A Christmas Marathon

Yesterday was a happy day; for the first time I ran sub 5 hours. It was a 4am start, so I was back in the hotel before breakfast finished!

Chiang Mai was fantastic. I'm now on my way to Melbourne to have a MERRY time.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!!!

The holidays are here!!!

I've been sick for over a week, I've been fighting it with vitamin C and powders and tablets. Everyone is sick, but we are all determined to be involved with everything Christmassy that is on offer. School is very anti-Christmas. The word is not uttered, parties do not happen, special winter crafts are not done...or done in secret behind a closed door! Many Kuwaitis put up a tree in there homes and gives gifts...but at school we are supposed to follow the curriculum to that final bell. We ho and hum, but we made it...the holidays have arrived.

As an international teacher the Christmas holidays are my favourite. All the excitement of holidays away but with none of the wretched goodbyes. Just lots of love and hugs and 'can't wait to hear about it in January'.

Today I started packing- sundresses, bikinis and Christmas goodies for Kerry. I'm so excited about my trip to Melbourne that they are overriding my nerves for the marathon in Thailand.

I hate this part of the marathon training though...the waiting...the trusting the plan...the 'not eating too much' (hahaha) and resting part. It makes me feel unfit and unprepared.

But enough of that-the holidays are here and I'm so happy about that.

Go for a wee run on the 22nd ( or 21st night) and send me good vibes please!

I'm out of here!!!!!

If I don't check in before the big day, Merry Christmas!!!

Memories of a mini-break

I'm back in the sandpit.

The Dreamliner, with its fancy gadgets and wireless Internet, got me back safely.

I wrote a little while I was away. After I hugged my friends goodbye and had time in the city by myself, I jotted down lines as I sat outside, drinking beer and people watching.

But now that I am back in Kuwait, reestablishing my routine, the words I scribbled down all seem trivial and rather pompous. (Having been reminded that actually, a person or two read my random thoughts and misadventures, and sometimes my drivel needs to be edited before it reaches the computer screen.) The words on that notepad don't matter anyway, they aren't the things I remember from my mini break in Munich (the beer has a lot to do with that), but the memories of good times with great friends are what last and what I will treasure. Them cheering me on during my race. Handing me a pretzel and a beer after I crossed the finish line. Us listening to Daft Punk recreated on a double bass and violin by Marienplatz and having a wee dance on the cobbled streets.

The three of us could have been anywhere at times. It didn't matter. Especially since we spoke a mixture of French and Spanish to the waitresses (when we weren't joking with them in English), forgetting where we were when we opened our mouths and not translating thoughts in time.
Munich just happened to be the backdrop of our weekend, beautiful as it was, it was more about the friends I was with.

It made me think about another trip to Europe sooner rather than later...



PS-The first photo is about 15km into the run. Look how excited I am to see my buddies! I think I cheered more than them! Scary!!

Munich half marathon

Yesterday I ran the Munich half marathon. It was a 2pm start, which I was not expecting and I had to think more about what I could do in the morning and what I should eat, but at least it gave the city more time to warm up...the sun even came out!

It was my 10th half marathon and one of the most enjoyable and picturesque routes I've ran. It also made a huge different having two of my favourite people cheering me along the route. They got to 4 different spots and gave me such a boost. I worked hard but enjoyed the run and my recovery has been very quick, which always makes me wonder if I pushed myself enough..? Nonetheless those beers afterwards went down very easily! (I was in bed by 9pm..!)
Today I'm eating and drinking my way round the city.

Munich half: 2h15min

Vancouver Island-Vancouver-Dublin

This seems like a l.o.n.g time ago already!

I'm back in Kuwait and back at work. All that green hurts my eyes now.  

The day was mostly spent hugging friends and talking about holidays. Occasionally showing lost newbies around and, for rather too long, listening to loud animated voices trying to motivate teachers by showing them photos of Mr. Bean and sporadically shouting out names to check that everyone was listening. All that was missing was the red nose and clown shoes, but it was all rather (I've spent a long time thinking about the next word- fun/good/nice/inspiring...) easy.

The Dog Days Are Over

There is nowhere more beautiful than home.

