I didn't run on Sunday

It's so rare that I miss doing my long run on a Sunday that I felt I had to write about it!  I had such a ghastly day with asthma on Saturday, feeling grotty with a raging sore throat and very chesty and then kept waking up coughing throughout the night.  I didn't feel too bad when I got up but Mike very sensibly suggested I take a day off and just potter to let my body recover.

So I did, but my idea of pottering isn't quite as relaxing as it perhaps should be!

When the sun rose there was still mist trapped in the valley below.   I've tried and tried to capture just how beautiful it looks but never quite manage it.

As the sun peeped through the trees, the grasses shimmered and the seedheads dripped with sparkly diamonds. 

 So pretty!

The garden spiders had been busy making their amazing webs.

Mike was playing the piano and so I decided to have a bonfire!  

This tidy little fire is the last bit of it as I was too busy hurling branches onto it to take photo when it was in full flow.  We'd just finished cutting the hedges and there were about 8 trailer loads of branches to deal with - too thin and sappy to shred, so burning was the only answer.

When it was almost done I headed back up to the house for a well earned coffee, stopping at the pond to catch this lovely reflection of the sky.

The temperature was soaring by then so Tinker and I decided we'd do some weaving on the crochet blanket.  I daren't think how many hours this has taken so far and will take to finish - it takes me 15 minutes to double weave one row.  It will be worth the effort though as it's starting to look lovely.

When it cooled down a bit in the afternoon I went out with the camera to snap some more butterflies.

Silver Y moth on Lotus flower

Silver Y moth from the side

Small White on Eupatorium 

Small White male (?) - no spot

Plume Moth

The cyclamen are peeping through the undergrowth in the shady areas of the front garden.

As the day drew to a close we decided to make the most of what was forecast to be the last of the good weather and so we set up the sunbeds with a crocheted blankie each for when it got cooler.  You might also spot the bottle of wine and 2 glasses!

I love sitting outside in the evening and either knitting or crocheting.  In this case I was crocheting some ideas for another cushion cover.

I know I'm not taking photos of the sunset any more but this sky was so lovely I couldn't resist.

Swatch this

I've been meaning to make Glade (Ravelry link) by Marie Wallin from Rowan magazine 40 which came out in 2006. I've made lots of things from this issue and I bought the yarn for Glade years ago so it was about time I started it.

Glade by Marie Wallin

It uses 3 shades of Rowan Tapestry, sadly now discontinued, and 3 shades of the ever popular Kidsilk Haze.  I was drawn to the ripply pattern and lovely muted shades.

I looked at versions completed on Ravelry and one thing was obvious - sizing was a huge issue.  Quite literally in fact!  So I did my first swatch with the suggested 4mm needles.  It was an inch too wide and the stitches were very loose.  I undid most of it before I thought to save it to show.

Then I went down to 3.5mm needles and the gauge was spot on with much better stitch definition and a firmer fabric.

So I cast on the required number of stitches for the back and as I did I kept thinking that there seemed to be an awful lot more stitches than I'd expected given a gauge of 27.5 stitches to 4".  So I did a few rows and then measured it - 22".  That would mean a lower edge measurement of 44" which is 8" more than my hip measurement so would be incredibly baggy.  

I checked the pattern for the final measurements in case I'd done something silly.  I was working on a size 14 as my bust measures 38" and the diagram showed 18.5" after blocking.  Something didn't add up.  I read through the pattern, had a look at Ravelry to see comments from others and then I suddenly noticed the shape of the diagram in the pattern - it was like a bell; wide at the lower edge and tapering gradually to the underarm.  

Ding dong!

As you can see, the width arrow doesn't go right across the bottom so the measurement is referring to the underarm measurement.

I hadn't spotted that on the photo (above) as it's taken from the side and it looks as if it goes in at the waist and then out for the bust.  It doesn't and I suspect that's one of the reasons some knitters have been disappointed with their finished sweaters.  That shape is not good on anyone with a larger bust.

