21 May 2008

We are all still recovering.  I now feel as if my head belongs on my body.  All day Monday and Tuesday I felt drunk or like I had a hangover.  Alyse suggested we may all be dehydrated which may explain a lot.  Muscles and feet are recovering quicker than brains!

We are still taking sponsorship.  Our children's school has been really supportive holding a mufti day and a student art fair to raise money.  Wow!  We want to catch the top two teams in terms of sponsorship.

18 May 2008

WE DID IT!  Everyone single one of us made the 26.2 miles!  Yeah us!!!!! 

This is an experience we won't ever forget.  Walking the streets of London overnight was a bit surreal.  The start was a complete mess and they started us 30 mins late.  We lost Helen and Jo immediately.  My they are quick.  They made it in 5 hours and 39 minutes - very impressive.  The rest of us took longer than that but not as long as the people we saw still walking when we were in the taxi coming home.  We had lots of laughs, lots of heavy sighs, lots of exhaustion, lots of ups and downs.  Ipods were created by divine inspiration.  We cranked it up once we cranked the tunes.  After we crossed Tower Bridge we walked back up the river towards Battersea.  I remember Big Ben striking 2:00 AM.  As we walked more the sky started brightening.  It was very nice seeing the sun come up.  It is amazing how busy London is at all hours.  We had lots of support from the general public and the volunteer marshalls, water/fruit hander outers were most encouraging.

All in all, a great experience and one that I never wish to do again.  Well done Las Nochelitas.  Love you all!

Please could everyone join us in a rousing chorus of RAIN RAIN GO AWAY, COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY! 

17 May 2008 ****

Tonight's the night!  We have done what we can.  Now, we just walk the walk!  Texts are flying back and forth with last minute preparations.  Lots of well wishes coming through.  I have written down everyone who has sponsored me and I am going to go through the list and take a step for each pound sponsored.  I have to do something to pass the 7 hours!  Each one of us has put in so much time, effort, pain to get to this stage.  As have our hopelessly devoted husbands, children, family and friends and especially MICHELLE (our devoted massage therapist).  She is opening especially for us on Monday.  Bless you!

Let's walk and roll! (the theme is bollywood meets rock and roll - hmmm).

16 May 2008 *****

Can you tell me Whhhhyyyy?  Why did I think it was a good idea to walk 26 miles, overnight in my bra?  I think we are all feeling a tad apprehensive about tomorrow.  Last minute chocolate, go gel, snack shopping.  In two days it will ALL be over (I can only hope we are finished by 9:10 Sunday morning).  Have a good day my walking friends.

15 May 2008 ****

Aghhhh!  2 days to go!  I like these two days - no training whatsoever.  But maybe we have all taken that a bit too far and stretched those 2 days to about a week.  I am sure it will be alright on the night.  The bras are decorated - thank you for doing mine whilst I was in the USA dealing with my father who has recently been diagnosed with cancer (not breast but still cancer).  We are all so proud of the money we have raised.  Thank you to all who have generously donated!  If you haven't yet, we would love to raise more money to support the patients and families of those kicking cancer's ____!

We can talk the talk but can we walk the walk!?  We will sooooon find out - 17th May is rapidly approaching. Yikes! 

On the justgiving website, we are number 3 on raising sponsorship.  Click on the walk the walk worldwide (to the left of this box) to be taken to the list of biggest fundraisers.  The first two teams have 14 and 22 team members so we are doing quite well for a team of 8.  But we want to be number 1!

It is official - we are absolutely barking mad!  Walking 17 miles hurts!  We only need to be able to walk 9 more miles than that. Oh my!  As much as it hurts we just keep thinking of the money we raise goes to support people affected with breast cancer.  This 26 mile, overnight, in our highly decorated bras, walk is literally a walk in the park compared to going through breast cancer.  We are only doing a small part in uniting against breast cancer but your support means so much to us.

When we "hit the wall" (which I seem to do often), I go through the list in my head of all those people who have sponsored us.  Your messages mean so much and we all love reading them.  We can't let everyone down so we hit the wall and just  put our heads down and get on with it.  We have a great group of ladies walking and it is good fun (not sure that is exactly right) walking and chatting.  After 10 miles it is amazing what we chat about.   After 15 miles, one (me) agrees to write a blog for our webpage - silly me.  If you need to know good places to have a pit stop or re-fill your water bottle from Cobham to Kingston - we have checked them out.  In Esher, Donna had to ask for me.  By the time we got to Kingston, I really did not care anymore.  I could have blagged anything from anybody at that point.  We are planning to walk tomorrow but I am rather scared by the weather forecast.  I am still a fair weather walker and hoping the night of 17th May will be lovely and filled with moonlight!  Jo and Holly walked today and blew away our 17 mile distance.  Prizes awarded so far: Donna for biggest and most impressive/persistent blisters; biggest complainer- me (surprising I know); longest distance of 20.85 (that is simply just showing off) - Jo and Holly; pace setter - long-legged Helen.  Check back with us to follow the continuing saga of LAS NOCHELITAS!    (mary liz)

Well, I will try this again.  Last week after our massive walk of 19.90 miles, I blogged, it was witty yet poignant, and I thought I saved it.  It was not to be.  It went into cyberspace so I hope someone somewhere is enjoying reading about LAS NOCHELITAS - the 19.90 mile  wot done her in walk.

25/04/08 - We almost had a full house today.  Annelise is off games after we did her in last week.  We are sooooooo  sorrrrrrrrryyyyyyy!!!!  Last week I passed the complainer award to her, but it turns out she had good reason.  I have now grabbed it back after today's 12ish mile walk.  Ok, Jo walked more and Helen simply blew us away.  Helen makes it look so easy.  Not only are our walks good exercise but they are also educational.  What we have learned:  We saw where the D-day landings were planned in Bushy Park (big white pole), we only know some of the words to "I'm Henry the eighth I am" but it could not have been more appropriate considering we were walking around Hampton Court, bed is goooooood, we sorted out various tax issues, macchiatos are yummy and we all have some fantastically supportive family and friends.  Thank you to every single person who has donated.  What I have learned: I could not ask for a nicer group of ladies with whom to do this crazy challenge.  (mary liz)

2 May 2008 - We are pleased that Alyse is joining the ladies of the night (that's what Las Nochelitas means).  Everyone (apart from me who is dealing with ill child) has done or is currently doing the last big one before the big night.  Now it's all downhill till we have to walk the walk. 

Jo gets fundraising queen award for getting Oxshott businesses to sponsor us.  Thank you to Jim in the wine shop (he is a font of wine knowledge - go support his shop), Ollie Lyons from Oliver Lyons Hair salon, the fantastic Raja restaurant, Surrey Hills Butchers and Boyce Thornton Estate Agents (who have sponsored us £50). She has also approached a number of local developers who shall remain nameless (until they sponsor us) who may or may not sponsor us.  One of us even lives in one your houses - go on be the first!  Well done to Jo and the Oxshott High Street businesses!

Thank you to each and every one of you for sponsoring us in London Moonwalk 2008!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us.   Walk The Walk Worldwide will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Many thanks for your support! 

"Las Nochelitas":   Jo Bourne, Holly Candlish, Mariana Le Saux, Helen Mason, Alyse Masserano, Annalise Perry, Donna Pourteymour, Mary Liz White