Its starting to get real now!

The flights are booked, the balance is paid and the details are finalised.  It's starting to feel very real now.

Since my last post I've had a birthday.  This years generous gifts were money, money and money.  Those who know me well will know that I have spent it all already! Waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, lightweight fleece, 2x buffs, first aid kit, water purifiers, mozzie spray, whistle, t-shirts....I even got a bumbag!!!  Goodness only knows how I'm going to fit it all in my bag - I haven't even got half of what I need yet....the Christmas gift list is already sorted. 😉

I also got an apple watch (other watch brands are available) and have become slightly obsessed with tracking my steps, calories burned and heart rate.  I went for a 10k walk yesterday, the training never ends but its nice to have some variety and do something outdoors while the weather is kind to us.  This gave me a great opportunity to track my walk, it is quite weird as I know how slowly we walk up the mountain so I need to keep reminding myself its not about how quick I do things.  The walk was actually a nice stroll along the Thames so I wasn't on a mission to get back home as soon as I could.  Its about stamina not speed.  I've added some photos below.

I thought I'd used my water bladder system, to get used to using it as well as carrying the weight of the water on my back whilst walking.  This didn't quite go to plan - I got as far as 5 houses down the road before I felt a cold sensation on my hips.  The valve wasn't in far enough and the whole lot was pouring down my legs.  Anyone watching must have thought I'd wet myself!!

The false start didn't put me off though.  Back home for a quick change, a dry bag and a new water bottle and we were on our way.  (Needless to say "getting the valve in properly" has been well practiced since!!).

As you can see below I didn't race it at all - 10k is actually more than I walk any day on the climb, and I'll be walking much slower.... just up a very steep hill.

In a couple of weeks time we are doing the Thames Bridge Challenge.  A 25k walk along the Thames, crossing 16 bridges.  I'm hoping the scenery, crowds and atmosphere will distract me from the task in hand, 25k sounds like such a long walk.  I'm just going to have to break it down into chunks, 5k at a time to get through.  Two weeks after that its Snowdon, the more regular exercises are starting to take a back seat now as I start the final countdown.

Clear, still waters.

Dragon spotting

Now that the booking is all confirmed I have the full details of my trip.  A seven day climb, a days safari and a day volunteering at the Ikirwa School.  The school was founded by one of the Safari coordinators working for the trekking company we are going with - Team Kilimanjaro.

I love their strapline - something I believe in, the law of attraction.  What you imagine you become.  I often visualise myself standing at the summit of Kilimanjaro.  That's the goal so that's what I imagine. Positive thinking and a positive attitude, no matter how scared I can get at times.

We will be sending over a donation of stationery, clothes, toys etc from our Company as well as donations from anyone that wants to give - I'm sure we'll get to sit in on a few lessons to, to share some words of wisdom, I'm so hoping I get the Music class rather than the Maths class!!!

I'm starting to learn a bit of Swahili so I can communicate a bit with the children.  I also figured that I'm relying on a small group of locals to get me up the mountain safely so the least I can do is learn the basics.  "Hello", "Thank you", "Goodnight" and "what the hell am I doing!?*!" should cover it.

Pit stop at the Sonning Tea Rooms, on the Thames.

As you know, preparing for this isn't all about exercise.  What you eat is important to.  I didn't start off great and learned the hard way that you don't lose weight by simply eating less.  All this training has meant that I've had to fuel my body so actually I've had to eat more - just more of the good stuff.

My personal trainer has been a great help in getting my mindset about food right.  I need to eat a lot more than salad and herbal tea if Im going to give my muscles what they need to get stronger.  I've now got to a place where I know what I need, I understand good carbs and good fats and thanks to a few handy apps am tracking my calories in and calories out daily.

As someone with a sweet tooth, it can be a struggle sometimes to resist the occasion treat so I'm taking the time to make some treats that tick the 'sweet' box but a the same time aren't full of the bad stuff.  Today I made a polenta cake, something that is severely tasty, lasts a while and is very easy to make.  I also tried my hand at some sweet potato brownies - again these are wheat free and only have natural sugars in them - and now I know sweet potatoes are a "good carb" I can eat as many as I can, as they are one of my favourite vegetables!

When I started this blog post I wasn't quite sure what I was going to write about.  To be honest its a little slow at the moment with training, training and more training so I'm sorry its slightly dull and rather random.....

As we get nearer the climb things will pick up and I'm sure I'll be updating you daily.

