Nice weather for ducks (and geese and swans)

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Because I am hardcore, I went out for a run in the rain this morning. Not as hardcore as Warrior Woman though who this morning has cycled 7 miles in the rain to then go and do a 5 mile race in the rain. And not only that but it’s a 9am start, eek! I have carefully chosen my next races (Marrow Fun Run 8k and London Heathside 5) to be ones that don’t start ’til 11am. Far more civilised. Am I hardcore enough to do them in the rain though? Hmm.

I thought there might be a bit of snow left over the marshes today so I took my camera but there was no snow. Only rain. Although I did see this snowthing when I got round the corner just as I was heading out. I call it a snowthing because, let’s face it, it’s not very good is it? But when I got home and uploaded my pics, I thought maybe it was a snowswan but then I saw the carrot on the pavement so maybe it had originally started as an attempt at a snowman? Or maybe a snowswan with a carrot like beak?

Not many people out today, obviously all lightweights put off by a bit of rain. I passed the woman I see out running now and again and we smiled at each other in a yes we’re quite stupid aren’t we, running in the rain kind of way. Although she was slightly less stupid than me as she did have a waterproof jacket on. I think I should get one but obviously it will have to wait until payday when I’m off my no spending this month thing which isn’t actually March like I said in my previous post, but after 24 Feb which is payday. I didn’t realise I spent quite so much on unnecessary crap but I seem to be about £400 better off so far. Oops, maybe I should leave my money at home more often. But I do need a new pair of running shoes because I’ve had mine about a year now and although they haven’t done anywhere near the recommended change after 500 miles thing, they have been worn at the gym for the last six months. And running shoes aren’t unnecessary crap. But then again, neither are books and clothes. People have to read and wear clothes, don’t they?

Next week’s training is going to be a bit buggered due to going out twice next week and spending unnecessary amounts of money on drinking unnecessary amounts of alcohol. Tuesday’s run should survive but then Wednesday and Friday me and Tracey are going out on the piss for a couple of drinks, so I can probably write off Thursday’s and Saturday’s runs. Oh dear.

Ooh, I seem to have forgotten the other pics, here they are. Here’s a soggy goose.

And I just about managed to get this pic of a flying swan.

B&Q compensation update:
B&Q have proved once again just how incredibly incompetent they are by sending me an identical letter to the one I received the other day offering me compensation. The only difference is the date and the name of the person sending it. I am really tempted to send them a letter saying “Dear [name of new person], thank you for your letter dated 7 February which is identical to the one [name of first person] sent me dated 5 February” but I’m not going to.

Idiots.

V. funny though.

Stats:
Miles: 4.16
Total time: 47:21
Average pace: 11:22 minute/mile
Total calories: 414
Weather: pissing down
Soggy geese: 2
Flying swans: 2
Identical letters from B&Q: 2
Music:
The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry
The Cure – Let’s Go To Bed
The Cure – The Forest
Cardiacs – The Safety Bowl
Basement Jaxx – Romeo

Cold turkey

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I know why I got the lurgy this week, it was cold turkey brought on by my no shopping for non-essentials in February thing. 

Although last weekend I forgot and bought a DVD on eBay but if I don’t watch it ’til March, then that’s ok I think. 

And I can’t even remember why I was on eBay looking at things that I can’t buy due to me being on a no shopping for non-essentials in February thing and I really don’t know why I’ve been perusing amazon but I now have a nicely restocked wishlist waiting for my debit card’s reappearance on 1 March.

Also on my is it 1 March yet list is a stripy top I’ve been eyeing up in the window of Oasis that caught my eye on the way to work a couple of days ago and this morning I thought to myself, hmm, I might pop in on my way to work on Monday and get it if it’s still there, and it was only 1.5 miles later when I got near work that I remembered that damn, I can’t spend anything this month and I’m not sure a new stripy top is an essential, even if it would go really well with my skinny jeans.  But it’s not likely that they’ll still be selling it in two weeks though, is it?  Aarrgh.

And surely the hairdressers is an essential isn’t it?  Although I hate going to the hairdressers but at the mo, my hair’s a bit of a stringy mess so needs a chop, plus I want to dye it and it’ll be quicker to dye it if it’s shorter but I’m a bit scared to dye it in my new bathroom as I make a load of  mess and usually get hair dye all over the floor and the walls and the blind.  I haven’t yet got any on the ceiling but there’s always a first time I suppose, especially considering I got bits of tomato stuck to the kitchen ceiling once.  (The bits of tomato are still stuck to the ceiling, what with it involving getting up on a chair to unstick them.)

And I need gloves for the gym, as the rowing machine gives me blisters.  That must be an essential, right? 

