Step by step

Last weekend I walked the Shine Marathon with my friends Claire and Rich around London at night. I've always wanted to do a marathon, it's one of those challenges that I think anyone who manages it is amazing. A few years ago I started going to the gym and running, but I found I got shin splints and a lot of leg pain, so had to stop. I went to the physio and got stretches to do, but I've never managed to get over it. So when Claire suggested the Shine Marathon I was very excited. I walk to work everyday, so at the very least I do four miles a day. I also tend to walk everywhere in London as I really dislike the tube, so I felt that this was a challenge that I was up for.

We did a training walk around Oxford about a month before of about 11 miles - more a mini pub crawl, but we got in some serious hill walking training. It also gave us a chance to test out the map reading skills! I also did a couple of 8 mile walks around the Thames, but apart from that there wasn't a lot of training. If I did the walk again I'd definitely make sure I stuck to the training schedule more!

We set off at about 20.15 on the night, everyone was really hyped up and excited to be finally getting going. The walk started and ended at Battersea Power station, not the easiest place to get to. The night was really warm, and apart from the two rain showers the weather was comfortable to walk in. The first 13 miles I found were fine, it was like going for a walk around London with your friends, and having a good gossip. After this though and my feet started to hurt. It also didn't help that I knew that I had to do another 13 miles, to walk what we'd just done again. The walk took us past all the sites, Buckingham Palace, the Tate Britain, 10 Downing Street, the British Museum, the City, the Tower of London... so it was a very interesting walk.

About 17 miles in I completely lost the power of speech. The pain from my feet mixed in with the tiredness walking through London in the early hours of the morning, it was all too much. At this point I really should have put my ipod on to take my mind off it, but I just couldn't do it, I can't really explain why. Everything just became a bit hazy, I was quite out of it. We had a brief sit down in Leadenhall market, and then it was off again. The latter part of the marathon was a struggle, and it didn't help that we had to keep stopping for traffic lights, stopping and starting again was agony.

The last 6 miles and I was completely out of it. I remember giggling occasionally, I think I couldn't quite believe I was making myself do it. All my energy and concentration was taken up making my feet step in front of each other one by one. I also tried to focus the pain away from me, it's hard to explain but it seemed to work.

Then Battersea Powerstation came into view, and we had a mile to go. At this point disaster struck and suddenly felt very dizzy, and wanted to vomit. I had to sit down on the pavement as I thought I was going to pass out. I was completely gutted. I thought that's it, I can't finish. Claire gave me a lucozade tablet, and I put my head between my knees, and this seemed to clear it. We set off again, and it was Claire's turn to feel sick. It's like the marathon distance is just at the edge of what your body can endure, and we were hitting it. We dragged ourselves over the finish line, and staggered into the tent, which we were then handed lots of freebies, and our pictures were taken with our medals. It was quite horrendous, there were people lying on the floor everywhere, and a few getting some serious medical attention. We then had to walk another half mile to the car, but I'm so grateful to have gotten a lift from Claire's dad - I wouldn't have made it home!!

In the end I've raised £698.60 for Cancer Research UK, this sum will go up as my company will give me a percentage donation to match this. I feel really overwhelmed by the support I got, and how generous people have been. It definitely kept me going through the pain, and reminded me of why I was doing the walk in the first place. Immediately after the walk I promised I'd never do it again. A week later though... and I'm tempted......

Oxford Alumni Weekend

A couple of weekends ago I went back to Oxford for the alumni weekend. This is a three day event that is held every year, and any alumni of the university can go along. As well as the alumni events the colleges also hold their own lectures and dinners. I was lucky enough to stay in Kellogg College's new guest house, which is been done up to the highest standards, and was very comfortable.

On the Friday I had my first lecture 'Britain Begins' by Sir Barry Cunliffe. I was so excited about this, this was the highlight of my weekend. It was a really interesting lecture looking at the 'Atlantic fringe' along the Western coast of Europe, and how trade took place. I found this really fascinating, the idea that local languages would have developed to allow these people to trade between each other. Afterwards I got to briefly meet Barry Cunliffe and get his new book signed, totally starstruck!

In the evening I got a tour of the new Kellogg College facilities - it has grown so much since I was there five years ago! Then it was Pimms oclock in the new Kellogg college accommodation, so I got to catch up with what's going on at the college.

