Monday 29 December 2014

Kilimanjaro - The people

So I posted a description of what our trip entailed back here. However what I remember more than the altitude in metres, the length of the days or the temperatures is the atmosphere and the people.

We went with a company called Action Challenge, they were really good in the lead up sending us fact sheets and reminders at appropriate times about visas, jabs etc. We also went on one of their training weekends to Snowdonia. So we were confident in them when we left.

We met our leader Rob and the doctor Nik at the airport, they were both organised and friendly but not too over involved at this point. Being usually very independent travellers I was a little unsure how going on a big group trip would be for us. It was fine though we all got checked in then were left to make our own way to the flight and while there were obviously a few points where we all got together for briefings, food etc before we left for the mountain it was actually very relaxed.

Once we left they were brilliant, when on day 2 I suddenly got altitude sickness not far from the camp doctor Nik carried my backpack then when we got to camp gave me meds to sort out my sickness. He was very reassuring that I'd be OK (I got it day 2 and was worried that I would just feel this rubbish all the time) as people who get it early tend to get over it sooner, which was right!

The local team were amazing, Action Challenge work with a company called Summit Africa in Tanzania for guides and porters. The head guide Charles was hilarious (not sure if intentionally or not) and kept us motivated. All the guides were fantastic, 2 of them carried my bag for me - without being asked they just saw I was struggling and took it off me. Gasper carried it on day 2, he was also working serving us food at mealtimes as well as being a guide. On summit night he came to the summit with us then served us lunch and dinner afterwards, on day 2 he carried my bag up to lava tower then served us lunch (I felt better after this and carried it myself!). On summit night Raymond carried my bag (I can't really remember when from I know I started out with it but by the summit didn't have it any more) plus kept an eye on me and Tom, helping us up rocky parts and practically holding my hand up most of it! Each break he got out my snacks and water for me, and made sure I had enough to eat. I kept offering him stuff but I think he found my vegetarian sweets a bit weird and preferred Tom's jaffa cakes!

These guys climb the mountain 2 or 3 times a month, they seemed to have OK kit and a lot of it had been donated by previous trips, we left a lot of stuff for them and Tom gave Raymond his poles. I felt like the recommended £150 tip per person just wasn't enough (especially once it had been divided between the 95 people in the team!), we gave more and a lot from our group did too.

The porters are another story. These guys carried our holdalls, all the camp stuff (including the toilets) as well as food and water and their own kit up the mountain and back. They also went much quicker than us, we would get to camp and it was all set up. They are paid less than the guides, but the company we went with did seem to look after them (they get a fair wage and also education and the chance to progress to being a guide etc). We did see porters and guides from other groups with less than adequate kit, Tom saw one guide in dress/office shoes on summit night and we saw many in sandals through the trip. If you're going make sure you go with a reputable company who looks after the porters and guides, they really are the hardest working people you will ever meet.

Our group is talking about organising something to raise some money or get some kit donated for our porters and guides to say thank you.

This kind of sums up our team really, everyone described it as our 'mountain family'...on day 1 at the hotel we were all awkwardly chatting and getting to know each other. By the last night we all decided to stay at the hotel bar rather than go out as we all wanted to stay together. The psychology of it is probably something to do with a shared hardship, common goal and lack of technology and distractions causing us to bond really quickly....but I just think it's because we had an awesome team!

I really identify myself as an introvert, I have a small group of very close friends rather than a large circle of acquaintances. I rarely ask for help preferring to do things myself, I struggle in group situations. I prefer to write on here, or Facebook, or just not say it at all, I rarely express my feelings even to Tom or my family. I hate being centre of attention and am very quiet usually until I get to know someone. Well on Kili that all went out the window! After day 2 I felt like I'd known some people in the group for so much longer, I have never cried so much in the space of 5 days, and I talked to some people about things my best friends have probably never heard about! Seriously I am almost crying writing this, I've had some kind of nervous breakdown I swear!

I think having a strong group really helped, I felt like I'd be letting the side down if I didn't make it. We were singing and dancing and doing the hokey cokey at Mweka gate. We couldn't understand why everyone else was just waiting in the queue to sign out while we were having a party, but Rob and Nik said most people just have a quick cheers then get on the bus. Someone asked Nik what this 'A Team' was we were singing about, like we were some kind of sports team, and what he'd been giving us...