So, I've reduced the number of stitches at the bottom and changed the shaping to go in a bit at the waist and then out for the bust.  Hopefully that will work.  The other thing I will do is reduce the length of the sleeves as even on the model they look a bit too long for my liking.

The moral of this story is to always do a gauge swatch and read the pattern all the way through before you start so you are sure it does what you want it to do.

Jiminy cricket!

Look at this beautiful little fellow I spotted on my Begonia Luxurians.  He was huge!  I think he's an Oak Bush-Cricket and I've never seen one like him before.

Oak Bush-Cricket

I've just been out assessing the garden, thinking what to move where, what's worked and what has not  etc etc as one does at this time of year.

Herb border

The herb border by the patio looked pretty when in flower but annoyingly the lavenders are not all the same variety.  It was only a temporary planting anyway so that will be different next year.

Ballota

 This Ballota was bought on a whim as I knew nothing about it but just liked its furry grey foliage.  I didn't even know if it flowered - it did and the bees adored it.

A buzzy friend

I tried and tired to get a photo of the huge number of bees whizzing to and fro each of the tiny, insignificant looking flowers but they were so fast and furious in their gathering of the precious pollen  that I couldn't capture them!

Magnolia Grandiflora

My Magnolia Grandiflora had 2 beautiful milky white flowers that filled the air with their lemony perfume.  I'm trying to grow it in a massive pot to see how it copes with it.  So far it's looking very healthy.

Inside

After the petals dropped I thought the cone looked so beautiful that I've saved the image to use as an embroidery design.

Marathon 28 done and dusted

Nerves?  Pah!

I had a lovely day and really enjoyed myself, smiling all the way round.  My breathing was OK throughout, my only real problem being a massive cramp in my left hamstring at around 18 miles.  Thankfully a nice man helped me to get rid of it by stretching my leg out.  I had my usual sore right knee and right hamstring pain up in my bum for the last 4 miles or so and the last 3 miles were slower than I would have liked.

Fab to see so many  100 marathon clubbers  there and to chat to old friends en-route.  I love out and back/roundabout routes like this 'cos as a slower runner I get to see all the speedy peeps which is inspirational.

Lovely to chat to Birdypie at the start and hope you enjoyed the half (lightweight!)   

Kent Coastal marathon 2012

The race starts and finishes in Margate which is part of the Isle of Thanet (which isn't actually an island any more, although it was in the past) and is home to the Turner Contemporary art gallery.  

As we passed Bleak House, where Charles Dickens spent the summer and wrote David Copperfield, there were lots of tourists taking a peak inside.  The first half goes through the pretty town of Broadstairs which was alive with people.  The beach huts there were busy and there was a lovely atmosphere.  I'd forgotten how "undulating" the first half is and some of the undulations are more like hills!  Nothing too onerous and thankfully the second half is nice and flat (well apart from that short sharp hill alongside the Turner Contemporary on the way back!).  

The first half was hot and sunny and being on the coast we were quite exposed - I've got a white band where my running watch was.  There was a nice breeze to cool us down though.

By the time I got back to Margate it was a bit overcast and not too hot and the sky remained grey for the rest of the day.  The town is being rejuvenated but I was quite shocked (not in a good way) at how it had changed from the last time I was there in 2007.  Many years ago Mike and I used to take part in what was known as the 'convertible convoy',  organised by the Lady Taverners,  in which a large number of people with Saab convertible cars would take disabled children from London for a day trip to Margate to visit the seaside and to try the various rides on the funfair known as Dreamland which is now derelict although there is a campaign to save it.

I was also shocked at the state of the beaches.  I'd heard in the local news that they had problems with smelly seaweed and they weren't wrong - the tide was in, the seaweed was plentiful and it stank!   No wonder local businesses worry that it will keep tourists away.  Part of the marathon route is right along the seafront on a wide concrete path leading to Minnis Bay and there are lots of beach huts there.  Last time there was a mass of people sitting outside their huts enjoying the sea view and I had to pick my way through them.  This time there was just a handful of die-hards there.

