End of June 09 – Month 6 of 8

Farewell to June 09, MOST importantly it’s only about 8 weeks to go! – gosh where have the months gone!

Firstly, my apologies, as many of you have asked about the missing May blog - well I failed to write it. Why, well during May I was ill, struck down with some livestock variant of some respiratory illness and also during May most of the UK was gripped in the MP expense extravaganza. In any case, enjoy June’s bumper issue…


Fundraising:
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. My fundraising has now hit £10,420 pounds as of the end of June 2009. This is a phenomenal total and accounts for around 87% of my total target of £12,000 (excluding my personal donation of £3,000). I am now up to 109 of the most generous sponsors, and how nice a flag is that that I have the delight to carry.


My focus in July will be to beg, plead and persuade anyone else I can to help me make my fundraising target and get them to be immortalized in name onto my flag. (I am looking for a really cool embroiderer/machinist to help me make sew this flag – if anyone has any ideas).

More Sponsor babies in June, baby girl Malin for my dear friend Anja & Bart from Germany – congrats.


Training:
It is getting serious now, though I was ill most of May, I still packed in 32 of miles walking as well as a session or two with Gymanda my Personal Trainer. June got much more serious with my first proper hill walking with my two oldest mates, Julian and Sunil in the Black Mountains in South Wales. We donned our walking gear, in a lovely part of the world called ‘the Vale of Ewyas’ and wandered around Lord Hereford Knobs, Waun Fach and along Offas Dyke Pass with only sheep (and plenty of sheep droppings) to keep us company. We went up and down a couple of 400-600m hills and I now know what it really feels like to actually climb up a reasonable hill and the terror of getting back down in one piece again. Check out this clip, from Julian the Master Camera man of me ‘cantering’ up.


Yes I know what you are thinking, but this is 450m up – (and we even slowed it down because it does look a bit staged! – anyway don’t I look good for 15 meters right!). Excellent training weekend, great place to stay Caple-y-Ffin and even no mobile signal – all just 3.5hours drive from London.

June saw also another 10k run, the Leeds Jane Tomlinson charity run with around 7000 folks happily running and walking up and down the hilly track. It took me 5 mins to find the start line, but I finished it off and felt good for it – no issues on completion – just neat now though I could be faster still.



Kit:
Lots and lots of stuff bought in the last 8 weeks, So now I think I have 5 top layers, 2 headgear items, 3 sets of gloves, 4 bottoms, etc. Also bought a tent, a -18C sleeping bag, lots of water bottles (even wide mouth ones…did you guess for what?) Best thing I bought was a self inflating mattress - the kids think it so much fun… You pull it and it explodes into action – bang, and it’s inflated, the only thing is you cannot get the actual air out of it again!


Mind:
June was all about focus and concentration. One of the activities I was lucky enough to participate in was real clay pigeon shoot to practice concentration and focus. Not quite a crack shot, more of a shot crack… Hey what fun it was even if the rifle does half dislocate your shoulder in the process?

Seriously now, based on Gymanda’s suggestion, I did a session of hot Bikram Yoga and realized although I felt stronger before– my body could do with a lot of tightening up. So my friend Sunil always says that ‘…it good to break a sweat…’ Well this is the first time I have seen the sweat pour off my body a bit like Lieutenant Striker from the movie Airplane as he lands he lands the plane – So it is 40C and for 90mins you have to undertake a series of standing and lying postures as well a controlled breathing. I managed most of the moves but stopped when I saw contortions that looked frankly like dismembered bodies. I was truly amazed at what I saw people do and the focus and concentration gained from the class. I will return and sooner if they can do something about the aroma. (Imagine a1000 fragrant cabbages mixed in with odor of the aftermath of a baked beans fanatics meeting..!)

Like my school reports said when I was 11 – ‘could do much better if tried harder’ I am sure I will return to this class to help me focus, concentrate and tighten my muscles!


June Highlights:
So the end of June bought some very tough news with the passing of Michael Jackson. MiJac was one of my all time idols that I grew up with in the late 70’s and 80’s. I actually had got tickets for his concert at the O2 as both Arjinder and I had never seen him and finally thought we were going to get the chance… but alas the moon walk is now forever up there in the sky.

So as the sun shines, get into your car, wind down the windows like me today and sing out some MJ tracks. I was driving round Balham today blasting and singing out ‘Can you feel it! - see link to a copy of the vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW1fXL3s7bk

Try it – and you will remember how good it is to play music loud and let your spirit sing along with the song

Until July, play it loud.