I kicked my speaker

Ouch

Nice to see that London Lite has it's priorities straight.

Apparently a drunk hoff equals 2 kids getting shot

One week to go...

Feeling the burn.

Paper cuts

As a psychology graduate, I naturally have a healthy disregard for horoscopes. However, I do still read them, mainly to see if there’s an implication I might pull in the near future. According to this morning’s Metro, whilst I am going to be on fire tomorrow at Cargo for Im’s birthday party, today I should "stick to doing the filing".

Who am I to argue with a higher celestial being?

The nights are drawing in.....

There’s only one thing more frustrating than getting locked in the park after a run.

Getting locked in the park when you can see your flat on the other side of the gate. And you live on the opposite side to the only available exit.

The Guns of Brixton

Raced home from work last night to squeeze my run in before dark. Got the tube home, then jumped on the bus outside Woolies to save me having to walk, and got stuck at the traffic lights for ages as loads of sirens wailed past. "What a gwan?" I aksed myself (cos I is from Sarf Lahdan, innit?). As we edged across the junction of Acre Lane and Coldharbour Lane, the number of ambulances and paddy ...

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Jirting

There were three things that happened to me in the last few days, which I would not have imagined just a few short months ago:

1) Last night I was a bit late to meet everyone before Im’s birthday. As I neared the bus stop the 37 (notoriously unreliable bus) was just pulling away. Ordinarily, this would be an excuse for a swear word and a fag, but on this occasion I decided to run after it…. Must ...

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Inner ear infection?

I think the wonky floors in my flat are beginning to mess with my head. Am sat at my desk at work and feel like I’m facing down a slope… Very weird. Mind you, this building was obviously built by the same guys as my flat, so it may be real.

Centurion

This is my 100th post on the blog... I was going to try and say something momentous, but words fail me. Thank you all for your support so far, and hope you can all make it on Sunday week to watch me hobble past.

I've been wondering whether to continue posting after the event - I'd like to but unsure of content. There were machinations in the pub last night as to the next 'project' but I am sworn ...

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Training update

My knees hurt. Lots. I think it’s because my legs are so spindly that they can’t support my body weight, despite the fact I only weigh 11 stone.
Was at another office in Chatham for the day yesterday. Felt like I was retracing the steps of a Stuart king as I travelled back to Londinium via Rochester (and Argos Extra) in my Chevrolet. Which sounds like a good car but as Colin pointed out, it’s ...

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Mo money

Thanks to Lindsey for another whopping 15 quid! Time is drawing short now my friends, with a mere week and a half to go until the big day... I am currently on hold to UK Online trying to transfer my feckin broadband, so I can get all your tributes written before the bloody race!

Who needs pickfords

Thanks guys, you are legends. I don't deserve you

New flat

Same old priorities

Getting old

I remember not so long ago I was working in a contact centre for Lloyds TSB in Glasgow. Every time we had a dress down day, there I was in my Bench combats with my trendy t-shirt and trainers, every inch the wannabe cutting edge urban clubber I believed I was. I remember looking at the late-twentysomethings with a mixture of disdain and pity as they rocked up in their sensible atire.

It's dress down day today at work. As I sit here in my navy jeans and plain hooded top, I can't help but weep silently for my lost youth.

Excuses

sure enough, two weeks to go and Craig has started to bottle it. His latest blog entry implies a potential broken toe...

I have a potentially dislocated knee, but you don't hear me whinging, do you?

I'm not homeless any more!

Woohoo! All references are back and credit checking has gone through unscathed!! I have a new flat! And it's huge and right next to the park - bet you're jealous. Not that I've, you know, seen it yet or anything, but I'm sure it's great!

Am off to pick up my bank draft for £1200 and then go to the pub for a celebratory pint or two.... Now what about that sentence makes me feel slightly uneasy?

I should check before being rude

I stand corrected! Five shiny new sponsors... Thank you Katja, Lorna, Susi, Lisa and "The Germans". I don't know if this last one is my friends Pino and Stella, or the entire German nation. I hope it's the former, as I would have expected a little more from a nation of 80 million people, despite their well-publicised economic problems.

