Juneathon Day 24: Ode to Sir Garmin

Juneathon, Day Twenty Four
Running mileage:Three.
I may have managed a little more
But had depended on technology
To let me know the miles, the speed
And, of course, the elevation
But my damned Garmin would not concede,
Much to my consternation.

We have a mixed relationship
Really, its a marriage from hell
I am his Lazy Ladyship
who never quite runs that well,
He’s happy to be seen on my arm, of course,
When we are out and about
But then, he swiftly loses his charm
When his battery soon wears out.

Or else he’ll start to bleep and bleep,
And when I tire of his teasin’
Suddenly, mid run, he’ll fall asleep
For no apparent reason.
Well its not my fault, how could it be?
Plainly Sir Garmin is to blame
I play my part, dont you see?
Now he should do the same.

I turn him on every day
like any good wifey would.
I cater for his energy needs
Whenever I’m in the mood.
Oh it’s hard to fulfil his electricity demands
He really is very greedy.
And I am the independent sort
Who detests a man so needy.

So maybe we’ve reached the end of the line
the end of the road, if you must.
It seems certain to be just a matter of time
Before our marriage turns to dust
So Sir Garmin, a chroí, wake yourself
Don’t be such a sleeper.
Or soon I’ll be off out that door
With your rival, Mrs. Runkeeper.

Juneathon Day 24: Mileage Threeish

Total Juneathon Mileage: 63.24ish miles.

Juneathon Ketchup

Juneathon Day 21:

A midsummer’s park run. Yep, did it. Didn’t cover myself in glory. But, as it was a new park run course for me, naturally, I got a PB!

And, since I hadn’t competed in a while, I also experienced the sensation of actual running. I’ve been indulging in far too much jogging/shuffling lately.

Juneathon Day 22

Sunday and it’s supposed to be Long Slow Run day. Unfortunately, that clashed with Long Slow Hot day. And, while I scoffed at those lazy strollers licking ice-cream, two miles in I was reaching melt-down point. By three miles, I had thrown in the towel. And bagged me a ninety nine too. Ninety-nine ice-cream, that is. Not miles.

Juneathon Day 23

I had to sweet talk myself into running today. Isn’t that ridiculous? The very thing I know is essential for my body and mind, the very thing that underpins all my zest for life and I’ve to go persuade myself-like a mother cajoling her wayward toddler to leave the toyshop-that yes, you have to go and no, it doesn’t matter about the speed or distance, just get your runners on and get out that door rightaway and stop your nonsense.

Of course I enjoyed it. Actually, I trotted along by the river and made a point of taking everything in.

Highpoints?

  • Fat lilies punching up through the still canal waters, fists of yellow petals on thick stems.
  • A Mama duck with her troupe of six ducklings. No Dada about. I’m guessing he’s holed up in the Duck Inn with a pint.
  • Another ‘new’ plant poking up among the reeds. It’s pinkish red and tall. Gotta get back there with my camera.

Lowpoints:

  • A couple(human) striding along by the river and not speaking. At all. I met them on the return trip and yes, same story: glowering faces.
  • The dumb dog on the dumb long lead with the dumb owner.
  • A man running towards me with no bra. No, it’s not an essential piece of kit for a guy. But it would have helped this fellow.

Juneathon Mileage:63.24 miles

A Taste of Dublin

I have been having too much fun.

Friday night was bookclub night. It featured strongly of delicious food, great company and Prosecco. I should say literature too, but that wouldn’t be true.

Yes, I managed to squeeze in a three mile run before that. Enough to offset the damage from all those Prosecco bubbles maybe, but maybe not the calorific magnificence of blueberry cheesecake and tiramisu. Sometimes I am more pig than hen.

And the fun rolled on…

Taste opening scene

Yesterday I rambled off into the Taste of Dublin in the city’s delightful Iveagh Gardens.

Twenty five euro(or 17.50 online) gains you entry into this beautiful tented village. Each tent features tasting menus from restaurants all over the city and the idea is that you can sample food from each in exchange for the village currency, florins.

Florin

One florin=one euro. Got it?

