The Amazing Hursts....continued

Wow. Including gift aid the total raised from Simon & Christine Hurst's 25th wedding anniversary sacrifice stands at a staggering £710.89. Fantastic.

Today is the actual day of their anniversary so huge congratulations to them both. And sorry for the embarrassing speech on Saturday.

Simon told me that they had a romantic supper a deux and al fresco, to mix foreign accents, in their recently made-over garden so the magic is clearly still there after 25 years. Congratulations - and thanks - again.

The cumulative amount raised has now burst through the £3k barrier and I'm energized to really attack the (ridiculously ambitious) target of £25k over the remaining months. Watch this space....

A couple of other snippets of info:

• Thanks to Jon for bringing to our attention the program on Everest tonight. Frostbite, death, oedemas, avalanches...really encouraging. The colour drained from Mrs M as we watched it
• Thanks to Sarah from the anniversary party for her useful advice from her Inca Trail experience: eat a huge breakfast; eat lots all day every day; don't take Nurofen, it makes you sick at altitude - take Paracetomol; curb your competitive instincts and take time to smell the roses, metaphorically: the camp is in the same place each evening, whether you get there first or last. Enjoy the whole experience, don't rush it. Thanks, Sarah

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save

Will Rogers