Parkrun 29: 34.21. Age-graded: 45.12%

Once again, back after a very long break, which contained holidays, and long-term unwellness (headaches/dizziness/bleugh).

Anyway, I wasn't expecting very much - I'd been running at the gym three times but not at all fast. So I took off at a steady plod, and kept that up all the way to the finish. I only did the smallest amount of pushing when I got to the last km, but I didn't want to stop at any point.

Here is a pretty picture of my times, just because.

Brussels to home

We had breakfast in the hotel, which was very nice. They had smoothies on tap. I asked for a takeaway cup for my second tea. Left at 9am. It was a nice sunny day. Belgium felt deserted. We went past Ghent and into France again.

We stopped in Cora in Dunkirk for Very Important French supplies. Sadly, we couldn't find a great source of confit, but got some small and expensive tins all the same. We also stocked up on sirop and Lu cakes.

After a short drive, we got to Eurotunnel Calais at 12.24, so missed our train. We got a place on the next one though, which was fine as we weren't in a particular hurry. We plugged in to charge and got some food in the terminal - I had some soup. It was just as deserted as Folkestone had been on the way over. Really odd.

The train journey was uneventful and the trip across the UK fairly painless. We got home at 2.30.

Como to Brussels

We had a quiet breakfast downstairs. There didn't seem to be many people staying in the hotel. We checked out and packed the car.

This morning, which dawned bright, if not particularly warm, we had a little walk down to the lake to look around. It was so beautiful, even though that part of the lake was completely in shadow at that time of the morning. I decided that we definitely had to come back.

We set off, driving the long way around the western side of the lake rather than going back the way we'd come. Almost every view was beautiful. We stopped to take photos, but none of them are any good. Stopped again in Argegno, which was absolutely stunning (but didn't have any toilets). Really want to go back.

At Menaggio, we left the lake and turned west, climbing from Como, through a town, until we came upon Lake Lugano, skirting its northern edge until reaching the city of Lugano. We kept on until Monte Ceneri to charge - our old friend. As usual, we drove through the long valley for hours - the traffic was very slow before the tunnel, so we listened to an audiobook.

After the tunnel, we left the main road to find a toilet for Christian, and had a lovely detour through Swiss villages. We were in Beckenried before we knew it. We spied a supermarket on the way in, and so left the car charging, and walked to the Denner to buy a picnic lunch for the road.

Then past Lucerne, waving at Egerkingen up on the hill, then Basel (Pratteln) for a charge. Then we crossed into Germany and drove on the autobahn for a while. I wasn't even aware we were going 150.

The next stop was the Mercure at Strasbourg airport for a charge - we met some very friendly Dutch people charging their Model X. In the hotel bar, I tried to get ice cream and failed. Had to remind myself to speak French again so I could order Christian a coffee. It was the day of three languages (Italian, German, French).

Then, just for a laugh, we went into Luxembourg. It was very strange and quiet - we didn't really see any people. The architecture was quite generic, without an overarching style. There were also weird diversions on narrow dark roads that made you feel lost. Our next charge was the Legere Hotel in Luxembourg - middle of nowhere. I had to move cones aside to get the car in, and a coach was almost in the way. Christian had a coffee in the bar.

And then into Belgium, stopping at Arlon to charge. It was a very odd construction site, but a very shiny hotel, with shiny new chargers. After getting lost in the not-fully-constructed basement looking for the toilets, we got water. Then we ate the rest of picnic lunch for dinner in the car park.

We arrived at the shiny Van Der Valk Hotel late (10.45). They made us wait at the desk for ages, but eventually we were checked in, and found our shiny room, with particularly shiny bathroom. They had sushi on the room service menu. Bed and sleep.

Pozzuoli to Como

We had an early breakfast, packed the car and left the hotel at about 8am, having said goodbye to the divers who were up and about.

The traffic through Naples was pretty horrible, but we made it out of town without incident.

Our first charge and coffee was at Albergo Ristorante, not far from the A1. It had a strange dirt car park across the road, which is where the supercharger was. Before we sat down for coffee, we had a wander. It was a lovely venue, with the outside set up for a wedding.

More A1, which was definitely sunny, and free-flowing traffic wise. Our second charge was in a beautiful spot called Frangellini, but we couldn't get lunch in the hotel because it was too early. There was a pool, an amazing view, and a cat lounging in a hammock.

Back on the road, I realised that our route would take us right past Orvieto. I joked with Pidge online about having a return visit, but dismissed it as spoiling our schedule and charging plan. As time went on, though, it seemed a shame not to, so decided in the end that we had time and charge enough to do it.

We decided to drive up into the town rather than take the funicular, and so wound our way up a reasonably good road. We arrived at about 1pm, having negotiated some scarily narrow cobbled streets in the very wide Tesla. We parked in a tiny square, and walked until we found civilisation. The Duomo loomed into view before long, and after trying a few different lunch places, settled on a pizza place a little way from the worst of the tourists. There were still opportunities for people watching, and not long after we sat down, a woman asked if she could use an adjoining table. We agreed. She was an American ex-pat, and was content to do all the talking. She let us into a few Orvieto secrets, having lived there for a number of years, and gave us some recommendations of where to go. She was certainly eccentric, but it was fun to be able to speak English to a local.

Strangely, Orvieto wasn't really how I remembered it. Though to be honest, I really only have one picture in my mind, of a sloping street with lots of jewellery shops on it. It was grey and overcast that day, and so today felt very different.

We left Orvieto soon after, now being behind schedule. We had a stop at Montepulciano services for toilets, which was built over the road. Then we had a short charge at the Arezzo Park Hotel - a strange place in the middle of nowhere, with no services.

Not long after, once the A1 had climbed into almost mountainous terrain, we were presented with an alternative 'scenic' road. Without any real thought behind it, Christian found he was taking us down it. I was a little worried that it would add too much time to the journey, but actually, it was lovely having less traffic, and it was certainly interesting disappearing into tunnels every now and then.

We had another charge and coffee at the Hotel Real Fini Baia del Re, near Modena. It was a hip hotel with office folks drinking outside. We got there around 6.15 - it was getting dark.

The A1 after this was straight, flat, busy, dark, and boring. We stopped for dinner and a charge at the Roadhouse Grill in Francolino, outside Milan - this was about 8.30. After that, it was easy driving, and thankfully a short hop. We soon left the A1, and disappeared down through tunnels into Como.

Fireworks greeted us as we drove around the lake to our destination. Even in the dark, you could see how high up the lights were, and how amazing the landscape must be.

The Hotel Centrale was a block back from the lake, in Cernobbio. We arrived at 10.15. It was a nice, old building, with wide carpets on the stairs. It wasn't particularly sound-proof though. The check-in was easy, and we went upstairs.

We had a balcony, but only a view of the hotels across the road. Shower and bed.

Relaxing on Ischia

I had an early breakfast, and left the hotel about 8.10am. I got the train to Pozzuoli from Arco Felice, and went to the ferry port, via the ancient temple site that Annie et al had told me was just there in the middle of town. They weren't wrong. I wasn't sure where to wait for my ferry, but I made sure to check all the boats there to make sure they weren't mine.

