Itching to Run

My two boys wanted to go for a run today and Shayne suggested we go for a walk. Just 6kms which is from home to the end of Golf Rd and back and so we all left together. The boys took off and Shayne and I walked at quite some distance behind them. As soon as we reached South Lynn Rd I had a strong desire to run. This, I believe, is because I only ever run this particular route unless I am walking with someone. Shayne's pace is a tad slower than mine and so he was behind me. I was on my own...

Once I reached Golf Rd the boys were way out of sight and I wondered if I started to run, would I catch them. However, this was to be just a walk today as I have to stay injury free and I don't need to be taking any chances at this stage.

Just as I reached the Golf course I met the boys running back. They were going well and again, I wished I was running with them. Not long to go now and I can get back into my running. I reached home in about 45 minutes about 10 minutes after the boys and about 10 minutes ahead of Shayne. Luke, our youngest chap, reached home first. That's rugby training for you.

I had a discussion today about doing the Auckland marathon again. I am told that entry forms go on-line next week. I don't want to miss out so will get the link up as soon as possible.

5 days to go, folks. I packed some of my gear today, my Gortex coat for if it rains, a warm hat for the night time leg, gloves, first aide kit and head light. From the last 2 years of doing this event I know that I will lose my appetite quite early on but I know that I have to eat which is why I have rice pudding, a good source of energy yet easy to swallow and tastes great. Thankfully, I love it cold straight from the tin - I MUST remember a tin opener...

The good news, it looks as though we have reached our $20000 fund raising target although it isn't showing up yet. Raffle is still going for the Bivouac gear, $5 for a number. We have about a third of the numbers to go. Let me know if you want one.

A Week and a Day To Go

With just one week and one day to go until event day this week is going to be well planned and organised. I'm grateful for Easter weekend for some extra time to get things sorted. I have signed up to Twitter to give people an idea of where we will be on the day and you can follow us, assuming it works, by looking at our OXFAM website:

http://www.oxfam.org.nz/events/teams.asp?a=show_team_pages&eventid=24&teamid=4118

If the link fails just google Oxfam Trailwalker NZ and then look up my team: Watercare Cougars. I hope to add the odd message which should show on the map on our web page.

Today's little training session with Sharon was good. We left at 7am and walked from home up to Titirangi via Titirangi Road, onto Scenic Drive and the the pipe line, down the hill at the back and on to Woodlands Park Road, to Huia Road and all the way UP HILL, back to the village, down Titirangi Road to home again. We ran segments of it and managed it in 2 hours.

I'm hoping to get out at least once more this weekend but no more than 2 or 3 hours worth just to keep the muscles in order.

It looks as though I may be able to get Monday off work to heal my tired body after all.

Waiheke Island Training Walk

Another free digital photo book by Smilebox

This was our last LONG training walk before the event. It was pretty tough but all of our previous training has paid off as we got through it with no major problems. I made this album above as a tribute to my team mates. We have shared a great deal through this time and I am grateful for them and their company.

Next team training walk will be next Sunday but I will do a few local short ones until it is time for us to head down to Taupo for event day.

Last Training on the Mountains

Well, we are down to our last few days of OXFAM training and as it nears to an end I can't help feel a little sad yet delighted to be getting my weekends and evenings back, at least for a little while.

This evening we covered the normal 5 mountains and on our last hike up Mt Eden, I felt a rush of excitement as if I had crossed the finish line...but not quite...we still have out BIG 50k walk to look forward to on the weekend.

We're almost done, folks...

The Day After 42Kms and a Bit of News

I planned on going for a short training walk on Monday to test the leg muscles after Sundays 42km hike and I asked my good friend, Mrs G, to join me.

When I woke up on Monday morning, I expected to be in pain and to be hobbling around but, apart from the blisters, my legs were good. No pain at all. I still wanted to go for a walk though, just to make sure. Mrs G arrived at 6pm and we planned on going around the block which is 5 to 6ks but we have a fair bit to catch up on and so extended it slightly. I mapometered the distance when I got home. We covered 7.3ks.

