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unpretty · 7 years

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Please post pics of your new mixer attachments?

IT’S TIME FOR FOODBLOGGING PART TWO: THE PRODUCT REVIEW THAT GOES ON FOREVER AND MAKES YOU READ MY LIFE STORY BEFORE TELLING YOU WHETHER THE THING IS WORTH BUYING

(spoiler: maybe the ice cream maker, almost certainly not the juicer)

when last we left our heroes, i did not have a stand mixer, but then my dad bought me one and then very recently bought me some fancy attachments for… my brother’s birthday?? i don’t really know why, maybe he just likes buying kitchen shit but has run out of room in his own kitchen and is living vicariously through me. who knows, whatever.

i’m using this recipe for ice cream, and this kitchenaid ice cream attachment thing. at least i assume that’s the one, it’s the most popular one on amazon and that’s generally how my dad makes purchasing decisions. the new york times claimed to have the only ice cream recipe i would ever need, but it involved, like, cooking some egg yolks and milk in a saucepan and basically making a fancy fucking custard as step one, and that’s too many goddamn steps. all of the recipes that came with this fucking attachment were just as bad so fuck that, if this recipe is good enough for ben and/or jerry it’s good enough for me, i’ll save the fancy shit for when i’m in the mood to really hate myself. where was i.

don’t @ me about the imitation vanilla, i know i should be using real vanilla and not dollar store fake shit, i don’t care. this tiny corner of the counter used to be my designated tea corner but it’s kind of become overwhelmed by fifty million fucking appliances, but especially this goddamn stand mixer. it’s huge. it’s fucking monstrous. i’m really hoping we can get a table, or an island, or a buffet or something to keep this thing on once we get rid of the kitchen couch. don’t ask about the kitchen couch.

that picture is from last september, why the fuck have we had a kitchen couch for so long. anyway this recipe says to whisk together eggs and sugar until they’re fluffy but not firm, which i guess means whisk the shit out of it but don’t make a meringue? i don’t know what constitutes fluffy.

once i arbitrarily decided it was fluffy enough i dumped all the milk and cream and fake vanilla in there, but like, there ended up being just a bunch of egg yolk sorta stuck to the bottom of the bowl that i didn’t find until later when it was too late. this happens every goddamn time i use this fucking whisk and you’d think i’d learn but i do not. @kitchenaid why

here’s the real moment of truth, the ice cream maker. i’ve been keeping the bowl in the freezer since i got it and it takes up literally half of my dinky little freezer. they say to freeze it for a minimum of 15 hours but to keep it in the freezer all the time so you can make ice cream on a whim, but they sorely overestimate the size of my freezer or underestimate how much room i need for pizza rolls.

when i took this picture i had actually already started making it, but originally i was going to just… idk. ladle the mix into the ice cream bowl out of the big silver bowl. that was A TERRIBLE FUCKING IDEA, and ice cream mix got everywhere, and i don’t have any pictures of that because it turned out you could see my reflection in the silver bowl and i’m not wearing pants. i haven’t been wearing pants this whole time. wait, does that picture from earlier have my reflection in it? shit. it fucking does. i’m going to edit that with a sticker or something but only people who’ve made it this far into the post will know why that’s there. there’s going to be a cut here but to people on mobile it will just look like the post ends and for that i apologize (or maybe… you’re welcome???)

as you can see there is like an inch or two where you can pour the mix in, which is why the ladle was such a fucking shit garbage idea, but once i put the mix into a measuring cup like a sensible person it was fine. at this point i just have to let it run for a half hour, so i figured i’d set some bread out to rise and maybe stick some milk in the crockpot to make yogurt while i was at it.

this all sounds very productive but i keep a huge tub of bread dough in the back of the fridge at all times so i can just make bread whenever, it is actually the laziest bread in the fucking world

and yes, before you ask, i did buy one of every flavor of the mystery flavored peeps. i also still haven’t put any pants on. at this point i went to set a timer for the yogurt and realized that i had never actually set a timer for a half hour, and had no idea when the ice cream was supposed to be done. i would just have to eyeball it and hope for the best.

slightly more like ice cream, but still not ice cream

this is what it looks like outside and i’m making ice cream, what am i even doing.

that seems… doneish? at this point it was like, noon, exactly, which would maybe explain why i didn’t set a timer, because maybe i thought i could just remember that it was supposed to be done at noon. i don’t know why i thought that. i have been dealing with myself for 27 years so you’d think i’d know better.

