She kindly gave out information on how to sponsor us as well as this blog address, so here is a link to our Virgin Money Giving site:
Friday, 4 February 2011
The lovely people at Radio Suffolk
Another lovely warm reception for verycoldclaire, this time from Lesley Dolphin and Darren Rozier at Radio Suffolk. It was great to be able to sit and chat to Lesley, who really does understand why we are doing what we are doing. In January she climbed Kilimanjaro from the Tanzanian side to raise funds for EACH, her story can be found here: Lesley's story
She kindly gave out information on how to sponsor us as well as this blog address, so here is a link to our Virgin Money Giving site:
She kindly gave out information on how to sponsor us as well as this blog address, so here is a link to our Virgin Money Giving site:
Thank you to Roman Hill Primary School
I've just returned from talking to the 300 or so children at Roman Hill Primary School who were very, very polite and well behaved. They sat quietly whilst we tried to get the projector to work (to no avail) and were very patient, considering that we ended up viewing all the pictures on my iMac screen. The children all asked great questions, mainly about the dogs and the temperatures and some of them told me afterwards that they had watched the Human Planet episode on the Arctic, which had interested them.
One child asked which was my favourite dog and I know I'm not supposed to have favourites but I found myself saying 'Rune' straight away. I told them about his habit of hugging you first thing in the morning and explained that this was why I liked him best... everyone needs a hug at -40 degrees!
I have promised them that I will take a photo of Andy, who works at the school, in his swimming trunks in the Arctic and Mark has just sent me a picture of a beach ball which he is planning on talking with us. We thought that an Arctic calendar, along the lines of the ones that firemen do as fundraisers, might go down well. The boys had better remember to do a Gavin Henson and take their fake tan with them...
One child asked which was my favourite dog and I know I'm not supposed to have favourites but I found myself saying 'Rune' straight away. I told them about his habit of hugging you first thing in the morning and explained that this was why I liked him best... everyone needs a hug at -40 degrees!
I have promised them that I will take a photo of Andy, who works at the school, in his swimming trunks in the Arctic and Mark has just sent me a picture of a beach ball which he is planning on talking with us. We thought that an Arctic calendar, along the lines of the ones that firemen do as fundraisers, might go down well. The boys had better remember to do a Gavin Henson and take their fake tan with them...
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Costing the Earth
A great edition today on Radio 4: Into the Arctic on the iPlayer
In 2010 the Canadian Arctic experienced its warmest year on record. Suddenly the area's resources - oil, gas, iron ore, uranium, even diamonds - seem accessible. From Siberia through Greenland to Canada and Alaska energy and mining companies are descending on the north, eager for a slice of the profits they believe to be waiting for them in the gathering slush.
In the first of two programmes Tom Heap is in Arctic Canada to find out more about the new goldrush and to ask if the scramble for resources could reignite the great Cold War rivalries.
The Arctic has held a fascination for Europeans for centuries. Vikings, fishermen and whalers plundered for short summer seasons and in 1576 Sir Martin Frobisher sailed around Baffin Island in search of the North-West passage to the riches of the east, a search that would obsess sailors for the next 350 years.
Today the passage is clearing and shipping lines are examining the possibility of a high speed route between Western Europe and China. The clearing of the ice is also making oil exploration easier and allowing mining companies to access the mineral wealth of the north.
That wealth is also attracting the attention of the national governments that claim a share of the Arctic. It's three years since the explorer, Artur Chilingarov piloted his submarine to the seabed beneath the North Pole, planted a flag and claimed it for Russia. The diplomatic repercussions of that dramatic act are still being felt around the Arctic today.
Does that make economic, diplomatic or even military conflict inevitable or can the Arctic states share out the spoils without further damaging one of the most fragile environments on earth?
Producer: Alasdair Cross.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
A lot can happen in a week
Things seem to be taking a turn in general now the Blue Monday has passed. Even Mark is finally putting on weight!
Our screens are full of programmes, good and bad, about the Arctic and I was especially impressed with Human Planet, which not only made me feel cold, but reminded me how long a single shot can take, although I have never been in a life threatening situation whilst filming, as their crew was. It was really compelling, as was Bruce Parry's series, which continues. One of the upshots of this is that people are certainly more aware of the kind of temperatures and terrain we'll be undertaking. There are some amazing photos on the Human Planet Explorer.
