214 montains to climb.... in Hello.

Sorry about the lack in updates. It’s rare I get on the computer these days. Ours is attached to the tv and there’s invariably someone on the XBox or watching something. And I’m not writing updates from my phone! I do still read and lurk, however.
Since I last wrote, I’ve been down to Brum for Voni’s hen do (Beatrix Plotter on here). That was loads of fun. We did Lasertag, which I’ve never done before. I loved that! Then we dressed up as book characters (I dressed as Maleficent) and went drinking in the city. We went to a rock/metal pub called Scruffy Murphy’s. That was amazing! I wish there was something like that near me, I’d spend every night in there! Then we went to a club for a bit. Voni’s friends were all very lovely and chatty, Shellie and I were made to feel like a proper part of the gang. Thank you, Voni!
Still working in the gift shop. Still searching for something else. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not awful working there, it’s convenient and most of the staff are lovely. But there’s no room for promotion and I can’t see myself working there forever. The tension that was there between me and Marcus has dissipated somewhat. I think the fact that we have a rather vacuous Saturday girl detracted from the fact that he was angry with me. I even accidentally took an old tenner on Saturday, and he just laughed at me and called me a fool. I’m good at what I do for crying out loud, but it’s just the same thing, day in, day out. I need variety!
I’m still walking loads, although not as much as I was when I was training for the sponsored walk. Work is slow right now, so my hours have gone down to 4 days a week. I don’t mind this. It gives me time to get out and about.
I’ve started climbing Wainwrights. There’s a series of 7 mountain guide books written by Wainwright. He travelled to Cumbria by bus to climb our mountains and documented 214 of his walks. Many people make a hobby out of ‘bagging’ the Wainwrights. My dad loves climbing the mountains, he’s usually up one at least once a week, and I thought he’d like to ‘bag’ them officially. But he said he’d already climbed most of them, just hadn’t written them down. To be honest, I’ve probably climbed about half of them too, but when I thought about it, I realised it was actually me who wanted to bag them, I just wanted dad to help with the map reading, as well as spending time with him. But after an afternoon out with dad, he’s given me a refresher course in reading maps and taking bearings, and I’m confident enough now to tackle them on my own. Thing is, once you’re up one, you can usually do two or three all at once because they’re linked. So on my first bag, I did Latrigg, Little Man and Skiddaw, then Catbells, Maiden Moor and High Spy, dad and I did Broom Fell, Lord’s Seat and Barf, then on Friday we were going to do Grasmoor, Eel Crag, Wandope and Whiteless Pike, but got beaten back by the wind. So we only did Whiteless Pike. Tomorrow looks to be a fine day, so I’m going to attempt the walk again myself. 10 peaks in 3 weeks is not bad going! I can actually feel myself getting fitter, my legs are definitely getting more toned, I’m losing weight and my stamina has increased. Plus the solitude in nature is great for the soul. Who says vegans are weak and feeble? ;)
Bel has got herself a Saturday job. She’s only just started and is still training. She’s working n an old folks home, helping out in the kitchens, washing up, serving meals and clearing tables. She’s learning quite a bit, she’s picked up a bit of sign language, has learnt some kitchen health and safety and she says it’s helping overcome her anxiety about talking to people she doesn’t know. Honestly, if you couldn’t see how her whole body tenses up when speaking to strangers, you’d have no idea how uncomfortable it makes her feel. She comes across as being so confident and friendly. I’m really proud of her, pushing herself out of her comfort zone so she can gain confidence. :)
Poor Eleanor is doing her SATs this week. She’s admitted it was really worrying her, but after her first exam today, she’s a little bit less worried about her next test. From the Class Dojo, it looks like they’ve spent the afternoon playing rounders!

L-R: Rob, John, Bel and Eleanor at Muncaster Castle recently.


Me, Rob, Tilly the Invisible Dog and John by High Nook Tarn, Loweswater.

Dad coming down Whiteless Pike. See, with views like this as your reward, why not make the most of nature’s free gym?!

Now that I’m more confident about my driving, I’m whizzing about like anything now. Even country roads don’t faze me that much any more. It’s actually fun and not a chore!