The right ferry (Benito Buono) pulled in around 9am, and we boarded with no fuss. It was a big ferry, very similar to those I travelled on in the Greek islands. It was a lovely sunny journey, with seagulls gliding just an arm's reach away from the railings.

We arrived into Ischia port a little late, and any hopes I had of getting a bus faded, especially since I couldn't even find the bus stop. I went towards what I hoped was the taxi rank, which went on for miles, and then found the bus stop - too late for me, though.

I got the first taxi on the rank, which happened to be a little tuk-tuk thing, and the driver knew exactly where I needed to go (Terme Manzi spa), and took me there without fuss. It was a fun journey, but he charged me €20 for the privilege.

I arrived at 11.15, only just in time for my appointment at 11.30. I checked in, got my robe and thongs, and had a short tour of facilities. It looked truly amazing. Then I was asked to wait in a lounge and the doctor would call me (this was apparently necessary before I had the hot mud treatment).

The doctor was nice enough, and had quite good English. He took my blood pressure and asked me some questions, before deciding that I wasn't going to keel over from the hot mud. He recommended I have a hydrotherapy bath as well - I said that sounded good.

I was shown out of the doctor's office and asked to wait again. Before long, a lovely lady called Paola showed me into a treatment room. She didn't speak English at all, but with my very sketchy Italian we managed to understand each other. I got changed into paper pants in a side room, and then Paola took me back into the main room. The mud had already been turned out onto a plastic sheet on the bed. So I had to sit down in a huge pile of hot mud. It was very, very weird.

Paola then spread it all over me, and then wrapped the plastic around me, trapping my arms. She asked yet again if I was 'bene' (I was), and left me to it. The mud was really quite warm, so during the 15 or so minutes she left me for, my face was sweaty, and needing a scratch. Couldn't do a damn thing about it. It was nice being coccooned and warm, but ever so slightly claustrophobic.

Paola unwrapped me, and had me stand next to the bed while she unceremoniously hosed me off. Then she set the hydrotherapy bath going, and led me to it, leaving me there for another ten or so minutes.

And then it was finished. Paola sent me on my way with a cheery smile, and I went back to my locker to juggle stuff. It was time for lunch, and so I went up to the roof via the slightly confusing lift that opened in different directions. It was utterly amazing up there.

I walked into the restaurant - there were only two other people there, and loads of staff, who were extremely attentive. I ordered a caesar salad, and they talked me into having a glass of prosecco too. I mean, why not? The food, drink and service were impeccable. I was in the sun before long, but didn't mind too much. I didn't order dessert, but they brought me a nice little biscuit to finish. Very impressed.

I went back downstairs to juggle again, and went back up to try the pool, which was quite cold, and there were quite a few people there too. I chose a sunlounger and settled in. It wasn't great, because I was in the shade of other umbrellas, and wasn't keen on so many other people. So I explored and found a lovely sunny part of the decking on the roof for myself. So lovely.

When I'd had enough, I went back down to try the thermal pool, which I had completely to myself, and which had amazing strong jets for neck and shoulders. I spent a good length of time in there, in line with doctor's orders. The statue at one end of the pool was a little unsettling. I kept expecting it to move.

I then tried the sauna, which again I had to myself. It seemed only right to do the proper Roman bath thing of moving to the tepidarium and then to the frigidarium (which was just a cold shower). I spent some time in the dark relaxation room, because I could, but I wasn't very comfortable there.

It was time to go, so I packed up and went to the desk to pay the bill, including lunch, and noticed that there was an extra charge on it for a hydrotherapy bath. I queried it, because I hadn't booked it. The woman went away to investigate, and it turned out that the doctor had prescribed it for me, but failed to mention that it would cost extra. Oh well. Was just a bit odd.

I had to walk quite quickly down the hill to make my 4.50pm ferry, which was very straighforward. The boat (Maria Buono) was already there, but didn't start boarding for a while. I tried to get on, but the man wouldn't accept the e-ticket on my phone, so I had to run to the ticket office half a mile away, get a printed ticket, and run back to the boat. Grrr. Anyway, it worked, and I got there in time, and I got on. This boat was busier, and there were noisy drunk Germans (happy drunk, so couldn't really complain).

While en route, I let Christian know I was on my way home. He decided to track me on Google maps, and also to take a photo of the ferry as it came into view around the headland and past the hotel. Funny man.

I got the train back to the hotel, arriving about 6.30, relaxed, and then we had our final group dinner in the hotel. They put on a very good show, and the owner brought out some of his own wine for us. They'd looked after us well.

Christian and I turned in relatively early and did the bulk of the packing. There was some late-night dive club politics in relation to an unreported incident earlier in the week, which was a bit worrying. But sleep was needed.

Herculaneum and Vesuvius

I was up and left as early as I could manage, which was 9.15. I was prepared with water and walking garb.

As I had done a number of times before, I walked to the station and took the train to Montesanto, then changed and got the metro to Garibaldi. At Garibaldi, I walked for ages inside the huge station to find the Circumvesuviana line, and attempted to buy a ticket from the woman on the desk. We somehow got into an argument because I'd seen a sign that made me think the tickets were more expensive than they really were. Anyway, I came away with the right ticket, and feeling a bit sheepish.

I waited on the platform for the train to Ercolano, with what seemed like the entire tourist population of Naples. The train arrived. It was a standard metro-style train, and was already pretty full of  commuters. Consequently, it was like a tin of sardines when everyone got on, and was a pretty unpleasant journey.

Ercolano finally appeared outside the train window, and I gratefully got off, leaving the Pompeii tourists to enjoy the rest of their journey. I bought lunch (a grilled but now cold bread/cheese/tomato affair) at a little cafe opposite the station, and packed it in my bag.

I then set off down the hill towards the ancient city of Herculaneum, following the instructions I'd read in advance. The town of Ercolano was busy but pleasant enough. Plenty of older people steadfastly going about their business in the shadow of a huge and volatile volcano.

The entrance was at town level, but the old city was lower, so the approach was on a bridge from which you could gaze down on what you were about to explore. I bought my ticket in the shiny welcome building, got a video guide (for which I had to leave a credit card as deposit), and began my journey through the surprisingly compact ruins. It was about 11.30 by now.

The tour started where the seashore used to be, with a shock. Those people who had managed to escape to the boathouses had been trapped. Each arch contained around a dozen skeletons. Then we moved on to the Villa of the Papyri, a grand residence with a large square and statue. At this point, I'd already started to get hot, and unzipped the legs of my walking trousers.

Then we were taken up into the town proper, in which it was possible to recognise a gymnasium, homes, shops, bars, blacksmiths and baths.

The main things that struck me about the ruins was how advanced the society was. The roads were grid design, with aqueducts, the houses were two-storey in many cases, with the standard layout of atrium with impluvium, tablinum, triclinium, cubiculum. Another thing was how impossible it seemed that some of the decorations and frescoes and floor mosaics had survived for so long. Some of the frescoes looked like they'd just been painted. Astounding!