And I want to get my carpets cleaned, now that those tossers from B&Q have stopped stomping up and down the stairs.

I had a cunning plan today though and in an attempt to stop me going home via the offy and buying wine and chocolate I left my wallet at home and only brought out £2 so I could buy some soya milk and after I’d bought my soya milk, I had £1.20 left and spent 15 minutes wandering around Holland & Barrett trying to decide what to spend the remaining £1.20 on. 

I am in complete agreement with anyone who’s reading this and thinking “WTF?  Wine and chocolate is of course an essential!” but I spent all last weekend hungover and didn’t get to the gym or out for a run and due to having the lurgy haven’t done anything this week either, so this weekend I want to redeem myself.  And now that I’m feeling better, I’m going to the gym tonight and may even go on the treadmill and try not to fall off.

I’ve got the lurgy

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I haven’t ran this week due to being stricken down by a lurgy.  Undoubtedly not helped by getting rat-arsed last Thursday after a month of abstinence.  Oh, and then getting rat-arsed again on Saturday.  And I’m sorry if I spelt lurgy wrong.

B&Q compensation update
I got a letter from B&Q today offering me £406.17; £200 of which is compensation, the rest out of pocket expenses (excluding the kitchen floor as I haven’t given them quotes for that yet) which means that they’re offering me a paltry £200 in compensation for all the hassle they gave me.  And the cheeky bastards go on to say that it’s a gesture of goodwill but their goodwill will only extend to 14 days and if I don’t accept it by then they’ll take back their gesture of goodwill and if I do accept it then it is acknowledgment that it is in full and final settlement of any claim arising.  They must think I’m just going to overlook the fact that not only are they incompetent but that they are also criminals who forge signatures.  And I have the original completion notice that they left for me, here in front of me which, funnily enough, isn’t signed.

Still, that’s a first offer, it can only get better can’t it?

B&Q forgery update

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Nicola from the B&Q ISC calls at 10:45 and leaves a message to say that the investigation is still ongoing and there are two possible actions that they might take.  If it is confirmed that the fitters did forge my signature, then the likely outcome is that they will be sacked by B&Q.  If they can’t confirm that the signature is forged then no action will be taken.  She says she will update me by the end of the week.

They should have been sacked anyway, the incompetent fools.

A lie-in

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After drinking on Thursday night for the first time in a month, I’m still not quite recovered and didn’t get up ’til lunchtime so no running for me today. Oops. I did dream I was in a race though so maybe that counts as training? I will have to run tomorrow as I have two races at the end of the month and need to do some training but I’m going out for a meal with Lorraine tonight and will try not to drink although we are going out in Leytonstone which is the home of the alcoholic and where everyone drinks until they die of alcohol abuse. And Lorraine did have cirrhosis of the liver a few years ago but that didn’t get her and now she has lung cancer and only a one in ten chance of living for another year so she guilt tripped me on the phone and said you have to come out, I might only have a few months left and I’d like to see you before it’s too late. I’ve known Lorraine for 20 years, it’ll be really weird when she’s not around anymore.

Best intentions

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I had planned to go for a four mile run after work tonight in an attempt to exercise some damage limitation in anticipation of Thursday’s alcohol and pizza sesh but I went the wrong way and didn’t want to improvise and all I’d run was a small one mile loop that went back to my house but instead of going back inside and getting my dinner which is obviously what my feet wanted to do which is why they took me the wrong way I continued and did 3 miles. Ish. Near enough anyway. It wasn’t a very speedy run as there were too many people out and about and being inconsiderate enough to be on their way home from work and getting in my way. I am going to have to stop swearing at people under my breath as one day I’m going to get a slap.

But I am still fuming about the B&Q fitters and I rang the ISC today and spoke to Nicola and said I’ve got a completion notice from your fitters but I didn’t sign it, they forged my signature. She said she’d have to speak to the installation manager because she didn’t know how to deal with it and that’s quite serious. I said it’s criminal. She rang me back and said that the senior management team are going to have an internal investigation but they don’t want to influence me in any action I might want to take and she’ll update me within 5 working days.

I had hoped those fitters had fucked off out of my life a couple of weeks ago. Bastards.

Stats:
Miles: 2.85
Total time: 32:35
Average pace: 11:25 minute/mile
Total calories: 250
Weather: not too cold
Fitters forging completion notices: 1
Music:
Mark Ronson – Ooh Wee
Depeche Mode – See You
Young Knives – Weekends And Bleak Days
Cardiacs – To Go Off And Things

Just when you thought it was all over

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I posted my letter of complaint today to B&Q but I should have waited as the fitters have excelled themselves and committed forgery now.

