Moving On

I'm trying to get back into a positive frame of mind again after our disappointment with our Round Attempt. I tried to exorcise some of the demons by running the Wednesday night mountain race last night and it went well considering I had almost 20 hours of running in my legs from last Saturday so "all is good" as Grace likes to say.

I bought this dress on line (the one pictured above) for a wedding Thursday week. My first clothing purchase on line I think. I can just about squeeze into it and considering I'm tiny I was a bit surprised! Now all I need are accessories. I'm considering green shoes. I also have gold sandals which look beautiful with the colour but cos I have muscly legs I can look like I have pole dancer legs in very high heels (you know when people who wear heels all the time develop muscly calves?). Anyway enough of that.....

Speaking of on-line purchases I made my first e-bay purchase too. I bought 45 metres of this sisal rope stuff for our newly built deck. The intention is for it to look like this:

I have two weeks off now from work after tomorrow so intend making the most of the time and trying to sort out the garden.

The kids we're going to be fostering are meeting with their social worker today and she should be showing them pictures of us and our house and the rooms we've done up for them. We should be meeting them for the first time in the next few weeks with them moving in early July. I've handed in my notice to work, which was easier than I thought, so finishing up at the end of June.

Anyway no racing for me this weekend, I'd love to be heading off to run Carrantouhil but with Grace's exams starting on Wednesday I need to be at home this weekend and not heading to Kerry. Good luck to anyone doing the Women's Mini Marathon!

Tuesday Stuff

Reading Omani's blogpost about liver got me thinking about the cost of certain food/ grocery items; something Grace mentioned yesterday.
Why is it that the 1 litre bottles of Volvic usually cost more than the two litre. I know there is the convenience of 1 litre, you can't carry two litres in a normal size bag (unless it's cider in which case it'll fit neatly under your hoodie). I love those 1 litre bottles cos I drink tonnes of water and they're real handy...anyway. Also if you buy a whole chicken it's always cheaper than just buying a couple of chicken breasts, it doesn't make sense to me.

On a seperate topic I was reading Midget Wranglers account of a nice Sunday morning in Dundrum Town Centre and I thought it was great to see a nice post about Dundrum. Why do people normally slag it off so much? As I said in the comments you'd swear Dudrum was the centre of all evil the way people go on. Now I'm not a Drummy Mummy or a Lady who Lunches but I just thought the need to defend Dundrum a little bit. Probably because I spent a couple of the most stressful years of my life on the construction of it that I feel sensitive. I also have one of those 15 year olds who likes to hang around Starbucks or BT2 or whatever but so what? Grafton Street doesn't put up with half the slagging....

And while I'm pointing to other bloggers; head over to Bock's and encourage him to produce another fairytale, the last one was classic. You'll really enjoy it.

Wicklow Round

Unfortunately the round attempt had to abandoned due to sever weather. We were unlucky. I'm gutted and the tears are coming fast and furious but I know tomorrow I'll have gotten over it. And considering we spend 20 hours on open mountain my legs are surprisingly ok today. My feet I think have "trench foot" cos of the rain; lovely image that isn't it? Bet you're glad I didn't post a photo! I plan on posting properly about the attempt tomorrow.

BIG HUGE GIANT thanks for all the comments/ support and good wishes on all the various blogs.

Duvet Day

I'm spending the day in bed in preparation for our Wicklow Round attempt. I will move only to eat and blog! You can follow our progress here. Kick off is at 2am.

I Heart Blogger

I was explaining over at Wednesday Night Runners the problems I was having with flickr, wordpress and three and my mobile blogging. It seems mad that you can't mobile blog direct to wordpress without going through flickr? I had so many problems with various things, not all about wordpress or flickr or three but a combination of all of them.

So I'm sticking with blogger. All I did was take a photo on my phone, send it to blogger and they set up the blog and the whole lot. Completely painless. I'm about a week trying to sort it out elsewhere. There's also no issue with titles and the text of the post with blogger whereas flickr just seemd to disregard all the text that I sent with the photo.

So here's the new website for our Wicklow Round attempt.
Lots of test photos will follow until our attempt on Friday night begins. Then I will hopefully be sending photos live from the wicklow hills and friends and family can track our progress!

A Complete Wuss!

Well I gave the rock climbing a shot but I was a complete wuss. The fear as I got higher just got hold of me and I kept thinking "if I go higher I'll freeze so I should just come down now"! I'm really glad I gave it a go. I might even have a go on an indoor climbing wall. When I can trust the ropes a bit more I might feel better.

Photos of the group here.

And I got my new phone which means I'll be moblogging all over the shop. Well not really but I'll be testing the principle over the week over at Wednesday Night Runners with the intention of moblogging our Wicklow Round attempt over at Team Geared Up starting this coming Friday night/ Saturday morning.

Worried Sick

Sunday: Rock climbing.

To do: Cut my nails.

