divided post day

sitting here waiting for the plumber to show up and in reality, knowing that it will take four more phone calls and three more days to have someone actually knock on the door. remember the door bell never did get fixed when the guy for about it. have left three voicemails about it and will get to be a pain when i leave 4 more. or will they, is it possible, they will actually do something about it? right!

i actually got to talk to someone whom didn't actually want to take my phone number, but i reminded him i was the guy without hot water, a hole in the wall where the venetian blinds used to be, a leaking conservatory and now broken plumbing. he said-"leave it to us" and i tried not to laugh out loud.

not the best of times to be getting on a plane and headed back for a little while while the cat decision and the plumbing problems are up in the air, but timing is everything and i am going.


Today's run - got up with a heart rate of 49- high and on the edge of staying in, but at worst i figured i could walk and i needed the air. out the door in 37 degrees and heavy wind in my face. clear and crisp though, good football weather minus the wind. so i headed up the lane and over through port meadow which is still half under water and the seagulls and ducks are swimming in what they must think is a pond.

cut across the field as no horses or cows were out and headed up to burgess nature park, the perfect place for tired legs. just a really neat little park with many soft grass and dirt trails and pretty views. saw a few other runners and the occasional dog walker so people are finding out about this place. the daffodils were everywhere and the trees and vines were just starting to bud out and color up. nature thinks spring is coming, but it is still 37 degrees and spring is still a bit away. remind myself to check on whether we change the clocks here in the UK this weekend.

decided to try every trail i had not been down before as well as some i knew. this can be a rolling run when you do that. at about 6 miles i stopped to stretch a moment and could feel the quads not liking life. i was going even slower than normal just to enjoy it as much as possible. noticed the gate trail out the back fence to wolvercote was totally cut off by 15 feet of water; good thing today wasn't the day i decided to cut through the park on my way to the village.

about 7 miles into the run i headed back down and cut over the first bridge towards st margaret's road and then picked up the oxford canal there. ran down the canal about 1.5 miles and then cut over the bridge towards the railway station, but cut back and skipped my normal little circuit there and headed over to pigeon trail and onto the thames trail.

pigeon trail is a very short section where you run under the the train bridge and where the pigeons like to hang out. you have to duck a but if you are my height and it passes quickly and is a good shortcut back to the thames trail without having to run on the botley rd sidewalk. now pass the swans and down the channel and headed home. warming up fast and the wind is gone. the next few days will be like this one, clear and cold. about 9 miles in total and not bad on tired legs. will pay for it tomorrow, but the plan was to skip the days around the travel anyway.

the washer has stopped, the clothes are hung and the cats are fed -the house is like a laundromat with out a dryer. still no plumber and i will make one more annoying call-nicely i add- before i head out.

added note-today's local paper says this county has the worse postal system in the entire county and is in the bottom 10 in the entire country. any wonder how mail is screwed up. and all they say to me is "check the states-they must have your mail". still 4 boxes missing. oh well---

it is a great day to be alive. sometimes you just have to appreciate that alone. i know that for every runner who loves being outdoors and exploring there are those who like routine and run the same route everyday. that has never been me.

looking forward to looking for eagles on the mt vernon trail -