the weekend

There will unfortunately be no Great North Run for me this weekend. No injury, no last minute nerves but just circumstances out of anyone's hands. It will be such a shame not to make the trip and to trudge through the miles, and I will certainly miss not spending time with the LS ladies and meeting the rest of Team LS. But i was incredible lucky to have taken part last year and to this day i still look back upon that week up in Newcastle with the fondest of memories - it was truly epic! That's what i'll be thinking on Sunday morning.

There will be no regrets at all. There will be other runs, other Great North Runs in fact. And the simple truth remains that there are just some things in life more important. I am very grateful to the guys - Sal, Lis, Abi, Phoebe and Kay for the chance to run and am just sorry I won't be there to see all the awesome fruits of their labour. Thank you again all and see you Tuesday.

It's been a funny old week to be honest. Lisa's obviously been up in Newcastle for a few days and before she left i was looking forward to a couple of stereotypical nights - beer, pizza and sport. A couple of hours after getting home i was bored out of my skull - no pizza (had to use up old pasta), a craving for milk as opposed to beer and about the nearest thing to sport on the box was watching a police foot chase in 'The Bill' - fully dry. This morning began on a far more positive note though. For months now i've been losing clothes quicker than Peter Pan lost his marbles in Hook (now there's a good film....just annoys me that Rufeo died, he was a cool kid). Without pointing the finger directly, I have had my suspicions that a certainly lady (aka the blue eyed stare) has been weeding out any parts of the wardrobe that might be deemed 'rank'. But alas, as i searched high and low for some shoes, i unearthed a chest (not really unearthed, it's always been there, just that nobody ever opens it) and there they were. The likes of Coral (pinkish jumper that divides society), Tommy (shorts for bed), the only white shirt i've ever owned and my grey sports jumper that Abi and Lisa both once said to me they hated because it didn't have any shape! Come again...?

And it then got even better when i uncovered my watch (an 18th birthday present). Fingers crossed the luck will come in threes which mean i might have a shot at devouring that fruit pastille i lost down the back of the sofa last week....orange as well!

So this morning i was looking forward to getting back into the land of the living. Our pod at work is hugely depleted at the moment, what with people off on honey moons and holidays, up at the GNR and in Birmingham for a fitness conference. As a result it's been left to just the three amigos today - myself, Rob - a tall, polite and handsome chap of 26 years who is currently trying to get over a recent tri-athlon defeat to Dave (no big deal i hear you say, just try telling him that! He's been blaming it on some kind of puncture but we're yet to be convinced). If you're trying to picture Rob think of Rob Wainwright, the old Scottish rugby player, and you're getting close.

And then there's Guy Forget, where to start with this man. No relation to his namesake and the old tennis legend but a youngster who shares the Frenchman's flamboyance and flair. Originally from Somerset, Forge has a lifestyle more befitting a man from the wine regions of the South. Relaxed, debonnair and adds a touch of class to the day job.

We're getting on well and there's high productivity on the pod at the moment. Rob's knuckling down with the latest press release and is listening to some music - tends to go for Enya. Whilst Forge has his feet on the desk and is currently honing his card tricks. He's decked out in white linen today with a pair of Gucci sunglasses and is shortly off to enjoy a South American cigar and have his shoes polished...touch of class i told you.

Best get back to it also...will write again shortly....