Curry Night Go-ahead :-)

Yay! Tonight we went for a curry at our local indian restaurant (OK, so it doesn't quite fit with my healthy eating regime but hey ;-) - and I asked the owner whether he would be willing to host a charity evening for me............

He said YES! :-)
and what's more, he even said he'd be happy to host several - One a month if I wanted! BIG thumbs up to Eastern Curry in Welling :-)

We have provisionally agreed a Sunday in early November (looks like the 9th) so now I "just" have to agree the menu/invite people/sell tickets/decide whether to offer a raffle etc etc - better get busy....

Countdown ticker

I'm not sure yet whether having a countdown ticker on my blog is going to be a good thing or not - it could either spur me on with my training & fundraising efforts, or induce a mild panic as I see the time ticking away!! I hope "my readers" (ooh, that makes me sound important!!) will like it :-)


Should it stay?.......... you decide!

Lots of ideas

I have lots of fundraising ideas buzzing around my brain, but I need to get them organised and into reality.......... I'm thinking Curry Nights, Boot fairs, selling handmade cards, even having a calendar printed (subject to deciding on a theme which will appeal to the widest range of people & therefore likely to sell a reasonable number).... I will even sort through my cherished craft supplies and sell any items I feel able to part with!

Training is progressing - slowly - but I am assured that slowly is the best policy at this stage ;-)
I am managing 10 miles in an hour both in the gym & out on my real bike (although I will admit that the gym is easier due to not having to worry about balancing (and/or falling off!), traffic, braking (and not falling off!), route (and not getting lost!) - do you sense a theme emerging?? ;-)

40-60 miles in a day still feels like an enormous task - and rightly so - but I am feeling quite pleased with myself so far....

So far so good....

Yesterday I went for my first "proper" bike ride - 8 miles along the Thames Path on the National Cycle Network route 1. I'm actually quite pleased with myself! Hubby came along to keep me company (and, I suspect, so that he could have a good laugh if I did fall off - which I didnt, so there!!) having bought himself a bike just as the shops closed on Saturday. All we need now is for Toby to learn how to stay upright on 2 wheels & we can all go out together at the weekends :-) Of course, as I build up to longer distances I will have to be going it alone most of the time as Toby is only 6! (or 7 after this coming Saturday - where did that time go??!)

Fundraising is going well too - £905 so far plus some people who have said they will definitely sponsor me but haven't yet said how much ;-) So a BIG thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far or is about to do so.......I know that there is a long way to go yet.

Stabilisers???

Well, it's here :-) my lovely shiny new bike...



....although, if my first couple of attempts are anything to go by, it won't be shiny for very long!! My son, Toby (who had better be careful if he wants to live to see his birthday in 2 weeks time!) cheekily announced that perhaps Mummy should have stabilisers & elbow & knee pads "to start with" !

(To be fair that doesn't sound like such a bad idea! :-)

Still, I'm pleased to find that yes indeed, it is true that you never forget how to ride a bike :-) Yes, there is a LOT more wobbling than I remember, and yes, I am a little bit scared about falling off (OK, more than a little bit) but YES, I CAN still ride a bike (just about).

Good job I have a year to go before Jordan :-)

Wow!

Enormous thanks to my employers, who have agreed to sponsor me to the tune of £500 - that makes a huge difference to my fundraising target :-)

AND...I have just heard that my bike is ready & will be delivered to me this evening :-) How's that for service.

Now I "just" have to learn how to ride again!!!!

Oh No!

I've just heard from the bike shop that I can't collect my bike today after all :-( The model I originally put on the order is in stock, BUT after chatting to the owner I had decided to go for the next model up in the range (as it has some seat suspension!) and this particular model won't be in stock at the shop until Friday. Oh well, nothing I can do about it.

It will be a bit tricky for me to get to the shop over the weekend as I will be at work on Friday & at college on Saturday and the shop is closed on Sundays - but Peter has said he will call me as soon as the bike arrives & we will sort something out so that either I can collect it in the evening or he will arrange to deliver it to me :-) Thank you Peter, that is much appreciated. So - one way or the other I should be riding by Sunday, better start praying for dry weather!!

Tomorrow is the day...

...when I can finally go & collect my new bike. I'm not sure whether I am excited or scared! Maybe a little of both.

I have a day off work tomorrow as it is the last day of the school holidays, and as Toby has invited a friend round for the day it means that I will have not one but TWO 6 year old spectators with me when I try to balance on two wheels for the first time since 1980-something! Cue lots of giggles from the 2 boys!! I suppose I should be grateful that they are not older as at least there will not be any photographic evidence of my embarrassing first attempt.

I have already told Peter at the bike shop that fitting the gel saddle is top priority - and have added a cycle computer to my list of equipment as I definitely need to know how far I am cycling each time.

Watch this space for tales of bruises & embarrassment, aching muscles & "does my bum look big in this" type questions (well, cycling shorts are just NOT flattering are they! especially with padding!) ;-)