London Marathon

The London Marathon is one of the highlights on my London calendar. It is the most amazing event. A huge number of runners dress in beer bottles, ballet costumes (men mainly), pooh suits and god knows what. I have seen firemen run in full gear. As if 26 miles isn't enough, imagine the extra weight and discomfort of those suits. Stood by the 16 mile mark, I watched a lot of runners struggle immensely. Striking difference between those who were clearly enjoy it and those who are just in pain. I have no idea how much was collected for charities today, but it must have been a lot. In the picture (knicked from bbc.co.uk) you see Richard Branson, and his kids Sam and Holly. If you look well you see princess Beatrice too. They were running as an 34-or-so-person catterpillar, raising money for various charities. Big cheers from the crowd when they walked past. Just made me wonder if there is anything Mr Branson can not do when he sets his mind to it.....

Lovely day

My day off started with doing useful stuff. Catch up with the boss by phone, a run, cleaning the apartment, laundry, admin. Nothing exciting. When done, I gave Lynne a call and we agreed to meet at The Old Ship in Hammersmith to enjoy some riverfront wines in the sun. It was such a beautiful day, that we decided to take the bub and ourselves for a walk along the river to Westminster to take the tubes home. We did get all the way up to Putney, but found ourselves in a Thai resto in Shepherd's Bush with hubby and mate a few hours later. And now? Now I just want to sleep after all those hours outdoors and all that food. Zzzzzzzzz.

Long weekend

Pakistani dinner with Amsterdam friends (a very serious looking Sat in the pic on the left), running, swimming, aerobics and a music festival in Clapham Common (Loaded in the Park, with Kate Nash and loads of DJ's whose names I didn't quite get) were the highlights of this bank holiday weekend. Ah, and shopping. A gift from my nan bought me a gorgeous classic leather bag, a pair of knitted Ugg boots and Jo Malone's Wild Fig and Cassis cologne. One happy girl. Having just done 36 laps in the pool, I am quite sure the rest of my day will be spent on the couch. All relaxed and grateful for many things.

Beautiful

Sometimes I just forget how beautiful the Docklands are. On my way to and from the tube station, I like the view of the big tall buildings but that's it really. If i go for a run however, the beauty of my surroundings strikes me every time. Running along the Thames, I see the boats, the odd rower, the old City with its gherkin landmark. Running past Canary Wharf and back towards my place, there are so many ships, so many landmarks that remind of the original docklands, with the grain trade and all. The old big cranes that are no longer in use are a constant reminder of the local history. Might run to Greenwich next time, and explore another bit of this interesting part of London!

Sporty spice

Not only did I go for a run yesterday (the first one since my bike-tramrail-accident), I also joined a gym. That itself doesn't make me sporty spice, but the intention is to keep running and to use the membership, so soon I'll be all toned from the yoga, pilates, aquarobic and other classes I intend to take. Now my old gym in the Dam is just your simple local small place. Nice and friendly. The Reebok gym I joined, is the size of three football pitches. Three floors of exercise. Sauna, steamroom, up to hair straighteners in the dressing room. The place is used by all the frustrated bankers nearby during the week, and will be used by yours truly in the weekends. Bankerfree is better I think. A new and improved version of Saskia should be available in a few months.