Chung Shi runners! Whoowee!!! I did it! Thanks heaps Clarkie for the help.

Just rename me Imelda! Another pair of shoes purchased and duly worn. These shoes are amazing actually. Called Chung Shi (www.backinaction.co.uk/chung-shi-info) they are very interesting to wear! They are taking a bit of getting used to but I really do think they have helped my plantar fasciitis. My feet feel as though they have been massaged after wearing them and I'm not getting nearly as much discomfort as I normally do. The downside? I much prefer the look of my 'frou- frou' pink ones!!

By the way- can someone tell me how to add a link to a web page without having to put the whole address in! I've looked and tried but dismally failed:((

I've been following 'littlerenes' blog with interest. I love hearing about little Maya and seeing all the pictures. Littlerene seems so capable and in control which is lovely. Our son turns 30 on Sunday ! It seems incredible that all that time has passed. I can still remember quite clearly the first time I saw him and the first time we held him. There is nothing quite as amazing as childbirth!

Phew! Monday is such a busy day. I start at 9am and finish at 9pm!. It's all good fun though. The teaching at TAFE is going well but busy busy busy! I've come home with lots of follow up stuff to do. I'd forgotten how much take home work there always is. Gym work is going well too- so no complaints over this side of town! I did a swiss ball class last Tuesday but could only do half as I was going out for dinner to the pancake parlour! However tomorrow night I need to stay and do the whole lot. It was MEGA hard!!! How can something look so simple but be almost impossible to do???

Off to see the vampires tomorrow. I need to drink lots and remember to take my time leaving the place. I have the vaguest of memories of fainting fairly disgracefully after one blood letting- I think cos I just tried to get going too soon. Anyway it will mean a nice rest with bikkies and tea and a magazine for a while- how civilised!!

Not this time!

I am so disappointed. I was really looking forward to the run and all organised for it. I guess I caught out by the daylight saving mess up with optus! I set my alarm to go off at 5.30am and we needed to leave by 6.45am. About to walk out the door and hubby said- what is the time??? Yes you guessed it- phone had automatically undated to turn the clock back and the actual time was 7.45am!! Too late to drive the hour into the city and the probable 15mins walk to the start. I was really cross but there was nothing to be done about it- grrrrr. We took ourselves to Warby ( I got dropped at Yarra Junction- about 9kms from Warby) and ran and walked the distance. It was a fantastic morning- all low clouds, the smell of woodsmoke, horpees ( horses in granddaughter speak) in the paddocks. Really beautiful!! So for the rest of the day I drank coffee and basically ate rubbish! lol- oh well- tomorrow is another day! And there's always next year.

I've just noticed the date on the pic of my new shoes! They are new ! They are!!! I just didn't set the date on the camera- honest!!

These are my new shoes and somewhere in that melee are my old ones! Going in the 14.14km run tomorrow but unfortunately I didn't get my new shoes until Thurs! I think I would be pushing it to wear them- a shame cos they are such a pretty pink colour!

You're right deb- I needed to return to purple! My hat is now sitting beside the computer enjoying the purpleness and knowing it has returned home! lol- I am bored aren't I??

Yes- I had nothing better to do than fiddle around on here!!! No doubt I will change it again very soon!!

This is how I spent my Saturday afternoon after WORKING ( how on earth did that happen???) Husband and I went to Maroondah dam and walked for about 4 kms ( uphill and down dale) it was lovely lovely lovely!. The view from the bridge is spectacular. I thought the pic of the dam would make a great jigsaw.

Just a warning to other bloggers out there- although you all may be a bit more savvy than me- there are some strange msgs being left in the comments and yesterday I clicked on one from another blogger and all of a sudden microsoft updates flashed up with warnings about spyware and virus's and making sure I had all the updates. I did a virus scan and sure enough had bits and pieces of undesirable stuff on here. I think I've got rid of it all but who knows. That's the last time I click on anything that I don't know or that looks a bit out of the ordinary. Usually I'm really careful.

A day in Brissy with Debstar

Had a great day meeting up with Deb again- this time in Brisbane. My husband had to go to a conference so I got to go and just play!! Deb came up from the Gold Coast by train and we had a day of walking, walking and more walking and talking, talking and more talking!! Lots of fun and definitely great to meet up with Deb again. The picture above is all my fault!! I bought the brownie and I made sure Deb was my 'partner in crime' in demolishing it.

