The jigsaw pieces fall into place...

Funny how things can change in such a short space of time...

Last night a mobile bar seemed to be impossible and 'bring your own' seemed the most likely option for the gig.  However it went full circle tonight - whilst driving home from the gym (Pilates on the ball and Bodypump tonight) I got a phone call. I'd found another mobile bar at lunch time and emailed them - they can supply a bar (with LED lights), staff, full range of drinks (including real ale, draught lager and guiness.. 30 spirits, wine and all the usual ingredients for a sucessful bar) FREE OF CHARGE... oh yes and they'll arrange the licence and give some free bottles of wine for a raffle .. very happy :-)

Now just need to finalise the band, date and sort out the food, tickets, posters etc ... should be fun - and hopefully profitable.

Also going to discuss a programme of events with DW Fitness throughout the year tomorrow night!!

Also doing a raffle of unwanted Christmas Presents at work - got over 30 items ... got to get rid of them soon - can hardly fit under my desk!!!!

Moving along nicely

Handmade Jewellery Party by Eve Gates at Vintage Jewels

My kind friend from Tattershall where I used to live has kindly arranged a jewellery party to help me raise money towards my £2900 sponsorship target!! Eve is a very talented lady who makes her own Jewellery based on a vintage theme. I have previously bought jewellery from Eve as presents for my friends and family, as they are handmade each piece is different and individual.

Eve is kindly going to donate 15% of total sales towards my sponsorship and sell tea, coffee and cakes to bump up the total :-) Thankyou Eve!! The party will be held on 26th May at 5pm, I will let you know how it goes.......

Eves Jewellery can be seen at:

http://www.iheartvintagejewels.co.uk/

and on Facebook at Vintage Jewels and JessieRose Jewels

I am so appreciative to Eve for helping me in my quest towards raising money for Breast, Ovarian and Cervical Cancer.....thank you xxxx

I should also mention Eve is kindly donating some of her gorgeous jewellery to use as a raffle prize in the up coming Medium Demonstration evening that I am currently arranging :-) xx

Also any sales made on the website on May 26th will also help my sponsorship total with 15% of all sales going towards 3 such worthy causes...........so you can help from all round the country even if you can't be at the actual party ;-)))) xx

Band with Pie and Pea Supper ..

OK - so my very kind friend offered his band for free (just has to confirm with other members)... I've more or less got a Village Hall sorted, was going to get local pub to do mobile bar - but they don't do it anymore :-(   So now were do I go??? Do I find another, can people bring their own.. or should I buy some and sell it there??
AND do I need licenses for entertainment, food & drink????  Will have to do research .. but certainly sounds as though it could be a good 'gig' - probably have it in May or June ..

Other than that I went to DW and did LBT and Bodycombat.. not a bad start to the week :-)

Must keep on my weight loss Journey I still look big on this photo, but I am 12lbs down from where I started.....this has just spurred me on more!!

No cycling for me this weekend - but I did manage a walk!!

So this weekend Lisa, Gordon and baby Jonas came to stay - I had a lovely weekend with them.. but didn't manage to get out on my bike.. but some things in life are more important :-)

I did get out for a walk on friday with Rowena and Sue .. haven't seen Sue for ages so was lovely to catch up.  We did a 10 mile circular walk near Lazonby in the Eden Valley - the weather was glorious .. although there was still a cool wind blowing.  It's an interesting walk with lots to see - Addingham Church, Long Meg stone circle and Lacey's Caves... there's also a lovely tearoom at Little Salkeld - it's a working Watermill actually.  Quite idylic really... stove on, sun shining, lovely food (including an amazing blackcurrent bakewell tart with yoghurt!!), miller grinding the corn .. and good company.... nice :-)

The weather the rest of the weekend wasn't too good - so wouldn't really have been enticed out on my bike .. couldn't anyway it's in getting overhauled after last week's ride around Kielder where the chaing came off - thought as good a time as any to get it serviced!!

Found a couple of long routes around home - one a 50 mile circuit and the other 75 miles.. something to do in the Summer!

