PS Thank you to the one person who last week agknowledged they read my blog. I salute you!

I forgot to mention that on Friday night, The Stirling Castle pub had the pleasure of being graced by myself, Gemma, Miff (the one member of the Jitterbugs who can sing) and Jackie and Angie from work.

I don't remember much of the evening but was reminded I dueted with Miff for "sterling" renditions of "Yellow" by Coldplay and "Baby When You're Gone" by Bryan Adams and Sporty Spice.

I remember drinking copious amounts of Guinness, whisky, ordering a chinese and falling asleep after a couple of mouthfuls. I also recall dreaming about going to the toilet on at least 3 occasions but luckily awoke in Miff's flat to discover I hadn't wet her sofa bed. Phew! Probably staying in with cocoa next Friday.

I'd just like to make it QUITE clear, that Gemma watches America's Next Top Model and not me but when I happen to wander through the lounge and catch a glimpse of the TV, I notice this image of Norman Bates, and then realise that Marjorie is actually one of the final few to be a MODEL on the programme?

Amongst her hobbies, Marjorie confesses to assuming her mother's personality and repressing her death as a way to escape the guilt of murdering her. Hmmm!

In less inspiring news, this week Digging Deeper was advertised in the national newspaper the Independent on Sunday. With a readership of over 600,000 I am pleased to say that my cynicism has not been overruled as this has led to ... no additional sales.

I can also confirm that I have received confirmation from Rise Films that the film script did not win the Summer Challenge.

Back to work tomorrow I guess. Humph!

Just to reiterate our place amongst the Falkirk gliterrati, we were featured in this weeks Falkirk Herald as the "wedding of the week". Our prize for such an accolade? £30 voucher for Behind the Wall in Falkirk. Yum!

Following on from our epic adventure up Place Fell a fortnight ago and having had a couple of weeks at the gym, John and I (joined by Gemma) set about the task of climbing Ben Ledi today. What started out as a bright summers day at the bottom turned into an icy cold wind and snow at the top.

Luckily I'd packed my map, compass, waterproof top and bottoms ... then realised I'd forgotten my walking boots so had to do the climb in my trainers (as did Gemma).

We actually reached Meall Odhar which is about 40m short of the summit but it was just too windy to continue. The last section is a very steep scramble and the wind was howling so we decided to turn back. That said, we got around 2750 feet high which is around 600 ft higher than last time but still 450 feet short of the smallest of the 3 peaks, Scafell Pike and a massive 1650 feet shy of the top of Ben Nevis. So, still a lot of work to do bit some encouraging signs.

14th March 2009 - Place Fell - 3 peaks training part 1

Okay, okay ... so you want more cake! The layers were fruit and carrot. Yum!

In other news, I went to the gym again today and most important of all, my Bowel Cancer UK T-shirt turned up so I'm well chuffed and will be wearing it with pride. If anyone knows where a very nice T-shirt printer might print www.justgiving.com/leecrompton on the back for a very reasonable price, please let me know. Ta!

For those of you who haven't seen the one thing that was photographed more than the Bride & Groom on our wedding day last month ... ladies and gentlemen, I give you (drum role if you please), the cake.

It's was a bit of a change in direction from Gemma whose official stance on "cake" at the start of the organisational process was (try and imagine it in the voice of ... well, someone with a deep moany voice) "I can't get very excited about white icing".

BLAM! Then we met Karen (although I have to take the credit for spotting her buns first) and white icing suddenly became a thing of the past. Who knew you could tell the story of your courtship through the medium of sponge? I certainly didn't but there we were ... scuba diving in Turkey, being chased by giant leeches in India and me doing the house up whilst Gemma did her masters. Brilliant.

May I therefore suggest, for a cake for any occasion, you visit http://www.sucrecoeur.co.uk/ ask for Karen and I can guarantee you will seduced by icing!

Now, for those of you who thought I was being a soft southern shandy drinking poofter with my moans about last weekends trek, get a load of this ... the cross section of the flipping walk we did. See, doesn't look so bloody easy now, does it?!?!?

