Blackpool redux

Our second visit to Blackpool this year...strange really, not been in years and then two visits in one year. This time we went with Jyoti and Phil and this was to attend the Feet First Charity Ball - this was the charity SJ and I did the marathon walk for earlier in the year.

It was held at the Imperial Hotel...very nice place with lots of history and character, however if I'm honest the night itself was a little disappointing. It's a shame as the charity could really make a name for itself...it's so worthwhile, but I found it "cliquey" and uninviting. I won't say that I wouldn't raise more money for it but it would be nice to get some feedback, appreciation and some general feedback. I did meet with Steve Mannion who is the main Surgeon. He was actually flying to Papua New Guinea the next day and did say if I wanted to ever accompany him, I could...maybe...maybe...

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Spider webs

Went over the Chase today and it was absolutely full of these spider webs...as far as the eye could see was covered in a glistening, shining, beautiful maze of web and water droplets...truly magical...

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My grandma, what big teeth you have...

Chief and Indi...always up for a laugh. Chief I reckon would have been a stand up comic had he been human, he has perfect comedic timing and is so funny it's untrue. There's rarely a day go by where he does not have us laughing out loud for one reason or another. Are all Malamutes like this I wonder?

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Harpenden walk

I got a bit bored following the Marathon walk and was really looking for things to take part in. SJ and I did the Harpenden walk a couple of years ago...well SJ did the run and I did the walk...

I decided to enter it again..it's only 10K so pretty straightforward in terms of distance. It was a bitterly cold day though but there were still plenty of people there.

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Back to Czech

I attended and presented at the Myslivna event in Czech Republic. This is something I did a couple of years ago, and this year, we ran this seminar again. It's in conjunction with our agents, and it takes place at the Myslivan hotel...hence the name. Myslivna is an old hunting lodge, and I guess it's seen better days, however it does have a huge amount of character.

Once again, my presentation was translated live...an odd sensation, but you do get used to it.

I also had the opportunity to have a walk around the hotel into the surrounding woods. It's been cut back a lot but you can still get he impression of Communist Generals commanding their minions into (faux) battle.

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Michael McIntyre

For SJ's Xmas present, I'd booked tickets to see Michael McIntyre at the O2. For those of you not familiar with him, go and look at YouTube for "Michael McIntyre Man Drawer". That will give you an idea of his (very funny) observational comedy...he really is hilarious.
The night didn't start that well by the Clipper we were on breaking down and us having to be dropped off at Greenwich Pier for 20 mins or so. Such a reliable service normally, however on this occasion it was not to be. We'd also booked a table at one of the Thai restaurants at the O2...in hindsight this was not a good move, as it was incredibly busy and pretty crap food. I must admit, I'd never realised how in demand O2 restaurants were...last time, we walked straight in to Gaucho's with no reservation and no problems...not a mistake we will repeat again!

McIntyre was good, but not as funny as I think he can be...a worthwhile show but I'm not sure if I'd go back...

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Blackpool

For SJ's parents 50th wedding anniversary, we treated them to a weekend in Blackpool. This was where they met and has a special meaning for them. It's been years since I went to Blackpool and its changed almost beyond recognition. The seafront especially has seen some major renovation, however there are still plenty of places where it has clearly lost its way. We stayed in an amazing bed and breakfast...really top notch, I think it was called the Redland...

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The long walk...take 2

I've been wanting to do something for a cause that really means something to me for a while. Feet First are a charity that treat Talipes and Clubfoot worldwide. I was born with Talipes and have had several operations over the years to correct my feet. If you're born in pretty much anywhere in the western world, it's simple, easy and pretty painless to treat Talipes nowadays, however in much of the developing world, Talipes can be a debilitating deformity that cripples its victims and causes extreme pain, an inability to work and ultimately social exclusion and death.

SJ and I signed up for a 26.2 mile marathon walk around the London Olympic venues. We had to do an awful lot of training, walking around 30-40 miles per week but in the end it was well worth it. On Sept 1st, we completed our walk, taking around 8 hours and leaving some very tired legs...

We raised just over £2000 for Feet First. If anyone wants to contribute further, the you can do so here: www.justgiving.com/philipnunn

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Olympics

What a summer...fantastic season of sport...all our athletes did amazingly well, and we did manage to get to some of the events despite the ticketing nightmare.

It has left a somewhat empty feeling now though, knowing we only have dark nights and cold weather to look forward to now. Still we did get some good shots of the action.

The Cycling road race:

The Cycling time trial

Chris Froome...

Wiggo!

The Basketball (Women's)

The Men's Marathon

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