The cure for floppy boots

Tell the truth, how many of you read that as floppy boobs rather than boots? Although there was an issue last week when I discovered one of my jogbras needed to be relegated to non-bounce activities this is actually about how to store your boots* rather than the boobies.

I also think I'm probably late to this little tidbit of information but after struggling with inflatable boot shapers that were far too large and looking at a wine bottle that was about to be relegated to the recycle bag I finally realised that I could use it to keep my boots upright and protected! You can also use rolled up magazines but since I rarely splurge on those any more that wasn't as handy an option.

The boots just flopping around (vintage Clarks from All Dressed Up in Chipping Norton)

The wine bottles--if you haven't tried the Chocolate Ruby chocolate infused wine from M&S you are missing out on on some deliciousness 

et voilà! 

My main problem is that I don't drink enough wine to have enough bottles for all my boots...surely that can't mean I own too many pairs!!!!  I suppose I could go raid the neighbours' bins on the next recycle day but I catch enough eye-rolling with my Americanisms as it is. 

*Obviously I mean footwear rather than the trunk (boot) of a car--related, I managed to say boot rather than trunk in a conversation today.

The favoured pair

While watching Craig Ferguson Late Late Show clips on youtube today and admiring Margaret Cho's boots I remembered that I own the same pair that she wore on an episode a few years ago: The Frye Julia lace-ups!

I have travelled across Wales, England, and Scotland in these boots, road-tripped across the US in them, had a woman in Los Angeles, California pull into a gas station for the sole purpose of asking me what they were and where I bought them, slept in them and ran through airports in them.  They have been re-soled three times and I still get compliments on them every time I wear them. I LOVE those boots and if I wasn't planning on being cremated I would want to be buried in them.  

On the shore of Loch Lomond

Jetlagged

Doing my rock star impression in Austin, TX

Supposed to be working

Glasgow

Going by these photos it would also appear I have a uniform besides running gear...Jeans, boots, oversize tee and leather jacket

Boot envy

It's not in the budget this year but if it was these Frye Parker lace up boots would be on my feet right now.

sigh...

Random musings

Random musings tonight.

I *like* running hills. It might not always be fun but tonight was one of the good ones once my legs got over feeling dead from the past two days of being sat at a desk.

If you like seventies style, you gotta watch "Rush", I'm more NASCAR than F1 but Ron Howard made a very entertaining movie that was a feast for the eyes--and I'm not just talking about Chris Hemsworth aka Thor.  The wardrobe in this movie is AMAZING.



Finally remembered to submit my picture for the INKnBURN #MondayMontage!

I love living in England but that fondness ends at all the pay to park areas.  This is a selection of the parking ticket receipts I fished out of my car before taking it in to be MOT'd yesterday. It passed by the way :-)

Speaking of passing, I passed my Theory and Hazard Perception tests on Tuesday. Just missed one on the former and got through the latter with more than enough points despite scoring a big fat zero on one of the clips where I apparently clicked the mouse button too many times.  Some of the questions are common sense but for the majority of it you need to know the Highway Code book inside and out. It should also be the latest version, my book from AA was from 2011 and I had one question that wasn't anywhere in my copy.

Blackberries are still ripening although we are getting to the last of them.  Someone decided to bring out the camera when I was on the step ladder trying to reach over the fence and into the hedge trying to pick as many as I could to freeze for later.  I do appreciate getting to admire how awesome those boots are though. 

I'm being assimilated.  Yesterday I was struggling to say dollar rather than pound when discussing American/Canadian/British money.  

After joining an American expat women's group on facebook I was reminded about how lucky I am to be a runner and how much I appreciate the running club.  It has made the transition to living here so much easier than it would have been otherwise because it has introduced me to so many awesome people.  I still get homesick and miss my friends back home but I don't have the sense of isolation that so many others have.  

Today was the Scotland vote for independence, as of yet we don't know the outcome and I'm not going to share my feelings about it here but it does make me sad to think that any future visits I take to our neighbouring country up north might require a passport check.  