THIS FUCKING THING is a straight bitch and a half to get all the ice cream off of and i was determined not to waste any so this was the point where i just started licking it. and like. HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT. IT’S SO GOOD. i tried to take a selfie of the look of awe and wonder on my face but at this point i had bedhead and no pants and my face was covered in white vanilla cream so i think you can understand why i deleted that posthaste.

it came with a tub to keep the ice cream in, so, that was nice.

FINAL VERDICT: it works. but i’m pretty sure you can get dedicated ice cream makers for cheaper than this thing and they wouldn’t take up much more room than this bigass bowl. but if you’re determined to maximize the value of your colossal fucking kitchen appliance then this is a good use of a kitchenaid.

NOW FOR THE JUICER

“kitty that sure does look like a lot of fiddly bullshit to attach to a kitchenaid” haha you are CORRECT. note the helpfully provided toothbrush to help you clean this thing. but WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE HOW IT GOES ON

THIS IS THE LEAST STABLE LOOKING THING IN THE WORLD. it’s fine, but, jesus christ. this looks so unsafe. somehow they’ve found a way to make a kitchenaid take up even more goddamn counter space. as long as i’m bitching, i fucking hate juice recipes. they’re all like ‘four stalks of celery’ but like that’s not a fucking measurement?? what size celery are you using??? i guaran-fucking-tee it’s smaller than the celery i’m using because there’s no goddamn way you want four of these.

i barely even want one of these. i’m only using this because i bought this big fucking bag of celery and now i need to get rid of it. what is even the point of having celery in this? it doesn’t have vital nutrients. it’s just water with regrets. don’t juice celery.

they say you don’t have to peel the ginger or the carrots but unpeeled carrots make the worst juice in the world and i don’t want to risk drinking ginger skin. have you seen ginger skin. it’s gross. i also core all my apples even though i shouldn’t need to because i’m convinced i’ll drink apple seed juice and get cyanide poisoning somehow. anyway i’m sure there’s a way to peel a lemon without wasting all the lemon juice but i haven’t found it.

that looks like the world’s worst salad. you have to carefully position the pitcher and the pulp thing or you’re going to have a lot of problems.

starting off with carrots was actually a terrible goddamn plan because that would be one hell of a way to find out i positioned my pitchers wrong. ‘whoops, now my counters are ruined forever because carrot juice will stain everything you love’. incidentally the little thing that holds the beater/whisk/whatever just kind of spins wildly for as long as you’re juicing. it’s deeply unsettling.

this is… okay, i will be the first to admit that this does not look great. i used the low pulp filter but there is still a significant amount of pulp. but once i run it through another filter and mix it all up…

… it actually looks worse. okay so i just kind of made up a recipe because i figured, like, carrots are good and blueberries are good and kale exists, but now i realize why i couldn’t find any carroty blueberry-y recipes. it’s because it looks like shit. now i understand why people color-coordinate their veggies. i drank it and it actually tastes… like a lot of ginger. i put too much ginger. my sinuses have never been so clear. but now the best part: CLEANUP

that sure is a whole lot of shit i get to clean, now. there was basically an entire cucumber in there, which plus the pulp and the peels and everything is a whole lotta trash. i’m giving it to mom’s chickens so it’s not a complete waste but good god.

FINAL VERDICT: i like being able to pretend that my kitchenaid is for anything besides making me fatter but this is not a good juicer. it somehow takes up more room than a normal juicer, it’s horrible to clean, and it’s not even cheap. it’s better than no juicer, and if someone offers you this juicer then you might as well take it, but like if you have options, this is not the one to go for.

unrelated to the kitchenaid, the bread turned out great. i had it with some creamed honey i bought from the muffler shop in town that a beekeeper owns, and some cherry jam. it made me feel really healthy and wholesome about eating what was basically a hunk of carbs covered in sugar.

