Day Five and Day Six

Day Five: Wednesday 5^th January 2011

It is not a pleasant task that faced me today. A long drive over to Derbyshire and the poor, sodden, flooded wreck that was once my house. Technically it is still is my house as nobody appears to want to buy it and are even less likely to be inclined my way now every wall, floor and ceiling is utterly waterlogged. The loss adjustor was professional, calm and utterly unmoved as one might expect and even under the circumstances I managed to shift my distress long enough to wonder if he had even smiled when he was a baby. I was so certain that his decision would be a final judgement about whether I can claim on my insurance that I was utterly horrified when with a snap of his clipboard he announced that he would be ringing my insurers so they could decide what would happen next and if they were going to honour my claim. I actually felt weak at the knees and I assure you there was nothing romantic emanating from clipboard boy. When I got back to Cumbria I was relieved to be invited for a swim, something indoors and sedate to allow operation360 to continue in the face of financial disaster. Here was something I could control! So off we went to the Castle Green Hotel in Kendal and enjoyed 30minutes of uninterrupted exercise (albeit Iwas slightly self-conscious about the fact it was the 5^th of January and the place was heaving with a truly eclectic group of people all wearing their best ‘I actually come here all the time, not just in January’ looks). The pool is lovely, small but perfectly formed and the menthol steam room with its slightly acid trip lighting is a perfect way to unwind. Top marks to Castle Green and to Operation360 for finally managing to chill me out!

Day 6: Thursday 6^th of January

I awoke to a fairly grim, slate grey day and I was worried that my planned evening run would take place in pouting rain but on my departure from work I saw the cloud beginning ot part and stars trying to assert their pinprick authority. Once in my high vis jacket and kitted out with more bike lights that Halfords I set off towards High Casterton avoiding as many major roads as possible. This is not just a personal safety decision but a firmly held belief that the laughter that the sight of me running might induce could cause some sort of hysterical seizure in others and for drivers that could prove somewhat dangerous. The route is pretty during the day and is moody and brooding after sundown. My headtorch picked up the glowing eyes of sheep and a wider glance around showed the Yorkshire Dales glowing a faint but beautiful purple in the light of a tiny crescent moon. Despite being a huge fan of cows (not in any weird groupie way, I just like cows) the shock of breathing very heavily the length of a newly fertilized field literally took my breath away and I wondered idly what my friends in That London might make of that kind of pollution whilst they were out running! The only real downside of tonight’s run was a rather large puddle / small flood near Casterton itself; despite my best efforts to clamber along the wall in the relative dry in the end I had to admit defeat and with a slightly camp giggle I launched myself at the water. Even I was surprised it was ankle deep and I did not much enjoy the final one and half miles of four with very very wet feet! Still, it is all grist to the mill and I am almost at a week!