Wild, wet and windy......

      It's been a funny old week when running was reduced to a meagre 9 miles. I'd an appointment with my doctor 8.30 Tuesday morning which effectively put paid to any thought of a pre-dawn run to watch the sun rise.  

      I did manage to get my bum out of bed early on Wednesday though the weather was pretty atrocious in our neck of the woods, very much a prelude to the main act the following day when Storm Doris took to the stage.  

A bit windy on Wednesday (Click pictures to enlarge)

      I was buffeted all over the place with a violence that took my breath away. After battling slithery, waterlogged fields and muddy slopes I aborted after 3 miles and actually toyed with the idea of going back to bed.  I resisted.

...and muddy

      Though Thursdays are normally running days there was no way I was going to venture out to battle with Storm Doris.  I switched the TV on for latest updates but could hardly hear it for the wind howling down the chimney.  Bird feeders were swinging all over the place and a silver birch in next door's garden was intermittently bending to near 45º.  All my crocuses wisely stayed shut.

It's rough up here in the Pennines...

Watch dog at Woodhouse Farm

      For all sorts of reasons both Friday and Saturday were non-days. An upsetting piece of news told me one of my mentors, Derek Ibbotson, who'd been suffering from dementia, had died in a local care home at the age of 84. The same age as me.  He was a Longwood Harrier and one time world record holder for the mile with 3.57.2  
R.I.P. Ibbo, you did our club proud.

Getting blown about a bit at Burnsall

      So it was Sunday before I donned my running gear again for a 6 mile run round Appletreewick (encouraged by a good kick up the backside from my wonderful partner!). The brief rest had done me good for I was running smoothly and easily from the word go.  Relatively speaking...

Running easy - into Appletreewick

      The River Wharfe was swollen after the previous days persistent rain and paths were a bit puddly as we set off into a cold, 14mph south west wind.  Other than a pair of goosanders, the odd mallard and a gull that circled me on Burnsall Bridge, we saw little in the way of bird life. 

Dancing along the river bank - leaving Appletreewick

      Walkers were out in force and I'd to reprimand one little group for leaving gates unfastened, a common occurrence that really annoys me (that, and cyclists who hurtle up behind me on narrow roads with no warning and others who hardly ever acknowledge my greetings).

Getting my hair blown off on Burnsall Bridge - and that circling bird

      Dunno whether it was the lay of the land or the winding of the river, but the wind that was against us on the way out was also against us on the way back.  Luckily, we'd warmed up by then so it wasn't much of a problem. For me!

      We were home for lunch.  It rained for the rest of the day...

Weren't we lucky?