#Anonymous #original #food #foodblogging

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lavelle1shiela-blog · 6 years

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Deer Hunting With A .357 Magnum Rifle

It's a myth that deer know what is healthy for them. Like kids they eat what's convenient and tastes high-quality. Deer who fill via this takeaway food at probably the most effective least to be able to get a balanced diet and again the immune system weakens. And if they wander off and die from the feed who knows or loves you? What about carrots, sugar beets, pumpkins and companies? They are natural feeds and need to be safe right? Well even though deer by nature may congregate at apples under a wild tree, possibly someone's orchard, the bounty is temporary and cleaned up quickly. The deer scatter again in the near future and make contact with their natural feedstuffs. And carrots, sugar beets and pumpkins really aren't foods deer see in a planet. Because these crops instances are grown using pesticides, pesticide residue is ingested via deer, often over extended periods of time. This hopefully will lower reproductive ability, or even kill a few, ending up with fewer deer. The response to the question of how to get rid of puffy eyes sometimes lie in anchored most house hold want. For example, putting two sliced cucumbers over eyelids for no less than 10 minutes every day can reduce dark circles to home made deer feeders a good quality extent. Just lie recorded on best gravity deer feeders , put the sliced at your eyelids and relax for the following few minutes to have eyes that are free any specific puffiness or swelling! I know, it's all a propaganda program portion of the cave people. Draw only best time of day to hunt deer and generations to come will think we had the means to their obese society. Or they were so not including paints may drew thin people due to the fact saves on paint! Somehow, I believe so. Here the vegetation is spread in every single of that's of the park. Place spot here the herds of deer feeding tips on the grasses in the forest. http://shanika81justine.webgarden.at/kategorien/shanika81justine-s-blog/hunting-changes-set-for-fall is possible to see involving animals here like leopards, Sloth Beers, Barking Deer, Sambhar, Hog Deer, Macaques, tigers in addition to. Do not miss possibility of to take pleasure in company of the following animals by booking your holiday with Manas Honeymoon Programming. You can also spot Black Panthers, Rhinos and elephants above. The Chef is Serge. He's from Russia. Ben has becoming completely known for his excellent food. His Sunday specials are gourmet. You can have a Three egg Crab Omelette with Avocado and Jack Cheese in a Hollandaise Sauce or try his outrageous Stuffed Coconut French Toast with Cherry Crunch Jam. Even his Grits are a taste treat. On a down home SOuthern feel try the biscuits and gravy. Hubby is particularly fond on the Gourmet Breakfast Wraps.One particularly funny breakfast is called "Atkins It's Not" featuring French Toast, pancakes, two eggs, bacon, sausage or ham and home fries or grits. My husband is so fond in the Red Fox he eats breakfast there every morning before in order to work and we're back there from the week terminates. Chocolate is poison to a lot of pets; thank god all most popular versions for folks! And as has been said; salt or anything really salty because salt can poison small pet animals.

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babesboatsandbivalves · 6 years

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Boat Life Lessons: Vol 1

First of all, I need to disclaim this entire blog as anything remotely close to a source of expert advice or opinion. It is not. For those of you with any experience with boats/sailing, please humor my ineptitude and laugh with me as I learn by doing. Writing things down helps me to remember, and my goal is to share with you in a way that's not technical, mostly topical, and at best, might make you smile the next time you find yourself in similar straits.

So now, I trust I will make at least one person #facepalm reading this list of 5 Things I've Learned Since Moving onto a Sea Cadillac with a Stranger Last Saturday (11/11).

Please let me know if you're that person.

5 Things I've Learned Since Moving into a Sea Cadillac with a Stranger Last Saturday

Said stranger seems to be (so far) a laid-back, kind, experienced captain... thank you universe

The day you think you'll leave port is not going to be the day you actually leave port

The importance (and volatility) of wind maps

The Boatyard has better oysters than McGarvey's

Do not flush tampons down the boat toilet

1. Said stranger seems to be (so far) a laid-back, kind, experienced captain... thank you universe

There are a hundred really good reasons not to fly across the country to meet a complete stranger you found on a Crew Finder forum on Facebook, or to move onto a sailboat with that stranger after a handful of phone calls to sail said boat across the Atlantic... especially when your sailing experience is 100% limited to Lake Travis in landlocked Austin, Texas.

So arguably the most important thing I learned this week is that Ben-- Captain Ben, formally-- is a kind, rad person; someone I already call friend.

Over beers and oysters and milling around in a boat together for a week in Annapolis, here’s what I can surmise so far (Ben, thank you for humoring me):

Ben grew up on a surfboard in Cape Town. He got started sailing ~12 years ago delivering boats around the South African horn, and has since racked up 160,000+ nautical miles at sea delivering, chartering, and racing boats around the Atlantic and Indian oceans. No big deal.