I got home tonight and they’ve sent me a customer copy of a completion notice.  I didn’t realise at first it was a customer copy and thought they’d sent me it to sign and just laughed and thought if you think I’m signing anything for you tossers you can kiss my arse but then I noticed “my” signature on it.  WHAT THE FUCK?!!!  Those wankers have forged my signature and I know this because (a) I didn’t sign a completion notice and had no intention of signing anything, even when they had completed the job; (b) it is dated 29 November which is when the flooring was started but not finished as I didn’t have enough flooring so why the fuck would I have signed a completion notice for an incomplete job; (c) there is an “X” next to a box that says print name and I am not so stupid that I can’t follow a simple instruction like print my name; and (d) I wouldn’t put anything past them.

Looks like it’s back on the phone to my mate Alan tomorrow then.  As far as I’m aware forgery is a criminal matter and like fuck are they getting away with it.

I’m so annoyed I think I’m going to burst.

Chips & churches

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I took my self-fixing camera out with me this morning on the way to the gym and on the way back decided to take pics of the churches that I pass.  But the pics are a bit crap so I’m not going to bother posting them but after I took a pic of the Lighthouse church a woman who was outside it asked me if I liked their church.  And instead of saying it’s a good name for a chip shop, I said yes, it’s very nice.  I should have said but it’s not your church though, I’m half Methodist, so it’s half my church too.  Although I have absolutely no idea what being a Methodist involves but I think you’re not supposed to drink but as my dad didn’t take any notice of that bit what with him being an alcoholic and that, I reckon I can be let off too.  I’m not sure if being Methodist means you’re supposed to go to church though because my dad didn’t do that bit either.  I don’t think he took being a Methodist very seriously.

And while I was in the gym not being a Methodist, there was a couple holding hands.  Why would you hold hands in the gym?  Did she think he was going to go off with one of the gym bunnies there?  I didn’t see where they went which was a shame because I wanted to see if they were going to get on adjoining treadmills and still hold hands.

I finished my letter of complaint to B&Q yesterday, yah!  Everyone cross their fingers that I get a reasonable amount of compensation.

Stats:
Miles: 4.09
Total time: 49:54
Average pace: 12:11 minute/mile
Total calories: 383
Weather: cold
Churches named after chip shops: 1
Couples in the gym holding hands : 1
Music:
Bobby Conn – When The Money’s Gone
Bobby Conn – King For A Day
Cardiacs – Gina Lollabridgida
Teardrop Explodes – Sunspots
Lily Allen – Alfie
Wasted Youth – Jealousy
Wasted Youth – I Wish I Was A Girl
Young Knives – She’s Attracted To
Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds

National running day

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It must be National Running Day because there were a lot of people out running.  Most of them going in the opposite direction to me.  I must be so unfashionable I don’t even know which way to run.  There was another man obviously v. unfashionable too as he came running past me and I turned round as I heard him approaching and I obviously looked like I thought he was going to mug me and so he gave me a big smile and a big cheery “morning” so then I decided that he wasn’t going to mug me after all.  But in fact, I hadn’t thought he was going to mug me anyway.  At least I’d looked the right way when he was behind me, unlike the cyclist who overtook me on my right, as I looked to my left to see who was coming up behind me.  Duh.

And good news, my camera has fixed itself, yah!!  I didn’t take it out today though as I did the same route as I did when it broke so here are the pics from then.

There weren’t many people out on the river today, the other week there were loads, here’s a couple of canoeists.

And some swans and ducks.

And a squirrel.

And another picture of the squirrel, because you can’t have too many pictures of squirrels.  Or penguins but I didn’t see any penguins.  Or cows but the cows are gone.  Grr.

And there’s a pub in the marshes, cool!  Although my Saturday run is too early to go to the pub.  Not that I remember what drinking’s  like.  How many days ’til February?

And here’s a wreath.  Probably someone got into a fight after drinking in the pub.  Maybe I won’t go to that pub after all.

And back out onto the street and continuing on the pub run theme.  This pub does a v. nice veggie lasagne.  Yum.

And here’s where I got v. drunk on New Years Eve where my camera first sort of broke but then unbroke itself and then as I was taking this pic, in a spooky coincidence kind of way, broke again.

Stats:
Miles: 4.53
Total time: 49:31
Average pace: 10:55 minute/mile
Total calories: 391
Weather: 50F
Cameras fixing themselves: 1
Shopping days left in January: 5
Days without pizza and alcohol: 24
Music:
Bobby Conn – When The Money’s Gone
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Puppy Dog Snails
Teardrop Explodes – Reward
Depeche Mode – See You
Lily Allen – Smile
Peter Bjorn and John – Amsterdam

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