Day 3

I've had to retire my dashing orange wellies; they make me walk "like a duck wearing a full nappy" (thankyou Mother) and I'm going to take this opportunity to blame my aching legs on them too as I'm having to get rid of them anyway. So I'm now clad in much more sensible, if much less adorable, sturdy brown walking boots. The styling of the whole team seemed due a shake up today, as Dad tried out a variety of hats, from bank robber style black dut through to denim sun hat, finally settling on a knitted little pom-pommed number in grey (think Dappy from N-Dubz) After the blustery conditions yesterday Eddie learned his lesson and abandoned the Indiana Jones hat. I had just come from the hairdressers, and my hair looked sleek, glossy, grogeous, quickly turning to ratty, sweaty and forced into a scraped back ponytail. All in all we were an attractive troupe this morning.
At last too it waould seem that we have perfected the route too. Yesterdays timing triumph was marred slightly by the realisation that we had actually only walked 3.8 miles (thankyou google maps) and so today we added a small loop to the beginning of the walk to make up the all important point 2 of a mile. The sky looked dark and looming, and a sensible person may have predicted rain. However, as this is the Allison family you are dealing with we didnt give the clouds a second thought and gathered round the back door, ready for the Training Captains first innovative improvement to the regime; stretches - "and LUNGE!" was met with a chorus of giggles from the boys as I launched my leg forward in demostration. I maintained my dignity (and if you'll believe that you'll believe anything) and continued gracefully throught a series of stretches tailored by me to improve our experience (by which I'm sure you'll have realised from what you know by now to in reality have been more a random flailing of limbs until I considered us ready to proceed)
My aforementioned hair appointment having delayed the time of training we set off at 12.23 today, stomping fairly well accross the unfamiliar new starting 0.2 miles, the pace slightly hindered by the dog, who Eddie had decided - forgetting the cyclist incident on day 1, and preferring the fun memory of Mam squealing by yesterday - would be better off back with the main section of the group. If you are anything like me considering the evidence gathered on this subject, you would probably think it best to leave the dog at home, away from the group alltogether, but Eddie solemly swore he could control the beast, and so I, trusting to a fault, trusted him and allowed Newbir to re-join the team. My trust was not well placed, within minutes the dog had tripped me over and wound his lead around Dads legs. Everyone found this hilareous, I did not. I may have snapped, my friends, there's a tiny chance I may have overreacted, but its hard for me to convey how flipping irritating my brother can be. So reasonable words were exchanged (by which of course I mean I gave Eddie and an apparently unrepentant Newbie a good screaming at) and Edward made the mature decision to flounce off home. Having lost precious minutes arguing, I urged Dad to cut our losses and go on without him. It was five minutes after this (when Eddie would have just arrived back at our warm cosy chocolate filled house) that the rain began. When I say rain, I mean ungodly lashings of icey sleet cascaded down on us, chilling us to our very bones and putting us at risk of being washed away by imminent flash flooding. (Ignore, I repeat Ignore! any weather reports that you should see which pass what we went through off as "light drizzle in the North East today" they dont know what it was like out there, I'm lucky to have made it let me tell you!) with rain hailing down on us like bullets, Dads Dappy hat stuck soddenly to his head, we soldiered on in an effort I can only describe as heroic, Brain and Steve would have been proud of, nay amazed at our heroism in the face of such peril. Despite the majority of the walk passing in this sullen and soggy fashion Dad and I made it home not in only in 1 piece, but only 10 minutes behind time. This may appear as not such an achievement, as this is the same time as we set yesterday, but dont forget that cheeky extra 0.2 of a mile! On our return home we managed to laugh off Eddies stupid, petty, childish hissy fit and everyone agreed that I was right, but aren't I always. Still can't wait to chuck the little twerp off a mountain though, the things we do for you Granddad.