Think of me

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Do you ever think of me when you cross the street, the rain pouring down on you

Trying to wash away all your guilt?

Do you ever think of me when you feel so low that you want to hang your head

Hang your head because you realise you lost all hope?

Do you ever think of me when all of a sudden a gust of wind carries a sweet scent to you which reminds you of old times

Carefree times?

Do you ever think of me when you rush from one corner of the world to the other though all you really want to do is just stand still?

Do you ever think of me while searching for the right words though they are right at the tip of your tounge?

Do you ever think of me in the middle of the night

Wide awake?

I think you do

All the time

Hot Toddy

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Screw Day and Night Nurse, doesn’t matter wether it is the liquid form or tablets, my new remedy when it comes to the first symptoms of a cold or flu is a good old Hot Toddy!

Recently I was googling remedies when I woke up with a scratchy throat, stinging eyes and slightly blocked nose, not to mention the throbbing head.

And I knew what is to come. Every, yes every single time when it starts like that, I know I will suffer from a very bad sinus infection which lasts me weeks and sometimes even ends with antibiotics as it gets so bad, all I want is to bang my head against the wall before someone who is compassionate enough comes round to shoot me! Yes, THAT bad!

So when those little nasty bactarials started to nest inside me, I thought

No, not again! I can’t afford to fall sick when I just started a new job. I need this job, I need the money.

So I came across the Hot Toddy recipe:

  • Hot water
  • Freshly pressed lemon juice
  • Honey (Since I am a vegan, I use Mable syrup to sweeten up)
  • And the best: WHISKY

I am a big fan of whisky….. oh I sound like a drunk, but no, ladies and gentlemen, I can count the drinks I have per year on one hand!

So I brewed my concoction and it was oh so tasty! And the next day I already felt a bit better. I had two more drinks over the next two days and viola, I was as good as new!

Yesterday my husband was still in his bathrobe when I got back from work, feeling sick, so I suggested to brew him one as well.

When it comes to food or drinks he doesn’t like he is like a cat you try to bath. Really hard work but in the end he gulped it down (he doesn’t like whisky at all) and had one more later in the evening and again, he felt much better today!

Hot Toddy, you are my new best medicine friend.

What better excuse to have whisky?!

Franky

Cycling

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The last time I daily cycled was when I was around 18 and needed to get to the train which would send me on my way to work.

Fast forward many many years and I am back on my bike.

The first few times my behind was so sore, I could barely sit on the saddle!

Ouch, ouch, ouch, I really had to grit my teeth.

But after two weeks, my bum does not hurt anymore.

Who cares that I sound like a rusty lock, trying to make my way over hills to work very early in the morning?!

I actually enjoy the 3 miles to and back from work…. as long as it is dry, of course.

But it’s all for a good cause:

I get to exercise, I improve my cardio and surely my legs will look nicer, my little cellulite might shrink a bit too… if not I might have to threaten it…. might work, but high likely not.

Franky

No Summer Blues

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As I mentioned in a post before, I hoped I would not suffer the summer blues again.

After we moved to Scotland and the children spend four weeks in Germany, hubby and me made the best of our time together.

We went out a lot. We went running, checking out the area, went biking, for walks, visiting places and even did weights despite the heat and yes, we actually had heat here in Scotland!

One day here in Perthshire we had 32C in the sun!

Even today we still had 18C and when you live here and you are used to the weather, even 18C can feel like 30C in Spain!

So yes, for a long long time ever, I did not have the summer blues and enjoyed myself.

Franky

Finally in Scotland

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I, or better we, my family and myself, finally made it to Scotland.

But we did not get to buy our own house just yet. Our house buy fell through, but I was more than happy about it.

It just wasn’t the house. The house itself was nice, but we all know that “nice” is “shits” little sister. Also I did not like the location one bit.

However….

Within less than a week from when we knew we won’t buy said “nice” house, we had to find a place to rent.

We have been to Scotland to view houses a couple of times though we couldn’t really afford it and every time  a lender/ property broker heard we are currently not working we did not get the letting, despite the fact that we offered to pay rent a year upfront!

So deary, imagine the following:

You have to find somewhere to live within a week, because the army wants you to vacate the army quarter, sort out removals, sort out schools for the children and find a new job.

So in the end we where kind of desperate and when I phoned up the last letting I found, I just lied! And I did it without turning into a overripe tomato!

I said we are employed and are happy to pay 6 month upfront rent!

So now we are living in a cottage that is so small, you can’t even fit a tumble dryer in and some of our things are stored away.

You might think, I am Rockefeller. Oh I wish I was.

In the end my husband and me found good paid jobs and am about to apply for a mortgage again.

13 years ago I visited Scotland for the very first time and now I get to live here, finally!

And with a little bit of luck, we get our own house by the end of the year. It would be so nice to celebrate Christmas in our house…..

So I keep on hoping, keep on fighting for the good and better things in life.

After all we all deserve the best, do we not?!

Franky

Doppelganger

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via Daily Prompt: Doppelgänger

When I was a teenager of around 14, I was marching with a lot of other pupils down the road because it was the yearly German “schuetzenfest” which is a traditional festival/fair featuring a target shooting competition.

Of course the local newspaper was around as well to get some nice pictures from the parade.

When the latest newspaper was out my mother all proud pointed me out, only that it wasn’t me!

I was not marching at the front of the parade and the jacket was different from mine and I didn’t own those shoes he/she has worn either, but this boy or girl (back then my hair was short), looked exactly like me! The haircut, the face, weight, exactly like me. I had to look twice, but no, not me!

How odd is that?

You always hear that somewhere in the world you have a doppelganger and I see mine… on a picture…in the newspaper… walking down the same street at the same day, at the same time, only a couple of 100 meters away.

Unfortunately that was the first and last time I have seen him or her.

Franky

This year no (running) summer blues!

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Every year I get the summer blues like many get the winter blues.

Yes, really! The warmer it gets, the fouler my mood! It is the heat. It makes me lazy and lethargic.

But since I started running again, I am determined not to get run over by this reoccurring little devil.

Oh no!

I didn’t do any running for over a year and I didn’t miss it. I thought maybe I lost my mojo, but when I got out, running in Swaledale with hubby, I really got in the mood.

Sure, my overall condition was far from good and I was yapping for air, but I felt good!

To see how good and if my knee would hold up, husband and me ran every second day and to push it even further it was always a hill run and my knee was surprisingly fine!

The other day we ran part of the DT20 race route but kept it to a 10 miler. Climbing up Fremington Edge is really tough but the more often you do it, the easier it gets.

I know I could run a half marathon, but I just need to get back to my old form. The longer the run, the more relaxed I get.

And there is nothing nicer than the feeling when you have archived a marathon or even ultra marathon.

So my aim for now is to keep on doing hill training in the Dales up until we move house and next year I want to do the Isle of Arran ultra which this nice fella wrote about:

Ultraboy runs.

I am sure that’s how he calls himself, but I just couldn’t find him though I always followed his posts.

Anyway:

That is the race I want to run next year! So fingers crossed to keep up the good running spirits!

Franky