Well, that's how it all started...
The most creative package of dynamite (Yes dynamite does
come in small packages) - the Birthday Girl to be ... has a
"Dream"... :
- To touch base at one of her heritage sites - France!!! -
but of course The Dream would have to have a twist..
Some aspects that give impetus to "The
Twist"...
The Birthday Girl is an :
Adventure racer - can race for days on end with a short rest
sleeping on whatever ground or bush is around at the time ... ( yes -
bizarre)
Argus participant - naturally crazy good times - many
times???...( unbelievable)
Rock climber - can hang on a wall or rock with finger
or toe nails... (and her nails are short - defies logic)
Dancer - has entered many competitions and received
accolades...(beautifully elegant with all that power???)
Master scuba diver - (guess who trained me to dive with
sharks but that's another long story...)
SA rowing champ, - a record holder in various classes of
rowing for a number of years.. (Yes - now expected)
Unbelievable artist in many forms - check out the leopard
she did for me.. (So many talents)
Top printer - can design and print
anything...(inspirational)
 |
| Not exactly 'The Leopard' but one of them! |
A pirate, mermaid, ghoul, James Bond girl, belly dancer,
G.I. Jane, snake, witch cat, etc - all part of a Glam Girls Group!
and to top it all…a Best Friend!!!
To mention just a few highlights.
So going to France had to have a twist
Something that will stretch you... Naturally
Something that will enable exploration.. Obviously
Something that will include history.. (Yes - she's also
reads and loves autobiographies and history and part of her heritage is French
based)
Something that will include a team.. (despite her
independent ways)
Something oh so different...but that's Sue!
And wha-la
Canal Du Midi at your service!!!
So whilst we were having a normal girls get together (yes
with some wine …but of course)..
Sue (the Birthday Girl) casually mentioned her dream - to
join the South African contingent of Rowers for the 2014 Canal Du Midi race (5
DAYS RACING - nothing normal .. 200 kilometres - competitive international
race????)...
Well the wine was good (yes I am the normal person - no
adventure racing on my CV).. And somehow it sounded a marvelous idea! Row
in the morning, lunch at vineyards with wine, row in afternoon, dinner with
people of the world.....not sure what glass of wine we were on at that stage...and
suddenly it was agreed. Before any form of "buyers remorse" set in, Sue
and I met up with the drivers of the SA Canal Du Midi South African
contingent.
The next thing I received details of flights and bookings
and .. Oh yeah.. got carried away with the excitement. Still a couple of months
to go... Reality had not set in yet??? Reality starts to set in when I
understand there are locks on the rivers we will be racing on. What that means
is the boat has to be picked up, raced around the lock - put back into the
water and then rowed again... Repeatedly??? Have we all lost it?? Sue weighs
less than 50 kilograms and I am not that much bigger. Is weight lifting also
part of the trial of Hades??? For a Birthday??? What we do for Best
Friends!!! 
Then to add impetus - our little package of dynamite creates
a blog (me…well - I need step by step instructions to register) -
anyway...
Then of course we need an identity …so our creative kid
designs our shirts:
- It has to be South African
- It has to have our rowing club name
- Ideally must have a South African flag resemblance
- Must be funky / wacky
and away we go.
TEAM OARSOME
SOUTH AFRICA
The rest of the crew have started getting fit in an
organized but unique way...
Simon - he set a personal goal of rowing on an ergo (rowing
machine for those not yet initiated into the sport of rowing) from Jhb to Cape
Town no less - approximately 1500 kilometers - and with two weeks to go
before the trip he has met and exceeded his goal - then to make all green with
envy he rowed around Dubai - crazy man - but he is strong and has a wonderful
demeanor - and add his dynamic wife and we have a party of note. (Not to mention
that maybe one of his kids who we have not met may be joining this motley crew
)...
Tim and Wendy (the dynamic duo and leaders of the band) went
on a personal rowing tour around SA and rowed on various rivers - not an ideal
2nd honeymoon if you’re not into blisters, a sore bum, tired back...remind me
again - what on earth are we doing???
Mark (Mister Laid back and the most affable chap - not to
mention gentleman) joins Wendy and Tim for rowing on Hartebeesport Dam with a
stop over at the sailing club for breakfast (now that’s starting to get to my
style),
Dynamite girl does running, cycling, rowing and an
occasional adventure race...
Me - oh - I am working - at work... very busy with some
exciting business initiatives... what... Canal Du .. Whaaaaat ???
Oh blast the pressure is on....so I join a junior boot camp.
Feel like I am in the army. The beginning of GI Jane - sweating and almost
crying "no guts, no glory" - who on earth ever came up with such a
crazy statement??? Thank goodness (I think) for Pilates which stretches
muscles you do not know you have ... Row once a week or every second week...
Every time Sue and I row she insists we go for a run (okay- truth be told
- a jog) - one of my pet hates. Takes about maybe 10 minutes - maybe 15 minutes
and feel like I am dying. Sue has two lungs - one to run and breathe - one to
chat while running. Me - Both lungs focus on just finishing the little jog?
Sometimes I think Sue should be grateful I cannot talk - my thoughts are
venomous at that stage. 
In between we enter the Gauteng (regional) rowing
championships and lose the race. Awwwwwwww. Oh heavens - what on earth are we
doing. But the fearless crew (not my vote)... decides to enter The South
African Rowing Championships race. Two weeks later the Oarsome South African
Team enter S.A. Championships and blow me away - we win.
We are now just less than two weeks away from flying from
South Africa to Paris and then onto Toulouse. When are you supposed to have
time to shop before the trip??? Need some rowing gear, would have been nice to
try learn some French, some sleep, ...
Cannot wait to see Sue in France- celebrating her heritage (well
one of them), her dream (again - one of them) and a very BIG BIRTHDAY!!! And
yes - honestly - actually looking forward to the trip - and the amazing
memories we will create and watching my friend and our OARSOME SOUTH AFRICAN
TEAM creating our own bit of history at this OARSOME historical Canal Du Midi
International Rowing Challenge.
That's it for now...wait till we arrive in Paris... JUDY
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