5 days and counting...

Well my big British Heart Foundation bike ride is now only 5 days away. I feel prepared, I can easily do 30 miles plus and know I can carry on for a further 25 fuelled with flapjack, ribena and other assorted high cal stuff. I have lost 1 stone 10 lbs so carrying far less weight on my journey and have been interviewed by the BHF about “my story” which isn’t really “my story” at all, rather someone else’s. I will easily reach my £300 sponsorship from all my generous friends.



It’s an early start on Saturday, register at Belvoir Castle at 7am and start cycling at 8am…should be finished by lunch as long as I don’t keep stopping to take photos, go to the loo and chat to other people (nothing like doing it at a leisurely pace hey?) so plan to go straight through with minimal stops and try to keep between 13-15 miles per hour.

Very excited indeed.

So did a big ride on Saturday morning before I went camping, and took this pic on the way just between Illston on the Hill and Goadby.

The Great British Bake Off

Well I have applied to be in the Great British Bake Off and I know I have about 0.01% (or even less?) chance of getting any where I have an inner excitement about it all. The application process has not been as straight forward with them forgetting to attach the application form, having to answer certain questions via email and fill out three pages of our baking experience and over all skills with pasties, pastries, tarts, pies, cakes and bread. The concept being that “amateur” bakers have the opportunity to bake certain things in different locations, for example a loaf of bread in Sandwich (clever hey?). Then you get chatted to whilst your baking by the panel so they wanted anecdotes and then I think the panel decide who should stay and should go…


Can’t believe I have just admitted to applying for a reality tv show? I am usually so critical of them. But I was thinking well over 25,000 people have watched me make meringues surely I have something to share?


Have been baking as well this week for daughter’s birthday. She recently got a cuddly Panda who she named “Pandora” (genius) and I so I thought I would make a Panda based Victoria sponge, stuffed full of jam and butter cream:

I also wanted to do biscuits to share with her friends at various clubs she attends and so created “rude biscuits” after all, her age group do find the concept of pants, bras and knickers highly amusing.

Rude biscuits!

30 miles...finally

Finally hit the 30 mile mark




I think I have been working far too hard on my bike rides…so many people tell me how they did 40, 50 and even 60 miles on a Sunday. I was beginning to think that perhaps I really am quite crap at the whole cycling thing. I had misinterpreted the advice…I heard get into the big gear – you’ll go faster. However, my cadence seemed very "below average" at 60 (reminds me of school reports...Lucy is below average at...) until I did a bit more research and listened to the advice again…this time though I heard “stay in a small gear” and pedal faster! Success, hit 30 miles (although that last few, turning away from home and heading outwards took every bit of inner monologue to motivate myself), cadence raised and speed improved.


I’m on a roll now and with less than a month before the big day feel that the possibility of a 60 mile bike ride is realistic and achievable. I am slightly disappointed I haven’t managed to raise the £300 but there is a fine balance between annoying people for sponsorship and doing something for a good cause and the overall experience.

I am a saddo Garmin geek

Wet and windy Bank Holiday in a fabric house

How does the weather know its a Bank Holiday?  We booked to go camping some time ago, and remembering what it was like last year made sure I packed the hot water bottles and bought two heaters (life savers!).  Chose Sandringham this year and what a lovely camp site (its really worth paying membership to the Camping and Caravanning Club - god I am really middle aged?).  We were welcomed by smiling man on a bicycle who took us to our jumbo pitch.

Had a cunning plan, set up netball hoop for girls to play with whilst pitching tent thus reducing stress factor by at least 50%.

We were then visited on our pitch by some friends.  They have the joys of a camper van and none of the hardship of being freezing cold and the only solution is to bury yourself in a sleeping bag and resemble a caterpillar at 8:30pm.  After our cholesterol filled evening meal from the disposable BBQ we ventured over to see their palatial home, where I went on to consume numerous glasses of wine...(it never looks the same in a plastic cup!).

All very well getting myself into that state but alas, the walk from the toilet block all 300 metres away from my tent threw me and I got lost.  Not sure how long I was gone, but late at night all those fabric houses look the same!

So not only did I find people I knew on the campsite but also went to see my colleague Phat Dan do his stuff on Brancaster beach.  It was freezing cold and can't quite believe he stayed on the water for 7 hours!

