Here's to 2013

Twas the night before New Years Eve . . . .

. . . . and all my planets are lining up nicely!

There are certain rituals that have to be observed as we hurtle towards the New Year, at some point between Christmas and the New Year I have to watch two films, the first is The Holiday, just because I love it and I wish I was Cameron Diaz. I also like to watch Mama Mia, unless you have discovered a discarded pair of thigh length boots in your loft and performed your own rendition of 'dancing queen' in your kitchen then this film may leave you cold - but I guarantee without any doubt that there will come a day in every parents lives when the words to 'slipping through my fingers' will make you weep and you will believe it was written for you.

I also need a new book and I have that and this one will answer every question I have ever had, after all it has worked for the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton and Sir Chris Hoy so I'm sure it will work for me. It's called The Chimp Paradox and I'm learning to control my chimp fast!.

We have also taken our running to the next level and been out twice this weekend in our tights! a sure sign things are getting serious.

I'm itching now to get the tree down and get on. 2012 hasn't been a bad year for us, we have got a lot sorted and life is a lot calmer now, it was also the first year that I completed a marathon. I'm just hoping the momentum will continue into the New Year.

Happy New Year to Everyone

Please, your help is needed!

Ok folks, I've been having a kind of 'brainstorming' session - with myself.

The wing walking idea appears to be a non-starter - shame!. My mum has refused to allow us to remove the last of my dads hair - spoil sport, and I'm afraid I just couldn't face being bald. I was traumatised enough by my last visit to the hairdressers.

I have considered a parachute jump or that dangling off a tall building on a bit of string thing but I think both of those are quite expensive before you make a penny for the charity. I need something a bit different that will propel us beyond my little group of friends and family who must by now be so sick of my **!?* mountain!. It seems it takes a lot more than running a little over 26 miles these days to do that?.

I've asked before and never had a single response but if anyone has any idea's I would be so grateful. I don't want to make a complete idiot of myself but I'm willing to consider most things. For the record, I don't sing, swim or play any instruments, so that could be somewhere to start.

So, lets get serious . . .

On Sunday there will be 16 weeks until the marathon - that really isn't long enough. We haven't managed to get out over the last few days and my anxiety is increasing with the arrival of each guest because I can guarantee their opening line these days is always to tell me how many runners they saw on the way to our house. I've not been out for days but it appears the streets are crammed full of runners!.

My other worry is the huge amount we need to raise in a little more than the 16 weeks. It's a full time job in itself and I already have one of those. I was a bit concerned because I vaguely remember on Christmas day striking a 'wine induced' deal with my sister which involved 'wing walking' but after a quick browse of the internet it seems you can't raise money for charity by wing walking because it is deemed to be a 'display activity' and not a 'sport' . . . . . . thank the lord!!!!

My dad, bless his heart has offered to have his head shaved but my mum has put her foot down - but it gives you some idea of the level of my desperation.

My e-book is still not selling, I just don't know how to get it out there, it's so hard when you don't have friends in influential places . . . well, you don't have that many friends influential or otherwise!!!!.

It's half passed 4 now and dark but I have a sudden urge to get on with something, I won't run in the dark, the machine is in the shed and the fires alight so lounge loping is out of the question - maybe I'll just have one more glass of wine and get out tomorrow.

For all that's good

Well that's Christmas done for another year, oh there were the same deflating airbeds, the same chaos, the same culinary disasters, the same food and wine, we quite possibly laughed at many of the same jokes and I know tears were shed over the same voids that become part of all of our lives with time.

Once again though there was the same sense that we have been somehow blessed. Christmas is such a huge line in the sand, a marker that we all use to take stock, to count up what we have against the things we don't and whilst I, along with most of us complain about all the things that I feel I could or should have I know that I have far more of what is really important than most people. Sometimes we are so busy mourning a life we once thought was ours for the taking that we don't see what is truly important, a home - however small or tatty can only really be called a home when it's filled with love. Food in our cupboards, whether it's Waitrose finest or Tesco everyday, so long as you have someone to share it with it makes no difference. Furry slippers will always ace designer clothes when they are bought and wrapped by your child and all the diamonds in all the world would mean nothing if you didn't know that he would walk through fire for you.

