yey!! I did it!!!

Whoooooo hoooooooooo!!!! GO ME!!!!!
I did it! I did cry a little bit - but I did it, and I came back in one piece - with no blisters!!!

It was such a challenging time - and there were so many times that I thought "Why am I doing this??" and then I remembered why I was doing it - to help raise enough money to find a cure for cancer.

The scenary was amazing - the Wall is a complete awe inspiring construction - and quite how all those Chinese men built such a huge wall on top of such a huge hill is quite beyond comprehension.

The group I was with were great - most of them, anyway!! and were from all walks of life, and doing the challenge for many different reasons, and many different causes.

To have a look at some of the photos of my trip, pop along to
http://my.slideroll.com/galleries/members/dizzie77/gallery/china-trek-2007/?g=bj841nhr

Sponsorship is still rolling in, but I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blood Yell!!!!!

Wednesday 10th October 2007

Ok - This time (9pm!) next week, I shall probably be trying to get an early night....or at least, I will be thinking about it.....
One week tomorrow, I start my journey.

I'm leaving home at 4.30am (hopefully -fingers crossed for a reliable taxi driver!) and getting on the National Express coach at 4.55am and off to Gatwick.
I should arrive at Gatwick at 9.30am, where I will have time for a coffee and a relax before meeting the rest of the group at 11.15am to check in at Emirates Airlines for the first leg of our flight - to Dubai.

I can't believe how quickly this has come around - when I booked it last July, it all seemed like a bit of a pipe dream....and so much has happened in the meantime.

My fundraising online has reached almost £2700 (thanks again to everyone - especially those I have never met!) and on top of that, I have a couple of paper sponsor forms doing the rounds too.....

So - any words of wisdom in my last week??? apart from Don't do it...>!!!???

Less than a Month

Sunday 23rd September 2007

Ok - it's now less than a month until I fly out to China......where did all the time go to??
The last few weeks, I have been finding the walking hard - I've concentrated on hills and steps to try and prepare for China.
Some days, I haven't even been able to make it to the top of the hill....

I've got some more bits of my kit together too - sun cream, insect repellant, immodium....!!

Anyway - this weekend, I have taken the walking a bit slower.....I have been walking at a fair pace since I started training....but I decided to take it a bit slower and see how I got on...
It's much easier.....We walked on Haresfield Beacon this morning - lots of steps and slopes upwards and downwards...not to mention a howling wind and a couple of men in anoraks flying remote control planes (at 8am.....really, I thought my life was sad!!)
I kept my head up, and my pace was steady, if not fast....and I felt much better - I didn't need to stop, I just kept walking, and kept my breathing regular.....that seems to work.
So, from now on, I will keep a steady pace, rather than rushing up a hill at 100mph....

Fundraising is still going well - the total has gone through £2500 now, and I am confident of reaching my £3000 target by the end of the year. Thanks to everyone who has donated.....many of whom I don't even know....If you know someone who hasn't donated yet - tell them to pop over!!! www.justgiving.com/racheldavis

Six Weeks to Go

6th September 2007

Six weeks today, I'll be at Gatwick Airport...getting ready to fly to China....How did it come around so quickly???

So, my trauma for this week has been food poisoning.... I got ill on Friday afternoon, and I've gone back to work today (thursday) - it's not been pleasant, and needless to say, not a great deal of walking has happened!!

So, it's almost the weekend again, so I shall make a concerted effort to walk this weekend.
Hills on Saturday, and on Sunday, I'll be helping out at a Cancer Research Walk in Highnam, firstly registering the walkers to set off on their trip, and then I'll complete the walk as the back marker. It's a 8km walk, so it should be relatively easy for me - fingers crossed!!

Fundraising is going well - almost at the £2400 mark now, and plans for the next wedding fair are going well too - with some new exhibitors and some returning ones from the last fair.

New items have arrived - my new camelbak rucksack has arrived, as has my new kitbag (No suitcases allowed on the China trip).

