Fitness Journey, 8 March

 Another walk with a rest in the middle - the rest, this time, being on a bus.  Which was very frustrating, as I will relate.

I needed to pick up my medication from the pharmacy, so walked down Acre Lane 

into Brixton to do that, and then popped into Superdrug to recycle my blister packs from the last lot.  Then I decided to go up past the Post Office and along Pulross Road to cut up on to Landor Road and, I hoped, past the Old Post Office Bakery, but by the time I got to Lambeth Hospital I was getting tired, and sat down at a bus stop to get my second wind, and there was a bus so I thought I'd catch it for a couple of stops until it diverged from my route.  Only, when it went past the Old Post Office, they had Chelsea Buns in the window!!!!!

So I banged the bell to get off at the next stop, but the next stop was a lot further along Landor Road than the bus had already come, and the traffic was absolutely solid, it must have taken a good 10-15 minutes to get to the stop.  I did get off there, although it was a stop earlier than I had planned, as the traffic was so impossibly slow it was quicker to walk by then.  So I cut the corner, going past a derelict block of flats with daffodils growing on the lawn: 

and then out on to Bedford Road, and so home.  Would have struggled dreadfully without the bus - I was struggling a bit as it was, but got there in the end.

Music: Simply Musicals, London; then Simply Musicals, Andrew Lloyd Webber

Fitness journey, 6 March

 

Today's walk looks a lot better than it actually was, as what it doesn't show was that we were in the Church for over an hour, so I had a lovely long rest in the middle!  

The Swan Whisperer needed to go down to our church to do some work on the sound system, and suggested I come down with him - if he got too bored, walking at my pace, he would go on ahead.  Actually, he didn't - he said, coming back, that if he was much colder he would have done (the church, of course, being out of use, is unheated at the moment), but he was fine.  Anyway, it is about 1.5 km there and we came back a different way, past the prison and then up Lyham Road - noting some interesting-looking places for further exploration - and then I said I thought it would be a bit shorter to cut the corner through the estate, rather than going up past the youth club and home that way.  So we did.  I struggled quite badly going to the church, as it is uphill (not steeply, but continuously), but after a rest was fine, and then walking back was downhill or flat!

And oh, the bliss of seeing someone in the flesh and chatting to them who is not the Swan Whisperer, much as I love him!  But it was nice to have his company on my walk!

No music - I had company!  Ditto no photos, for the same reason.

Fitness journey, 5 March

 

After Tuesday's little effort, I had to have a couple of quiet days.  I did stagger out to Lidl before breakfast on Wednesday morning (fancied a pain au chocolat), but yesterday the weather was horrible - foggy and dreich - so I stayed in.  I did sort out my herbs and spices, as I might have gone to Tesco's, or even to Nour, had I needed much in that line, but in fact found I had too much sage (so put the spare jar in the hall for another resident to take if they would like) and more ras el hanout than I thought, and the only thing I really needed was parsley, so I left it.

But today the sun is (mostly) shining, and I had no excuse for not going for a walk.  However, I thought I had better take it easy again, so just went round the block, walking through the estate and then back via Branksome Road and Hayter Road to make the tracing rather less phallic!  I then wen to Lidl, which accounted for most of the 2nd kilometer, and certainly for the slowness of it!  And home to discover that I'd forgotten to buy parsley, my head and face covering (I have some pretty bandannas which I have  been  using as scarf-cum-mask this winter) was inside out and I'd bought chicken and duck sushi instead of the veggie sushi I thought I'd bought.  Oh well....

Music: Simply Musicals, London.

Fitness Journey, 2 March

 I didn't walk much yesterday, only round Lidl, so not even 1 km.  Made up for it today, though.  And have badly overdone it, alas.  Would have been fine if only there had been somewhere to stop and sit down for a bit.  First km was fine, just under 15 minutes, which isn't bad; 2nd km was nearly half an hour, but that's because it was plodging round Little Waitrose (which sounds like a posh nursery school!), Boots and Sainsbury's.  Couldn't find the Chelsea buns I've been looking for in either of the supermarkets, but did get the shampoo I wanted in Boots.

