Hot stuff, or how to amuse construction workers!

The weather has been against me this week. Several rainy days have resulted in my retreat to the gym. I've been elliptically cross training, power plating and treadmilling away for about as long as I can stand the boredom! I have ameliorated the dullness of running on the treadmill by whacking the gradient up to 7.5% and running up hill as fast as I can for as long as I can, which means that it is all too knackering and painful to be boring!

Today, although it was not bright and sunny after last night's gales, was at least not lashing it down, so I decided to brave the great outdoors, and intended to set out on one of my favourite routes to a neighbouring village and back. I had forgotten that we are being resurfaced! The snow last spring added yet more potholes to the already impressive collection around the village. This is going to involve the road through the village being closed for 6 days towards the end of the month, but in the build up to this the road to the neighbouring village is being resurfaced.

As I ran towards the 'Road Closed' sign I realised that I could run my favourite road without fear of death by dippy woman driving 4x4 while chatting on mobile 'phone, and checked with one of the workmen that I would be able to get past the area they were working on and then set off. I had to squeeze past a few HUGE lorries and engage in a bit of banter with the construction guys, but was soon past the area they were working on, and running down the middle of a gloriously empty road.

Coming home was a different story. By this time they had spread new tarmac on the road and were rolling it flat. Running on the freshly rolled road surface felt amazing! It was so smooth, warm and with a little bit of give in it, running on the freshly spread, but as yet unrolled, tarmac was a bit more tricky - sticky, lumpy and a lot warmer! Had to keep moving or I might have stuck to the road surface! Cheers from all the guys working on the road as I ran past them.

Back home to bake cakes for yet another school cake sale (Reception class this time), and then to ice them. I'd been icing them using a normal, fabric icing bag up until now, but Laura aka Village Wife, recommended some disposable ones from Lakeland and I have to say that I am very impressed with them. Being plastic they do

not allow all the icing to ooze through the fabric and make greasy messes everywhere. I love making cup cakes as it seems so much less hassle than having to grease or line a big cake tin and they are so much more fun to ice. The children's favourite icing is a cream cheese one (although they don't tell their friends it has cheese in until after they have tried it). Dead simple to make - 300g icing sugar, 50g butter and 125g of Philadelphia beaten together for about 5 minutes until it is all smooth and gorgeous. I think my original recipe demanded that I sieve the icing sugar, but I've never bothered. I can't stand the mess that icing sugar makes when sieved - coating everything in the kitchen with a fine dust.

Tomorrow looks like rain again, and Sunday isn't looking much more promising. I can't bear the thought of doing my long run on the treadmill, so may have to dig out my wet weather running gear!