Through his job-- delivering boats around the Caribbean and beyond-- he's no stranger to skippering with novice crew. Even more, his crowd-sourced crew come from various walks of life: 52-year old ladies seeking adventure; 19-year-old boys seeking the same; military retirees, vagabonding couples, soul-searching singles... a revolving door of characters with whom he’s had to share limited space. So it's no small wonder that a marina regular described him to me as “a cross between Jesus and Captain Ron, yannoe?“.

Ben has dreams of buying his own boat, and making his way through Panama to the Pacific in the foreseeable future. His favorite show is Food, Booze and Tattoos on Netflix, because it reminds him of home. He spends about 1/4 of any sentence speaking in onomatopoeias ("we were trying to get there quick, right? Like tchk-tchk-tchk")... which he attributes in part to growing up near cultures where whistles and clicks are the language itself.

Other confidence-boosting details, Mom:

His first priority is safety. "We're not going out into fuck-all weather just to make dates work."

His #1 Rule: Don't fall off the boat.

We've had candid conversations about hard things: respect, trust, setting expectations, how we communicate/take feedback, personal space. Critical when your home is sub-300 sq ft.

This gig includes a lot of alone time at sea as we swap between watches. So it's been cool to be able to get to know each other before taking to the water... but for Ben, planning for a few days to acclimate/evaluate each other is just best practice; an MO that's helped him avoid some otherwise sketchy crew.

So, so far so good. Taking everything a day at a time. Especially because:

2. The day you think you'll leave port is not going to be the day you actually leave port.

It's only the second time this has happened to me personally, but the pattern seems apt (the first was when an imminent squall postponed our boat voyage from Whittier, AK to the oyster farm by a week). Now on this exceptionally gusty Sunday in Annapolis, we should have left 4 days ago.

But the more reliant you are on a boat, the more bound to favorable conditions your plans must become. Favorable conditions that must come into magical alignment include:

Legal conditions: For us, this means the owner of the boat closes on the boat, finalizes paperwork, makes sure that all the toys, bells and whistles are aboard

Mechanical/electrical conditions: We're prepping a brand new boat for it's maiden voyage. So making sure before we're out there in the middle of endless blue for the first time that the boat itself works and functions as it's been sold to.

Wind/weather conditions: Perhaps the most obvious, but also the most important. Favorable in our case means the wind itself is not going to be gusting at 40+ knots (like it is today), completely against you, or at least "off the beam", meaning the wind is at least coming at an angle that isn't diametrically opposite your heading (stay tuned for edits/corrections).

Our situation has been such that the most favorable few days of wind (that would have sent us safely cruising south through the open Atlantic) occurred while awaiting the first two conditions to be met. So although I arrived a week ago, only two days ago did the legal stuff get sorted, and only yesterday did we realize the port thruster wasn't working... yay new boats!!!

Today, Sunday 11/19 it looks like we won't be setting off 'til tomorrow, the 20th, when weather finally looks agreeable enough to scoot down the Chesapeake, then hug the eastern seaboard to the Carolinas. We'll wait out some ugly bouts of low pressure, and then set off south toward Grenada.

But again. One day at a time.

Looking at the weather charts, it looks like it's going to be a hell of a ride down...

3. Always do your research before you leave port... and do it often

On the boat, Ben checks the wind forecast every few hours on his iPad the same way that some people check Facebook. He's looking for critical changes in forecasts that dictate how and when we'll leave. But with everything being up in the air (lol)/anyone's guess, there are several apps in particular that he trolls regularly throughout:

Navionics - for plotting a course, navigating underwater channels and routes

PocketGRIB - for forecasting areas of Low and High pressure, wind, precipitation, etc.

WindFinder - another wind forecasting tool, different datasets

PredictWind Offshore - another wind forecasting tool, but my favorite... because color

I asked him to explain Sunday's PocketGRIB predictions along the route:

youtube

And another video of Ben purely to showcase him saying ‘Bahamamamas’:

youtube

4. The Boatyard has better oysters than McGarvey's

In the 5 days of prep and idle time here in Annapolis, Ben and I may have eaten somewhere in the ballpark of 40-45 oysters between these two Happy Hour hideouts... for about $40-45.