I began by trying to see everything, but near the end, I pushed on. I felt like I'd made a good job of it. I left the site, ate my lunch in some shade, and walked back up to the station.

At the Vesuvius Express office near the station, I bought a return ticket which included entry to the national park, and was assured that it was not too late to make the journey. After about a 15-minute wait, I and about five others were shown to a minibus. I'd hoped that it would be a larger bus, but considering how late in the day it was (about 3pm), it made sense.

Unfortunately, our driver was a total kamikaze and the journey was really not fun. As would be expected, there were a lot of switchback corners, and it was fairly steep in places. There were very few corners that he didn't squeal the tyres on. There were at least three Brits in the back of the bus, chatting away apparently unconcerned, but everyone else stayed very quiet. It wasn't until we all got off that it transpired that we were all Brits, and none of us had enjoyed the journey.

Anyway, we were given a meeting time (4.45pm?) and I set off walking up the hill, past a check point, and then past a little shop. This approach was not steep, but it was a relentless slog, on fine gravel. At least it was quite cool by now, at this altitude.

I tried to join a guided tour of the geology, but failed to find the right person. I had very limited time, so pushed on myself. It wasn't long before I was at the crater rim.

There was only about a third of the rim that you could walk around, so I aimed to go there and back. At the point that you joined the rim, you could just see Naples through the haze, and you could clearly see Sorrento from the far end. There were plenty of fumaroles to see, which was slightly unnerving. But I'm so glad I did it - felt like a real achievement. When you're up there, the crater is so enormous that it's not even possible to fit it all in a photo.

I marched back down quite quickly, afraid I'd be left behind, but found the group with the driver nowhere to be seen. He came along before long, and we had another white-knuckle journey back down the mountain.

Back in Ercolano, I quickly got on a Circumvesuviana train back to Garibaldi (thankfully empty now), the metro to Montesanto, and the Cumana to the hotel. It had been a huge day.

I found the divers busy drinking on the balcony, having had a singalong earlier. I left them to it, and had a little walk above the road to see what was up there. There was a park, but it was closed. I took some photos and headed down, taking some more photos from the balcony. I found my own drink, but the party broke up soon after.

I had a shower, and we got ready to go out for dinner, following behind the crowd. We discovered that they had failed to find a restaurant that was open, and so we all went to White Chill Out, on the opposite side of the road to the rest of the restaurants, which looked expensive and not particularly welcoming.

The meal was good (not great), and expensive, but it did the job. We headed back to the hotel and had a fairly early night.

Day of rest

On this day, I was hoping to go out with the divers and snorkel, but the site they'd chosen for this particular day wasn't suitable. So I didn't. Kind of lucky, because I did feel like I needed a break.

So after breakfast (by now I had the egg boiler worked out), I had a lazy morning on the balcony with the ladies. We drank tea, which was brought to us by the nice man in the restaurant, while they knitted, and we chatted about pressing issues such as families and childbirth and travelling.

Around lunch time, we wandered down the road for some food (with Alan too) at Trattoria da Biagio. I had melon and prosciutto as a main and the others had risotto pescatori and spaghetti frutti di mare. It was a very nice meal. Afterwards, I walked with Annie and Sue to a cash machine, and got some ice cream. They were playing the yellow mini game, which was hilarious.

I whiled away the afternoon doing nothing in particular, and the divers came back relatively early.

Christian and I had dinner in the hotel with a small group. They brought some lovely starters to us, including dough balls and bruschetta. For mains, some had steak, but we had fish - whole with bones, but delicious.

I think we retired for some telly before bed.

Naples

Today I went up for breakfast with Christian. The ladies were keen to go into Pozzuoli, so as I was going into Naples, I offered to accompany them to Lucrino station, help them get tickets, and see them to Pozzuoli station. We were out of the hotel at around 10.15.

The walk to Lucrino was quick, but we had to cross the road to the tabacchi. After a comedy of errors with the nice man at the tabacchi, we got enough of the right tickets, and crossed the road back to the station to wait for the train.

It trundled along eventually, and we got on. They went their own way at Pozzuli, and I stayed on until Montesanto, which was now my old friend. I navigated my way to the 'scavi' that Nick and Sam had recommended, and on the way found myself on an amazing narrow street. It had books and music and jewellery stalls. I stopped to buy a brass ring.

Wandering pleasantly further down the street, which turned to nice-looking food shops, I found San Lorenzo Maggiore, which did seem like a bit of a tourist trap, but which I was determined to see.

I bought my ticket, and added an English-speaking tour for not much more, as one had just started. The tour began by looking at a model of the site. At ground level was a Franciscan monastery, which had beautiful frescoes inside the chapel and the accompanying rooms.



We then went underground, to the Roman 'Macellum', or market, of Naples, which had been covered up by a mudslide in the fifth century and since excavated. The excellent guide showed us where each shop had been, and we walked the streets that the Romans would have walked. We learned interesting things, such as the Romans using urine to wash and dye clothes.

One of the best things about it was that they could point to earlier Greek ruins underneath the Roman, which were identified both by the kind of stone used, and the construction techniques. An absolutely fascinating site.

After having finished the tour, I went upstairs to see the museum, which was more comprehensive than I'd expected. I spent about half an hour there.

I'd worked up an appetite by now, so I went back to a food shop I'd spotted earlier to get two arancini, and walk and observe while I ate. I was soon into a busy part of town, where roadworks made it difficult to make good progress.

I wandered towards the port, though the university precinct, and needed help from Mr Google to find where the boats to Capri left from. I crossed the main road, and followed the dull functional buildings to the passenger port. I wandered in with the luggaged hordes, and didn't find anything like boats to Capri.

I gave up on that, and went back out, past the cheap market stalls, and garish city tour signs. And then I found the departures for Capri in a much smaller dock beyond the passenger port. I looked at the times and prices, but by now as it grey and spotting with rain, I decided against it. Yet again I had failed to get to Capri.

I turned back towards Montesanto, winding uphill through the crooked streets into the Montecalvario neighbourhood. Where I found the Gelateria Napoli. I chatted to the nice man in there, asking to try the almost black chocolate fondant gelato. It was really intense, but I think I chose something else in the end.

It was a short walk from there to Montesanto. I got the train back to Arco Felice, and stopped in at the supermarket on the way back to the hotel, picking up some limoncello and some biscuits for the folks at work, along with some water.

We went out to Trattoria Da Rita for dinner with the whole group. Christian and I sat out under the awning at our own table. I can't remember what we had to eat - it was probably a fixed menu.

We wandered back to the hotel about 9.30 to bed.

Bay of Naples and Pozzuoli

I think Christian got up and left while I was still in bed. Either way, I think by the time I'd showered and got upstairs to breakfast, there were only a few diving stragglers left, and the ladies.

