UK Holiday - Why paddle our own canoe?

Off on holiday at the moment - heading northwards. We had a sunny weekend in Llanymynech with Brother in Law's family with some gentle walking. Powis Castle Gardens on Saturday and from the house on Sunday. Husband adapted a hoop running game that we saw on Last Woman Standing to keep the boys interested in the Sunday walk - throw a ball ahead, then try to find it. They were also really keen to show us the old quarry's rails, connected to the huge Hoffman kiln and tower in the village.

Then further up to Cumbria to Middle Sister's home near Kendal.

We went paddling today on Windermere with Middle Brother In Law (MBIL??) and toddler nephew C. The plan was to use our inflatable, with MBIL using his lovely big "proper" canoe. but we worked out it would be quicker to set up and easier to keep C entertained on the water if we all went in the proper canoe. Husband in the back providing power, MBIL in teh middle proving local knowledge and skills advice and me in the front doing what I was told (for once!). C was extremely well behaved - he got excited about seeing a steam train. I was more excited by a red breasted merganser swimming along with her brood of ducklings. Getting canoe envy now - I think we may be getting a proper one if we ever get a garage for it to live in!

Blow Up Boat

Our inflatable kayak had its maiden voyage today! Decided that the upper reaches of Loch Crearn looked sheltered enough to try it out & we were with Middle Sister, Brother-In-Law & Nephew 3 who have a big traditional style canoe. The kayak was easy to inflate & handled pretty well - much more exposed to wind than the trad canoe, but we got a little more speed up thanks to kayak style paddles.

Felt quite exciting going into slightly choppy waves on the way back - it kind of bounces over them.

Today's pic is of the house - we played a very chaotic rounders game after tea - included Husband rugby tackling Mum! Beautiful sunny day with daylight beyond half 9.

Lefkas - Monday

Having not really sussed this sail thing on Saturday, Husband and I both signed up for Dinghy 1 for a second time this morning. So much better! No spillages & we both felt we were tacking better and had more control of our respective dinghies.

Went out with Mum-ish and Dad-ish on the kayaks - didn't go as far as on Sunday as we stuck to what R & T felt confident doing. They were really good - very co-ordinated - but R got a blister on her hand.

Lazy afternoon with some snorkelling from the little beach.

I had 2 classes at 5 - Abs and Stretching - both areas I tend to neglect so it was good to get some new ideas. Both were in the very picturesque Yoga Hut with views of the bay.

Then did a very very slow run- just 20 mins on the main road.

Lefkas - Sunday

Kayaking in the morning - south from the resort to a little cafe. Husband & I have some work to do on our new inflatable kayak as our teamwork was sadly lacking! The kayak was also lacking a skeg & rudder - which also didn't help - but I think it was more down to Husband & I that we zigzagged around so much.

26K ride in the afternoon - this time on Specialized Hardrock Pro bikes. Mostly tarmac but a good section of off road as we approached Half Moon Bay. The bikes were fine if not exactly new - apprently they started their lives at Crystal's mountain resorts doing proper downhill stuff, then got sent to Lefkas for retirement! I had a brief dip at the bay - very proud of wriggling in and out of bikini without flashing anyone.

30 mins on the X trainer and then used the chest press.

Tardy Blogger

I've been a bit remiss of late - nearly a week since I last blogged....

Bike ride from the house on Friday night - much more fun than the gym. On Saturday, I had another brief ride - Eastleigh & back to get some shopping.

I worked harder on Sunday than I think I ever have before! Went sea kayaking with Husband with a group from Keyhaven salt marshes near Lymington for my birthday treat.

We've done it before - Abel Tasman in NZ was fab and we enjoyed kayaking over a Roman city in Turkey on our honeymoon. I tried to focus on getting my technique better - learning where to place the paddle blades and how to manoeuvre something that really wants to go in a straight line.

The weather was a bit mixed - but the sun came out - eventually - and so did the wind after lunch - harder and earlier than expected. Husband fell out of his boat getting into it in the afternoon and twisted his side nastily. He tried to carry on, but the pain was too much & he had to pull out. He then had the deep joy of lugging a kayak about a mile to get to the nearest road so he could be picked up later.

Meanwhile, I paddled on - should have been easy as it was with the tide, but it was against the wind which was a stronger influence. And wind over tide = choppy! Hard, hard work - the instructor ended up towing one girl!

I love being out on the water and I enjoyed the challenge of paddling for 6 hours-ish in tricky conditions. Saw lots of birds - egrets, geese, oystercatchers, lapwings and curlews. Good views of Hurst Castle & the Isle of Wight.

I'm keen to go again but (understandably) Husband is less keen. I'll just have to book myself onto a trip on a day when he is otherwise engaged!

And boy, how I ached on Monday! Especially my thighs! So weirdly, I skated really well. We did stepping into forwards from backwards - which wasn't a problem - and continued to work on backwards chassis.

Body Combat tonight was ace - first time in 2 or 3 months. Cheesiest music was Alice Cooper Schools Out and I also enjoyed My Chemical Romance towards the end. My abs complained about being worked for the first time in ages...