I have no religious faith so I'm not too sure quite who I am directing this at but, once again, to whoever or whatever is up there looking down at little old me - thank you for all that's good in my life x

Training Plan sorted

Just thought I would have a browse for a training plan, guess what? . . . running, lots and lots of running!, making me feel quite sick just looking at it but I guess it needs to be done and fast. I think we'll go with the intermediate one from the Running Bug - as good as any I think!

Need a bit of professional help too I think so in the new year we are going to look to join a gym, I'm hoping it might help just a bit. Anyway, on tick over now until 1st January when we will be off.

Wide awake!

Well it's gone 1am and I'm wide awake and I have to work in the morning - don't think I shall be starting too early!.

The reason I'm wide awake? well on 24th December - I'm so hot!, it's crazy . . . that's not all, I have so much buzzing around in my head, so much to get done when I finish at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon so that we are ready for everyone to arrive on Christmas day.

And then, there's after Christmas, there's the question of a rather huge sum of money that needs to be raised and then the rather huge distance that my little feet need to start to cover. Sometimes, usually around the early hours it all seems incredibly daunting and I do start to question why I start these things. Wouldn't life just be so much easier if I started a patchwork quilt or knitted a scarf or something, or at least got sponsored for something I do anyway?. Maybe next year that's what I'll do.

Anyway, the panetonne pudding went well today, the laundry is winding down and I have very nearly found the bottom of the ironing basket. The house is reasonably tidy (although it will need another go through later today) and all but the drink is bought. All that remains later on is a bit more ironing to finish off, a triffle to make, veg to peel, house to go through quickly, a run, beds to inflate and bedding to sort then I think I'll be just about there . . . simples!

Just incase I don't manage to fit in another blog before tomorrow

I would like to wish anyone who visit's this blog,

the people who have supported me over the past year and all my friends and family a very, very Happy Christmas x

Just don't get it?

never quite understand why some posts seem to send my stats through the roof (well,by my standards) and others don't?. Also, why nearly every other blog I read has 'thousands' of followers, how does that happen, or am I really that boring. Anyway, incase my new Russian readers have returned today:

Please take a look at my ebook on amazon, it's priced at 1 pound 96 and of the profits I receive 50p will go to Shelter and 50p to the association for international cancer research. I would be so grateful if you could buy my book and support 2 great charities. It's called, surprisingly, Viv's Mountain.
Thank you

You know you are a real runner when ......

...... you pour rain water out of your running shoes when you get home after a run!.

We reluctantly went out at lunch time, we didn't go very far but today was one of those days when going at all was far more important than how far or how fast we went. It was tipping down as we left and as we rounded the bend at the top of the road not only the rain but the wind too hit us fair in the face. Any thoughts of  'fun running' were forgotten, this was serious!.


Don't think I mentioned that I finished my book by Jane and Mike Tomlinson. What an incredible lady, she achieved far more in the few years that she was terminally ill than most of us achieve in a lifetime. Once I get Christmas out of the way I shall buy the next one and hopefully be shamed into dragging myself out of the house.

No improvement!

Well we're three washes in and there is no improvement in the barnet. Usually by now I have come up with another hair style that I can turn it into but this time it appears to be terminal and the only hope is that it will grow fast or someone will buy me a great hat for Christmas!

Phase 1 ......

....... of the:

How to make yourself look your most hideous in the

Marathon Photo's ...... task

 

Is now .... complete

 

From almost the moment I took control of my own hair I have been of the opinion that, so long as your hair is looking good there would be very little that could happen in your day that you couldn't cope with. Now anyone who may have caught a glimpse of me in the last 24 hours will possibly be rolling around the floor laughing now, but stay with me.

Throughout my teenage years and twenties I sported most of the latest hairdo's aka the celeb's of the day, I had it permed within an inch of it's life to create the 'big hair', coloured all the colours of the rainbow, had it layered, feathered, backcombed, blow dried, rough dried, 'Princess Diana'd', Sue Ellen'd and Joan Collins'd - in retrospect the Rod Stewart mullet was a mistake but with the aid of gallons of hairspray and a few spare hours I could usually create some kind of masterpiece to top off the shoulder pads and white stiletto's. I had to stay away from naked flames, in those days, without the aid of hair 'products' we only had hairspray and the accumulation of hundreds of hair sprayed barnets in your average disco must have posed a huge fire risk. Then of course came children and I along with so many mums turned to the humble bob to top off our leggings and baggy, baby sick adorned jumpers. It was quick and easy to keep tamed and looked ok, most of the time. As I've got older I've been searching for something a bit different, something that says 'I'm still here' without saying 'mutton dressed as lamb' it's a tricky knife-edge to walk. Of late I have returned to the trusty bob, there is little that can go wrong with a bob.