It was a cheery, bright room, and we seemed to be the only guests in the hotel. Breakfast was a simple affair - they had Twinings tea, which was welcome (though I had brought my own), along with cereal (I think), cheese and meat, pastries, and an egg boiler that looked a bit too scary to use.

I had a chatty morning with the ladies up on the balcony. It was good to catch up with Annie and Sue, and to meet Elaine. We decided to wander down to the water, near the dive shop, to get some lunch. As we left the hotel, we met Christian going the other way, as he'd forgotten something I think.

We said hi to the divers - it was a nice, laid-back area, though there wasn't 'beach' to speak of, and they seemed to have had a good morning underwater. Lunch in the cafe/bar nearby was very simple - most of us just went for pasta and tomato. When we were finished, I took my leave and set off for a walk around the bay.

The section down to Lucrino station was fine, but just after the narrow 'bridge', the footpath ran out, and as the road rose, it was very much about hugging the wall to avoid being run over. Oh, and crossing the road to try and find refuge every now and then. It was about here that I think I saw the divers' RHIB out on the water. The road back downhill through a village improved, but then got worse as civilisation ran out again and the road wound around a couple of huge bends.

After a climb, and after passing a camp site, I was at the Castello de Baia, which was sadly closed by this time in the afternoon. I wasn't the only one to be disappointed, as some other tourists asked me whether it was closed, and then asked me to take a photo of them. The view towards Naples and Vesuvius was almost worth it.

It was warm, and I really didn't fancy walking back on those roads. I'd seen plenty of buses, but couldn't tell where most of them were going. Taking a chance, and guessing most would take the coast road to Pozzuoli, I stopped to wait for the next one. The one I got on didn't go to Pozzuoli, or Arco Felice, or anywhere useful. It went to Fusano, which was the end of the train line. After a lot of attempts, the bus driver communicated what was going on, and even helped me find the station.

So I waited for the next train. I decided that, given I was going to be on the train anyway, I'd stay on until Pozzuoli and see about some ferry tickets. At Pozzuoli, I saw a sign for an 'anfitheatro', and thought that would be interesting, so I followed it, up steep steps to a main road. The theatre was immediately across the road from here.

Once I worked out how to get into it, I found that the entrance fee was almost nothing, and so gratefully went in. Turns out that it was a Flavian Amphitheatre, which is the third largest in Italy, and its interior is almost completely intact - the inside looks amazingly preserved and I'd never seen anything like it. It had been excavated exhaustively over the years, and looked like it had been built on to host modern events at one point. Outside were some lovely sculptures that had been taken from elsewhere on the site. I looked all around it and underneath it, and felt like I'd learned lots and had my fill of culture for the day.

From there, I made my way down to the port to find someone who'd sell me ferry tickets. The port area was beyond a grand promenade, with lots of people out and about in the balmy late afternoon. I started at the southern end, where most of the restaurants were, and found the office for Caremar, which was closed. The schedules on the wall suggested it would not be my best bet, however. So I looked up the Medmar office (which was on the north side of the port), and made my way there, via a mint gelato.

The man there gave me the ferry times, but couldn't sell me a ticket over the counter that far in advance - no idea why. So I took a copy of the schedule, and turned hotel-wards.

I let Christian know that I was on my way back. It didn't seem worth getting a train, so I intended to walk, as it was only about 5.30. He offered to come and get me, so we arranged to meet in a car park just outside town. The drive back to the hotel was not very fun, but Christian seemed not to mind it.

Back at the hotel, we relaxed before going back out for dinner. There was a lot of faffing at the hotel, waiting for others, in the end, Christian and I led the charge, and as soon as we spotted Len and Rita in a restaurant, we went in to join them. The others didn't think much of Rosticceria Da Roberto, and kept going somewhere else.

It was a nice enough dinner - I had lots of small plates, including insalata caprese, and an arancino.

We were back at the hotel around 9.15, and I think we turned in, possibly watching some telly before bed.

Milan, and train to Napoli

Christian was up and out of Sam and Nick's at about 7am. I went back to sleep and probably got up at about 9am.

Sam made me some tea and I had some cereal. Then a shower and got ready. We ended up waiting for Nick, but apparently that's nothing new. I took my luggage with me.

We decided to walk all the way into the city, via Corso Buenos Aires, Corso Venezia, and Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. It wasn't that far, and meant I would see more. The neighbourhood changed from dull classical residential frontages to more commercial. And then very shiny shops and pedestrianised shopping areas. And then we were in Piazza del Duomo, with hundreds of other people. It was brilliant sunshine, and lovely and warm.

The Duomo is a glorious pink/golden colour, and looked wonderful in the sun. Getting in would have been too difficult, so we kept moving. Sam and I went into a shopping centre to use the toilet.

We then wandered past La Scala, and up Via Dante, past a lovely fountain, to the castello. We walked through the gate into the forecourt, and Sam and Nick indulged in a beer from a stand. We then wandered through Sempione Park (where there was a running race/festival being held), and out the other side.

Up Via Garibaldi, to Piazza Gae Aulenti, where we found a nice place for lunch - we all had pasta. Then to a nearby station, where Sam and Nick did a little shopping, and I bought some things to eat on the train, and got cash to pay Sam back for lunch. We then got the underground to Centrale, stepping out to admire Piazza Duca d'Aoste, and then going into the station.

We had some time to kill before my train's platform was announced, and so I got some ice cream. I said goodbye to our lovely hosts, and boarded the train with no problems.

Unfortunately, I was going backwards, despite having booked a forwards seat. The train was mostly full. I managed to jam my charger plug into the socket so I could charge my phone.

The journey wasn't anywhere near as interesting as I thought it would be. Milan's suburbs weren't that exciting, and apart from a few hills and nice looking vineyards, wasn't much to look at. And then it got dark. I couldn't see much of Florence or Rome, but in Rome at least the train turned around and I was suddenly going forwards.

We arrived in Naples more or less on time and as people were getting off, I decided I'd nip in to the toilet. Bad idea, because they shut and locked the doors while I was in there. A guard came down the carriage and spotted me, and let me out. Great start.

I was really hungry, and so went in search of food. And failed. So I went in search of linea 2, which would take me to Montesanto station. I had difficulty with that too, and went out of the station looking for it, before realising that a badly labelled escalator was what I wanted. I bought a ticket, and took the nice metro to Montesanto.

When I got there, I soon realised that the metro station was not a junction for other lines. So I went out into the inky night looking for another station in Montesanto. I found it with the help of Mr Google maps, and attempted to buy tickets from the decrepit looking machines. They wouldn't work, and the ticket window was unattended. I found a tabacchi across the road to buy tickets. I went to enter the badly signed station gates, and came to the conclusion that I'd bought the wrong tickets. So I went back and bought more. This time I at least got through the gates, and went up the stairs. But here again there was little indication which of the two platforms I needed to use.

As I ummed and aahed, a Cumana train left just as I worked out that was what I wanted. So I waited for the next one. The trains themselves were small and narrow gauge, and covered with graffiti. Inside they were comfortable enough, but had minimal seating options - most were two single plastic seats facing each other.

