SteveNewton.me.uk

Archive for November, 2009

On a cold, wet day I headed down to London to visit the Design Museum and a few of the city sights.

More images available here

I was asked to put on an improver’s kayaking weekend for a group from London who were interested in taking part in a charity kayaking trip on the Norwegian Fiords.

The group spent Friday evening in the pool practising rescue skills with most managing to learn how to roll during the hours session!

Saturday saw us head to Newark Town Weir where we would spend the morning on the canal practising flatwater paddle skills to 2 Star standard.  We concentrated on efficient paddling strokes which the group would need for their long distance trip.

After a warm pot noodle and cup of tea we moved over to the weir to introduce the group to white water paddling.  Initially we focussed on ferry gliding from one eddy to the next before looking at breaking in and out of the flow.

At the end of the session everyone was feeling confident enough to shoot the weir so we set up our safety boats and managed to successfully get everyone down the weir!

Sunday was a chance to relax and practice skills learnt the previous day.  We went to Rutland Water in the morning for a short journey to practice efficient paddling.  As everyone had turned up in dry suits we decided now would be a good time to test them out so we practiced an all in rescue as that would be a scenario the group could face in Norway.

At lunchtime we headed back to the pool for another hour of rolling and testing different boats and equipment.

The weekend was a very successful course with everyone passing their 1 star and working towards 2 star kayak skills.  Hopefully they have learnt enough skills to transfer these to their long distance charity paddle.

After a little shopping around I finally decided on what mountain bike I wanted.  Jo had kindly offered to get me one for my birthday so I combined her present with mum’s to get a good hardtail mountain bike.

I was after an off road bike with some capability to ride to work so opted for the GT Aggressor XC3

I headed over to Quorn Outdoor centre on Sunday to help on a UKCC Level 2 transfer course.  This course was a one day transfer course for existing ‘old scheme’ BCU coaches.

It was a full day as the theory from a 4 day Level 1 course and a 4 day Level 2 training course had to be compressed into just one day.

We concentrated on a lot of theory for most of the day but headed out onto the water for a session in kayaks and open canoes.

It was a good course to observe and assist on.  I’m looking forward to working with some of the coaches to mentor them through the training and get them ready for assessment.

Luckily it was a sunny day for a Foundation Safety and Rescue course in Lincoln.  Four local scout leaders needed re-training to enable them to take out scouts on the water on their own so I headed up to provide a one day course for them.

We concentrated on basic kayak and open canoe skills in the morning, mainly focusing on efficient paddling strokes.  Most of the candidates had never paddled an open canoe before so we spent a while teaching the basic canoe strokes.

After a short lunch break we moved into the ‘get wet’ rescue exercises, first in open canoes and then in kayaks.

As the sun was setting we completed the rescues before ending the day with some theory questions.  A successful course overall which will lead to skills being passed onto local scouts next time they are out on the water.

I was told to that to keep Saturday 31st October free by my girlfriend as it was the only free date since my 30th we could really get together and go out to celebrate.  I assumed we’d have a quiet weekend away…how wrong I was!

After being told I’d be heading to Whitby for a party with some secret guests we set off at about 8am with Jo, Natalie and James.  A long drive through the mist and fog of the north saw us arrive in Scarborough at about 11am.  The obligatory playing on the amusement arcades had to take place first though!

After a short break in Scarborough we then drove a little further to our accommodation.  Jo had booked Worfolk Cottage which was an very modern 14bed cottage in a quiet, rural setting – perfect for a party!

After a short look around the cottage we hit the road again to explore Whitby.  Within about 5minutes though we soon realised it was probably a bad idea to come into town…Due to Halloween the town was full of goths celebrating, and to top this off there was a TVR car show on as well!  Driving anywhere was a problem so we duly abandoned plans for Whitby and returned to the cottage.

As Jo and Natalie started the preparations the first lot of surprise guests arrived with Paul, Alice, Richard, Steph, Jonny and Katie making a welcome appearance.

Over the next couple of hours, as we un-wound over a game of frisbee, Steve, Carly, Simon, Ria and Tony turned up to join the party.  After finding Jo and Natalie dressed up I was soon informed it was a murder mystery party in a Halloween style!

Jo and Natalie had slaved away for hours the previous day preparing an amazing meal for us all which we ate in between rounds of the murder mystery (Basically accusing Steve that the count was about to be ‘bumped off’!).

The next entertainment came in the form of a carrot and a toilet roll! Who would have thought something so simple could have provided so much entertainment!!

After relaxing with a couple of beers the next surprise appeared!  Jo and Mae (who sadly couldn’t make the party) had produced an amazing birthday cake in the shape of our Kiwi campervan the Bongo!

A few beers more and we headed out in the early hours to play with some sparklers and the slow montion camera settings.

It was a fantastic surprise 30th birthday party!  Jo and Natalie (and Mae!) put so much effort into it and everyone turning up made it an amazing night….its just a shame the morning was a little subdued!!!  Cheers all!

More photos available in the gallery HERE