The hills have eyes

The weekend started as I meant it to go on. Relaxed, and a little self-indulgent. I popped into Pontypridd town on Saturday morning to pick up some bits of food as my Dad is staying tonight so he can come flat-viewing with me on Monday morning. I got a little distracted by a cut looking cafe just off the high street and stopped for a quick coffee. It was lovely to sit having a quiet coffee, watching the world go by.

And to be perfectly honest, that was about as much as I did on Saturday! I walked back home from town and totally chilled out until bedtime. I *should* have gone for a long run yesterday but I didn't. I'm not going to lose any sleep over it - I think sometimes it is ok to miss a run if you really don't feel like it (although I almost always feel better if I get out on the roads, I know that). When my motivation is waining the best thing I can do it get some sleep, get out of bed the next day and really kick my backside into touch. So that's exactly what I did.

So, as per my tweet earlier on, I pulled my finger out this morning and got running! I did my favourite 8 mile route in the Ponty hills and it was gorgeous. I still didn't make the first 2 horrific miles of deathly steep hill without having to walk, but from the top onwards, it was just glorious. With various stops to take photos and at *least* a three minute walk up the last bit of the hill, I was out on the road for 90 mins. And I loved it - the relaxed approach I took and allowing myself to take photographs and really enjoy the surroundings made all the difference. Plus, it turned out I wasn't on my own! The hills really do have eyes...

There were horses, sheep and cows too, but I only had my iPhone camera on me so the only animal photo that came out well was the one I took of the horses. My hill route also takes me down a long and windy road through the middle of rolling countryside and past a beautiful church:

Downhill from here!

It was really quiet up here and so peaceful.

After my run Dad arrived at around 2.30pm today and we headed to the local pub, The Bunch of Grapes, for some lunch. It was delish - I had roast parsnip soup followed by seabass on a bed of beetroot risotto. Dad had roast beef. I totally forgot to take any pictures of our lunch but to be honest I would have had to have been really quick as we were both quite hungry and devoured both courses quite quickly!

Tomorrow I plan to drag Dad to the gym early doors, then meet the estate agents for some viewings at 9am and 10am. Having spoken to my lovely housemate yesterday, I think it may be the case that my staying with her when she moves into her new property is the best course of action for us both. Cheaper for me in the long run and more financially suitable for her when she gets a bigger place. However, I can't rely on her to find me somewhere to live, hence the scheduled viewings for tomorrow. Just in case. I'll keep you posted!