THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS - 2006

* Went cruising round Barbados, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, Isla Margerita & Tobago where we snorkelled, rode speed boats and rubbed shoulders with the best of them

* Ran my first Half Marathon (13.1 miles) in Bath for the British Heart Foundation

* Was a scab & crossed a picket line

* Went to the big smoke for a Diane Arbus exhibition & witnessed another Cirque du Soliel "spectacular, spectacular"

* Ran the Bath Race for Life for Cancer Research (5km)

* Won £70 on the Grand National thanks to Niles "Slippers" Madden

* Went to Belfast and the beautiful Northern Irish Coast (Port Rush) and saw the Giant's Causeway, got certified as an official taster at the Bushmills distillery and survived the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge:

* Joined a gym and started a personal training plan

* Ran the Bristol Heart's First Run (2.5 miles) round the harbour for the BHF

* Developed a liking for sushi

* Saw Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardine play on Wimbledon's No 1 Court ("sssshhh, quiet, please")

* Witnessed my first Polo Match - vicious, yet beautiful

* Narrowly escaped death on the M4. Nuff said.

* Said goodbye to a terrific 2nd cousin - age 11 & realised what a fantastic family I have

* Applied for the London Marathon (and failed - this time)

* Ran the Bristol Half Marathon for Demelza House Hospice

* Had family to visit from Oz - and realised what a fantastic family I have

* Celebrated an eighth anniversary

* Went to Tunisia, stayed in the Sahara, learnt more about Islam & rode on a Dromedary

* Developed a liking for Brik, Harissa, Boukha, Thibarine & Mornag Wine

* Got over an irrational fear of flying (now the fear is entirely rational)

* Developed a liking for Sake

* Joined a running club

& read at least 8 books (that's eight more than usual)
# Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood
# Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier
# Four Fires
# Tsotsi
# The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time: Adult Edition
# Small Island
# A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
# The Kite Runner

Super. I'm looking forward to 2007 already...

Geseende Kersvees julle.

OK GO... On Treadmills

MY LEON PLACE

How cool is Google Earth! (I know - I missed the boat on that one...)

I'm surprised at how emotional I feel "flying" over Pinetown and "My Leon Place"

Brings it all back to me...

It's nice to see that #12 is still the only house in the street without a pool. I wonder if their alarm system is still a whistle strategically placed on the back of the front door and a highly trained Spaniel called "Scruffy" as the house defender?

Mooi.

BUCKING THE TREND

"BATH'S WOMEN BUCK THE NATIONAL FITNESS TREND"

With my last post in mind - I realise why I'm bucking the trend. It's all B&NES council's fault!

Go Bath!

Lekker.

ONE IN FIVE

A recent Sport England survey found that "Just one in five adults in [England] .... does the recommended 30 minutes of exercise three times a week."

That's not a lot - is it?

And I heard (ssssh...) that the actual recommended amount is actually 30 minutes 5x a week and the government realise that publishing that fact will put people off!

Hmmmm.....

YES!

YES YES YES

England smoke ban to start 1 July 2007.

Need I say more?

(I can't believe I was a smoker!)