On the 24th of June, I was super chuffed to have completed the Blantyre 3 peaks challenge: it involves a 48+km hike from the Sports Club, up and down Michiru mountain, over to Ndirande, up and down Ndirande mountain, over to Soche, up and down Soche mountain and back to the club. To be honest, it is pretty mental! It is done on the 24th of June as it is cool, or at least cooler than other times of year, but the days are also shorter, so one only has 12 hours or so to complete the challenge or risk returning in the dark. A small group of us finished it just as the sun was setting and I hadn't smoked a cigarette.... So I thought, why not stop?! So I did.
And I was fine!
And then we had to change our accountancy system....
And I decided to organise a fundraising running event for in 2 months time having never done anything like that before...
And I was fine...ish.
And then the event took place, and I was more than fine - I was ecstatic!
And then the local hotel in front of which the event was held charged us £250 or the equivalent in local currency, for bottles of water that were given to the incoming runners! Now bearing in mind that we had raised just over £3,000 so that is a fair whack taken off with which we could have planted 1,600 trees!!
The problem was that we had run out of water as we had twice the number of participants as expected (which is a good thing), and there was no way we were going to let these people fall over with dehydration, and so we asked the hotel for some water. I wasn't expecting a freebie (well, maybe a little bit), I was fully prepared to at least replace the water - but they were being COMPLETELY unreasonable - refused to see that this was a fundraising event, that I didn't ask for 14 cases of water so that I could bathe in it...
Anyway, it was a lost cause and lost money so I was a little angry despite having been so happy a few moments earlier.
And I resisted...
And then, I got into my car which had just been returned to me after spending 2 weeks in the garage. I drove down the mountain with a couple of the guides and the PA system which I was returning. There were some worrying noises coming from underneath as I was going down the mountain. Near the bottom I actualy got out and had a look but couldn't see anything... and so i continued.
I drove out of town and as I neared my destination, the car collapsed to the side and their was a horrific crunching sound as I watched my front left wheel roll into a field.
Now, at this point, I could barely speak, in fact I was on the phone to Tom and all he could hear was me screeching/crying/swearing/breathing hoarsely but not actually making any sense.
Eventually I returned to Earth and started sorting everything out, with the help of family and friends.
And still, I am fine!
I think I am going to make it...
And to make myself feel better, I think to myself: I am going to start smoking again when I am 70 - why not?!