McGarvey's (James River oysters, wild) - These wild harvested oysters are toothy to bite but almost bland, and definitely not briny (because a river, perhaps?)... their shallow, round shells don't retain their liquor well once opened, so eat hastily lest they get too dry as you admire them. Found a good few anemones still attached to the shells, a testament to their natural habitat of the shallow, brackish river estuary. (That said, below is a picture of the... third... time we got oysters from McGarvey’s. This time, Ben ordered 2 doz to go, still in shells. And then magic

Boatyard (Chesapeake Bay oysters) - Also wild caught oysters, but the taste and presentation overall wins me over (I am a shucker, after all...) Clean cuts, light brine (further out into open salt water), and lots of liquor. These oysters tasted like kissing the Chesapeake itself. And the cucumber mignonette!!!!!

And last but not first:

5. Do not flush tampons down the boat toilet.

I repeat: do not flush tampons down the toilet. FYI, a boat toilet is called the 'head', so do not flush tampons down the head. So now you know. Just don't do it. Because then, you'd have to have that awkward conversation with the boat captain, whom you just met, at 9 in the morning over coffee, that not only are you on your period, but that your Shark Week weapon of choice is now jamming the brand new $800k cruising yacht's toilet macerator. And you've been here 1 day.

Luckily, this is not his (Ben, the captain's) first rodeo. On our way back to the boat, we pass a dock-neighbor who's getting rid of some coat hangers. Ben suggests using one to make a hook of sorts, and 5 minutes of fishing later, I triumphantly retrieve a *thankfully* white wad of cotton from the depths. At that moment I'm caught in a strange mix of feeling fucking awesome and fucking disgusting as I realize I now need to disinfect EVERYTHING around me in this tiny fiberglass bathroom.

And that's just Day 1.

Honestly, that should be the case for every toilet I KNOW. I KNOW. Never again.

Fuck tampons anyway (this girl gets it)

