Sleepy Sunday

I've had a really tough time getting myself going today. It's been a stereotypical sleepy Sunday. I woke up, and dropped off back to sleep, then got up a lot later than I normally do, and later than I wanted to. I'd planned to start running again today, but that never happened. Instead I just thought about it a lot. I took myself to South Melbourne and walked around the market, but couldn't get inspired. I had a coffee in Port Melbourne (smooth with a slightly sweet flavour and holding the crema perfectly, from Third Wave Cafe) and took a little walk but nothing special. I then came home and have pottered around for the day. Not particularly productive, I must say!

But then again, we all need times to recharge. We need days, or even weeks, when we relax, de-stress, and replenish our energy stock. I usually find that on days like this, I tend to do little, but start to plan for what I want to do. It is a time of organising my near future. So these are the plans that I have.

Firstly I have felt really guilty about not running recently so exercise is a high priority. I have set myself a goal which is to run 20 km before I go on holiday to the USA in mid September. I have created a program and will try to stick to it. When I am running I really love it, and it's great for keeping my weight down which is something I need to keep check of as I get nearer to 50 years old as there is a history  of diabetes in my family. So the good news is that my back is feeling better and I think I'll be able to start running this week. The bad news is that I haven't run for the past 3 weeks and will not be able to compete in the Puffing Billy Run which I signed up for. The race is next week and I will go to watch, but I won't be able to make the 13.2 km distance which is a shame.

Beautiful autumn colours

Of course, when I'm running I'm out and looking around at the beautiful scenery around Melbourne. Currently the autumn foliage is bringing a new vibrancy to many Melbourne suburbs. I've decided I need to explore more and so will be trying out different places, looking for new coffees, new experiences and seeing new things. Melbourne has so much to offer, let alone Victoria and Australia. I've only just scratched the surface.

Besides chess I suppose my 2 fondest pastimes are reading and cooking. I have no shortage of books in the house that I need to read but earlier this year I said that I intended to only read books that I've never read before this year. That has been difficult as I pass the bookcase and see some old favourites there. However, I am enjoying (mostly) the books that I'm reading this year. And I have also discovered that I prefer paper to kindle. Kindle may be more compact, but I guess the tactile nature of a book, the actual turning of the pages is something that I value. I also like to share books and that is something that is annoying about the whole kindle thing. I have read books on the kindle that I know Caroline would love to read, but I can't then pass the book to her and say "You have to read that!" So books are back on the agenda for me, which means browsing bookshops, another favourite pastime and one that I'll share here from time to time.

Homemade mango chutney

I absolutely love cooking. I don't know why, but I do. I find it relaxing and constantly amaze myself that I can actually produce things which aren't only edible, but which taste pretty good too. I've never really got the hang of breads and cakes, but I can see me giving it a go soon. My latest fad has been chutney. I'd have made it long before if I'd known how easy it was to make. I've even started following food sites to get ideas of things to try out. My absolute favourite is this blog but I also follow this one as I had the pleasure of tasting the food that is made.

Of course, I've also thought about chess today....but not for long as I didn't want to think about work.