My first 5k run!

Remember my trainers? Well I have been killing two birds with one stone recently and running on the treadmill at the gym with them.
Today I recorded my first 5K run and I was ecstatic; it took me just under 31 minutes. I was really proud of myself and rushed home to link to the NikePlus website to record my new achievement.
And wouldn't you know, some woman, somewhere in the world, has recorded a 5K run of just under 17 minutes! What! Was is steroid enhanced? Is that natural? Worst still, is that normal and am I really slow?
Oh gosh, I can feel my competitive side coming through...

How long are you going to grow your hair?

Mmm, how long is a piece of string!

I was asked this question the other day at a celebration for my Mother-in-Law's birthday. In fact, I was asked lots of questions about my hair and somebody there recognised them as Sisterlocks (Yes!).
But back to this question which, I found a little odd; needless to say, because nobody ever asked me this when I had relaxed hair. In the past I have mainly worn my hair at shoulder/just below shoulder length as this was versatile and could be kept up when it was hot and kept my ears and neck warm when it was cold. I have also worn it very short, for ease of maintenance and had some great mid length styles. At this moment in time I have no idea how long I will grow my hair and I don't think I have ever had clear ideas where that is concerned; when I want to grow my hair, I do and when I want to cut it, I do. Obviously, things are a little different at the moment and the length of my hair is being determined by the process I am going through, to achieve the style I want. But after that, who knows...

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this. Have any of you made definite decisions on the length you'd like your hair to be or are you going with the flow?

Emirates Cup

We spent the afternoon at the Emirates Stadium watching the first annual Emirates Cup competition. The game that we, and most of the 60,000 spectators, really wanted to see was Arsenal V Inter Milan. My beloved team did not disappoint; they won the game(after being a goal down) and in turn the cup.

We finished a great day off with dinner at a sushi restaurant; Mmmmm.

I guess it was coming

I got the scissors out again today!

So that's it, the relaxed ends are pretty much gone. I can see from looking at the pictures that I have a few ends that need neatening up. Chopping the hair was quite a cathartic experience and I felt great when I'd finished. Funnily, I feel more 'locked' than I did before; does that make sense? No doubt I'll spend the weekend experimenting with ways to style my new hairdo; any suggestions will be greatly received - it's my nieces Christening next week and I had planned to have my hair up.

Have I got too much time on my hands?

Thought I'd share these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ri_A-Fq6NQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t79WOqvSx4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FgDTdFIay4


Better look at them quickly, as I have just seen on the news that companies are starting to sue Google over copyright of items available on YouTube.

I had a thought...

...that if I washed my hair, the locks I'd trimmed might unravel. Afterall, I hadn't actually checked it was ok to cut them. All was well and they didn't come out in the wash!

I am now using Fantasia Tea Tree Naturals Shampoo - great smell, lovely tingling sensation on the scalp and my flakes have improved.

Freshly washed and dried whilst in two french plaits; I have a few locks with a mind of their own, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

I was back at work today

Yes, I am on holiday but I had to pop in and collect a few things I'd left behind last Friday. Amongst them were some cards and gifts from students and colleagues; I am looking forward to opening the bottles, but slightly worried about all of the chocolate!
The cards really overwhelmed me; it's always humbling to be told that the things you do are appreciated and that you have made a difference in the lives of others.

It all became too much

And so I decided to take matters into my own hands.





I cut off most of the the relaxed ends from the back of my hair. It was fairly difficult, as I was doing it mainly by touch; I did stop short of cutting all of the relaxed hair, although I was very tempted.

I'm not sure of how much of a visual difference it has made, as the ends from the centre and top of my had seem to cover the area that I trimmed. Still, I feel better and that's what matters, right?

Little Miss K

Remember my niece; hasn't she grown...

Golf Crazy

Well, the end of the year has arrived and I can now enjoy a six week holiday from work!

As is the norm at the end of each term, lots of socialising took place. We started of with a bbq at school and then headed down to the golf course I blogged about a while back. We played a few rounds of crazy golf before heading to the driving range; I have to admit that there hasn't been any real improvement in my driving skills. The evening was finished off with drinks and junk food at a local drinking establishment.

7 Months!

Wow, it's doesn't seem that long ago that I was posting about reaching 6 months. Apart from some growth and of course the bunching, there hasn't been much change in my hair; I think the locks are as thick as they are going to be. There has been a lot of change since Day 1 though, here are a few comparison shots.



Picture 1 was taken on the second day of my installation - Oh my, was I tired!
Picture 2 is at about 3 months - I had started to see a change in my hair and my styling method of choice was the twistout.
Picture 3 is taken at 5 months - My hair is a little thicker and I had become a little lazy; I usually just let my hair do it's own thing.
The last picture is at 7 months and of course by this time some of my relaxed ends had been cut off. I made a bit of an effort with styling; I put my hair in two french plaits on Monday night and there is still a bit of curl left.