The good news is that Adnams of Southwold, our local brewery and owner of most of the hostelries in the area have offered us their support in a wonderfully practical way, thanks to Andy. They are hosting a fundraising evening at their Cellar and Kitchen Store in Southwold and will be cooking the pasta, kindly donated by Pasta Foods in Great Yarmouth, as well as providing a wine tasting. Duncan Gooch, the manager there has been brilliant and has even donated a bottle of bubbly for the raffle. We are still looking for other prizes but the have a massage voucher from world famous Anna Colman and a Spring flower arrangement. The Event will be held on Wednesday 23rd of February and tickets are £10 each. They are selling well so far and Duncan has said that if we are over subscribed he'd be happpy to do another one.
Mark is setting up an amazing day at Bannatyne's in Lowestoft in March with sponsored spinning, adult ballet and all sorts of other physical challenges. More details nearer the time.
Friday this week is a busy day, in the morning I'm giving a talk about the importance of team work in challenging environments to a Primary School and I'm hoping to recruit some young adventurers, as well as raising the profile of the challenge. In the afternoon I'll be the 'sofa guest' on Lesley Dolphin's show on Radio Suffolk, about which I am rather worried. She has very interesting guests, with far more exciting lives than mine. She seems to be brilliant at the informal chat type of interview though, so I feel assured that there won't be any awkward dead air moments, but I just hope the listeners aren't bored.
I'm also very excited that I have been chosen as a World Book Night giver and will be giving away 48 copies of Northern Lights by Philip Pullman on March 5th. I'm hoping to be able to give them to families of children and young adults involved with the East Anglian Children's Hospices and we are trying to work out the logistics, with help from Danielle and Simon at Quidenham.
Our screens are full of programmes, good and bad, about the Arctic and I was especially impressed with Human Planet, which not only made me feel cold, but reminded me how long a single shot can take, although I have never been in a life threatening situation whilst filming, as their crew was. It was really compelling, as was Bruce Parry's series, which continues. One of the upshots of this is that people are certainly more aware of the kind of temperatures and terrain we'll be undertaking. There are some amazing photos on the Human Planet Explorer.
The good news is that Adnams of Southwold, our local brewery and owner of most of the hostelries in the area have offered us their support in a wonderfully practical way, thanks to Andy. They are hosting a fundraising evening at their Cellar and Kitchen Store in Southwold and will be cooking the pasta, kindly donated by Pasta Foods in Great Yarmouth, as well as providing a wine tasting. Duncan Gooch, the manager there has been brilliant and has even donated a bottle of bubbly for the raffle. We are still looking for other prizes but the have a massage voucher from world famous Anna Colman and a Spring flower arrangement. The Event will be held on Wednesday 23rd of February and tickets are £10 each. They are selling well so far and Duncan has said that if we are over subscribed he'd be happpy to do another one.
Mark is setting up an amazing day at Bannatyne's in Lowestoft in March with sponsored spinning, adult ballet and all sorts of other physical challenges. More details nearer the time.
Friday this week is a busy day, in the morning I'm giving a talk about the importance of team work in challenging environments to a Primary School and I'm hoping to recruit some young adventurers, as well as raising the profile of the challenge. In the afternoon I'll be the 'sofa guest' on Lesley Dolphin's show on Radio Suffolk, about which I am rather worried. She has very interesting guests, with far more exciting lives than mine. She seems to be brilliant at the informal chat type of interview though, so I feel assured that there won't be any awkward dead air moments, but I just hope the listeners aren't bored.
I'm also very excited that I have been chosen as a World Book Night giver and will be giving away 48 copies of Northern Lights by Philip Pullman on March 5th. I'm hoping to be able to give them to families of children and young adults involved with the East Anglian Children's Hospices and we are trying to work out the logistics, with help from Danielle and Simon at Quidenham.
Hopefully all this will help to raise the necessary sponsorship for us to continue towards our target of £3800 by the end of February and our total of £20,000 by June 2011
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Milos and Gaynor's triumph
The dogs look so happy, he also won the prize for the Musher who looks after his dogs best, you can see why!
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
75 days to go!!!
I had forgotten that when we first set up our fundraising we were due to leave on the 15th and then the trip was brought forward due to flights etc. which means that we actually have 75 days to go, rather than the 79 that are showing on Virgin Money Giving. Whilst this shouldn't really be a problem for anyone it has an impact on my bet with myself that I couldn't go without alcohol for 100 days as I started using the original countdown. Ultimately it means no booze till the trip is over...oh dear...
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Heartwarming
A combination of "Blue Monday" at the start of the week and various practical problems of life meant that my mood was very dark when I set off for my run on Tuesday morning and when I couldn't reach the beach due to flooding I thought the week may simply continue in that vein but a happy set of circumstances, along with the support of friends have dragged me up.
Milos and Gaynor worked so hard for the win yesterday and beating the competition was not just a testament to the hard work they put in but also, as becomes clear in Gaynor's blog, down to Milos's understanding of his dogs' needs. It was wonderful to see someone who does all the right things coming in first. Heartwarming.
