Climbing Training

Indoor Climbing again... are we mad??

We both did a bit of indoor climbing on our access course with Prince’s Trust but we tried it again to have another go, try harder climbs and get further than we did before.

We spent the morning learning about the safety checks and what equipment we need and their purpose.

Equipment checked and used:

• Helmets
• Harnesses
• Carabiners
• GriGri
• Ropes

 

We each checked our own helmets and fitted them to our heads.

The main parts to keep a safe helmet:

• All 6 clips attached inside
• The adjuster stays adjusted not loose
• No faded patches
• No white stress marks
• Keeping the straps untwisted

Then we went through harnesses and what to look out for. It is all part of us being able to check our own equipment is safe and others when they are getting ready to climb.

The main parts to keeping a safe harness:

• No fraying
• No tears or cuts
• All stitching is intact
• All metal buckles are free from damage

We were shown all different types of carabiners and other things you can use in substitute of the GriGri’s. To check to carabiners and the GriGri’s we checked along all the sides of the metalwork looking for:

• Sharp parts
• Broken mechanisms
• Shiny/ worn parts 
• Dust or dirt
• How much parts have been worn down to (Max 30%)

We talked through how to check the ropes and what to look out for, and then looked at a few examples; one that was 4-5 years old, one that was 2-3 years old and a two week old one. Some had examples of cuts and frays and others how they show their age. We used 60 meter ropes that went on forever! It had a twisted core of up to nine separate ropes and a tightly braided sheath bound over the top.

The main parts to keep a safe rope:

• No fraying
• No abrasions
• No fading or discoloured parts
• Flexibility

Once we got through all the security checks on all the equipment we packed what we thought we would need for the seven of us to climb with two separate climbs. We got it all right but didn’t put in extra carabiners.

We walked up to the army barracks where the indoor climbing wall is which, quite luckily, was only a ten minutes walk away at most!

We got the ropes changed over to ours and set up the climbs. In order to beeline each other safely we were talked through the V, Knee, 1, 2, 3 method and all gave it a practise.

We went through some warm up transverse climbs, where you climb the wall sideways across the bottom. Then we all did a climb each and took turns to solo beeline each other.

We wasn’t there long as after lunch the army needed the walk to climb and we came back but it was fun and we were pretty tired out as it is. Bear tied a perfect daisy chain on the rope - better than the one we had to undo, which didn’t even work like it should!

We finally got back and unpacked the kit and put it all away! We are definitely going to try to go again at some point and master the wall and be able to beeline each other safely. Always better when no-one falls to their death!

- Bear & Penguin x x x

Claws' Swim To Heaven

Our dearest Claws the Electric Blue Crayfish sadly passed in the late evening of the 26th July 2013. She died having complications whilst shedding, this is very common in from what we know in shellfish and spiders too. Crustaceans shed their shells when they grow and when they are happy in their environment, she was growing so fast and a happy little lobster!

I was chosen today,

I'm learning to fly.

The world took me away, 

But please don't you cry.

And i chose you today, 

To try and be strong.

So please don't you cry,

And say that i'm gone.

When you're feeling alone,

just remember our love.

I'm up near the stars,

Looking down from above!

Remember our love

in a moment you'll see

that im here still beside you

when you are thinking of me.

- Bear & Penguin x x x

Come Dine With Me

Everyone knows the show "Come Dine With Me" right?

"Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by ITV Studios (formerly known as Granada) and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants. Each competitor then rates the host's performance with the winner winning a £1,000 cash prize. An element of comedy is added to the show through comedian Dave Lamb, who provides a dry and "bitingly sarcastic" narration."

This is Dave Lamb.

The Prince's Trust group planne to bring in a variety of people who work alongside Prince's Trust for a three course meal in the same sort of layout.

So hell yeah we put our names down for that one!

The Menu:

Starter:

Toasted French Bread topped with Mozzarella and Tomatoes, drizzled with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. Served with a side salad.

Main:

Homemade Lasange with home made Garlic Bread.

Dessert:

Blueberries, Raspberries and Strawberries with Vanilla Ice-Cream with an Icing Sugar Dusting.

We had a whole timetable to stick to as we were catering for about 25 people. We laid out all the tables to look smart and professional and added final touches, such as napkin rolled cutlery, table water and name places. We were pretty much rushed off our feet the whole entire time as once we finished the ton or two of chopping we had to make all the courses so they flowed easier later on!

Somehow at the end we even managed to lead the unexpected tour. So if we ever stop blogging you know Bear & Penguin have gone into business as tour guides! We did okay considering there was a big group to show around and we ourselves had only gone into about three of the room out of the many that was there.

At least on the way home we got to relax on the train home with strawberries and creme fraiche. 

Yummy!

