Skoda Rally - Sherwood Pines....

The Skoda Rally - June 2009



I work near Sherwood Forest and found out about this weekend Rally from Matt at work, seemed a good idea at the time and so we headed out hoping to get close to the cars...



we were not dissapointed, we walked a part of the course along its edge, cars screaming past at minute intervals, we saw the action from different view points, straights, corners, and jumps...



there were some old cars, classics and up-to-date World class rally cars...



the starngest thing was that you could get within inches of the cars, there were no barriers at all and within the woods MTB'ers were still riding across the track sometimes without any what seemed self interest...



Health and safty was definatly lacking...



But that made it more exciting for us.

I tried so hard to get some good shots, but my little click and shoot wasnt really up to the challenege but i tried.....

Crib Goch....with the Terrified Other Half..heh heh

The Victim

Well, It's bank Holiday isnt it, you gotta get out in the country on a BH Monday, so we decided, well I decided actually that we would do Snowdon via Crib Goch, something I had done 4 times previous in various conditions but wanted to test the other halfs nerves....silly really as the most testing place that Stephanie has walked before was Dovedale in Derbyshire, oh and a tad in Aviemore and Galway.



Holy F**K....no way...

Anyway if my memory would serve me right shed be fine on Crib Goch it was easy wasnt it!!...my memory did not serve me right, it was hell on legs, and half the time Stephanie struggled to stay on the two she owned to be honest, all the more entertaining for me though as she crawled along like a crab... the butress as you raise up was the first problem, she had already lost her nerve at this point and the ridge wasnt even in sight, the weather was stunning though and the only other main risk was sunburn at this stage, in the end we managed the butress and she crawled up to the top to then see the way forward across the ridge...



Come on...'' I think I have wet myself...''



Its interesting because at this point I was put in a weird situation (as she refused to go on) because going back down may of been worse for her than going forward she didnt want to do it and I didnt know what to do, either way it was awkward and it was a lesson to me in other peoples ability in regard to your own.



In the end we met another couple in the same situation, one fine with it and the other bricking it...Steph and Moa (the brickers) stayed together and made it across the first part by which time some confidence and understanding had been gained about the routes technical elements.



In fact for a brief moment I even saw her smile as she moved forward, straight after she'd stuck her finger up at me of course. The drive home wasnt going to be too much fun I could see it now.



By the time wed got to the first summit, she was beaming I guess because there was no more ridges to scramble across and because she was alive and had done it. The final stroll up to Snowdon was all the more enjoyable (lunch at last) and the stroll down was a pleasure in itself.



She learned about assumed fear and its affects on your performance when in a sticky situation - I learned to respect other peoples ability on what for most is a technical peice of rock....



The drive home was fine and from the amount of texts and e mails shes been sending out she is so proud of her scramble, even so I think well stroll around the Peaks for this summer and break her in a tad gentler...



But then there is Sharp Edge to consider...heh heh

Enjoy the pictures...Ma..

Making Bread.....and stuff.

I feel so sad...or do I, I must be getting old and sad...

But recently as we have had a new kitchen we decided instead of using it for cheese on toast we'd actually learn something useful in it, over the last few weeks I am happy to (sad I know) say I have learnt how to make bread!!! Yes bread....



It happened because one day I went to the local ASDA to get some basics including bread and due to the traffic it actually took me 45 minutes to get home....I thought sod this I could of made my own bread in that time.



So when I got back me and Steph looked into a kids book (we are kids) to find out how to make a loaf, and my god its easy so so so easy (except for the dam kneeding)...since that day we have made about 9 loaves, learnt about the history of wheat and the methods used over the centuries, Im not going to give you a recipe but I will tell of a few mini secrets that helped us -



1) kneed for at least 10 minutes twice (wholemeal needs more) and then kneed a third time while you proof the shape, let it rise before you put in the oven...

2) Put the salt in the mixture last..

3) And let the water and yeast react alone before entering the rest of the ingredients...

4) Put the water in warm water alone first, or if mixed with the floor use warm water to mix with...

We have also been making soups and stews which are stunning as well as cakes....

God I feel so sad coming out with this crap, not to mention the fact that we are growing our own herbs (basil and Coriander) in the garden..as well...



But let me tell ya I have never tasted bread so good, even the fruit cakes are better than the shops...sod the shops for the 3o minutes of effort its well worth it.