Not wanting to sound like some kind of motivational speaker, or a soppy old git, but the people are what made the trip for me. I had thought the evenings would be me and Tom playing cards in the tent, maybe chatting to some other people. Little did I know there would be charades, headlamp raves, very rude stories involving 3 legged unicorns, laughter, singing, football chants, crying over birthday cakes, crying over wet tents, crying at the summit, crying at the tipping ceremony (must be the altitude, I am not usually a crier!), crying leaving the hotel...no excuse there I was just an emotional wreck.

Some things I won't forget from our trip:
On summit night Rob said he was going to split us into a faster group and slower group, as some people were struggling to keep up, and Scott just simply said why don't we just all walk slower and go together?
Sitting on a rock on summit night the last break we had before the sun came up and saying to someone (I think it was Scott again we must have gone a similar pace) that it wouldn't be long until the sun came up and then it would all be ok. We were going to make it. Then we had to stop talking as I couldn't breathe and talk and I was getting dizzy.
Georgie being upset because her tent was sodden and she was sleeping on her own anyway so had been cold. 2 other girls Sinead and Anya just got her to sleep in with them. No questions asked.
Everyone asking how people were doing who we knew were struggling (me being one of them for a few days) and offering support or snacks or just a well done when we made it to camp.
Sharing everything, snacks, hand warmers, kit, food, water, as naturally as if it was with my siblings. If someone needed something and you had it you gave it, nobody was keeping score of who gave and who took you just helped out.
Singing chants, and everyone's theme songs (everyone got a song on day 2, some stuck some didn't - the ones that stuck were the people who weren't doing so good and we would sing them whenever they got to camp or made it to a break point) and keeping morale up. It got as basic at one point as 'when I say team, you say morale'...when it was raining and cold and everyone's tents were wet, but it made us laugh.
Getting confused on summit night as we stopped for a break near another group and couldn't see anyone I recognised, and Georgie just reaching out and saying we're here (or something I don't actually remember the words), and being so relieved that we were still with the group. I think she was crying, I probably cried. Emotional wreck.
Looking out onto the view from Barafu camp on a clear night, stars above and the lights of Moshi below....all quiet and glorious until someone pipes up from the toilet tent 'There's a window! This is the best poo I've ever had'.
Dancing at the tipping ceremony, and singing ooooh Kilimanjaro and jumping around. So many other we saw just filmed the ceremony, and the dancing when they arrived to camp each day. Get involved, it's so much better!
If you are planning on going I can only hope you get a group like ours, if they aren't then sort it out. Start some singing, give yourself a team name and a chant ('We are the A Team we do what we want' became our mantra), play games in the mess tent, get to know everyone. It makes a long hard trek into an experience.

It's not too late to sponsor me!
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Saturday 20 December 2014

Kili - The experience

What did I take away from the trip? This seems to have been a regular question, well other than numb toes, sore knees and losing about a stone there were a lot of less physical things.

Say Yes
When I think about the Kilimanjaro 'experience' I count in all the training and fundraising too, as one big take away for me is that I can achieve a lot in my spare time and I can take on a challenge and succeed. One of my lessons from this is to say yes to more. I'm usually quite cautious and retiring and often said no to things or didn't volunteer myself in case it didn't work out. Tom really had to talk me into the Kili climb. However I've learned from this that if you put yourself out there and say yes to things the worst outcome is probably going to be that it doesn't pan out, then you are just back where you were before you started. What's to lose?
Lesson - Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.

Perseverance
I left not really knowing what to expect, but that it was going to be hard. However it was harder in different ways than I thought. The walking actually wasn't that challenging, we went at a slow pace and depending on the route you probably won't actually walk more than 10 miles in a day other than summit day. My training walks were all 10 miles plus so the distance wasn't an issue for me. What made it hard was the altitude, the terrain and the conditions. We had some wet, cold foggy days. We had nights when the water seeped through the bottom of our tents, and our kit got damp and cold. We walked up seemingly endless steep sections only to go back downhill again. Some of us did it on little sleep, or no food, or feeling breathless and ill. We did it all though, sometimes I felt like crying, and sometimes I did cry, but I made it.
Lesson - Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you'll get there.