Anyway, I had an appointment yesterday at the hairdressers, just a regular 'tidy up'. I had been in the office all day and was in a bit of a rush. Now the mistake I made was that when I sat in the waiting room I didn't pick up my usual 'Hello' magazine, instead I picked up one of those books with hundreds of different hair styles in it and almost immediately stumbled upon a hair do, not far removed from where I was headed anyway - which was simply a shorter version of what I already had but this was a little more up to date so, I have to point out, was the models face but I'm not unreasonable. I knew that this hair do would not remove any years nor would it turn my hair red, as in the picture. I thought, 'now that's nice, I think we'll go for that'. So that's what I requested. The picture was placed on the table in front of me and the cutting began. It all started to go wrong in a split second, I don't think it was a slip, it was intentional but suddenly we were heading somewhere far away from the photo and without the aid of hair extentions there was absolutely no going back. I looked out the corner of my eye at the picture and then back to the mirror and wanted to ask 'how is that - anything like that' those moments where your eye's meet in the mirror became more and more awkward as I was getting a little cross and finding it harder with every snip to put on the 'it's going well' face. I checked the other page wondering if she had misunderstood and was looking at a different photo all together but they were all so far off the wall there was no way we heading towards any of them.

'Why don't we just close the book and carry on with our own thing' ..... was what I so wish I'd had the courage to say, but of course I didn't 'lovely, oh that's great, ah yes, so much better' was what I actually said as I was shown the back and perused what resembled an old fashioned bathing cap making my face resemble a full moon.

'I absolutely am not going to book another appointment' I thought

'Would you like to book your next appointment'

'Oh yes please' I said 'about 6 weeks'

When I got home the hallway was in complete darkness, both Charlie and Andrew walked past me 'hair looks nice mum' 'nice Viv' they said without looking up. I followed them into the illuminated kitchen where they both turned to face me and collapsed into uncontrollable laughter 'What happened?' asked Charlie 'I thought I would go for something different' I said. 'and that's exactly what you got' they laughed together.

Well, it will grow and thankfully I've done my bit in the office for a while so I don't really need to go out any time soon but a new hat for running has never been more vital!.

 



SHELTER ... helping homeless people

Just a little thought ...

I've had a rotten day at work and I moan regularly about the fact that I have to work at all. I complain about the endless piles of washing and ironing and I grumble at my kids for not helping more, there is never a moment when a bed doesn't need changing, a room doesn't need hoovering or a bathroom needs cleaning, but .... tonight, while it's bitterly cold outside, I am sat here in front of a roaring fire in my 'Penguin Onesy' Oh yes, pure class that's me!, the Christmas tree is up and decorated (white lights, free hanging balls and no tinsel) and presents are beginning to appear from the organised people in our house. We are not going to have a Champagne and Caviar type of Christmas but we are looking forward to a feast of some kind, we won't go hungry and we won't be cold.

But ......

At this very moment there are many, many people out there on the streets sleeping rough and I have no idea what keeps them going. They will be cold, hungry and desperate. If you are warm right now and you're not hungry and you're looking forward to a cosy, happy Christmas and you possibly can spare a couple of quid for Shelter then please sponsor us at:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/VivienneKanharn

or you can text:

VIVS54
followed by the amount you want to give, to:
70070


Thank you

Getting on with it

I've been a bit 'blogless' recently, not because I haven't wanted to blog but because a small explosion appears to have gone off in the middle of my life and I just don't seem to have a single second to spare. I'm running around like a headless chicken and getting no-where.