Me: crapping myself (not just about the nails, it's more to do with the-hanging-off-a-rock-face-by-a-rope-and-being-afraid-of-heights kinda thing)

Party of 5

We have a meeting with our social worker again tomorrow morning about the fostering. With her will be the children's social worker as we move one step closer to being a 'party of 5'. The whole process has been going on for almost a year now and it looks like we will have progressive meetings with the two children through the next 6 weeks or so and them finally moving in with us at the end of June early July. We're lucky in the way it's all happening as it's not been an emergency situation where children are pulled from an unsafe environment and just landed with us. They've been in short term care, so now the long term care (i.e. us) can be planned properly.
The social worker had a look at the 2 new rooms we have done up for the kids. They'll have 1 each, which will be a big bonus for them as they have been sharing. It must be incredibly scary for these kids. Being landed with complete strangers. The good thing for them will also be that they will be closer to their other relatives when they come to us, right now they're a bit away and don't get to see them much.
So in the immediate future I have to hand in my notice to work, which is hard. I've worked in construction for years and absolutely love it but I want to do the fostering thing much more. I will so miss all the lads and their filthy sexist jokes, really, They're a great bunch. I find their sexism quite sweet! Construction is such a tough, honest days work, I have so much respect for those on the ground. I worked in a drawing office for years and that was so full of shite. Drawings mean absolutely nothing compared to what actually happens when concrete, timber, blood, sweat and tears come together on a site.
Anyway better get back to work....

Bright Ideas

I didn't really see the point of twitter when I first heard of it but then a light bulb went off over my head! What a great idea for my Wicklow Round. I could text in where I am and on what summits throughout the 24 hours. I'm going to also try sending photos (as suggested by Robin over at Team Geared Up) so I may just go shopping for a new phone ;-)

On second thoughts maybe I'll just stick to the photos. I'll probably have enough to be thinking about already!

A Long Weekend of Mountain Running

Look at those sexy pins! How could anyone resist? And as for the footwear...aren't gaitors just the sexiest things since support tights? The photo was taken during our last serious training session before we attempt the Wicklow Round. I was blogging about our entries being finally in over at Team Geared Up. Flickr photos from our training session here.
They're not hairs on my legs by the way. I believe I'm tough but I'm not male. They're multiple scratches from trying to bushwhack my way through burnt gorse and being stupid enough to wear shorts. I also fell down a bog hole, well one leg fell down it and the other hit the side so pain, pain, pain (for about 2 minutes).
Well we're entered now and it looks like we'll be the first to give it a go. Fingers crossed firstly that we complete it, all being safe and well. And secondly that it takes no longer than 24 hours. The big day begins in the early hours of Saturday 26th May.
Yesterday was spent runing legs 3 and 4 of the Wicklow Way relay. Again more blogging about that over at Wednesday Night Runners.

There's so little time for anything these days with all that's going on. Since the start of the year we had the Snow Race, the Connemara Ultra, the Adventure Race and coming up we have the Round and the Relay. I'm taking two weeks off work while Grace is doing her exams. Luckily for us she is studying while we're doing all this running so she doesn't mind that we're not around.

Banana- Oat-Walnut Muffins

This recipe is especially for Eric from Journey to a Centum who is just over 6 weeks away from doing something incredible.

Aisling's Banana-Oat-Walnut Muffins

2 bananas mashed up
40g of shelled/ chopped walnuts
1 cup of oat flakes
2 and a half tea spoons of baking powder
350g flour (plain or self raising)
100g of castor sugar (ordinary sugar will do also)
115g butter
2 eggs
250ml of milk
a little pinch of cinnamon and salt

1. Heat the oven to 200 deg celcius, 400 far., Gas Mark 6
2. Sift the flour and baking powder together into mixing bowl and add sugar, cinnamon and salt.
3. Melt the butter gently in a sauce pan (pot).
4. Remove from heat and whisk in the eggs and the milk.
5. When it's all mixed, fold in the flower with the mashed bananas, oats and walnut pieces.


6. Spoon the muffin mixture into greased muffin tins or else cake cases for bun size.

7. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes (if using cases, put cases on wire rack to cool).



This will make about 12 muffin size or 24 bun size. Enjoy!

and yet more running......

Lots more running this weekend; should be the last weekend of serious running before our attempt on the Wicklow Round. We reckon it's at least 120k and it will probably take the gang of 5 of us about 24 hours. We plan on starting at about 2am so finishing hopefully the following midnight. It's probably the best time of year to attempt it as the weather is good, days are long, heather is short etc. etc. Lots of people have offered logistical support along the way which is great and we will really need it and appreciate it.
So early tomorrow morning we will head off for about another 8 hours on the hills. Forecast isn't great so will be carrying jackets, spare gear etc. and need lots of water for 8 hours.
Sunday then will be back on the hills with a gang to run legs 3 and 4 of the Wicklow Way relay. This should take about 2 hours and finish in Glendalough. I love all runs that finish in Glendalough. I love lashing in at the end, barging through all the tourists who get in your way on the tracks!!
Wednesday night's mountain race went well for me so was in good form for my day off work yesterday. Carpet delivered and done by 8am, shopping in the morning, 10 mile run in the evening and baked apple crumble for after dinner last night and it was yum. When I give up work I can see myself eating all day which won't be good for my running at all!

oooh i've been tagged.....