"Actual distance once you add in all the lumps and bumps was 11.8km. Before you get too cross with me for walking you beyond the advertised 9km I have to say that most of the additional distance was dropping down to East of Cat Crag to get out of the wind. Total ascent and descent of 738m."

... not my words, the words of proper scouty walker Hugh who, unlike myself and John, knows what the bally hell he's rambling (lame joke, sorry) on about.

OK, OK, so ignoring the fact we were still 250m short of the smallest of the 3 peaks and forgetting that John and I were shagged and Hugh returned looking as if he'd sauntered to the newsagents, for a first attempt (and having squashed the graph inwards to make the slopes look steeper ... I'm joking btw) I don't think we did too badly.

The training continues ... next stop, more hills.

PS This is the ACTUAL route we took as mapped by scouty Hugh (not his official title)

Today, John and I have mostly been enrolling at the gym. We are now proud members (week days only) at Glasgow Uni.

Furthermore, we actually used some of the machines. We're planning to go at least twice a week in an attempt to give ourselves half a chance of doing the 3 peaks. We'll be there again Thursday.

Falkirk Herald rang today. Should be an article in the newspaper within the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed it'll help raise some cash.

Further to one of my previous entries, people have asked me how recent events have put things into perspective and what I meant by it.

Well, I would try and explain it as a double edged sword. Whilst I have a sense of "freedom" in so much as you realise you have to make the most of what you have whilst you can (which can put the hum-drum of normal everyday life into perspective), I can also (more often than not) find the sense of loss debilitating. Whilst some people find it can "open their eyes", I feel it adds to my anxiety and fear. When something you take for granted (I'm not suggesting I took my Dad for granted, but rather the assumption that he was always going to be there) is suddenly whipped away from you and the world as you know it changes forever in an instant, and there's absolutely nothing you can do to reverse the process, then (for me anyway) it does make me wonder what else could change or be taken away ... and this doesn't make me greatly appreciate what I have but more fearful as to what I could lose. This could be notion in my head or in some cases it goes to the extent that I can even imagine awful things happening whilst I'm in a given situation and can actually see them happening in my head ... a passenger getting out of my car only to be hit by oncoming traffic for example (probably one of the less graphic examples).

And yes, I know this is irrational and if I went to a shrink or councillor they'd probably tell me that I'm worrying about things that will more than likely never happen and there is no evidence to suggest that any of these awful things will occur ... but there was no evidence to suggest Dad was going to drop down dead 2 days after being told he was clear of bowel cancer, but it still happened, and if that can be stripped from my life in a moment, then what's to say anything else can't.

In a nutshell, despite trying to have a positive outlook (as my dad would have had) the flood of donations, the newspaper articles, the training (or planning of training), the conversations I have with people, make me focus on matters a great deal more than I probably would normally and my poor show on Saturday really made me think I wasn't going to be able to even attempt the challenge and my silly notion had let myself down, the charity down, together with the people who have sponsored me and most importantly my Dad.

I still find the situation I'm in a little difficult to get my head around at times.

Talking of "no turning back", thank you to the Ayr Advertiser for a lovely article in the newspaper last week. Your support is very much appreciated.

My continued upset has been with the realisation that I AM actually old, fat, balding and unfit. "How could a mere walk confirm all these things?" I hear you cry. Well, quite simply ... my limbs were too old and knackered to get me to the top with any amount of respectability (see same for unfit) whilst having to carry too many pounds to the summit (see fat) and I had to wear a hat for the majority of the climb cus my ears were cold (see balding).

So yes, I have been feeling very sorry for myself as I honestly thought, "yes, it's going to be a tough challenge but with the reasonable level of overall fitness I have, not too much of a problem." Reality bites as they say.

Things keep happening to lessen my chances of doing a U-turn though ...

http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/home/media-centre/latest-news/lee-crompton

Although I don't feel they do them justice, these are the pictures of my heels following Saturday's outing. Just to put things into perspective, the "fell" we climbed to the top of was circa 650 metres. In comparison, Scafell Pike is the smallest of the 3 peaks at 978 metres.

No pressure then!