Rewind to Monday evening at our local Pizzeria, Mr JCR still patched up after kissing the asphalt in the Alps, waiting for his stitches to be removed. We see our friends in the distance an unplanned evening, lovely.
Their son A, meets us and we ask how he is? Fine he says but mama is not. A bit concerned we walk to their table and there are our friends M and G, with their daughter M. The owner of the pizzeria looks aghast at Mr JCR and asks what has happened, and then laughs when we join our friends at their table, because our friend G has tripped in her high heels and broken her fifth metatarsal. Her leg is in plaster, it looked like a very sociable outpatients clinic.
M and G are some of our biggest friends in Italy, they run between them 3 businesses, have 2 children who are learning English and actually speak it with a Derbyshire accent. G wants to run with me, after they move into their new house, as they will be near-neighbours. I have told her about C25K and she is going to sign up, even though her leg is in plaster! G is the embodiment of Italian chic, always stunningly dressed and made up so when we do get to run she will be the chic podista and I will be the red tomato mate. We always have a laugh, speaking our own language Ingliano and we help each other through the vagaries of our languages.
In Italian there are many false friends - words which mean something different to what you might imagine. For example sensibile means sensitive not sensible. For reasons which escape me, one memorable night with M and G, we explained that thrush was both a bird, oh and a medical condition needing yoghurt. The Italian is entirely different for the medical condition but for the bird it is a 'tordo'. Unknown to us that restaurant was well known for serving game. And when the owner asked us if we would like the house special. We said yes having no idea what it was, and we were served with thrush. Now I make no comment on the dish, but after talking about the medical condition, 4 of us were on the floor laughing about whether it should be served with yoghurt or not
So onto tonight's run, Tuesday night we partied yes it's a school night and that is why today's run was so late, because I couldn't face the morning run. Out this evening after 6, but it's still about 28 degrees, doing my warm up walk, down the slope of hope I get flagged down by two men I know vaguely from the bar. One has a shock of white hair, smokes and always looks like a baddie from a spaghetti Western. The other a little rounder, with dark floppy hair and his legs look like they've been eaten by a combine harvester. Scarred and scratched. He asks me politely to stop as he needs to talk to me about chickens. I am running on the spot hoping this counts as a warm up wondering what in earth he is on about.
He tells me that the whole village were surprised at the English keeping chickens and that he walks past our house everyday and noticed that the three chickens seemed to like certain parts of our garden. Then after 3 days of passing, he realised they were fake! Only in Italy would someone stop you and chat about fake chickens....
I took my leave politely and left Mr Chicken and Mr Spaghetti Western behind me. So I did do the run, started a bit earlier as was utterly distracted by the chicken chat. Giggled my way up the hill that kills, jogged slowly to Villa Bali and back up Lovers Lane, passed the house selling farm fresh free range eggs and that started me giggling again... Back up the hill that kills and I got a stitch so I cheated I walked for about 20 paces. Then started again and finished the 28 minutes. Bit sure this one really counts as continuous.
Oh and if you think my running life is a bit crazy. Wait until G starts running and posting - her life includes memorable characters such as Mr Sausage and Mr Pervy....
Colour back to Monarch and I am not partying before Fridays Week 9 Run. G this run was for you
From my point of view it counts! 
Week 3 Run 2 - Strangers, Stingers, Sirens and Shades of Scarlet
Week 8 run 1
