18.9.06

Wateraid Corbett Challenge 2006

The Flea spent last weekend up in Snowdonia, north Wales hiking up a Corbett (mini 'mountain' above 1000m high) called Aran Fawddwy for the Water Aid charity. Organised by Mistress Memo, the rest of the team included Sambams and fellow Scots AM and AS.

The weather was fine and sunny for the ascent, which started very steeply. It was pretty hot and sweaty for the team as the first hour or so was up a sharp gradient. Luckily this gave way to an easy plateau, which led the team onto the final push for their destination summit of Aran Fawddwy in the distance.

A very good day's exercise following the summit and then descent down the side of a steep valley back to Mistress Smemo's reliable little car, which managed the trip there, around and back with hardly any protest.

It was a great trip out of London and a really good way of doing exercise and seeing some beautiful scenery whilst achieving something for charity. The whole team were pretty exhausted by the end, but happy once showered and after their mammoth celebratory meal in the local village to replace all those calories! Very enjoyable!


6.9.06

Countdown Encounters & A Film Critic

Yesterday the Flea was invited by Mistress Memo to the book launch for Richard Whiteley's biography. He bounced along and found one or two celebrities had turned up to support the event, obviously friends of the deceased Mr Whiteley from the showbiz world.

Amongst those hobnobbing were Barry Norman, the craggy retired film critic (looking really old now as opposed to just plain old when he was on TV, or is that the effect of being on screen?) and of course Carol 'Consonant' Vorderman (who looks more orange and wrinkly in real life than on TV, or is that the effect of...).

The Flea noticed that before Ms Vorderman left, she supported the book by grabbing one from a table and walking off, whereas mere non-MENSA people had to pay for theirs.