- Bear & Penguin - Both Chefs and Tour Guides! x x x

Making Simon his Birthday Card

This is Simons beautiful card made by our nephew today! He drew his Uncle Simon wearing his WHF hat, himself and a Cheetah at the bottom! It was so cute and he wrote it our beautifully!

The first two are is the card. The third is his half the the envelope we had to make. We told him that he could decorate it however he wanted. So Simon got Sonic and Shadow. And finally as Simon's other half I did the other half of the envelope and  drew what Leon asked me to.

Then he wanted to play with Claws in the paddling pool. She wasn't in there for long but Leon loves her. Afterwards we drew her in the pool. It is just too cute!

- Bear & Penguin x x x x

Open Day at Wildlfe Heritage Foundation!

Their website:   

http://www.whf.org.uk/

Their Facebook page: 

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wildlife-Heritage-Foundation-UK/177615625595537?fref=ts

Their Twitter: 

  https://twitter.com/BigCatWHF

Those of you who have read past posts or pages will know that Penguin's other half Simon is a big cat keeper. Where he works isn't a zoo. It also isn't open to the public normally. You have to buy an experience to go. But once a year, for a few days, the have their open days. On these wonderful days, thousands of people all go to visit the big cats. Although we are rather lucky, as Simon works there we get to go and look around every now and then anyway, the open days are so lovely we decided to go!

As well as being able to see all the cats and have keepers do talks about the cats while we see them being fed, they have stalls there. They don't normally but for the open days, it helps to raise money. They are a charity, so all the money they get helps to look after the endangered animals they have.

Ares the male Jaguar getting his dinner down. We think he practices this routine! One handed, no hands! So cute to watch! He really was a crowd pleaser when he couldn't make up his mind to go for the food or roll around looking all cute!

Themba the male While Lion, Kafara the male African Lion and Sophia the female White Lion growling back to the children in front of her.

Mandalay the female Clouded Leopard. 

Viktoria and Valentina the sister Pumas, Ares the Jaguar again and Mia the female Cheetah. 

Nais the daddy walking around, sleeping and getting his dinner and his two boys Toba and Kubu sleeping.

Penguin's favourite stall was the face painting one. For the second day in a row, she got to be a Lion. Last year they wouldn't do a Lion... It took a fair few baby wipes to get it off but it was worth it!

Bear's favourite stall was a paintings stall. There was a painting of her all time WHF favourite cat! She searched everywhere for a Mephisto the Cheetah she loved and found a t-shirt, Print and key ring painted and made by Mike, an amazing artistic Keeper at WHF. 

Here's his website: www.mikematthewsartworks.co.uk/

Then she found a massive painting of Mephisto. Made her day!

There was a lot of food! Penguin has 2 hot dogs, strawberries and cream and fudge. Simon had a burger, apple and blackcurrant crumble cake, strawberries and cream and 3 different types of fudge! Bear had a veggie burger and carrot cake. Matt had a burger and chocolate cake.

Always a favourite with Children (or childish adults, like us..) They had mascots!

We were rather tired after the long exciting day, not that you can tell from the pictures we took when we got home. I didn't want to take my face paint off! But I had to in the end. Bear looks beautiful in her top! And as always we needed to take some pictures of us pulling funny faces!

 - Bear & Penguin x x x

The Lion, The Panda and The Spiderman!?!

I love sorting through boxes and bags and finding the wonders they hold inside. We wasn't even looking for face paints but we found some of them and decided to go a little crazy. Penguin once went to an open day at WHF and they didn't do Lion face paints, every other big cat but not lions! 

So we made her into a lion and here is her transformation!

It was Bears first go at face paint and it didn't got too bad!

Penguins do make amazing Lions! Our nephew was a little freaked out at first as we sneaked up and surprised him! Even Rocky the African Grey Parrot was curious to know what had happened to his Mummy but he recognized her and still gave her kisses!

Next it was bears transformation into a Panda Bear. Again it was Penguin first attempt at face paint and it turned out amazingly! Rawr im a Panda Bear!

Both being grizzly roaring animals xD after seeing us two looking fabulous our nephew insisted on being Spiderman. He made a great Spiderman and was crouching, swinging and webbing everyone!

I left my phone for two minutes only to find this on it. I'm used to random Penguin photos hiding on my phone but not normally so Lionie.

This is us with Penguins Claws the Electric Blue Crayfish. She came out to say hi to everyone and stretch her legs a little.

Shame Bear had a shower and lost her Pandaness :(

- Bear & Penguin x x x

Claws in the Paddling Pool

When it is stupidly hot, like it has been for the last week or so, it's nice to go in a pool and cool down. Especially if it's a nice big one. 

So if we like it, you can only imagine how much a blue lobster loves it!

