My first Post.....

Wow, this is quite exciting...suddenly at 43 I'm a virgin again.  It's been an exciting few weeks since that little pop up appeared on my Facebook ads...."Kilimanjaro in 2011"  Harmless enough maybe, but it was like a candle, and I was a moth. 

I know it makes no sense at all, but I was drawn to it, inexplicably the more I looked, the more I liked....damn that lightbulb!!

Well, that was July 18th and now here we are just 3 weeks later, and my name is on the list, my money is down.  The Wii-fit is back out of the cupboard, I'm a fully paid up member of my local gym, and I'm shopping for books on how to avoid altitude sickness?? 

It's an odd thing.  I'm 43 years old,  overweight...(well, actually obese...at least according to Mr Wii)...and have a fear of heights.  That is to say, I don't mind being up high provided its to jump out of something.  I wasn't one of those kids that got stuck up the top of a tree, waiting for someone to send a cat up, that in turn would attract the attention of the local Fire Service.  Anything above 10ft on a tree, and I was like Marilyn Monroe's backside...."jello on springs"   ....  I thought I would add a link in here, just in case you needed some clarification on my "Jello" comment.....

Anyway, so I'm 43...but I don't own a sports car, and I've never used hair dye, and only rarely dabbled in hair gel??  All that preening seems like hard work, and a waste of time to me.  I figure that if you polish a rock, it doesn't make it a diamond, so I'm happy just being a rock. I think this means that this is not a mid life crisis moment.  I've done crisis!!   Just not Mid-Life.

So..the point of this blogg is??  Well...actually, I've not worked that out really.  I thought maybe I would just jot down some bit & pieces of my life here over the next 7 months while I prepare to take a little hike up to the top of Africa.    I'll try & keep it fun, I guess...maybe some half decent links every now & then, and I guess it gives anyone that wants the opportunity to have some fun with me, and to follow my progress. 

I'm doing this little adventure as someone who's only experience of Autism was Rain Man, that is until I met Sam.  He quite often makes me laugh, and I love him....I'm still not sure I'm any expert in Autism....I guess it's something which, when you tie a washing line to the belt of a 6 year old, and fix him to the handle of your car when you go camping to stop him wandering off and getting lost, suddenly becomes a huge game..."I'm a fireman Graham, and this is my fireman's harness." "Your car is on fire Graham!!  Don't worry, Fireman Sam will put it out"  (I'm not sure he ever pee'd on my car...but I didn't see any flames). 

Sam is my inspiration, and his Mum is my rock.  "Just go do it Graham" she said...as though I was simply about to walk to the shop.  It shouldn't have been a huge surprise....a few months earlier she had me jumping out a plane at 12,000ft. 

I've checked?  My insurance value is really not that much....so I guess that maybe Liz sees me as this stupid kinda fella that likes a bit of excitement in his life.  Whatever...the outcome is what you read above here.  I'm on the list, and Kilimanjaro waits.   I'm just a little bit excited about it too. :-)