There was not always a sign indicating which station we were pulling into, and it was dark too, so I followed the train on Google maps again. The girl opposite me asked whether we were at a particular station. I just shrugged. She then spotted a sign that told me that we weren't at my stop yet (Arco Felice).

We both tried to get off at Arco Felice, but the door wouldn't open. We soon realised that the door opened on the other side, between the tracks. The 'platform' was very narrow, and basically on the ground. Very safe, Italy.

I found my way out of the station and up the road, and finally to the hotel, which was even a challenge to get into. Eventually, after probably the most eventful train journey I've ever had, I sat down at the dinner table with the divers.

They brought me some food (it was 10pm by now and I was starving), and I relaxed. It was good to see folks, and Christian of course.

We retired straight after eating, and went to the room. It was quite nice, with a view out to the water. The car was parked almost directly beneath the window.

Bed.

Lille to Milan

The alarm was set at 6am, and breakfast was due to be delivered at 6.15. It turned up right on time.

We got on the road at about 6.40. The traffic was much busier than expected - were we on a major route for trucks to Paris?

Anyway, there was a beautiful sunrise to make up for the early.

Stopped briefly for Christian's comfort, and then again in Nancy to charge at 11.30. We went down to the Cora and bought an early lunch, some beach towels, and some pants for Christian (which didn't fit).

Next stop at 3pm was Pratteln (Basel) outside the strange hotel/conference centre. Then Beckenried, where we had a cuppa as we charged, and the woman who served us had absolutely no idea what tea meant.

The approach to the tunnel was busy as usual. We tried to go around it, but lost ground in the end. The going was very slow, and we got in touch with Sam and Nick to say we'd be late getting to Milan.

We stopped again to charge at Monte Ceneri. The approach to Milan got steady busier after we left the E64, and we managed to drive on a toll road without realising.

Arrived in Sam and Nick's neighbourhood at around 8.45. There was nowhere to park, so we went into an underground car park, paying €20 for the privilege - but at least it was going to be secure.

Sam and Nick met us with glasses of prosecco - what a welcome! Had a lovely evening with aperitivo, prosecco and tasty pizza. I went to bed much too late, and after much too much to drink, at about 1.30am.

Eurotunnel to Lille

I had a day off, and Christian was working from home.

The Eurotunnel train was booked for 8.20, but we left home before 4 to beat the traffic, and managed to get on an earlier train at around 7. The terminal was deathly quiet. It was quite eerie. But lovely.

We only had time for a quick toilet stop and to grab some sandwiches from Smiths for dinner before we had to board. While waiting, Christian got us hot chocolates and some desserts (Bakewell tart and something else), and helped someone struggling with their car.

The drive from Calais was easy enough, though I felt uneasy, as I often do when we set off on the wrong side on the road in the inky blackness.

Got to Lille at about 10.15. It was quite cold and windy, but the hotel was very nice indeed. As we got ready for bed, I called reception to find out whether we could have our included breakfast brought up to the room. Lovely. So we chose what to have and put our list on the outside door handle.

Bed at around 11.

Flight home

The alarm went off at 5am. Ouch, especially given that was 4am UK time. I was going to miss the huge bed with split duvets, but I wasn't going to miss the pillows.

We got ready and out the door, taking our rubbish to the bin on the way. We'd not left the boat in a bad state, though we had paid Birgit to clean it.

The drive to the airport was quiet and easy. We dropped the car in the return car park opposite the office, and left the key in the box. W just missed a shuttle bus, so decided to walk as it would take less time than the wait for the next bus.

The walk turned out to be easy. We went through a surprisingly busy fast lane at security, went to the wrong lounge, then the right one, after going through passport control.

The lounge was quiet, lovely and classy compared to the Heathrow one. I had corn flakes and a pastry, and then it was time to board. A bunch of noisy teenagers were boarding (we were too late for the early call), and a group of laughing business types, who'd also been in the lounge. I expected the flight to be uncomfortable. Some of the idiot teenagers were ignoring their seat allocations and being told off.

We had the back row of Club Europe, and the seats in front were empty. I asked if we could move forward - the joking Irish cabin guy said it would cost 10 euros, and then laughed and said of course.
So we moved forward. There wasn't a peep from the rest of the passengers, despite the flight being completely full. I dozed for much of the flight.

London was surprising sunny. We disembarked down steps onto the concourse, got on a bus, straight to terminal, straight through border control, and straight to Whitecar blokey waiting with our ride. Easy!

This was a nice trip, though it turned out to be somewhat busier and more stressful than intended. Copenhagen is open, accessible, friendly, and interesting. Looking forward to more trips to Scandinavia.

Driving adventure

Another lazy morning. Had I not been migrainy, and had I not left my trainers in the office, I might have done Parkrun, as it had great reviews and was right near our boat. Wasn't to be, though.

We left at about 10, heading north for Elsinore. The skies were grey, but the roads were good and not too busy. We arrived about 11, after coming through a nice looking town, and parked in the large tourist car park, from which you could see the harbour and sea. We decided to wander around the castle first.

We didn't pay to go in, as it wasn't cheap, but walked around the ramparts and gazed across the water to Sweden. It was very atmospheric. We dipped down to walk on the stony beach for a time, then the path led us around to face the town, and the many boats in the harbour.

By this time we were ready for lunch. Luckily, there was another street food warehouse in the vicinity. We opted for 'fisk' and chips, with some homemade lemonade to wash it down.

We then went into the maritime museum. The entry fee was moderate, but worth it. The museum is well laid out, interesting, and often interactive. We took our time and looked at everything - they covered many aspects, from life at sea to navigation instruments to ship designs and dimensions. On the way out, we had a look in the gift shop. I asked about archives - they weren't open that day, but they recommended that I send an email when I got home.

After our exertions, we went back into the street food warehouse for cheesecake and hot drinks. I actually enjoyed a cup of lady grey.

Back in the car park, we gave our day parking ticket to a surprised man who'd just arrived. I wanted to see more of the area, so we drove further north west around the top of the coast. It was a nice, laid back part of the world, with interesting houses. Very green.

We stopped to look at the beach at Hornbaek Havn, walking over the high dunes to get to the water. Both the wind and the water were chilly. I saw a 1980s Mazda 323 in the car park but resisted the urge to take a photo.

We drove on as far as Gilleleje, then headed south, through pleasant farming land. Then onto the motorway, where we had a comfortable journey, and then back into Copenhagen. We had to search for a fuel station but found one eventually, near the university precinct. We filled up (which didn't cost much), then I asked if we could do a little more exploring while we had the car. I wanted to check out Amager Strandpark and Amagerbro.

We found a place to park on the street at Amager Strandpark and got out to explore. It was a huge tree-lined green space, and it looked like the end of a festival, with jumping castles being packed away, and vehicles being loaded up. The beach was pretty bleak and empty that day but we had a wander across the bridge and up the promenade all the same. We could hear music, but couldn't tell what it was in aid of. Walked around the island, had a good view of the Oresund bridge. Then realised with dread that the music was some kind of Oktoberfest leiderhosen festival in a nearby arena. Run away!

