Curry Night Success :-)

Well, the last couple of weeks have not been very good for my training (dark nights, rain, cold, hubby on shift meaning no one to look after Toby if I go out on my bike, plus dreaded exams looming in.....eeek! less than 2 weeks!!) BUT I have made great progress with my fundraising :-)

I held my first Curry Night fundraiser on Tuesday 11th November and was getting increasingly nervous during the days beforehand, especially when a couple of people had to cancel at short notice :-( Hubby stepped in to save the day, not only by keeping the numbers up with both himself and Toby coming along to join me and my colleagues for a FANTASTIC meal at The Empress in Leman St, E1. but also by paying the ENTIRE drinks bill for the evening, meaning that all contributions from those present could be added to the charity 'pot'.

Together with a couple of additional donations from those who had to cancel, we raised a whopping ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY POUNDS!! :-D

Unfortunately I had forgotten to take my camera, so no photos to record the event but I have another curry night being held locally this coming Sunday so will take some then. (Am also getting to meet my brother-in-law and his family for the first time at this event, so if I didn't feel nervous before - I am now!)

Almost 4 weeks since my last post - tsk, must try harder!

What's been happening in the last 4 weeks? Well, I took part in a sponsored cycle ride for my local hospice - there was a choice of 12 or 24 mile routes along the Thames Path so I opted for 12 but along a different stretch of the path than I am used to :-)
It was a gloriously sunny Sunday, perfect weather for the ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I approached the finish I was thinking "next year I will definitely do the 24 mile route" - and then realised that if it is organised for the same weekend next year then I won't be able to take part as I will be in Jordan - and cycling an awful lot more than 24 miles!!

Training hasn't really progressed much over the last few weeks, partly due to lack of time (college/exams etc) and partly due to me not being well for a few days - but I am sticking to my twice weekly gym visits and weekend cycling whenever I can.
I had my first ever Personal Training session and it was so much fun I hardly realised I was working out - but boy! did I ache the next (few) days. I know that I will need to step up my training soon & I am actually looking forward to it! (I never thought I would hear myself say I was looking forward to more exercise!!)

My fundraising total has reached £970 to date - and I now have not one but TWO curry nights planned for November so I am hoping to see a good boost to my total next month.

This weekend I am going away for a Scrapbooking weekend, I am hoping to make a good start on recording the beginnings of my Journey to Jordan :-) BUT it is all-inclusive with lots of lovely food so next week will be back on the diet for me!!

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....