#SaveTheDay fever and other stuff

If you are not getting caught up in the Doctor Who DW50 then I'm not sure we can really be friends! One more day!

#SaveTheDay

Now back to my usual prattling.  Unpacking is proceeding and we are slowly working out options for storing all my boots, shoes, clothing, workout gear etc etc.  Bottom line is that I have too much stuff for the room available and we have what is considered a large house for middle class England (yes, an Americanism but not sure what the UK equivalent is for that term).  Like most older builds there are no built in closets so we are having to rely on wardrobes, bookcases, chests for clothing storage and that of course takes up floor space. There will certainly not be any more clothing purchases for a good while so I better keep my weight in check or better yet, a Tardis for a wardrobe ;-)

*this obviously is not all my boots nor does it include my running shoes

The group run went well last night, much better than expected actually considering that I hadn't eaten much the past two days and was flat out tired and stressed from the aforementioned unpacking.  I certainly needed the run to clear my head and it was more laid back than the previous week which was a good thing since I ended up wearing my calf compression sleeves for two days after.  Quite interesting finding out how many people here have family living in the states as well, there were three members I spoke to who had kids across the pond.

Ben the rescue mutt has had just over a month off of mostly no running and his arthritic hip shows no difference from when he used to go out with me for 3-4 miles.  The only changes are that he is getting fat and way too hyper so I'm going to ease him back into some 3 milers because the weight gain will cause more harm than the inactivity.  He loves to run and always looks so crestfallen every time Elsie and I head out the door without him.

I was considering a local 10k on Saturday but it went and sold out between the time I started looking at the entry page on Wednesday and the final decision to go for it on Thursday morning.  Note to self, don't wait to sign up next time! 

Earworms

Wanted to share a couple of songs/artists that have been on repeat on lately. Enjoy!

Icona Pop's "I Love It" has been making the blog rounds lately and rightly so, it's incredibly catchy and upbeat and this would make an awesome pick up the pace addition to the running playlist

Antero Lindgren "Cigarette Stump" for those days when you're feeling mellow or melancholy. Works for either mood or at least it does for me

It's not much of a secret that I loves me an accent and have a boot obsession that's a bit crazy so hearing the gorgeous and hilarious Craig Ferguson ruminate on about HIS boot obsession equals a very happy Gabby.  Fast forward to around 6:19 to hear only that part. Huge thank you to TWBrit for sending me this link!

Back in the UK

Yes, I am back in the UK for a little bit.......after getting home from Joplin Saturday I had a marathon packing and house cleaning session to get ready for my flights Monday. Yes, flights. There is not much that flies direct out of Little Rock but at least LIT has free wifi! Oh and I had to get Elsie all packed up and ready to spend the time I'm away at Brice and Patti's house (I miss my dog *sad face*).  A bit weird clearing TSA security this time around, they had to re-calibrate the scanning machine then the bottom of my left rib cage got some extra attention from an agent.  Not my bra underwire, my rib cage!  She even asked what it was, lol.  I was so tempted to just pull my shirt up in line so she could see, either I have a deformed skeletal structure or they don't get many through with not much fat on their upper abdomen.

overlooking the wing at Little Rock

The flight from Little Rock to Chicago was delayed--apparently it's normally late, not sure why they don't adjust the flight schedule if it is so much--so the 45 minutes I thought I had turned into 20 and O'Hare does shuttle buses rather than a tram and those buses were running very slowly.  Not much time to gather my carry-on, figure out where I had to be, make a quick stop to grab a bottle of water then do a very swift walk to my next terminal and board the flight to Heathrow.  Wasn't too pleased once I boarded because they made me stow my carry-on in business class (they don't like you making forays into business class from cattle class to get stuff out of your bag) and I find my seat in a very packed plane already occupied.  The flight attendants were awesome while they sorted it out but it was a hassle getting to stand there waiting and trying to stay out of everyone's way until it was.

