Plinth part 2

By the time I returned to Trafalgar Square I was already shaking and laughing with nerves. First port of call was to find @balloonbabboon who had phoned to say she was in the Square near the One and Other hut and was carrying a blue suitcase. A sudden panic that every bugger in Trafalgar Square was going to have a blue suitcase came over me but luckily that wasn't the case!

I found Julie easily so that panic was over. She showed me my balloon fairy and started sticking it on a display box. The box was weighted down with magazines inside so fairy wouldn't blow away. We sat talking but the butterflies in my stomach were making me too nervous to sit. I kept looking at my watch and although it was only 1o'clock and I didn't have to arrive until 1.30 I was itching to get inside. Julie was very calm and walked me round to the door where my bags were searched before I could go in. I left @balloonbaboon outside, with the lovely security lady, making my wings.

My suitcase had been taken in for me and lent against the wall. Having lost it once I was very nervous not to let it leave my side again. Karen booked me in and asked for my i.d. It was in my suitcase and I knew I had an excuse to go and grab it. I sat with my suitcase on my lap whilst we did a few security checks. We spoke about twitter and she said if I wanted to tweet from their computer I could. This evil plan sprang into my mind. I thought I could hijack the @oneandother twitter account and warn the hecklers off but I was so nervous I just declined the offer. I returned to the coffee table to fill in the paperwork.

Diane, the security lady, popped her head round the door and asked if I was ready to have my wings fitted. Very surreal. I filled in the paperwork and went outside to try on my wings. Outside was stood a lady with a camera smiling at me. I had never met her before but knew it was @halfwelshdragon. I'm not a touchy person. A good handshake is all you normally get from me but I found myself hugging this stranger that I knew.

Julie fitted my wings and I had a mini photo shoot outside before going back indoors. Really nice guy then asked me if I wanted to do my interview then. I didn't catch his name, although I wish I had. He took me through into a little room where I sat down to be interviewed by him. We chatted first and he had been on the plinth the day before (He is under the name of Aussie bum if you want to have a look).

The interview was an odd thing too. I was asked why I had applied and various other questions and I found myself smiling and laughing throughout. I( was so nervous I think I had wedding day smile syndrome. I put the smile on outside and it was glued there from that moment on. )
Aussiebum caught me by surprise though. He asked what my hopes and fears were for now and the future. My first answer was 'My fear is heights and I hope I don't fall off' Then I started to think about the question. My mum and her cancer came into my mind.

My fear is that because my mum had cancer my children are more at risk. My hope is that by taking part on the plinth I can raise some money to find a cure for this disease. I cannot protect my family from it and I don't want them to suffer the way my mum did. This is all I can do.

The smile went. I had planned on talking about my Mum on the plinth in detail but that went out the window then too as I knew that that would just bring tears. I wanted to celebrate and have fun on the plinth but get a message across. Crying was not in my plan. I recovered my composure and got ready for my photos. When I was told it was a full length shot I panicked at the state of my shoes! I went and got my balloons to stand in front so nobody could see my feet.

Time was going by quickly now and the colleywobbles began again. I sat back in my seat at the table watching the plinth through the window. Suddenly a gentleman was speaking to me. He introduced himself as ..... and I looked at him blankly. 'You may know me as Myrtle' The relief that I felt when I found somebody I knew was just amazing. I had been talking to Myrtle on twitter and had even made him biscuits which I was promptly shoving into his hands. All the nerves went as he talked me through the cameras and the best way to do things. Unfortunately he had to go but I was pleased that I was going to be in safe hands.

Next the cherry picker guy came to chat. He and the security guy needed to look in the box the balloon fairy was on so cut it open and a pile of wedding magazines fell out. They then struggled to get them back in and stick the box back together. I had planned on blowing up my rabbit at this point but events over took. We had to go outside and have my bags searched again. This time when we went out there was a group of my twitter followers waiting, including @beachhut81. Checks were done and it was time to get on the cherry picker. (The operators didn't like me calling it that though. Apparently its a telescopic something or other) ....