This lasted about 20 minutes..with lashings of tea..

weve worked out that our loaves cost us £0.42p but we were buying loaves for £1.30..

And here is the last batch look at the size of that baby...lets eat !!!



cheers all....munch munch...

Connermarathon completed...Ireland 2009

Stunning running location without doubt....



Last week in the stunning location of Galway in Ireland we attempted to run the Connermarathon, the third marathon within 10 months for me but more importantly the very first for my girlfriend Stephanie, who would end up being the true star in the end...



We were based in leenane on the edge of Ireland's only Fjord, famous for clams and the harvesting of them, Leenane its self is tiny, having 3 pubs a shop and not much else to be fair... But surrounded by stunning mountains and fells reaching heights of up to 700m rising steeply up from the waters edge.



The weather was awesome not usual at this time of year or for this area so we were lucky, and it held through for the Marathon thankfully.



We drove the Marathon route as always and realised how long drawn out and hilly it was, as our training had been limited (as in close to none) I was concerned that Steph may not finish, I mean people in the know say that you should add 40min to your standard marathon time when running the hills of Connermarathon, I Could see why and we were a tad concerned. I worried that she may not be able to complete her dream..

Registration and chip pick up was in Galway, we headed off and got that sorted on the Saturday before and found out that we could met the buses at Cliften which also offered us free parking - sweet.



There we were as always, the first to arrive at the Cliften station hotel trying to find a public toilet. there was one, but it didn't matter how desperate you were, you wouldn't have wanted to do it in there...

The crowds slowly gathered and I could see the fear on Stephanie's face grow, or was she still desperate for the loo, not sure... even so she was getting nervous....its funny at moments like this when your there at the start of a big challenge and you realise how lazy you've been sat on your fat arse at home for the last 4 months not training when you should have been out there giving it some....but here and now that realisation for both of us was becoming very very apparent....everyone else looked so thin and fit, sounded ready and up for it, excited even, chatting about times and PB's whilst we were contemplating nothing but survival..... we had nothing but fear and concern blatantly confirmed by the look of dread on our faces why hadn't we trained properly... ha ha ha .....



We got on a bus where we met some great people, got off in the middle of nowhere, on a tiny road full of runners and sheep a couple of portaloos and a truck with our bags in, the road itself was struggling with the size of the buses it was single lane to be fair. The organisation at this point seemed all over the place...even so we got to see the leader of the Ultra Marathon come through, man he looked like a machine...making me feel more like a sloath...why didnt we train...



It became apparent that most of the high numbers of runners entering this years event were not marathon runners they were half marathon runners as there wasn't that many of us about 1400 I'd say at a guess. It was also at this point that I wondered where all my 70 Euros entry fee had gone, there was no start gate just an old van, and some bloke shouting down an old microphone, pretty crap really..I mean my mate could have done that for a tenner....in his old pimped ford escort van....!!



Anyway after freezing my arse off for 30 minutes we gathered to the front and started well wishers called on Stephanie and hoped she enjoyed her first and then preceded to vanish off at speed into the distance, and let me assure you that was some distance within minutes they were dots...the open valley allowing you to be constanly reminded of how far back you are and how far youve got to go as well as how few are behind you......heh heh...

The weather was good and the location was awesome, there were no crowds just sheep and other runners this turned out to be a very unique event for sure in the world of Marathon running purely by its awesome and isolated location, you event felt isolated especially when the runners thinned out a bit.



I was OK for the first 15 miles as we were running at Stephs pace (11 min mile) so a cruise for me but she looked sort of OK i guess, but the distance was now taking a hold.....



All pictures on here I took on route, I actually took food with me this time as well due the lack of corner shops and the isolation factor...Steph completed the Half Marathon distance in 2:15:40 so not bad at all, but then the second stage was the actual official Half route, and it was a killer the hills started straight away and there were 4 nasty hills on this second part which was too much at times for Steph, we stopped a fair few times to take on food etc...and the infamous 26.2 Miles was taking its toll, but would it get another victim.....?



I'm proud to say not, Stephanie just kept going showing such determination and human spirit, even though she was clearly in pain, I was stunned and at some points she was unable to run at all..but her dream since childhood of completing a Marathon and the 20 mile marker sign approaching helped here move through into the final stages, oh by the way if anyone wants there black cap back that we took off the fence about mile 17 we have it...we needed it as in parts the sun was high and hot and we ere exposed in the valley.