I've never been tagged before so this is a blogging first for me. Spoon from It's No Picknick is the person responsible.

Alphabet Scoop Meme

Available or single: Very married.

Best friend: Audrey, from school, although I don’t see her that much!

Cake or pie: Oh the choice would kill me, I would have to have both.

Drink of choice: H2O

Essential item: Trainers

Favourite colour: Pink

Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms, they make me smile when I think of Phil and Lil liking worms in the Rugrats.

Hometown: Dublin, never lived anywhere else.

Indulgence: Eddie Rockets Kit Kat Ice Cream dessert. The yardstick by which all desserts are judged.

January or February: January, February, like me, is too short.

Kids: Yes, one daughter.

Life is incomplete without: Goals

Marriage date: September 9th 2001, 2 days before 911.

Number of siblings: Eleven, yes 11. Very Irish Family. And I'm the youngest.
Oranges or apples: Oranges, even the tinned ones are good.

Phobias/fears: Heights. Which explains why I’m going rock climbing Sunday week, thanks to Karen. Scary stuff......

Quote, favorite: Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them. Albert Einstein

Reasons to smile: getting what you want ;-)

Season: Summer, I love to tan even though I know I shouldn’t!

Tag three: I doubt I have that many readers, but if you read this consider yourself tagged, please.

Unknown fact about me: At the moment I only have 6 toe nails.

Vegetarian or oppressor of animals: bacon and cabbage, yum yum

Worst habit: I have no patience.

X-rays or ultrasounds: Ultrasound sounds serious, I’ll go with ultrasound.

Your favorite foods: Banana-walnut-oat muffins(my own home made recipe!), fish and chips, superquinn sausages on fresh superquinn bread rolls and my all time favourite Fruit Pastilles – I’ve had 8 packs in the last 3 days.

Zodiac: Sagitarius

24 hours of flickr

I decided to take part in the 24 hours of flickr (May 5th) and document my day on Saturday from getting up, driving to Wicklow, running up lots of mountains for 8 and a half hours, car getting broken into, dinner at the mother in laws and home to Grace. That just about sums it all up.



The 8 and a half hours running was the best bit! Bits of walking/ navigating/ stopping in the pub in Drumgoff for a lucozade (trying not to stand too close to ordinary folk as I was pretty stinky at that stage).



Anyway I took tonnes of photos. The mountain ones will all look the same to most people but the idea was to document for ourselves the various summits we had to reach so that when we apply to do the Wicklow Round attempt we have an idea of the splits (times between each summit).
The rest of the weekend was spent decorating, oh how unbelieveably shite that was. I am so sick of painting. It looks like our 'new arrivals' will be coming at the end of June (not January, as typed earlier!). (Here and here is what that's all about). At least now the house is finally coming together, with the major rooms all ready for occupation! Now all I have to do is give up work.....

Meeting Strangers on the Beach!?!

I was blogging recently about answering a 'call' from Claire of Gingerpixel blog to pose for some photos on Killiney beach. And here are the results of our session and here is the set of all the portraits. Claire is so talented, the photos are all just incredible.
Myself and Tony found it hard to relax, we're always shy with cameras. I was worried we would look so stiff! But these are gorgeous! I would highly recommend Claire for any of your photography needs!

Poor me...

Aww. I fell during last night's mountain race and today I am sore. Not bruised sore, right now it's more grazed sore. It was one of those falls where the ground was rocky and uneven and I hit along my entire right side. The graze on my lower arm is so sore right now I just want to go home and lie down! I wish! I whacked my chest off a rock too and I'm interested now in what that bruise is gonna look like.

The Week in Racing....

I'm trying to summarise all that's been happening this past week. I've done two mountain races (Ticknock and Cushbawn)and including tomorrow nights race that will be 3 in a week. My legs don't know what's hit them but I'm doing speedwork too so hopefully that will counteract it. The mountains are fine for endurance but for speed they can cause you to slow down a little.
Tony and Gary and Niall went out on their reccie of the Wicklow Round. It's a project that's very important to Tony and although there's a few us who will be tagging along, it feel's like Tony's baby. He (along with us) will probably be the first to do it, haven't heard from anyone else attempting it yet so fingers crossed for him (and us). It'll be an 8 hour reccie on the hills of the second stage of it this Saturday. Let's hope we don't get weather too sunny as we will be carrying more water than we ever have before. Heavy!
Trail Blanch Font Romeu (finally) put up some photos of the snow race this year. Only one I noticed was of Tony, pictured above.
I'm still blogging away over at Team Geared Up and our own running blog Wednesday Night Runners. I'm hoping I'm not being too non-adventurous for Team Geared Up. I love running, that's all.
I'm still trying to put together final preparations for our all female team for the Wicklow Way Relay. I love the idea of 8 girls covering 120k of the Wicklow mountains and not being anywhere near last! Clonliffe girls are just the best, the club has come on heaps since Bronagh took over. We're running and winning all around us on the mountains!