SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER

Wow and don’t I know it. The boys are like whirlwinds at the moment wanting entertainment every waking minute of every waking day!! Just changing into my wonder woman outfit as I type, cook tea and mop the floor!!! Here comes the school holidays with a vengeance.

Remarkably though, the weather has played ball this year and allowed us an almost perfect 2 weeks of weather so far. Composed of some really great warm beach days, with less sunny, dry days where we can still get out and about. We are breaking with our usual course of action for the holiday’s and instead of saying “we will go camping further into Cornwall this year” only to find we get just 2 day’s of weather in which Mr T and I wish to camp in, by that I mean, no hail, blustering winds or temperatures that suit autumn more than summer. This year we are taking leave of our senses and travelling through France, in our van with both the boys!!!

It has been many months in the planning as we are meeting my sister and her family there 2 day’s after we arrive. Their experience last year encouraged us to jump on their band wagon and get those Vdub wheels a turning down those autoroutes of France. Am taking nearly all but the kitchen sink as it is an extended trip due to take us from the tips of Roscoff right through France into Spain. Sometimes I have wondered why I would swop my lovely open plan,spacious home in Cornwall to eat, sleep and travel within the confines of a SWB VW T5 converted van, then I look back at my sister’s photos of her trip last year and it reaffirms why. The boys adore their cousins and I feel myself slowly relax into a more sedate way of life whilst camping, children laughing, bottles of wine being uncorked, brie being spread over copious amounts of French bread, yes I think I’m ready for my adventure now!

Saying that we have not shirked our daily outings thus far here in lovely Cornwall. Many day’s have been spent on or near the beach, around Tamar Lakes with friends, watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at the cinema, picnicking with friends and watching my eldest make all the names of his favourite characters from HP out of Lego.

Hermione - can you see it?

Harry - yes you're getting it now

Et voila - Ron

I have also enjoyed a treat of my own so far this summer by attending Leopallooza www.leopallooza.com again this year, this time for the weekend and not just the Sunday sessions. What an amazingly festival this is, not only are we a stone’s throw away but the line up for the whole festival was explosive. They even improved on last year with the addition of a dance tent and from what I remember of last year’s there was more variety in the catering available as well ( always something to consider in my book!). Avril and I rocked up on Saturday just in time to see the Crowns play, a Cornish band who Avril had seen whilst at the Eden Sessions earlier this summer. Man Like Me were amazing as was the jaw dropping Le Shark, who caught many an eye including that of www.thedaytodavis.co.uk  .Our rug was strategically placed so that we could take in the main stage whilst being well positioned to peruse the rest of the site. This is what makes it so very lovely, it is still a relatively small festival,with many folk being those you see walking in the town or serving you in the local Fat Face store. Small but perfectly formed would be how I would describe it. I will be back for more in 2012 and I will probably even camp!

This one's for Katie - Le Shark

The field at night - *sigh*

TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE

I was reminded with wonderful decorum by a fellow Leopallooza -  www.leopallooza.com  festival goer this weekend, that I had failed to update my blog for over a month, verging on the 2 months mark. Not acceptable I must agree and to be perfectly frank I have no idea why not.

I sit here with my document open only to discover my last ramblings still on my document and not posted onto the blog – slack just doesn’t even start to cover it! Where is my head at recently?

Please read the following post as if you were reading it around 30^th June 2011:

I have very mixed emotions this week as it is the final sessions of Bude Women’s Running Network. I started the Bude WRN back in October 2009 after having caught the running bug whilst running with some friends within the village. I gradually started to see improvements in many areas of my life, my energy levels and my new zest for life was very addictive. I also found that I very much enjoyed the social aspect of the runs with Claire and Katie and I am sure that is how our friendships became as solid as they are – something I will always be grateful for.

I had been a subscriber of Runner’s World magazine for no more than 3 months when I read an article detailing how a woman who had recently started running and had felt the same benefits that I had. She had decided to start her own running group as there wasn’t a group that catered for beginners or those who weren’t 9 minute miler’s in her area. I think I knew there and then that I was going to have to do the same. I had already been very aware of the Women’s Running Network when I had lived in Exeter (where it all started in 1997) and knew they were geared towards getting women of all levels and all abilities to run within a social, safe group. There were opportunities for runners in Bude through Bude RATS but nothing specifically tailored towards beginners at that time and so the idea of Bude WRN was born.

I booked myself onto a Leadership in Running Fitness course to be held in Launceston in Sept 2009 and then my first run was scheduled for 31 October. I remember thinking that no one would show up and that myself and my county activator, Charlotte Lawson, would end up doing a run together!! I was amazed when the women started to arrive and had to hold back my nerves when introducing the concept and the way the WRN worked. 

From that day to this, as they say, the rest is history. Myself and www.daytodavis.co.uk have encouraged many women to dust off their trainers and give running a go. Some have now gone on to join the Bude RATS www.buderats.co.uk who have accommodated all us ex WRN members and made us all feel very welcome. Many have achieved things they didn’t know they could, 10K races, half marathons to name but a few. The most wonderful memories I will take away from it all is that I have shared in someone’s feeling of triumph. Be it running all the way to the top of a hill which has always challenged them, finishing a beginner’s course when they had said “I am not a runner!”, booking themselves in for a half marathon and then training each weekend together, encouraging each other. I am so very happy to have been a part of an amazingly supportive bunch of women – to all of you, keeeep running!! (Said in a Bruce and Tess kind of way!)