Team Work
I made it to the summit, but not without a lot of support, moral and otherwise. However I made it, and I made it at the same time as others who didn't need so much help. I can be very insular, and often want to work alone. I tend not to take offers of help when I should. I had to swallow that pride on the mountain though, I had to take advice, help and hand holding. I wouldn't have made it without it though. Plus if I had made it without the A Team and the amount of memories and friends I made it wouldn't have been the same.
Lesson - It's still an achievement even if you have help, and sometimes the journey and who you meet on the way is more important than making it by yourself.

I can do that...
Since we got back I found that my gym classes seemed really easy and I have since changed gym, and I have a lot more confidence when climbing to try routes that are challenging. I'm not fitter than before I left, it's just that I am so much more willing to be challenged. I'm looking up other challenges and my general attitude is 'Psh, I climbed a mountain, I can do this'. Summit night was one of the hardest things I ever did, and the whole experience was so outside my comfort zone that it really made me appreciate what I can do when I have to. We bought a wooden giraffe as a souvenir on the bus back to the hotel. I named him Raymond, after the guide who carried my bags and held my hand on summit night. He lives in the hallway on the bookshelves and when I am leaving for a hard day, or something I don't want to do, then I look at him and remember that I climbed a mountain. I can do this.
Lesson - You can do more than you ever think you can, if you just get that voice in your head that says no to shut the heck up.

You can read the first 2 posts on the trip here and here.

Happy Christmas everyone reading, I'll be back before New Year with a post. I have no idea where I'm going next year blog wise...it seems to be a challenge to keep it up but I have a few more Kili things to talk about (I have not shut up about it since we got back) and I hope then I might get back to doing some home improvement things before the wedding completely takes over my life...4 months to go!

It's not too late to sponsor me!
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili 
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Sunday 9 November 2014

Kili Kit

After we climbed Kilimanjaro I took a bit of time to get my thoughts in order on a few things, so there'll be a few Kili posts coming up. I do also have some projects to show you as now we have a bit more spare time I've got some things done!

Kit was something I thought about a lot before we left, the rest of it is such an unknown, it's really only training and kit I felt I could prepare with! If you're preparing to go, or thinking about it, then you should have a kit list from your company. However we all took too much. We discussed that the kit list from the company we went with had far too much on there. I took things I didn't  use, and I gave a lot away to the porters and guides. I finally finished unpacking and washing all our stuff and thought I'd write a post about what I actually used. I'm no expert though and I've only been once this is just how it went for me, so consult the company you're going with if you aren't sure!!

The absolute essentials I would say are:
Boots - comfortable, well worn in, waterproof.

Day Pack - comfortable, with rain cover, 30L was fine (our kit list said 30-35L but my 30L was half empty most of the time). You need to be able to carry 3L of water at least, as well as snacks, sun cream, waterproofs, extra layers of clothes etc. Train with the bag on sometimes if you can.

Coat - Down or equivalent jacket. Warm, warmer the better we both had Montane down jackets and were warm enough.

Clothes - I took 1 gym type T-Shirt, 1 long sleeve trekking top, 1 pair thermal leggings and 1 long sleeve thermal top, 1 pair of trousers (zip offs), 1 pair waterproof over trousers and coat, 1 pair thick waterproof salopettes, 1 down jacket, 2 fleeces (for layering) and 1 body warmer. I also took 3 pairs of socks, 2 liner socks, one pair of thick summit night socks, and 3 pairs of knickers. I think I did ok here, the only thing I could have maybe done without was the body warmer but it was good for days when it was chilly but not cold enough for the down jacket, and it was an extra layer on summit night (notice in the photos how I am much more padded out than Tom). I would recommend not worrying about multiples of things other than for layering, rather take a variety of things than multiples of one item.

Accessories - liner gloves and thick ski gloves - essential. Tom didn't use his thick gloves but he is a freak of nature with excessively warm hands. Sun hat and warm hat - Essential especially if like me you are prone to sunburn, I can say I didn't burn at all which is an achievement for a pale redhead spending 6 days solid outside at the equator above the clouds.

