New image...

I have blue hair.  I think this will rapidly become a fashion trend, it's just that I'm the leader at this point...  As soon as my picture appears in Vogue or whatever I'm sure it will catch on.

Steel blue, thank you for asking.  Ronseal Steel Blue, to be exact.  That's what comes of trying to paint the outside loo (which is tiny) and doing the walls in the wrong order.  I banged my head against an already painted wall.  Sigh.  Anyway, as I'd already got clean that day (once a day is plenty, right?) I thought nobody would notice at an evening out...

They did.

On the plus side (although, frankly, what's not 'plus' about being a trend-setting fashion icon?) I ran 11.5k with Freaky Running Dog yesterday.  It was meant to be 10k but I'm still rubbish at working out distances, so I just guessed.

We set off before 7am and were at the top of Rudry Common before too long in the sunshine.  Well, not 'sunshine' exactly, but certainly 'not raining'.

It's got a shadow - that counts as sunshine in this soggy summer...

We plodded on, and on, and on...  As I was running (ok, plodding) I was trying to work out how to sit in one of the rivers near home before I actually got home.  Thanks to the advice of Mad Mick some time back, I've been doing the 'sitting in a cold bath for 10 minutes' thing after running to help with muscle pain.  It works!  But sitting in a cold bath is really, really dull.  I figured a river might be more interesting, but there were almost too many options:  1.5k from home with a nice gentle slope?  Near home but right by the road so very open to spectators?  The plunge pool near the wooden footbridge where the water's a funny colour?  Or the wide bit by the brick bridge about 0.5k from home through the woods?

I decided the last one of those was the one to aim at and by the time we got there it was 11.5k.  Much to the delight of Freaky Running Dog, who loves being in the river, I waded out and sat down.  And ate the chocolate biscuit from my backpack.  I felt just like the fat bloke in The Full Monty who wraps himself in cling film to lose weight then sits on the bed and eats a Mars bar...

I'd texted the Melodeon Master to see if he wanted to come and witness the spectacle (he jumped at the chance) and then I just sat, with Freaky Running Dog standing quietly and companionably beside me.

Our peace was shattered by the addition of a small brown wriggly spaniel (Billy) who suddenly appeared.  I was waiting for his owner and mentally composing my succinct reasons for sitting in the river when Billy spotted us and bounded into the river to join us.  Bedlam!  Two manic dogs flinging themselves around me, loads of splashing and bouncing and huge excitement.  And no owner for Billy...

Then the Melodeon Master and Rubbish Running Dog (now very elderly) turned up and things became even more manic, with Billy deciding it was The Best Party Ever so he had to run in and out of the water 85 times.

Naturally the Melodeon Master took a photo of the bedlam:

Weirdly, it didn't feel that cold.  Maybe it was all the doggy entertainment?  Sooo much more exciting than a cold bath!

And if standing in rivers is good enough for the British Lions...