Lisa wants to do the Cumbria Way Cycle Ride in the Summer too - would be lovely to have her company .. she's also offered help in any way she can :-)

Addingham Church

Long Meg Stone Circle

Rowena & me

Susan and me

Lacey's Caves

158.6 miles on a bike.........;-p

Well ok so the title says it all, this weekend I did 158.6 miles on a bike!!  OK sounds great but only 8.4 of them were on a push bike ;-p

This weekend hubby and I were invited for a night out in York, ok so not great for the diet or the bank balance but it was extremely good fun with extremely good company and life is too short not to have fun :-)

So hubby and I went down and back on the motorbike, such freedom and fun loved every minute, peaceful and beautiful scenery even if it was a bit windy and my legs kept going into cramp.  Anyway we had a fabulous laugh and I enjoyed every minute of it, but I felt a tad guilty for not doing my training so when we got back home I changed into my cycling gear, left hubby with the kids and went out for some cycling :-) I went a different route which had a lovely downhill to start with then joined my normal cycling route a bit further down, then rode towards Esh and clocked up some mileage, I was very proud of myself as I cycled up every hill and didnt get off until the last bit which is a trek across a muddy field and impassable on the bike.  I actually felt like a cyclist today, yeah I was out of breath at times but at other times I enjoyed "playing" on my bike, I love that childish side of it :-)

I racked up a very repectful 8.4 miles and did that in a very respectful 50 mins approx so I was very pleased.  Oh, did I mention I rode up all the hills ;-p 

I still havent had any luck with sponsorship although I am meeting more and more people with "connections" so hopefully I can raise the money........well I better go and get sorted because in 50 minutes my son will be having all his friends round for a birthday party...no rest for the wicked :-)


Oh and P.S. there was only one downside to the weekend....I look awful on all of the photographs.....FAT I think its called.........furthermore a taxi driver shouted "fatty" at me while crossing the road and do you know what? It really hurt my feelings :-(!!  But like my husband said, I need to use that "hurt" positively and keep going :-)

Got lots of new toys so had to go out to play......

Well in the last couple of days my new bike arrived and hubby kindly put it together for me, its amazingly light compared to my old bike and the gears actually change when you want them too the only thing I might have to get used to is the new saddle which for some reason feels a tad bony lol.might need to change saddles but I will see how it goes.  Luckily I also picked up a parcel from the post office yesterday containing my new helmet, padded pants and some cyling gloves...I think im even starting to look the part :-)

This morning before work I also took a trip to the shops to pick up a new bike computer, and a camelback water bag and a waterbottle seemd to fall in my basket too, I could have very easily spent a fortune on bits and bobs...still need lights, a small bike pump, some decent cycling tops/jackets etc, OS maps of the area and the list goes on really....I am not getting carried away ;-)

I should really mention its my sons birthday and its been a busy day but after finishing work I came straight home to get ready for my training, scary thing is I was looking forward to doing it and knowing I would feel so much better for doing it.  I got changed and put on my new padded shorts, well I have to say that is an experience I havent had for a very very long time, it felt like wearing a nappy!  I fitted my bike computer to the bike and set off.

I felt amazing good to be honest, no pain today and I actually felt quite strong! :-)  I rode of the estate and set off on the path that I have found I quite like (the flat (ish) one)!!  I rode up the hills, well most of them, slowly puffing and panting but I did it!!  I came to the point I turned around at on Tuesday and when I glanced down was totally gutted to find I had only ridden 2.6 miles which means on Tues I had only ridden 5.2 miles instead of the actual 8 miles I had originaly thought :-( but instead of stopping there I made myself continue on further....unfortunatley time wasnt on my side and as dusk was quickly approaching I didnt want to be in the woods alone when it got dark, so reluctantly I turned around to head home.

When I was approaching the home straight and my turning was coming for home, I decided to push myself one last time and I carried on straight following the path to its conclusion at Broompark Picnic area before looping back round for home again pushing my total ride to 8.6miles :-)  Ok it wasnt quite 10 miles, but if it wasnt getting dark and I didnt have to go home for the kids I honestly felt like I could of carried on so that in itself has to be a bonus!!

