Sad and angry.

I am in a sad and also angry place as I write this blog as I have just heard that one of my wonderful East End Girls' breast cancer has returned. She is a larger that life, wonderful lady who is a real inspiration to all of this and if anyone can get on top of this she will. I am behind her fully but I am angry that she is having to fight this again when there are so many other things that she would rather put her energies into...

I am angry that this disease is attacking so many of my lovely girl friends and acquaintances and it just makes my resolve even stronger to do what I can to help.

I know no-one knows what causes this, they are still researching and that of course makes it harder to prevent but we do know that giving health a top priority cannot do any harm. So ladies think about how you honour your health. Are you eating well? Are you getting those fruits and veg that are so beneficial? Could you give up those cigarettes or that addiction to chocolate - I am fighting mine, this year. Are you doing enough exercise? Can you fit more into your life? Why not try walking, that's how I did it and a friend said to me last night 'You are so much more centered when you are walking regularly'. Clearly it is noticeable and it helps me in so many other ways too.

Gents, I know that you can get this too and that you lose people as well through breast cancer so I am not overlooking you too, I am just reacting as me.

This sort of thing should make all of us realise just how important every day is. Are you loving every day to the full? If not, start now. Stop putting things of until.........you do not know if that day will come. Enjoy it and live it now for the gift every day is.

Tina, you can rise above this in your wonderful sunny, full of life style. Go fight it girl and know that I am there for you in whatever way you need me. Much love. xx

Back walking again

The East End Girls did their monthly walk yesterday and as a challenge for 2007, we started the Capital Ring walk.

This is a 78 mile (125 km) walking route around inner London. It is divided into 15 sections but given the distances we are used to walking, we are aiming to do it in 7. Yesterday we covered the sections from Woolwich on the Thames to Grove Park and it was brilliant. We based the walk on a book of the Capital Ring, which was sometimes difficult to follow but the historical and factual information was fantastic with all of us learning loads about the city most of us are now living in.

As well as the river which always offers plenty to see - well there is always the latest riverside developments, this walk took us through woods; common land; along numerous streets; through ornamental gardens; farmland and past Eltham Palace, for 250 years the country retreat of the monarchy. We saw deer, sheep, horses and even a nut brown fox who was as interested in us as we were in him.

It was a great start to what will be a fun and informative challenge and I am already designing the certificates to award on completion and thinking of what a great excuse this provides for another night out. The social side being yet another benefit to walking.

Lots of discussion on route as to what the intentions were for us all this year and my weight loss was mentioned. This led to me talking about 'turbo charge your life in 14 days' so today I had to email them all the book details. I wonder how many other converts there will be?

I am on day 8 now and feeling great. I have lost weight and am so enjoying the food. Lindsay, who stayed on Saturday night was fed a meal from the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. More approval.

I am stepping this week but more about that later.

So nice to start walking in daylight, it was about 10a.m. when I went out this morning. Already I am getting speedier. I extended one of my usual morning routes as I seemed to be getting round fairly quickly but even that just added 5 minutes. I need to have a look at the map and see what else I can do.

Have started getting more feedback from my fellow Inca Trail walkers as to what they are up to.....

Gemma says "the challenge of Machu Picchu is obviously not enough for me as I have also managed to secure myself a place in the London marathon this year!! I am running for Breakthrough so have had to commit to raising another £2000 which will be a bit of a pain but I'm sure I can do it. I'm not sure which is going to be hardest, raising the money or running 26.2 miles!! I have started training and it is going quite well but still have a long way to go. The marathon is only 2.5 weeks before Peru so hopefully I will be super-fit for the trek.

I think all I need to do is make sure she gets some serious hills in somewhere.

Helen has invited us down to walk in the Brecon Beacons so we are trying to find a weekend that suits - biggest challenge of all. Elaine has been helping find a date to get us all together so people like Helen who knows none of the other girls can start to feel part of this sensational six!! and Christine and Teresa will join me on the East End girls walk tomorrow. I know Elaine has been forgoing her bike a little for walking complete with rucksack and I shall see if I can get her out for a walk next Saturday as she is staying over with us.

Finally just have to comment on this for excellent customer service. I went into my local framing shop to have a caricature framed. Ascertaining that it was not urgent, the guy in the shop said it would be ready on Tuesday. A couple of hours later I got a call saying it was complete. How's that for under promising and over developing? My shoe menders also did some heels for me in very short time and Faye in the Dry Cleaners provides such excellent service that she is having to expand her business rapidly. South Woodford is such a great place to live.

Grey Days

I had great intentions during the week of trying to get some of my colleagues on the Inca Trail together so that we could start working on these hills. The only thing that stopped me was running out of time.

However, having seen the weather today, I am quite pleased that nothing got arranged.

Not don't get me wrong, I am not a wimpy 'fine weather only' walker. No, I have been out in blizzards, all sorts of rain and horrendous winds. Somehow though, when you are already out there and then the rain starts, I find it easier to go with. It is the setting out in rain from the beginning that I do not like and today is such a grey day.

I suppose the pressure is not on either yet. If it was then nothing would stop me but for a while I still have a choice.

Instead I have been doing some Pilates and working on building up my arm muscles. Next week the real work starts and on Sunday the East End girls do their first walk on the Capital Ring. I'll let you know how it goes.

Paddington Bear, beloved by many children and adults too, comes from darkest Peru and I now have my very own Paddington. He was given to me on December 13th last year by my dear friend Elaine, one of the sensational six who will walk the Inca Trail in May.

Her intention was I believe, to inspire me further for this walk, which he does. He also makes me smile as he is rather sweet and he is a good reminder of my need to regularly write my blog.

As any of you who have visited my blog know there have been times of feast and other times of famine. I have often considered giving it up entirely as I find it hard to commit to writing it daily when there are so many other pieces of writing that I need to do. Something keeps me in there and now I have found the answer which is to use the blog to record the preparation and training for the Inca Trail.

I am now rather excited about the whole thing and see great benefits. For those of you interested in walking there will be lots of tips and inspiration. For me there will be a lot of learning as I review what is working and what might not be. Any challenge has lessons around planning, determination, motivation etc. which can be translated to all areas of life and as a lot of the training will be with my fellow walkers, I am sure there will be fun and stories too.

So visit regularly, send messages and comments and life some of this with me. As for Paddington, well he will be going to Peru too of course but I think he might get carried - it's all right for some!