I was goading Ellie some more about how I was looking forward to seeing how much she liked being naked on Saturday night, and she just came back with taunts about if my cooking was so bad maybe it would be better if we forgot the whole thing and just went to a nice restaurant instead. Which was mean, but funny.

Anyway, when I did try and tell her seriously that she’d really enjoy it if she just took the extra step, she pretty much flat-out said that there was no way she would, not yet, because it might be better if she knew everybody really well, or nobody at all, but at the moment she wasn’t quite sure. I can understand that and don’t want to push her too hard.

I felt a bit sad about that, but she did say she’d make a deal: I’d be the naked one, but she’d come over in the afternoon and help me to cook. I liked that idea a lot, and then an hour later I got a list of things I had to buy on Saturday morning. I recognised most of them individually but would have no idea how to put them together into a decent meal so I’m glad she’s stepping up for me.

My legs ached today after last night with Mel, and I know tomorrow my stomach’s going to hurt from Pilates. What am I doing to myself!

On the plus side it was gorgeous weather again and I brought a nice summer dress and sandals out. I feel so free when I can wear so little. (But I did have to pack some underwear for Pilates.) Although with the stiff legs I did have a bit of a hobble, so there was no chance of heels, and I think I probably looked pretty ungainly with the way I was walking.

Running with Mel is hard! I went straight after work and she said we’d take it easy and just put a few hard efforts in to see how I coped, and we got the answer very quickly: I coped very badly.

For a start, Mel’s easy pace was already quite fast, and she told me that I should have said something (and I should) because there was no point me getting tired in the easy bits otherwise I won’t have any energy for the hard bits. And that’s what happened, because when Mel said as easily as if she was sitting in a comfy chair and not running at close to my top speed “now we’ll pick up the pace for one minute” it turned out that I couldn’t pick up the pace for more than ten seconds before I was hit by a stitch and started to feel sick.

So all-in-all it wasn’t the most successful session, but Mel said she now had a better idea of my strengths and weaknesses for next time. I told her she was being generous because all I have is weakness, and she said in that case I would start improving much more quickly and I was very lucky in that regard. I’m not so sure.

We walked back past her place on the way – it was in quite a modern block, and she’s on about the eight floor – and I mentioned the dinner with Ha and Lily and Ellie on Saturday and since it was at my place I decided I was perfectly entitled to invite Mel along too. I’m not sure if I should tell Ellie that if I’m hoping to coax her out of her shell.

It was fun hanging out with her, though, and nice to have someone to run with. I’m sure it’ll help a lot, just because trying to stick with someone who’s so much fitter is going to push me more than I can push myself. Although on the other hand I do feel like a lumbering dwarf besides her when her lithe body seems to effortlessly glides along, seeming to barely touch the ground, so maybe it’s not all good for my self-esteem.

The sun is out! I love the whole Indian Summer thing. I’m not sure if it’s technically late enough in the year to be called that but I don’t care because it’s lovely out. And that meant I can’t give up the chance to wear something light and as short as I dare into the office!

Higher temperatures also meant I was feeling suddenly horny, so when I saw Matthew sneaking peaks at my legs in the office I made sure to stop by his desk and chat for a while. I do wonder if now he’s married that basically his sex life is over lol.

I was feeling bold yesterday, so it was new Kate that went to meet old colleagues. Out with the jeans and t-shirt and in with short skirt, tight top and knee-high boots!

To be honest, it wasn’t a great night. It turned out that there’s a reason that I didn’t keep in touch with all those people for a reason. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with them, but we never clicked at the time, let alone now we don’t even have work in common. Susan was probably the closest to a friend there, and even then once every few months is plenty enough for a catch-up.

There were about eight people there, including me, and there was a slightly older guy called Martin who always looked down at me when I was working with him. Technically we were at the same level, but I was the “new girl” who had so much to learn, but he was always so patronising about it. Anyway, I get the feeling that he saw me in a second light when I turned up in my newly sassified form and when we talked about work and how I was managing a couple of people now and suddenly he I was interesting to him. So when he tried to quietly ask me for my number later I quite enjoyed loudly turning him down by explaining how I’d just come out of a relationship so I wasn’t looking for anything.

I know it’s not a big thing, but it felt like total payback for the two years he thought he was too good for me.

The strangest coincidences happen sometimes.

So today I decided to do a Park Run. They happen all over the place, and it’s a 5k run that’s organised by volunteers, and not really competitive but you get to run with other people and get a sort-of-official time on a website afterwards. I’ve always been a bit nervous to do one before, but I needn’t have been. Obviously there were some really fast people there, but there were a lot who were (even) slower than me, and some walked part of it, so basically I should have done one a year ago.

Anyway, I crossed the line and got my barcode scanned, because that’s how they give you a time, and whose voice did I hear but Mel’s asking me what I was doing there. I mean, it was pretty obvious what I was doing there, but I knew what she meant because I don’t really look like a runner, and I’ve probably never mentioned it to her, since I don’t mention it to many people.

Mel had finished a few minutes before me, and to say that I felt fat standing beside her in her tight running leggings and top was an understatement, because she’s both a few inches taller than me and more than a few inches slimmer. Just imagine what a Kenyan athlete looks like, and then imagine if that athlete was also a model, and you’re in the right area. Plus somehow she looked healthy and bouncy and her frizzy hair was tightly and neatly tied up and I felt like a dripping sweatball with streaks of mostly blond hair plastered across my forehead.

Well, it turns out that Mel only lives five minutes away, and we’d never talked about it before. She comes to those park runs all the time and I said I was put off by how slow I was she reminded me of how she used to be a fitness coach so she could give me some tips. Off-hand I said that would be great, and now I’ve volunteered myself to meet her at the park after work on Tuesday for some running and I’m kind of scared at how unfit I am.

Well, we’ll see what happens.

And we’ll also see what happens later with Susan and the ex-colleagues!