Skydive for BLISS

Tis done! And I have truly never felt so alive...

Cloudy conditions yesterday meant that my skydive couldn't go ahead, and so Caroline (my lovely friend and colleague) and I drove back to Kent this afternoon. The conditions were perfect and in next to no time I was kitted out with a purple jumpsuit with go-faster orange stripes and an almost charlestonesque leather cap. It was all looking very stylish indeed until the harnesses went on and were tightened...

Lip balm on (won't use next time as it acts like flypaper), goggles dangling from my cap, underwear on back-to-front, harness up my bum... there was a distinct air of 'je ne sais quoi' about the occasion. Thankfully, I was calm and relaxed and in control of my breathing.

The plane bounced along the grass runway and then up, climbing to 3500 ft where we circled for ages until we had clearance from air traffic control to continue with our ascent. This was a strange time for me. There was no going back and I was resigned to face the dive of my life. In tandem, Paul and I stepped to the door at just under 14,500 ft. My arms crossed over my chest. Head went back. Feet lifted off the ground so that he took my weight on the harness. One rock back and then...

Falling, tumbling over and over and I was "WOO HOO"ing very very loud. Stable position finally reached, the earth a long way off. 140 mph and a feeling of awesome weightlessness that was... um... unearthly and eerie and heavenly. Hurtling down and the ground obviously getting nearer, but I only felt the sensation of being suspended in the upthrust.

Yank... the harness seemed to pull up and it fell silent. It was still and peaceful and very emotional for me when the parachute opened. I took over the steering and we banked heavily, first to the right and then to the left, sending us into tight spirals. G was pulling on us, blood to the feet and tingling sensations. We then floated down like a feather, with a light and controlled landing in a field full of sheep and sheep poo.

Absolutely incredible in every way. I shall be doing this again.

With many many thanks and love to everybody who helped raise all that money for premature babies. We're at over £2,000! You are BRILLIANT! BLISS are over the moon!

Caroline will be compiling an amateur DVD of the days' events, so you'll be able to give me marks for technique and artistic interpretation in due course.