And to think we even asked an Ambulance man whether he had 1)suntan lotion or 2)Vaseline...the answer was no??? once again in the run i wondered where my 70 Euros had actually gone...what incompetence...

The right turn at mile 22, was the finishing straight if you like, what we did not need at this stage was exactly what we got given a mighty hill ... oh bless the look on Stephs face, brought a tear and smirk to me eye....she was paying now, running no faster than I'd walk in bits...I was a bit worried at this point but I knew and she knew that somehow it was in the bag!!! To be fair this belief she had was all she had to crawl home with...



The hill was completed and the final flat straight to the finish line beckoned, it was even downhill at the start but by this stage that meant nothing to Stephanie the pain she was in hurt whether you were running up down or flat...it made no difference now...



We crossed the line together I held her hand as we approached the line, cameras clicking, nice comments about us from the man on the speaker system and then over the line she had done it....!!!!

Stephanie Jukes - First Marathon in 05:15:30....

Well done Steph, there was a tear, a Medal, a photo, the pasta, the bus then car and lastly hostel....where we sat in silence, licking out wounds...trying to figure why we had attempted one of the hardest Marathons in the Marathon Calender with no training...!!!!!

Oh and I have just realised where our 70 Euros money went, .... on all the organisers swanky Apple Macs at the registration Bloody B**tards....

This Marathon is stunning, but the organisation is rubbish and it is extremely over priced as is the whole of Ireland and Galway (Pint of Guinness 3.90 Euros (£3.54)

Enough Said....

Real snow like the 70's in 2009 - Lush !!

The snow of 2009 loved it, I travel to work in Mansfeild and because of the shift work I do and the shifts i was on during the worst periods, my drive to work turned from 40 minutes, to two and half hours...with traffic crawling at 10mph speeds, in my opinion people were over compensating for the weather and driving so much slower than really needed, but that is another subject. here are some pics of Derby where i live and the area on the drive to work.











Nice - I'm sure others had it alot worse though.

First ever car crash !!!!

Yep im forty and i have never had a car crash nop well not until today and to be fair i didnt hit anyone someone slammed into me....but and I stuggle to say this it may have been slightly my fault but of course I will do my utmost to deny it..when the insurance companies get involved...

For the record it was at the A5111 and A6 Junction as you leave Alvaston, I was inthe furthest left lane of 3 intending to take the 2nd exit off, but some one flew onto the roundabout on my outside in the middle available lane and as i went straight on they turned left, slamming into me and forcing me to take the left turn and knocking out my R/Lamp set, well the glass anyway, its still all works etc but has no glass.



I was the one in the middle.....

Even so worth mentioning as I have never had one before. I blame her of course and she will blame me....i may lose but i will fight as she was doing well over the speed limit for a junction of that kind and she made no, ill say it again no attempt to stop, its as if she didnt even see me...no screeching brakes no skiiding no horn nothing ....just SLAM!!!!....

Oblivious to other roads users, also she is the 2nd driver so wont be fully insured, her husband is the fully insured driver he was not in the car...

No-one was hurt, funny thing though is that I work for a contractor that manages the road i crashed on so they would have designed the junction and built it, i will when next in work establish if the lane i was in was only for left turners if so I may concede and accept that i was wrong even so....a major pain in the butt for me at the moment.

Ho hum.

laterz.

Gloss Black kitchen completed...love it...

Here it is at last.....



Yes the kitchen has finally been finished, stuck up the last of the shelves tonight and the fitter left this afternoon, so we opened the champagne and had a sip after all the hard work, tears frustration and worry, its a big deal i mean weve been without water for alot of it and going up and down the stairs to get water from the bathroom loses its appeal real quick let me tell ya.





It is lush compared to what we had before it is stunning, we were lucky today someone came around who was interested in the old cooker we were selling and they took all 3 items for £150 notes....none of it had been cleaned or anything...amazing...but i guess it saved em a penny or two.





Anyway our fitter was Chris Pether and his son, they have done a fantastic job and we will use there services again if we get the chance thats for sure, the kitchen was from magnet and it has to be said they were fanatstic right from the atart although to be fair we got a £12,000 kitchen for £6000 as we were able to use someones trade account......





We have been very lucky throughout the kitchen fiasco as we nearly went with and paid MFI, just before they went bust there kitchen was going to be £7500, we even got our deposit back from them £1,500 after waiting a month....





All in all, we are over the moon....im starving lets eat!!!!!

I promise no more pictures ever....bored now...