get a second opinion

I am having another frenzied day, cleaning the house, collecting tea cups [there are actually 36! yay!], designing an ad for the FH and off to spinning later. Shopping and ironing: DONE ha!

And, HORROR, my fridge, having housed the soaking bacalhau, now smells just like one…I've cleaned it twice to no avail, and am now trying the 'coffee grounds' trick. Sigh. Hope it works.

Just checking in on my email and I had this following message from Hystersisters. They have created a new website which is quite interesting, here. So I thought I'd slap it into a post before it gets lost in the rest of the emails that I keep 'saving to deal with later' [and then forgetting to deal with].

Good advice - if you're not certain - get a second opinion!

 

"Mama always said, "Many hands make light work!" It helps when cleaning the house. It helps on the deck of a big ship. It helps when there is a big, gigantic task that one person can not accomplish alone.

And so it is NOW with this video - sponsored and created solely by HysterSisters - that needs to be passed along with it's message to all women.

I'm asking for your helping hands. I'm asking you to view this video. And then at the end of the video - fill out the form to send it to other women. Your sisters. Your aunts. Your co-workers. Your girlfriends."

tea cups and tables

this week has been quite a week so far - and it's only Tuesday!! Stunning weather all the way too.  Friday night we had one of those lovely evenings where everything is impromptu. Friends popped by just for a drink [and to drop me the first garden path wooden slab step thing!] and we ended up having a bbq and a jolly good evening.

Sunday I worked from 7.00 until late cleaning. Uff. Yesterday the FH and I sprang out of bed [well, FH sprang, I sort of grumpled my way downstairs as usual] and spent our day off out 'achieving' stuff. First we walked all the houses in our village - it's a BIG village! We stuffed A5 fliers through as many doors as we could for the Fairy Cakes in the Garden affair this Sunday. And in doing so, we met more people than we've met for the last 10 years of living here.

One fellow rushed into his house waving the flier and came back with his wife, who is now delivering some fairy cakes on Sunday morning…just like that. Another chap, works voluntarily for the Cats Protection League, said he'd find me some tea cups - this evening he rang me and says he has 26 tea cups [perhaps not quite so many saucers, but who cares?] and that he's left them on a table in his drive so I can pick them up when I want to. 99% of people we spoke to or met were so kind and so helpful. Our neighbour, George, is coming down to serve tea! Amazing how nice people can be.

Once we'd finished our rambling [in the boiling heat I might add - uff!] we decided to try the pergola in the driveway, just to make sure it fits. Never trust the weather in the UK. Hopefully we will need it for SHADE, not rain! So, that was fun - and it fits. Happily we succeeded with this without amputating any fingers in the big folding mechanism. Then, the hanging baskets out on the front of the house at last. Hoorah! Grow!!

THEN we decided that we needed some R&R, so we cycled the 5.5 miles to the Turf Locks. Collapsed there and had a sandwiches and wine picnic. Then raced back the same route - we did the usual 45 minute trip in 30 minutes. Then we ambled to the Quay, popped into the Port Royal to see Carlos and Ellie, then trundled home.

Today was another rush - worked with my Furniture Chap all day on his web site, zoomed home, got changed, cycled to the Quay at speed and met Mark Travis at the Port Royal to sort a few details for Augusts event. Carlos and Ellie have been planning all sorts of amazing things that I didn't expect - more lovely peeps! Update on the Port Royal event AFTER the Fairy Cakes in the Garden is dealt with…it's all pretty exhausting, this fund raising. But also very energising, as it renews faith in people and it's such a good cause. Plus - I'm getting fit whether I like it or not! :o)

Oh, and Furniture Chap is lending me a stunning table to serve the fairy cakes and tea from…it'll have a price tag should anyone want to buy it on the day!! Check it out!

training and cake…

Today I walked some of the Haldon Hill bike trails with the FH. Here I am pretending to be the large furry thing in Where the Wild Tings Are. And yes, this is normal behaviour!

We're lucky to have that so close, and if I buy a £20.00 Discovery Pass, I get free parking [which is an outrageous £2.00!!] for a year and other sundry benefits. I needed to suss the trails out before I cycle them though - not too keen on taking a header into a tree at this point! Although I do now have one of those stupid looking helmets. I rather resemble a demented insect with it on. PLUS it has NO room for hair! grr.