The section along the seafront is quite hard going as it's all on concrete which tires your legs out.  Once that was over though it was tarmac all the way.  The marshalls were superb and very encouraging and I got a lovely welcome when I crossed the finish line.  I took 28 minutes off my previous time from 5 years ago, coming home in 5:09, which was my goal so I couldn't be happier.

Heading towards the finish line

The 100 Club were celebrating 2 members - one who had completed her 100th marathon and another who'd completed 200!  I had a brief chat with Ruth (who's now well over 200) and Kaz (who's on 85) before heading off to get an ice lolly and the drive home.

As Wallace and Grommit would say, it was a grand day out!

Nervous

I've been bottling this up so I thought I'd air my fears on here in the hope that it would  make them disappear.  Tomorrow is the Kent Coastal marathon over in Thanet and will be marathon number 4 of the 5 planned for this year and my 28th to date.

Why am I especially nervous about this one, given that pre-race nerves are a normal part of marathoning?  Well it will be my first road marathon since London back in April which is when I first experienced breathing difficulties.  I know I've done 2 marathons since then but they were off-road and there wasn't quite the same pressure on beating my time in them as I was pretty confident that I could.

This one, well the time I set 5 years ago is 5:37 so technically I should easily get inside that as I'm frequently around the 5 hour mark for a road marathon these days.  Also, with a 1/2 marathon time of 2:00:59 at Paddock Wood that should see me well below 5 hours.

But, or rather BUT, the asthma has taken a real toll on my confidence even though I've found ways of continuing to train hard even when it's been at its worst.  What if the pollen count is really high and it brings on another attack?  My gunk quotient is high today (sorry, too much info!) which is making me anxious too.  What if the weather forecast suddenly changes to 'hot' which it was last time I ran it (hence the slow time)?  What if I start too fast and can't maintain the pace?

Oh what a whingey post.  I'm even getting on my own nerves but at least I've aired my fears which might help to quieten the demons!

I'll just do it and I'll give it my best shot just as I always do.

Sunshine on a rainy day

I'm just doing a quick update whilst my Georgian Khachapuri are proving in the oven.  They are yummy!

Proving

'Sunshine' was finished in time for the Calypso evening but I didn't wear it because it was too cold!  In fact, it poured with rain all evening and the gazebos leaked.  Thankfully it didn't dampen anyone's spirits and a good time was had by all.

Stripes!

 I was very pleased with my top as it's a perfect fit and very comfy.

Modifications?  Yep.

I went down to 4.5mm needles rather than the 5mm suggested as I don't like the fabric produced in Summer Tweed using the larger needles (too many gaps for my liking).  I changed the stripe sequence slightly because in the pattern it shows the stripe nearest to the crocheted neckline in the purple colourway and I felt it didn't stand out enough as it just blended into the neckline.  Also, I used a 4.5mm crochet hook for the neck which has made it much firmer and it sits nicely.

A year of sunsets and skies

Well I managed it; one whole year of taking photos of our wonderful skies, mostly sunsets.

23/08/11

22/08/12

There have been some real beauties throughout the year and I don't think I'll ever tire of watching the sun go down.  There's something magical and awe-inspiring about it.  It always makes me think of a scene from King Kong where he sits and takes in the beauty of the sunset.

Running, crochet, knitting, asthma, an operation, butterflies, ducklings and skies - such a lot to tell!

So much has been happening that it's hard to know where to begin so things will not necessarily come out in the correct order!

The Big Butterfly Count

I'll start with some photos of the beautiful butterflies (with the odd moth or bee for good measure) that I managed to photograph in the garden now the sun has finally shown  her face.  In August, Butterfly Conservation.org asks people to count the number of butterflies and moths they see in their gardens.   Numbers have been worryingly low this year and they are interested in those we haven't seen as much as those we have seen.

