Granada...

Guest blog - the boys let me do our blog today... brave or stupid?

Day Eighteen - Girl Friday - The Reality

When Douglas Junior mentioned to me two years ago that he was planning on doing something spectacular for his 40th birthday, I imagined a lot of glitz and a little glamour. He told me what his plan was and my first thought was ‘are you mental?’ Then he told me that he'd roped in two of his friends to do it with him and I figured the mental streak was catching!
When I volunteered to be their Girl Friday, I assumed it would simply be a case of throwing the odd orange at them from the car window, transporting their luggage to the next stop in between shopping for lunch and drinking coffee. How wrong can one girl be?

It has to be said that the reality is really quite different from my somewhat naïve imagination. I did not imagine breaking quite so many fingernails in such a short space of time. Given I only have ten fingers and I’m now well into double figures, there’s definitely something wrong with this picture. I spent most of the first week with rather attractive plasters covering two fingers after stabbing myself with the bread knife, not once but twice, wearing gloves while preparing food and different gloves to scrub their clothes. Whose bright idea was it that I washed the shorts?! Glamorous indeed!

It’s fair to say that I have consumed a lot of coffee (and smoked a lot), mostly to stay awake after the 6.30am starts every morning and the late night finishes. Some of the coffee has been good, some not so good but all of it serving its purpose. Having been a late starter in drinking coffee, I never really understood the caffeine hit before. I most certainly understand it now.

I’ve listened to terrible banter about Pi and artichokes and counting wheel rotations. I have heard a whole lot more about Campbell’s bum than any girl should, although I’m grateful to have been spared the photo of said chaffing. I have considered that perhaps Campbell’s backside needs its own Facebook page though… Chaffed Cheeks perhaps? All in all I've laughed more than I've cried.

From nagging them to apply sun cream, chastising them for not wearing helmets on big climbs, insisting they smile in photos and ensuring that the farting goes downwind, it is fair to say that they’re probably sick of the sound of my voice. I’m sure my day (or indeed days) of PMT, running out of smokes and getting lost several hundred times was the low point for me (and quite possibly for them!)

However, the high points have outweighed the lows by a mile. From having a week long birthday because none of them knew which day it was and wished me happy birthday every day, to the scenery through France and into Spain and then insisting they jump into a freezing cold swimming pool simply because they couldn’t say no as it was actually my birthday. It has been a pretty fabulous experience for me, both personally and photographically. Although when I manage to get the right settings on my camera first time I’ll be doing well. Having Ary with me for the first part and my Dad here now has been an absolutely joy. It’s been great to have a helping hand. This supporting lark is very definitely a two man job or I’d still be going round and round a roundabout somewhere in Calais!

The boy’s low points have, however, remained a secret. Whilst I’m fairly sure there have been several for each of them, they have not complained once (other than about the chaffing of course). They have got out of bed every morning at ridiculous o'clock and they have cycled damn near 100 miles a day, sometimes more. That’s a serious distance with some serious hills to climb and they deserve serious respect for their efforts. That’s most likely more than you or I have ever done and I’m hugely impressed with all three of the boys for digging deep enough to motivate themselves to get out of bed every morning and do it all over again when they’re tired and sore from the days before.

It makes me very proud to have been able to be part of their efforts, even when I’m cursing them for leaving their bottles at their backsides and for not doing the pube check before they give me their sweaty cycling shorts to be washed. They have raised a massive amount of cash for charity and it keeps on coming which is amazing. I may have underestimated just how much hard work would be involved in this Girl Friday lark but not once have I had any doubt that they would complete such a massive challenge. They’ve put up with my crabbit mornings, before coffee and nicotine and haven’t told me to sod off once. They’ve listened to me nag (probably worse than they get at home) and still haven’t complained. I may be knackered and in dire need of my own bed, I’m sure they need that more than me, yet they’re still smiling.
We have a week to go and still a lot of miles left to pedal to Morocco so your support from back home is incredible encouragement and gratefully received to keep us all going.

The Cinderella slippers will fit and I shall go to the bed (and the duvet – what is with these continental blankets?!) that belongs to me… very, very soon!