I can't really remember where I got to but I'll start with the book I'm reading. I did mention it when I bought it, Jane and Mike Tomlinson's The Luxury of Time. It's tough reading because it's written just as it is. It really isn't Love Story but then Cancer isn't like Love Story, if you've watched someone battling Cancer then you will know that. Every evening when I read a bit of it I marvel at this amazing woman's courage, that goes for her incredible family too. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 26, it wasn't until after the dreadful news that she was not going to survive and had between 2 months and 2 years to live, that she took up marathon running. She ran her first London Marathon, one of 3, in around 5 hours - and she was disappointed with her time!. I have just been reading her description of the Triathlon she completed in 3 and a half hours. I'm just in awe of this lady and feel so pathetic at my rediculous excuses ...... 'it's cold' ... 'it's dark' ... 'it hurts' ... 'I feel sick' it's just so wimpish!.

On Saturday I read that she had run 10 km in around 50 minutes. I decided that on Sunday morning I would 'cover' 10 km - on the machine, it was very windy, there I go again, pathetic!, really out of curiosity to see how long it would take me - an hour and a half, that's how long it took me! but I did it and I was pleased with that. Since then I have been in the office which throws my entire world upside down. Monday was a rest day, well, a 'do all the things I don't get done while I'm running ... day'. Tuesday I was full of good intentions but by the time I had tackled the drive home at rush hour in the freezing fog, fought my way to get in the door through the piles of laundry at various stages in the 'laudry cycle', admired the tiling Andrew had been doing on his day off (It's only taken around 7 years!), tackled dinner and finish off my online Christmas Shopping there was no way I could have run anywhere if my life had depended on it - pathetic again!

I made up my mind that I would absolutely run this lunch time, totally, 100%, without any doubt I would start work ready and be on the machine seconds after I logged off - then I discovered my lunch break was already spoken for and I had to take the coach to work. Anyway, quite unexpectedly, especially to me, there was an odd spurt of energy when I finished work - I think it was frustration at the dreadful day I had suffered, we are struggling with a new system at the moment and suddenly it's as though I'm new again, after nearly 11 years I was just getting the hang of it, now I don't have a clue again. Anyway, I ran, yes, I ran (no walking) 4 miles, It took me very nearly an hour which I guess is a bit like walking but I was running, well loping and that's ok. Tomorrow, well I'm back in the office again - this week is never ending. I don't know what will happen, I would love to run when I get home but I don't know if that will happen, we'll see.

One other thing that happened tonight is that we have been sponsored by someone who read my book. That's amazing and I'm so chuffed. Thank you if it was you, really means a lot.

Need a good day tomorrow

Well unfortunately I didn't go out today. Woke up again with my head thumping, had to go and pick up Madi from work at 8 and so wished I could follow her up the stairs to bed but I had to fire up the computer and work. Head didn't improve until I turned off the computer at the end of the day, still hovering but I'm hopeful it will be gone by tomorrow so I can have a really good day work-wise and running-wise, indoors or out, it doesn't matter - just need to get moving!.

Charity Squares

 

 

Just to let everyone know who bought a square the winning numbers were

 

9 and 22

 

They each win £25.00 worth of Bodyshop Products

 

We didn't manage to sell all the squares but we have raised £40.00 for Shelter

Have to say a big Thank you to everyone who bought squares, it was really appreciated.

 

If anyone would like to order from the Bodyshop here is the link and 10% of any orders will still go to Shelter. If you want order's by Christmas they need to be in by 15th December.

Just email me or message me with any orders

Thank you

 

 

http://viewer.zmags.co.uk/publication/41a60b66#/41a60b66/1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very Long week

Well I'm pleased to report that Charlie got out of Brixton alive and really didn't seem to have any idea what I was going on about.

On Monday I managed to get out with the coach. I had taken the day off to try and catch up with the mountain of washing and ironing that I had to do, I did manage it, I found the bottom of the ironing basket, but it's overflowing again now, as is the washing pile. No doubt there will come a day when there will only be mine and Andrew's laundry but for now I just have to accept that alongside the small restaurant we run we also manage a medium sized launderette!. Anyway, I didn't mention running, I thought if she doesn't mention it then I won't, but she did so we went. We got round and either Mads was a little slower or I was a little faster because I stayed more or less with her until the last few yards when she sprinted away from me as I hit the wall - no, just the 2 miles!.

Since Monday I've spent a day in the office which meant no running and I brought home a headache which I haven't been able to shift all day. Madi has worked a couple of night shifts and slept all day. We are fast reaching the point where running has to become the priority and everything else has to take a back seat but I'm resisting it for as long as we can.

