Thursday 19 June 2008

The world needs to slow down!

I really can't believe yet again another month or two has passed. Life became very hectic, and I seem to be chasing time and never catching it. I have been having fun tho. The week before my birthday Jim took me out on the Goldwing for a birthday surprise. We wove our way through country roads and turned up at a field. Yes I could see what was in the field and I could barely contain my excitement. I immediately knew what the surprise was.

We climbed of the bike and walked over to a building beside the field, and waited outside he had been told to arrive early and indeed we were. Elderly gentleman starts talking , "is this your first time ?" he says. "Yes" says Jim and I in unison. "I do it all the time" says the elderly gentleman. "Wow" says I looking at this guy who wasn't a day under 75 and walking with a stick. "You do" says I. "love it" says he.

Then a few more people arrived all smiling and happy and some do it every week and would do it more often others like me it was a first time, and was given as a gift. Now you are all asking what is it. Clues coming up

We all went to the fence round the field and looked " gosh its smaller than I thought" says I. Rather nice man comes across and says ok we need to give you all a briefing first.

So everyone including those who were regulars and the beginners had a briefing, we were to go down the field in order and as it was such a good day it could take 30 mins. I was third so i trotted off down the field and watched and felt quite sick.

Then my turn came out across the field another briefing and the parachute went on ( it weighed a ton) then instructions how to step in. I stepped in slid down was belted in. more instructions. Then the front plane took off and hauled us up to 3000 feet ... yes you got it , it was a gliding lesson. The tow plane dropped the line and we were gliding in the glider oh myyyy , even when the vertigo kicked in i was going of this is fantastic.

We 'flew' around for about 30 mins catching the wind< i had a go at controls and turned the glider and went up and went down then we finally came into land The instructor took over and very gently put the glider down in the rough field... it was so good I could have gone up again... a great experience and a wonderful gift. This was something on my I want to do before I die list.

The following week on my birthday off we went on the bike again to Slemish which is a 'mountain' or a very high hill depends on your perspective. Another i want to do though I really only wanted to see it and was expecting to walk to the base say very nice and go for a cup of tea. No not Jim after i went this is great etc. he says oh we are going to the top! I took his temperature and no he wasn't sick. and being fairly adventurous i said OK but i didn't like heights and he promised to turn if it really got bad. I thought this will be a gentle sort of amble up the side of this .. NOPE got that wrong we climbed oh let me rephrase that he climbed and he pulled me up I got dragged up, My legs don't go as high as they used to and everything is so stiff, not supple anymore. we climbed the rock face, i muttered mightily at first under my breath and as the climb got steeper and more difficult louder and louder. Each mutter was dismissed by we are nearly there.

we did get to the top and we could see all 6 counties of Ulster and see the islands of Scotland the view was worth everything, till i thought how do we get down! He scrambled down I came down 2/3 of it on my bottom, sliding and manoeuvring my feet to find something solid to step onto.

We did make it to the bottom and another tick of the list.

The next day I started a new job 1 hour drive to and from work adds on a lot of hours and not mcuh sewing gets done.

I did finish topping a cot quilt and I normally would quilt these myself but the baby is now born so I will leave it with the longarmer this weekend. It is only small but if i dont the baby will be a teenager before he gets it.