Not a boot sale but a bak fiets sale!

This would be a great idea. The Broomielaw in Glasgow would be good for this.

Green Lizard's Blog

The boot sale is a quirky thing. I’m not sure if they exist far from the uk. Fill you car with stuff and flog it off out of the boot.

Well here in The Netherlands the principle is alive and well but done in a more charming fashion.

Obviously the bike doesn’t give much scope for capacity but there’s a special Dutch tool for transportation that definitely fits the bill.

It’s called a bak fiets , bak meaning box and fiets meaning bicycle.

So these cleverly designed transport bikes are ideal.

On Sunday there was was a bak fiets sale I. The charming town of Leiden. A pedestrian way by a lovely canal played host to this event.

It was formerly the fish market are and this is the fountain where all could access water.

Each stalls older used the opportunity to sell handmade items, baked goods of second hand…

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Where are all the tree climbers?

At the weekend, we were walking through a local park, which was pretty busy, and I commented on the fact that in all the times we’ve been there, I’ve not once in all those years, seen any kids climbing trees.

Why is that?

When I was a kid, we used to go to the local park, and were never out the damn things.  We climbed them, we got stuck up them, and yes, we fell out them.  We made rope swings and played on them.  We had “proper” things to play on in the park, but trees+imagination were so much better.

If kids are losing the ability to use their imagination when they’re playing, as a result of being handed “imagination” on a plate in the form of video games, then that’s sad.

If you climbed trees as a kid, do yourself a favour and go do it again.  If people give you funny looks, just stick your tongue out at them and carry on climbing.

Things

Well I haven’t made that much more progress as far as clearing out more stuff goes.  It hasn’t halted, it’s just slowed to a glacial pace.  Mainly because I’m struggling at the moment to find the time to rake through everything.

I’ve managed to make a start on getting the garden to look respectable again – OK I’ve cut the grass, but it’s a start, and I have plans for the garden for this year.  I just need time to do it (see above re the clutter).

I’m back running again, and loving it.  Did a hill session yesterday lunchtime, which considering the hill, should be termed a “hell” session.  Felt great afterwards though. Endorphins are your friend.

Tonight we’re off to a pop up cafe, where there’s going to be a debate about Scottish Independence.  Hopefully it’ll be a proper discussion and not descend into a rammy.

Other than that, things are just sailing along as usual.  Not much of an update, more a “I’m still alive” post.

Clutter

I was looking for something the other day and while rummaging through drawers, I realised that I have an absolute shit-load of t-shirts!  Most of them never see the light of day.  I’ve got some tour shirts that I never wear any more, I’ve got some from SF conventions, but the one I actually wear are all the same ones.  Day in, day out.

I think I need to grow a pair, loose whatever emotional attachment I have to those that are just lying in drawers, and never getting worn, and just get them bagged and off to the charity shop, (or in some cases stick them on eBay).  Either way, it’s all “stuff” and it needs to go.

Negativity

Realising that I’m in contact with too many negative people.  Regardless how good I feel, these psychic vampires manage to suck the lifeforce out of me.

Whoopie do……

Looks like it’s hay fever weather.  

That simultaneously sucks and doesn’t suck.  It sucks because I’ll sneeze a lot, and it doesn’t suck, because it means the weather is good again.

I never used to be affected by hayfever, but for about the last 5 or 6 years, I’ve resorted to anti-hystamines in the summer to keep from sneezing.  I’m starting to feel as though I just get over my winter colds and get about a week of relief before the hayfever season kicks in and I start sneezing again.

Merde

Running update

After the debut lunchtime run of 2.6k (see previous post), we headed out on the Thursday and did 4k.  At the weekend, I went out on my own to run in the local park, and did a 5k run in just under 30 mins – which includes a stop when I was about 200 yards from home, as a neighbour stopped me to ask if this was a new effort to get fit, and seeing as there was a couple of puppies eager for attention, it would have been doubly rude not to stop and chat.

On my solo run, I discovered the problem I have with pacing myself when I’m not running with others, is still there.  To try and get round it, I concentrated on my breathing, and reigned in to a pace that where I was breathing hard, but not struggling.  I could probably have gone a bit faster, but, it’s early days.  If I continue to run solo at weekends, I’ll invest in a Garmin so I’ve a reference as far as pace goes, and it’ll also allow me to upload my runs and keep a record of my progress.

Plunge taken

That’s me officially running regularly again.  I went for a lunchtime run with a colleague.  Yes it was just over 2.6km, but here’s the important bit.  It’s a start.  I’ve taken that first step, and I’ve re-discovered that yes, I really did love going running.

Now, I need to set a target and enter a race to give me a target to aim for.