Arctic Belle Returns To Blighty

I'm back, but have been suffering from Arctic Shock in reverse. I returned on Friday, all digits intact. I wanted to update everyone on my expedition immediately but somehow two children and hundreds of emails got in the way. Also, if I'm honest, I didn't know where to start. So much happened in so few days - twelve to be exact. I travelled to the other side of the world and walked 150 miles across dangerous icy terrain. I guess I was also very tired! I experienced the most extreme conditions I have ever known. To give you an idea, I'm talking fffffffffffffffffffreeeeeeeeeezzzzzing cold and very windy. So cold, the thermometers didn't work. Okay, for all those who want hard facts, I'm talking an average of minus 25. Yikes! Even the organiser said he hadn't expected the temperatures to be this cold. My fingers nearly dropped off - honest. If it wasn't for chemical handwarmers I would be digitless! In truth, if it wasn't for my team mates then I wouldn't be here today. When I was shivering and hyperventilating in my tent someone (my brother) calmed me down. When my thumbs were ice pops someone stopped and rubbed them. When my sledge was too heavy someone lightened the load. When I felt like crying someone made me giggle. And then the giggling took over...and the trip became one extraordinary giggle and an adventure of a lifetime. What else can you do but laugh in such circumstances? When the wind chill was minus 40 you have to take shelter. A harsh but beautiful environment. Every day, my eyelashes were coated in ice and my hair had clumps of ice hanging off it. Every day, I saw a new pattern in the ice, a different shade of ice: blue ice, grey ice, bright silky white ice, chunks of blue ice, ice sculptures. Amazing light. Clear blue skies and crystal clear light. I have never seen such a beautiful bright light before. My sunglasses and goggles steamed over, but I still peered out in complete astonishment. It was at risk of getting snowblindness but, hey, I didn't care. So, as I begin to take stock I promise to update you on my trip, the highs and lows, the Arctic Dreams and Arctic Nightmares. Be aware that this blog started off in a lighthearted manner (pee devices, silly clothes, munchy bags packed full with chocolate etc) but I want to tell you all about the Inuit hunters, the Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, who invited me into her house, and the warm friendships developed between a group of strangers struggling to survive in a hostile environment. It was far more than just a walk in the park. On my return, my five year-old boy, Joe, said my arms looked like Bambi's legs. People have been saying how toned I look - and I know I have lost a few pounds. But size really doesn't matter. Believe me, girls. What's important is I have experienced another world. Some people call the Arctic a Dreamland and nowI understand why. Keep reading and I will tell you what happened, how I coped and why I miss the silence...