Fundraising update

Update from me on my fundraising and fitness efforts. Several people have already donated through my Windsor half marathon Justgiving page, for which I'm extremely grateful. This means I'm now 21% of the way towards my target amount, which is fabulous considering the site only went live a couple of weeks ago! Thank you all so much!

Please consider sponsoring me for the Windsor half marathon, if you haven't already. You can also enter a competition to win £25 by guessing my time - simply send / give me £1 and let me know the time you guess (in hours, minutes and seconds) - nearest guess wins the £25! In other news….

Charity curry nights

Dates are now set for the two forthcoming charity curry nights - 6pm this Sunday (6th July) and 7pm on Thursday 17th July.

For a mere £20 donation to Raleigh, I will provide a delicious curry feast including veggie options, dessert and drinks. Better still, I pledge to cook a more authentic Indian meal for all donors, also including drinks (well chai!), some time in January 2009 when I'm back from India - FOR FREE!!!!

Culinary preferences and requirements (more or less vegetarian stuff, strength, spiciness etc.) can be met on demand. Email me if you'd like to come, as there are still some places left.

Training and pre-trip preparation

Training has begun in earnest for the Windsor Half Marathon. Adam and I have just spent a lovely long weekend in Cornwall, which involved hiking along the coast west of St Ives (both of us) and early morning pre-full-English-breakfast-runs (me).

Unfortunately I undid most of the good work by eating and drinking rather a lot, but surely Cornish pasties fall into the "carb loading" category? We also both managed to turn an alarming shade of "Rose de Langoustine" in the process, which made me realise that I really do need to be more sensible about things like sunblock, even in rainy England.

We also put in some more educational "training" at the Eden project, firstly by taking part in a gradual process of acclimatisation in the tropical biome (where I learned that it is bluddy hot in the tropics!) as well as learning about how plants, animals and people in the tropical rainforest fit together and finding out about the Gardens for Life pilot project which promotes partnerships between schools, children and teachers in the UK, Africa and India.

All useful information to bear in mind for my own trip to India (especially the bluddy hot part). In other preparation, I've also booked an appointment at the doctors for a week on Friday where I hope to do a good impression of a pin cushion.