Special training week - part 1

You may have noticed that I haven't updated the blog this week. The reason? well we've been on our hols to the Lake District. However, I haven't been idle. I took my mountain bike with us to do a bit of fitness training. There are some tough trails around Eskdale where we stayed. Not purpose built mountain bike trails but bridleways and forestry commission access roads. There is also the monster climb that is Hardknott pass (Englands steepest road pass). I thought I'd combine some riding with long walks over the fells with Rosemary and Monty.

Having a Bearded Collie means one thing! Walks! and plenty of them. If for any reason Moo feels he isn't getting the correct amount, he certainly lets you know. His favourite way is to steal something from right under your nose. A shoe or a sock or a gas bill and then proceed to chew it in full view of you. Who says animals are not smart.

 Rosemary and Moo (caption - come on Mum stop posing and lets get going)

Monty at the top of Whin Rigg looking back the way we came from Irton Fell. 

The view the looking down over Wastwater. Its a 1000ft sheer drop off those cliffs

As you can see it was a beautiful day.
You can see Great Gable (right far distance). 

Scafell Pike, Englands highest mountain is just to the right 

It's a bit windy up here Dad!

The top of Illgill Head
 with Scafell, Lingmell, Great Gable and Kirk Fell in the distance
oh and Monty behaving himself too ( I bribed him with a sausage)

Burnmoor tarn with Eskdale fell in the mid ground. Its a bit difficult to get perspective on this shot. Burnmoor tarn is one of the largest tarns in the Lake District. It could almost be called a lake itself. From here we descended down to the tarn and turned back towards 'home'

The long walk back down beautiful Miterdale

The first time I have seen Moo tired ......ever. 

It's a tough life being a dog. 

Total walk time - over 5hours

Total distance - about 15 miles

Next morning - back to normal - crazy flying dog.

Total so far - £1390.00 - Wow!

The JustGiving site has been going for just over 4 weeks now and we have raised nearly £1400.00. That is just fantastic. A huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far. There is still a long, long way to go so please please, if you can spare a penny or two it will be going to a very deserving cause.

You can donate by clicking on the link below. Thank you once again!

Please donate here

Memories of Janet & Erika - part1

From time to time throughout my blog I thought I would share memories of my sisters. After all it is in their memory that I will be riding.

The mind is a strange and powerful thing. It control’s ones physical being more than I ever realised. Until recently it has been difficult to find memories of my sisters. I couldn’t seem to open the door to them. I have wondered if I am losing my mind or if I am cold and without feeling for not having a deep store to draw from. It was as though there has been a gatekeeper telling me to stay away, "don’t go there mate, you’ll only suffer if you go in". The pain of losing Janet and Erika seemed to have locked me out.

Its a much used phrase but time is a great healer. I have recently found myself chuckling, smiling, laughing out loud and cringing at memories popping like golden nuggets into my head. I think the gatekeeper has decided its time move on and that is probably why I am ready to do something to help.

By the way I’m typing this on my Mac whilst listening to 'Mandy' by Barry Manilow. I know that I'm inviting a barage of mickey taking from my mates but it was Janet’s favourite song. She was a huge music fan and ‘Barry’ was her No.1. So Barry sits proudly in my iTunes collection along with much more of Janet and Erika’s music. I’ll tell you more of these tracks in later posts.

Janet & Me

Some of my earliest memories must have been when I was four, maybe five. It was probably just before my brother Harvey was born. My Grandma used to have us stay at her house, doubtless whilst my Mum and Dad got some much needed respite from the three of us . Janet would have been seven and Erika about two. My Granddad had died a couple of years earlier so there was just Grandma. Her home was in a well kept row of council houses on Charlestown road in Blackley, north Manchester. I remember it was directly opposite Boggot hole Clough, a very large municipal park that had beautiful gardens and flower beds as well as a large boating pond, running track and a children's playground with swings and slides. There were peacocks roaming around with the ducks and geese. It was paradise.

Mum, Erika, Me and Janet (I think at St Bees in Cumbria) I'm not crying, I've just got something in my eye

Janet and I used to play on those swings all day. I think Erika was a little too young and only came over when Grandma had time to spare but I do remember pushing her on the special lower swing for very young kids. Janet was really quite good on the swings. I was always a little bit in awe of her as she could get the swing horizontal and beyond. I cringe thinking about it now as it was really dangerous. There was no soft rubber area like they have now. But as kids you feel invincible.

Erika at Lyme Park - (caption - "hurry up with the photo I'm bursting")

We used to play with the local kids and were really friendly with some of them. I do remember once being asked where we lived and being very surprised when I was told I was 'posh' for living in Marple. The last thing I thought we were, was 'posh'.

Janet and Me or are they giant hamsters? on the adventure playground at Lyme park - she was fearless

Grandma's house had two bedrooms, so with three kids staying it posed a bit of a problem. As we were all so young the three of us just got in the double bed in the back room. I thought this was brilliant and was always trying to make Janet and Erika laugh by telling silly jokes or teasing them. We ended up in fits of giggling on numerous occasions. One night I had a final warning to be quiet and go to sleep from my Grandma. I finally got my come-uppance. Grandma came storming into the room and marched me off to her room. As the culprit I had to sleep in her bed . I remember lying there motionless, not saying a word and feeling very sorry for myself. I could hear Janet and Erika quietly giggling in the other room, so what it must have sounded like when I was in there is anyones guess? Very loud I suspect!. Grandma was a bit scary when she was annoyed. She could be very strict (she certainly needed to be with us) but she was also very kind and fair. I remember at night you could hear the double decker buses running up and down Charlestown road. I think I heard every single one that night.

