Dates for your diary !

The weekend of the 28/29th November 2009 I am organising a fundraising event - so get yourselves some sponsorship and come and join in !

The whole of the Cotswold Way would take about a week to walk as it's just over 100 miles and spans the Cotswolds from Chipping Campden to Bath.  So I've decided to spilt it into smaller sections and get a group to walk each section, raising money for Abbeys Challenge in aid of St. John Ambulance and Marie Curie.  That way, we should be able to cover all of it in one day !!!! Cool !!!

So get your walking shoes on and let me know if you'd like to get involved...

I'd like to say a VERY BIG THANK YOU to the lady at The Coln Gallery & Bookshop in Fairford, who sooooo kindly donated a map of the Cotswold Way to me earlier today.  This will be very well used over the next few weeks and will also be a wonderful souvenir of the event. Thank you.

Abs x

November 1st will be the first anniversary of my Dad passing away - which makes Halloween a bit special...

On Saturday 31st October 2009 there will be a Creepy Crawl Treasure Trail around Southrop !

Meeting at the Village Hall at 2pm, I am hoping that at least 20 children (with some parents accompanying) will arrive in fancy dress to follow a treasure trail around Southrop - there will be edible treats to be found with each clue !

On returning to the Village Hall with all the clues and goodie bags, tea and cakes will be served ! If you would like to bake some cakes for the occassion I would be most grateful !  There will also be prizes for the first team to return to the hall and prizes for the best fancy dress !

This is not a fundraising event - it's just for fun ! 

In the evening I am hoping some of you may like to join me in a fundraising pub crawl around Fairford, finishing up in The Railway.  Catherine & Steve (owners !) have very generously offered to help with this event and we will be running a raffle (prize donations will be VERY gratefully received) and hopefully have a bit of a sing-song too ! So, come and join the fun around Fairford or meet me in The Railway !

Abs X

If you wish to view my photographs from Kilimanjaro, please use the following link....

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/198208716

Abs X

Can't believe I've been home this long without writting - my head was still in the clouds !!!

Well, what an extraordinary trip !  There were 23 of us in total and 60 porters !  We all met at Heathrow Airport and my journey there had not been uneventful due to a fire on the M4 at J5 !!!  The rest of the group were amazing and all raising money for different charities.  A very diverse group that gelled really well - I miss them !

It definitely wasn't an easy trek, in fact it was bloody hard work ! Camping for the first time in my life was interesting too.  It was so cold in the mornings that we would scrap ice of the INSIDE of the tents !  And I have NEVER been so dirty in my whole life !  Because Kilimanjaro is a volcano we were all constantly covered in dust, and I do mean covered !  The food was amazing though.  Bearing in mind the porters had to carry enough food to feed 83 people 3 times a day for 8 days and cope with different dietary needs it was positively brilliant !

What was really hammered home was the fact that the people out there have nothing.  We are so spoilt.  We sit about whinging at the slightest thing when we have every possible luxuary ie. running water, food, solid homes etc.  But what the people lack in material stuff, they certainly make up for in having the most amazing spirit ! Always smiling, willing to help, friendly, goodness, kindness, positivity.  We really have no idea how lucky we are.

Confession time.... I didn't make it to the top.  Apx 200 meters below the top my achillies tendon pulled and I got hurtled down the mountain - I was like a rag doll when I got to the bottom, and incredibly disappointed and upset.  I wasn't affected by altitude sickness at all and had no headache, dizzyness or anything else, so to be injured was absolutely heartbreaking.  In my heart I know I would have made it otherwise.

I will write more over the next few days, but wanted to give you a link to all the photos I took (over 1,000 !) so that you may browse them at your leisure - I hope you enjoy ! http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/198208716

Abs X