BTW, how did your SLs hold up?

N'drea asked this question in relation to my recent travels to Italy. I am pleased to report that my hair caused me no trouble at all; it's surprising how much extra space you have in your suitcase without straighteners and various hair lotions and potions! My hair accessories comprised a selection of Hairties and a few hair pins and bands; admittedly I took more of those than I actually needed.

I was in and out of the pool quite alot; I didn't b&b my hair, just put it up in a ponytail (wonder if this added to my bunching problem...). I was sure to rinse my hair thoroughly after each pool visit and I washed it twice during the five days we were away. This is in total contrast to our family holiday to Tunisia last year, when I spent the whole time sat by the pool. I ventured in on the second day because there was a fantastic waterslide there, but my hair was a ridiculous mess afterwards and it took me such a long time to make it look 'OK' that I didn't go in again.

On a day to day basis in Italy, my hair was also a dream to manage and I mostly wore it freestyle; I carried something in my bag just in case I needed to get it out of my face because of the heat.
I guess what I am trying to say is that, bunching aside, I don't really think about my hair these days (well that's not strictly true!). Does that make sense? What I mean is, I don't plan things around the way it will effect my hair nor do I plan my hair around the way it will effect things, which is something I often did in the past.



I know you are going away soon N'drea (and the place looks beautiful - think I will add it to my 'to visit' list), I look forward to reading about your SLs hold up in the sand and sea.

Poor JB

We had a call today from JB's school, you know one of those calls you don't want to get. They said there had been a 'bit' of an accident; another child had fallen from the climbing frame onto JB and more specifically his wrist.


So here he is, my little baby, in a cast for two weeks!




He will now miss his violin exam next week, which he is very upset about. Fingers crossed he will be ok for the family holiday in a few weeks time...

Issues

I had my hair tightened yesterday and my hairdresser immediately noticed the little (big to me) problem that has been getting worse lately. My hair has started to bunch a lot at the back; I have done my best to try and straighten them out especially after washing, but it would seem to no avail. So as she tightened she grappled with the mess at the ends and said she would cut the rest of the relaxer out at my next appointment. I don't have this issue at the sides or the front, so I'm guessing it's because the texture of my hair is different at the back. I tried to take a picture to make my troubles clearer but it's not so good! I know lots of you have had similar problems so I will be going through your archives with a fine toothed comb...

Fair Verona

Most of our last day was spent in Verona; we walked about taking in the beautiful Italian architecture. A little time and a little money was spent in the designer shops and of course we stopped for some ice-cream. We than headed to the place we had all been looking forward to seeing, Juliet's House.







The small passageway that leads to Juliet's balcony is covered with messages of love left by those who have visited; of course I left one of my own. It was a little gross to see that some people had left their message s on chewing gum!

All of the students were really excited to see the balcony and quickly got engrossed in conversations about what had happened to her and Romeo.

I joined the crowd waiting to have their pictures taken with the statue. Men are meant to touch her right breast and make a wish and women are meant to touch her arm.

Pedalo, Poolside and Party

Back to the lake, but this time to a place where you could actually get into the water or relax on the 'sand'. Parks and I had 14 students with us and one of them spotted the pedalos; It was only six euros for half an hour, so we decided to hire some.

It was another scorcher of a day and the students wasted no time and were soon going down the slides on the pedalos and into the lake. I, on the other hand wasn't that brave and opted to help with the pedalling!

Back at the hotel, we had a few hours to spend by the pool before dinner; after the bad weather we had in the UK last week, we were all making the most of the sun.
It was our final night and a disco had been arranged for the students (and staff!); after eating, they got themselves dressed up and danced the night the away. At least until I made them go to their rooms and start packing!

Venezia

I think that Venice is a wonderful place; having been there before, I jumped at the chance to take my students. The journey from our hotel was about two hours and the students took this as an opportunity to catch up on their sleep. Before we left the UK I 'd checked the weather forecast and we knew that it was going to be another scorcher of a day.
When we left the coach we were taken to St.Mark's Square by water taxi and it was then that they began to appreciate Venice's uniqueness. Prior to that, I think they envisaged it as a city surrounded by water that had proper roads and streets within it.

St. Mark's Square

On my previous visit to Venice I didn't get the chance to go on a Gondola; this time Parks, OP, The Hawk and I decided to share one. We were supposed to take it turns to sit in the 'love' seat, but I was too nervous to stand up whilst we were moving so Parks and I had it for the entire ride!
Our Gondolier, Sebastian, was fantastic and spoke perfect English (although he didn't think so); he also sang very well.