Here are the ones I managed to capture.

6 Spot Burnet Moth on Blue vetch

Comma and bee on Buddleia x weyeriana 'Sungold' 

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper hiding on the gravel.  There were so many around and it was hard to spot them but as soon as I went near they flew up!

Silver Studded Blue on Allium Christophii

Peacock on Teasel

Red Admiral on Buddleia Davidii

Small Tortoiseshell

Small Copper on Shasta Daisy

Amongst those I didn't manage to photograph, as they wouldn't stay still long enough, were Holly Blue, Small Blue, Small White.

This year I haven't seen any Painted Ladies, White Admirals, Meadow Browns, Common Blue, Large White, Brimstone, Dingy Skipper.  Quite a few missing I think because of the horrid wet weather we had early in their breeding season.

Asthma and Running

First the Asthma bit

I can't easily separate the 2 as sadly my breathing difficulties have affected my running more than I had hoped.

Although I don't get many comments on my blog I can see from my stats that plenty of people do actually pop by and my post about the Turbohaler has received lots of hits so I'm going to write about my experiences in more detail.

The diagnosis of Asthma came as a surprise and only came about because I kept pressing the doctor about some of the difficulties I've been experiencing.  Scary hey!  Several years ago my throat started to get sore and close up.  It felt as if I had a tennis ball stuffed down my throat and it hurt to swallow.  The first few times I just thought it was because I'd been training hard for my marathons and that my immune system was a bit weak.  

However, Mike commented that it seemed to happen just before the London marathon and we wondered if it was perhaps nerves.  But I wasn't convinced and when I still had a sore throat after 3 months I went to the doctor who brushed me off saying that it was just the remnants of a virus.  The next year was exactly the same, with the discomfort continuing intermittently throughout the summer months.

This year I had a terrible time during the London marathon and struggled with my breathing and I had a 'eureka' moment - my throat started getting sore when the tree pollen was out!  Hallelujah we thought and I started taking cetirine dihydrochloride to counter-act the allergen.  All was well for my next marathon 2 weeks later but then during a recovery run the next week I had a bad experience whilst running near a field of oil seed rape.

So back I went to the doctor and eventually I ended up with Turbohaler!  I thought that I would just have to use this during the pollen season but apparently I have to use it every day, for ever more.  I was devastated.

I read the list of possible common side effect and they didn't make good reading - Thrush in your mouth, palpitations, headaches, mild sore throat and a hoarse voice.  Then you move onto the 'Uncommon side effects' (affects less than 1 in 100 people)  which include disturbed sleep and muscle cramps, both of which I've experienced.   The rare and very rare side effects were very scary and the things that worry me most are osteoporosis,  glaucoma and cataracts (I have a family history of both) and unpleasant taste in your mouth (I do have that!).

I was worried about gaining weight when using a steroid and was assured that it doesn't happen with an inhaled steroid.  Really?  See below!

Here are my experiences of using the inhaler which delivers a powder form of Budesonide (reduces and prevents swellings in the lungs) and Formoterol fumarate dihydrate (which relaxes the muscles in your airways):

- It is supposed to be tasteless.  It isn't!  In the instructions it recommends rinsing your mouth with water and spitting out after using the inhaler.  This is very important as Thrush can become a problem if you don't.

- They suggest you brush your teeth after using the inhaler.  If you do then your toothbrush tastes of the powder which is most unpleasant.

- You need to wash the mouth-piece on your flow meter if using as if you don't it tastes of the powder too.

- Having used the inhaler for 12 weeks I had gained 10 lbs in weight despite being active and not eating any more.  I am now trying to work out how to lose the excess pounds as I have another marathon in 2 weeks!

