmas. I always hope for snow over Christmas, I LOVE snow! I find it so magical and it hardly ever snows and settles here so snow is a bit of an event. I think it only ever snows and settles about once a year. I remember it once snowing on Christmas day but it was only a light flutter that did not settle. As the song goes 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas' Yes please. Although icy conditions aren't great when you're training for a marathon. It can snow on a day when I've just been for a running and am having a rest day the next and then melt away overnight after the rest day so it's clear for me the next training day. Great, now I just need it to actually happen like that.

I'm off to have some lunch now, will try and have some red meat and have plenty the rest of the week so I can build up my iron stores ready for Monday. I'll be so cross if my haemoglobin levels are still low although I think that's very unlikely. After Monday my next session to give blood will be rather close to the marathon, it takes 12-16 weeks for your iron levels to recover after giving blood so I may well wait until after the marathon to donate again.

Have a good week all.