The early lecture on Saturday was 'Medieval Romance and the Gift of Narrative' by Dr Nicholas Perkins. This looked at stories from medieval literature and the idea of gifting, both in the stories, and the giving of books.

In the afternoon I attended 'The Jovial Songster- Popular songs and readings'  at the Hollywell Music Room. A duo called Alva performed traditional and early British songs and ballads. It was the first time I'd visiting the music room, which is one of the oldest in the country.

In the evening Kellogg College had their Gaudy Dinner, the food was amazing (apparently it's the best food of any of the colleges) and each table had a display from the Oxford Natural History Museum. I had a wonderful barn owl sitting in front of me, making Oxford feel even more like Harry Potter!

The last lecture on Sunday morning was 'Silence in Christian History' by the Reverend Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch. This looked at the silence throughout Christianity including prayer, contemplation, and the covering up of shameful events in Christianity's past. It was a very interesting lecture, however I was very tired from the night before, so needed a very strong coffee!

It was so great to be able to go back to university, even for a few days. Everyone just accepts that you're intelligent, and I had some really interesting conversations about subjects I wouldn't usually discuss - without being snotty or pretentious. My brain hurt by the end of the weekend, it's not used to being pushed that much nowadays.

The final Oxford event was to go punting with friends. It was my first time, and we bumped from bank to bank very inelegantly, whilst looking for white rabbits on the river bank. A perfect weekend, and I look forward to attending next year.

The Cutty Sark

http://www.rmg.co.uk/cuttysark/

I hadn't visited the Cutty Sark since I was a child, so I was really excited to be visiting it again. I love tall ships, I think they're really beautiful, and I'd love to one day go sailing on one. It is so impressive what this ship has gone through, including the recent fire, and the refurbishment of her is a big success.

All hands on deck!

I didn't realise that the Cutty Sark was a monument to all those who lost their lives in the Merchant Navy. I found this deeply moving as my Grandfather had worked in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War, and had been sunk a few times.

A perfect cuppa below sea level

The Cutty Sark was a trader ship, and carried tea from the East. The smell of the tea leaves in the hull of the ship is very strong, and really appealed to me as a dedicated tea drinker. I couldn't resist having a cup of Cutty Sark tea in the new Keel cafe underneath the ship, such a weird feeling having the boat suspended above my head! 

Underneath the ship is a display of figure heads. I love these and they remind me of the Valhalla display on Tresco, the Isles of Scilly. The level of detail and skill involved creating these pieces of art is so impressive. 

I really recommend visiting the Cutty Sark, it's such a unique and important part of maritime history, and a real treat to visit. 

London on the river

As I said in my last post my last few weeks have really been themed round the docklands and maritime life. I've seen quite a few interesting boats on my travels.

A few Sundays ago I was really privileged to see the start of the Clipper Round the World race. Tower Bridge was raised and the yachts were brought in and paraded in front of the cheering crowds. It was great to see the crews all on deck, and the beautiful boats. It reminded me of when my mum worked as a sailor for the Challenge Business in Southampton. She did some very exciting trips, sailed through a hurricane to Boston, and won the Round Britain Race. She's a great sailor and I'm so proud of what she did. After seeing the Clippers I decided to support the Londonderry boat, due to the family connections, and it was the boat I saw most of while I watching from the shore. 

Coming back from Greenwich I managed to become part of the Great River Race, organised as part of the Mayor's Thames Festival. It was amazing to see the little boats getting bumped up and down on the waves in the Thames, the rowers working hard to get up the river. It was the best Thames Clipper I've ever taken, as it had to travel really slowly. A relaxing cruise up the river after a lovely day out.

The Great River Race

Unfortunately I had to take the photographs through the Clipper windows, which were a bit blurry from the spray of the river and the rain.

Not all boats on the Thames can be classed as beautiful though. I came across this cruise ship parked up near Greenwich. I know some people like them, but I'm not very keen. I think they're a block of flats on water, I'd feel really claustrophobic. I don't think there were any passengers, at least I hope not, it's not the nicest place for a cruise!

Maritime London

So the last few weeks have been very maritime based. I had no idea of the link between London and the river before getting involved with the Thames Discovery Programme. As I get to know London I'm discovering just how important this water way is.