Thank you everyone, you have taken me over the £300 mark now, and I will of course be writing wonderful things about you all (maybe I'll generalise in the case of Germany, I'd be here all day otherwise).

Tx

Run Update. Or "Rundate"

Did 8K last night, from Kev and Craig’s (and Scott’s) to the park, once around it and back again. Am getting worried about my left knee… It’s been getting sore each time I’ve been out recently and I could feel it clicking as I got to the end last night. It’s probably cos I’m wearing the wrong shoes – not for me the "go into a specialist store and buy appropriate footwear". I just went to ...

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LLTC

Yup, it's official, ladies love Tattie Chomper.

Got a text from a lady today to say she loves my blog... unfortunately she told me on the condition I didn't mention her name. That now makes 3 self confessed "blog groupies"! All women as well!

Grrr....

I'm in with the in crowd

It’s amazing how my life has changed in the few short months since I became part of "the media". I’ve been invited to a singles party by a columnist from free London paper / waste of trees ‘London Lite’, which promises to be the social event of the season.

Well, I say I’ve been invited – she’s actually just asked her mates to round up any willing volunteers, and one of them, the TV editor from a ...

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The Sound of the Suburbs

I may be sleeping on an air mattress in someone else’s house at the moment, but there was something wonderful about opening the blinds this morning and looking out over the back garden, and indeed someone else’s back garden beyond it. It may only be a few miles from my old box-room, nestling in the shadow of a four storey block of flats, but it’s a whole other world.
Out I stumbled into the ...

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Commitment

"Tony's moving in for a bit, I'm going to suggest we go running before breakfast" - Craig a few days ago.

Left for work at five to 8 this morning. Where was Craig? Still in his bed. Well, either that or gone to the gym before I even woke up. Which is more likely?

If you were a fly and landed on my tie

This would be your view of villiers st

Latest running related gumph

Given that I am homeless I seized the opportunity yesterday evening to go for a run whilst round picking up my bag from Pino's. Went from his to the park, round it once, back up along my 'new street' (fingers crossed) and then back to his.

Took me 28 minutes, Run London's thingy reckons it was about 5.5kms. So I'm good for less than an hour, although I do worry that there may be toddlers ...

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Stella...

….returns from Afghanistan tonight! Woohoo! Pino can stop looking like a puppy dog that’s lost its favourite squeaky toy (no offence Stella) – until the next time she buggers off to a war zone anyway. What is it about these archaeologists that they have to go off to dangerous, mystical locations to work? Obviously they are all going through some kind of mid-life crisis. You should take a leaf out of my book and accept defeat and a steady job for a low wage, with which to pass your time before your inevitable decline into old age, senility and wee-smelling bed sheets. I’ve never been happier.

Cupid sweats

Email from Lizzi re: her meeting Craig in the gym:

"He was going a bit crazy in the gym too. Couldn't believe the stamina of the
boy"

She sounds impressed….

More moolah

Chris is "slowly getting through his to do list" and has sponsored me £10!! Thanks matey! I am now at the princely sum of £270.01, a mere £129.99 short of my target. Surely incentive enough for the lackadaisical amongst you to give me some cash. Less than 3 weeks to go people! Time’s running out! As I’m only too painfully aware…..

Newsflash

I’ve overtaken Craig in the sponsorship stakes! Woot, and indeed, woot.

There's a voice... keeps on calling me

Just a quick post to let you know I’ve not forgotten about you…. I have now officially left the mankiest flat in Brixton (and not a moment too soon – found a maggot on my bedroom ceiling when doing the last of my packing last night), and am doing my littlest hobo impression once again. Kind of ruined the image having to get the tube this morning in my designer suit carrying two massive plastic ...

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"You've got a good style...

......it's just the content that needs some work"

A critique of my blogging prowess from Paul in the pub last night.

As I said to him, if you're loud enough for long enough, the content ceases to matter. I think a career in Northern Irish politics awaits.....

The number 3 bus.

I hate it. It takes 45 minutes to get 5 miles on it from Brixton to Trafalgar Square, it was designed with midgets in mind so my long athletic legs are too lanky to fit behind the seat in front, and to cap it all there seems to be some sort of inane directive from Travel London that all their bus drivers should blast the heating full pelt. Even when it's 28 feckin degrees outside and all the windows are open. Eh?!