Our fundraising is nearly done! THANK YOU to those that have supported us. I WILL NOT FORGET! We have reached an awesome $18000 and with just $2000 to go, I reckon we have it in the bag. We have some Bivouac Camping gear to raffle off. Hit the links below and let me know if you'd like a $5 raffle ticket:

http://www.bivouac.co.nz/osprey-talon-33-multi-use-pack.html

http://www.bivouac.co.nz/gear/camping-and-tramping/sleeping-mats/pacific-outdoor-peak-oyl-mountain-sleeping-mat.html

http://www.bivouac.co.nz/black-diamond-icon-headtorch.html

http://www.bivouac.co.nz/black-diamond-cosmo-1-2-watt-headlamp.html

Sorry, the raffle is for NZ people only!

Next training walk is Wednesday and we'll do the 5 mountains again. We should have a full team as Suzie has completed her half iron man event. YEAH! She did really well...If only I could swim...alas, this is in the 'too hard basket'.

Good news, I just heard that both my brothers entered the Reading half marathon and both broke the 2 hour mark. I'm SO proud of them as they have both been training hard out for this and have smashed their own records. Fabulous news! xx

Blisters!

The Cathay Pacific half marathon that I was supposed to do but was cancelled due to the tsunami, turned out to be worth my while entering as I won a spot prize: An Asics gear bag, a voucher for $220 for Asics running shoes, a voucher for $36 for Thorlo socks, a fitness analyses voucher and some kind of food supplement.

I spent the Thorlo voucher on the weekend and thought I'd try the socks for my training walk. Having used Thorlos before, I didn't think I'd have a problem. 15 minutes in to my 42km hike with my buddies, I felt that burning sensation under my left heel, and soon after, my right heel. I knew that I was to walk the rest of the way with discomfort.

We hiked from New Lynn into town, along the water front for about 6ks and then back into the city, down K Rd all the way to Avondale where we stopped for coffee and a bite to eat. We rested there for approx 20mins and then headed for home. My legs were SO stiff and sore after sitting for the break and it took a while to get back into it but we made it home.

We managed 42kms in 6 hours and so we're still walking at 7kms per hour. Very happy with this albeit the BIG blisters on my heels and blood blister on my little toe. It is not good to have blisters this close to the event and I have a good mind to write a strongly worded letter to Thorlo about how the blister-free comfort and protection socks did not help on this occasion! However, perhaps I should have washed them first and so will give them the 30 day trial period before I take it any further...

All in all, with just under 3 weeks left until event day, we are going well and I believe we are still quicker that Shayne's team and so here's hoping!

Mountain after Mountain

Sorry for the delay in updating my blog, folks. It has been a busy time what with birthdays and weddings but hey ho, back on track now.

With just over 3 weeks to go until our OXFAM challenge we are just about ready. We have worked on stamina, time on feet, hill climbs, blisters, muscle problems, played around with different food and drink and we feel sorted for the day. Preparations have gone well.

Last week, Thursday we walked up and down Mt Eden 3 times but we were later than usual and the weather is cooling. When it started to rain we got cold and decided that 3 climbs up was enough for the day.

Brenda and Brian's wedding was on Saturday up at Waipu and I'll add some photos soon. Needless to say there was not a great deal of training this weekend.

On Monday the three of us usual team mates headed out to do the 5 mountains again. We started at Big King, on to One Tree Hill, Mt Hobson, Mt St Johns and Mt Eden with Landscape Road in between which is always a good hill to get the heart rate up.

We still have a long way to go with fundraising and we are especially looking for Corporate Sponsorship. If anyone knows of any company that will help us, we will be very appreciative. Just leave a comment and I'll advise you from there or hit the link: http://www.oxfam.org.nz/oxfam_trailwalker/
and look up my team "Watercare Cougars".
Thanks again to those that have helped so far.

Next training for the week, I'm hoping to get out Wednesday and Thursday this week and again on the weekend. So far so good.

A Funny Story

A shadow of three of our team
Sharon, Philomen and I left home in New Lynn at 6:30am to start our 'time on feet' training session. No hills as such, just distance to cover and a good way to assess out ks per hour at this stage of our training program.

We headed up through Avondale towards Mt Albert. Just after Pac n Save we met a group of youngsters fresh out from a party and off home, or so we assumed. There was a bit of banter between us which was amusing and onwards we went on with a whole lot of laughter behind us. This is where the funny story began...

We set a good pace for ourselves. Sharon was trying her new shoes out, complete with new socks and it didn't slow her down. I could feel a strain in my foot and so walked as fast as I could although painful at times. Because of the distance we were hoping to cover I perhaps over compensated to alleviate the pain and strained my other leg but it is a matter of working through it and keep focused on our end result.

