We retired to our accommodation at the rather plush (for a Holiday Inn) Holiday Inn (J4 M10). My calf was sufficiently sore that I wasn’t sure that I was going to run the next day but things had eased up a bit by the morning and I set out on first split at Hambleden. The calf actually eased up as I went round but, more generally, I had no energy and found myself walking up most of the steep inclines. Other than a few wobbles in the control pick round 15 – 19 my navigation was fine but without the speed I was over 10 minutes down on the winner.

Having failed to find any Easter eggs in Henley, we all had a swim in the hotel pool when we got back (1.2m throughout so not all that small child friendly). Duncan was coughing during the night but didn’t seem too bad for the early start with clock changes and a drive over to Cold Ash (near Newbury). Fortunately our status as family/helpers meant that we didn’t have to use the bussing system. It was still a fair trek to the string course though. Emma shot round in just over 5 minutes. Duncan was a bit more sedate but suffered no truck when it came to punching first at the controls. He didn’t look too happy sat in the club tent though when I handed over the reins to Christine. I had another average run, with no major blunders but once again 10 minutes down. It was till enough to give me a respectable 8th place on M35 over the two days (Christine’s third place was more impressive though!).

Unfortunately, as I returned to the car I was informed by a club member that Duncan had been sick in the car. He looked better for it but we binned the JOK meet-up and headed back to the hotel where he slept for most of the rest of the day. Having tucked in to a fry-up on Monday morning (not his first choice but he wanted what Emma was having) we concluded he was well enough to go to the relays back at Hambleden. It was bitterly cold though and both children were complaining as we watched Christine come in third (again) on first leg of Women’s Short. I was third leg on Men’s Short. I didn’t have much company by the time I went out but had a reasonable run, making just one error as I ran up the wrong valley and wasted a couple of minutes.

Everyone was warming up back in the car when I returned and although we’d all had fun, we were glad to get home. Sadly we’ve now all come down with Duncan’s illness with Emma being sick today. Anyone would think we were on holiday!

The race started fairly well and I made it round the first half in 17:45. Unfortunately, although my legs felt fine, my stomach wasn’t happy . I was wretching at 9k and finally parted company with the contents of my stomach just after I crossed the finish line in 36:32. I’m not sure if I hadn’t left enough time after breakfast (I’ve got too used to going running on a Tuesday evening straight after dinner, forgetting what a difference it makes when you’re really trying!) or whether it was the slightly out-of-date gel I had in the half an hour before the start. Either way, it’s not a bad time but I’m left wondering what it could have been…

I returned home to pick up the rest of the family so that Emma could run the 2K fun run. Her only other race was in the pouring rain at the Hursley 10K last year so this may have seemed like a distinct improvement. She did, however, start off in all of the clothes you see in the photo, only discarding the coat because it was getting in the way a bit! She insisted on going round on her own (probably off the back of last week’s string course). I’ve no idea how long she took (probably something around 10 minutes if the timestamps on the photos I took afterwards are to be believed) but most importantly she was still smiling at the end. Then only one more trip to Fleming Park for swimming lessons later in the day!

On Sunday, we went to the SOC event at a very damp Kings Garn Gutter in the pouring rain. I had first run. I had a relatively clean run, only missing number 16 which, as you can see from Route Gadget, I think was in the wrong place. The fact that the controller spent 15 minutes checking it was in the right place just makes me all the more doubtful. More of a problem was obviously my speed as, when the results came out, I was over 10 minutes down on the youngsters.

Emma was delighted with finally getting to an event with a string course. She went round three times including twice on her own. Duncan wasn’t in such a good mood as all the large puddles meant that he repeatedly got wet socks!

The event also saw a presentation to club stalwart Jean Velecky on occasion of her reaching W90. There are a few photos here.

As the sun was shining, I also managed to persuade the children that we should go out again after lunch – this time to Farley Mount. This time both children wanted bikes. Duncan demonstrated that, although still on a balance bikes, he could still do with brakes going down a steep hill! (It was bath time when Christine pointed out the black eye that had resulted from the impact with the end of his handlebars!) Both children seemed to think that, if they kept their helmets on they had license to throw themselves off all of the play equipment so that wasn’t the only bruise in evidence. There were lots of children out and about and Duncan was quite literally spurred on to new heights (climbing to the top of the pyramid on his own).

Needless to say, I was glad to return to work the following day to get some rest!

When we said ‘yes’ to running at Sunday’s CompassSport Cup qualifier I hadn’t quite realised where Agglestone was. It is the heathland that rises up behind the Sandbanks peninsula just over the border in Dorset. We were parked in one of the National Trust car parks on the seashore which meant that, whilst Christine went for her run, the rest of us headed to the beach. As you can probably tell from the photo, although sunny, there was a stiff breeze coming from the sea so nobody was going to be stripping off to run in to the sea but the children certainly enjoyed playing in the sand.