Camera - you want to capture this, our point and shoot was good as we could just clip it on our bag by a carabiner. Some people used phones which weren't as reliable battery wise, some has DSLR's which looked like a pain to carry, but their photos were much better.

Sleeping bag - We rented 5 season sleeping bags, and used a fleece liner on the colder nights and we were toasty and slept like babies. I slept in my thermals some nights too but Tom didn't and was still warm.

Sleeping mat - we both took self inflating sleeping mats and they were a godsend. Most camps were on rocky ground, and on 2 nights the tents were wet on the ground, the mats kept us up off the floor even if just by a few mm and they were insulating too.

Sun cream - 100ml Factor 50 lasted us both as after day 1 you are really only applying it to your face (I decanted it into those flight bottles you can buy from boots), we took spf30 but didn't use it much. We also took after sun which was nice after a day in the sun to put on before we went to bed although we didn't actually get burnt.

Wet wipes - I took too many (two packs, could have done with one) but they were indispensable for having a 'bath' in the tent after a long day, also for wiping off kit, shoes etc.

Antibacterial gel and wipes and nail brush - There was water for hand washing in a bucket in camp most nights and I gave my hands a good brush each night with a nail brush and soap, but the alcohol gels were an essential for using before lunch or just through the day. I also used anti bacterial wipes on my hands, and wiped off the end of my camel pack hose and the water bottle mouths with them sporadically. Getting a stomach bug is really not going to help you reach the summit!

Walking poles - I had never used them before but they were good for the descent, and helpful to steady myself with when I was a bit wobbly. To be honest I wasn't sure about them on the flat ground and sometimes they got in the way on more scrambly parts, but if you get ones which easily fold down they they can just go on the back of your bag.

Bin liners - We were told to line our bags and also to put our stuff inside bin liners and ziplock bags to keep it dry. However our holdalls were put inside thick plastic bags anyway during transit so they stayed dry, we used the bin liners on two nights though on the bottom of our tents when water was seeping through to keep us dry so they were invaluable. The ziplock bags were useful for keeping things separated and ease of packing as well.

Lip salve - You will probably get chapped or dry lips.

Glasses wearers - Take some solution and a cloth, the volcanic dust really stuck to my lenses and I had this tip before I went which I was thankful of. I bought a mini kit from boots which included a wipe, solution and a little tool with spare screws etc. I also took a spare pair of glasses just in case as it would be over for me if I broke my glasses unless someone was willing to literally guide me up there step by step.

Throat Sweets and Tissues - After summit night everyone had a runny chapped nose and a sore throat. I took plenty of losenges as I had heard about this before we went, they were essential and I gave lots out to others. I didn't take any tissues though and wish I had, I was using loo roll to blow my nose which didn't help with the soreness.

Meds - I went a bit OTT here but I always do. You need to take painkillers, anti inflammatories, throat losenges, plasters and blister plasters as a minimum. I also took antihistamine cream (I always get bitten and I did use this) and deep heat rub, loperamide capsules as well as immodium melts, some dulcolax, some dressings, stoma pouch extensions (best things for back of heel blisters!) and some antiseptic cream. I didn't use most of it and took too many of each thing, but it would be worse to need it and not have it right?

What we took which we could have lived without:
Snacks - I would take some but not so many. I lost my appetite from altitude. Plus we were so well fed that I probably would have only needed minimal snacks even if I was eating normally (cooked breakfast, 3 course lunch and 3 course dinner every day!). They were good as a morale boost, on summit night it was nice to have some sweets every time we stopped and I saved my favourite ones until then however for the rest of the week I hardly touched the massive amount of food I took. If I went again I would take a few packets of sweets and 3 protein bars at the most. This will vary per person though on how you eat at home.

Electronics - We only used the camera. I took my Ipod and never used it, we both also took our phones mainly as back up in case the camera died but didn't use them either. We took 2 spare camera batteries too as we had heard the cold can cause batteries to die. We put our electrical items in our sleeping bags at night though and it was fine so we didn't need them.

Gaiters - I wore them on summit night but didn't think they really did anything, although my Salopettes had sort of in built gaiters too. Tom didn't wear his at all.