Lakes, Lounging and Log Flumes

We started Tuesday off with a visit to the Lake; it was stunning and the blazing sunshine was an added bonus. Lake Garda stretches through several towns and we were visiting Lazise.We arrived just as the shops were starting to open and lots of the students began their spending sprees there! There were lots of beautiful sights to see and many pretty little side streets to stroll down.

After our time at the Lake the students had another dance workshop to attend; we then headed back to our hotel for lunch. There were a couple of hours to relax by the pool and take in some more sun before heading to Gardaland Theme Park. Now I really do love going on rides and was slightly disappointed by the log flume, which moved slowly and only had two small drops. We were at the park until it closed at midnight; we enjoyed the parade and the laser show before leaving.

No sleep till...

well, not for a very long time; in fact I ended up going for about 43 hours without sleeping.
I made it to school for 4:30am to meet everyone; I decided that there was no point in going to sleep and kept myself awake by watching ridiculous tv programmes and drinking coffee! We had the coach loaded and ready to go in no time at all and were soon on our way to the airport. There were tears from some of the students (and some parents) as we left, but the mood was generally good considering the time. When we arrived in Italy, we were met by our guide and made our way to the hotel for lunch. We were staying 10 minutes away from Lake Garda and the hotel had a lovely, quiet location. Part of the itinerary was for the students to participate in 5 dance workshops; they had the first one after lunch. We returned to the hotel hoping to make use of the pool; but before you could say bikini, it was raining. Rain turned to hailstones and the next thing we knew it was a storm; sun loungers were being blown around the pool and then the electricity went out. I couldn't believe it; surely not another holiday with terrible weather.
Thankfully, it cleared up and we were able to enjoy the evening dining Al Fresco at the Pizzeria. The night was rounded off watching films; I stopped off to speak to some locals on my way down to the cinema.

Back in Blighty

We made it back from Italy safe and sound this evening; everybody had a wonderful time. It really was an action packed week and some mornings it was a little difficult to get up! The students were a real pleasure to be away with and we only had one or two moments of homesickness (me included!).
More posts and pictures to follow...

Ciao Ciao

I am in Italy next week; it's a school trip. I am a little nervous as it's the first time I've organised a trip abroad. I have to meet the students(all 32 of them) and my colleagues at 4:30am; so that means I have to get up in three and a half hours. Mmmm...

Can you believe it!

Do you know anyone that would benefit?

WICOE(Women In Charge Of Everything)

Is proud to announce the opening of its EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN!
OPEN TO MEN ONLY - ALL ARE WELCOME
Note: due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants
The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:

DAY ONE

HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS
Step by step guide with slide presentation
TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS?
Roundtable discussion
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR
Practicing with hamper
DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES?
Debate among a panel of experts
REMOTE CONTROL
Losing the remote control - Help line and support groups
LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS
Starting with looking in the right place instead of turning the house upside down while screaming - Open forum

DAY TWO

EMPTY MILK CARTONS; DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN?
Group discussion and role play
HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
PowerPoint presentation
REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST
Real life testimonial from the one man who did
IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS?
Driving simulation
LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR PARTNER
Online class and role playing
HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION
Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques
REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE
Bring your calendar or PDA to class
GETTING OVER IT; LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME
Individual counsellors available


*Disclaimer - this in no way reflects the views of this blog author (much). Only joking; but it did make me laugh, so I thought I'd share.

A whole lot of money missing from my purse!

I finally made it to the new Whole Foods in Kensington yesterday; I returned home having spent at least four times as much as I had intended to! I wouldn't have minded so much, but I didn't even get the jojoba oil I went in there for. It's quite a big shop and it was heaving with people; I didn't know where to start and then I didn't know when to stop (aah, that's why I spent so much). I went in there with my sons, who were just as excited as I was; my youngest declared that we should shop there at least once a month! We picked up a lot of nice food and even made our own peanut butter. I'll definitely go back; at the very least to see the bits I missed, but probably to sit in there and have a meal.

Soft Spikes - The Results

I was really excited when I was taking the curlers out(which was as easy as putting them in); I could feel the corkscrew curls and this confirmed that I had put them in properly.

I loosened the curls and loved the back

I quite liked the view from the side

But I didn't like the front! I think that if my hair were longer I would have really liked the results; but these tight curly do's just don't seem to suit my face. Now it could be due to a mistake that I made when putting the SoftSpikes in; any advice will be greatly received and tried out next weekend.

(Gosh, I do look miserable!)

I decided to put my hair up with a hairtie and I loved the look I got. The SS set seemed to give me so much volume and I could see a lot more definition in my locks; so all was not lost. I know that the curls will drop over the next few days and I'm sure I will be able to wear my hair out then.