Only freedom will do

DedicatedDFW

Hey Ed,

I finally caught up on your thread :T - but just had a long call with a family member also having a tough time so have lost my place a bit again

I will be starting MB - its on my list to start research this week so may PM a question or 2 your way if thats ok?

How is the running? I know what you mean about trainers not lasting :eek:

I think its great all that you achieve in a day / week - cooking, home maintenance / improvement, time for you reading etc. QT with Mrs Ed and all the usual stuff of work, general house stuff and finances too :T I have said it before Ed - you are so inspiring And I really appreciate the support, insights and humour you offer - now i've caught up i'll pop by regularly - not likely this weekend due to work though. Hope all is good with you x

edinburgher

I will be starting MB - its on my list to start research this week so may PM a question or 2 your way if thats ok?

Of course you can DDFW, happy to help

How is the running?

Great Scottish Run (half marathon #2) is tomorrow, absolutely bricking it! My rundrenaline has well and truly kicked in :rotfl:

We went out for dinner with friends last night, a nice Thai restaurant that we wouldn't normally have considered. Declicious food, but kind of a spendy evening. Firstly, we started the evening by being half an hour late.

A one hour nap before dinner became two, and we had to park in a multistorey. Then there was a small gift for the birthday person, then there was £60 spent on the meal. I've probably mentioned it before, but the group has this daft thing where the birthday person doesn't pay for their own meal, which puts the price up for all. I don't begrudge someone a free meal to celebrate their birthday, but it's a fairly large group and it can be annoying

Today has been spent eating carbs and keeping busy to try and distract me from my race tomorrow:

• Grocery shopping at L1dl and Mr M. Managed to keep spend at c. £40 despite getting multiple Fairtrade items (coffee, bananas etc.), some cleaning products and a good bottle of red (first one from this article)
• Took out the rubbish and recycling - chap downstairs who is selling up continues to do small DIY jobs around the common areas - free labour :rotfl:
• Used our super new oven to make a vegetarian lasagne and roasted Mediterranean vegetables to have with wholemeal pasta and some oat bread for race fuelling this evening :T
• Hoovering is next
• Creating a play list for the race tomorrow
• Catching up on diaries, blogs and journals
• Placed a few small MBs, tomorrow will see me finally unwind the crappy mistake that has really knocked my confidence over the last couple of weeks. I couldn't have changed the outcome, but it's difficult not to be angry with myself
• Considering a small payment to the ISA. It's hovering perilously close to £6k and I'm the same as everyone else on here re. round numbers

Goldiegirl

It's strange how these traditions grow up surrounding birthdays.

When I started at my current place of work, it was the done thing for my team to have a collection for each team member's birthday. Not just 'special' birthdays, but every birthday. So it meant that the eas a collection more or less every month. And it wasn't just a £1. The expected contribution was £3 to£4. Fortunately they stopped doing it a couple of years ago.

But the birthday girl or boy buys goodies for the whole department (about 60 people), not just the team.

Birthdays are an expensive business.

Well done on the MB, you've made up the ground very quickly

Good luck with the race

Karmacat

Ed, I didn't realise you were doing a half marathon tomorrow! Very best of luck! Oatbread sounds lovely, and I hope you find enough water for things to go well too

I'm glad the MB unwinding is finished - moving on now

skint_spice

Good luck tomorrow Ed.

gallygirl

Good luck Ed :j:j:j

Worry_Wart

Good luck in the half! I was supposed to do one last weekend but got derailed by booze and bbqs... oh well, I'll do another in the spring.

Birthday meals annoy me. I don't see the point in more than about 8 people eating out together at a sit down meal. You can't speak to everyone and it's a faff to organise/pay etc. My next birthday I'm sending out an invite to friends to join me for a street food night as there are some good ones running in Manchester regularly. There are loads of options and you just buy what you want yourself from the various stands there, and people either turn up or they don't - no organisation needed, and you spend as much or little as you like!

DedicatedDFW

Will properly catch up in the week - just had to wish you Good luck for tomorrow !! X

Alchemilla

Good luck on your run.

BookWorm

Good luck today Ed!