If you haven't donated yet, get on over to my fundraising page - www.justgiving.com/racheldavis

ok - it's been a while!!

Monday 6th August 2007
Ok, Ok! So it's been a few months - and I'm getting nagged to update my blog!! (Like Shaky can nag ME to update MY profile....given that his entire blog only had about 4 entries!!)

So - two and a half months to go until I go to China....If I say it really quickly, it seems like longer!!!!
Lots has happened since the last entry.

Ska night was a HUGE success!!! Thanks again to the guys from Ska'd who were complete superstars - and performed for free, and even enticed two support acts (Drug Sniffin Dogs and Circus of Invention) for us.
The evening was a storming affair - everyone enjoyed themselves (I think!!) and we managed to raise £460 for each of the two charities, Cancer Research UK and SCBU at GRH.

The training is going much better now that I don't have to cope with the problems that my gallbladder used to present....I did my first long distance walk on the 1st July - a 12 mile walk around the Forest of Dean and I managed to do that in 3.5 hours, which I was immensely chuffed with!!

I've been in touch with some of the people who will be trekking with me, and they seem like a nice, friendly bunch, so I am not *quite* so worried now....
Flight times have been confirmed, so I guess that I really AM going!!!

I haven't done much training this weekend - on Saturday, I was pleased to spend the day with Debbie and Matt in Nottingham as they got married - priviledged to watch two such lovely people tie the knot.

Yesterday was the 4th anniversary of my gramps death, So a trip to the churchyard was top of my agenda, laid some flowers and said a few words, and then carried on my walk. I had intended to walk to mum's to pick Tyson up but with blazing sun and feeling the heat when I was only a third of the way there, I decided against it. Made it back to the flat and had lots of water in the shade!!!

Spent most of the afternoon out in the garden chopping down brambles, and I can see where I am making a difference now, which is good...>!! Anyone want any blackberries?? There are LOADS out there....(you just have to help me chop some brambles down while you're here!!)

Fundraising stands at £2200 at the moment, so another push to get extra cash is needed....ideas on a postcard...>!!

Five months to go.....

20th May 2007

another month.....whoops!!! It's now less than 5 months until I go to China....
How flipping scary is that?? I am now (it is safe to say) petrified..!!

I'm walking about 3 miles a day now...which still isn't far enough, but I am at
least making an effort!!

Along with the training, I am also in the process of buying my first home - so
there is all sorts of paperwork and finance finding going on!!

I've got a new pack of walking guides - various circular walks in Gloucestershire, so I will attempt to resurrect the Hillfield Hikers one weekend in the not to distant future - I have already invited them all to join me on a 12 mile walk in the Forest of Dean in July! (ahem!)

Fundraising is still going well - singles night is getting lots of interest, so it should, hopefully be a good night.

Tickets for an evening with Ska'd are also selling well - but there are still some available, so get buying!! If we sell out, then Shaky and I make a grand each for our charities!!

I'll try not to leave it so long next time....but until then....have you donated yet!?!?

Silence is Golden

Wednesday 11th April 2007

So, it's been almost a month since my last post.....whoops! I have been busy, I promise!!!
It took me quite a while to recover from my operation, but I got back into "real" clothes after about two weeks - and it was such a relief to be able to drive again!!

I'm still in some pain - which I am having investigated, but the doctors seem to think that could be related to my pancreas. Oh joy!!!

So, whilst I've not been here, I did actually go back to work - thankfully not to a huge pile of work, but there were 120 e-mails waiting for me..>!!

The wedding fair went well - it wasn't as busy as I was hoping for, but it wasn't dead by any means, so I am fairly pleased with that. It raised £645 towards my fundraising total, so it was well worth the effort. (I did sleep pretty much the whole of the day afterwards tho!)

The next event is a singles night - on an evening in June, date to be confirmed.

After that, the Ska night at the Guildhall, which will be a brilliant night! Ticket sales are really picking up now, which is ace, and it should easily be a sell out...!!

Keep the money and the ideas coming in......it's all good fun this!!