I'm gettin the 159 instead.

Alex and Shannon

No, not the newest members of the 'Home and Away' cast, but my niece and nephew. I know everyone says this, but they are definitely the coolest, cutest, funniest, most intelligent kids ever ever ever.

Alex is 3 and a bit going on 50, such is his sage wisdom. He recently told my mum that the kitchen "could do with a lick of paint". The last time they visited me, he came to help me get the beers ...

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Julie

My sister.

What to say about her, given that she has given me strict instructions on what not to write and that she has a pretty scary anger on her?

Well, I guess I've known her longer than anyone else, apart from my mum, who is not mentioned to date as she has not yet sponsored me. Honestly, you'd think that would be the banker.

I think Julie "Townsend" (nope, sorry, still doesn't sound right) ...

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Jennie

Ahhhh, Jennie. Jen. Genevieve. Jenster. The Harv-meister. JennieHarvey.

In France, she would be called "la Renard" and would be hunted for her fur.

Jennie is that rarest of creatures in my life - a fellow norn irish person (umm, mates from back home excepted of course. And my family). For years I revelled in the fact that I was the only individual amongst my group of mates with such a peculiar ...

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Big Love...

...to Cathy and Lee, two members of the Roskilde massive who are the first to respond to my latest emotive plea for money....

Thank you very much! I shall get on to waxing lyrical about your various amazing qualities as soon as possible. I think that my posts are now applicable in both job interviews and court appearances as character references, should that sway any dithering 'don't knows'.

what a difference a few weeks make

Wahey! Check me out! Is that some manly sweat or what?

And I'm smiling!!! Maybe it's because I jogged (please note - jogged, not ran) a mere 10.7kms this evening? Yeah, that could be it....

Yes, I have somehow managed to get round a full 10K without walking once. As I said, I was definitely NOT running London, I was jogging it. Perhaps even mincing a little at times. But I did it in 1 hr 1 min, ...

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All quiet on the Tattie front

....well, it's not actually but I am aware I have not posted anything much recently, much less got round to my growing list of recent contributors.

Unfortunately things are a bit hectic at the moment, as I'm currently trying to find a new flat, pack up my old one etc before my lease expires on Sunday. Never let it be said I leave things til the last minute.

The upshot is that, abuse of work ...

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Another 20 quid!

Wahey!!! Sanj has sponsored me!!!!! Woohoo!

You people, my social life is going to be severely limited over the next week as I write FIVE entries! Am so glad I have to though - thanks Sandra! Obviously there are certain incidents I won't be mentioning - Coco, you know what I mean.

Bloody Hell

So, I decided to slow down a little today to see what happened. I still can't quite believe it and now don't think RunLondon's routefinder thing is accurate.

I ran for 40 minutes, a new record, which was twice round the park and then another third or so of it, before coming out in Herne Hill and jogging back to the flat along Dulwich Road. I felt ok enough to keep going for a while longer but either my warm up or my muscles in general weren't up to the job and started to twinge (they now hurt like a bee-atch).

And the apparent distance of this little jaunt?

8.25 kms.

Little effin shits*

NB: Mum, before you get worried, I am the only protagonist in this tale over the age of about 13.....

OK. It's Tuesday. Work went well today, haven't been on a run in a while, day two of 'back on the patches' so my lungs are clearer than any time since....last Friday, 4.5 weeks to go til the big day - time to pound some asphalt.

I start off at a fairly decent pace (of which more later), and ...

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Thanks x4

Just a quick post to say thanks to my latest sponsors - a sudden glut has left me with four more glowing tributes to write!

So: Jennie, Julie, Alex & Shannon (cheapskate toddlers gave me a joint sponsorship) and Fliss, keep an eye on the blog and feel your cheeks go rosy and your head start to swell over the next few days....

My local shop has had its sign re-done

For all your "Elecletronic" needs.

Bless em.

Aaaarrrrgghhh!

Skank skank skank

Not content with having a mouse infestation, we now have maggots/unidentified larvae wriggling all over our kitchen ceiling.

Minging!!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to get out of this house.

Billie Jean King

....looks like a pure freak.