South Kenton to Hendon

My schedule's clearly shot to pieces, but today was a beautiful day and I managed to sneak in the remaining local stage - Jubilee to Wembley Park, Metropolitan one stop to Preston Road, then jog over to South Kenton to start section 10. South Kenton to Hendon I know most of this area quite well, … Continue reading South Kenton to Hendon →

First Aid Qualification

I spent two days this week on a St John Ambulance Paediatric First Aid course. This is pretty reasonable on the simple grounds of being a parent of young children, but I also have a germ of an idea of hiring out a room at the local library on a Sunday morning sometime as a … Continue reading First Aid Qualification →

So much for careful planning…

There's been a big gap in the blog for a good reason, and it's also put a big gap in everything - I've been ill, as have the two girls. Draw up a chair while I tell you a tale. Fully dressed, in bed, still cold. Yuk. You're already up to date as of last … Continue reading So much for careful planning… →

Running Leg 2 – Section 13, 14

I retraced my steps on public transport to Stoke Newington and picked up the route again. The weather was much nicer today - no rain, cold except for when the sun revealed itself at which point it became very warm, so warm, I had to remove a layer. Fortunately, the sun only did this for … Continue reading Running Leg 2 – Section 13, 14 →

Running has Started!

We're finally up and literally running. I dropped 5YO at nursery/school and took the 83 to Hendon to start the Capital Ring at section 11. It's not a particularly auspicious start, but a clear enough signpost. I'm expecting to get a bit lost, so I'm following the signs as well as I can, plus a … Continue reading Running has Started! →

Cultural & Preening Intermezzo

With 5YO back at nursery, I had one day of transition planned before starting the next Running-centric phase. I had a double whammy of grooming lined up - Ted's Grooming Room first for a haircut and shave as two weeks on the boat had left things pretty scruffy and I thought I'd let a professional … Continue reading Cultural & Preening Intermezzo →

Rescheduling a Bit

Unfortunately my planned hitting the road for the running phase has had to be rejigged a bit as 5YO needed to go to the doctor's. Tonsilitis, it turns out (so obviously I can only imagine she got it from me - oh dear), fingers crossed her temperature will recede tomorrow as the penicillin takes effect … Continue reading Rescheduling a Bit →

Downtime in Sommieres

We were well looked after in Sommieres, and it was nice to shower with no care for hot water and use the toilet without concern of it failing to flush properly. Simple pleasures indeed! We didn't do much while staying with Aurélie's godmother, but did explore the village a bit, which is interesting for various … Continue reading Downtime in Sommieres →

Boat Hire Company Lowdown

Following our trip, here's a summary of the boats and boat companies from my subjective perspective. Le Boat has one big advantage: it has a lot of bases, so you can start one place and end another (as appealed to me with Castelnaudary to Port Cassafières). This also means you've got guaranteed free parking space … Continue reading Boat Hire Company Lowdown →

Snag List of the boat, and, well, Le Boat

It's fair to say the Mystique 03 wasn't in perfect condition. Of particular annoyance: Facia of dashboard broken - doesn't inspire confidence in the boat, does it? Power cable not properly insulated Barbecue a total lottery (got it working once, failed to get it working two later occasions) Kettle whistle doesn't, like, whistle Steering leaking … Continue reading Snag List of the boat, and, well, Le Boat →