I thought I'd close with something else rather random,  I've had this song going round and round my head for over a week now - Its only right that I share it, as at the moment I just can't get enough of Rag'n'Bone Man.....click the link below and enjoy.

Rag'n'Bone Man - As You Are

Finally - It goes without saying that you can still sponsor me!  Just click the button below!!

Liuwa Plain National Park - Zambia

An African Parks project since 2003, at 3,660 KM2, Luiwa Plain's expansive vistas are home to the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa and the legendary lioness Lady Luiwa.  With over 15,000 wildebeest, a plethora of water birds, and apex predators including hyenas, cheetahs, and Luiwa's famous lions, Liuwa offers an unparalleled sense of space and wilderness, and epitomises wild Africa.

However, Luiwa's wildlife also share this landscape with over 10,000 community members who live inside the park.  In the late 19th century the then King of Barotseland, Lubosi Lewanika, appointed his people as the custodians of the reserve and its wildlife.  Since then, animals and people have lived side by side within the park.

The stats....

• 334 bird species occur in the park;
• Liuwa is home to the famous lioness Lady Liuwa;
• Wilderbeast population has grown from 15,000 in 2004 to between 30,000 to 40,000 individuals in 2016.

The Highlights

• Three lions were introduced to accompany the famous and sole surviving lioness Lady Liuwa;
• Since 2003, poaching has been curtailed and wildebeest and zebra populations are on the rise.  Antelope that were locally extinct have been reintroduced, and the cheetah population is recovering its the addition of none cubs;
• Luiwa hosts the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa;
• A community development fund providing monthly payments has been used for projects selected by the community, including health clinics and building materials for school buildings.

What next for Liuwa Plain?

• Develop the parks tourism infrastructure to increase benefits for local communities;
• Construct the new luxury camp with Norman Carr Safaris;
• Provide community training on land usage to improve their agricultural yields;
• Investigate ways of reducing dependancy on naturally occurring fish stocks that are variable with climate change;
• Conduct a park-wide aerial survey to verify wildebeest and zebra numbers to inform the protection strategy.

All of this information has been taken from the African Parks website.  If you want to find out even more about Liuwa Plain National Park then why not grab a cuppa and click on the link below - happy browsing!

Liuwa Plain National Park 

PS - here is a link to my just giving page - click here to sponsor me 😘

They made it!

I am pleased to report that African Parks successfully completed the largest elephant translocation in history on Wednesday, 2nd August 2017.  In total, 520 elephants were successfully moved from Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve in Malawi, and were released in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.

Wooohooo!

The translocation had two objectives: to restock Nkhotakota and to relieve pressure from the elephant surplus in Liwonde and Majete. Given Malawi is a densely-populated, agro-based country, ecological corridors no longer exist to allow for natural movement for wildlife, therefore this ‘human-assisted migration’ was needed to provide the best chance of a long-term and sustainable future for these elephants.

Already there has been a reduction in human-wildlife conflict, with not one human or elephant fatality in Liwonde since July 2016, and tourism is already on the rise in Nkhotakota where new elephant calves were documented earlier this year - offspring from the 261 elephants translocated in 2016.

African Parks have released a short video documenting this massive move - Watch it here.

Let's hear it for the Lions!

Today is international Lion day.  In 1970 it was estimated the lion population was around 200,000+ but in 2016 it was estimated there are only 25,000 left in the wild.

Lets celebrate these beautiful creatures by showing Lions some love today (I'm a Leo by the way 😉)

It's not all animals - Humanitarian crisis in CAR

As you know, African Parks do much more than move elephants - and actually much more than just protect wildlife.  They have recently launched a request for donations to support a humanitarian crisis unfolding in the communities surrounding Chinko, a park under their management, in the Central African Republic.

Violence has displaced thousands of people around Chinko, many have sadly already lost their homes and loved ones.

African Parks are calling for donations that they will immediately put towards providing food, housing and safety for those trying to  find safe harbour within the park as well as the extended families of African Park employees in the neighboring communities.  Lets not forget that these employees are the ones risking their lives daily as rangers to protect the precious wildlife from poachers.

African Parks are aiming to raise $518,000 for these humanitarian efforts - any additional funds will be applied to overall operations in Chinko.

You know what to do....

My Kilimanjaro climb is less than six months away now, my little legs have a lot of work to do but it will be worth it if I can help with the campaigns above and more.  Please dig deep and sponsor me below.

My flights are all booked so there is no going back now!!