I had my dreaded fat club class tonight and I am proud to report a 2.5lb loss which is 12lbs in total....its  coming off yey!! :-)  Really chuffed and I feel so happy and positive :-)  My kind consultant at SW has also made a huge display for me to put a sponsorship form on so I am really pleased and people were asking if they could sponsor me too, good good, I need all the help I can get since no body else is getting back to me about sponsorship :-( . 

DW Fitness sponsorship!!

So first of all I'm having problems with my router (again!!!) and can only get onto Google or this Blog.. I can't reset the IP address - could start rebooting it .. but whilst I can at least get on here I'll do an update.  Then try and reboot it.. and failing that talk to Ricky my IT guru at work tomorrow... this router drives me to distraction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But the good news - yesterday I went to the DW with a girl from work who told me they'd sponsored a friend of hers... nothing ventured, nothing gained (as they say) so I asked to see the manager.  Upshot of it is they will sponsor me provided I put their name on posters (now I'm not sure if that's just in their gym.. and I'm not sure if AFC aro OK with that - will ask them tomorrow)... If it is all acceptable then DW will let me have sessions (classes) every 2 or 3 months e.g. Spinning or Bodycombat - the instructor gives their time (for free - if I ask and they agree) and then I can charge £5 a head and get all the money!! They can have 25 bikes at a time for Spinning and about 30 in Bodycombat.. so upwards of £150 a go!!! He said they'd done it last year for someone and easily filled the classes - despite the charge!! He also said we could have a day Spinning where people have a half hour slot on a bike (a relay really) with a bucket beside them - this got £400 last time they did it!!!  And anything else I can think of... provided also I have a big poster (photo!!!) in the gym :-( .... but hey ho good way of getting money!!  Tonight I went to Spinning and Power Yoga and both my instructors are very keen to help out - as is the girl from Bodypump...  Just waiting for an email from DW telling me what they want so I can ask AFC if acceptable... then posters I guess..

I also had a bit of a sucess whilst in town (Carlisle) today.... I'd decided I was going to do a raffle and would try for 'good prizes'.. walked past a resteraunt always went to (years ago).. saw the owner and asked - if I take my proof of event in he's going to give me a voucher for a meal :-)... need to get some more like that!!! He's also going to let me have the room upstairs for a Quiz Night (and food) for people from work sometime...  on a roll :-)

So now just need to get the internet fixed and I can see what's happing in FB world - feel like I'm missing out on lots at the moment... :-(

On the way home...........

So after 40 mins I was really tiring and my pace had slowed right down so I thought I would share my view. Ok so its a bit wobbly and I was hoping I wouldnt fall off my bike, but at least you know I really did go out there and I didn't just download pics off the internet, mind you my dodgy photography proves that because I was so tired I couldnt even shoot the camera straight :-/ ............

Its wierd because even though it hurt and when I got back I felt like a failure but right now (9 hours later) I suppose the "feel good" factor has kicked in because I am glad I went, I really hope it get easier though because currently I feel like I am riding through a brick wall constantly :-/.........I also hope my weight loss is good this week for all of my efforts!! I have got an operation coming up in 7 weeks and 1 day......I told the surgeon I would make every effort to lose as much weight as I could before surgery.....its nothing serious, I am just getting sterilised, so no more kiddywinks :-).....there is the potential to lose a stone before then but I am hoping with the extra excercise it could be more :-)

Not the best ride ever...but I did it :-)

I have to praise myself for having the get up and go after dropping my kids off at school for the day to get my bike out for another ride......how did I feel when I first set off?? Like crying if I'm honest!! My thighs are burning with fatigue and my calfs were joining in sympathetically, but I still pushed on.....the new programme on my ipod seemed to be monitoring my distance so I cycled away but on leaving my estate I realised the distance had stuck at .56 miles and wasnt budging..grrrrrr....I continued on a different route today...very muddy to say the least but the child in me started to come out a little while I was skidding on the muddy banks and messing with my back brakes :-) .

I carried on cycling all be it a bit slow and I was in pain I decided I wasnt going to let myself down and that I would follow the path until the time said 30 mins then return home meaning although I wasnt necerssarily going to beat my distance record, I was doing an hour worth of cardio exercise even while I was struggling........

