1950s Pin Up

OK...so the photo from my hen party 1950s pin up photo shoot has arrived.

Here it is:

Holly, Gabby & Sarah all have pics...I'll see if I can get my hands on them too!

CS

Van Sun Run 2013

This year I got involved with the Vancouver Sun Run. It's only 10K but it's the largest 10k in North America with more than 50,000 people running. To put it into perspective, 30,000 people typically run the London marathon; 50,000 is a lot of people.

This is a photo, taken by the Vancouver Sun, at the start of the race:

I was reasonably close to the front of the crowd at the start line. I ran the race in 54 minutes (a good effort for me) and was in the top 8000 finishers out of 50,000 (not too embarrassing).

I walked home afterwards and two hours after I'd began the race, some people were only just leaving the 'start' line. That's what happens when 50,000 people run.

It was a fun day & I'm glad I got involved.

Will I do it next year? Perhaps not...I was bashing people with my elbows most of the way round. Having more room & running a greater distance will be my next feat.

CS

UK hen!

My UK hen started as soon as I landed at the airport from Canada. Dad drove like batman to get me to Stafford in time for the antics to begin...

On arrival, I was immediately greeted by eight of my nearest & dearest, along with a glass of champagne, 20 white roses and a glamorous pink cake:

After a quick shower, I was then ushered into 'hair and make up' for a 1950s pin up photoshoot. Sarah, Holly and Gabby also joined in the fun & those photos will be shared in due course...

Sarah - my bestest & Chiefy - then handed me my 'costume' for the evening - a glamorous 1950s dress, and the ladies joined me in getting glammed up for the occasion:

Holly & Gabby were looking particularly fit - check them out:

We then cruised into town in style...in a 'big taxi':

It was excellent to be reunited with my uni buddies, Clare and Rach. I was particularly in awe of Rach who is 4 1/2 months pregnant and was 'game on' all evening. She even braved going backwards in a limo (a bold move!):

Next stop...Pillar, a restaurant & club in Staffordshire. It's was a fun place and we had a private section all to ourselves, in which the conversation & champagne flowed. Mum can be commended for fighting off the flirty waiter, and Clare for offering to 'sell his story' to the media:

We finished by dancing the night away in Red, the club attached to the restaurant. We all noted how the general population in Staffordshire is noticeably smaller than London (bizarre).

Sunday was equally epic. After a lazy morning we hit a local spa and enjoyed the sauna, streamroom, jacuzzi, pool & massage treatments. Kat & Gabby impressed us by going to the gym. Sarah, Holly and I watched.

The weekend finished with afternoon tea and cakes.

A crazy rollercoaster of a weekend that I'll remember forever. Thank you Sarah Spain for organizing it from start to finish, and thank you to the ladies for travelling from London, Leeds, Manchester, Surrey and Buckinghamshire, to celebrate it with me.

Also thank you to my Twinling, Stevo, for the surprise visit and Dad, for putting up with a house packed with hens!

CS