#Dufour460 #yachtdelivery #caribbean #Annapolis #sailboat #womenwhosail

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alexydury · 7 years

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London Marathon

Sunday 23rd April 2017 I was definitely ready for the morning of the 23rd April….. It had been a long time coming! I had entered the ballot for the London Marathon back in 2015 after my last London Marathon as I was still buzzing and had the post-marathon blues! Therefore, I was really surprised to be offered a place as there wasn't many people that I knew who actually got a place in the London Marathon for 2016. I still remember getting that magazine through the post - I jumped about and suddenly collapsed in my chair thinking ‘Shit! I’ve got all that hard training to do all over again!’ Unfortunately, I’ve still been struggling with repeated chest infections and coughs for a long time now. The doctors are still exploring and trying to find a diagnosis, which is a painfully slow process. Just 3 weeks before the London Marathon, I was hoping to do the White Horse half marathon for the last time before tapering down my runs. I ended up with my third chest infection for 2017 - absolutely crazy! I then had a week in Gran Canaria with my family and was disappointed not to be able to run while I was there. In the run up to the big day, I was fully focused and beginning to build up my mental strength of wanting to run constantly up to 20 miles and then to see how I got on from there. I didn't have as high expectations as I did for my first LM where I was dreaming of all the times I was going to get! Prior to the race, arrived at the Expo at the EXcel Centre to collect my running bib number and to explore the exhibitions and the different types of photo booths that were everywhere! I avoided the ones with long queues as I felt that I needed a good rest, especially the day before the LM. The last time I went there to collect my bib, I stayed there for about 4 hours with Steven and LJ and my feet were hurting with nowhere to sit! I didn't want to do that again! I bumped into 2 different deaf groups - one outside the Expo Hall and the other inside. It was lovely to chat with both groups of people. 3 of the deaf runners were so excited about the Expo, telling me what they had spent whilst in there! haha! The other group that I saw were not LM runners but had completed it in the past and just wanted to explore and enjoy the atmosphere. After a busy and tiring day at the EXcel, we were fortunate that my friend whom I was staying with overnight was in the neighbourhood, so after couple of stops on the overground train she came and drove us home passing the Isle of Dogs. This gave us a chance to see part of the LM route in preparation for the next day! My friend also helped out with volunteering to take all of the runners baggage to the lorries at the start of the LM early next morning. I didn't bother bringing any friends to the start of the race this time, knowing that they cant get across the boundary as security is much tighter now. On the day, I met up with two other deaf runners, Michele and Rebecca and we quickly queued for the last toilet stop before the start line. Unfortunately, we eventually realised that we were queuing for the urinals where you were given a “shewee” device to use for going to the toilet! However, one of the runners I was with needed a number 2! So, we dashed off to the portaloos to queue again! In the first queue for nothing! Luckily, the portaloos were mostly empty as people had already moved to the starting line. After the queue for the loo we were practically at the back of wave 9. I wasn't too worried about being at the back, but I could see that one of the other runners was nervous. She was probably just really itching to get running and start the race! I felt as cool as a cucumber and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere. We finally ran over the starting line 20 minutes after the gunned fired. I looked over to the left after the start line and saw Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate there waving at us. I told the other runners to look over but a bunch of runners pushed us along the way. It was too hard to go back and it would be rather silly if we stopped immediately after the start! One of the runners, Michele eventually zoomed off running by herself - I was expecting that. She always was a serious runner. I ran with her before at the Bristol to Bath marathon and so knew what to expect. So i enjoyed running wth Rebecca, who wanted to take it easy and save energy for later on in the race. With my chest issue, I felt that it was wise to stay with her - a bit slower than my usual pace but I needed to save my energy for the last half! Rebecca was always behind me and I looked over my shoulder and slowed down a bit to wait. I was constantly looking out for deaf supporters around the 5-6 miles markers but couldn't find them! When I run, I am always at my worst for the first first 5 miles, so looking at the spectators helped keep me distracted. We eventually found Rebecca’s husband after passing the beautiful Cutty Sark (awesome to run round it!) I then waited for Rebecca to catch up and told her to look out for her husband and friends. Rebecca perked up at this point!. Knowing that I would be seeing Steven at the Buxton water memory lane (I won a competition beforehand) was great. Buxton Water selected 150 runners to run with a loved one in a special 80 metre lane and I was looking forward to it. I knew it was 12ish miles before Tower Bridge but it seems to take forever to get there. I was very emotional at this point and desperate to see Steven for a hug and to thank him for being there for me on the day! Before the Buxton Water memory lane I remembered a special place on the route where I spotted my daughter LilyJane holding blue balloons at that very spot 2 years ago. This brought me to tears thinking of LilyJane! I was wearing one of her hair slides - something borrowed! As well as my heavy silver necklace which is a continuous reminder of my father - He had the best seat in the house, up above watching over me…. I know he probably thinks I’m crazy but he was always proud of me whatever I did! Finally, I reached the Buxton lane for the selected 150 runners! One of the volunteers from Buxton did not realise that I was one of their runners….it was hard to talk to them to explain, especially when I was out of breath which was so annoying! Steven came out of the crowd and told the lady that we were due to run the Buxton lane together! I wasn't sure if the volunteers were prepared for me nor the speaker with microphone. Steven and myself just carried on and ran through the lane - not knowing what the speaker said or anything. I didn't see any cameraman on the day and I still haven't heard anything from them! They probably didn't film or took any photographs - rather disappointing! (Got only 4 photos 5 weeks after the LM!) At least Steven ran a bit of the London Marathon without really realising it! After a lovely hug, I joined the other runners back into the London marathon. My favourite part was running