A month out from out event there is no room for injury at this critical stage but I am also aware that our training is not yet complete and the more we do now the better it will be for us on the day.

Three hours in to our hike we were in town and walking up Queens Street from the Via Duct towards K Rd. As we passed Britomart...the funny story continues...who should we meet but the group of youngsters that had just finished partying! They travelled into town by train and we walked. The girls looked at us and if ever there was a look of absolute shock and surprise, well, we saw it. They pointed to us and stood dumbfounded as they tried to work out what to say while the chaps continued joking with us as they had done earlier.

What were the chances of bumping in to people we had seen hours before in a completely different part of town? We laughed all the way along Queens Street!

We stopped for some refreshments back in Avondale and arrived back home with 4hrs and 45mins of walking time after covering 33kms. Over this distance we are on approx 7kms per hour. Still too soon to predict how fast we will go on the day but at this pace we should be able to reach our goal of 100kms in 17hours. Here's hoping!

Non Stop from Peak to Peak

The 3 of us Cougars, Philomen, Sharon and I, left Epsom at 4:30 and walked to Mt Albert which was where the first of our climbs began. Rather than climb the side of the mountain we walked up the road to the summit, the easier option and the night was young - Our way of conserving energy. It is the most peaceful of places and one day I will walk to the summit just to sit and look out across Auckland. There was no time for sitting today though as we no longer had to wait for Shayne and the boys. The first of the peaks done and onto the next which was Mt Roskill, the easiest of the mountains to climb. Up the road side again, conserving energy once again but steep enough to get the heart rate up.

Two peaks done and onto the third which was One Tree Hill. I plan to use this one for future training programs as it has a good steep climb up, around, down and up again. I'm also inspired by how many groups of people are out there supporting each other in their quest to be more active. It is great to see!

We powered up One Tree Hill and it felt GOOD! All the way to the top and again, no waiting, just enough time to gulp down some water and away we went on to the next three peaks. We climbed The Big King, Mt St Johns and Mt Hobson which has my favourite down path. It is a bit hard to find your footing at pace but I let gravity do it's job and pull me down all the way to the bottom. It is awesome! We added Landscape Road in between too as it is long and hilly, again to get that heart rate up.

We covered 23.5ks in 3hrs 45mins and so we covered on average 6.3kms per hour.

Part Of The Auckland Coast to Coast

Monday's walk was a bit different this time round. We decided to tackle the coast to coast but left from Epsom. (Hit the link for a map) It started with just the 3 of us Cougars as we headed over to One Tree Hill, up and over and back on track. Philomen led the way at pace - Great team captain to get us moving!

The Cougar Hunters, Shayne's team, were also doing this track and so we knew that they were out there somewhere. We heard from them at Manukau Road and so we waited for them - against my judgment as I want to keep moving to get the job done. We walked with them for a bit and had to back track as at this stage they hadn't done One Tree Hill. We walked around while they went up and over.

We decided to pick up the pace again and got to Manukau Harbour in good time. It was on the way back that our team mate started to feel it. Suffering from a cold, female version thankfully, (Sorry chaps!) we reached Mt Eden and climbed to the top at which point Philomen decided to call it. We had a choice of continuing the track without her or head home together.

At the top of Mt Eden we could see the sun going down. A stunning view and I WISH I had my camera to show you. There were several photographers out that evening, capturing the moment. Truly stunning!

After a team discussion we agreed to head home together leaving the boys to continue without us. We were on the coast to coast track for about 3.5 hours and so not a bad training session. I'm going to miss tonight's team training session as a gentle run is all I need to do now in preparation for Sunday but my achilles and calf muscle strain is playing up and so I need to also play it safe.

Thanks for tuning in again - PHOTOS coming soon...

Time to Leave the Boys

Wednesday's training session, which consisted of the usual 5 mountains, (I must post some photos of our stunning views) proved that we are quicker than Shayne's team as each time we reached the top of the mountain we had to wait for them from between 5 to 10 minutes. From now on, we have decided that we will no longer wait and just keep moving until the end - The race is on!

The training is going well. We missed Suzie, our 4th team mate and Sharon is away at the moment and so it was just Philomen and me but we know that our team mates will be doing their thing to keep their fitness up ready for the next training session.