I had started to shed clothes as the scheduled time for our handover approached and was freezing when Christine eventually appeared. I couldn’t believe it when she said I didn’t need a hellie but it was a good call – in land and out of the breeze it was quite warm.

I can’t claim to have had a good run. At the fourth control I lost around three minutes as I just couldn’t get the flat terrain on the map to match the hill on the ground! Looking at my GPS trace, I think the control was also further north than mapped which didn’t help. Some judicious use of form lines on the map would have helped greatly as would more care over the mapping of the gorse and the inclusion of all of the major paths! It’s fair to say that I wasn’t the only one grumbling about the map back in the car park. I finished eighth, over eight minutes down on the winner. The club also came second by some margin to Bristol which means that we don’t progress to the final in the Forest of Dean.

On the ferry on the way back I asked Emma whether she’d prefer a beach or a string course at every event. The power of sweets is remarkable: she opted for the string course!

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And, in case anyone asks: why Rainbows not Beavers? Well, partly because Christine thinks the boys should be allowed to play on their own once in a while, but mainly because we were far too late in enquiring about Beavers! Duncan is now on the waiting list…

After a fairly fast first lap I concluded that I wasn’t going to finish at that pace and slowed for the second. Perhaps because of this (or could it even be the semi-regular training that I’ve managed for the past month?!) I actually felt fairly good on the last lap. I even managed a bit of overtaking in the final mile although was gutted to lose out on yet another sprint for the line (to the sideburns in the accompanying picture!). I came 41st in the results which equated to 33rd in the senior men (unlike the women, the men have to wait to 40 for the next category) in a time of 45:48 which, although some six minutes slower than the winner, I was pretty pleased with. To put it in perspective, my 10k time was 39:09 over an undulating and muddy course. Perhaps I’ll even try my hand at a 10k on the road this year…

After lunch by the cafe, we drove up to the top of the hill and Christine had a run whilst the children went round the play equipment (or is it a fitness trail, I’m never too sure!), played in the dens and rode around on their bikes. I then made the mistake of suggesting we pop in to Cotswolds on the way home tp see of there was anything good in their sale. After the day’s exertions, Emma went in to meltdown when they didn’t have a pair of pink moon boots in her size! It was still a good day on which to end my holiday – back to work tomorrow!

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A bit of shouting finally roused Christine and I could tie off the ballcock whilst I found the correct tap for the mains. After a bit of fishing around in the cistern I could finally replace the outlet (tying it in place this time as obviously the normal scheme wasn’t sufficient) which just left the clean up operation downstairs.

There was plenty of water to be found outside as well in the shape of rain so it was good that, in the afternoon, we were off to see Treasure Island at the Nuffield Theatre. It was very well done. Doctor Livesey kept protesting that it was not a pantomime and that it was a traditional family Christmas entertainment but he wasn’t fooling anyone. There was certainly plenty to laugh at for both adults and children with the occasional bit of audience participation thrown in for good measure. Despite Emma’s reply in the interval that the best part so far was the ice cream she was tucking in to, she certainly enjoyed the production. Hard to say what Duncan made of it all – he was certainly transfixed through to the end though! The run continues until 13 January so well worth a ticket if you’re in the area.

With 40 minutes on the clock I was in front and heading to the high point controls at the North end of the map. After a couple of blunders that must have cost me around four minutes in total it was going to be a long sprint back in to try to make it back in the allotted time. Instead, I decided a late return picking up more controls on the way would be a better bet. This also had the benefit that it increased my changes of finding the so far elusive fairies and tree. I was nearly eight minutes late in the end but I was rewarded with a clean sweep on the bonus points. In the final reckoning I was in fourth place. Interestingly, four out of the top five were also back late which suggests that this may actually be a good tactic. You can see my route on RouteGadget.

We managed to delay opening of presents until after breakfast and getting dressed but there wasn’t much hope of stretching it further than that. There was a good haul of presents at that although the only notable items were a keyboard for Emma, an electric guitar for Duncan (it was never going to be a quiet Christmas) and a shiny new iMac for me the family. We all (Christine’s parents were still with us) went out for a walk up St Catherine’s Hill before lunch. The newly tarmacked cycle path was crowded with walkers (mainly with dogs – not many cyclists in evidence). There was a cool breeze on the way up the steps but the sun even shone as the children played in the mizmaze. Unfortunately the descent back to the car park was a bit of a mud bath.

The afternoon passed playing with toys and a little Christmas TV and, after a slight underestimate on turkey cooking time by Christine, a traditional meal was served around the children’s normal dinner time (I was even granted gravy this year!). After a few rounds of Santa Dash (courtesy of the crackers) the children went to bed suitably tired and a peaceful evening was had by the rest of us!