Ear plugs - We slept well, I used ear plugs briefly on the first night but found them uncomfortable.

Loo roll - We took a roll of toilet paper each and only used it for drying the bottom of our tent when it got rained on, I would alternate one of these rolls for some packs of nice tissues for noses. There was a toilet tent in camp with loo roll, so we weren't going to use a whole roll each as well over 5 days!

Cosmetics - There was talc and vaseline on our kit list which we all brought but were a bit mystified as to why. We only used the vaseline afterwards for chapped noses after summit night. We didn't use the talc, some people did on their feet or after a wash on their bodies but only because they brought it. I also took a small pot of moisturiser  in case of chapped skin on my face, which I didn't use as I had after sun.

Cards, a book, ipod etc - We didn't need any evening entertainment as our team was very sociable and we played charades, sang, talked etc in the mess tent most nights. Also you will be tired and going to bed early, so don't need too much entertainment for the down time.

Hope that's helpful to someone I read a few similar posts before I went and found it useful to compare what others had taken and found useful or not.

Sponsor me to climb Kilimanjaro! 
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Thursday 16 October 2014

Kili done!

We climbed Kilimanjaro last week.
Still can't get my head around the fact that we have actually done it. It was the hardest but best thing I have ever done.
I'll do some more in detail posts on kit, best/worst bits, guides porters and tips for anyone maybe considering going or just more interested in the details, but here's a short round up on what happened.

We flew out to Tanzania on 3/10/14 and arrived on 4/10/14 tired and ready for a nights sleep at a hotel. As usually independent travellers it was interesting to be corralled in with a big group, but we went with the flow. After a briefing and kit check we had some free time to chat to the rest of our group (23 including the leader and doctor). The next morning we were up early and onto the bus, finally on the way! We waited for some time at the gate, waiting for all the bags to be weighed and the paperwork filled out.
Day 1. Finally, around 11am I think, we were on the way. Day one was pretty good, getting to know everyone in the group as well as the guides. We walked through the forest and it was steep but not too challenging. We had a pretty lively night at the first campsite, machame camp, with games, singing and dancing, and a headlamp rave. Nobody had any altitude effects too bad yet, we were at 2800m.
Day 2 was harder, both terrain wise and because I started getting some altitude sickness. The terrain was rocky and steep with a lot of clambering, we gained a lot in height that day and got to 3800m that night camping at Shira camp. The sickness came over me pretty fast, I started off feeling ok then after one steep ascent suddenly felt sick, sleepy and dizzy. This didn't go away on resting and I just wanted to lie down. We got to camp for lunchtime though so I had plenty of time to lie down and try (unsuccessfully) to eat and not throw up.
Day 3. After a good nights sleep at Shira camp and some diamox and anti sickness tablets I felt better the next day, ready for lava tower. This is the highest we would go before summit night, we left Shira camp at 3800m, got to lava tower at 4600m for lunch (where I felt surprisingly ok, having felt rough the whole way up I just magically got over it at some point!) then went back down to 3900m at Barranco camp. This was a hard day, not helped by wet weather and the tents being wet when we got to camp. The team pulled together though and helped each other out. I'll write a post about our amazing team and how it helped us to have such a cohesive and motivating team, it'll be a soppy one guys be warned!

