Posts in Category: People
2012: A Year of Transformation
Take a big, fat, wheezing, dying man… Open his eyes to the world of compassion, make him Vegan, give him good food, throw in a lot of walking, add a dash of weight training and blend in some running… You end up with a much happier soul. 308lbs down to 168lbs… 100lbs done in 2012. 52inch jeans down to 32/34inch now… Nice!
Happy New Year plant munchers x
Time for some photos of the before, the after and some big trousers!
As the Spice Girls used to say… Two Become One. Nothing like getting in a pair of jeans with the wife… one in each leg!
Boxing Day Run 2012
Now in its 37th year, the Boxing Day Run in Saltwood attracts over 600 mad people that think running around a three mile hilly bog is a good plan the day after Xmas. Some do it for charity, some do it for a giggle, some do it because they have a point to prove to themselves. This year, after watching this run many times, I decided to do it. On Boxing Day 2011, I stood watching the madness as usual, dreaming that I could shift enough weight to give it a go. Well, after dropping seven stone this year it was definitely worth a shot. I was accompanied on this by some friends from work…
Three weeks of heavy rain made this the wettest and muddiest year for a long time and, having never run on anything other than a treadmill or road, I had no idea what to expect. Mud. Lots of mud. Some poo. Lots of poo actually. And water. A river at one point where there used to be a path.
Despite the conditions, this was the most enjoyable run I have done. The atmosphere was great all the way around the course. The decent run-time I hoped for went right out of the window as I had no tactics whatsoever and failed to realise there would be bottlenecks at every gate and stile. Note to self: next year, go off quick and avoid the herd. However, 37:17 with about 8 minutes of stopping in a mud-bath aint too bad for my first attempt at off-road running.
That aside, this was a personal battle for me – to be able to get myself into a decent enough state to do this run and not actually feel tired at the end is very satisfying. To do this as a Vegan makes it even more pleasing. My Dad said he felt very emotional as I ran past towards the finish line, so you can’t ask for more than that… This marked the end of a great year’s transformation in both my body and soul.
Lucky No: 504
A few weeks ago, I joined a running club… This was my first opportunity to wear the Vegan Runners vest! They are Vegan and they run. Perfect.
Even dogs can’t resist watching…
Me, Stano, Sebmeister and Cat – a mixture of nervous tension and the desire to go back to bed.
Countdown began…
And we were off…
Dad, waiting expectantly at the finish…
Almost there…
Far less muddy than expected, mainly due to the torrents of water that helped clean me on the way around.
Cat and Sebmeister approaching the finish, after (at least) 3 falls, a shoe-retrieval and a toilet break.
Medal time!
Four very proud people… and no broken legs!
Time to go shower and eat.
Ok, I may have been a bit muddier than previously mentioned.
More stuff for the running scrapbook.
Looking forward to next year already!
(Photos by my Dad, Wife and Me)
Xmas Day 2012
For the first time in 45 years, Mum didn’t cook a Xmas dinner on the 25th. Instead, the parents came to ours and ate Vegan. Here is a snapshot of the day… It has all the necessary stuff… family, presents, food and a cat.
So this is Christmas | And what have you done? | Another year over | And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas | I hope you have fun | The near and the dear one | The old and the young
The ‘under tree’ collection this year features a Bride, Groom and Cat.
Not to be left out, the boy had a play, then slept most of the day.
Vegan Roast – the best kind.
Present opening on the new sofa.
Snoozy time in the new arm chairs.
Sneaky bit of The Polar Express…
A science theme to my book presents this year..
Amazingly cool cufflinks!
The bag says it all…
And so does the shirt…
The Big Bang Theory made an appearance too…
And a funky new wallet from Dynomighty…
Merry Xmas!
Vegan Party!
One week after the wedding we held a party to further the celebrations… It was the perfect excuse for Nic to wear her dress again and for me to get suited and booted… Not forgetting of course, another chance to wear a carrot. It was a cracking night and we were so pleased with the turnout! A MASSIVE thanks for all the donations to our wishing well – thank you cards are in progress – we humbly apologise for the delay…
We had loads of positive feedback (also about the all-Vegan buffet provided by The Hutch - big thanks to Nick and Andrew for the amazing food!), so we reckon most people had a good time and you can’t ask for more than that. The cookies went down well – big thanks to Beanos for those and the cake… We ate almost all of that between the two of us. Naughty, but ever so nice. Anyway, here is a snapshot of the festivities.
The Children’s Photo Challenge!
One of the ways we thought it might be cool to keep the children amused was to hold a photo treasure hunt. Here are the participants’ efforts in alphabetical order. The list of photographs to capture was as follows:
LADY IN A BIG DRESS – MAN WITH A CARROT ON HIS JACKET – MAN DANCING WEARING AN ORANGE TIE – SOMEONE ELSE TAKING A PHOTO – SOMEONE PULLING A FUNNY FACE – PEOPLE KISSING – SOMEONE EATING – PEOPLE DANCING – PEOPLE TALKING – SOMETHING MADE FROM PLAY-DOH – FOOD ON THE TABLE – BALLOONS
Despite the dodgy performance of the flash on the disposable cameras, there were some funky photos produced!
The winner would be the photographer that successfully captured the most photos on the list above and is announced at the bottom of this post…
Photos by Ben
Photos by Cam
Photos by J
Photos (mainly) by Lorelei
Photos by Seb
Photos by Tom
Photos by Ved & Ananya
And the winner is…
We have a tie!
Successfully capturing 11 out of the 12 photos are Ben and Seb!
Congratulations to you both – a prize each is heading your way soon.
Vegan Wedding
On 10/11/12 we got married! A small, intimate ceremony in Canterbury was followed by lunch at The Hutch for an all-Vegan meal… then back home to chill for a while before shopping for bread and Vitalite. It was a great day and my wife looked amazing. And yes, that is a real carrot.
Photos (mostly) by Rich @ The Other Day.
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