Spoilt

We received a lovely Easter/Birthday/Anniversary parcel from the Strange's yesterday, packed with loads of lovely New Zealand goodies.  I love the Perky the Pukeko story books and toy pukeko which will go down a treat with the boys at school.  But best of all are the marshmallow eggs which you can't get over here.  Thanks so much Fran & Michael!

Another Attempt

Inspired by a recent TV programme about bread, Tim has been busy in the kitchen this weekend.  This one is a mozarella and olive pull-apart loaf and is looking and smelling delicious, can't wait to try it!

A Girly Afternoon

Saturday afternoon was spent coordinating Milli's baby shower, with her and Dave's baby due in just over a month's time.  So it was an afternoon of food, drinks, games and gifts for the mum-to-be.  And no, I'm not getting clucky, I just love all that cutesy teeny weeny baby stuff!!!

Belsize Batch #3

Who knew that one batch of home brew could be so inconsistent?  You just never know what you're going to get with this from one bottle to the next.  The labels are very cool though, thanks Pam!

Signs of Spring

We are really appreciating the signs of spring after such a bitterly cold winter.  Mr Haslam, our porter/gardener, has planted daffodils everywhere and they are so pretty I just had to share them with you!

Hilly Hastings

Same outfits, different day!  We decided to make the most of our lovely African outfits and wear them again in Hastings.  Standing out from the crowd really helps, we had so many supporters telling us how much they loved our gear!

Coming up to the finish line, the last mile seemed to go forever!

My fabulous medal, though it weighs a ton!

Estelle and I completed our second half marathon of the month on Sunday, travelling to Hastings just to enjoy the mountainous terrain on offer.  Climbing 500 feet into the hills above the town it was certainly a challenge, so I was thrilled to come in at 2 hours 4 minutes, shaving 7 minutes off my Paris time, especially as that was a completely flat course.  Now just have to finish in under 2 hours on the next one!

In His Element

Tim's new career is turning him into quite the train spotter.  He spent much of the two hour journey to Hastings checking out the track and explaining the ins and outs of the lines to me, riveting stuff!

A Friday Afternoon Treat

There is a cute little French style crepe cart that I walk past everyday, but have always resisted the temptation for. This Hampstead institution is usually so popular the queue stretches well down the street.  So when Tim met me after school today we decided to give it a go.  Nothing improves a drizzly grey afternoon more than a tasty ham and cheese crepe.

Happy St Patrick's Day

Bitten

Estelle and I have signed up for our second half marathon this month, not sure if we're mad or it's the effects of the running bug.  This one is in Hastings and is apparently quite hilly, so we won't be looking to improve our time in Paris, but should be a challenge and a good excuse for a weekend out of London.

Guess where we're going for the April holidays?!

We'll be away for 11 nights - all we've done so far is book our flights, so any ideas or tips would be very welcome!

One of the Hazards

Went out for a run this afternoon, all was going well in the spring sunshine until I was crossing a bridge over the canal and tripped up, doing a total face-plant.  What was worse was that no one came to see if I was okay, apart from the nice Subway man who gave me some serviettes to clean up the blood!

La Dolce Vita

We spent the day experiencing all things Italian at the Italy in Islington festival, which we managed to get free tickets to.  Would have been great if it weren't for all the other people taking advantage of the free food and wine samples and getting in our way!

Vinopolis

We had lots of fun at Vinopolis last night, a wine tasting experience on the South Bank. Even better was when we discovered a whole lot of free drink vouchers that someone else had left behind!

Celebrations

We felt like celebrities at school today, with our medals being re-presented to us by the head at assembly this morning! Only a little sore upon getting out of bed, the loss of my voice is far worse!

Allez! Allez!

Yay we did it! We wore animal print outfits to raise funds for a school in Tanzania that Estelle helped build in the summer. The bright colours attracted lots of attention, with lots of encouragement being yelled in French!

At Long Last

The week before I was due to run in Paris, we had our fingers and toes crossed that Tim's passport with his new visa would arrive from the Home Office. When Thursday, the day he was due to catch the Eurostar, came and went, we pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that I would be going alone. However the elusive passport arrived Saturday morning (how typical) so he jumped on the next available train and suprised me the night before the race!

Let's do it!

Taking some time out for silly photos on our way to pick up our race numbers.

Well Looked After

 

Tim has been making sure I eat well this week, feeding me up with delicious meals such as this one: baked potatoes, stuffed lamb and beetroot salad. Yum!