I think what I really need is to get out on my own, I'm being such a wimp at the moment I make myself very cross. If the headache has gone and the coach is still asleep at lunch time tomorrow then maybe I'll make that my aim. I do have a rather cunning plan for Christmas though, everyone I know that I buy presents for has this year got running shoes - brilliant huh!. Well not quite everyone, I haven't bought my mum or dad or Andrew's mum running shoes although my dad would be game I'm sure but my mother would never forgive me. So basically, I've bought Andrew running shoes - he'll be thrilled, he's always complaining he's cold on the bike, he can't really refuse, how ungrateful would that look?

Around an hour and a half left

You have somewhere around an hour and a half to upload/download (not quite sure which) my ebook Viv's Mountain from Amazon for free. It's the tale of my 'Journey' to and including this year's London Marathon. My hope is that it will make you smile.

If you enjoy it please sponsor me and Madi in our attempt to run next year's Marathon for Shelter.

The link to my ebook is:


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vivs-Mountain-ebook/dp/B009UETRQU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354487677&sr=1-1

Please get it, read it and review it ..... if you enjoy it - only if you enjoy it! and help get it up the ratings chart.  Thank you

A Mother's Nightmare

At around 4 am I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard the key in the door, safe in the knowledge that Charlie had survived the 'Works Do' and I thought as I peacefully went back to sleep that I could relax just a little until next weekend. How wrong I was, we went shopping for a new mattress for Madi first thing this morning and on our return Charlie announced 'I'm going out in a little while' 'Where are you off to?' I asked, expecting, as most Sunday's he was just going round to his friends who have their own flat. 'I'm off to Brixton Academy to see blahdeblahdeblah's last ever gig'

Horror of horror's, my blood ran cold!

'Is Brixton Academy in Brixton' I asked in that by the way sort of manner us mums master as our kids hit teenage years. The way that we hope suppresses the rising panic in our hearts.
'Yes' he said, like I was some kind of doughnut!
'Is that Brixton, London?' I asked, hoping there might be some lovely little Suffolk village somewhere, Brixton-on-the-Weir, or even on-sea, anywhere but please God not London!
'Yes' he said, getting cross now 'Brixton, London'

Needless to say tonight is going to be a very long one, I'm not sure I have heard anything positive about Brixton for many, many years. I'm sure that good things do happen in Brixton but they don't tend to make the news. I did try as he went out the door to convey my fears without sounding totally hysterical but he was completely oblivious to my concerns.

I will be waiting tonight for the key in the door.

White lights, free hanging balls and a little bit of Christmas Tack!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a bit of tack at Christmas, it makes me smile ..... so long as it's in someone else's house!.

Today was the day we put up the tree and decorations, a little earlier than most years but the coach is desperately trying to drag us into her little 'Christmas Wonderland World'. We have been resisting up until today but we've finally succumbed and, accompanied by the obligatory Christmas music, glass of sherry and a mince pie we set about moving the furniture around to fit in the tree.

Now I do have a few rules, particularly with the tree - only white lights, predominantly one, at most two coloured decorations, no tinsel, and my balls have to be free hanging! by this I mean that I don't like them resting on the branch underneath, I can't bare that, it drives me nuts. Anyway, apart from some ribbon to make some bows, the tree is done. This year we have purchased a piece of ribbon and some tiny pegs with a cardboard 'Christmassy' animal on them, it's up and if I could only find the 'one' card we have so far received I'm sure it will begin to look fantastic.

Each year we have got a little more adventurous with our outside lights, not that they are for anyone else's enjoyment but ours, no-one uses our front door apart from the postlady and the tesco delivery person so we put them up in the back garden. This year we have added 'icicles' - my last words as Andrew left to buy them were 'only white one's please'. He spent a few hours putting them up, managed to fall off the ladder in the process landing rather unfortunately on his face, the bruising is gradually coming out and together with a very red forehead, nose and chin he resembles a sleep deprived elf! Anyway, the switch on arrived and we all assembled in the garden .... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ............ blue - the icicles are blue!!!!!!!. My idea of changing them didn't go down too well it has to be said and it seems I'm going to have to put up with blue icicles, it also seems - and this is another pet hate of mine - that they will be left up once the Christmas season is gone ready for next year, looking at Andrew's face though I don't really feel I can argue!.

Here's hoping we all have a very Merry, Peaceful and Safe Christmas x