It was the 3rd kilometer that was really, really hard - I chose to go the long way home, down Tremadoc Road (apparently one of our ministers lives there - had I known that, I might have asked if I could sit on her doorstep for 10 minutes to get my second wind!) and on to Bedford Road and then the shortcut via Hetherington Road.  But I was really, really, really struggling for breath and feeling exhausted.  I may have to rest tomorrow, but I hope not.  I'd still like to get 4x30-minute walks this week if possible - but perhaps not quite so far next time!

Music: Simply Musicals, Hollywood

Fitness Journey, 28 February

 

Today's walk was a bit of a struggle - I thought I would try to walk down to the farmers' market at Herne Hill (which, indeed, is exactly what I did do), but quite nearly aborted when I got to Sainsbury's (near the park entrance) and very nearly aborted when I got to Brockwell Lido (about the 2 km mark on the walk).  But somehow I got my second wind, and carried on, not only down to the Herne Hill park exit, but also round the farmers' market (which was crowded and nothing I really wanted to buy).  The park was crowded - a notice at the entrance said only to go in for exercise (although as they have a lateral flow testing station there, I would have thought you could go in for that, too!), but there were loads of people walking, running and cycling, and even a fitness class going on near the Lido.  I saw some people sitting on a park bench eating their lunch, and was tempted to remind them they can't actually do that until next Monday (but didn't, of course!).  Once I had been round the market, I walked back to the bus stop and was not impressed at having to wait nearly 10 minutes for the next bus home, but no choice!  

I didn't really think, when I set out on this journey on 1 February, that I would have reached 5x30 minutes' walk in one week by the end of the month, but that is indeed what I have done!  I haven't quite as many steps as last week, for some reason, but 5 walks! 

I think, though, that I shall still continue to log my journey during March, as it keeps me accountable!  You don't have to read it, after all.

Music: Simply Musicals: Broadway

Fitness Journey 27 February

 

Another bust, alas!  I had intended to walk up and cross the railway bridge and so up to Landor Road, but when I got there, alas, it was closed.  So I went on down Ferndale Road into Brixton.  I was looking for Chelsea Buns (there is an independent bakery on Landor Road that I am fairly sure does them), so popped into the Sainsbury's Local and the Iceland, with no success in either shop.  And I felt tired and there was a 35 coming along in 2 minutes, so.... and the artisan bakery 2 doors down doesn't do them, either!  So this walk wasn't very long and was very slow, and yet I am tired.  But I have done 4 walks this week, and if I can manage one tomorrow, it will be 5 walks of 30 minutes, which is not something I'd hoped to achieve for another month yet!  

Music: Saturday morning Radio 4

Fitness Journey, 25 February

 

Today's walk ended up being completely different from what I'd planned - I thought at first I'd just head down to the windmill and back, as I know that's a nice distance for me just now.  But I also thought that instead of going straight down Branksome Road and back up Strathleven Road, which looks rather phallic when traced, I'd go down Hayter Road and then Branksome Road to get to Lambert Road.  However, half way long Hayter Road, I saw this lovely elderflower tree in blossom: 

and that reminded me I'd meant to go out on to Brixton Hill to see whether there were any crocuses on Rush Common.  As it turned out, I couldn't get across the road to have a look, as there is building work which has closed the nearest crossing, so I walked back up towards Brixton and then up Porden Road to Acre Lane.  I then realised that if I went straight home, I wouldn't have walked nearly far enough, so decided to do a loop round some of the streets on the far side of Acre Lane, and, as it's ages since I've been that way, I forgot that Santley Street was a cul-de-sac past the 7th Day Adventist Church, so I had to retrace my steps slightly.  Which actually gave me a walk of almost exactly the right distance!  Very pleasing.  There were also daffodils in the street boxes on Hayter Road, and, a bit further along, children learning to ride mountain bikes over a jump!  Which I didn't photo, but did stop to applaud.

Music: Evita: songs from the musical