over London Bridge and then knowing that I had to run the worst part of the LM, which was through the Isle of Dogs. I managed to run 16 miles before slowing down a bit. Before reaching the 16 miles marker, I spotted Michelle’s husband, Rebecca’s husband along with Nathan and Alistair Smith all in one place! I think they were at 13-14 miles. It was really nice to see familiar faces! I remembered seeing the same place where I stopped to change plasters on my blistered toes 2 years ago! My toes were okay at that point - but my chest was hurting and I felt a little nauseous and numb so I started walking. I took some painkillers and carried on walking trying to remain cool and calm myself down to get rid of the sickness feeling. I then walked for 3 miles soaking up the atmosphere. It felt a bit like I was sightseeing at his point, watching the spectators and looking at the variety of buildings, pubs, landmarks etc. I then started to feel better after 3 miles of walking, and ran a bit here and there after this. I don't know why, but I really enjoyed running under the long flyover through the tunnel! The other runners around me started to change their running behaviour too and practically everyone around was walking, or stopping to stretch. That tunnel felt like a proper runners haven! We all picked up and ran again after the the long tunnel. The worst part of the LM was behind us and I started to feel sorry for all of the runners passing us who were yet to go through the worst part! There was also a strange part of the LM where we had to run a bit on the dual carriageway and then back again along the same route!! I remember thinking… surly they could have found a better part of London to run along??!! Then, out of the blue I spotted my friends Jane Newman and her sister Joanne so I stopped for a bit of a chat and for some much needed hugs. This little stop seemed to give me a renewed sense of energy and motivation! Thank you Jane for the lovely support on the night before and for everything! later on, I was surprised to see Steven again after another small tunnel onto the Embankment where we could see the London Eye! Wendy Scott and her boyfriend Antino were there with him. My feet were staring to hurt around this point, my chest was manageable but I had zero energy left. I didn't want to take any more gels as I was worried getting sick again! So I decided to alternate between my Lucozade sport drink and water after the nausea. Again, I started to feel more motivated to continue running for the last 4-5 miles after meeting Steven and co. I would have tried to run more but it was so hard to run with no energy! It was a case of walk and run, walk and run along the Embankment. I loved the part where I passed the HeadsTogether supporters along the way! There were so many of them at different parts of the race cheering us on…. It really helped! Every time I saw them I picked up my pace as I ran passed them! I then came closer and closer towards Big Ben, knowing I was near to the finishing line. At this point I tried to look for the NDCS supporter post opposite Big Ben to see if I knew anyone there. And at the same time, remembering a bunch of my friends were there waiting for me so I gave each of them a big hug as they urged me to carry on running. That moment is something that I will treasure for the rest of my life, such a special time. Luckily someone filmed me at that part of the race (you can find it somewhere on my blog!). From that point onwards, it took longer to finish than I thought it would! Time seemed to drag on and on for a while before I reached Buckingham Palace where I know then that the finishing line was round the corner! I was then overwhelmed with emotions, and I don't know how I managed it, but I picked up my pace towards the end and put my hands up high as I went over the finish line! I was thinking ‘Thank you….. It is all over now’ I can move on with life and do different things! After crossing the line, I picked up a lovely heavy medal to add to my medal collection! Shortly afterwards I picked up my bag and goody bag and was off to the exit to the Royal Society where Heads Together had a reception area with a free massage and some food. Steven met me on the stairs by the news stand and we hugged with a mass of relief. A man suddenly came over and started talking to us outside the Royal Society. At first we thought he was just being friendly, then we realised that we actually did know him but were not sure as to where from. He then mentioned the ThunderRun 24 and Steven and I looked at each other as it clicked into place! It was amazing to see him again after 2 years and the fact that he recognised us was amazing! His name was also Steve he was one of the runners who won a magazine competition to be part of ThunderRun 24 and he reminded us that he was one of those people who slept in the car not in a tent! Anyway, I booked in for a massage and got myself some free pasta and drinks. It wasn't much really but I need food in my tummy. I was really happy that Steven was with me - it was really special and he enjoyed it much more this time round! (You will have to ask him why!) I had a lovely leg massage as I braced myself with the thought of walking all the way to the underground and up the stairs. I just had to grin and bear it as I walked through Green park to the pub where Oliver Westbury’s private party was to celebrate his 26 marathons. We then discovered that we had just missed him by half an hour! I wasn't surprised haha. He had been there for several hours as he finished much earlier than me! It was then time to go home, so Steven took me back to Harpenden from Kings Cross using the tube. There was a bit of a walk here and there and then I plopped myself into his van. I had to tell him to slow down a bit as he drove a bit rough round the roundabouts especially at MK on the way home. We had to hurry back for LilyJane, my big baby, who had made banners and put them on the front door as a welcome home! I’d like to say a massive Thank you for all the support and fundraising that I have received. I have managed to raise £300 even though I did this fairly last minute when I had actually registered with Heads Together before Christmas. Looking at Heads Together Facebook, I realised that a lot of the other Heads Together runners had a great deal of support from the HT team. Maybe this was because they could hear the loudspeaker and knew where to go etc. Unfortunately, I missed out on some of the best bits, such as meeting some members of the Royal family. I would love to have done that…. never mind. At least it is all finished now and I can move on to other challenges. I will need some time for my toes to heal as they are all blistered up, but not as bad as they were 2 years ago as I didn't run a 20 miler one month before the marathon this time, which I think helped with my feet. I still lost one toe nail this time, but better than losing 4 like I did on the last marathon! I really need to get my health sorted out once and for all! Thank you for reading this :)

#teamheadstogether #headstogether #londonmarathon

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