The lure of the forest

There really is something very special about forests.  Sure I love hills and mountains and valleys and fields - the whole countryside actually.  But the forest is mysterious, changing, exciting and definitely mind refreshing. My running friend and I went out for a forest run this evening and as ever, the forest didn't disappoint.  The nights are drawing in now and it has been raining all day so everywhere was glistening with the last of the heavy rain drops. There was a slight drizzle which just caught us through the trees and kept us refreshed.  The puddles were just deep enough to enjoy running through and the mist hung over the tree tops like a warm blanket. In the deeper parts of the forest we both made a mental note to remember head torches next time but even the darkness gave us a sense of adventure.  It was so good to be back out running and I remembered how much I enjoy it, something you tend to forget when you aren't running.
I now have five days of work, including a weekend on so quite busy and probably no time for running with all the other things I am juggling but will manage something next week.
The other nice thing which happened this week was a visit from my big sister and some of her family. It is lovely to spend time together, even if it is only a few days and 12yod especially loves her big cousin and gets on well  with her.  Family is very important and we should cherish them as much as we can.
Nearly the end of August already - autumn is on it's way but I love all the seasons and look forward to each one with a sense of anticipation and adventure.

I Can Still Run!!!!

Just come back from a wee run in the forest to see if my legs still remember to run!  They do, and I did around 3 miles of lovely running in the shade of the forest, and even the midges didn't bother me.  It sure feels good and I am off again!!  Plan is the just do short runs for the next few weeks and start our big winter plan in October!

rings, rain and races

After such a good time at the wedding and holiday it should really have been time for us to have a calm period but we don't seem to do those very well in this household!  We had a busy time unpacking and washing etc and then I worked a 12 hour night shift on the Sunday evening.  After having a sleep on Monday morning and then doing housework and packing we headed off again on the Tuesday morning, back to the Lake District.
This time it was for a very exciting reason. We were meeting the family of our 23yos's girlfriend, he was also bringing her up for a surprise visit and was planning to propose to her there.  It was a great couple of days but definitely all the more exciting because of the proposal - she said yes thankfully, so next year we will have a new daughter.  All very exciting.

Josh made the ring and it turned out really beautifully.  It is really lovely silver with an emerald stone.  It is totally unique and it so she has a beautiful ring of which there is no copy anywhere.  Lovely.

We also had a really good time playing some team games with all the others and one of those included dressing up a team mascot.  Two teams used our very patient dogs!!

We also went to Coniston Water and swam/boated over the Wild Cat Island.  Max managed the swim with the others which was really impressive. Good times.

Sadly while there we heard of the death of a dear friend who has been part of our lives for a long time and that was really sad.

Then I was worked on Thursday and Friday.  Half day on Friday then we headed up to Tyndrum as Rick was running another ultra marathon.  Just he and I went as Josh stayed with the children.  We camped overnight in a very wet and windy campsite.  Didn't get much sleep despite settling down around 9pm!

We got up around 0430 to walk to the registration centre.  Rick registered and then the race set off at 0600. 

 It was a 43 mile race over very tough highland ground and the weather conditions were awful.  It was obligatory to have your own support crew as there were no facilities for drop bags so that was my role for the day.  I managed to meet Rick at all the places he needed me and followed his instructions to the letter.  It quickly became apparent that he was running really well and was going to be in the top 8.  At some points it was very wet and windy and visibility was very poor.  By the time I caught him at the steep climb called the devil's stair case he was in 5th place.  He came in eventually in 4th place in a brilliant time of 6hrs 22min. SOOOOO proud of him.

family doings

The break from running is working well and I am beginning to itch to get out again.  I was hoping that would happen and it has.  Going to leave it another week or so and then go out again.
Had a very busy time again recently though, including a great week at the Keswick Christian Convention in the Lake District.
We attended a lovely wedding on 19th July of the daughter of some good friends.  The bride is also one of the coaches of the swim club where our three young children swim and the photo below shows some of the club with the happy couple.

It was a really hot day and we all went back to the bride's parents home for photos and drinks.  It was really hot in the garden and I wondered how the groom managed in his kilt.

The photo below is of our friends and all their family.  The bridesmaids dresses look orange here but they were really a lovely coral pink colour.