Once again the scenery was beautiful and luckily I had remembered my camera today :-).....the path I was following was a much flatter and in my opinion for the level I am at a much better route :-) There were a couple of steepish hills and I successfully cycled to the top of nearly two of them....I say nearly but on my second hill just seconds from the top my chain came off and I nearly did myself an injury :-s

My gears started crunching for the rest of the way and I decided not to try anymore hills until my new bike comes because I didnt fancy being stuck in the middle of no where with a broken bike or even worse a broken bone :-o

Anyway I gotta mention on this ride I also started feeling extremely queasy not sure if that is normal or not but I honestly thought I was going to have to stop and be sick :-s

Not the best ride today, but at least I made the effort and I did an hour of exercise :-).......lets hope Thursday is a better ride ......

Thank Goodness!!

I'm not as unfit as I thought :-) ... another guy at work went round Kielder on friday (regular rider - does 20 to 30 miles as standard and mountain bikes), his friends do marathons - all found it tough going and were shattered by the end of it too!! They decided it was the 'claggy', muddy texture of the path... I agree - when wet/frozen very hard work! They took about the same length of time as I did.. but reckon it was equivalent of twice as far on the road - I'll go with that!!!

However, I went to Bodypump followed by Bodycombat tonight... totally wrecked at the end of it!! Natalie the instructor says she's going to try and get DW to do an event for me :-)

Kielder Circuit.. 25.87 miles (to be precise!!)

What a glorious morning I woke up to... but frosty too - had to get out for a bike ride.. especially now I can put it in the car!!

Kielder was the challenge.. it's about 20 miles away - but such stunning scenery and so quiet and peaceful.

I've done it once before, but on my old bike and about 1.5 stones heavier.. I wanted to see how I'd manage it now.. after all my visits to the gym!!

First task was the bike - assembling and reassembling it.. not too bad - think I'll become a wizard at it after a few more goes!

The drive to Kielder was stunning, I parked at the Castle (£4 a day - or £1.50 an hour... and they were the only options!!).  This time I decided to go the sunny side as I was a bit chilly.. soon warmed up though!  The first 8 miles were easy - really pleased with my efforts.. next 4 were a bit harder - but still fine.. and then it began to get harder - really had to push myself the next 9 miles.. last 5 not too bad!!  Now I'm not sure if it was because going to the gym is good for you, but it doesn't give you stamina, or I'd not got enough food with me for energy, or the mud and the ice on the trail for the last 14 miles (much harder going)!!  But whatever it was it was harder than I'd expected.. the chain also came off my bike - managed to put it on but I couldn't get it into top gear - think it'll need to go to BikeSeven for a visit! When I remember they were getting a bit 'crunchy' at the back end of last year.. guess it just needs spruced up for Spring!!

Great day out though - looking forward to doing it with Alex sometime :-)

Statistics: 3 hours 33 mins (not counting 2 breaks); 1610 ascent and descent; ave speed 7.26 mph; calories 1166

Will sleep tonight... with the 'feel good' factor :-)

My first "real" ride....

Well this morning was gorgeous and sunny and for some random reason it felt like a good day to start my training...on the positive it can only get better from here, I hope!...my lungs were burning and I was puffing and panting hard enough to lift a hot air ballon into the sky!

I managed to find some amazing paths and I can certainly see why cycling can become addictive with the freedom of going anywhere and the feeling of wind in your hair and being a million miles (in your head) away from any trouble and the stress of everyday life ......! I cant see how I will ever see the "fun" in going up hills though especially the ones that are steeper than the white cliffs of Dover, but I can see the sense of achiement after successfully riding to the top will counteract that and the exhilaration of going down the other side (when I have a bike that has brakes!) will help to wipe the hills from memory :-)

In all honesty I didnt make it to the top of all of the hills I had to dismount half way up on a couple but I think some of that is down to the fact I havent mastered the art of working the gears properly yet and my bike hasnt mastered the art of changing to the one Ive specified either.......not a good working relationship lol....must master it!

Ok so I'd been riding for about 15 mins and felt like I had rode for miles and I looked down to my nike gps for it to tell me I had gone .33kms yes you read that right, point 33 kms, I was not impressed! I carried on riding and found some fabulous off rode tracks with loads of cyclists, runners and such like all enjoying such a fabulous morning, the first part of the track was a steep downhill bank....I was fine but secretly hoping that I didnt have to ride that way back......yes you've guessed it, I was wrong :-/ !

