Image-heavy post

Perhaps the most exciting thing to have happened this weekend was my (entirely unplanned, I promise) attendance at the local Allotment Society's Open Day and Scarecrow-making Competition. Having been cancelled last weekend, ostensibly because of some drizzle, the expectation for today had obviously been ramped up considerably. Here is a picture of the throng awaiting a local radio presenter to present the awards.


Here I stumbled, not exactly fresh from my run. Amazingly, despite my red glow, my wheezing breathiness and the bare legs and the sweating like a rapist thing, the allotmenteers did not pick up their shovels and hoes and chase me away from their children. Indeed, I was all-but embraced into the warm, fuzzy breast of their community spirit. I know this because one elderly man said "Good turnout" to me. Another lady pointed out two frogs to me in a pond. How acknowledged I felt!

These two won awards:

The first of these won the child category (click to get the full effect). The second was my personal favourite of them all.

And this is an owl made out of plastic milk bottles:

My run was a complete shambling disaster. As you may recall, I had intended to go for a 30 minute run. I managed only half of this, as I chose today to run a route I had never tried, in a place I'd actually never been, which turned out to be beautiful:


but very hilly. I felt really nauseous and had to stop. What a terrible washout. I am not very fit at all, and I hang my head in shame. Tomorrow I have my first back to back run though.

Elsewhere this weekend, I had my hair cut in a formal manner for this week's dreaded interview, and Ian and I popped into the Baltic to see the new Nara exhibition, and to pick up whatever limited-edition goodies they might have. We ended up getting a couple of posters, which will grace walls of the living room of whatever form of accommodation we might next have, in Leicester, or Nottingham, or Melton Mowbray or wherever we end up living in August.

Here are some pictures I stole, contrary to the policies of the Baltic. And I only donated 50p for the exhibition guide, suggested donation ONE POUND. Have at you, Arts Council! That'll teach you to have amazing Japanese artists come and exhibit here!