A mother's job

Saturday 17^th March

Distance: 7.16mile
Time: 1:31:54min

Avg Speed: 4.68mph                         

Avg Pace: approx. 12:49min/mile
Calories Burned: 970

Well a top o’ the morning to you and a Happy St Patricks Day to you all, the true Irish and all the Irish wannabes who use St Pats Day as an excuse for a party.

I was a little late up today as I did not sleep well last night; it was after 2.30am before I saw any shut eye. So I did not actually wake naturally and was woken by the dulcet tones of Kirsty M^cColl singing ‘A new England’ Now there was a great singer sadly lost to the world too soon. Yet wake me she did even though the radio was barely audible I heard enough to summon me from my slumber.

I was out on the road by 7am, I would have preferred to have started at 6.45am but that was not to be today. It was a dull but not cold morning with intermittent sun and the ever present threat of rain. I had decided that I would push on along my usual Saturday path but aim to go another half mile further thus adding a mile overall to my jaunt. Trotting along now with my ipod set to my inspirational, encouragement tracks I was sorted.

I very comfortably reached my mile marker although not quite under the 11 minutes yet! I found that I got to all my usual reference points with relative ease, I must be getting better? I ran out beyond the Lawnswood Arms and past the third national speed limit sign until the tracker app clocked 3.5 miles. I took a short rest and then set off on my way home. At this point the rain started and to quote Peter Kay (for my non British readers he is a well-known British comedian) ‘it’s that fine rain that soaks you’ and although at this point the rain was not too heavy 10 minutes later it was and I was given the opportunity to test the waterproof ability of my www.upandrunning.co.uk hi-viz jacket- it was.

My route home takes me via the cemetery and as, as has now become my routine I popped along to visit my family plot. As tomorrow in the UK is Mothering Sunday I was glad of the opportunity to call and say hello to mum. I lost my mum 11 years ago and I know, was she still here she would be leading the charge to support me. Being proud of your offspring is a trait mothers exceed at and my mum was no different. She was annoyingly proud of me and sometimes and I would get embarrassed by her but I would gladly trade an ounce of that embarrassment to see her once more and be able to tell her ‘I love you’. As a mum myself, I also ensure my ‘son and heir’ feels the full weight of my motherly pride, it is in the job description for all mothers…. brim with pride at anything your offspring does, no matter how trivial. It goes along with love unconditionally and embarrass at each and every given opportunity as the three mainstay rules of the ‘Good Mothers Guide.’ My ‘son and heir’ played his trump card today as I answered the door bell to a delivery of a beautiful bouquet of flowers; he knows how to please his old mum. He also knows not to send me pink flowers as they are just so twee. I much prefer bright vibrant colours and knowing my liking he has chosen lilies with bright yellows, reds, orange and purples.

I am enclosing a few photos for your perusal today of the flowers from my ‘son and heir’ and a couple of shots of the spring blossom I saw this morning, which is now springing up everywhere on the trees in Headingley. Don’t you just love it when spring gets its act in gear and suddenly all of nature remembers how to show off and wake up?

 

If you want to read about the MDC its work, outreach, campaigns and research just log on to www.muscular-dystophy.org  and see why I am doing this. If you feel you want to support me then please log onto my just giving account and make a donation www.justgiving.com/Team-LewisMDC. A huge thanks you to all of you who have donated already.



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