This Sunday saw me in Bern for the Frauenlauf – the women’s running event I run in every year. As usual I went with my running buddies and their daughters – I say ‘their’ because this year neither of mine came with us – one was injured and the other preparing for a school trip to Ireland leaving the same day.

After my knee injury in the winter I’m anything but fit – so took it at a gentle pace, struggled awfully with the heat and humidity that descended suddenly once we started running and finished 5 minutes slower than last year – 58 minutes for 10km – which I was quite happy with given how unfit I still am.

We trundled off home on the train and by the time I got there I was feeling pretty rough – and spent the rest of the day and evening in bed (thereby missing the football matches on TV that I’d been looking forward to!) with the headache to end all headaches and on which no painkiller known to man seemed to have any effect. I should tell you that this happens a lot, infact it always happens after a race. I’ve talked to doctors, tried alternative cures, eaten and drunk special preparations, everything you can imagine over the years. I can definitively say that it’s nothing to do with hydration, but maybe blood pressure or my histamine intolerance play a role. Whichever way is up, it always happens and wipes me out for about a day after a race. It is utterly, utterly miserable.

On Sunday I came to the conclusion that this has to stop. It’s ridiculous to make myself ill like this. There’s no point in running in a race where I don’t push myself – infact I’m not sure that I could stop myself – but making myself ill is just stupid. I absolutely LOVE racing. It’s the only area of my life where my insane competitiveness is still to be found and I really get a kick out of it. But without a doubt, my body is saying no. Maybe my mind is stronger than my body, but I think the time has come to listen to what my body is saying to me.

So I’m stopping. After more years than I can count I’m going to call time on races. I’ll still go running in the woods, because I love that and if I don’t go too far or too fast that doesn’t seem to be a problem, but barring didly little charity races, that’s it. I’m done. Enough is enough.

I’ll be 50 next year. I guess it’s time to be sensible.

Helen

Sweetwater’s Simple Home by Lisa Burnett, Karla Eisenach and Susan Kendrick

I’ve been sitting with a cup of coffee this morning and soaking up all the treats in this lovely, lovely book. Actually, even though the projects are all fairly straightforward it’s one of the nicest quilting books I’ve looked at in a long while and the photos are fabulous. This is of course helped by the utterly gorgeous fabric that the projects have been made up in – Pure (one of my favourite lines ever), Authentic and Make Life from Sweetwater and Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille among others – all of which have the effect of making this incredible eye candy. I’ve been feeling a lot of  ‘why haven’t I ever got round to making one of those?’ All in all it’s made me feel like I’m itching to get down to some of the projects.

My favourites were the scalloped placemats, the lampshade, the work chair slipcover, tray liner and some of the bags. All of these are straightforward enough for any beginner, but even for someone whose been sewing as long as I have they would make great additions to brighten up the home.

Between you and me, I liked this much more than the Zakka book that everyone is raving about at the moment! Now I just need to stop dreaming and get down to some sewing!

Helen

Every year for about a week my local farm shop sells poppies and cornflowers – they are pretty cheap, they don’t last long, but without a doubt they are one of the things that give me the most unadulterated pleasure in my year (along with the first daffodils).

Enjoy!

Have a great Saturday,

Helen

I haven’t been knitting much for a while, what with all the FQ hoopla and all, but the Jubilee rain came home with me (so I’m living through it all again) and it’s knitting sort of weather, so I finally finished up the toe of the second Zora sock.

Zora by Regina Satta knitted in Lana Grossa Merino Print.

I rather like the cables on this one – they seem to add just the right amount of interest. Rather strangely the wool pooled on one sock and not the other, which considering it was all the same dye lot and I swear I had the same number of stitches on each foot is a bit odd, but who will notice when they’re inside my wellies?

Actually I was on a bit of a guilt trip with Zora. I made myself finish them so that I could start this….

….OK, I know it doesn’t look very inspiring at the moment, but it’s going to be fab, believe me! It’s Color Affection – you can check it out here. I had a little excursion to the John Lewis haberdashery department when I was in London and several balls of Rowan Cashsoft 4 ply fell into my shopping basket – dark grey, light grey and lime green. Yummeroonie!

And more to the point it’s perfect footie knitting, so I’m all set for the Euros starting tonight. It may well come in useful to mop up my tears when England do dismally again, as they inevitably will, probably against the Germans and probably involving me behind a cushion when they shoot penalties.

Mind you, I’d be more than happy to eat my words, but somehow I think this may be unlikely.

Helen

I’m confused. And bemused.

Just when did Will.i.am become a British icon?

Can anyone tell me why he managed to gain a coveted spot carrying the olympic torch?

Or how he came to take part in the Jubilee concert on Monday? (This was particularly odd as the man himself says he can’t sing unless there’s a lot of studio magic propping him up).

But there we had it ….alongside all those eternal British heavyweight superstars, Sir Elton, Sir Paul, Sir Cliff, Sir Tom up popped Mr. fireworks and pizzazz.

Is being a judge on The Voice enough to justify this? (And even there he was clearly all about the production side and not very strong on the singing bit). Or is there something more sinister behind all this?

Is Will.i.am on a mission to take over England? The world?

If you know, do tell. Did you find it rather strange too? Am I the only person pondering this?

Helen