Why?

I won't claim I've 'taken to running', but it happens. Twice this spring is, well, two times more than all of last year...

But why? Why on earth??

Could it be...

- The taste of blood in my mouth?
- The sound of my near-asthmatic wheezing?
- The feel of insects in my hair and mouth?
- The odd and worryingly recurring inclination to run uphill and walk downhill...?

Or...

- The look of pride on my son(aka PT)'s face, when he sees I actually did it?
- The sense of being out and about
- The pride in managing to turn down that Coke I've offered myself while running...?

Or...

- That I can use an app for it, that will tell me how far I've gone and where?

Nah. That would be so childish. That must be it  ;)

The royal mile

Now, if you like, walk the royal mile with me from Edinburgh Castle. We'll just walk straight out of the gate...

Then have to turn left into the alley to look at this flowerclad house, of course - Ramsay garden - before we continue.

You lazy pig! Just lying around all day...

Poor thing, I guess he couldn't take it anymore... "Pinocchio's now a boy who wants to turn back into a toy..."

How can we resist puns like these! Off the royal mile to the right, a little further down...

There's that piper again, Tony something. We go way back...

Closing in on the Scottish Parliament - and walking past it ...

... now looking back up at it

Another alleyway! Must go and have a look :)
Pretty!And it's stopped raining - that's nice.. (spot the rainbow!)

Queen's gallery, outside the Holyrood Palace (where the queen stays when she's in Edinburgh.) (In the palace, that is, not in the gallery) (I suppose, at least that's what they say. I don't actually know for a fact where the Queen spends her nights.) (Or days, for that matter.)
The gates ...

... and the palace itself.

Look! It's the bagpipe shape of Dynamic Earth! Means we've made it down the mile and more. Great exercise and good fun!

And here we are, looking up at the Salisbury Crags. Thanks for keeping me company!

Incidentally, if you felt this post was a mile long, that was intentional...

Norway really isn't that bad either...

Today - apparently - it's the warmest June 8th since forever around here. That is, since they started writing it down back in 1811 or something. It's been 31º C (87.8 F) in the shade. And in case you're wondering - that's not normal for this place... Even midsummer. The kids are outside, running through the neighbour's sprinkler and having a blast. Ice creams are consumed by the dozen. (Well, there are 7 kids here, mine and two friends...)

A couple of days ago I took a walk down to the sea, a little early for a proper sunset, but still a gorgeous night for a walk! Unlike southern Europe et al, the sun takes a long time to set here, and it doesn't get properly dark again until September-October (I've already forgotten, see?). In Lofoten, of course, the sun doesn't set at all between late May and late July. Can't wait to go back there :)

Walking back up from the sea (pretty steep path for an old woman like me...) I hooked up with another walker, a young man in his twenties, pretty cute... He started talking, and as the climb more or less took my breath away, he kept up the talk. And when we reached the road, we both talked... He was just really nice, told me about his daughter, about how long he'd lived here and how much he liked it here. It's just very un-Norwegian to start talking to someone like that, but it made the walk even more pleasant.

Next time I'll take hubby down for the same walk, if only someone would babysit. Maybe my new friend and his daughter?

'nother fun exercise!

Yes, we're back... And here's proof of our wintery disposition - me on the toboggan with Filip. And yes, that's yours truly creating the soundtrack ;) Filip will no doubt grow up to be a rally driver. Phew, I'm just glad we managed to stop before actually hitting those people. Truly, we were inches away from the heads of happy picnickers...

(Incidentally, the people standing in the middle of the photo to begin with has nothing to do with us...)

un-fun exercise (but it works)

- Start feeling cold at work. Very cold. Borrow a woollen jacket from somebody.
- Start feeling dizzy. Decide to go home early. Sleep on the way home*.
- Go straight to bed. Sleep for 24 hours, only waking up every now and then because you shiver so much. Get hubby / significant other / neighbour / WHOEVER to get you another woollen blanket.
- Wake up. Decide you've got to eat. Swallow two painkillers. Stagger back to bed.
- Wake up again (a little later). Eat two dry biscuits. Ok, just one and a half then. Go back to sleep.
- Wake up (fx in time to kiss your kids goodnight). Eat one slice of bread. Go to bed. Lay awake most of the night, but have no strength to go elsewhere.
- Finally. Wake up. Headache should be slightly easened by now, fever's gone.
- For want of something better to do, find the scales. Notice how you've lost 4 kilos (8 pounds?) in two days. Smile bravely as you stagger back - no, not to bed, but to the couch.
- etc. etc. (And what with all the shivering and knocking your teeth and elbows etc. together, your muscle mass isn't what's gone missing...)

if you're more into fun exercise, look here, here and here!

* Only if in public transport or being driven...

Fun exercise - family edition

Yesterday the whole family went for a walk in the woods. Ending up at a farm that's only open to the public on Sundays, but the football field was there even on a Saturday...

