What a year!!

A bit late but I've just been doing a bit of a look back at the things Ive done since I first walked up Fan Fawr last year.  There were quite a few moments of 2011 that I definitely want to forget about BUT hey - get this list!

• Ive climbed up, walked to or walked in -

• Fan Fawr
• Garreg Lwyd
• Cribarth
• Tair Carn Isaf & Uchaf
• Llyn y fan fach
• Llyn y fan fawr
• Whiteford Point
• Carreg Cennen
• Swgd yr Eira
• British Camp, Malverns
• Malham Cove 
• Mynydd Ichyd
• Elan Valley
• Corn Ddu
• Melin cwrt falls
• Rhosilli Down
• Henrhyd waterfall
• Some hill in Yorkshire - cant remember the name! 
• The mountain behind Dan Yr Ogof (Garreg Goch?)
• Pen y Fan - 5 TIMES!!!!!!! well 5 to the top (once on my own!) and another twice, once where we only got to the base of Corn Ddu and once when we only made it 3/4 way up.  The most recent ascent was on the anniversary of climbing Fan Fawr - and this time Becky made it all the way up to the top too.
• Ive been to North Wales and been at the base of the Pyg Track - too late in the day and with the wrong sort of weather to even consider climbing up.

• I took part in the Race for Life twice and the Memory walk once (Thank you all you wonderful people who sponsored me for the three events)

• I been out on the bike I bought - cycling in the Afan Valley and on the Millennium Coastal Path. 

• I had my first ever motorbike lesson!

• I had an amazing rally driving experience.

• Ive had an ice skating lesson. 

•  Visited the Eden Project

• Seen the summer solstice sun come up over Pentre Ifan in Pembrokeshire and sat on Pen Y Fan watching the sun go down over Fan Fawr.

• I had a go at abseiling - but chickened out at the last moment (and scarily the pack to have a go this year arrived today - eeeek) 

• Visited Oxford for the first time and climbed up the Carfax Tower!  

Now if you look at each thing on its own ... well there isn't anything outstanding there really.

But put them all together ...... the last 13 months have been fairly amazing.

Ive walked further than I ever dared imagine, I've pushed myself to do things that I'd always wanted to but never felt I could, I've beaten my fears on some things and not on others and I've fought personal and work battles and won!

And that's the biggest thing I suppose -

I won!

Another one bites the dust (well ice)

I ticked off another thing on my list this evening.  Myself and a group of friends had an ice skating lesson. 

I did find my balance, well in part, and our two instructors were amazing.  Id managed to badly bruise my finger grabbing the side of the rail at the start but my Pièce de résistance was typical of that 'pride comes before a fall' scenario. All we were doing was moving from one side of the rink to the other towards the end of the lesson, when I had my best Bambi moment of the whole evening.  There was nothing to be done, nothing there to save myself and seconds later I was flat out on the ice, having whacked my elbow and smacked my head good and proper! So I ended my first lesson in the first aid room, stretched out on a bench, feet raised, ever so slightly dazed.

Then I had the embarrassing joy of completing an accident form - I dont do ANYTHING by halves!

I was told not to drive, so my friend drove for me, I was told not sleep, so I'm still awake, I'm bruised and my head hurts like hell but Ive never laughed so much in my life even though that, in addition to my wonderful dying swan routine, I did several impressions of Bambi during the hour long lesson. In fact it was my laughing that was literally my downfall - when I laugh I put my head back - flippin lethal on the ice.

But damn it was fun.  Thanks girls, for your company, support and a fantastic evening xxx

Sticks and Stones

'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me' Right? ....................... Wrong!!

I found out yesterday, to my surprise, that someone in from my past used to refer to me in a rather derogatory way.  I'm not going to divulge how, but I was shocked to be told.  Shocked to the core in fact.  My heart sank when I realised that someone who I had admired, someone much older who quite frankly should have known better, held me in such low esteem.  I thought that I was like by this person, in fact I was actually told that.

So why? Why would they do that, why would they think it was okay and for gods sake why does this upset me so much? 

I suppose it is because I DID admire this person, because I DID think that I was liked, respected, that they were even fond of me, but I suppose mostly because we all like to be liked.

It made what had been mostly a good day for me, a totally, utterly miserable one and I feel ridiculously sad.