I competed at the World Wife Carrying Contest - I CAME SECOND (last)

Hello my dears! It's been an eventful couple of months,so I shall share the highlights. (On reflection...I think I will make that singular...) I had the great honour of representing Ireland and The Principality of Hutt River at The 20th Annual Wife Carrying Race in Sonkajärvi, Finland. Weighing in at 132kg, I know will never go to the Olympics, but I am always proud to represent my country. I could (like some of these horrid trolls) stay at home and criticise the efforts of other sports people and never participate in life and games myself,but I know through my positivity, I endevour to enrich the lives of others....maybe (in my own peculiar way) even more so than that the elite athletes...? :D I have always hoped through my scoliosis/sciatica/size that I would inspire others to do something...anything...Bog snorkelling And Wife Carrying I know are extreme, but, If I can do something maybe you can too? Finally,I would like to thank the People of Finland for taking such good care of me ! OF COURSE UNTOLD THANKS to Estonia's Mr. Teet Peetre for finding the strength to lug my carcass around the track. ÄITAH! Spread kindness and love people!!

Carrier Confirmed.

Mr. Mauri Zahkna of Estonia has confirmed his wish to carry me at this year's World Wife Carrying Championship in Sonkajarvi, Finland. Mauri has carried me before in 2009. I will be representing The Principality of Hutt River.

Incommunicado.....

Tomorrow, I will attend my only Goddaughter's First Holy Communion. I hope it is sunny and I hope she smiles! I am thinking back to my own 'day out' 33 years ago. Outside my bedroom door in the hallway, the photo hangs, Dad, me and Mum. Mum is the only one smiling, myself and Dad wince in the May morning sunlight, Mum nudges me and through her teeth (like a ventriloquist) tells me to smile too. Too late, no digital re-takes! An eternal grimace.

I've not been up to much recently, I hope to be in Finland in July for Wife Carrying. It looks like I will only be a spectator...there's a drought of strong thirsty men in the world....!!But as a Finnish Champion Wife Carrier once paraphrased to me "YUUULIA! Laife's laike a bux of chukolaites.....!!"

Here's The Juice...!

I left Orange. And I spent a week in Lithgow in the shadow of the Blue Mountains and indeed we must have been in the shadow as it was lovely and cool about 18c. It suited my Irish complexion very well. My friends took me to see the THREE SISTERS rock formation definitely worth a viewing.

After hanging out in Lithgow for a week I headed once more for the big smoke of Sydney, there I met up with some old friends Kevin and Tanya they are the proprietors of the Sydney based fashion house "Minty Meets Munt" http://mintymeetsmunt.bigcartel.com/

I also got dolled up and attended The Benji Marshall Foundation Ball in aid of the Children's Cancer Institute Australia. http://www.ccia.org.au/ a good night was had by all.

The following day I headed for Singleton NSW and that's where I am now meeting up with a few old friends from the wife carrying scene.

Next week I will attend a Memorial Evening for our friend, Singleton's Tom Kirkwood that had he young life cut short by cancer. I am sure he'll be with us all in spirit.

Julia holds up her good name.

I have been competing at Eukonkannon MM-kisat since 2003. I still can't spell that word after all this years let alone to pronounce it!

I'm a finer specimen of a woman (i.e. bigger) than most women that enter this
World Championships. Some people have asked in the past if I find it troublesome competing with the 49kg ladies. I simply tell them the objects of the race, namely 1. Win the woman's weight in beer and 2. Have fun!

Coming to Finland for the first time in 2003 I had many preconceptions about
the place, I thought that it would be colder, greyer, windier and wetter than
Ireland. That everybody had a reindeer and that not one person would understand
me!

Wowee! I was blown straight out of the water on all accounts! Most people in
Ireland go to the south of Europe for a "sun holiday". I have been advising all
my friends to come to Finland, where 24hr sunshine and clean and active living
is the order of the day.

Food, fishing, saunas, lake swimming, BBQ's and parties all the time, the
Finns put down a great summer of entertaining themselves and their neighbours.
Their gardens are lush and full of beautiful flowers. You may think I'm
painting a "Too Beautiful" image of the place but believe me, come here and see
for yourself.

Unlike the Irish, the Finns are a little more reserved at the start but "to
know a Finn is to love a Finn"! Once you get past that austere shell you will
find the most loving, giving, spiritual and hilarious people that love to talk!

I love them so much I came back to see the winter, it's snowing and last night
it was -17c! Ireland has a temperate climate so anything below -4c is a great
cause of excitement for me. The houses are hot and snow is just like sugar,
crunchy underfoot - not the best for making snowmen!

Speaking of men - I must say the Finnish men are very beautiful! Other scenery includes Christmas trees, green in the summer and white in the winter and lakes, dark and bottomless in the summer and solid ice in the winter. Cross country skiing is a local activity in the winter that I'm going to try today!

The race itself? On the day about 8000 spectators come to watch at the local
school running track, some people come in fancy dress, some in the latest high
tech running gear. The most competitive are the Estonians, they have been
winning this race for years! Every year they have a new way of carrying or
jumping.

I had the honour of being carried by former world champion Margo
Uusorg in 2007. It was an experience I'm unlikely to forget! I came 29th out
of the 44 couples. Not bad considering I have always come last in previous
years.

I don't know who is going to carry me in 2008 but I know I will see you there!