We decided we wanted her to have more space for a bit and get some sunshine! And we had the paddling pool out already... So a brilliant plan came to mind!

She was such a happy (no so) little (any more) girl! She was running round and getting some proper exercise and she'd missed having a bit of light, as her tank doesn't have one. It was really nice to see her so happy!    

I am always calling my lobster a little blue. Although she is at lest three times bigger then she was when I first got her. So she is very un-little now really. But I have now worked out why I always do it! If you can't tell by my name, I love penguins! And the little fella in the picture below is a special type of penguin. He is called a 'Little Blue' or 'Fairy' Penguin. Little blue like my lobster.

Claws is a mini penguin in training!

- Bear and little blue penguin x x x

Paddling Pool

So hot! We are loving this hot English summer at the moment but you definitely need a pool to cool down! This is us mucking around in the pool! Well Bear had her feet in but Penguin (being a typical Penguin) dived straight into the freezing waters and rolled around! 

CRAZY PENGUIN!

- Bear & Penguin x x x

Penguins 20th Birthday

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to Penguin.

Happy Birthday to you!

Penguin is now 20! Not far off from the massive 21 but the great 2-0 none the less. Marking the end of her teenage years and the start of official adulthood, out of the training stage. She got woken up by our nephew jumping on her singing Happy Birthday like a Penguin. I mean what Penguin wouldn't want to wake up without that on their birthday?

It was operation go go GO with Birthday cards and presents before everyone had to get the party ready. I gave her a card to a Very Special Woman in my Life ( Top-Right) because she is ^-^ she is just amazing! Her Simon gave her a beautiful card too - not as lovely as mine obviously - but his had fractions in it. He actually managed fractions!

We all struggled what to get Penguin for her birthday, even she did. I guess you get to an age where you have most things you want and are too old for the rest! 

She got a beautiful cream dress with birds and flowers on it from her Simon. She got a pair of socks with a Stumpy-ish heads on them, a box of her favourite chocolates (Guylian Shells) and a Big Bang Theory t-shirt in Red with the soft kitty song on. I was really impressed with myself for finding something she really wanted but couldn't think of! Bam. She got a spotty top from the in-laws, a chinchilla ball from Sammy and a Penguin statue from our Nan & Grandad. That's most of it from what i can remember and what we have photos of!

As soon as presents were unwrapped it was time to put Kari the Chinchilla into his ball and see if he loved it or not. It took Simon and his dad a long time to try and put the ball together as it was huge and awkward (I know from the experience of Elies' little miniature ball!) 

Kari Loved his ball and was running around like a maniac for ages! We even got Elie in her ball and put them in the kitchen to make it easier for them. They had a great game of Chase and Gladiators by running and bumping into each other. We think Kari was purposely trying to follow Elie - it was so adorable! Kari actually looked like a real life Pokémon in his ball. It has his favourite green sparkles on it not red and white but we can imagine!

Kari we choose YOU!!!

We both popped up to the shop for a bit of a walk and some fresh air. Somehow we got roped into going Tesco's to run a few errands on the way but it meant we could get our favourite Snapple's for the way home again! On the way up we got ice-creams but it turned out the "Loving Kiss" Magnums are horrid and sickly! It was like Jam on ice-cream and we both hate jam. They got chucked fairly quickly but the boxes we so inviting and beautiful we kept them. They will have a use at some point. 

Again we always find weird people out on our travels and again today was no different. The flower Thief, the Marching Nurse and now the Bump-Tanner. It was so incredibly hot and we find a young girl pregnant and tanning her bump! We could understand if she had shorts on that maybe she was hot but full blown jeans and a bump out and proud tanning away - definitely not a tip we will ever use in the future!

This is us all dressed up ready for the party! Even Lulu was there... mostly before trying to escape. Birthdays are such great opportunities to get some group photos done and thanks to Matt for taking them! In the final photo of most of us there is from left to right - Sammy, AJ, Bear, Penguin, Simon and Adam. Shame it was too hot to stay in my dress all day but at least my Bear ears stayed on. We didn't dress the same but our dresses were pretty similar! 

Penguin does like her beer and she got a load of Tiger beers for the BBQ later and we decided to practice our wedding drinking with our arms entwined. It was super romantic and we have definitely nailed it for the big day! As me and Penguin was outside and she was looking rather gorgeous in her new dress and lovely red hair we decided she looked like a lady of leisure and should probably swap the beer bottle for a wine glass and be really super super lady-like.

Our BBQ was amazing even Bears vegesaurus pieces! Well done to the chef, Super Daddy, for staying out there forever in the boiling heat to cook it all. At least he gave his head a bit of cooling off from the sun with the floral mittens! There was soo much there to eat it could have fed us all twice over at the very least! We all pigged out and demolished about 75% of it all. We left a little for later and some for lunch the following day. Hey, you can't let good food like that go to waste!