I carried on riding, no clue where I was or where I was going, I suddenly popped out in a place called Brandon, never been there or heard of it (I have only lived in Durham since Dec 2011! tho so forgive me), but the sign said 8 miles to Bishop Aukland....I live in County Durham so I decided maybe this would be the point to phone hubby and ask where I was.

I thought at that point it was enough for a first day and decided to head back home, the journey back seemed three times as long as it did to get there, my legs were starting to ache, my lungs were really burning and I was starting to feel the cold a bit more.........I got home and collapsed on the sofa....to write this....I think a nice warm bath could be on the cards now that I can breathe once again....wonder if my legs will hold me when I stand up again?? Well even though I looked and felt a mess, I am secretly chuffed with my efforts. The approximate distance according to geodistance.com was 10.4 miles but I do need to sort my ipod out cos I felt a tad let down with not having an exact distance...............Happy Sunday xx

Not a good look!!

This is the mess I was in after getting back after an hour and 17 mins cycling on a gorgeous Sunday morning........think I may need more training :-s

BikeSeven- agree to sponsor me :-)

So today I went to the bike shop in Longtown where I bought my bike a Winora Dubai in May last year.. it is small independant business that sell, repair and service bikes and offer advice re: bikes or trails.  I was looking for a hat to keep the cold off my head that would fit under my helmet.. I ended up with a skull cap that felt very snug - with a bit of luck will try it out tomorrow.  Anyway, I told them what I was doing .. they were very interested and basically when I work out what I want them to do they'll help (whether it be a cash donation, raffle gift or anything else I can think of).. they offered to provide back up support (inner tubes etc) for any long distance trips we may tackle prior to the 'big' event.  They asked me to keep them posted of our plans.. very helpful.

Just had a look on their website and see they are having a Mountain Bike demonstration in Newcastleton on 3rd and 4th March.. bound to be loads of people there... wonder if they'd mind me popping along and trying to get some sponsors... mmmm think I'll drop them an email..

So didn't get out today.. did buy some more cycling leggings and tops.. never have too many!!! But I think weather permitting tomorrow I might just get out again.. just checked forecast - looks sunny but very cold.  Still if I pedal fast enough I'll keep warm... and I've got my new hat - must remember my gloves :-)

I need catch up...

aaarrghh think I will have to catch up quick the last physical effort I made was approx a year ago...very naughty I know....but it was....

On the positive I have finally bought a bike, probably will never fit in my car but I do have a bike rack also I have bought a helmet, gloves and cycling shorts which pretty much only leaves a water bottle to get and a slight amount on my credit card :-s..

Oh well all in a good cause............I am gonna need to get sum training in to achieve what Jean has planned for me but it is all in a good cause, and I will make every effort to achieve!!!

My grandad has sponsored me £100 to do the bike ride.....I think he thinks it wont happen......I agree right now his money is safe......but.....not for long :-)...........and a good amount to the sponsorship total...thankyou grandad :-)

Training will begin soon :-)................x

First bike ride of the year!!!

Well I managed (again courtesy of Youtube) to get the wheels back on.. blow the tyres up and get dressed to go out on my bike, opened the door and joy of joys - the mist was down and it was drizzling!! Still after all that effort I thought I should do something.. so did the short loop (which starts with a steep, long hill climb!!).. managed it though and despite the weather, and forgetting my gloves (doh!) enjoyed it!! Only did 8 miles in 50 mins.. but good to be outdoors again - Spinning is fine, but you just can't beat fresh air and scenery!!

After that I was ready for a shower.. but decided to head to DW Fitness and spent a happy hour or so in the Jacuzzi and Steam Room - done wonders my cold .. I can breathe again!!

Also found a book of circular bike rides in Cumbria that I'd bought - now I can use it!! They're all about 30 miles some are purely road and others go off track a bit.. so I think I've found myself a challenge...

