I went Bouldering!

Today, I went bouldering with my cousin. I thought we were going rock climbing, with ropes and hats and people watching to ensure all was safe - but I was wrong. Bouldering is similar to rock climbing but without the hats and ropes - it's curiously primitive, scaling walls and jumping back down, and is one of the hardest activities for your forearms!
At first, I was a complete wuss. I was scared! More scared than I thought I'd be. I'd start to climb, with plenty of direction and encouragement from Cousin P and his friend, but then freak out about being 'high up' (suffice to say I wasn't high up) and have to come back down. A couple of times I ended up dangling and just couldn't let go, so Cousin P and friend lowered me back down. 

Cousin P taking on the wall

The thought of falling really frightened me, possibly more than the height, but after about 30 minutes I was trying harder and taking the boys' advice on how to move up the wall. I'd started to enjoy it by this point and didn't feel silly as the boys were really patient - my cousin is a good teacher! He made me feel good about going a little bit higher each time, so it made me want to get all the way up the next time.
This is unlike any other sport I've done before. I was out of my comfort zone, but exhilarated when I managed to complete a climb - or 'problem', as they're known in the bouldering world, although the level I did was more solution than problem. In terms of a workout, this certainly tested my ability to pull myself up and grip with my fingers, and I can already feel the ache in my arms.
I'm excited to go again! 

Body Fat Update: joy at last!

Just a quick post to say...
I've finally lost some body fat! Hurrah!
I really wasn't sure if I had and was feeling conflicted whether I should get it measured or wait until I felt sure I had lost some, but decided the curiosity would kill me.
So, I went from 23% to 21.39%. That's the same as I was a year ago.
Although I'm still aiming for 18%, I want to start focusing on enjoying exercise, rather than always doing it to reach this or that goal. I hack out on Ernest to keep him fit, but we also go for an amble just to enjoy the countryside - I want to pass this attitude over to working out. I'm still going to push myself, but focus on why I like weightlifting instead of only thinking about what I'm aiming for.
My next body fat check will probably be in January now. 19% would be brilliant, as would continuing to tone and get stronger. I'm really seeing some good definition in my triceps, shoulders and back, which is heartening!

Fear. Pure fear.

In other completely unrelated news, I went on my first rollercoaster on Sunday. It was terrifying and exciting and nerve-wracking and... actually not too bad. Maxx, blogger friend Becky, her bf Andy and I went to Alton Towers for Maxx's birthday (which is actually tomorrow) - it was nice to go on a big boy's ride with them, instead of just watching fearfully as they queue up for increasingly scary rollercoasters!

Culture: Longleat Part I (collaboration with BeckyBoops)

Last weekend, my bff Becky, her boyfriend Andy, Maxx and I went to Longleat. I've been before, but the other 3 hadn't, so I was super excited to take them - Longleat is a massive stately home, but it also has many other fun things, including a safari. Our all-inclusive tickets were £26.77, saving us 15% as we booked two days in advance online. It was worth every penny.
Adventure Park (written by BeckyBoops)

Aside from the main draw of Longleat Safari, there is an Adventure Park located just behind Longleat House. The park is the main hub of the attraction, with food vendors, a maze, and several animal attractions. There were attractions for the old and the young alike, and some specifically for the young - which we avoided. Like the plague. Though we did have to drag the boys away from it... We collectively decided to spend a bit of time in the adventure park before heading onto greener pastures. After consulting the site map we had a plan of action, and set off into the Jungle Kingdom.

We headed inside, and instantly noticed Meerkats running around - they were very cute and were nipping around peoples feet who were on the path inside the enclosure. The otters were adorable, I'm pretty sure Pip almost cried. We moved around the area, and there were loads of creatures to ooh and ahhh over.

Some of the more unusual animals were extraordinarily cute - in particular the Binturong (third pic along in the strip below) when they were snuggled up having a snooze!

After drinking our fill of the cuteness, we headed through to the Monkey Temple. Unfortunately, there were not many monkeys around that we could see! We passed through into the bird area-desperately trying to avoid being pooped on-and emerged into the area which houses rabbits, guinea pigs, and other smaller animals. The rabbits were gorgeous, but shy - so we weren't able to get a decent pic of those guys unfortunately. 

We eventually found ourselves inside a room which houses a creature that many people have a big fear of. The dreaded tarantula. She was out and people were able to hold her - under the supervision of the keeper. In this area there was also lizards, tortoise and the inside part of the guinea pigs enclosure - there were loads of those little things! 

P.S. Pip is terrified of spiders. She faced her fear and held the tarantula! A big thank you to the keeper for being so calm and understanding.

After the Tarantulas, we headed into the butterfly enclosure. They were beautiful! Loads of different kinds, including one absolutely HUGE one. 

After extracting ourselves from the warm butterfly room, we rushed over to the penguins and sting rays. The penguins were playful and seemed happy to wander around people's feet who were on the path through the enclosure. The sting rays also seemed to relish the attention of the crowd, and proved it by sticking to the surface and popping their noses out of the water!
 

After we had our fill with these guys, we headed back to the car to embark on the big game safari!

Pip:  I was rather enamored with the otters. One was squeaking at us - it was like he was saying: “Pip, snuggle me”. I definitely did cry a little bit after holding the tarantula. I have never been so scared in my life, but it was a strangely rewarding experience. She was very soft! And yes, the keeper was absolutely great - he knew how to handle the situation by offering to put her half on his hand, half on mine, then put one leg on my hand, then another, then her body, so it wasn't such a shock. And he didn't make me feel silly for being so petrified.

Safari: 

The Beginning (written by Pip)

The entrance to the safari has a car park, so you can get out and admire the giraffes and zebras close-up. At the moment, there are a couple of young giraffes, who were giddy and liked to suddenly burst into trot – probably one of the cutest sights in the world. There was one particularly lazy zebra, whose friend was trying to rouse him from his nap, and just as we were starting to worry the resting zebra lifting his head for about two seconds!

Once we were back in the car, we had a peaceful drive past an Oryx and three rhinoceroses. One rhino was so close, we could hear him nibbling away at the grass! However, that was where our uneventful safari ended…

Becky: It was amazing to see all of these animals up close - especially the rhino! I could have reached out and touched it if I had wanted to...I also loved seeing the awkward gait of the young giraffes trotting, very adorable!

Feeding the Deer (written by BeckyBoops)

There were loads of deer around, and as we drove up we could see them gathered around the cars ahead of us. At this point we noticed a hut from which you can buy deer food to feed to them - naturally we HAD to do this and bought 2 cups of deer nuts. 

We. Were. Mobbed.

The deer completely surrounded the car, and were so impatient to see if we had food that they would stick their heads in and snuffle about for it - it was all we could do to keep up with the greedy mouths inside the car! It was fun, slobbery, and messy! I think Pip will be finding the deer nuts in her car for the rest of the year now...

"License and registration please ma'am."

Pip:  I would like to say I've cleaned up the car since then... But I haven't. I loved this part of the safari - those deer were not shy! There were heads reaching into the back, heads snuffling me and Becky, and more and more just kept appearing! I could have happily stayed there all day.

Part II coming tomorrow...