- I seem to have a sore throat a lot of the time and I have a horrid taste in my mouth.  I've taken to rinsing with plain water a couple of times and then using mouthwash too.  That helps.

- My voice sounds deeper (inside my head anyway but Mike says it doesn't sound any different to him although sometimes it's a bit gravelly when my throat is really sore).

- When my throat is sore my breath flow produces a lower reading.

On the positive side:

- I've been checking my breath flow intermittently and it is sticking around 360 first thing in the morning  before I use the inhaler and then getting up to 400 - 420 during the day.  The first time I did the test I could only manage 250 so there is improvement there.

- After my last marathon I didn't have the gunky feeling in my chest - this was one of the main indicators of asthma for the doctor and I only mentioned it in passing as I'd always assumed it was because I used to smoke cigarettes in my 20s!

- I'm looking into ways of improving my breathing and posture.

Now for the running

Well, there have been very bad days and very good days.

Some days I've felt fine until I've set out and then I've felt as if every step is draining my breath away and as for the hills, well they've felt like mountains on occasion!  Last weekend I did a 17 miler on a hilly route and felt absolutely fine but the week before I'd had to abandon my long run after 5 miles as I'd felt so grotty.  On that occasion the pollen count was really high as there had been lots of harvesting going on.

There have been lots of tears and self doubt as it's really knocked my confidence.  However, I have a very good training base and I'm confident that I'll complete my next marathon in 2 weeks even if I have to take walk breaks.

On the days when I've known that the pollen count was high I've been doing my speedwork on the treadmill.  Although this is tedious it has ensured that I haven't got behind in my schedule.  Interestingly, I've had no trouble with my breathing going at faster speeds on the treadmill.  I've been incorporating some Yasso 800s into my workouts and they've kept things interesting.

I keep hoping that once my body gets used to the medication that the weight will drop off again - oh look, there goes a flying pig!

Crochet

I'd being eyeing up the pattern for a woven tartan afghan so decided it would be a good summer crochet project as I've never tried woven crochet before.

13/7/12 - The journey begins

First of all you create a grid using your chosen colour sequence.  It's really easy as it's just row upon row of treble crochet (or dc in American terminology).  When you start out it's quite a portable project.

Halfway

 But after a while it becomes too big and heavy!

31/7/12 - Crochet grid completed

 When you've finished crocheting the grid, the fun begins!

Weaving to create the tartan effect

You cut pieces of yarn to fit the length of the blanket with an allowance of about 10" either end for a fringe.  Then you weave under and over through each grid.

In this pattern you use a double strand of yarn and weave under and over in the each square then use another double strand of yarn to go over and under through the same square.  I've seen other versions where you weave using lengths of crochet chain instead.

It's one of those processes that is quite tedious so I'm just doing a few lengths as and when I feel like it.

Knitting

Shan, if you're reading this I'm with you on intarsia.  For some reason I'd forgotten how annoying intarsia projects can be with all those bits of yarn dangling on the back of your work!  So, although my intarsia rose looked lovely I can't bear the thought of doing a whole blanket of them.

Lisa, I'll look into your suggestion of knitting backwards as it sounds intriguing.  Thanks for the suggestion.

In the meantime, we've got a Calypso themed charity fund-raising evening to attend next week so the other day I decided I wanted to make a new top and Sunshine, Ravelry link, by Marie Wallin fitted the bill perfectly as I've had the Summer Tweed to knit this for ages.

Front/back

It's a quick knit with minimal shaping and it only took a couple of evenings to do the front so hopefully I'll have it finished in time.

Operation

4 years ago our beautiful cat, Tinker, had an operation to remove a fibrosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer.  He's been in remission for 4 years but a couple of weeks ago I felt another small lump near the site of the previous one so off we went to the vet again.  We know that if it wasn't removed then it could well grow very quickly but as he's 16 years old and has an irregular heartbeat we were worried that he couldn't withstand another operation.