Couldn't get comfortable at all on the flight from Chicago to London and it was frustrating not having easy access to my toothbrush and contact lens fluid. The food also didn't seem quite as edible on this flight as my previous ones so didn't eat much. I did get to see the Olympic site while up in the air though, quite impressive but I couldn't get a pic because it was during the portion when we have to turn off all our electronics.

The UK! Finally!

After arriving and clearing all the Immigration stuff and trying to figure out where to meet my ride, my first stop was for FOOD! and a stop at Boots to stock up on personal items while here (darn luggage weight restrictions).  Oh, by the way, powder scent here is called cotton, just a hint if you find yourself in the deodorant department trying to find it.  

pretty :-)

I did eat at a pub that I'd tried on my last trip for dinner that night, again service was slow initially but the waitress was brilliant, it was just a little busy and I think she was still kind of new at it.  This time I opted for the liver, bacon, and onions with peas and mash with my usual drink while I'm here, a Kronenbourg shandy--half a pint of Kronenbourg and half a pint of lemonade (or 7up for us from the states).

View from my table, yes I did wonder if my lamb liver was one of the relatives of those out in the field

I don't think the jet lag is hitting me near as bad this time but I have gotten up and ran both days--3.37 miles yesterday and 4.7 today so I think that's helping although both days were tougher feeling than what they should have been compared to what I've been running :-(.  

I shop, therefore I am......

I rarely get out and go shopping at the malls much anymore, even less now that I'm not getting laid over in Laredo every weekend (of course, not driving has a lot to do that, lol) but yesterday was just feeling out of it and thought a trip out that didn't involve working out was needed.  Lo and behold I ended up at Dillard's to peruse their winter clearance racks--does any shopping in Arkansas not end up there?

My tastes have been tending towards vintage lately, kind of a mix of pencil skirts with sweaters or things with a 70's vibe thanks to a marathon netflix viewing of "United States of Tara" and a first time viewing of "Last Tango in Paris".  Loved the Shoshanna (spelling?) shrink alter of Tara, her outfits reminded me of what I remember my cousin Jill wearing when I was a kid.  So what does Dillards have to do with this?  One of the first things I saw when I walked in was this coat:

                                            Source: jessicasimpsoncollection.com via Gabby on Pinterest

I tried it on, admired it, then put it back on the rack to go wander about to see if anything else caught my interest.  Managed to find 3 dresses to try on, one was ok but even though ultra-cheap, it wasn't great so back it went.  The 2nd was very tailored and had a bit of a Mad Men vintage vibe but didn't fit quite right around the chest area (bit loose, definitely made for someone a little bustier) and then there was the 3rd dress.........

Ignore the weird pose.  Maggy London dress

Cute, cheap, will look great with boots of all colors for now AND sandals for summer. It drapes well, isn't going to require a slip, and doesn't show my arse if I lift my arms over my head.  Yep, it was purchased.

Left the store to meander throughout the mall and couldn't quit thinking about the coat.........nothing else was catching my eye so meandered back to try it on again.  This time while there I got started chatting with another shopper who was also trying on some of the other 70's vintagey jackets--it is kind of sad how this kind of interaction really doesn't occur that much anymore. Or maybe it's because I don't shop b&m that often and I don't notice it as much. Anyway it was a nice chat and also affirmed what I thought about the coat not looking half-bad on me.  I'd tried on the ivory version this time rather than the vicuna color and while that color looked best on me, with my track record of spilling coffee on my clothes,it  was definitely not going to remain pristine for long in my possession.  The ivory also left bits of fluff ALL OVER my black sweater!!!!! Ick!!!! Really kind of funny though with me, the sales associate, and the customer behind me in line all trying to use various tape rollers and brushes trying to get it off to no avail.  

Oh, and the boots I'm wearing in the dress pic are the black Heidi Klum Rosegold ones that I bought back in late November or early December when Amazon had them on sale for $54.  Get tons of compliments on them, while in Austin I had a girl tell me they were "killer boots" and yesterday walking out of the mall another lady in the parking lot stopped to tell me how great they were.  Most definitely a worthy purchase, my only regret is not buying the cigar colored pair when I could have gotten all three for less than what one pair costs normally.  

