Aquarobics

Greetings everyone.

This week we have been cheering England on in the Commonwealth Games. Usually, apart from Wimbledon, I don't tend to watch a lot of sport but I find that in big events like the Olympics or these games I quite like to dip in and out; watch a bit of gymnastics here, a bit of diving there etc. We do seem to be doing surprisingly well and some of the competitors are SO YOUNG! Another thing which surprised me was when they announced the National Anthem of England and then played 'Jerusalem'. I suppose with it being the Commonwealth Games we all have the same Queen and I do like Jerusalem, but I don't think of it as our anthem.

Anyway, possibly inspired by all the sport, my New Thing for this week was to attend an aquarobics session at the local leisure centre. There have been a few things on my Fifty List that I have loved and know that I want to keep up - crochet, quilting and pilates for example - aquarobics is another. It was a 'just turn up' session, so there was none of the remembering to book it 6 days in advance, the instructor was fit and friendly, the music great and the other women really welcoming. I had a whale of a time with the sponge weights and woggles (I think that's what they're called - sort of a long sponge sausage) and am now waiting for my arms to start aching! I'll definitely be going again next week and might try to persuade E to come too.

Also this week was our local Waterways Festival. When E was younger we had one day a week when L was doing an after school club and we had an hour to kill. We used to do a whistle stop tour to the library and then have a drink and a bun in a cafe overlooking the canal, watching the narrow boats. E decided that when she grew up, she wanted to live on one, so it was lovely to be able to see the narrow boats at the festival and even be allowed to go inside one and look around. It was compact and cosy with lots of book shelves and a really well stocked kitchen (including a pasta maker and ravioli tray!). I could see the attraction. You can hire them for the day or a week and in lovely weather I bet it's fantastic. Even if it rained a bit, the inside would be warm and cosy, but if it rained all week (as it could well do in the UK) I feel that we might get a little claustrophobic. Still, maybe I should put it on my 'To do' list.
The theme for the festival was 'Vikings' and some of the boat owners had really gone to town dressing up as vikings and decorating their boats.

There were lots of stalls and the odd fairground attraction but my favourite stall was the one selling second hand books. We got the impression that the husband was insisting on a clear out because the wife seemed a little reluctant and kept picking up various books and exclaiming over them. They did have a really good selection, however, and, promising to give them a good home, we overcame our guilt and bought a few.

The other thing I bought was this soap:

My hands have a tendency to have eczema and I have to use the most boring soap imaginable - no perfume or colour of any kind. This was advertised as being specifically for those suffering from eczema and psoriasis, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. With the lavender and bergamot it does smell really nice and my hands haven't flared up as much as with other soaps but it isn't really any better for me than my usual boring stuff from Tesco and it is quite expensive. So, sadly, despite the lovely smell, I doubt that I will be buying any more.

We are praying that the rain keeps off today - E is performing in an open air play with our local 'Masques' and we are taking a picnic to eat beforehand, so some more nice weather would be lovely. Enjoy your weekend, whatever you have planned.

Toodle Pip for now. x