Achy Legs

Well I've just come back from two laps of hoofing around Southampton Common. It was my first jog for over a week and it really felt extremely knackering. Can't say as I particularly enjoyed it but I do need to fitten up. Because I've been doing nothing but fattening up for the last few months and I need to turn that around. I've invested in some Nike running shoes from TKMaxx so I'm not buggering up my knees any more when I stamp around with my head down and the earplugs in. I do have achy legs now though, hence the title of this post.

I was watching some old home videos the other day from about 8 years ago and I was a stick thin beanpole and didn't even know it. I think my metabolism must have altered over the last few years because I never used to bother to diet, just ate what I liked and didn't seem to have a problem. Arrrrgh cruel world! Now I have old ladies flabster upper arms that I want to lipo nad make a strawberry smoothie out of.

I have just come back from a week in mid Devon at my Dad's place. He was there with Maggie and the three of us went on some Devonshire rambles... across Dartmoor, Exmoor and through Lyndon gorge and it's big waterfall. I finally dug out my poor old cello and have been making lots of screeching wails on it... so depressing to think I used to be able to play grade 7/8 pieces and now I am so rubbish. Totally my own fault for not touching it for 11 years though... Anyway it's a lovely sounding instrument, must try to practise.

So the house is still being a nightmare. We are still trying to buy it but the surveyor was a right anus and put a 100% retention on it so we can't get our money. We're now having to get a buildings insurance claim instigated on the property by the current owner so we can satisfy the stupid bank. Even that might not do it, it's a total depressing disaster at the minute. We know it doesn't have subsidence, we've had our own surveyor plus a foundations expert look at it but that isn't enough for the dickhead surveyor that's doing the valuation for the bank.

And I've got unusually good hair today, which makes a change from the frizzy, mushroom cloud norm. Den has been at me with her original 1970's heated rollers and they are awesome! My hair looks Hollywood-curl chic. I literally feel like a filmstar from the neck up.

I've been feeling Jane Austen-tastic recently and am currently on Sense & Sensibility after just finishing Persuasion. I finished the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer which was highly enjoyable, in a kind of Christopher Pike/Point Romance teenage angsty way. Alex I see your point about it being Mormon propaganda but I still think you can read and enjoy them without having to take that on board. Very similar to CS Lewis and Narnia which I loved when I was little. There is some disturbing stuff going in the last couple of Twilight books which didn't sit that well with me, such as the imprinting, but in general I just like them in a Mills & Boon guilty pleasure kind of way... you know they're kind of shit and full of plot holes but you can't help enjoying them... kind of like a Big Mac or an episode of Hollyoaks. I will say that they arent anywhere near as good as Anne Rice's books if you're into your Vamp literature, but they are silly and easy to read.

I'm now also reading the Dr Strange and Mr Norrrel series, which is awesome. Adult Harry Potter set in 19th century London and written like a tongue in cheek Jane Austen novel... just genius.