The power of the internet came to the fore in another heartwarming moment. A friend with more creative talent in her little finger than most have in their entirety has always been very supportive of my Arctic endeavour, both financially and psychologically. Last week she mentioned that she had been making some bags out of off-cuts of furnishing fabrics and wondered if I'd be interested in selling them for the fundraising pot. As usual she was not convinced that anyone would want to buy them, and as usual I was convinced that she was putting herself down. Once she had sent me a shot of one of the bags it was confirmed, she's brilliant with colour and she'd made a delightful feminine bag, which looked not unlike the kind they sell in Liberty for about £200. She put the shot on Flickr and within moments a mutual friend in the US had seen it and asked if it was for sale! 24 hours later and our American friend had made a contribution to our fundraising and the bag is winging its way across the sea. Hopefully this will start a trend and she'll realise how fab the bags are (maybe she'll even read this...?)
The full story unfolds here.
Finally I had a call last night from the Village Hall Committee; always a bit scary when a committee of any kind calls you, especially when the lady who called used to coach the England Women's Hockey team. I was quaking in my boots. No need though. A couple of months ago all the lamps in the hall were replaced with new funky ones and they removed the old ones, which I loved. They are huge 60's/70's pendants with opaque glass shades so as an habitual recycler I asked in I could buy a set to split up and hang in my 60's/70's style house, and they obliged. It transpires that no-one else likes the style (perhaps this also applies to my house...) and so they were going to chuck them, but remembered our charity, so have offered them to me to sell to raise funds. I'm delighted. There is an auction of modern design coming up, which should be perfect for them and usually does well, so I'm off to pick them up on Saturday. More heartwarmingness.
So all in all I'm feeling somewhat better and what with Sheyne's tip on apps to help you do 100 press ups and 200 sit ups, things could be back on track soon. All I need now is an app that keeps a food diary for me, which adds up calories/protien/carbs etc. and tells me how much I need to eat if I've eaten too much or too little, whilst all the time encouraging me to eat fresh veg instead of Green and Blacks.
(Amusingly the disclaimer on this app says "the two hundred sit ups logo is not meant to be an indicator of how the exercise should be performed")
Milos and Gaynor worked so hard for the win yesterday and beating the competition was not just a testament to the hard work they put in but also, as becomes clear in Gaynor's blog, down to Milos's understanding of his dogs' needs. It was wonderful to see someone who does all the right things coming in first. Heartwarming.
The power of the internet came to the fore in another heartwarming moment. A friend with more creative talent in her little finger than most have in their entirety has always been very supportive of my Arctic endeavour, both financially and psychologically. Last week she mentioned that she had been making some bags out of off-cuts of furnishing fabrics and wondered if I'd be interested in selling them for the fundraising pot. As usual she was not convinced that anyone would want to buy them, and as usual I was convinced that she was putting herself down. Once she had sent me a shot of one of the bags it was confirmed, she's brilliant with colour and she'd made a delightful feminine bag, which looked not unlike the kind they sell in Liberty for about £200. She put the shot on Flickr and within moments a mutual friend in the US had seen it and asked if it was for sale! 24 hours later and our American friend had made a contribution to our fundraising and the bag is winging its way across the sea. Hopefully this will start a trend and she'll realise how fab the bags are (maybe she'll even read this...?)
The full story unfolds here.
Finally I had a call last night from the Village Hall Committee; always a bit scary when a committee of any kind calls you, especially when the lady who called used to coach the England Women's Hockey team. I was quaking in my boots. No need though. A couple of months ago all the lamps in the hall were replaced with new funky ones and they removed the old ones, which I loved. They are huge 60's/70's pendants with opaque glass shades so as an habitual recycler I asked in I could buy a set to split up and hang in my 60's/70's style house, and they obliged. It transpires that no-one else likes the style (perhaps this also applies to my house...) and so they were going to chuck them, but remembered our charity, so have offered them to me to sell to raise funds. I'm delighted. There is an auction of modern design coming up, which should be perfect for them and usually does well, so I'm off to pick them up on Saturday. More heartwarmingness.
So all in all I'm feeling somewhat better and what with Sheyne's tip on apps to help you do 100 press ups and 200 sit ups, things could be back on track soon. All I need now is an app that keeps a food diary for me, which adds up calories/protien/carbs etc. and tells me how much I need to eat if I've eaten too much or too little, whilst all the time encouraging me to eat fresh veg instead of Green and Blacks.
(Amusingly the disclaimer on this app says "the two hundred sit ups logo is not meant to be an indicator of how the exercise should be performed")
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