natjtan You always know summer has whispered see you later in the Mediterranean when the wind starts, followed by rain, thunderstorms, surfers and kite surfers.
First things first though. This little boy was nine on Tuesday! I can’t believe it’s been eight years since we adopted him from the shelter. He settled in straight away, loves to answer back and is just one happy go lucky cat. Happy Birthday Diesel!
Tuesday and Wednesday were quiet. My boyfriend met his best mate Tuesday evening and was on watch Wednesday, so I had two days to myself. I’m gradually increasing the intensity of my workouts and cycling is getting easier. I’m around 75-80% pre injury effort. It’s trial and error seeing what the ankle likes and dislikes, while at the same time strengthening and stabilising. It’s tricky finding the balance, not pushing too hard too soon. Patience is the key!
Thursday was a change of pace. I’d learnt my lesson from Monday. No morning workouts on run days for a while. Instead I was up early to join my boyfriend shopping and provisioning for the boat. Going by car means I get to stock the cupboards of dry goods for a while. We went to the big Carrefour just after opening. As we were there early, the fresh produce was just that, fresh!
We mostly travel on his motorbike and being in the car meant we got to talk (plus there was no distraction of the house, cats and internet!). Now that he’s getting his land legs back, we can start to make plans for the months ahead. It’s gonna get a little crazy for sure!
Monday’s run was a bit of a disaster. Too much too soon. The only fitness on Thursday’s agenda was a bike ride and a run. The run went okay. 4km. I kept the pace steady and did my best to relax and not run too fast. My pace is slow, but I’m not that bothered. I’m happy to increase slowly. I don’t want to burn out again! It took a few bike rides until things settled cycling.
It’s not always sunny in the South of France! This weeks bike ride vistas:
Friday I felt stronger to increase the weights slightly and add a few more exercises to my circuit. Though later in the evening maybe a little too much increase! I had wanted to go for a bike ride, but it was so windy, I would have been pedalling in air going no where! Nice, for the afternoon and to our surprise Starbucks has finally opened in Nice itself (previously only in the shopping mall just outside of Nice). I keep hearing about pumpkin spice lattes on Twitter and Instagram. The only coffee I drink is Americano and my guy’s either has a regular cappuccino or latte we opted for slice pumpkin cake instead. More ginger than pumpkin and tasty! My YOLO meal of the week! (I’ve put in a request for pumpkin soup and my guy makes a mean pumpkin soup!)
I had wanted an early night as we have a road trip planned. Coming back from Nice the wind picked up even more and I was happy we hired a car for the weekend. It’s not nice being whipped by the wind on a motorbike! The whole sky much later lit up with pink and purple lightening. Beautiful, but kept me awake! Lightening always amazes me and I’ve never seen pink and purple lightening so close up. The whole sky was electric!
I like to be fair and Mr AJ can’t be left out. Both cats have more or less got used to their human dad being back and do what they do best…sleep!
Do you like ‘normal coffee’ or love to add syrups? In Europe especially the main land coffee, is just black, frothy or milky! Have a great weekend!
At home I drink my coffee only with a little bit of milk. I add no sugar. I still want to taste the coffee. But when I am outside and have to pay for coffee, I usually chose something that I can’t drink at home. So I often drink coffee with syrup or other different tastes in coffeeshops like Starbucks. I love the Chai Tea Latte there, but I am not exactly sure if that’s coffee 😀 And I would really like to try that Pumpkin Latte. I love the tastes of winter although I hate the month and cold itself.
I’m not keen on the cold either, but it’s a good excuse for hot chocolate!