I know the boys are out again tonight but I need to go for a run and so, all going well, I'll be doing a 6k run later. Another busy weekend ahead but I hope to get a 16k run in on Sunday and then I'm a week out from my next half marathon.

Just a few niggles of pain, right calf muscle and an Achilles pull but nothing too major. So far so good.

Twice More For the Cougars

Due to my busy week it has been pretty tough trying to fit in training and thankfully my team mates were able to be flexible enough to change our days. On Thursday evening, Sharon and I drove over to Philomen's with a view to tackling the usual mountains and Sharon is now ready for a wee bit of running - Hooray! No boys with us this time round.

Just for variety, we back tracked and did the reverse of what we normally do although we left Mt Eden for last, it being closer to the car etc. We had an excellent training session on Thursday, suitably fuelled and even managed to run up some of the hills. We made good time too.

Thinking ahead, I knew that there would be no Sunday run this week and so I agreed to meet the girls again early Saturday to repeat Thursday's training session. 5 mountains. It was a late night for me on Friday and we had to be at Philomen's by 6:30am Saturday so that we could get the training over with early enough to avoid the heat of the day and with time to enjoy the rest of the weekend. I was up at 6 and in the car by 6:10 but missed out on breakfast. Even though we still made good time, I felt it and it was no where near as good as our previous session. Silly missing out on breakfast - I won't do that again!

We are now up and running on the OXFAM website under team name: Watercare Cougars
Here's the link: http://www.oxfam.org.nz/oxfam_trailwalker/default.asp

We have raised over 50% of our target already but still have $900 to go. If anyone knows of any companies that would help us with corporate sponsorship, please let me know. We would be happy to wear company logo for advertising.

Next training session should be Monday evening.

Mt Eden x 5

Tonight's training consisted of 5 hikes up and down Mt Eden. We had no Sharon but Suzie, our very own Iron Woman, joined us along with 2 of Shayne's team. We ran down the hill and walked at pace up the hills from 5 different tracks of Mt Eden.

There were LOTS of tourists and I heard one lady comment that Auckland is a very outward bound city, and signalled to her friend to look at us running up to the top. There was also several runners and walker out doing their thing.

On our last trek down someone suggested a brief stop at Da Post in Epsom for a beer before heading home. Not something we normally do but we agreed to treat ourselves.

Next training day for me should be Thursday or Friday evening and will be a run of approx 6kms, all going well.

3 Teams v 7 Mountains

Since it was a Public Holiday on Monday we decided to put off our weekend team training session and go out on Monday night instead. This time we (Shayne's team - The Cougar Hunter Party and my team - The 4 Cougars) were joined by a chap from another team. He trained with the boys 2 years ago and has decided to get into it again this year.

We left New Market at 5:10pm with a view of doing the 5 mountains that we have done recently, Mt Hobson, Mt St Johns, Three Kings, One Tree Hill and Mt Eden but if we were good for time we thought we'd try Mt Roskill and Mt Albert too.

Mt Roskill was easy as we went up the road and so the incline wasn't too bad but onto Mt Albert and up a side track, boy, my legs were burning when we reached the top. This was a new experience for me and my introduction to Mt Albert, it went on for ever. There was a chap sitting up there having some quiet time watching out over Auckland. By this time the lights were starting to come on and the city was looking mighty pretty.

We managed all 7 peaks in just over 4 hours and covered approx 24.2kms. It was a good training session and although I had a little pull in one of my muscles it seemed to come right over time which was a relief.

Next team training session will be on Wednesday and I believe we are going to climb Mt Eden 5 or 6 times up and down the different tracks that are available. I went out today for a small walk just to test my muscles but all is good so far.

This team training is for a good cause, folks. I have entered the OXFAM Trailwalker 2010 for the 3rd year in a row and this is to be my last. Please hit the link: OXFAM TRAILWALKER for more info.

For those in NZ that may be interested in putting a team together that is keen to join us in the OXFAM appeal trailwalker, 100kms in 36hours, there is still time to register. The funds raised from the event will support Oxfam New Zealand's humanitarian, development and advocacy work to lift some of the world's poorest people out of poverty. Just hit the link above.

When I first heard about it I thought 100kms was way out of my worldly limits, but believe me, it is achievable! All walks of life from all different levels of fitness and abilities participate, all with a common goal of helping others.