We then drove on so I could get a feel for Amagerbro, which really wasn't anywhere near as interesting as I thought it might be. I'd pictured it to be an arty, bohemian area with good restaurants, but it was a bit high-rise and nasty, really.

We drove back to the boat, and had a night in. Christian was exhausted, so I made the pizza. We ate it, and Christian went to bed soon after. After eating the last eskimo, I joined him and we had a super early night.

Exploring the city

We had an easy morning, to recover from the unintentionally hectic day before.

We intended to see the changing of the guard, but we didn't get out of the boat until 11am. This might still have been OK, but we just missed a water bus, and I suggested getting on the wrong road bus, so we were never going to make it.

The plan changed while in transit. I had heard about an interesting shopping street, Strøget, which we happened to be en route to, so got off at its end and walked the length. It was quite interesting, with fashion and markets and funky shops. We got lunch in noodle place called Wok On. Tasty.

We then walked to Amalienborg Palace (well after the changing of the guard had taken place) via the local Tesla shop. On the way we also saw the beautiful domed Fredrik's Kirke. The nearby palace was disappointingly unimpressive - it has four identical classical facades around a large square, but it's just not pretty. Didn't help that it was a grey day. We did get to see some guards, marching back and forth by their posts. They had nice uniforms.

From there, we cut through a section with nice hedges to the river, and walked north towards the Little Mermaid statue, stopping to use public conveniences in a park on the way.

The statue was a bit of an anti-climax, as perhaps was expected, especially given half of Copenhagen was there too. It was possible to walk out onto the rocks to get quite close, and the setting was rather nice, or at least would have been on a nice day.

Christian got an ice cream and a coffee at a nearby van, and we decided to have a wander though the large star-shaped fortification we'd been following along beside on the walk, which turned out to be the Kastellet, one of the best preserved star fortresses in northern Europe. It was begun in 1626, and saw action against the Swedish, the English, and the Germans.

We walked around the top of the fort for a little way and went inside across a bridge. After going through the interesting looking barracks buildings, and seeing a few military types, we went up onto the earth ramparts. The grounds were beautifully maintained and the trees were just gorgeous. It was a lovely stroll. We left the fortress via a different bridge.

It didn't take long to walk back into the city. Though by this time, we were both ready for a sit down, and so found a cafe for a drink, and I had a traestammer finally. It was really good - worth the wait.

While eating and drinking, we talked about hiring a car to get to Malmo the next day instead of getting a train. It sounded fun, and Christian found some cheap deals online. We decided to have a look at Tivoli Gardens, and then go to the airport to hire a car, which had the added benefit of giving us a method of transport to the airport on the last day.

We got a bus to Tivoli, which dropped us off nowhere near an entrance, and bought entry tickets that didn't include any rides. We had a lovely wander in there - it's tasteful and old-fashioned, with beautiful grounds, but also has thrill-seeking rides for the young 'uns. There's a huge stage for music, and people already had their places on the grass saved for that night's entertainment (though it looked like rain and I had no desire to join them).

There were a few rides that we probably would have enjoyed (a little boat one and a couple of others), but we didn't bother buying tickets. We did enter an amazing vintage life-size chocolate wheel and won some wine gums. There were a lot of nice old games of skill that were quite popular, and we watched quite a few of them. While in the gardens, we booked the hire car over the phone.

On the way out, Christian got some popcorn, and we sat in a double deck chair. Just because we could. It wasn't terribly comfortable. As the central train station was a short walk away, we got a train from there to the airport. At the airport, we had to walk for miles to get out the other side of the terminal, and then had to get a shuttle bus to the hire car office.

At the hire car office, we got the final bill, got a shock, and found out that the tolls to get over the Oresund bridge were absolutely ridiculous (as in, more than the cost of the car), and so decided to go through with the hire, but stay in Denmark instead. There's so much to see in Sweden that it's worth another trip.

We were sent out the back of the office into a huge multi-storey, given the number plate, but still couldn't find the car in an Enterprise spot. Christian went back to the office, and discovered it was out the far side of the multi-storey. We found the car eventually, which was a black Audi A3, and drove back to the boat. Navigating up the cycle path was interesting, but Christian managed it well.

We looked at dinner options, and decided to try the nearby sushi place, but failing that, a ready meal from the supermarket was our next choice. It was a short walk. The sushi place was small but looked amazing, so we got a table, and feasted royally. It had to be up there with the best sushi I've had. Yum.

On the walk back, we stopped at a supermarket to explore the tasty things and buy snacks, tomorrow night's dinner (pizza), and get eskimo ice creams for dessert.

Back at the boat again, we sat for a bit, relaxing. Then bed. It had been another big day.

To Copenhagen!

We left home at 7.15, bound for Heathrow. Mark from Whitecar met us at the departure drop off, and we handed the Tesla off smoothly to him and went inside. Priority security was fairly quick and painless.

The BA lounge was rammed and annoying, however, with uninspiring food. We had two Americans sitting beside us, and the woman turned to me with no preamble whatsoever and asked whether porridge was made of oats. Um, yes. . .

Our seats on the plane were the last of the Club Europe section, and were extremely comfortable. The best part was that there was no one behind us so I could recline my seat all the way. We had quite a nice breakfast here (much better than the lounge). The flight took off as scheduled at 9.55 and arrived mostly on time at 12.55. We had no checked-in luggage so went straight through the small airport. There seemed to be a lot of Thai Airways planes.

We bought ourselves 72-hour travel tickets for 200 DKK each, which would cover all trains, buses and trams, then jumped in a taxi (because the journey from the airport to the boat was the only one that was difficult via public transport). The driver couldn't read the directions in Danish on my phone, even with his glasses, so he went off his own (thankfully reliable) GPS, which took us over a raised kerb onto a very curious road that was essentially a bike track, to the harbour. We thanked him and got out. The fare was about 160 DKK.

We walked around the harbour for some time, looking for the red boat next to a yellow boat, as per Birgit's instruction on AirBNB. After having gone the wrong way around the harbour, which involved going up onto the major road and back down again, we found it. The key was easy to find, and then we were in.

The boat was huge. Very nicely decorated and every comfort had been provided. The one offputting thing is that the lean, which I had expected, was actually port-to-starboard instead of bow-to-stern. Never mind. The harbour neighbourhood was quirky and alternative. I liked it.

By now it was nearly 1.30 (I had miscalculated our arrival time due to different time zones) and we had to go out in search of lunch. I'd briefly looked at a map of how to find the water bus stop, but hadn't looked closely enough. Christian took us there in the end (it was further away than I'd thought).

The water bus was a strange, yellow, almost military looking vessel - very slow, but very relaxing. We were treated to lovely views as we went towards the city, and some really interesting buildings. I'd planned an itinerary, but I hadn't allowed for Christian being dangerously hungry.

