Mishap Nat

When I first started my blog, I toyed with the name The Misadventures of natjtan. Misadventures for a reason. While I’m occasionally clumsy, sometimes I feel Karma likes to keep me in check.

If I’ve been absent the past few days, that thing called life happened and a series of mishaps I couldn’t make up if I tried. The only way to begin, is at the beginning (the middle wouldn’t make any sense, though it would be cool to play it that way) interspersed with an occasional photo as I take an embarrassing amount of photos a day (thankfully not many selfies. It seems I can’t go anywhere with out seeing someone takings a selfie or a group selfie. Multiple selfies). So if you’re sitting comfortably, lets go back a week ago Saturday.

Just because a London double decker in Barcelona. Hola #flipflopblister

iPhoto is retrieving all photos. What? Confusion and panic sets in. Retriving photos? Would you like to send a report to Apple? Err, yeah. An hour later, all photos resorted. There are few material things I’d feel sad to loose. Photos are one of them. I’m joined at the hip with my camera. Retrieving photos, my mac starts to overheat and only be able to do one thing at time. It’s getting old and ever since the last software update it hasn’t been as cooperative. Too many photos maybe, the internet crashes or slows to a snails pace and no amount of yoga breathing can helps at times. iCloud can’t connect, Safari can’t find server, refresh can occasionally. It’s minor and happens when I’m pushed for time and it’s taking it’s sweet time.

Sunday morning, I pull out the coffee water reservoir and see ants. Ants. I rub my eyes. Top floor and and ants. Ugh. I felt awful spraying them with kitchen spray. There were so many and kept coming. It took about 30 minutes to sort it out. I thought there were coming through kitchen counter top, so taped it up, throughly with hot water washed the Nespresso components I could, kitchen spray cleaner zapped the rest, the rest of the counter top and questioned the cats. Why they haven’t been on ant patrol. Apparently that’s not their job.

My job is to look pretty.

Mine too

Tuesday, I didn’t listen to that voice that said ‘remember one of your worst nightmares? The boys change of litter bag splitting the public hallway?’. I ignored it. It’s happened once, thankfully, just a little hole. Anyways, I’m in a rush to get out, balanced too many bags on my bike handle bars (plastic recycling), the lift arrives, I back my bike in and split. Cat litter all in the lift door way, all over my bike chain and all over the floor. Oh, fffffffffudge. Extension lead, vacuum, porter comes up to see why the lift’s not moving, he laughs, I apologise, clean up it up, thinking, I swear there was more than this in the bag. It’s all in the bike chain, so another trip to the cash wash. 2nd trip in 2 days. I get back later and I’m mortified. The litter fell 10 stories down between the lift door cracks. I couldn’t apologie enough. Thankfully the building porter’s a cool guy and understood it was an accident. The next day I left a big bar of chocolate on his desk as thank you. On realisation, the cat litter splitting is a lot less worse than the main bin bag splitting. Queue dry heaving. But I did have my first sun siesta at the gym! A little nippy breeze, but that’s nothing a spare sun lounger in its side can’t block.

Everybody loves a sun siesta

First sun siesta of the year

Wednesday, up and out early for a 9km drizzly run. Kathryn Budig’s Yogaglo Not The Norm flow afterwards before racing the new osteopath for my 2nd muscle activation session. 2nd as normally she can get it done in just one session. I’ve done fitness for about 17 years and that’s 17 years of abuse, muscle imbalances, injury which meant I got into bad habits I didn’t realise that were compensating. I’d managed to deactivate my glutes slightly since the last session which meant I had to enjoy the pain of my jaw being pressed again. Add overused hip flexors being de/reactivated, it was a painful session. I will point out since the previous session, the shoulder tension I used to have has virtually disappeared. They were doing the work of my legs (it does make sense, promise!). I walked out skipping, lateral sides reactivated. I take lunch out for a treat in the centre and walk to the zoo as it was such a nice day and I didn’t to go back. I didn’t realised how much I cycle or how you don’t notice distance cycling, or how little I walk everywhere. Always cycling! My feet had words later. The zoo was busier than I thought, combo of Easter Hols and a sunny day and screaming kids. The only spot I could find moment to breathe was on top of the mini Monserrat mountain surround by seagulls. If you’ve ever been around seagulls, there’s no p&q.

Everybody loves a sun siesta part 2

Spring’s here!

No p&q with these guys around.

Thursday after work and my workout it was nice enough for a sun siesta. My workout was a little tough thanks to the osteo reactivation, but I pushed through. I find a good spot on the terrace out the wind which was oh so nice until it was time to bake the other side (have to be even sunbathing!). I roll over and there in my face, an old couple of which the lady should really have left her bikini top on. I reposition the sun lounger to advert my eyes the best I could but it’s busy. I’m all for free expression, to a degree. Some should really cover up.

P gets back for the weekend and I receive an email about my camera being repaired. I get it excited as it’s been 5 weeks already being fixed. I drop by the shop and no, it was a quote, when I asked for the work to be done, no quote. Maybe I’ll get it back in another 5 weeks. Hola Espana.

Friday and Saturday I think I was mishap free to a degree. When P’s here I find it hard to blog. Word’s don’t come as easily. Plus when he’s here there’s the motorbike to explore on. My run felt awkward, which I put down to the reactivation treatment. I thought it was warm enough for a beach siesta, but the wind and clouds came early afternoon. Saturday I got to the gym early for a change and my workout was easier. Muscles working as they should and full burpees I still don’t like but are Spartan Race necessary.

Friday morning run view. Sunny and warm

Friday afternoon. Windy and cold

Sunday I pull out the Nespresso water tray to refill and what do I see? Ants and ant eggs! I pull out the draw completely and came to the conclusion the little xxxx’x are inside the machine. I was tempted to open it up to check, but we decided to throw it out. I didn’t want ants pouring out like World War Z zombies. It needed replacing anyway and I’ve had my eye on a smaller cute machine for sometime. The counter top is now untaped and new machine on it’s way. Goggle say’s ants in coffee makers happen more than you’d think.

For a change of scenery I thought it would be a good idea to run in Parc Collserola, the mountain behind the city. After confusion which entrance to set off from, we set off from the visitor centre. I haven’t ran trails in a almost a year, but that’s nothing. Those hills! Man, within 45 seconds my lungs were screaming! All I could think was coming back it’s gonna be a doddle! Hill’s regardless, we had fun running the park. Some hills were too steep to run up: translation my legs got tired. 12km ended up being 17km and the hills down back were a breeze! But I ain’t sky running just yet!

And idea of how hilly the park is. We ran down these, but ran up the hills the other side of the mountain. Well it would be hilly if it’s a mountain!

Smiling now. Last few hills up, err

As for Easter Monday, I overslept. Oversleeping always leads to mishaps days, so lets just write that day off.

I hope you had a great long Easter Weekend! Are you a mishap free person or always asking why these things only happen to you? Have you ever had ants in a coffee maker? I must have words with the cats about ant patrols.