:: Trek Morocco ::

Thank you to Joyti of Natural Quilts who has donated pairs of earrings to the ebay charity auction.

Natural Quilts sells a range of beautiful cotton quilts of all sizes and as result of being hand printed each one is slightly different. The quilts are a specialty of Jaipur in Rajasthan, and originated as a lightweight covering for people on the move – soldiers, shepherds, traders.

The natural cotton filling of the quilts means they breathe in a way synthetic quilts cannot. So the moisture lost by your body while you sleep is absorbed overnight, and then gradually lost in the morning when the quilt is aired. They are also lighter than a synthetic quilt whilst providing the same warmth.

Natural Quilts promotes traditional crafts made ethically from natural materials. The quilts are handmade using environmentally friendly hand block printing and natural dyes, making them free from harmful chemicals and processes. The quilts using vegetable dyes fade naturally over time due to the absence of chemicals to set the dyes. Joyti firmly believes in buying quality goods and knowing where products come from and the process they go through.

To see the range of quilts available visit www.naturalquilts.co.uk

Many thanks to Nina from Magic Pumpkins and Faery Dust for her kind donation to the Trek Morocco sponsorship.

Nina set up Magic Pumpkins and Faery Dust with the intention of showing that it is possible to produce beautiful designs from reclaimed fabric and materials and the items on her website are testament to this. From the lovely princess crowns made from organic felt – a welcome alternative to the plastic variety – through to the baby pixie slippers made from recycled wool.

In order to recycle the wool Nina washes it on a hot cycle so that it felts, so that she can then use the felt to make all sorts of wonderful objects. Nina has also launched her ‘Be Creative Kits’ which include a Make a Felt Easter Egg and Make a Felt Chicken Egg Cosy – a great way to keep little hands busy on rainy days.

All the toys are made from fair trade organic cotton and organic sheep fleece and felt, all dyes are either plant based or non-toxic. Nina is trying to make as little impact on the environment as possible and produce eco-friendly goods. Most of the packaging is made using recyled materials and material scraps are used to make smaller objects eg hair slides and all “rubbish” is recycled.

To view Nina’s range of products visit www.magicpumpkinsandfaerydust.com

A big thank you to Stella from Middlesex based Stellina Baby for her kind donation towards Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity via Tish Tash Toys and Trek Morocco.

Stella was previously a product designer for many fashion houses and until in July 2004 she gave birth to her son. Soon afterwards many of her friends also had babies. Stella quickly spotted a real demand from her friends for clothes that were ‘cute, functional and would be loved by parents and children’. This led Stella, together with her husband to set up Stellina Baby. They wanted to create an affordable cashmere collection for children. Stella says that she has always loved cashmere clothes for their softness and warmness.

The inspiration for her collection came from an old fashioned sweet shop in Italy where Stellina grew up, her favourite being a soft lilac coloured sweet - the Violetta. There is the Toffee and Candy collection which includes a beautiful cashmere blanket and lovely striped socks. There is also the Lollipop and Marshmallow collection for older children, which includes very practical, but luxurious crew and v-necked jumpers. The clothes in the collection are all made using the finest 100% cashmere Italian yarn in family run factories.

Stellina Baby also offers a range for children who suffer from skin allergies or eczema. These clothes are 100% cashmere outside and 100% cotton inside range.

These beautiful clothes would make a lovely gift for a friend or relatives child or why not treat your own child to a little bit of cashmere luxury. Visit www.stellinababy.com to view the full range.

It was such a wonderful view over the Atlas moutains. We were on Mount Toubkal at this point higher up than all the other mountains which were all starting to appear beneath us.

Thanks ever so much to Julie Ferguson of www.mrdarceyscottage.co.uk who kindly donated £20 back on 14th August. Julie sent me a lovely supportive email before I went away telling me “I really admire you for taking on such a challenge and I was more than happy to make a donation to the cause - especially as my daughter was treated at GOSH (28 years ago though) and my son was diagnosed with Crohns disease at 13 so we have done our fair share of hospital time!”

Julie makes and sells her own range of designer knitwear, mostly wraps, scarves and shawls. Her website says “I started knitting when I was six years old and I am still knitting and purling nearly fifty years later.” I really admire this as I was hopeless at learning to knit when I was little - absolutely no patience!!

Julie’s says Each ‘Mr Darcey Original’ incorporates elements of texture, colour and stitchery and some pieces are embellished with vintage beads, buttons, ribbons and lace - to make a unique piece  of wearable art.

I’m back from my trek up Mount Toubkal in the Atlas moutains in Morocco! It’s a week now since I’ve been back and to be honest, I’ve needed that time to recover, before spilling the beans so to speak! The challenge was certainly that, an extremely demanding challenge on many levels - dealing with travelling to Africa and then getting used to a completely different culture. The rigorous physical endeavours our group of 14 encountered were not for the faint hearted and then there was the heat during the day when walking, and the cold at night. The food was how shall I say, interesting, and last but not least there was the much anticipated altitude sickness.

