Cows on my running track

I've found it quite hard to get back into running after my holiday. I have to admit I came back a bit battered and achey after climbing mountains and fording streams so gave in to the pain. A session of physio helped enormously and I would recommend my local friendly physio Di at Fizziofit to anyone. Anyway, my resolve just crumbled when I found cows on my running track. They seem friendly enough, but you just can't be sure........especially when you're not in the mood for running anyway. I know I could just run somewhere else, but I like that my track is exactly 1k long so can easily measure how far I've run, and I know that the hill isn't really that steep and long so will soon be going back down again on the next lap. Also, it means that I can listen to a story on my ipod and be distracted from thinking about the actual running and how nice it would be to stop doing it. I was very pleased that I managed a fairly comfortable 4 laps (4k or 2.4 miles) last week when the cows were in the far field and I only stopped then because my new running shoes had started to rub and cause a blister.

Couch to 5k and baking

You wouldn't normally expect to have baking and jogging in the same post, but that is how I've been spending my spare time, although not baking and jogging simultaneously in an 'extreme jogging' sort of way. A more accurate description of my jogging would be 'shuffling', but everyone has to start somewhere and I've been persuaded to try the NHS 'couch to 5k' podcast program with my daughter and her friends (though she said it was the 'couch potato to 5k' scheme and I believed her).   I survived week one, and that is not an exaggeration as I only managed 2 out of the 3 runs for week, and I can categorically confirm that it is not a good idea to miss any. DO THEM ALL......or be VERY sorry. This week I'm determined to do them all which meant doing a run on my own today. I went up to the barns because it was so beautifully sunny and it is such a lovely area to shuffle in. I went down one of the footpaths and then around the big field to pick up another footpath, going round 3 times in total. I then went round another time with my camera so that you can see how lovely it is, but without any of the pain and panting. Oh, and I saw a helicopter landing at Ripley International Airfield (the grassy landing strip below the barns).

The starting point

View down the fields

Looking back to the stile and the barns

Helicopter coming in to land at Ripley International Airfield

Landing safely

Hilltop Mink Farm and Barns

Back up the hill to the barns

I love the way the clouds are lit up by the sun and are set in the backdrop of a beautiful blue sky

Cherry blossom with the hope of many cherries in the summer!!!

Onto the baking. Last week I  (possibly) somewhat foolishly suggested that the kids could choose the cake for family tea. The choice for last week was white chocolate brownies, otherwise known as 'blondies'. I found a great recipe from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, which can be found here. I didn't add the cardamon pods, but everything else went in and they were pretty delicious. I also made a few cheese scones for the week, which were eaten on an impromptu picnic at the barns one evening.

This weeks cake of choice was a chocolate cake, as it happens for my birthday....and it was not made by me, but my partner in crime! It was really delicious though, and this is all that is left......