Well so much for the weather forecast this weekend! There I was, braced for the monsoon season predicted and what did we get - hot sun and blue skies. Well, mostly - unless you were in Suffolk on Sunday. Leaving behind the flat lands of Essex (actually, they're not that flat) I headed off for the 90 mile trip to Dunwich Heath with a good friend and his cheeky doggy - off to explore and practise our navigation skills - map and compass verses GPS! Parking at the RSPB reserve I was thrilled at the wide expanse of heathland which had vibrant bursts of Heathery blooms splashing the landscape with purple splurges. Set against the darker scrub and the grey, ominous sky it was quite something. Then we headed off, in a rather round-about way thanks to my infamous navigation skills, towards the forest. En route we spotted a beautiful Roe Deer relaxing in the shrubs. Chaffinch's serenaded us and the grey skies meant the heat from the day before was kept in-check and didn't threaten to overwhelm our canine walker or us! After a picnic lunch in the forest we headed into the village of Dunwich in search of a dog friendly pub but alas - no such luck, so it was a cup of tea on the seafront before winding our way back towards the car via the clifftop paths. The GPS did a grand job, apart from missing out the bit in the forest (no good for Hansel and Gretel then..hee, hee) and took us to within a few paces of the car - as did my trusty map and compass. Mind you, I'm desperately in need of my navigation refresher course at the end of the month. I only had to suffer a small amount of teasing and tuition from my companion who is a bit of a dab hand at this navigation lark - but not as good as our doggy friend who made it quite clear he knew the way back anyway and wondered what all the fuss was with strange gadgets and bits of paper!!! Smart creatures dogs....far too smart. We completed a lovely 7 mile(ish) walk and the variety of landscape and features was truly outstanding. Hope to come back up this way again and take in Orford Ness next time - a stunning National Trust site a bit lower down the coast with interesting historical aspects (Sturdy - put that anorak away.....). All in all a fab day but we couldn't believe it when we crossed the county line back into Essex out came the sun and blue skies everywhere - typical. Mind you, the cooler weather was better for walking and at least this way we could enjoy a relaxing evening by the River Blackwater watching the boats and enjoying some well earned fish and chips.

It suddenly dawned on me today that it's only 13 weeks until I tackle Ben Nevis and I'm really worried that my training is not sufficient to take on this challenge in a comfortable way so think I'll have to get out and do a bit more challenging walking, head into the gym and start looking at the route and get some accommodation sorted - would probably help! Fundraising is going well but I'm sure there are a few of you out there that may like to help support Marie Curie so please feel free to visit my online fundraising page at: http://www.justgiving.com/sturdygirl - every penny really does count.

I'm off to Somerset this weekend to catch up with Pat and, hopefully, walk around my lovely Gorge!

All for now.

Sturdy.

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