We got off at Nyhavn, which I'd planned to explore before crossing the river back to Paper Island, but there was nothing quick to eat or drink. So we strode around to the other side of Nyhavn, and over the river. Christian finally found a drink on the way.

Seems that everyone else was headed for Paper Island (Papirøen) too. I had read that it was a reclaimed paper warehouse, and was temporarily being used as a street food venue - which had been ridiculously successful. Christian had smørrebrød, which I didn't recognise at the time and wasn't tempted by. I had pulled duck and chips from a place called Duck It!, which was very fatty but absolutely delicious. We contemplated dessert, but decided against it, despite there being very tasty looking cheesecake and some chocolate log things that I liked the look of.

We decided against going into Freetown/Christiania, and went back into Nyhavn again - stopping for ice cream. It was very pretty and we saw an amazing art installation featuring the lifejackets of refugees. From there, we walked to Kongens Nytorv station and took the metro one stop to Nørreport. It wasn't obvious which train to get on. We got on a silver one that was clearly full of commuters, and stood up in the middle of a carriage. Christian noted after a while that Google maps thought we were already past Hellerup. Bugger. We got off at the next stop, which was Rungsted Kyst - well beyond Hellerup. Oops. Good thing we'd allowed ourselves plenty of time. We bought tickets at Rungsted Kyst and waited for the next train back. Christian worked out that the letter code attached to each train told you what the stops were.

So we got a (non-silver) train back to Hellerup and did the short walk to Casey's address. We weren't quite sure where to go, but luckily Rahul found us walking around and took us straight to the beautiful and interesting house. Casey gave us the tour and we had a drink and chatted to Rahul and Bella while Casey finished off the dinner.

Reg came home, and we sat down to an amazing curry dinner. Really nice. Christian and Reg found plenty to talk about in the world of business and cloud, and Casey shared some of challenges of living in Copenhagen. We didn't want to be out too late so we headed off at about 9.45. Christian had failed to bring a jacket, and by some stroke of luck, Casey and Reg had a spare left by a housesitter, which he took.

We got off the train at Nørrebro, and bought milk, and croissants for breakfast. Then transferred to a bus to the harbour. Then sleep, around 11pm.

Parkrun 28: 34.04. Age-graded: 45.50%

My first run back after six weeks, and it wasn't too shabby at all.

I wasn't expecting anything - so I set off at a steady plod, but I was able to keep it up the whole way. I never felt out of breath, and my legs only hurt in the quads after the steps, which I walked up with purpose. I only walked a few metres at the top.

Two women wearing running club shirts cut in on me - one actually crashing into me (she did apologise). But it makes me wonder whether they're taught to win by being rude.

Anyway, a good start back to running. Just need to keep it up now.

Parkrun 27: 34.54. Age-graded: 44.41%

Urgh. Neither my heart nor mind were in it this morning. I set off from the back of the pack plodding and I kept on plodding. Strange, because I actually felt OK afterwards, but I just couldn't push myself any harder during the run. My hip was giving me a bit of grief too, which didn't help.

I walked until nearly the top of the hill after the steps, but got plodding again without trouble.

I was pacing with a nice man called Alan for the last kilometre, and I managed to push out from him to the finish.

Today's excitement involved the timings from last week being accidently uploaded, and so our emails were sent out with the wrong times (mine was 33.05, which really didn't seem right).

Oh well, it's all about fitness, isn't it? Just keep running. . .

Parkrun 26: 33.25. Age-graded: 46.38%

And back to slow again.

Admittedly, I had a few days with too much food and not enough activity this week, so my fitness really isn't where I want it to be.

I set off too quickly as well, and then faded near the end (with lots of people overtaking me).

Parkrun 25: 32.34. Age-graded: 47.59%

That's better, some progress. I seem to have finally broken through that ceiling.

It was a cool morning, but deceptively hot on the course.

I took off OK, though not particularly fast, and managed to keep it up until just before the steps. I pushed through the lethargy, though, and went up the steps fairly strongly. I took about half a dozen steps walking afterwards and got back to it. Twice people cut in front of me and slowed down. Annoying.

On the way back up the Rye, I paced with a nice woman who asked me to carry her. Amusing conversation.

I kept it up to the finish, but felt a strong wave of nausea just after stopping. It passed quickly. Jamie was scanning barcodes - it was good to see him.

Anyway, pleased to be back on the road. Running in the gym seems to help.

Parkrun 24: 34.21. Age-graded: 45.12%

I was hoping to do a little better today than two weeks ago (yes, I missed last week again).

I was feeling relatively fit, and had been walking up the hill after work, but it was hot. At least 20 degrees at 9am. I took off fairly well, but felt I was going too fast by the first turn, and probably slowed down. It didn't feel that slow, though.

I was OK over the back of the weir, but really felt it just before the stairs. I took the stairs slowly and really didn't have any energy to run until the terrain went back downhill.

I kept running after that, pacing with another lady who's always there, and after the 4km mark found a little bit to push. But near the finish I slowed again.

After I finished running, my face started burning in a fairly alarming way. It was so damn hot! Maybe summer is a good time to volunteer. After my 25th run maybe.

Anyway, I did go a little faster than the week before, but (apart from the walking part) I felt like I was going a bit faster. Never mind.

Parkrun 23: 34.48. Age-graded: 44.54%

Hmmm. Two weeks off is nothing compared to the four weeks off I've just had, while harbouring a filthy cold. Today's time was never going to be good, but this is a new low. I'd eaten badly, and it was a hot day as well.

I had to run to get to the start in time, which didn't help, but I just had to make myself keep plodding. I started to push once, but felt a bit ill. My lungs were still pushing out fluid, so I wasn't as recovered as I thought I was.

I'm glad I didn't stop, though (the only saving grace), and I had to get back to it at some point. Meh.

Parkrun 22: 32.07. Age-graded: 48.26%

Having two weeks off is really not a good idea.

I was feeling OK, but knew that I'd lost fitness. I took off quite fast, but felt that it was too fast even before the first bend, and slowed down again. I kept up a steady pace until the back of the weir, when I felt a little ill, but got over it quickly.

I didn't push myself for a while, and only felt that I had more to give on the back of the Rye around the 4km mark. I gave a bit more, but still didn't move as well as I wanted to. Jamie overtook me after the 4km mark.

Oh well, had to start back somewhere.

Parkrun 21: 30.26. Age-graded: 50.55%

Now we're getting somewhere. :-) 42 seconds faster than last week.

I took off reasonably fast, but slowed a little on the far side of the Rye, then kept up a steady pace. At the steps I strode up with a spring, and only walked a few steps at the top. I found a bit more behind the weir, and kept it up downhill onto the Rye.

Then on the far side, my shoelace came undone, and I had to stop and tie it. Would only have taken five seconds, but goes to show that my time could have been quicker.

At the finish, I found some strength to push for the line, but regretted it, as I felt a bit ill afterwards.

Strangely, I was quite aware of my breathing on this run, so maybe it was just working harder and needing more oxygen as fuel. Legs felt fine.

I was wearing my new running pants - maybe they are go-faster stripes.

