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.

Hello November

Wow, it's November already. Seriously when did the whole rest of the year so far happen? I have achieved so much this year. A half marathon, a 5k, graduating university, getting a full time job, losing a stone since last year (8lbs since on HYC), becoming a more smiley happy person over the last few months, getting a place in the London Marathon, trying new things outside of my comfort zone. I'm sure there are also many small victories. This year has been one of my happiest so far. Yes final year of university was hard and stressful, but I'd say this past year I have really become at ease with myself and life in general. I think I am older now and more mature and able to deal with things. When things go wrong I think about what I can learn and do differently in the future and then move on. When people may be horrible I give them the benefit of the doubt and think everyone has a bad day sometimes and think back to times I have got the wrong end of the stick or been a bit bitchy.

Today was the official start date of my new job/promotion. I am working lates this week with Thursday off. I plan to go to the supermarket tomorrow and get some ingredients to make healthy cooked meals to have for lunch before work, I also need to get some more fruit and bits to take for my evening meals at work. I feel more settled now I know which shifts I am doing and can plan ahead. I want to do something fun on Thursday as over the last couple of months I have had barely any social life. Most of the time I just work and relax at home. I don't think I want to do anything wild on Thursday just something to get out the house.

Yesterday I ended up working as someone was off sick, this was fine but I was a very tired chicky afterwards. Last night was my cousin's engagement party, it was really great fun. I did have an energy slump about an hour before the end though, I managed to wake up a bit to start dancing again to the last few songs.

I have to say last night I did think to myself I need to do more stuff like this, you're only young once and I think sometimes I am acting old before my time. The problem a lot of the time is that everyone is so busy all the time you have to plan in advance and it's hard to be spontaneous. My solution is to book things in for days/evenings off in advance. Not for every single evening/day off obviously but for more of them. Whether it be having a friend over, going for a walk with a friend, a day out, the pub, shopping, it would be nice to let my hair down a bit more. It was great to see my cousins and their partners who we don't see very often last night and to get to know my cousin's fiancee a bit more. I'm looking forward to the wedding-I love weddings!

I'm feeling pretty happy right now as you might have guessed. I hope you all are too, have a great week.

And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more

So the title is quoting the song by The Proclaimers. I was just listening to it on itunes and singing along. It was stuck in my head the other day but I couldn't quite remember the words I had 100 and 1000 in my head but they didn't sound quite right and now I know I was totally wrong lol!

Also it made me think, I wonder how many miles I will cover in training for my marathon?

Hmmm, and if you add in lifestyle stuff like walking to work etc. If I walk to and from work it is 3.2 miles. So it all adds up.

I am so excited for the marathon yay!

I have work this evening, I am doing the bar.

I have the weekend off from work, but I have some stuff to get done. My plan tomorrow is as follows, get up and go for run, have shower, get dressed, get eyebrows done. Get typing stuff I need to do done and work on my presentation for next week. Then RELAX! If I have time after my shower and before J comes over to do my eyebrows I may well get some of the typing done then.

I will need to practise my presentation to ensure its as good as poss, that can be done Sunday and Monday.

I have been typing away on some stuff I'm doing for someone today and am feeling pretty tired so I think I am going to have a little rest before work now.

Have a great weekend everyone