After the BBQ we did Penguins cake. She very nearly ate it in the morning but she held of until everyone was ready. It was a nightmare getting the candles to behave but we got it done in the end. Her Simon brought her cake out to her and our nephew, as always, helped blow them all out then again on his own! Even though everyone was stuffed with BBQ food they all found room and had a piece of cake. We all loved it and definitely one of the best Bear has made so far even when the design was a little more challenging. By the following lunchtime pretty much the whole entire cake had been demolished which was a first for it to go that quick! Penguin had to reserve her pieces as she had only had a mouthful!

Again we were in a group relaxing in the living room, waiting for all the food to go down enough to run around outside like maniacs! This time it was Bear taking the photos and trying her best to get everyone into height order. It worked well as Penguin was the shortest so was at the front by default on her birthday anyway! Fairly nice photos considering it is so hard to get more than two or three pulling normal faces and not being too silly. We held out for some nice ones... then we got a crazy on!

Even Blackie the Bearded Dragon came out for some fun and games, mostly hugs and kisses on Penguins Birthday! He was so happy as you can tell from his massive black beard!

Once we were satisfied we wasn't going to try all the food we ate again we went outside and played a few games with our nephew, and anyone else crazy enough to join in. Penguins brother Adam took the photos as he was the smart one and didn't choose to knacker himself out like a small child! We played Stuck in the mud for ages as it was so funny and our nephew loved it. It got to the point where we were all so tired we made it so no one was allowed to run but only walk! There was a lot of cheating and penalties and some excellent funny fast walks, especially from the boys and their super long legs! We tried hiding in the trees, behind our own hands and then finally Bear and Penguin retreated and hid in the garden! Technically we wasn't cheating as no boundaries had been set but they didn't see it that way and we were soon rumbled! After an hour or so we gave up and had a break then played Sleeping Lions. Whoever invented this game is pure genius as all we had to do was sleep and not wake up when tickled or poked! 

Going back to the "Penguin only had a mouthful" of her cake - this was the mouthful. It started as Penguin had shoved a piece into AJ's mouth and it went all over his face, some in his mouth but mostly the floor. We cleared up then Bear got her Matthew was a face-cake-smash! Then we both decided to carry on the theme of wedding practice and caked each others faces. It was hilarious and we both ended up with cake up our noses and a load on the floor, that we again had to clear up! I hope this doesn't end up as a tradition on birthday but just to be sure we may have to keep an extra special eye out on the cake and where it is going!

Our nephew wanted to go outside and play with the sprinkler so we both went out to play with him and cool off a bit. We put on our new matching tops and inevitably got drenched! We both run in front together and because it was Penguins birthday Bear did everything she could to drag her into the middle and get her drenched! Penguin even failed to notice Bear evil plans with the piggy back ride and got a very wet bum! But hey the birthday girl always gets special treatment! Sammy came out to play too and because it was Penguins birthday her Simon run with her too only to be sabotaged by bear by soaking him more! Oops! We played for aged and after a while we were so wet we just didn't care anymore. We did 007 rolls over the sprinkler and started up a little ballet routine, which someday we may have to show you as we are very proud of it. 

We did finally get dried and cleaned up into pajamas and lounged outside for a bit sipping our beer and being ladies of leisure. Those benches aren't as comfortable to lay on than they are to sit on that's for sure! The boys joined us outside by making a failed attempt to sneak up on us behind their dad and chilled in the warm outdoorness!

Everyone ended up outside so we played piggy back dinosaurs and decided to go and play some football like we did on Matthew's 24th. It did mean getting dressed again but also meant a great time for a mini after party picnic in the woods!

We accidentally forgot to bring a camera with a timer on it so it meant we had to take turns taking the group photos but they came out funny and we all had a laugh, not all was lost! We are a crazy bunch and sometimes a crazy bunch of penguins!

This is our mini picnic of Guylian Shell chocolates, Giant Parma Violets and a big bags of bacon frazzles. Yummy - all our favourite things which is amazing when we like the same stuff! We were planning to picnic in the woods but for some reason it felt rather freaky in it so we abandoned and ate it on the slide part of the park. We could see everyone playing football and got to slide once or twice. We had lots of fun and it was pretty late before we got home again! Definitely time for sleep!

Adelitas Way is Penguin's favourite band and even they said happy birthday to her! A very very happy but also very spoilt penguin!

Anyway Penguin we all hope you had a fantastic day and can start planning and looking forward to your 21st! Hopefully every year will just get better and better. Now we need to think of ideas for your 21st cake or we will be in trouble if we cannot beat a Penguin dressed as Batman! ARGGHHH!!!

- Bear and Birthday Penguin! x x x