here comes the needle...

visited my gp today to receive my vaccinations.

i have a fear of needles - they make me feel slightly oozie. but i put on my brave face and handed over my arm. admittedly, it wasn't painful at all and was over before i knew it. my arm is a bit sore but i'm not sure if that is from the jab or from my repeated attempts at wakeboarding?!

so, dipetheria/tetanus/polio - check. i will also need the combined hepatitis A & typhoid fever which requires a prescription so i will return for this. there are various other vaccinations which are recommended but i am still researching which ones i will take. please do provide feedback if you have any relevant information.

dovre, norway...

today we went for a slightly more challenging walk up the mountain side. we encountered lots of sheep - which gave me a good excuse to stop for a quick break! once on top, we were able to sit by the river and drink fresh water - better and cheaper (rather more cost effective) than evian. it was indeed a nice change of scenery!

the incline lasted much longer than i hoped - but it was good training and well worth the effort. now i'm going to train my biceps - with a big pint of beer! but, i'll be ready for our next practice walk in august.

stay tuned for pics...

in dombas, norway...

i've escaped the torrential downpours in england to visit some friends in trondheim, norway. like every good girl training to trek the great wall of china, i packed my walking boots! admittedly, i was slightly concerned they would take up loads of space and not get worn, but i did in fact - put them to good use!

we took a trip down to dombas where they have a beautiful house in the mountains overlooking the valley. we cooked a great dinner and sipped wine while the sun dipped slightly behind the mountains - never fully gets dark. And in between all this, we managed a walk down to the lake. a longer walk is planned for tomorrow morning.

karen's pics...

as promised, a link to karen's pic. i have to say, she has taken some great shots... watch out, kevin!

ok, as you will see, i am always at the back of the que. i promise, it has nothing to do with my lack of training - i will attribute it to the fact i talk too much! i can't help it, i'm cuban!

the 3rd practice walk... the equipment

The shoes turned out great! I did get blisters but much to the joy of all the others, they didn't hurt. I didn't notice them until I ripped my shoes off at the end of the walk!

I tried out my new walking stick. I can't really figure out what to do it with it?! Mostly I just carried the extra weight around (oops, did "I" say it carried it around?!) In the last 40 minutes, I discovered it is quite helpful on steep descents with uneven terrain. I'm sure it saved me from a twisted ankle or two so I guess it was useful after all.

Definitely need to find some trousers that fit... I managed to tear a hole in my trousers today in an attempt to stretch my legs. The worst part - I didn't even manage to get the full stretch! I could also confidently say that "dry fit" is worth whatever money they charge for it. I will surely be investing!!! On a hot humid day, they are worth my weight in gold.

Last, but certainly not least, I need a new back pack. I'll have to get one of those high tech packs with a camel bag (lugging bottles of water around is so passe). They also make them so they do not rest on your back - I can imagine the fresh air would be very very pleasant in comparison to my sweaty bag and back.

Off to the shops then...

Click here to view the pics.

the 3rd practice walk... the practicalities

we had our third practice walk today - it was a long one. Starting off at Mouse Lane in Stenying, we trekked for 5 hours through the downs. There were quite a few ascents which kept us on our toes.

Luckily the weather held up. There was a brewing storm threatening us from a distance, but it never caught up with us. The clouds finally disappeared and the skies were blue. (Adam, did you get that - the skies were blue!) So blue in fact, that I turned a nice lobster bisque pink colour. Lesson learned - my skin no longer browns nicely and I need sunblock! Lots of it! I will now suffer wonderful tan stripes from my back pack. Attractive.

Ken, our official photographer, was unable to make it today. I did my best to document the journey, but - well, hhhmmmm, I kind of ran out of battery. Sorry, Ken won't happen again. Karen spent a good part of the journey snapping away, so hopefully, I will link to her snaps soon. Click here to view the pics from the first fourth of our journey here.

my waterproofs...

i finally made it to the shop today. tried on 100 things and in the end, only bought one thing! my waterproofs. it is quite cute - and yes, practical. it has a great colour, it's obviously waterproof (gortex - which means i will get to use it in england too!), has a nice and comfy fit and i can layer a fleece under it (useful for snowboarding :-).

unfortunately nothing else was comfortable enough to spend 7 hours a day in it, so that's all for now. it is a good start! we have another practice walk on sunday and i will likely quiz all the others about their gear. a shopping trip will likely follow.

shoes and mojitos...

so i've finally cut the tags and put the shoes on!!! granted it was only a couple of hours and my feet went numb, but i did it!!!

i also attempted to buy some gear, but that was unsuccessful. the shops close at 6:30 - and being that I am a hard working professional, i did not make it in time. i got to peak in through window, but that's about it.

so then, what's a girl to do but have a mojito! followed by a long walk home - and my feet are still in one piece. so far, so good!

land marks...

We came across these marvelous sculptures of famous landmarks and popped in to see if the kids could help us name them all...

Can you guess what this is modeled after?


Click here to find the answer and view more pictures from our visit.

my training update...

Ok, I'm starting to panic. The trek is slowly creeping up on me. It is just 10 weeks away! The responsibilities of life(and to a great extent the weather!) have kept me from training.

My new trekking boots are still sitting in my cupboard begging to be worn! I've been warned about wearing them in or risk experiencing extreme blisters - so I am slightly concerned. I thought I could break them in using them around the flat. But pacing around my tiny tiny flat in a bathrobe and trekking boots hardly seems idyllic!

Everyone whom I've asked to carry me if I start to get blisters or feel exhausted has pretty much said - in no uncertain terms - NO!

3 - Nil in favour of the wall!

my trip to newick house school...

Today I visited the children at newick house school... the very children who will benefit from our hard work and fund raising efforts.

It is difficult to understand how challenging it is to teach these children theeveryday skills we take for granted. For example, controlling the pitch and volume of your voice, reacting to everyday external stimuli such as the sound of a lawn mower, understanding the concept of time, or focusing (some of us are still working on that skill!). It is truly amazing how the teachers at Newick House instinctively behave and react to make these children feel safe and secure and able to learn.

Some of the things we experienced today...



The use of a sensory room to:
- teach distracted children how to write using black lighting and glow boards
- control the pitch of their voice through the use of coloured lights
- simply to calm down an agitated child who is hyper-sensitive to external stimuli.

Teachers using Makaton signing to help children develop their speech skills by associating a pictorial sign with words.

Stay tuned to hear more about my visit to newick house and meet some of the children who you will be helping...