Ok, so how many of y'all have I lost with this shopping post? Sometimes a girl just needs to natter on about things other than running and cycling though, lol.

Where in the World and a Shoe Crisis

I love where I live, I really do and I love my friends in this area even more, but I kinda think I have the traveling bug. The problem is a lack of nearby international airports. The recent round trip to Malta required no less than 10 flights!!  And while I love flying, I can certainly do without that headache every time I want to go somewhere and do something.  So this is a BIG problem!!

London blew my mind! And I really want to go back and see the place properly and see friends this time. But with the schedule I was running there was simply no time to do anything other than whip my ass hard to get around to see what landmarks I could and I certainly didn't manage to get a proper run in which is something I always try to do if I'm in a different area.

The other thing is not actually a “shoe crisis” as such but a whole appearance crisis lol.  

Here in the southern states we tend to be very laid back and casual in our dress, but driving a truck all week long makes me want to dress like a girl on my time off, skirts, heels, boots. But here I stand out a little too much. It wasn’t so bad when I wasn't  single, but now I kinda feel that I am looked at differently.

In London and Malta most people were wearing the kind of things I enjoy wearing, and I’m not even talking about my crazy love of heels and tall boots, although there were plenty of those about too.  Also, I’m starting to find the discomfort of being hit on more… this probably sounds silly after what I just wrote but it’s partly work related and while here and on twitter I can laugh and joke with the best as it makes day fly by with a smile, it’s a very different thing when it’s close to home and more discomforting when it’s in the work place where I don't dress in anything but sensible work gear. I have always had to cope with a certain amount anyway because of my tattoos and being in a very male dominated industry etc, but this is slowly becoming intolerable, I probably have enough phone numbers to fill a small phone book with and I don't necessarily want any of them!! Especially now that it seems that these are beginning to fetter my web presence too. It's gotten to the point where I feel that my trucking days are starting to draw to a close, especially if I end up having to move to over the road driving rather than regional.  So, as this year progresses,  I will probably be looking to change my online presence quite a bit especially with the recent twitter hiccup. It is something I have been contemplating for a while anyways and I'm considering possibly reorganizing this blog into something a little less haphazard.

So a move to a place with more of an acceptance of dress and appearance plus an international airport to have access to running in Europe, the Med and Asia may be in the plans soon – I’m open to ideas, but where I live now is fantastic for running and cycling and above all -my friends! It certainly would be a tough call to move away from here.

ahhhh

Just back from an awesome run/walk with James & Elsie on an absolutely gorgeous day. Spring is coming, finally :-)!!!  It was so nice to be able just to take off wearing shorts & a tee and be comfortable, LOVE it!

Thought I'd add some pics from the past week or so

My new kick ass Doc Marten's. What you can't see very well in this pic is the pink stitching around the sole. I bought these from zappos.com and that site ROCKS!!!! Ordered them on Friday night, got them the next Monday with free shipping. Amazing service.

Signs of spring

This is just a couple of hours after I rammed my head in the door jamb while ill. Ignore the mess, the frown, and the very messed up hair. I'd just gotten showered & dressed + was very sick still so cut me some slack, lol.

New trail up to the water tower at Pulaski, TN

So, I've been on a shoe buying mission lately, too bad I can't wear the high heels right now due to the right ankle....What's not pictured here is the patent leather black heels that I was originally searching for. Actually wasn't looking for patent leather but it's what I ended up with.

The heels that are gorgeous but I can't wear (well to walk in anyways) :-(. The black & silver ones are Calvin Kleins that I got on sale for $29.40 :-) :-) :-)

The practical shoes that aren't sexy but I can actually walk in without the ankle protesting

The oh so gorgeous bronze metallic sandals that again I can't wear right now, sigh........

The best part of the shoe shopping was that all 5 pairs here were on 70% clearance at Dillards, altogether spent under $140.00. The black pumps (court shoes for the UK readers) though were right at $100, but except for the ankle they didn't hurt my feet.

Cute sterling silver necklace that I got on sale at Hautelook.com