For those overseas that have expressed interest in helping us, Shayne's team has registered now and so hit his team's link above to help him raise the funds that he needs to for the OXFAM appeal. My team should be registered soon and I'll add my link when available. Apologies for the delay in getting our info on-line and thank you in advance for your help. As they say, every penny/euro helps! Oh and thank you for all the emails of encouragement, I really appreciate them! xx

2 Teams v 5 Mountains

3 of my team mates turned up for our regular Wednesday training session and all 4 of Shayne's. Our 4th team mate is currently in training for a half iron man event and has her own training plan for a while. Sharon is back with us after a break to recoup and although not ready to run yet, she has no problems keeping up.

The 2 teams, Shayne's and mine, left New Market at 5:20pm and headed to Mt Hobson, the first of the 5 mountains that we planned on climbing. We could see the dark clouds in the distance and almost welcomed them in as the heat was unbearable but the rain never came.

Sharon was absolutely fine and kept up the whole way. Given that she's had a month or so off she gave a pretty impressive effort. The boys tried hard to cause friction in our team. Knowing how competitive I can be especially when competing against Shayne, my husband, they began to run, basically tempting me to keep up with them. Of course they also know that Sharon can't run just yet but we had already decided that we'd walk with her until she is ready to run. This meant that they were ahead after the second mountain, Three Kings.

We just walked at a steady pace and caught up with them.
Next we reached One Tree Hill where we waited for the boys to catch up. One of their team will certainly give us a run for our money and perhaps 2 but we are pretty confident that, all going well on the day, we should beat them.

We reached Mt St Johns and it was starting to feel cooler. Once again we waited for the boys and then we headed to Mt Eden. We reached the top well before the boys again and this time we signalled from the top that we'd head back to New Market.

All in all it was a good training session although there was no running. Thank heavens! I would like to do a 16km run on the weekend and run all the way to the village without walking and so let's see how that goes...

Team Training

Back to it with the Team Training which will be a regular Wednesday evening session involving the mountains of Auckland.

2 of my team and 3 of Shayne's left Epsom at approx 5:30pm and headed towards Mt Eden. The goal was to get to, up, around and back from the mountain 6 times in 2.5 hours. There was a fair bit of running involved which pleased me but not Shayne. Each time we took a different track or back tracked but no matter which way we went, there was always upward climbs. There were times that I felt tired but there were plenty of runners out training that made me realise that I'm not pushing myself as hard as I could.

We finished at 8:00pm. I'm not sure on the distance that we covered but I was fine the next morning with no aches and pains. Poor Shayne didn't do so well and was a tad crook the next morning but he just has to do a few more of those training sessions and a bit in between and he'll feel better.

I'm away this weekend and hope to get a run in at some point. Not sure yet how far or how long but time will tell...

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Since my last post I have done 3 more walk/runs. I haven't had a great deal of time to update my Blog as it has been way too busy, as it generally is at this time of year.

Walked with Sharon on Saturday morning and did the Pipe Line but we were about 15 mins slower than our last week's effort. I have not slept too well lately and have had a cold or something, sore ears, throat etc. Still have energy to get out and about but feeling it...Anyway, despite the fact that we were a bit slower, I am pleased that we made the effort because it is at busy times like these that the true test to my focus sets in. I had to resist having one more glass of wine and be prepared for the early start, even though Christmas parties are in full swing. Believe me, it isn't easy!

On Monday, it was Mrs G's turn to find a location for our walk and we went on an adventure. Parked at the halfway point of the Pipe Line and walked to the track that we had done last week only this time we followed a different track that got us lost. Anyone that knows the area is probably thinking "How on earth can anyone get lost up there?" Well, anyone that knows me will know that I have NO sense of direction and so it is far too easy for me to get lost. We ended up on the wrong side of the lake and so had a choice of either heading back the slippery, wet way that we came from or cross the lake...We crossed the lake...which was DEEPER than we thought! Soaked up to my waist! Shoe fell in water! Eels! But a whole lot of fun. We laughed a lot! With all that walking and running we only covered 7.4kms.

Today I did a 10kms walk with Sharon. It was hot and I was very thirsty. Could have stayed home instead because I still have an ear ache. Off to the doctor tomorrow to get it sorted once and for all. Glad I did some exercise though as I prefer not to go too long without some form of a work out.