I've decided that it would be a good idea to do one of the long distance rides to get in practice for the trip!! Now just need to persuade Alex!!! I've discovered one that can be done over 2 days called 'Cumbria Way Cycle Route' - it's 72 miles in total, starts in Coniston and ends in Carlisle.. good one to start on and we could possibly raise some money too!!!

So Alex what do you think?? Should we do it one weekend this Summer?? Then after that we can do 'Hadrian's Cycleway' - 174 miles .. in 3 days next year???  Followed by 'The Cumbria Cycle Way' - 260 miles... might take us a bit longer than 3 days though!!! Or am I getting carried away?????

It fits... 'have wheels - CAN travel'

So now I can take my bike anywhere and train... so pleased!!
The problem started because I bought a new car (Fiat 500C) with the money my Mam left me... and ordered it before I lost weight.. before I got interested in cycling (or kayaking!!).. so when it arrived I loved it - a convertible to drive around the countryside in and feel the wind blowing in my hair..  Only I was soon to discover that because it was a convertible I couldn't get any roof rack or boot rack to fit!! I tried to take wheels off and put it in the boot.. no joy - just wouldn't fit through boot door!! 

So after asking everyone I could think of if they knew of a way to get transport my bike I gave up and accepted I'd content myself with cycling round where I live ... Not that that is a bad thing.. there's some fantastic rides around and the roads are empty.. plus a lot of hills, woodland trails etc - I even managed to cycle to Kielder Reservoir from the house via the forest trail and then back by the roads (about 45 miles) .. fantastic!! 

Then one day I was driving in Carlisle, stopped at traffic lights... and saw the solution - a bike carrier fitted on a towbar!!  I left it over the Winter but then since signing up for Cuba I thought about it more and more - something had to be done ... I want to cycle in the Lakes - or go over and cycle with Alex ... or just go anywhere and cycle!!  So today I went online.. found ones I thought would work - rang the garage...only to be told it would be £500 to fit a towbar!!! I probably could have shopped around but by the time I bought the carrier I'd be hitting almost £750 .. money that could be put to better use!!! 

So I started thinking about putting the bike in the car again... and it suddenly dawned on me that I'd bought new pedals to go with the cleats on my bike shoes.. they were smaller than the original pedals!!! Now I was inspired... but how to take the wheels off (haven't done it very often lately!!) - Youtube then... answer found!!  Tyres off.. tried fitting in front of car first (scared of tearing leather so had to be very careful).. not a chance!!  Boot next - and 'YESSS' .. as you can see by the photos - it's in!!! Not the easiest of manoevres .. but I'm sure it'll get easier with practice!! Now I need to find a bag to put it in (and the wheels) in.. must be a lot cheaper than £750 though!!!

If only we had sponsors we could save ourselves a fortune.. there'll be all sorts of things we want - must find a way to do this!!!

So now .. I've to buy a bag... get the bike out of the car... reassemble it... and if I've any energy left (as I'm still not over this cold!!).. go for a bike ride!  Oh yes and wash the car!!! Although I think that may have to wait till tomorrow...

No such thing as failure, its just a blip in my journey!

Ok so this week hasnt quite gone to plan I've eaten loads, drank loads and its half term so the kids are at their grandparents so my exercise running around after them has stopped. The laws of body physics say the scales have to go up.......and they did by 1.5lbs :-(. The old me who had nothing to aim for and the glass half empty attitude in me would said sod it, I would have given up and never gone back to SW resulting in another failure.

However this new me, this positive person, this glass half full attitude merely sees it as a blip in my journey, my lifes journey and the next step towards a happy healthier life. I cant tell you why this time it is different, but it is. I have accepted that my past is my past (maybe its because I told some people exactly what a waste of space they are and how much I dont need them in my life!!) maybe its my new house, my new job and the fact I am for once in my life feeling satisfied as a person, a mother, a wife and I can actually say hand on heart I am HAPPY :-). I dont really know the reason but all I do know is I have been the only one holding me back from acheiving in my life, my doubt, my lack of confidence in myself and my achievements and the fact I always worried to much about what other people thought about me.

So 1.5lbs in perspective is nothing in the great scheme of things and tommorow is another day.

