August. What a month!!

August is over and the summer is coming to an end, but the challenges keep coming and going. 8 Challenges have been completed this month, which is almost as many as I did in the previous 7 months! So quick run down on the stats; 17 challenges completed, 4 in progress, 7 with arranged dates and I'm still 2 challenges short. Pressure sis on, but I'm sure I'll complete the 40 /40.

So where do I start? I suppose the Havelet Traverse is the best place, as this challenge was completed on 1st August. This is the only challenge that I knew I would not be able to complete, as it is a brutal traverse from Castle Cornet climbing along the wall down to the slipway at Havelet, and takes an average of 2 hours. My climbing arms are just not up to it. Which it is the only challenge which is labeled as "Attempt..." However I did manage to raise £45 as I had bets with a couple of people at £1 per metre. My first attempt was a respectable 20 - 25 metres, but I tried it again a week later and managed about 80 metres, unfortunatley I did not have time to carry on as I had managed to double book myself onto the Herm Fun Run.

In between my attempts at Havelet I felt good enough to attempt another climbing challenge, which was to "climb an E1 before the end of summer" I decided to do "Smear Test" at Pembroke. Next time you're down there walk around past the beach cafe, upto the car park next to the loophole tower. Then look over to Fort Pembroke, you should see the near vertical wall? That's the climb! As it is so blank, unfortunately you have to climb it without ropes, but lots of mats to slide down onto! Visit the Guernsey Mountaineering Club website for more details.

Anyway back to the Herm fun run, or the "Herm Run" as I noticed it was called this year, trust me to enter the year they took fun out of the title. My goal..... not finish last. And I didn't :-)
Start at the Harbour, down to Rousse, turn left up the steps onto the cliff path, down to Shell Beach, across the common, past the Mermaid (c'mon I had to run PAST the Mermaid) down to the harbour. My time was 33 minutes. My time in the pub afterwards was probably 99 minutes.

Next up was my scarecrow, Dave, ready for the Torteval Scarecrow weekend. The original plan was to have a hitch-hiking scarecrow and put it on the grass at Grandes Rocques and see how far up to Torteval it would go. Unfortunately as I was moving it, his arm fell off, and one of his feet. As the challenge was to "Build a scarecrow" I planted him in my back garden and the person who set the challenge came round and agreed I had past it. So another one down.

Back in January I emailed Oddsocks, and explained what I was planning for this year, and asked if there was any way I could get a part in A Midsummer Night's Dream when they came to Castle Cornet. I got an immediate reply saying yes, not a problem. I kept in touch with them throughout the year, and when I went to see the play introduced myself to Andy. What a nice bloke. We sorted out where I would be sitting and when the time came for a volunteer I was picked out of the auidence. At first I was a little disappointed as I was only up for a couple of minutes and it seemed like an anti-climax to the challenge. However was I in for a surprise. Just after the interval I was called upon again for my starring role. Now I'm not sure if you know the play but there is a scene 2 of the characters kiss through a crack in the wall. Guess who played the wall, and my 2 fingers were the crack. I had a "wall costume", and was left on my own in the middle of the stage area for what seemed like ages. Then the kiss. Both of the actors were basically licking my fingers, I know it sounds gross but it was hilarious, and when Andy looked me straight in the eye and said "How's that for a challenge?" I pretty much cracked up. Thanks guys.

Whislt all of this was going on I was cycling to work for 40 days, nothing really much to say about this except there is something quite liberating about cycling to work. Weird really.

Last week another 2 challenges hit the dust in pretty dramatic style. The first was "Exhibit vegetables at the North Show", the original plan was to grow chillies, but wth the house move unfortunately they died on me. Fortunately I had a backup plan. Radishes! And what wonderfull radishes they were, it seems a shame that I got beat by a bale of hay! All joking aside well done to everyone who entered and won at the North Show. I'll have you next year, possibly.

And onto the last challenge of August, and the reason why (hopefully) a lot more people are reading this. The Man Powered Flight @ the Harbour Carnival. What can I say, I came, I jumped, I got wet. I had a great night and the prize money was a great boost to Cancer Research. I do plan, but I always so that, to update the blog more frequently but with so many challenges happenign in August I really didn't have the time. Please come back and follow me in the last 4 months of 2010 as I attempt the 40 / 40 Challenge. Who knows maybe we can have a big beach party on New Year's eve and a mass swim to close the challenge. Hey maybe we could even get the press down. I wonder if I could get 40 people to join me on New Year's eve for the last of my challenges. There's an idea, or maybe even a challenge. :-) Thanks for stopping by.