There are four trails, ranging from easy to evil - but when to do it? Spinning Thursday, circuit training Monday, 5 different jobs which are scheduled rather erratically in between...uff...prioritising seems a good idea? And they have 'Go Ape!' there too! We watched a whole load of crazy people flying over our heads to plummet to earth somewhere in the forest - looks like excellent fun.

Oh, and on the family trail there are amusing things to find…

as you can see, I always take my Prada handbag into the forest…as you do!! In order to play the wooden xylophone with style you understand…                                                                            

This year I am mainly concentrating on building stamina and strength - I was so chuffed to be able to stomp up a rather large hill and get to the top without being out of breath. A year ago I would have been crying half way up. And struggling.  Amazing how the body can recover from things. With a bit of help obviously.

So Haldon it is for training - 6 months before the event, it'll be hard training. In the meantime I shall start on the 'baby' trail and work up  my main concern being hills. MUST be able to get up them easily here, as the altitude in Kenya will make it a lot harder. Oh joy…

In the meantime I am madly gardening, for the Fairy Cakes in the Garden event…life right now is a non stop RUN!!!

the manic moment

I am living in The MANIC MOMENT. As in - the moment never ends, and it's constantly manic. Take this week for instance - days on end at the Valance Hotel, stripping, making and sorting beds, cleaning bathrooms and kitchens etc. Exhausting. Just sorting the laundry almost kills one, as I am sure the bags weigh about 15 kilos each.

http://www.sandpointwest.com/groupcycling.html

Then, on top of that, circuit training on Monday night, spinning [shriek!!] on Thursday night, meetings with The Furniture Chap in between to brainstorm marketing ideas…meetings with Killer Paint to sort fast graphics [and he is my favourite customer right now - knows exactly what he wants, and how he wants it - excellent]. And of course, applying for jobs. God that's demoralising!

You apply, phone up - every single time the position is taken. How can this be? And why bother advertising on the internet at all if the job is taken within one hour?  I've given up getting excited about jobs that's for sure. I now simply apply and forget it. Unfortunate.

And we are wondering if these people google me and see the word CANCER and get all worried. Although it's proven that cancery types are more reliable than [for example] people with bad backs…but I do think the word cancer freaks a lot of people out. Well, I don't care actually - I work my ass off if I have the chance, so if people dismiss me because I've had cancer - well, their loss. Not mine.

Then there's the fundraising for Women v Cancer. Uff - it's like a full time job right  now! We're all worried about raising the money, because if we don't, we are disqualified and can't go at all.

Presently I have the Fairy Cakes in the Garden event to worry about. Only 2 weeks away!! But I have backup! Then I have another fundraiser in August at the Port Royal. Still in the making…but I have the pub, plus live music by Freeway Split [thanks!!] and the raffle prizes will be announced by Judi Spiers. More info as soon as I have it!

Must mention here that Fitness First  have donated the spinning lessons for free. Thanks to Mark Blackstone who is a trainer there and a friend - woop!! I think…;o) spinning is very hard work. Sweat literally drips off one…I have lost 9 pounds since doing all this  - whey hay!!

In between times, my house looks like a bomb has hit it, as I am constantly either gardening or Chalet Bashing…we do a gardening job on Tuesdays too…uff

And a great big HUGE thanks to EVERYONE who has donated to my Women v Cancer fund already! Amazing peeps :o) Thank you!! Please spread the word!! I still need to make another 4K1

this is just so lovely - had to share...

see how happy people's faces LOOK just from a hug! Hug everyone you see today! :o)

Thanks Jo

10th wedding anniversary all ready??

this weekend we went to Bath to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. It was super - the Bath Festival was on, so lots of entertainment everywhere. AND it was hot and sunny. Really, we could have been anywhere. Dipped into our 'holiday fund' supplied as a Christmas gift by mum and dad, and off we went. Amazingly, the Travelodge we stayed at was £19.00 for the night! And it was great - quiet, and within walking distance of everything, as it's right on the river.

The town was full of paper lions, each one painted individually by an artist - we were quite taken with them :o) A bit like the 'men' in Porto, except these were spread all around the town.

We had a lovely weekend - and thanks so much everyone who sent us cards and messages! Here's the FH enjoying the sun!

We arrived home to torrential rain which is of course battering my Peonies to the ground as it does every year - grr! - ugh. And tomorrow, back to the grindstone - but hey ho, the weekend was brilliant!