Anyway, on the subject this blog is actually about.......so far I have managed to raise £110 sponsorship and I have my fingers in a few pies to arrange events to raise money towards my sponsorship. I am still in need of a bike at some point but my bike will be ok for the time being I will just stay away from any steep hills due to my lack of brakes otherwise I will be having to put my feet down and scuff my shoes like I used to when I was a kid :-)

No such thing as failure............;-)

... and what have I agreed to???!!

What have I agreed to ... and how did it all happen??? Simple really I was browsing Facebook and Alex's post came up debating whether she should do the trip or not... I thought it sounded incredibly exciting and offered to go with her - fortunately she jumped at my offer.. The rest as they say is history.. we both signed up and then spent a long weekend waiting to see if we'd been accepted - by Monday afternoon I'd had enough and rang them .. to find the answer was 'yes'!!! It was an incredible feeling of excitement I had as I sent Alex a message to say we were going.. the journey had begun!

As Alex has said she also has to lose weight... which I know she can do - and with the trip to aim for there's a huge incentive.  I too have lost weight (4 stones in total) and feel so much better for it and took cycling up last year.. and joined the gym this year and now am a bit of an addict!!! I go to Spinning, Bodycombat, Bodypump, Pilates, Power Yoga, Swimming... oh yes and I like nothing better than to go hill walking!!  Oh and I'm also attempting to learn how to kayak without drowning myself!!

So where you might wonder did this new lease of life come from... well it's easy really within 6 weeks of each other Trudy and my mother died - it was a very tough year or so personally, I was also project managing a multi million pound scheme of work... So you could say it was a pretty stressful time - hence my excuse for piling the weight on... eating as and when I could (too much and not the right things - always had a sweet tooth!!) all washed down with too many glasses of wine!!  So after the grieving receded I started to think about me and my life and decided to take myself in hand - after all I owed it to myself (and to Trudy and my mother's memory) to live life to the full and do as much as I possibly can whilst I am able....

It'll be wonderful to go with Alex - make it all the more 'special' .. our ride for Trudy. Not so sure Trudy would have come with us though if she was still here... our bikes won't have motors on them!!!

So let the adventure commence - I'm ready for it!!

Alex & her Godmother!!!

Well this was a very long time ago... I never imagined that I'd end up going on one of the biggest adventures of my life with the small baby I held in my arms with the hugest blue eyes!! My hair wasn't that red then - I'm sure!!!

What have I let myself in for :-o......

Well as the earlier post has described I am currently on my mission to lose a fair amount of weight, well 5 stone to be exact! Anyway after losing my first 11lbs I thought it would be a good idea to make a commitment to myself to be healthier and raise money for a good cause (well 3 actually) and also in the memory of my mum who passed away just under 2 years ago.

I am good at saying I will do things but not very good at following things through, I am brilliant with ideas but never seem to bring them to fruitation. This time is going to be different for many reasons, the first is that this time I am not going to let myself down and I am going to achieve this, for my mums memory, to raise money for charity and for me. Secondly after dragging my very supportive godmother into the biggest adventure of my (our) life, I am not going to let her down either :-).

Ok so after signing my life away and recieving all of the information, starting to get a few sponsors and recieving the go ahead from the doctor for my training, I decided it was a good idea to dig out my bike from under the kids pile of outdoor toys and dust it down for its first outing in a very long time :-s.

I was raring to go after pumping my own tyres up which I was really proud of! However, after 1 minute and 12 secs into my ride (puffing and panting) I changed gear and my chain fell off :-s. So tail between legs I pushed the bike home to my other half in a bad mood.......

Well off I went again and all I could hear was shh shh shh coming from my back wheel with every rotation so I came to the conclusion my back wheel is bent also and another realisation I made while going downhill VERY fast was that my front and back brakes are broken :-s. I only managed 0.11km without stopping according to my gps...I think however somehow that may be slightly wrong and in actual fact it was 1.589km according to geodistance.com!! OK so its nowhere near the 100km I am going to be aiming to achieve (well multiplied by 4 but spread over 5 days) but its a start.......... I think my bike is past its best so with my birthday coming I have managed to convince hubby I need a new one, well actually he offered since its one of the only tools I am going to need!

So that was my first effort into my training, the epic adventure will be some acheivement when I look back at this first blog!!