The girls and friend at the fabric house

Sandringham house, the Queen was at home

Watching the Kite Surfers at Brancaster beach

Mothering Sunday

My beautiful children, bringing breakfast in bed and little presents on Mothering Sunday.  Then free-time for me to crack on with my Sunday (and new training to get ready for the big one in May) bike ride.  Sun shining and crisp air it couldn't have been more perfect.  I managed 23.2 miles on Sunday so feel I am building up the mileage still and laugh a little back to day one when I was chuffed to bits at cycling 6 miles, then 10, then 12, then 17, then 19, now 23!  I plan to do this route for a while but do find I like a change of sceneary and views and large houses to admire.  I included the hill at Goadby...oh my god...

The hill at Goadby is an absolute killer (I decided to cycle on to Glooston and Tur Langton just to avoid coming back up it).  My heart rate went to a whopping 184, I had to stand up all the way and was nearly stationary despite peddling.  It took a fair few minutes to get my breath back and was relieved to see my friend walking her baby so stopped and chatted for 15 minutes and got her to re-fill my water bottle (I was only 8 miles into my ride!).  I love the view the other side of Goadby of the road to Glooston, what you can't see in the photo is the dip in between!

The winding road to Glooston

Eeeeeek what have I done?

I thought with all my cycling that I might try a little challenge this year.  I really would like to do the Coast to Coast bike ride, but thought I better start at something shorter and more local.  So this is it, 60 miles to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, in the Vale of Belvoir (note to self must look at how hilly it is).  I've set myself the target of £300 but there is still that thing about asking people for sponsorship that makes me feel a little uncomfortable.  But just in case:

Lucy's fundraising page

So I have started this weekend in "earnest" with the training and, weather permitting (any excuse!) I plan to go out three times a week on the Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday...and where I can't go out make up for it another day.

What made me panic slightly is that as I drove to present at the ITTE Research Seminar in Cambridge last Thursday, as I hit the 60 mile mark on my milometer I thought "can I really cycle this far?"  I'm sure I will be able to make it, and are humbled by the experiences of Justin who did a mountainous 1062 miles from the South to North of France after having a heart valve fitted less than a year before (read his Blog here)...so will stop panicking and being so silly and just get on with it.

To those of you who have sponsored me, thank you so much and I won't let you down!

First Sail of the Year

I would just like to point out that I have already been out on my boat and it was only the 7th March.  Met up with fellow Rescue Duty mate, Chris and his friend Jo for a blast in my Laser Stratos.  It took us a fair while to rig the boat, not the normal 40 minutes, mainly because I forgot to bring two length of rope fairly major to sailing the boat (Jib and Main sheet).  Was able to borrow one off Chris and Jo's boat and had to go and purchase the main sheet from the shop at an incredible £11...had to borrow a pound and have offered to pay back but had request for a lemon drizzle cake instead (see this link for how to make it!).  I was slightly worried as the instruction booklet I had printed off some three years ago about how to rig my boat (I don't really need it, its more like a comfort thing knowing it was there), had been eaten by mice and no longer existed...however, between the three of us we mastered it and finally got out on the water about an hour and ten minutes later!

It was freezing cold but the sun was shining.  I helmed the boat down to the bottom of Rutland and back past the sunken church at Normanton into what I refer to as the "Dark Side" of Rutland I haven't ventured into on account of:

a) large water tower coming out of the water that Jo managed to get her boat hooked onto - we are convinced they are magically magnetic

b) swirly bits of water where there are fans in the reservoir and they aerate it.  I think someone told me about 6 years ago that they are really difficult to sail over and it sort of stuck in my head.

c) Club racing usually takes place in this area, and have irrational fear that I will end up in the middle of 200 boats...capsized

Anyway, I ventured into the "Dark Side" and discussed the possibility of sailing to Whitwell in the Summer for an ice cream and have been advised to take a paddle...and then handed the helm to Chris so that I could have a go at getting the spinnaker up - which I have never done before.  Managed to take this picture, it was beautiful having all three sails up:

My sweet boat, which I have yet to capsize in...so sturdy and trust worthy.  I am convinced it had an inner monologue going on..."crikey it's only March and I am already out on the water?  What is going on? Ahhhh it's lovely to have these sleepy wasps and nests of spiders brushed off and the wind in my sails and people having a laugh on board...mind you, I wish she would stop singing the theme tune to Howards Way".