Up a mountain

Some friends came to stay with us last weekend. They suggested we walk up the huge mountain next to our house. 'Yes' I agreed faux-enthusiastically 'let's do it'.

Stupidly I didn't have the foresight to change out of my Birkenstocks - even though everyone around me was milling around finding walking boots/socks and windproof anoraks etc.

So off we set up the mountain. My husband and the other husband headed off up into the distance with our two kids, and their eldest. Soon they were out of sight. I was feeling relieved that I had got off lightly and that I only had to get myself up the mountain. While my friend, carrying her three year old on her hip, effortlessly breezed past me up the near vertical mountain face, I tried to disguise my puffing and panting and sweating and shaky legs by having a sit down to 'admire the view'.

When I was about half way up, my husband bounded back down towards me with both our kids and told me he was going to the top without them, and that it was my turn to have them. I gave him a pleading look of horror in such a way that my friend wouldn't see. Unfortunately he didn't see it either and he was gone.

There was no bloody way I could continue upwards with my chest about to explode and two kids hanging off me. My two year old refused to walk and my four year told me she was a bit scared of falling and insisted on holding my hand. So with my feet sliding around inside my Birkenstocks and my legs like jelly, we slowly made our descent, cursing my husband every step of the way.

We had almost made it to the bottom when my friend glided up to us, having just been to the top and still holding her three year old, saw me struggling and asked me if I wanted her to carry my child as well. All pride and dignity now gone, I handed my daughter over, and breathed.

The moral of this story: I need to do more exercise and wear proper walking shoes when on a mountain. However, this little bit of exertion paid off and I lost 2.5lbs this week. To celebrate I went out for burger and chips and a pint of cider afterwards, BUT I couldn't physically finish the burger - my stomach has shrunk - hoorarr!