Left Devon on day one on the 6.20am train to Gatwick. Met everyone at the airport, did a quick bit of shopping , needed a sun hat etc. Flight left at 1pm and arrived in Marrakech four hours later. There were 14 of us including our 48 year old Global Adventures guide Teri. Seven of us were walking to raise money for Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity and the rest were split between a few other charities which I’ll try and tell you about another day, as everyone was walking for something they really believed in. There are some interesting stories.

Atlas Blue flight from London to Marrakech was ok, pretty tatty plane and terribly bumpy landing. It was really warm and once we’d filled in the paperwork at Marrakech airport, we were on our way to the Hotel Borj. Some of the group had a quick dip in the pool then we packed our day bags for the weekend’s walk. We spent a couple of hours in the market square - Djemaa el Fna - one of the busiest squares in the world.

We popped into the souk for an hour to look at the jewellery and pottery mainly. We were being hassled a fair bit but it all seemed quite fun until I asked the price of some kids clothes. The market trader was really really aggressive and wouldn’t give up. It wasn’t very nice at all, and didn’t do much to endear me to the pink city on the first day.

We ate out in the square, and the veggie options were limited, so I has a really boring plain pasta penne with cheese. Most of the others had tagine and this is Taale and Catherine (who I shared a room with) below. Catherine (at the back) is a fellow north easterner living in Seaford of all places, I lived there for 5 years! Taale (at the front) is a German student studying in Birmingham and she was walking for Conductive Education.

We walked back to the hotel after dinner past allsorts of activity. As it was Ramadan, and everyone had been fasting all day, the evening was a bit more crazy than usual, with everyone letting their hair down.

Dear Daniel

By the time you read this I will be a long long way away in Marrakech.

I  know we don’t really “do” anniversaries but I did want to tell you how much I love you (ah shucks, everyone will read this!). I adore you as much now as I did nine years ago when we got together in Bristol!

Today - is four years since we tied the knot on that beautiful day on the river in Sussex, with all our wonderful family and friends around us. I am so happy with you and the kids, and mad cats, greedy cats and puppies on the way. I know this has been a tough week with one thing and another, but it will be Monday before you know it and I’ll be back. Ha ha!!

I will be thinking of all of you all the time, you know I will coz I’m a soppy old so and so (especially since having your babies!). Anyway, just wanted to profess my undying love as we are not spending the day together, but continents apart! Thinking of you Friday and give the kids lots of cuddles from Mummy (tell them I gave them to you to give to them).

I love you

Sharon xxx

Thank you to Rachel and Shona from Jump Kids for their generous donation of a hooded fleece for our Ebay charity auction. The money raised from this will help get the Trek Morocco total.

Jump Kids was set up by two hardworking mums – Shona and Rachel - in the heart of the Scotland. Designer Shona cooks up wonderful characters that are on the fleeces sold by Jump Kids. Rachel brings a wealth of retail and exporting experience to the business and a warmth and enthusiasm for life, looking to keep the child in childhood for as long as possible.

Jump garments are made of recycled fabrics (it takes 24 recycled plastic bottles to make one fleece jumper) and are hand finished to the highest quality. In selected garments, local Scottish tartans and tweeds are also used to create garments. Shona and Rachel are also proud to say that they support fair trade standards in helping workers use their skills to earn a fair wage.

The wonderful crew neck fleeces, hooded fleeces and long sleeved t-shirts are practical and colourful, making them a wonderful addition to any child’s wardrobe.

Visit www.jump-kids.co.uk to see the range of products available.

Thank you to Ann at Kiddy Kool for her donation. The total is now getting very close to the £2000 mark !!! See www.justgiving.com/tishtashtoys

Ann set up Kiddy Kool with the aim of providing a range of useful, innovative and enjoyable products for babies and pre-school children altogether for an easy shopping experience. Whether it is a gift for a new baby, a funky night light for a toddler, or products for when you are out and about, such as a changing bag or handy first aid kit – there is a fantastic range to see on the Kiddy Kool website.

Please visit www.kiddykool.com to view the full range.

A big thank you to Leah of Leah Sutton.com for her kind donation to the Trek Morocco sponsorship fund, her donation has bought the total that bit closer to £2000. Leah left us a message on our justgiving page saying “Good luck, you will have a fantastic time!” Thanks Leah, I will try !!

Leah Sutton set up the Pretty Knitty Lady website to sell her own collection of products and patterns. From beginners to more advanced knitters there is something for everyone. For those of whose who can’t knit there are also hand knitted products to buy such as Hetty, Georgia, May and Eve the knitted dolls, as well as knitted buttons and brooches. You can also buy bags and tins to store your knitting kit in.

As well as the handmade products Leah also sells her own range of knitting patterns, from stylish baby, children’s and adults knitwear, through to patterns for making knitted flowers. The patterns enable you to make your own hand knitted gifts. There are also some free patterns to download.

To see the lovely range of products please visit www.leahsutton.com