Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Up and out for a run at 5.30am, it's a  sin not to take full advantage of scenery like this and the early morning is my favourite time to take it all in.
I didn't sleep particularly well again so it wasn't easy getting out of bed but boy was it worth it, I took nearly a minute off my time from Tuesday.  My normal distance is 2 miles of a morning and this run is just short at 1.8miles but I still ran a personal best time for the mile.
There is definitely something in the runners high feeling you get that motivates you into the day. When I'm running my thoughts are clearer and this morning I've had an idea...
Back to make some notes, stop wasting  energy worrying about might be's and start making plans.

The Calm Before

Today is set to be the hottest day so far, already unseasonably  warm for April today's temperatures are set to reach 19 degrees.
Apart from the sea breeze it's quite still and I've settled down for a day sunbathing and reading. I have nothing to do and nowhere to be.
When I spoke to my daughter earlier this week she mentioned a 1st class letter from the hospital that had arrived for me. I am of course expecting my appointment  through but didn't want to tell her. She asked if I wanted her to open it in case it was anything  important, I said whatever it is will have to wait.
In between books, puzzles and the odd bit of work that crops up  (online retail never really has a holiday) my mind wanders. I have nothing to do and nowhere to be, yet I feel restless, maybe it's just my mind.

Keep On Running

Not a bad sleep but it's 5.30am and I'm wide awake so I get up and out and off for a run.
It's a spectacular setting, I'm running  along a straight,  flat footpath  along the coast  road with mountains ahead of me and the sea to my right. The tide is out and the sky is almost clear as the sun rises, it's cool right now but it'll be  another scorcher later.
The mountains ahead are known as the 3 sisters and as I reach the next village and turn to go back, I'm now heading towards the Snowdonia range with the sea coming in to my right.
On my left are farms with a patchwork of fields and the birds are trying to drown out the incoming tide with their dawn chorus.
I'm running, I feel good and my surroundings are just beautiful. There is absolutely nothing to fear, how could there be, this is the life.

Superstition

I can't  pass a magpie without greeting it and all of its family and friends. The usual things are avoided, walking on cracks, going under ladders etc but then there's the 'made up ' ridiculous rituals that can drive you crazy. Only cooking with even numbers; 2 onions, 6 mushrooms, 4 potatoes etc, use 3 carrots and somethings bound to go wrong, right?  Never turning inside out clothes the right way round, asking for trouble.  Making sure the volume on the radio or tv  is an even number, touching every other lamp post on the way home,  I could go on but they only get more bizarre.
Being away from it all I am more relaxed plus there aren't any magpies and I'm not sure you need to greet seagulls. 
When I woke this morning and lay a moment, realising where I was and hearing the waves on the shore outside I felt a wonderful  sense of calm. Then I remembered the lump and that's when the superstition  game kicked in. If I feel to check it's still there, it's bad. If I can ignore it all day it's harmless. How f***ing ridiculous.
So its now gone 6pm and the games over, I check and the lumps still there but so are the waves crashing on the shore outside. Nothing's changed and no amount of even numbers, birds or cracked pavements will alter the outcome of this latest 'test'.

Last Day First Tears

Friday here, the last full day of our holiday. As I lay listening too the sea in the early morning a wave of sadness came over me, partly for what I was leaving and also for what I was returning to. I know the appointment has been made and the letter containing it waits for me.
Today has been the first without full sunshine, the clouds are heavy and the wind has picked up making the sea darker,  moodier.  I love the elements and the walk along the beach is exhilarating, you feel so alive with the sea roaring, wind against you and rain on your face. It's the perfect day for my own mood, my tears are coming.

Never Again...

Ugh...It must've been the 3rd glass but I woke with an awful headache at 3.30am. I did manage to get back to sleep for a while but 5.30am and I'm in the wide awake club with my mind in overdrive and my head pounding. Back to fruit juice from now on.
It's a another  beautiful sunny day here and with nothing to do and nowhere to go the mini hangover  is easy enough to shake off. Walks on the beach with the dogs, exploring the local lanes which lead towards the mountains and simply sunbathing has taken my mind (and headache) elsewhere.
This is the day where you find your way around,  get accustomed to the surroundings and start your holiday properly. Unpack, get organised and then relax. Just wish I hadn't packed that rose wine!
The evening has been spent listening to music and the sound of the waves outside the window, perfect. Tonight I'm  going go sleep well.

Escape

Saturday 18th April and we've arrived at our remote holiday bungalow on a beach in north Wales,it's breathtakingly beautiful. In front of us only a 100m away the sea, calm today as the weather is gorgeous. Behind us and at either side is the Snowdonia mountain range, it really is an area of outstanding natural beauty.
I haven't slept well for a few nights, unusual for me as I'm normally asleep within minutes of climbing into bed. No matter how much I try and push thoughts of my forthcoming breast cancer screening away, they seem to be able to creep back - mostly in the dead of night. Therefore I'm hoping being here, away from everything I will get a decent nights sleep, I am so tired.
I've not had any alcohol for a while, it wasn't a conscious decision, I suppose I simply got out of the habit. Prior to kidney cancer I was fond of a glass or 2 of red wine on week nights  (ok...occasionally 3) and could finish of several bottles of corona on a night out. Not drinking post surgery meant I gradually became a real lightweight in the drinking stakes until eventually I just stopped wanting a drink, mainly due to horrendous hangovers when I tried it. Now it simply doesn't bother me and I'm more partial to fruit juice than merlot.
However, I'm on holiday and having not slept for the past few nights I figured it wouldn't hurt to have a couple of glasses of wine . Therefore I've bought along some wishy washy rose,  I can handle that...