Swan slapping
I had the day off work today and had lots of plans of things to do but as I didn’t get up ’til lunchtime didn’t do any of them but as it was a nice sunny day, thought I’d go for a run up the river so I put on my personal alarm and my new wireless headphones which make me look like a right berk and off I went.
As usual there were loads of daisies and dandelions and I was looking and looking and looking for something to take a picture of other than a daisy or a dandelion and eventually saw these purple things.
Then just before I got to the marina, there was this sign. What does it mean? Please don’t happy slap the swans? Damn, always someone trying to ruin my fun.
I promise I didn’t try and slap any of these swans.
Or this heron. It is a heron isn’t it?
And as there’s been an email from the Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running 2007 sitting in my inbox for a few weeks staring at me with an accusatory glare in the way that emails do saying that entries are now open which I thought I’d ignore until payday but then they sent me another email saying oi you said you were entering the half marathon so stop clicking on the link and looking at it, get your card out and just do it, so I emailed Gary and said are you still coming to Nottingham with me for the half marathon and he said yes, my exams will be finished by then and I’ll be free, yippee, so I said oh, I’d better put my entry in then, eek. And so I came home and clicked on the link again in the email that keeps staring at me and put my entry in while checking, double-checking, triple-checking and quadruple-checking that I’ve ticked the box that says half-marathon, not full marathon, and I order a t-shirt too and then it says congratulations you are in the Experian Robin Hood Festival of Running 2007. Eek.
Today’s route
Stats:
Miles: 4.25
Total time: 47:15
Average pace: 11:07
Total calories: 413
Swans getting a slap: 0
Herons: 1
Half marathons entered: 1
Music:
Catatonia – Road Rage
Primal Scream – Pills
Sultans of Ping – Indeed You Are
Belle and Sebastian – Sukie In The Graveyard
The Young Knives – John
Lush – Ladykillers
The Cult – Breathe
Black Wire – 800 Million Heart Beats
Patrick Wolf – Landsend
Citizen Fish – Heard It All Before
Foo Fighters – February Stars
Good luck with the Half Marathon training. That Swan sign is great 🙂 they should have the same sign for joggers.
Training? Shit, never thought of that 😉
Man I love slapping swans – kill joys, I’ll have to go back to rubbing badgers.
Great news that you are coming up for the notts run. Preston will be on the start line as well, and also Jamie – the freak that got me into this running thing (but he is way to fast for me to keep up with, he does it in around 1.25)
Looking forward to running with ya.
Ooh ooh ooh, I’m going to meet Preston! Yay!
Oh, and I get to meet you too 🙂
Whereabouts should I get a hotel?
I think your plant is borage, its good with gin apparently.
I wondered if there was anyone who would slap a swan. I mean they know how to defend themselves
I don’t like gin, the borage would probably taste better. But is it a heron? I was counting on you to either say yes, it’s a heron, or tell me my birdy knowledge is still bobbins.
It was the heron I was worried about. That was one mean, moody looking birdy. Especially when it started flapping its wings. Yikes.
oh i have so many days when i make plans and never see them through…ah that’s life!
I can’t wait to go to London…there is so much shit to be done before i go though and i have no idea where i’m going to be living when i get there i guess i’ll figure that out when i get there LOL
Glad I’m the 2nd person you want to meet 😉
I’ll get a list of hotels for you – there’s some new ones about 5 minutes walk away from the start line…
Thanks Joggerblogger 🙂
Hi 🙂 here’s some hotels – the first is a short walk from the start line (but to be truthful it’s not far from any of them and they are all near the train station.
My fav out of them is the Lace Market hotel – It’s very nice, and in an ace location.
Hope the list helps… I’m off for a run.
Nottingham City Centre (London Road) Premier Travel Inn
Nottingham
GBP 39.00 / night
Lace Market Hotel
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
GBP 69.00 /
Comfort Inn
George Street
Nottingham City Centre, Nottingham, NG1 3BE
0115 947 5641
Express By Holiday InnAddress:
7 Chapel Quarter
Nottingham, NG1 6JS
0115 941 9931
Thanks, much appreciated, think I’ll go for the cheapest 🙂
I’ve just come back from a run 😉
I’ve never slapped any swans over here in the states, but I have kicked a few dogs:)
Good luck in the half marathon.
It is what I call a Heron but that is not to say it couldn’t be a Stork. I check for babies in the beak and if I don’t spot one I reckon that makes it a Heron.