The day itself didn’t get off to a good start with Emma displaying the same sickness that Duncan had earlier in the week. Fortunately she also had a similar remarkable recovery. She missed out on the morning stroll but was eating crisps and cake by the time the party lunch came round. After lunch we waved goodbye to the Cornish contingent who were heading home for Christmas.

We then made our way round the sculptures on the trail (with the occasional detour for impromptu toilet stops). Emma was remarkably good at following the map so perhaps the orienteering is sinking in and both children enjoyed plotting the constellation on their trail guide and the craft activity. One large star (the sun) even came out for the last hour we were there although I’m not sure it justified Duncan’s decision to dispense with his coat.

The visit was punctuated with calls from Christine whose flight had been cancelled due to snow, its replacement postponed, and then the replacement also cancelled. The Lufthansa check-in desk closed before she’d reached the front of the queue of people trying to rebook for the following day and she eventually arrived back home after midnight having spent the whole day at Heathrow.

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When the time came, the children were as wary of strange men in fake beards as they should be! Emma received a book (London – See Inside) which was a welcome gift. I’m withholding judgement on Duncan’s Farm Carpet Croquet (it was at least in a large box)! The DJ was winding up as we arrived in the hall so with mince pie and mulled wine consumed, we made for a quick getaway.

As best man, I was privy to the big secret for the weekend. The rings would be delivered to me during the ceremony by barn owl! The owl had its own plans once freed of the rings and took a tour of the room, taking in the photographer’s head amongst other stops. After the photos, we were then treated to a display outside included the owl, a hawk and a falcon courtesy of Hawksdrift. I particularly enjoyed the part where Hedley was chased down by one of the birds. There was, of course, the small matter of a speech to give as well. It seemed to go reasonably well although it remains to be seen whether Hedley will talk to me again!

Hedley and Lisa made a lovely couple and we wish them the best for their future life together.

Unfortunately Duncan was then sick in the night (nothing to do with the doughnuts – he hadn’t eaten any!) and proceeded to sleep for almost the entirety of the next day. In the morning, Emma and I went swimming with Ian and Megan and then, in the afternoon, Christine went out with them on their bikes. Duncan rallied at dinner time, shortly after we hadn’t ordered him any!

On Monday, we headed to the beach at Porthtowan in the morning. In the afternoon, as the rain arrived we headed in Truro and, whilst I went shopping, the others went to see The Enormous Turnip at the Hall for Cornwall theatre which was a hit with the children.

Duncan was sick again that night but ate his breakfast. Still, we decided not to risk the 45 minute drive over to the Eden Project. Instead, we walked/scooted to the local garden centre/pet shop/Xmas decoration outlet. After lunch, we ventured a bit further to Heartlands. There was a slightly bizarre exhibition in the art centre with stalls from lots of local health providers/charities all seemingly running activities completely unrelated to their usual work. For example, the children potted up some bulbs with a voluntary services organisation! The massive adventure playground certainly went down well even if it was busy.

By Wednesday it was time to move on. We dropped Christine off at Exeter St Davids (she was going in to work on Thursday) and continued on to Monmouth to spend the next couple of days with the in-laws. We had a fun day out in Pontypool on the Thursday. The location was selected by hospital appointment but we then went swimming and for a stroll around Pontypool Park in the sunshine. Friday was freezing but thankfully the rain moved on as we took the children out for a go on their bikes. Duncan wasn’t in the mood but Emma finally got the hang of getting herself moving. I finally went for a run before lunch as the sun was shining and then Sue took the children to the playground whilst I did some shopping. Christine was reunited with us before the next step of our journey…

Emma and Duncan seemed to thoroughly enjoy the yellow course though. Plenty of mud to squelch through and Duncan walked the whole way round without any bribery or complaining. At Christine’s suggestion, we’d put the children’s bikes in. Nine months on, Duncan’s balance bike actually fits him. He particularly enjoyed the off-road riding although struggled a little with balancing whilst traversing slopes! Emma has never spent more than a few minutes at a time on the stabiliser free bike that she got for her birthday (other than when hooked up to the back of my bike) but that was all set to change. She started just scooting without her feet on the pedals. Then she would cycle with me holding on to the saddle and it was soon apparent that I was doing a lot less holding than on previous occasions. Once we hit the open, Emma just needed to help getting started and then she was off… Hopefully it is just the start of many fun filled years of cycling.

Having the party at lunchtime was definitely a good move as there was less time to get stressed beforehand and also time to go out and enjoy the sunshine afterwards. There was supposedly a bus theme which meant that yours truly’s cake decorating skills were once again put to the test. I wasn’t entirely convinced by the salmon pink icing but Christine refused to let me put any more food colouring in! There was quite a mix of ages with siblings making up a third of the numbers but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Even Emma seemed to have a good time although she was definitely sickening with something as she had to have a lie-down in the middle of it all. In fact, both of them were in bed by the end of the afternoon!