Story
<p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>DEVIZES TO WESTMINSTER IN A CANOE</strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">6th, 7th, 8th, 9th APRIL 2012 </span></strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to visit our just giving page for Cancer Research UK, our aim is to raise £500, which will help towards finding cures for cancer.</p>
<p>As most of you are aware Haydn and I supported the boys (Sam and Ben) last year when they completed the DW in 27 hours straight through! So we know how gruelling the event is.</p>
<p>BUT.......</p>
<p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Life is a challenge, meet it - </span></span></em></strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><span style="color: #000000;">words quoted by Mother Theresa</span></span></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #ff0000;">.</span></span></p>
<p>Well we certainly have a challenge ahead of us, 125 miles of canal and Thames to paddle along. There are 77 portages, this means when a lock or low swing bridge confronts us we have to climb out, then run ( or walk!) carrying our canoe and then put it back in the water with us hopefully in the canoe and not swimming around in the water! We would like to finish the course within 24 hours, a dream or reality? We will let you know on Monday 9th April.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We've put in the practice, six months so far, we have a fantastic support crew, who without, we would certainly not succeed. Thanks Guys! We now need the help of <span style="color: #ff0000;">YOU,</span> our family and friends to achieve the target of raising money for our two chosen charities, Cancer Research and Macmillan Support., please sponsor us so we can raise as much money as possible for these two deserving charities. With your help we know we can raise the money, with our support crews help and our determination we know we can finish the race. We will give it our all to reach Westminster.(even if we end up divorced)!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000;">26.02.12</span></strong></span></p>
<p>Practised yesterday, 27 miles, weather good, flow on water good, husband not so good, had a bad moment when fishermen were ahead and i worried about getting tangled in their line so i slowed down (I know it's not like me to worry) Didn't speak for a good few miles!!!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><span style="color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;">3rd and 4th March 2012</span></strong></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Unbelievable difference in weather over two days!!! Saturday was a beautiful day, paddled 16 miles. One swan was a lilltle bolshy, but we paddled faster to get out of his way. Achieved 4.6 miles an hour which we were pleased with. Thanks Nick and Kev for supporting us.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Sunday was awful weather, started off in the rain finished in the snow!!!!!! It was the worst paddle conditions we have personally experienced. I fell over backwards when we were getting the boat out of the water! Luckily It didn't hurt because my bum was so numb from the cold. We were saturated and freezing and struggled to portage quickly and run because of the cold and rain/snow. Our trousers were falling down and we had to help each other to yank them up, we looked a sight.. Only managed 4 miles an hour !!!!! too slow.....Thanks Lal and Sam for supporting us in appalling conditions.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> 10.03.12</span></em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Result! Best time ever today, 5.3 miles an hour. 34 miles completed, six hours and 23 minutes, was I chuffed!! If that time can be achieved over the Easter weekend we will be over the moon, everything crossed then.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">17.03.12</span></em></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Today we paddled 20 miles, I thought it would be a walk in the park after last week, <strong><em>mistake ! </em></strong>The conditions were not as good as the previous week and 20 miles was longer than I thought!!!! The rollers at two locks were a little more difficult to negotiate than we thought, but we now know what to do with them. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;"><strong>03.04.12</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;"> </span><span style="color: #000000;">We've paddled a few more miles, met some feisty swans again, can't wait to meet them again sometime over the weekend!!!!!!</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Now we are waiting for Friday, very, very nervous; me not Haydn!</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><em><strong>Thank You All </strong></em></span>for sponsoring us and all your good wishes. You achieved our target of raising £500, now all we have to do is reach the end!!!!!!</span></p>
<p><strong><em><span style="color: #000000;"> </span></em></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>