The plan of action for my next walk, we have a 2 hour walk ahead on Sunday with a whole bunch of friends, which I'm looking forward to, and then out for breakfast after that. This should mark the end of my training for 2009 but knowing me, I'll probably throw in a few 6km runs.

No Mountains, No Shayne and No Rain

There was so much rain yesterday that serious rethinking about this weekend's training was in order. The expectation was that the rain would hang around until at least Saturday and so Sharon worked on plan B. In the mean time the mountain walk was put off once again as not only would it have been unpleasant in the rain but one of my team mates couldn't make it and she is our navigator. I'd be lost without her!

Although Shayne's excuse for not joining us was the weather I happen to know that he preferred to catch up on sleep as on Thursday, he went out for lunch and didn't come home until 4:00am the next morning. I guess that is one effect of the festive season.

I was up and ready by 7:30 and Sharon was well prepared a good hour or so before me with plan B. Here we are just before we left:

We walked for approx 25kms from home to Mt Albert, Dominion Rd, Mt Roskill and then back home through Blockhouse Bay which looked as though it was getting ready for the Santa Parade. Lots of people and balloons everywhere and excellent that the sun came out. Unbelievable that there was not a rain drop in sight. I looked for some of my kindergarten children and their families but no luck.

We had walked for a good 3hrs and so I plan on an easier day today. May put up the Christmas tree and get things ready for our next lot of visitors. Happy, happy, happy.

And Then There Were Four

Mid week training in the rain, it didn't stop us and I'm delighted I went. Sharon and I left home at 5:00pm and we were home by 7:00pm. We did the walk that we did last Wednesday and knocked 10 minutes off our time which was a big surprise given the weather conditions.

We walked at pace up through Titirangi Village, Scenic Drive, Pipe Line, down the hill at the end onto Woodlands Park Road and back to the Village, Titirangi Road and all the way home with a wee bit of running along the way.

The good news is that Sharon is happy to be our 4th team mate which is reassuring news. I can now look forward to next years challenge knowing that I have a great team behind me. With this weight off my mind I am now committed and focused on the tasks in hand which has boosted my motivation and I'd quite like to go for a nice, fast run to celebrate!

2010 has the makings of being a GREAT year with so much to look forward to already. I believe it could be as epic as this year. I hope you are all still following my Blog by then.

Next plan of action, well, we are heading out to run/walk the mountains on Saturday morning, quite possibly joined by Shayne, but I'm hoping to throw in a 6k run, Golf Road, before then, either tomorrow or Friday.

Happy days - I am really enjoying this time.

A Run and a Walk with a Wee Bit of History

This weekend's training started on Saturday, a 6k run with Shayne. We ran from home to the end of Golf Rd and back.

Generally we leave the house together but that's the extent of our time together until he gets home some time after me. The reason I mention this is to give you an idea of how far I have come. Back in the day when we lived in the UK, if we went for a run together, Shayne would run beside me...but backwards! I didn't have the stamina to keep up and it was his affectionate way of making fun of me. As funny as it was at the time, my competitive and sometimes adventurous spirit, couldn't leave it at that and over time I have tried to keep up with him in so many different ways. Needless to say, there have been incredibly challenging times but I have learned a great deal about me along the way.

I enjoy working towards a goal and the sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving that goal and I don't give up. If I am not satisfied with the result then I'll keep trying until I reach it. 4 back to back half marathons is testimony to that with the 4th being the one that I beat the time I wanted.

I am now working towards another goal and so my training has to continue. 6ks of running yesterday was an average time for me and my breathing was good. I had planned on my usual 16km run on Sunday and was prepared for a training session on my own until Sharon text me to ask if I wanted to do a 23km walk instead. As you know, I prefer to train with others and so took her up on the offer. We left at 7:30am and walked from home up to Avondale, along the motorway, down Rosebank Rd to the race course/Avondale market, to New Lynn, up Titirangi Rd and home. 2hrs 15mins.

I found this useful link: "Map my run" which enables you to measure the distance of run/walks and it includes other useful info. It takes a little practice but is quite easy when used to it.

It is great that people are starting to read my blog now, I'm thrilled to bits. Keep following and I will add useful links and tips as I go. All events that I enter will have links to on-line application forms and I will also keep you in the loop if I hear of other events.