Great South Run 2011 - Made it!

Running is an interesting leisure activity.  It's not all that much fun when you are actually pounding the streets but the endorphins are rather addictive, along with the guilt free carb loading and the excuse to wear stretchy clothes in public (during and after events).

Great South Run 2011 - weather not quite as cool as I would have liked but the sight drizzle (and the run through shower) kept me cool.   Having expressed a goal of coming somewhere between 2:15 and being swept onto the pavement when the roads were opened I am pleased about coming home in 2:04 in 14856th position out of a field of 24,000 and 1059th position for my age group.   I did not enjoy the first half of mile 9 much, uphill (slightly it has to be admitted) and into quite a strong headwind but I was so close to the finish by then I was running on adrenalin.

The event is brilliantly organised (there can never be enough toilets) only gently inclines and downhill stretches and taking in the historic dockyard.  Part of the route is through a residential area and the local residents were lovely and supportive and some had put signs on their cars and in their gardens.  Live music seems to come up just when you need it most and good humour is the order of the day.

In fact I enjoyed it so much I immediately signed up for the Dublin 10K and by the end of today I will probably have signed up for the 2012 Great South.  Pictures to follow.

A day out with a dragon

 http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75959/form-untitled/

 As the Star of the Week for good behaviour in class Mattie has been charged with responsibility for entertaining and protecting a little Welsh dragon named Derwu.  Here they are in the car park at West Ruislip at the start of an eventful day at the V&A in London.

On the Central Line Alison reties Mattie's shoelace while Derwu looks on.  I hadn't realised that children (and dragons) travel free on London Transport.  Money saved on transport and entrance to the museum was invested in lunch before the serious cultural events started.  Food was good value for money but don't be thirsty in the V&A £2.60 for a bottle of flavoured water ouch!

After lunch we went to the visitor centre to pick up a children's activity backpack and then it took us about an hour to find the room where the activities were based.  Very confusing building with impossible to read maps (not only for me) and helpful staff who recommended other exhibits on the way.  Here Georgie cuddles up to a pride of lions.

And Derwu gets in on the lion action too.  These are replicas of the 17th century silver lions commissioned to guard the Danish royal throne at Copenhagen.  Past the lions and through the Susan Davies gallery we headed for the performing arts area.

Where Georgie and Mattie both enjoyed the bird costume.

even Derwu got in on the act.

We eventually found our way into the glass gallery where the activity pack was based.  One of my favourite objects in glass is this group of men here.

The activities were good fun and nice and short for limited attention spans.  My favourite was the plastic replicas of objects that came with a blindfold.  With the blindfold on you feel the object and imagine what it looks like and then without the blindfold you have to find the object in one of the cases.  Even Alison had a go at that.

The last activity was to write a story inspired by one of the objects and Georgie wrote a really good story inspired by the object you can see behind her here (see larger picture below).  From her story I instantly remembered the object she was referring to.

And then the return journey.  We're all a bit tired by now but Derwu and her hat are still with us and the consensus seems to be that a good time was had by all.

17.10 from Euston

Travelling First Class is an interesting experience. Service at your seat, free wifi, antimacassars what more could you ask?  I'm not quite sure why the antimacassars.  Hair oil is not widely used these days and they offer no protection from transmission of head lice, something I have considered frequently as a possibility via upholstered public transport seats.   They must be some sort of throw back to an earlier age where their presence denotes social rank, airlines use them too presumably for the same reason.

I'm not in a quiet coach but it's mighty quiet in here.  It's also very sparsely populated.  There are 4 of us, 3 men and me spaced amongst 27 seats in coach E.

I wonder if any of my travelling companions have paid the full first class fare? I know I haven't.  Charities don't run to first class rail travel where a cheaper standard class is available.   The food is a bit strange offering a choice of beef casserole, something (I heard it repeated 4 times but didn't ever catch it and couldn't detect from the flavour) risotto which was presumably the veggie choice or an egg sandwich which I can only assume is left over from previous journeys.  As we boarded tea and coffee were served followed by the offer of a cold drink.  then the very small portion of casserole or risotto.  I didn't see the sandwich as nobody ordered it so I cant comment on its size,  the hot food was served in a very small oval dish and the risotto reminded me of the food served in the film Brazil. After finishing the hot food I was offered a tumbler of wine.  Presumably wine glasses are unsuited to rail travel.  The wine was predictably cheap but given that I didn't really pay for any of the catering (my first class ticket actually cost less than the combined price of a standard ticket plus wifi access which you get free in first class) I shouldn't complain.

How much more civilised and comfortable this is compared to flying.  Even in standard class you can get up and stretch your legs.  Its curious that in these times of economic crisis nobody has come up with an idea of great public works reversing the the chicanery of Lord Beeching.  Even the toilet on the train is useable as long as you don't forget to lock the door.  Should you wish to you could take your cat in there along with your Benny Goodman  CD.

I love trains and secretly yearn to travel up front with the driver to get the full experience.  Trains are so much more substantial than other forms of transport (apart from ocean liners).  Rail travel opened up the world in a way that the motor car and aeroplane can only really follow as an also ran.

Just coming in to Colwyn Bay, next stop Llandudno Junction so I better pack up and get ready to disembark.