Banking

And there’s the florin bank where you can exchange your hard-won cash for these, well, vouchers. They’re non-refundable by the way, so you’ll have to spend them all in the village. Hmmmm, I am not a big fan of vouchers but at least there are ample opportunities to rid yourself of them…

 

…if you like queues…

Queue

…or Prosecco

So Prosecco

Fortunately, I am more fond of the latter so I soon settled in with a glass or two and a little nibble of, well, I am not sure what…
Prosecco

As this was the last morsel of food it that particular stand, I reluctantly shared it with my pal. Fortunately I managed to resist the urge to eat the bamboo container and, critically, managed to keep the Prosecco all to myself.

It seemed that food was going to be a tad thin on the ground at Taste if we were to take the non-queuing, Prosecco drinking route. We were not alone, however, as lots of other people were laying around enjoying a few drinks and savouring the muggy June heat.

Beer garden

I had expected more of a Bloom type food hall experience. I had a wonderful time at last year’s Bloom festival wandering from stand to stand and getting a real sense of how much Irish food produce there is out there. Silver Hill duck, Rudd’s puddings, Sheridan’s cheese, Danuta chocolates, Clarke’s strawberries, Big Al’s burgers, all featured at Bloom but my experience was nothing like that at Taste. Just queues for the better known restaurants, and teeny tiny morsels of pretty stuff.

Salmon and Mousse

Crowd

Apart from the queues, the whole thing was very well run. And the pretty, girly theme abounded.

Pretty 3

Pretty 2

Confections

Pretty 4

 

Pretty

Everything was kept pretty and clean by a super efficient team of college students who bustled about as waiters, guides, janitors and general helpers.

Indeed, most of it seemed to be well run, including, from what I could see of it, the business side of things. There were certainly a lot of sponsors represented in this year’s show. With ticket prices on the steep side and not guaranteeing a taste of anything much, someone, somewhere was happily totting up the cash.

We pooled the last of our florins and joined a queue for very decent cappuchino and very very dry cake…

Cappuchino and Cake

…Before abandoning Taste altogether and running around the city for a proper, non pretty but filling dinner.

Sufficiently fuelled, I enjoyed great music on Grafton Street…

Buskers Grafton St

 

a four mile city ramble…

Liffey

..and a long slow run this morning, as my penance for all that fun.

Juneathon Day 13: Three miles
Juneathon Day 14: Four miles(city strolling)
Juneathon Day 15: Seven mile long slow run.
Juneathon Total:52.14 miles

 

Juneathon Day 11: Cake and Run

Apple and Apricot Cake

Another day, another run and…
… another cake.

This time it’s American Apple and Apricot cake. Or it would be, if I had any apricots left in the Chook House.

Instead, I had to make do with sultanas. Still, it’s a truly delicious and simple cake from my favourite cookbook Mary Berry’s “Baking Bible”. And yet, it looks good enough to serve as a special dessert warm from the oven and with a little whipped cream on the side.

The teens didn’t wait about for the whipped cream, however. Instead, the cake was swiftly demolished in a cut and run approach. I have to confess to being part of that attack myself. And hmmm, I enjoyed every bite.

Here’s hoping I worked off all that damage with my three mile trot this evening.

Mary Berry’s American Apple and Apricot Cake

250g (9oz) self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
225g(8oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
150g(5oz) butter, melted
1/2 tsp almond extract
225g(8oz) cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced thickly
100g(4oz) dried apricots, snipped into pieces( I used sultantas instead)
25g(1oz) flaked almonds –

1.Pre-heat the oven at 160c / fan 140c / gas 3
2.Grease a 20cm(8inch) round loose bottomed cake tin and line with baking parchment
3.Measure the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, almond extract and melted butter into a large bowl. Mix well to combine then beat for 1 minute. Add the apples and apricots to the bowl and gently mix with a spoon
4.Spoon the mix into the prepared tin, gently level the surface and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Bake for 1-1.5 hour, until the cake is golden and firm to the touch
5.Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out, peel of the parchment and put on a plate to serve.

Juneathon Day Ten: 3.00 miles
Juneathon Mileage 38.14 miles