Yay PB, and I'm finally into the 30s. :-)

Parkrun 20: 31.08. Age-graded: 49.41%

And it's all change again. A minute and a half faster than last week!

After a pathetic performance last week, I was prepared for a plodding consolidation run. So I took off not particularly fast. But I never really tired. I just kept going. I think it was an example of just pacing myself perfectly (and not being tired and jetlagged). I had drunk plenty of water, and I was mostly well rested.

I was sensible on the hills (though I did a couple of leaping overtakes), and managed to stride up the steps and avoid walking afterwards. I didn't have much left at the end to push, but it turns out I didn't need it.

New PB!

Parkrun 19: 32.35. Age-graded: 47.21%

Now this was disappointing. I can only put it down to jetlag/tiredness and the reintroduction of hills.

It was a lovely bright morning, and Christian dropped me down the hill.

I took off OK, had a slight dip immediately, but then got more comfortable. Based on recent experience, I didn't push too hard early on, and as a result, I felt OK throughout. I walked for a little after the steps, but otherwise had no difficulty keeping going. But my time was poor.

Oh well, next time will be better.

Parkrun 18 (Newy): 32.09. Age-graded: 47.85%

This was really tough.

Clint and Jess were on pacing duty with their club, the 'Wooters', at Newy parkrun and Clint's mum Janice had agreed to give me a lift in from Warners Bay. The weather had been generally windy and wet (i.e. frightful), and I was sorely tempted to either go to Lake Mac instead, or give up altogether. In the event, I went through with it, and glad I did.

It was overcast and really warm and cloying. Clint was pacing 25 mins, and Jess was pacing 32.30, and so I knew I'd end up between them. The course was an out-and-back around Throsby Creek. We set off, with the first 15 seconds or so at walking pace through the narrow gap. I got running, and kept it up at a decent pace until about 3km (after the turnaround with the guy wearing a terrible orange mohawk), though I lost sight of the 30 min pacer. And then I flagged again - it's an ongoing problem at the moment. I guess it means that I'm setting off too fast, but this time, I'm sure it was the awful humidity that just taxed my energy.

It was all I could do to stop myself from walking, but plod on I did. Jess's sister Megan was playing the flute with a keyboard player in a gazebo on the way, and it was nice to hear the sound making it across the water. I saw Jess coming up on me at the end, and knew that I'd done a poor time, but a 32.09 under the circumstances wasn't the worst outcome. I limped over the line, and was so hot and sweaty that it took me about 15 mins to properly recover.

Lucky we were due to have breakfast with Clint and Jess afterwards. I needed to replenish my strength badly!

Parkrun 17 (Lake Mac): 31.22. Age-graded: 49.04%

My first Australian parkrun! How exciting!

I didn't run last week, but I did do 5k on Pidge's treadmill. That was quite good, but I pushed harder than I probably should have, bringing my 5k, including speeding up from a standing start, to 31.18 (I think). I felt it afterwards, though.

This week, I was in Warners Bay, and so decided to do Lake Mac parkrun. Mum and Tom came with me, to see what all the fuss was about, and to do their own walk around Marmong.

I chatted to the run director about whether my barcode would work, and he said it definitely would, because his barcode had worked in the UK (he had a British accent). It was nice to chat.

I had a pre-run briefing as a first-timer on that course, said bye to Mum and Tom, and took my place in the starting order. In hindsight, I went a little too far back, as after we were set off along the narrow path, I had to overtake people straight away.

It was like the previous parkrun, in that I was able to power through about 3km without feeling anything. The course is almost completely flat (apart from the slight incline to approach each bridge). But then I had to slow down as I felt a little ill. I was able to push a little more, but had very little left.

I crossed the line in 31.22, which I'm pleased about. I thought I might have gone a little faster than that, and I probably would have if I hadn't had to slow down after 3km. It's still a PB, albeit by four seconds.

Parkrun 16: 31.32. Age-graded: 48.78%

Wow. Didn't expect this. I took 1.06 off my time from two weeks ago.

I had last week off, as it was too much of a faff to get to a parkrun from Church Stretton, so I expected to have lost fitness.

For some reason, though, after a massive and stressful week, I set off like a machine and didn't get the dip in the first stages. So I kept going.

Up behind the weir was fine, around the far field was fine, and the stairs were OK (walking - and for a little at the top). Then I set off again slowly, but by the time the second downhill section behind the weir started, I was stuck behind slow people, and I just overtook them. Fast. And then regretted it, feeling sick, and had to slacken off.

By the time I got back to the flat, I was ready to push again, and I was at my maximum for the rest. Swept up by the rather vocal crowd of colleagues around me, I pushed to the finish (not very fast), and was rewarded for my efforts by feeling sick again, and having a weird soupy sensation with my breathing. It wasn't wheezy or coughy, just hard to get air in my lungs fast enough. I'll be keeping an eye on that.

But anyway, I'm happy. It's a good position to be heading for Australia in. Hopefully I'll be able to get some reasonable times, despite probable heat, and early (8am) starts.

Parkrun 15: 32.38. Age-graded: 47.14%

My first parkrun in the snow! It wasn't laying on the ground, but falling as grains, and bouncing off my face as I ran. The ground was fairly muddy and slippery in places. The temperature was about 3 degrees - certainly made my eyes water until I warmed up. I had an extra layer on my legs, which I regretted after about five minutes.

I took off fairly well, but made sure I paced myself sensibly. I only slackened off once or twice, and like last week, I only began to feel properly comfortable after about 3km. The only niggle I was aware of was tightness in my chest, which was probably to do with the cold air (it passed about half an hour after I stopped running).

I was pretty comfortable in the last kilometre, and I was able to put in a decent push to the finish.

Again, it was hard to tell what my time was going to be. It felt faster than the week before, but I didn't think it was by much. To have knocked off 35 seconds felt good.

I'll probably miss next week as I'll be away with FDO, but might venture up to Shrewsbury for some tourism.

Parkrun 14: 33.13. Age-graded: 46.31%

So it turns out that a break of seven weeks really is enough to totally lose your fitness. I did just over 4km in the field on Monday morning, and I think that helped me today, but both sessions were incredibly hard work.

The ground was pretty wet this morning (and incredibly wet on Monday), which didn't help, but it wasn't too cold. I set off OK, but seemed to have lost my ability to have the first five minutes for free. I was struggling by the time I got to the high path immediately after the start, but I plodded on. It wasn't until about 3km that I started to feel remotely comfortable, which was the same on Monday.

After that, I struggled, then I was able to push on, then I struggled, pushed, etc. At the steps, I walked up them fairly energetically, but needed to keep walking for a little. Then I went back into the push/struggle pattern again. I had a tiny bit left to push for the finish.

My lungs were particularly in shock this time, and I kept coughing for a few hours afterwards. My legs also felt pretty ruined. Damn this lack of fitness. I'd got so used to just gliding through parkruns.

I was expecting something more like 34 or 35 minutes, so I'm glad I wasn't as bad as that. It will get easier after a few more weeks.