The reception was at a local hotel.  Rick and I attended the meal and then 23yos, 14yos, 12yod and 7yos came to the ceilidh in the evening.  Below is 12yod with the couple.  She really gets on well with Ruth and was delighted by how lovely she looked in her lacy dress.

23yos met some friends he hadn't seen for a while including one who had just had this lovely baby.  23yos has spent a lot of time with babies over the years, having so many siblings helps with this........

The day after the wedding we went to the Keswick Convention and had a great week with lots of good Bible teaching and good times with friends.  The weather was great, if a bit too hot, with a couple of great thunder storms.  What a great week....really refreshing.  Below is Rick making an unusual use of an umbrella in the UK.

8 yos had his birthday the day we went to Keswick.  He got this football strip as well as other things.  Here he is enjoying his birthday cake, even though he couldn't blow out the candles because the breeze kept blowing them out!!

Here is our tent, up and ready for action.  Our friend Sheila came with us as usual.

8yos made friends really easily as usual and spent lots of time playing on the field in the middle of the camp ground.  

Rick making the tea.  He is such a good man.

Below is the view from our tent.  Sitting outside the tent in the late afternoons, I really appreciated being there and the great outdoors.  Part of the Bible teaching was on Creation and where better to learn about that than in the beautiful Lake District.

My Ultra Hubby

We have had another extremely busy week but good and fulfilling as well.  We are certainly enjoying the good weather and long may it continue.  Next week we are away camping and it would be great to have good weather for that.

I had the first two days of the week off work and we managed to get lots done.  It was great to be at home with everyone as well.  

I really like the photo above.  They are great pals.

19yos left on Thursday to work in an international summer school in North Yorkshire for three weeks.  He will be helping with all sorts of things, as well as using his lifeguard certificate to keep the children safe in the swimming pool

On Friday evening we were at a 21st birthday party of a friend here in Newton Stewart.  It was a ceilidh and we had a great time.  I LOVE ceilidhs.  It was great to see our friend in her wheelchair managing all the twists and turns.  We all had a great time even though we had to leave a little early as we were heading off at 0600 the next day.

The next morning Rick and I and the the youngest children set off for Glasgow.  Rick was running a 40 mile race and I and the 3 children were helping 22yos to move from Glasgow to his new flat in Edinburgh.  We dropped Rick off at his race start and then headed over to the student accommodation to move 22yos out.  It didn't take us long as he had already packed up.  Here he is outside the building.

When we are near a city we always have to cram some shopping in as I don't like shopping and would never travel up there just to shop.  So we did our essential shop and then went to the Riverside Museum for 7yos to see the transport part of it.  We only had about 45 minutes there unfortunately before we had to set off for Edinburgh.

We then took 22yos to his new place in Edinburgh, sorted out the paperwork with the landlord, which seemed to take ages, off loaded the van and then headed out to pick up Rick from the end of his ultra marathon.  He had run an incredible race - came 4th out of about 120, and in a brilliant time which I think even he was pleased with.  It had been a scorching hot day and he had been running into the sun the whole time so it wasn't the easiest ultra he has run.  He is amazing.

So it was a very busy day with lots of us doing lots of things.  We went to McDonalds for tea which is a rare event for us, and got home really quite late.
Thankfully, on Sunday, we had been invited out for lunch to friends and to take advantage of the lovely summer we are having it was laid out on the lawn.  I so much appreciate and enjoy going out to friends for a meal as it means I don't have to cook!  Lovely time.

The joys of summer.  Another busy week ahead but it keeps me out of mischeif!!

More family happenings and too hot to run!!

I haven't managed to get much running in at all recently.  I worked 38 hours last week and this week it is just too hot.  I have two days off this week after working both Saturday and Sunday.
We have had some great times though.  I love this weather where we can eat all meals outside and just leave all the doors open.
Last Tuesday Rick did some painting on our outbuilding and back porch and 12yod helped him.  I decided to spend the afternoon giving new life to one of our old chairs by decoupaging it.

I am loving this hot weather....long may it continue, even if I can't run in it.  We went to the beach last night and had a BBQ.  Lovely time and by the time we got there at 1730 most people had gone home for their tea.  That's definitely the way to do it......wait until the holidaymakers have gone home and then head down to the beach!

I wasn't working today and so this afternoon we decided to head out and get some elderflowers so Rick and the children can make elderflower cordial tomorrow while I am at work.  We gathered over 200 heads......

.The two pictures below are of parts of our garden.  I love summer