Scholiast hiking in unrestricted area - a few years ago

You may, or may not know, that going for walks is Norway's national sport no. 1. (I know I've said that it's football, but that's in registered members - you don't register anywhere to take a walk*.) Norwegians tend to walk to school, walk to do the shopping, walk to work and then, to relax, walk somewhere else. In a park, to a park, in the woods, along the shore, to a friend, to the cinema etc. etc. Yes a lot of people drive too, but if it's reachable on foot, that's what we opt for. Using "we" very loosely here, as we (my family) had our very first walk on our own, and on our own initiative, yesterday...

The kids have all been to this place before, with their class / kindergarten. And they're more used to walking (with said institutions...) than we, their parents. Still, as expected, I was walking briskly (as I do) trying to catch up with three of them - while hubby was strolling (as he'd love being able to do on weekdays too...) with the other two. Who hardly move at all. Not because they're tired, and not really because they stop all the time (although they do stop to observe the odd snail, mushroom or whatever), but because they walk really s l o w l y ... Well, we ended up in the same place, but walking together was impossible. At least on this, our first try.

Now the kids weren't ecstatic about it all... (Where do they get these un-Norwegian vibes??) So now we've decided we'll do it every weekend. Not to taunt them, no, listen - we're buying a thingamajig that measures the distance you walk, multiply by seven, then add up and once we're passed 50 / 100 / (any number we decide upon) kms, we're treating ourselves to a day at a waterpark or a cinema or something.

Now the kids are ecstatic. Fun, eh?

* You don't even have to walk on set paths. As long as it's public land - and there's a lot of that here - you walk wherever you want, stopping to feed wherever you want, no signs showing you were to photograph even... Here's an example of people in a restricted area...

Yesterday

Yesterday my hubby and the kids drove off to the cabin, to stay for three weeks. I'll be working another fortnight. So - left to my own (de)vices, what did I do?

First, my contribution to society, donating a little blood. (Don't look if you don't like that kind of thing...) No, reallly, I think everyone who can ought to do it, I've been doing it since I was a student.

Then I met with my childhood friend M who works in the same building as the above hospital unit, and we sat out on a street cafe. The sun was baking, we had so-so iced coffees and became so dizzy in the heat I didn't manage or even remember to take any photos...

In the evening I went to football practice. Cycling to and fro, as the rest of the family - as is fair - had taken the car.


Made it home just in time for the semi final were Germany was luckily beaten, well-deserved by the Italians! (Notice the great, new bike, by the way...)

And if you think I'm not really blogging at this hour - sadly, I am... But now, off to work!

Fun exercise (2)

We've already been through this. There's no such thing! But hear me out...

Preface:
1. Carry loads and loads of documents from the archives at the end of the corridor to your desk
2. Take the scooter (sic!) down for more paper.
3. Repeat 1 and 2.
4. Pack all documents in boxes, stuff them in the elevator, go down to the basement.

Open the door to the main archives. Take a quick look and learn that all the boxes you're supposed to be throwing away (i.e. have destructed) are furthest in. And the floors are already covered in sacks of papers that have already been 'chosen' for destruction.

Now, let the fun begin!

Hold on to the shelf railings and climb over to the files you need. Throw them, no, hurl them over in the general direction of the doorway. Repeat. Again. And again. Etc.

Climb back. Stack all the papers in thereto suited rubbish sacks. Notice how they cover every inch of available floor. Start folding the now empty boxes.

Then...

Bring in all the boxes you brought with you in the elevator. Start with A1 and put it in the now empty shelves. Balance them in one hand as you climb the shelves with wobbly knees yet a firm grip of your "free" hand. Put the box in place. Climb back. Get A2. Repeat. Etc.

Now, when you get to about M4, you realise there's not enough space. Clear the top shelf with extra large boxes. (Place them on the floor. On top of the other extra large boxes. Who needs to be able to open them anyway...) Move A1 to the now available space. Climb to get to A1. Etc. Etc.

When you reach W2, realise you're out of space. The room's out of space. You're actually running out of room. (But not running out of the room, as you're stuck in the shelf. Remember?)

If you don't believe me, you should try. It really is heavy work!

Doesn't sound like fun? Oh, but it is :) It doesn't quite have the woohoo or the yihaa of this, but it certainly has a yabbadabbadoo and a Tarzanic aaaiaaayiaaaa...

Possibly, you must have 5 quite young, rather loud kids awaiting as only alternative to enjoy this as I did, but hey, you should see my biceps now ;)

Fun(!) exercise

This will work wonders for your abs;

1) Shop at your nearest grocery store (NOT by car)
2) Take the trolley home with you (this is worth pledging your Union card for, students)
3) Empty the goods into your dwelling
(2 and 3 may provide exercise in itself!)
4) Take the trolley back - like this:

Jump up and land, belly down, on the handlebars. This may hurt even people of my stature, so you'll need to press your abs against the handlebars, and hold on to the rails as far to the front of the trolley as you can. Then you kick off and roll! The whole way to the shop. If it's all downhill, like it is for me, it's like rollerskating only less controllable and possibly less stylish...

This, by the way, will also give any spectator fab abs - they'll be laughing all the way home...

Now, depending on what groceries you bought and / or who devours them, this will easily outshine any old spinning or aerobics class! Yes, I have tried. (The trolley thing, that is...)