Post by merlinalison on Dec 30, 2007 18:42:36 GMT -1
Sorry guys - this is likely to be a lengthy post cos I've been out of touch so much this year. (You can skip lol!)
I spent the first half of the year dealing with (very mild) depression following Dad's death last year. Its not something I've ever experienced before so took me a while to realise that I was just doing the things I had to do and nothing else. Poor OH was getting really worried about it apparently. Since then I have signed up for British Military Fitness which I LOVE (more on that later....) moved Merlin up to the new yard at the top of the hill (same farmer runs it which is great - he's lovely), started hacking Merlin out more with the help of two friends at the yard and developed a social life (also courtesy of my friends at the yard). New yard is very nice - its wonderful having access to a school again - and views are spectacular. From Merlin's field you can see (in no particular order) a huge chunk of the Forth estuary, Fa'side Castle, the Bass Rock, Berwick Law, Traprain Law, Arthur's Seat, the Pentland Hills, the Ochil Hills, the Lammermuir hills, (and I think some hills in Perthshire) the Forth Bridges, InchKeith, the east Neuk of Fife and Queen Mary's Mount on top of Carberry Hill. There is also a ploughed down Iron Age Ring Fort in Merlin's field. Have to say he doesn't appear impressed by all this history, but he does love the grazing. Hacking is superb too - miles and miles of bridleways and woodland tracks actually connected to the farm. Add in two friends who are quite happy to ride up from the bottom yard collect me and freeze their butts off in walk and gentle trot and its ideal.
What's even better (and which is certainly helping my riding too) is that I've now lost over a stone (and many inches) since starting Mil Fit in September. My sister and I have been going religiously twice a week (even over Christmas LOL) and both feel so much better for it. I would never have believed that chasing men in uniform round a park could be so much fun (or that you could do so much rolling in the mud with complete strangers in public without getting arrested LOL....) So far my running doesn't deserve the name (lumbering is a more appropriate description LOL...) but when the others are all disappearing into the distance there's always an instructor who'll pop up beside me running very very slowly and coaxing me along....and the others cheer me home, even if I'm so slow that all of my team is going to have to do extra punishment press ups..... and I am improving! I can also see the fat going which is a huge incentive. THey did promise me near the beginning (when I was being cheeky as an alternative to getting on with whatever exercise we were supposed to be doing - leopardcrawling I think) that my a*** would get smaller, and it is!!! I've got rid of 2 of my 3 chins as well.... This Saturday I even consented to do an aeroplane (someone lies on the ground with their legs in the arm and you hold their hands and balance your stomach on their feet while they raise you off the ground) which I would never have done before, though it was very scarey! Whats more (and I still blush when I think of it though I am also very proud) at the Christmas night out, after all the instructors had been given their thank you presents, our lead instructor stood up and announced that he was giving an award for two girls who were inspirational - there every week, working really hard and a pleasure to teach - and then called out my sister and I and gave us a bottle of wine each. (Partly why we've been to every class this last week - we need to justify his faith in us LOL....)
WE had a lovely Christmas too. OH's mother, niece, great-nephew (7) and great-niece (1) all came to stay and we went to Mum's on Christmas Day with my sister and my two nieces. It was wonderful having so many kids around (even if I am still cleaning jelly off the bathroom walls - I stupidly gave the great-nephew jelly bath in his stocking and he loved it. Repulsive stuff!!) Looking forward to a better 2008, and wishing all Dalesfans everywhere a happy and healthy year.
I spent the first half of the year dealing with (very mild) depression following Dad's death last year. Its not something I've ever experienced before so took me a while to realise that I was just doing the things I had to do and nothing else. Poor OH was getting really worried about it apparently. Since then I have signed up for British Military Fitness which I LOVE (more on that later....) moved Merlin up to the new yard at the top of the hill (same farmer runs it which is great - he's lovely), started hacking Merlin out more with the help of two friends at the yard and developed a social life (also courtesy of my friends at the yard). New yard is very nice - its wonderful having access to a school again - and views are spectacular. From Merlin's field you can see (in no particular order) a huge chunk of the Forth estuary, Fa'side Castle, the Bass Rock, Berwick Law, Traprain Law, Arthur's Seat, the Pentland Hills, the Ochil Hills, the Lammermuir hills, (and I think some hills in Perthshire) the Forth Bridges, InchKeith, the east Neuk of Fife and Queen Mary's Mount on top of Carberry Hill. There is also a ploughed down Iron Age Ring Fort in Merlin's field. Have to say he doesn't appear impressed by all this history, but he does love the grazing. Hacking is superb too - miles and miles of bridleways and woodland tracks actually connected to the farm. Add in two friends who are quite happy to ride up from the bottom yard collect me and freeze their butts off in walk and gentle trot and its ideal.
What's even better (and which is certainly helping my riding too) is that I've now lost over a stone (and many inches) since starting Mil Fit in September. My sister and I have been going religiously twice a week (even over Christmas LOL) and both feel so much better for it. I would never have believed that chasing men in uniform round a park could be so much fun (or that you could do so much rolling in the mud with complete strangers in public without getting arrested LOL....) So far my running doesn't deserve the name (lumbering is a more appropriate description LOL...) but when the others are all disappearing into the distance there's always an instructor who'll pop up beside me running very very slowly and coaxing me along....and the others cheer me home, even if I'm so slow that all of my team is going to have to do extra punishment press ups..... and I am improving! I can also see the fat going which is a huge incentive. THey did promise me near the beginning (when I was being cheeky as an alternative to getting on with whatever exercise we were supposed to be doing - leopardcrawling I think) that my a*** would get smaller, and it is!!! I've got rid of 2 of my 3 chins as well.... This Saturday I even consented to do an aeroplane (someone lies on the ground with their legs in the arm and you hold their hands and balance your stomach on their feet while they raise you off the ground) which I would never have done before, though it was very scarey! Whats more (and I still blush when I think of it though I am also very proud) at the Christmas night out, after all the instructors had been given their thank you presents, our lead instructor stood up and announced that he was giving an award for two girls who were inspirational - there every week, working really hard and a pleasure to teach - and then called out my sister and I and gave us a bottle of wine each. (Partly why we've been to every class this last week - we need to justify his faith in us LOL....)
WE had a lovely Christmas too. OH's mother, niece, great-nephew (7) and great-niece (1) all came to stay and we went to Mum's on Christmas Day with my sister and my two nieces. It was wonderful having so many kids around (even if I am still cleaning jelly off the bathroom walls - I stupidly gave the great-nephew jelly bath in his stocking and he loved it. Repulsive stuff!!) Looking forward to a better 2008, and wishing all Dalesfans everywhere a happy and healthy year.
to be honest is sounds too much like the torture that was school PE to be something that would ever tempt me 
Hmmm....a man stripping to his underpants in public to redress... you know, that might get me to the fitness classes!! Its a bigger incentive than I've got going right now. 
I'm sure now that you're seeing such great benefits, you'll be continuing. And what a perk to have Merlin moved so you can get even more hacking in. 
we need pics of this chap ;D 