All I can say about this picture is AWESOME TASH Dad

My JustGiving page

My Tribute to Steve Jobs

I know this is nothing to do with my challenge or to my charity but I wanted to pay a small tribute to the man.
As the saying goes "from small acorns grow large trees" Steve Jobs along with Steve Wozniak started Apple Computers in his parents garage in 1976. With no money and just his charisma he persuaded a local electronics shop to fund his idea to make a computer that would be accessible to normal consumers like you and me. From that humble beginning he created the worlds first personal computer, the Apple 1. The rest is enshrined in computing, business and social folklore.
As of writing this post, Apple is quoted by the Dow Jones index as the most valuable  company on the planet. However Steve Jobs was not interested in money. He was a very rich man but led a fairly minimalist lifestyle based on buddhist principles he gained during the hippie counter culture of the 60's and 70s.
Steve Jobs was a notoriously difficult man, some would say a tyrant with his staff. Whatever the truth is, he certainly got the best out of his employees. His products  have quite literally defined our age. The Apple 1, The Mouse, The Graphic User Interface (Windows only came about after Apples GUI) Tim Berners Lee set in motion the World Wide Web on a computer that Steve Jobs built. The quite astonishing Pixar Animation Studios. The beautifully conceived iMac, The iPod, iTunes, The iPhone, The iPad. The App store. Apple products have changed industries and driven creative minds the world over.
In my view no single person in the last 30 maybe 100 years has been more instrumental in the way the world does things. Great is a much over-used compliment nowadays but I think we can be fairly safe in saying that Steve Jobs was a Great Man.

Fundraising total to date £5130.00 - Updated 4.2.12

(picture courtesy of my mate Marks fabled petty cash tin)

My fundraising total stands at £5130.00 which is just amazing. Thank you to everyone who has donated. Lets see what we can raise in 2012.

 Remember all proceeds go directly to Ataxia UK.

My JustGiving page

Bizarre banana fact - Is he pulling my leg? (Updated)

My mate Paul Quellin has been giving me some much needed advice on how to avoid issues such as cramp, foot rot in wet weather and saddle sore. Now when I read his email I had to do a double take as I thought I'd misread it. He reckons that to stop saddle sore I need to put a banana down my shorts...................yes I did just type that..and you did just read that! 

A banana today

Apparently according to Paul, the oils from the skin are good for curing saddle sores. I think he is having me on in some sort of Spinal Tap fruit based mickey take.
Can anyone else confirm this about bananas? If it's true (or not I suppose) and someone donates £100 because of it. I'll wear a banana (just the skin mind) in my shorts (I'm not saying for how long though but I will produce photo/video evidence). :)

Update (4/11) Paul is really sorry. He made a mistake and cannot verify whether a banana has any effect whatsoever on saddle sores. He would like to apologise for any confusion he may have caused. He goes on to say however, that if I use a large Pineapple....(editor STOP THERE! thats enough of the fruit humour)

Brians JustGiving page

You can reply on the comments link at the bottom of this post.

This weeks training

Training this week consisted of a Sunday morning mountainbike ride with my friends Mark and Fiona Brogden. We headed out on a loop of Hayfield, over Lantern Pike down into Rowarth at the Little Mill Inn and back round and over Lantern Pike again. Just enough to blow the cobwebs off. I like riding with Mark and Fiona as you get a nice cup of tea and a piece of Fiona's fruit cake at the end. Lovely!
I cycled to work every day except Tuesday! I used my road bike (my beloved Scott CR1) and tried to stick to going over Sitch lane which is a particularly steep bit of tarmac that cuts over the back of Lantern pike into Thornsett. Its a real lung buster to start the morning but if you keep standing on the pedals all the way up, you're soon at the top and can freewheel down into New Mills, before climbing back up into the town centre. Then on towards Marple keeping a steady fast pace. Its about 6.5miles and I find it really good for keeping the fitness up. I installed a shower at work over last Christmas so its really nice to freshen up for a days work (and also so I'm not called 'the smelly bloke' at work - well not that I know of anyway)

I mentioned that I didn't cycle on Tuesday. Well there's good reason for that. A few weeks ago I had the crazy notion of asking a different member of staff to make a cake (or pudding) on a Tuesday. We take it in turns so every 5 weeks its my turn and guess what! It was my turn this Tuesday. I think one or two of the staff think I am completely mad for this idea (well just Danny, my warehouse manager to be precise) I don't think Danny and his oven are properly acquainted. However he is on first name terms with the bloke from the Kebab shop. I think he asked Danny to be god father to his new baby. I'm digressing sorry! Where was I? oh yes, my turn. Well up until this week I was languishing at the bottom of the leader board ( bit like the Top Gear fastest lap board - but for cakes). Anyway Sheryl was top with her fantastic banana cake, followed very closely by Bill and his chocolate fudge brownies (with a subtle twist of black cherries) and Jane with her rhubarb crumble and custard mmmmm possibly my favourite. Danny had surprised us all with his giant jaffa cake. A work of genius, especially considering he had conceived it in the pub that night and baked it at midnight from ingredients bought at the late shop (he was sound man at an open mic night, not boozing by the way - well that's what he tells me) Anyway I had to improve on my lemon cheesecake offering, so I scoured the internet, poured through recipe book after recipe book until finally I came up with an idea.......and

      Behold the legend that is schwartzenwald kirchentorte. 

No1 on the leader board.

Cake envy - (wikipedia -the curious phenomonen manifest when confronted with an epic black forest gateaux)


editors note - I cannot believe that was actually made by myself. I promise there was no cheating and Rosemary didn't help (well actually she did de-stone the cherries on top as I am a ham fisted bafoon)

Surely the cake is worth a donation alone - click here to donate