I am obviously a little biased in my thinking, but as I run along the back road over the rolling hills behind our house, I am always struck with how beautiful the view is. Or when I turn the corner just by the shops and the loch opens up in front of me, I think, why was it do hard to get out the door this morning in my trainers, look at this!

The mornings and the nights are generally the best time of day for clear skies and little rain. At night the sky is ever changing in colour, purples to pink, delighting those shepherds.
We don't often see clouds in Kuwait. The sky is just awash of yellowed grey. Grainy and hazy. It's hard to describe in words, I doubt many poets have tried.

I've had a quiet couple of days at home, doing those jobs that need doing; the dentist, the hygienist, the hairdresser (you would think I was off to the DRC rather than the sandpit), the last minute round of phone calls and final visits to my grandparents. I'm not a fan of this bit of the holidays. Knowing it is over so very soon. The bit where you start to actually think about the upcoming school year and think about all the things you could have/should have (nahhhhh, it's my holidays) done, the reading on mentoring NQTs or new BUILD initiatives (!!!). Oh well, too late anyway, try not to think about it. The bit when you realise that soon my time is not my own again.

I had a wee mini-break to Wales, nicely timed to get the most out of these last days. I stayed with lovely friends (my Lewa running buddy and her family)that I worked with in Nairobi. We didn't stop talking for two days as we connected all the parts of our lives together, making us, hopeless wanderers full in our hearts.

Then mum and I went on a shellfish cookery course at Nick Nairn's cook school, which was a fantastic end to the summer. I learnt a lot, but drank too much wine to remember what it was that I learnt. I'll have to just YouTube the next time I dispatch a lobster!

But now it really is time to start packing (I fly tonight!). It is easier returning back to work after 10 days rather than 8 weeks (HOW MANY!!??). I'm not sure I'm going to cope with it!

Enough of that, I'll be fine after a day back in the sandpit. I just need to take a big breathe and hope my bags are under the limit!

We're going on a bear hunt...

A highlight of my trip to Canada, was spending time with my friend Heather at her dad's cabin. The cabin is not reachable by car, so after a three hour ferry ride from Port Alberni, we kayaked for an hour and a half through open water to a small pass where half a dozen cabins were hidden. Seals and sea lions popped up to say hello and once we were in the pass we opened a can of beer to toast the god of good weather.

Heather's dad and family built their cabin. There is no mobile phone reception, sounds of passing cars or noisy neighbours; a few days there felt like a month long holiday- a true retreat. The water gently rocked the cabin like a cradle and we slept long and soundly, only waking early one morning to fish for salmon.

Every morning and evening we watched a bear nearby searching for food. We even were lucky (!) enough to see a mummy bear swim across the water to protect her two young cubs. (The fact that Heather and I were sitting in a row boat separating the bears was a bit nail biting-thankfully I had a glass of wine in my hand to calm my nerves!!) The light was not great, so my photos are memories of a wonderful experience rather than art for the wall.

I feel so lucky to have been shown this part of the great outdoors by Heather, it really was a 'Canadian' experience.

A postcard from BC, Canada.

Having an amazing time in BC. The weather has been fantastic since I arrived. I loved exploring Vancouver Island with my friend Heather- saw bears galore, bear cubs, a whale, seals, sea lions and caught my first salmon (I threw it back after a photo!)- a truly Canadian experience. My friends, Kari and Ed, got married and we celebrated for 3 days on a beautiful  acreage. I'm so pleased I was able to be there with them.

I'm now in Vancouver and making the most of my last week in Canada.

Wish you were here!

Lots of love

Robyn xx

3BT

Three beautiful things from my Sunday:

• A 14km run in the morning sunshine by the sparkling Gareloch. (The Dublin half is still going to be a challenge, but I'm just enjoying running at the moment and not thinking much about times or targets).
• Reading (and finishing) this beautiful love story in the garden.
• Watching and celebrating a Scot win Wimbledon! Get in Andy!!!

I'm now in full holiday mode...a bit of sunshine makes all the difference!

Holiday Snaps-The Maldives

More photos???

It is the start of a new week...and it's not every day you get to go to the Maldives.Just be thankful I don't make you sit through a home video!

Dinner

The glam speed-boat look

A roti making session

By now..if you are like my dad, you will have already started to look at your phone! So I'll stop there. Thanks for indulging me. No more, promise!