I’m sitting down with a nice glass of our Biddenden wine, that we’d bought in Kent, and watching last night’s Celebrity Traitors. My calves are a bit sore because I’ve exercised today for the first proper time since Friday last. Before today I was seriously contemplating getting the woodbines that it sounded like I’d been smoking but the local Co-op is having a refurb, and I think Anne would divorce me for stinking out the place.
All year I’ve had no lurgies, and this is despite having snotty, coughy grandsons turning up each week to be entertained. So to get some bug now is not bad I guess, but it is just soooo annoying. I’ve had it since Saturday, at least the cough has been since then. I’ve not been dying but didn’t quite have my normal chutzpah for the first couple of days. I tried to do a run on Monday morning that had to be cut short after a mile, and since then, until today, I’ve done zilch.
Today was not a run but it was a nice longish walk along the Wirral, with some friends. At just over nine miles with a lunch in the middle, it was nice to get out on a properly autumnal day. The leaves were many coloured and scattering down in the gusts and I even saw some sycamore helicopters spinning around. My cough was still evident but starting to shift, I think. I had to warn the ladies that I might need a wild wee every now and then to alleviate an accidental cough-attack widdle, but I was feeling energetic enough to wear some fell shoes instead of walking boots, just in case I fancied a little run.
In the end I did not, but the walk was refreshing. We had sun as far as our lunch spot in Parkgate, enough for some of us to wear shades, and while we sat eating and drinking in the warmth of the Elephant café, we saw the dark clouds rush up from Wales, across the Dee and over our heads. Or at least over the heads of the poor souls who still walked outside in the down pour. When we were finished, so was the rain, and the skies had brightened up enough for us to hedge our bets and finish the walk in its entirety.
I don’t know if I will have any energy for Sunday’s Cross Country race, the first one of the season in our Northwest Sunday League, but I hope so. I will try and head out tomorrow and Saturday for a bit of a canter, just to explore the possibility. Luckily for Cross Country, wild wees are not frowned upon at least, so if I’m still sounding like I’m on the smokes by then, I’ve got my bases covered.
In random other news, Pensby Runners were nominated for an award this Tuesday just gone, for Community Impact Organisation of The Year 2025 at the Wirral Sports Awards. Our annual series of 5K races, the Seaside Runs is very popular among locals with people taking anywhere between 15 and 50 minutes to get from Leasowe Lighthouse to New Brighton, and Pensby Runners have been managing it for a while now. Nigel, the club chair and I popped down to the Floral Pavilion to represent the club It was very good timing in a week where I haven’t been running as Tuesday is normally the club run. As the awards were given out, I realised that all the nominees, whether ultimately chosen or not, had some amazing stories. From individuals and groups who excelled at a particular sport, to people making the sport available and giving the training necessary, to the parents supporting the children to follow their sporting dreams, it was so lovely to hear and be a part of.
Luckily for me, it looked like only one representative from each of the nominees needed to go up on stage, so I let Nigel get up there along with three other nominees. And the Winner Is…Pensby Runners. Wow! How chuffed are we!
theleadlesspencil 
Congratulations to the team on the win! Sympathy on the cold – we’ve both had it too and I haven’t had one for ages. At least we’ve got The Celebrity Traitors to keep our spirits up 😬
I’m loving Traitors at the minute. Everybody’s going around saying ‘I think it’s Jonathan, but I won’t vote for him’ and then throwing themselves on another faithful!
I’d never watched it before but I was hooked into this series in the first few minutes. Jonathan Ross is the most obvious traitor and Alan is not far behind. But I think they both made mistakes at last night’s round table which may get one of them outed next time. Great telly!
Congratulations to the Pensby Runners, a great achievement. Get well soon.
Thank you, we were absolutely delighted.