Day 4. We got up early, and after a rather breathless rendition of happy birthday and a hokey cokey to warm up we were off to climb barranco wall. A few people in our team had found looking at the wall all evening intimidating, being climbers we were looking forward to it! Although it was easier that we are used to (it's a scramble not a climb) the altitude effects made it hard, Tom climbs grade 6C's and is breaking into 7's but even he got our of breath going up Barranco! I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest at one point. After a photo break at the top we were then off on an undulating up and down through Karanga Valley to Barafu Camp at 4600m. We ate then off to bed early as we had to be up at 12 for the summit.
Summit Night. This came around fast, we were merrily dancing around the morning before, now we were all eating breakfast at 11pm and offering to share out hand warmers and sweets. This was it. We were off. It was 6 hours of walking in the dark up a steep slope, in the cold, with wind. However, it was a full moon and a clear night, we could see Moshi illuminated below us, and the snake of headlamps going to to the summit. Every stop I tried to soak in the beauty, but to be honest it's a bit of a blur. I remember people being sick (one memorable quote was 'Ed's puking everywhere so we're having a 10 minute break') and people turning back, but our team carried on. We tried to sing and chat like we had on previous days but it was decidedly lacklustre for a while then petered out and we just marched on. But at the breaks we tried to motivate each other, we talked about how the sun would be up soon, and offered sweets and snacks around, or even just gave someone a pat on the back and said 'well done'. Raymond our guide dragged me up a few points, and carried my bag, and kept me smiling at breaks. These guys are incredible. When we heard the sun would be up in half an hour we got quite excited, then once it did come up we basked in it like reptiles!
Reaching Stella point seemed the longest part, you can see it for so long but it takes forever to get there. Then it's a little longer to the peak, not a challenging walk but I didn't want to go...we did though. Tom cried, I cried, everyone cried at some point that day I think. We wandered about a bit dazed at the summit.

It's a bit of a scrum at the top to get a photo by the sign, so we muscled in and then started the long descent down. Do not underestimate this part, the descent from the summit back to Barafu took hours,  my toes were in so much pain that I cried (I have never cried so much in the space of 5 days). Tom fell over a few times. Then it was lunch then another 2 hours down to Millennium camp where we all felt better, it's 3900m still though. We had dinner, then all went off to bed pretty much straight after. Tom and I slept for 10 hours!
Last day. We had the tipping ceremony, and a last dance on the mountain, then it was off down to the bottom. It was a loooong downhill, but we were in high spirits (although mine ran out about an hour from the end when the pain in my feet was almost bringing me to tears, typing this I still cannot feel my toes properly). I had a minor cry when I saw the sign for Mweka gate (not a full on sob just a little tear and a thank you prayer!). We had some Kili beers, champagne, a last hokey cokey and a laugh (we were a loud group!)...then off on the bus.

I'll write a bit more in detail once I organise my thoughts on it, I'd like to write something about the guides and porters, and altitude, and some tips for girls specifically, and on what I took away from this. It will take me a while to get it all down, and it's so hard to describe unless you've been there what it was like....and I don't think I'll be able to accurately describe the 'A Team' we went with :)
It's not too late to sponsor me! 
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Tuesday 16 September 2014

A lot of hot air

A few weeks ago we had to move all our furniture out of the hallways and the bathroom cupboard. The house looked like this for a day or two...
We just slid the wardrobe out of the way as we can't really put it anywhere else, we put a blanket under it to avoid damaging the floor.
We covered the turtle tank for dust, and just threw all the stuff out of the bathroom cupboard in the bath.
Where was all the other furniture? Piled up in the bedroom...
 And it was all for this...can you see it?
It's the vent on the top left, we finally got our mould solution fitted!

Back in this post I mentioned the mould problems we have had, and the landlord had promised he would sort something as opening windows didn't seem to be doing anything.

So 2 weeks ago we had this PIV unit fitted. The part in the hallway is a lot more noticeable!
We have a decorator coming to possibly box it in, and tidy up all the plaster and paint. The switch was originally lower down but the landlord wanted it moved higher. Gives us more freedom with furniture and does look neater. Well it will do once it's all tidied up.
I've cleaned all the walls again and the furniture that was affected. See those light grey/green streaks on the table? They're not wood grain, they're mould. Lush. Everything has been bleached within an inch of its life to kill off the mould (other than the bedroom ceiling as I can't reach it) and fingers crossed it won't be back.
The unit brings fresh air into the rooms which don't have windows to try to get some air movement in the flat and avoid the condensation issues we have been having. I'm not really 100% sure how it works but also it exchanges the air, through the existing extractor fan flue in the hallway. There is a switch we can put on for it to heat the incoming air too so it won't be too draughty in winter. It apparently will work for a 3 bedroom house so we're hoping it will solve our problem. I have noticed that the air in the rooms with no windows feels less stale, but only time will tell over the winter if it helps with the mould.

