Gail Emms' Blog by Gail_Emms

Hello! Hope everyone is feeling good and fighting fit? I have just come back from a British Military fitness session in Willen Park, Milton Keynes and it took about 20 minutes in the shower to get all the mud off me! It was a pretty intense session and my arms are just beginning to feel the lactic building up... oh what joy. My exercise has been pretty pathetic recently and I went 6 days without doing anything so I have really tried to kick start it back up again. I took the dog for a nice long run on Tuesday, Wednesday I played netball (and it was against youngsters who were very sprightly indeed) and then today it is all about the Brit Mil Fit...

There was a good reason why I need to go to British Military Fitness and that is because I went to the BBC Good Food Show Live at the NEC in Birmingham. I took my dad with me as a bit of a birthday present for him as he was 70 earlier in the year and we popped in and just went a little bit crazy! If you have never been to this show, and you love all things related to food, then you are in heaven. For me, I love everything to do with cheese. I am a cheese geek and the World Cheese Awards were taking place and there were over 2000 cheeses being judged! I want to apply to be a judge! Dad and I went to a cheese talk and got to try some of the cheeses which was the best bit! And then we bought a pickled onion cheese, a chilli cheese, a garlic and herb cheese and then a Cornish blue cheese which won the world title last year and was the runner-up this year!

Am soooo looking forward to Christmas! Just got to get the Stilton and then I will be very happy indeed! So you see why I have to exercise now??! Cheese - my love and my enemy. We had a great time going to all the stalls and we didn't just come away with cheese, I have also got sausages, a recipe book (how to cook with cheese), apple brandy, curry paste, chilli vodka and a massive bone for the dog! Obviously! I wasn't eating cheeses last weekend, instead I was eating oysters on Mersea Island. For those of you who don't know where Mersea Island is, it is off the coast near Colchester and I had never heard of it before I met my boyfriend Ed, because his father's side of the family all live in the island! Ed's dad John, has recently moved back there and has a flat on the beach, so all of us met up there and chilled out all weekend. The weather was fantastic and baby Harry had such a good time throwing stones into the water and kicking a football on the beach.

But Mersea oysters are a speciality and chances are, if you have oysters in London, they will be from Mersea Island. I had never eaten an oyster until 4 years ago when I first visited the island, but I don't mind them. It's an acquired taste and to be honest, I could take them or leave them, but for some reason, on the Sunday, the sun was shining, with fresh bread and sitting on the balcony and white wine, the oysters just tasted that little bit better and I was loving it! It was a really lovely weekend of chilling, lots of fresh air, and good food. You cannot go wrong with that.

The great thing about the London 2012 Olympics coming up, is that there are many ways to be involved and I was involved in a great scheme run by the British Olympic Association in partnership with P&G. It is called the "Nearest and Dearest" Roadshow and basically it is a get together of all families and loved ones of potential athletes for the 2012 games. It is designed to help them realise all the pressures of being an Olympic athlete and what to expect when it comes to the games. I was the athlete there to answer any questions and to give my perspective on security, meeting up, and media and I really enjoyed it. I actually wish my parents had come because when I was competing, I was so wrapped up in my badminton bubble that I forgot that my parents really didn't have a clue what was going on and I just expected them to get on with it!

All athletes are different and I really separated my two lives as that is the way I needed it to be, but I tried to explain that communication is the key. It is going to be the biggest thing ever in the their athletes’ lives and they will have to do what the athlete wants, as they are the ones that have to go out there and compete. To be completely honest, I am jealous of those guys who will compete, but also a little relieved that I don't have to go through all that pressure again, because that is the hardest thing to deal with. Instead I'm going to put my feet up and watch!!

And finally, I am going to gloat for a little bit now, so here is the warning....! I have done my Christmas shopping! Oh yes, I seized the opportunity as I had a free day and I have been really organised recently (shock!) and I braved Milton Keynes shopping centre and now I am feeling very smug. I even managed to find a couple of party dresses too! I have spent way too much money as per usual, but I do like to spend money on nice things for my family and especially now I have a little boy to spoil, he has ended up with way too much stuff. So I have no idea how I am going to fit it all in the house. I think I may save some things for his 2nd birthday in March. Sorry to all those who haven't even thought about it yet, I guess I officially am an organised, one to be jealous about, yummy mummy!! Ha ha! See you next week!