Deb was keen to see the Andy Warhol exhibition and I was keen to improve my 'cultural awareness'!! I can't say I would ever like to see his stuff on my walls but I did like the silver clouds ( which were like enlarged wine bladders filled with helium) and also the silver balls in the water outside the gallery ( not part of the AW exhibition) hmmmmmm.....perhaps I'd better go back to school and join all the other kids who were obviously playing and enjoying these too!

I loved Brisbane- but then perhaps I just love what I know of Queensland. I think I'm really a QLD girl underneath this cold Melbourne exterior! I'LL BE BACK!!!

Thanks Deb for making the effort to come and see me- don't forget I'd love to show you around Melbourne if you ever come south.

Well.....Golly Miss Molly.......I'm off the Queensland tomorrow!!!! Yehaw!!

I've got to a point with my workouts where it's so hard I'm losing motivation!! I used to love the assisted pullup machine but now I look at it with a feeling almost of horror!! I think I'll have to rethink what I'm doing and add stability to increase the difficulty rather than just go up and up in weights. My walk/running is going well though. It's little baby steps for me but at least it's progress. Went for an awesome walk/run on Thurs night. Along the Warby Trail ( disused rail track and now a walking trail) I walked 30 paces and ran 20 for about 30 mins and then just walked back. My foot didn't hurt at all while doing it but the next day was a different story! However a Nurofen seemed to help and I've done other bits and pieces on it since then. Had a 10k walk today and that was awesomely hot and sweaty!!

Start waving those leeks! Smell the daffodils!!! Yah........St David's Day is here!! Ok...so I only realised it was St David's Day when my sister messaged me to tell me. However I did make Welsh Cakes and jolly yummy they were too. And yes.. filled with butter and sugar and all those banned substances. I've hopefully attached some pictures here to remind you all of my Welsh connections- Caerphilly Castle, Llanishen and Cefyn Onn Parc

I did the second part of my work out on Friday- upper body. I don't know why but it was really hard hard!! I didn't increase the weights much- just the lat pulldown, and the only other difference were the pushups- using the bosu. However- I think I really worked to the limit and now I'm sooooooo stiff!!! Other weeks I haven't been as sore so it's a bit of a mystery why this one was so hard. The day before I did my legs- and they are also complaining!!

Started my serious training yesterday but timing how long it's possibly going to take to walk this race. I have to finish in 3 hrs ( or 3 and half). Did a 3 k lap of the lake and took 22mins. Then walked 40paces and ran 10 and did it in 20mins. So should make it in the time!! When I registered I couldn't quite bring myself to register in the red zone as a 'walker' . I ticked the yellow zone of 'casual jogger' on the premise that I can walk fairly quickly. Anyway after yesterdays approx 7k my foot is feeling it a bit but not majorly so that is a positive sign. At least I now feel as though I have a goal to strive for!!

Well.......the die is cast!! My fate- at least on March 30th- is sealed!! Yep- I've registered for the 14.7km Run for Kids event. How ambitious is that???? Here I am.....only walking about 6km a week and I intend to walk (hmmm.... maybe run a little) 14.7km. I guess I can always pull out if needs be- but I REALLY WANT TO DO THIS!. My foot is heaps better although not completely. I registered my daughter too as she assured me she wanted to do it too. I messaged her on the ph only to be given a reply of......my back, hip and knee have been sore so I'm not sure! We're sounding like a pair of old crocs!
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye........................................!!!!! ( trala trala trala....)

I had been doing really well in the exercise department until this week. Working out hard 2-3 times a week and hitting the bike as often as I could. This week I've fallen apart!! Felt sick and nauseous on weekend and haven't really done anything worthwhile since then. The only benefit I guess is that I haven't been gorging on everything in sight as the very thought of doing that just makes me feel sick. Had first day at the new job today. I sometimes wonder why I put myself through this. Any change seems to bring out the nerves! However, after the first 5 minutes, I really relaxed into it and it's a job I'm sure I'm going to love. The students were lovely, the support worker a HUGE support and all the other staff really helpful and nice and best of all I felt as though I had fallen back into my niche! I think I've got the best of both worlds here- I love the gym work and getting back to the nice parts of teaching rounds off the whole package.