Ramada Jarvis Swansea

Ok, this is just a quick check that all is running smoothly with the blog, as I've had some problems. Hopefully You're all now getting e mail updates when a new entry is posted. We've also retrieved the log in details for the travelpod account we created last year so that you can log in and make (nice!) comments. Well done ...

OK, here we go again, sat in Lyn's office trying to sort everything out. This year's trip has proved even more complicated to arrange, especially as we're flying out of Gatwick and back into Heathrow. We never like to do things the easy way! Also the dollar hasn ...

... west wales was what I was expecting!<br>We left the hotel and spent the day tidying, cleaning, dropping furniture off and generally doing stuff we could have done without. Then there was the packing... I hate packing at the best of times, but to be packing for a trip that I have no idea where we are going while totally wiped out is my idea of hell on legs! Simon gave me a few pointers. A jumper and a bikini! Not ...

... excavated as well as the museum which had some interesting things in it. I wouldn't want to stay in this town for a really long period of time as there is not really that much there. It was very cute and quaint though.<br> <br> We then set off for London and arrived late afternoon where i said good bye to all my new friends and headed off to Fulham to stay with Jade for a few nights before setting off again.

... I was a bit nervous about that as it would cost £2500 to replace the bike. <br><br>We wandered around town, had a pint at the Castle Hotel, another at the White Horse then grabbed a table for dinner at the Angel, which proved to be a good choice. I had butternut squash soup and a blue rump steak while Sarah had huge, tasty prawns and a swordfish steak with excellent chips.<br>

... to speed and effort. Where other riders were flagging, we could pick them off one by one and gain lots of places.<br><br>The other guy's rear mech broke, but he was still able to keep up the pace despite being left with only three gears. He said he was mainly a roadie, and he was certainly strong. Near the end he put on a spurt and I couldn't stay with him. <br><br>I eventually finished after about 6:32, though the official timing ...

We drove to Brecon from London and arrived reasonably early. The reason for the trip was to do the Brecon Beast 100km mountain bike enduro (www.breconbeast.co.uk), so I had my Orange Five in the back of the hire car.<br><br>We stayed at the Canal Bridge B'n'B, which has a café on the ground floor, and a lockable shed out ...

... I took it easy. I made friends. I laughed and ran. I had dinner in pubs. I planned. I walked. I had conversations. I had breakfast dates. I ate scones and crumpets. I slowly learned to use "Cheers" to say thank you. I did laundry and cleaned dishes. I made my bed and washed my hair. I lived here, had a life here. Crazy to think how soon it will all be over. Crazier to think how much I have to do before it is.

... Even Dr. Schlueter tried some! The whole time though, Dr. Schlueter kept trying to muffle his laugh and was pretty much just shaking his head at us because we were giggling and laughing so much. Then at one point, we had Katie randomly bark to see the reaction of the people that were sitting behind Carrie and Meredith! It was quite an entertaining train ride! We we got back, there really wasn't much to do, so we all just ended up going back to our own rooms.

... weather and occasional loose sheep made for an interesting drive as we wound around the hills of Snowdonia National Park, through unpronounceable villages like Trawsfynydd, Penrhyndeudraeth, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolwyddelan and Betws-y-Coed. Well after dark we made it the north-west corner of Wales for the obligatory photo-stop at the train station at the mother of all tongue-twisters ...