The decorator will also repaint the rooms affected by the mould. This is the whole bedroom, one wall in the living room and the bathroom. Apparently the bathroom was just painted in matt paint, so this time it's going to be done in bathroom paint, as it is peeling but with being a basement bathroom with no windows that's to be expected.

All in all I'm just happy something has been done, it's good to have a landlord who actually acts on issues!

Sponsor me to climb Kilimanjaro! 
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili 
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Saturday 13 September 2014

Weekend Inspiration

4 day weekend! I have Monday and Tuesday off work...just to use up some holiday but it's also our anniversary on Tuesday, so we are off out for a nice meal Monday night at the Daffodil and then out for a hike Tuesday before going to set the menu at our wedding caterers. Today's agenda is clean the flat and relax as I've already been to the gym, and I'm hoping to get a project done tomorrow.

Onto the inspiration, I've always though having a hammock in the garden would be good but dangerous as I would spend far too much time in it. This set up with fairy lights would be so relaxing in the evenings I would probably end up sleeping out there!
This small area of open shelving adds in some functional space to a small kitchen. It would be great for keeping small items off the counter while adding some storage space into a wall where you may not have enough room for cabinets. I also love that you can wash up the bowls etc then dry them and put them back on the shelf without moving.
Pink is not my colour, but I love this coordination here. I would pick maybe green or blue, or yellow...but this house just looks so put together and stylish with the bright pops of colour.
Have a lovely weekend all, I'm off to make something nice for lunch xx

Sponsor me to climb Kilimanjaro! 
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Sunday 31 August 2014

Weekend Inspiration

I hope you're all having a great weekend? I've been having a busy one so far with a run and hill walk yesterday and then some friends round for pizza and a film, and off visiting family today. Maybe a cheeky run or hill walk too as it's now less that 5 weeks until we climb Kilimanjaro!

Still been pinning as usual though, so onto the weekend inspiration for this week.

Green floors. Something I never thought I'd like but these look so glossy and because the walls are white it doesn't seem to be too much. Also how nice is the light fixture?
I think I pinned this for the headboard, but the coral, gold and neutral colour palette is lovely, if maybe a little feminine for a shared bedroom but you could sub some aqua in for the coral.
I thought this kitchen and dining area is the perfect mix of rustic, casual and glam for me! The chandeliers add a bit of fancyness, but the space looks relaxed and not too formal. Plus I love the table and the chairs look nice and comfy...
Have a great Sunday everyone xx

Sponsor me to climb Kilimanjaro! 
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Saturday 23 August 2014

Weekend Inspiration

And I'm back in the room!

Sorry for the unplanned hiatus, I've been sorting lots of things like visas, inoculations and kit for Kilimanjaro. Plus having 6 different inoculation's over the past week has made my body think it is being attacked resulting in horrible flu type symptoms while it tries to fight them all off...thankfully it seems to be getting better today! I've done no exercise since Tuesday and every day counts now it's only 6 weeks until Kilimanjaro so I'm off for a jog this morning (armed with lots of tissues!).

Not a lot else to report about this week, although we have had some work done on the flat and I will write a post about it.

As usual more on my pinterest page, and here is this week's selection of inspiration pics.

Along with a trunk to use as a coffee table I am forever on the look out for a sideboard like this to use as a TV unit in our living room. So far not found anything suitable, but I'm not actively looking and after the wedding and Kili maybe I'll actually have some money for furniture and can start looking! In the meantime look at the shape of this one...gorgeous!
This room caught my eye because it is modern and bright but still keeps and celebrates some of the period features. Also the grey toned flooring really adds to the light and bright feel, although I'd have gone with a different light fixture in here probably something metallic and a bit more simple...
This modern dining nook really makes such use of the window, and would make a great versatile space. You can eat there, the kids can do their homework, I would sit there to read (albeit with more cushions) or browse the web. Plus it looks so clean and simple which in a dining/kitchen area is always good for easy maintenance!
Have a great bank holiday weekend UK readers, I'm off for a hopefully not to sniffly run and then a BBQ later, maybe a hike tomorrow then as it's meant to rain all day Monday I'll be cleaning the flat and writing some more posts!
Sponsor me to climb Kilimanjaro! 
www.justgiving.com/katie-kili
  JustGiving - Sponsor me now!