Museum of London Docklands

 The Docklands Museum - http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands/ 

The first museum I visited was the Docklands Museum. It lies close to Canary Wharf in a really interesting area, somewhere I wouldn't usually visit. As it's not central it's a quieter museum, making it very pleasant to visit. The museum covers all periods of occupation around the Thames, with recreated streets to walk through and galleries focusing on subjects such as trade and slavery. I was really moved with the history of slavery, something I didn't know much about, and I found it really shocking. There's a lot to take in at the museum, and I definitely feel I could do with visiting a second time. 

National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum - http://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum/ 

The National Maritime museum in Greenwich was the second museum I visited. It had similar themes to the Docklands museum, and had galleries focusing on trade, exploration and slavery. The part I found the most interesting was the gallery about the search for the North-West passage, and Franklin's lost expedition. Fascinating but really sad. Another area I enjoyed was the mini models of ships, the models were so detailed and finely made. 

Last but not least is the kangaroo painted by George Stubbs. Stubbs painted the kangaroo from drawings made on Captain Cook's voyage to Australia, and also from an inflated kangaroo skin. The museum is trying to raise the money to buy the painting, and keep it in the country as it plays an important part of our history of exploration and discovery of new species. I should also mention the painting he created of a dingo, which they are also trying to buy - the kangaroo seems to get more press! 

Again I definitely feel I could do with visiting a second time, as I'm sure there were areas I missed, or could do with viewing again. 

Both museums I found really fascinating but quite overwhelming, as it's a side to London I really hadn't considered before. I'm really enjoying learning about the Thames, and it's importance in creating the city. 

Visions of the Universe

Visions of the Universe Exhibition, The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

My father and grandfather are both space nuts and have telescopes, so I've grown up learning about the stars and spending late nights gazing into the heavens. I just find it completely fascinating, and also mind blowing. I can't get my head round the size of the universe, and how it began. I also love the hubble telescope, the pictures are so beautiful, its hard to believe they're real. So as soon as I saw the exhibition I knew I had to go.

The exhibition was stunning, and really well laid out, I loved how they showed the first ever images made of the subjects such as the moon or the sun, next to the most recent technologically advanced images. One of the show stoppers was the 13 metre long panoramic projection from NASA’s Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers on Mars. Very eerie, as you watch it the landscape feels both familiar and alien.  The darkness and the sound effects playing in the exhibition is fantastic, it really made you feel detached from the outside world, and focused on the exhibition. I think this was a stroke of genius, and I wish more exhibitions would play a subtle soundtrack. The space was also used well, and although there were a lot of people I didn’t feel crammed in.

My favourite image is taken on the moon during the Apollo 11 expedition, and is looking back at the earth. The quote by Neil Armstrong that was put with the image really summed up the whole exhibition for me:

"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."

Looking at the images on display reminded me that we are just a small planet, and a very unique one. It's so important that we look after it; it's very special blue dot in this big dark universe.  

On the Foreshore at Parliament

Another weekend was spent on the shores of the Thames for the bank holiday weekend. This time it was the Houses of Parliament beach. The foreshore can only be accessed by the stairs on Milbank, so it’s quite a long walk to get to the Parliament end, slightly disconcerting with the tide changing so quickly. There was a lot of broken crockery, glass, and coca cola bottles especially near the end of the shore which lies almost underneath Parliament. As the Parliament bars are all along the river, there must have been some wild parties! As well as these finds there was the usual clay pipes and animal bones, the normal Thames finds. The main interest however was the stone mouldings that were dotted along the foreshore, and a team of FROGs (Foreshore Research and Observation Group) set about recording these and making drawings of them. I was on ‘Team Wall’. We were given the task of recording the bomb damage on part of the river wall. The wall damage has actually been covered up very well, and is barely visible from the bridge and the river. It’s so easy to forget what London went through during the war. Recording the wall was a good reminder of what the people of London went through not long ago. 

I was down on the foreshore on Saturday and Sunday. On the Saturday it was really rainy, making it difficult but amusing to record and even communicate with people with our hoods up! Sunday however was a lovely sunny day. I definitely prefer spending more than one day on site, as you really get to know the area and the team, it can be hard though sometimes fitting it round a full time job. 

A pile of building materials and stone mouldings

Rainy day!

Measuring the bomb damage on the wall

A sunnier Sunday

Measuring the wall on Sunday - with a bigger ruler!