So it was a Catch 22 situation but we decided that we had to risk the operation.  The vet checked his blood samples beforehand and his kidneys etc are working well so they went ahead.  Apparently he had 4 very small lumps embedded in his leg muscle so they took away as much as they could be didn't dare take too much or he'd wouldn't have been able to walk.

Stitches

It was a very anxious wait for the phone call to say he was OK, but thankfully he's a brave little chap and he came through it OK.  The cut goes all the way down his side and he was very good and left his stitches alone until they were taken out the other day.

Tinker's present

He was a spoilt boy and received a get well card and gift from Tobias,a lovely rag doll cat who lives over the road.

Lovely paper

I think he might have had some help from John and Ann in wrapping it though.

Hurry up!

What is it then?

Special cat food

It was a tin of very special cat food that he wolfed down.  No loss of appetite then!

Of course he's desperate to go outside but we aren't letting him out until some fur has grown back to protect the scar tissue.  Let's hope he gets at least another 4 years of remission as he is such a lovely cat with the most gentle nature and is still very playful.

Ducklings

Oh how time flies!  These tiny mites are now virtually fully grown.

Still fluffy on 7/7/12

Tiny wings developing 15/7/12

Feed me!

Fully grown 19/8/12

It has been a joy to watch their development but I suspect they'll soon take their first flight and be off on their adventures.  Mrs Duck has now hooked up with the old gang, although she is still protecting them, and it will be interesting to see how much longer they stay with her.

Skies

I can hardly believe that it's nearly 12 months ago that I started taking my sky photos, but it is.  I started on Sunday August 21st so I'll continue until Monday 20th.

Here are a few recent beauties:

30/7/12

4/8/12

12/8/12

It's been great fun and we have some wonderful photos as reference for Mike when he's painting skies.

Crochet baby bootees and some skies

Joe and Sarah, have just been blessed with a baby boy and so I wanted to make something for the new arrival.  I scoured my pattern collection but couldn't find just what I wanted.

No problem as the wonders of the internet drew me to Etsy where I found a lovely crochet pattern by  Lisa named Modern Crochet Bootees.  So cute!

First bootee

I'd found out from Joe's boss that they'd had a little boy named Jake so I wanted a boyish pattern and this fitted the bill perfectly.  It is crocheted using an aran weight yarn and I chose 2 shades of Rowan Summer Tweed.

I love this yarn as there are flecks of the contrast colour in the main colour which helps them blend together well.

Side view

The instructions are very well written and easy to follow and they were soon finished.  I gave them a wash in Woolite to soften the yarn and they felt gorgeous and soft afterwards.

Joe was delighted with them when I saw him this morning and has promised to send a photo of Jake wearing them - I hope they fit!

Gravel garden

I took this photo yesterday evening to capture Berkheya purpurea 'Zulu Warrior'  as it is looking fabulous.  I've never grown it before and it was  a bit of an experiment on our heavy clay but it seems happy at the moment.

Salvia with bee

The beautiful Salvias are like a magnet to bees and pollinating insects and I love their dusky mauve stems and purplish flowers.

Sky at 19:33

It was a really warm and sunny day yesterday which made a change from the dreary grey and rainy days we've had for the last couple of weeks.  So we sat outside on the sunloungers for the first time in ages and watched the sun go down.

The first photo was taken when the sky took on tones of deep grey and we thought we might have to head inside but that soon cleared away, leaving us with a glorious Turneresque sky.

This is my penultimate month in my year of photographing our skies and it has been a very interesting exercise, yielding some exquisite images.  Some of them have inspired Mike in his paintings and some of them have made me want to capture them in stitch.

Sky at 21:06

As for my running, I'm slowly getting back into it and adjusting to my breathing problems.  I attended my first Asthma management clinic yesterday (now there's something that wasn't on my 'to do' list, that's for sure!!!) and I asked loads of questions and was reassured that with the right medication I will still be able to continue running marathons.

Phew!