Am I old enough?

I have a distinct memory of one of my mother's birthday cards from many years ago; it accused the birthday girl of being a BBC Radio 2 listener which I then gathered inferred she was old. I didn't really understand this joke especially as we always listened to Steve Wright in the afternoon on the way home from school.

It wasn't until I received my first radio and discovered Radio 1 that I realised the other station was for oldies. As I looked beyond the obvious Radio 1, it became apparent the station you listen to can say a lot about a person and possibly their age. I now love a variety of stations and there are certain presenters I've followed across to other wavelengths. Maybe I'm an exception to the normal or maybe I'm still transitioning from my university days. One thing is for certain - I'm constantly trying to increase my knowledge and become more cultural.

I first visited the theatre at a very young age. I remember attending productions at the Theatre Royal with my grandparents, what a treat it was. That hasn't really changed, I still love to dress up and always look forward to the ice cream in the interval. One thing that has now changed is my appreciation of the performance.

During my time out here in Oman I was invited to see a live orchestra at the Royal Opera House. I love live performances and going out for the evening although wasn't sure I was actually old enough to go to such a sophisticated event. That said, I'd never say no to such a generous offer. I found myself sat next to a girl of primary school age who reassured me that we should never restrict ourselves with imaginary age limits.

No turkey

My Christmas destination wasn't chosen for the guaranteed sunshine, the champagne brunches or the cultural experience - although those did help sway my decision. It was to see my friends. I'm a strong believer in staying with locals to get a true flavour of a city or country but the challenge is ensuring their schedule fits yours.

First I headed to Dubai to see my heavily pregnant pentathlon friend before it was too late and thankfully she still had the energy to show me the sights. I enjoyed the glitz and glamour of the UAE but welcomed the change when I arrived in neighbouring Oman in time for Christmas.

I ensured I kept to one of my Christmas day traditions and got out for some exercise. Usually a run wakes me whilst increasing my appetite before a hearty meal. This year I felt the buzz but the heat had suppressed my appetite - thankfully I didn't have to worry about roast turkey with all the trimmings. To spare anyone the worry of cooking or indeed washing up we headed to a hotel for a Christmas buffet. All the traditional cuisine was on offer yet I found myself choosing the local and incredibly fresh seafood over the imported options of turkey and lamb.

I was not only astounded by the fine quality of local produce on offer but also the wide variety of nationalities who had come together to celebrate the occasion with their families, irrespective of their religious background. There were western expatriates, Asians and Omanis all making the most of the splendid food, weather and hospitality. Whilst the setting and weather may have been very different to what I am used to; the family atmosphere was reassuringly familiar.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas. I hope by now you're sitting back and relaxing with a glass of your favourite tipple ready to tuck into a festive feast. The closest I've got to a traditional Christmas is sitting in Santa's sleigh underneath a giant fake tree in an air conditioned hotel lobby. I'm not seeking any sympathy as that giant hotel was next to the beach restaurant where I'd just enjoyed a delicious champagne brunch and that was only a warm up.

I love Christmas at home, seeing my friends, family, great food and beautiful walks on Dartmoor but I also love variety. Last year I decided I fancied a foreign holiday, so here I am - still seeing my friends, eating amazing food and I only had to swap walks on the moor for walks on the beach.

My first stop was a country that doesn't do anything by halves. Dubai is home to the Burj Al-Arab (the worlds first only 7 star hotel), the Burj Al-Khalifa (the worlds tallest building at 829m) but of the most interest to me, the world's largest shopping mall. On my first evening visiting my friends I was taken for dinner underneath a building that is almost three times the height of the Eiffel Tower. That in itself isn't enough for the people of Dubai; whilst dining we were treated to a water fountain show set to music, similar to a fireworks display, every thirty minutes.

I only appreciated the impressive buildings from the outside and didn't even venture into the shops. Fortunately I completed my present buying before I left home as otherwise I would probably still be lost in the worlds largest mall.

Personality or popularity?

Last year Andy Murray won the trophy. He thanked the nation for all of their support and he spoke in his usual understated manor as he accepted the 2013 Sports Personality Award. I wouldn't for one moment question his achievements as a tennis player but I was left wondering what part of his personality had contributed to his win? In Andy's case it was clear he was going to take the award after securing that elusive Wimbledon title and he had my vote purely due to his sporting results.

I've been honoured to be on the panel for a smaller sports personality award and the debate comes up time and time again: which is more important, the personality or the results? Is it the background story, the press coverage they've had or the popularity of their sport that sways the vote? I've always argued that it should only be the results for that particular year that do the talking but it is hard to ignore the other influencing factors. With a public vote the personality is naturally a stronger factor so instead should we have a sportsperson of the year award where the results are somehow fairly compared?

This year it was the more popular sports that took the top slots. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton won the SPOTY title followed by golfer Rory Mclllroy in second. It was, however, refreshing and brilliant to see the lovely Jo Pavey take third place. It's great to see the smaller sport of athletics represented, have a girl in the top three and most importantly to have a down to earth Devonian prove that sheer determination does pay off.

Too cold for a bikini?

I was supposed to be commentating on a beach in Brazil last weekend but instead I found myself in the UK plunging into a pool of iced water. Special Olympics USA originally came up with the concept to help raise awareness of their charitable work assisting intellectually handicapped people through sport; the big difference being the Americans 'plunged' over the summer not on one of the coldest days of the year. I decided it would be cheating if I wore a wetsuit, and thought Christmas attire a little too predictable, so I opted for the other extreme - Hawaiian fancy dress. ‘Character building’ is certainly one way to describe it but more importantly I hope it raised money and awareness of sport for all and it's ability to enhance lives.

Despite dressing in a bikini and sunglasses on Saturday, I've embraced the festive spirit earlier than usual this year. There are a few specific things that mark the start of Christmas time for me but fear not, Black Friday is not one of them. It began last week when I had my first mulled wine, visited the Christmas market and wrote some cards. This was promptly followed by my friend's annual Christmas jumper party which confirms the countdown has officially started.

I’m reliably informed that as a nation we are behind on our shopping this year and I have to confess that I fall into this category. I have been so distracted by the all the festive cheer that I’ve failed to make a start on my own Christmas shopping. This wouldn’t normally be an issue but I’m spending Christmas abroad this year which gives me just over a week to get things sorted. Luckily I’ve never been one to shy away from shopping.

Polar plunge

From thirty two degrees to just two degrees in under twelve hours; it was a chilly welcome home. On my return from Thailand I headed straight into London wearing a summer dress which was not the brightest idea even after purchasing the thickest tights I could find. It was ironic that I'd been invited onto Simon Mayo's Radio Two drive time show to talk about an upcoming event called the Polar Plunge.

I expect most of you heard about the 'ice bucket challenge'. It saturated the world of social media for the latter months of the summer. You couldn't  escape the videos of people throwing a bucket of water over themselves and then publicly challenging their friends. I have to admit I resisted the peer pressure even after being challenged twice; I felt it had lost it's connection to the original concept, become rather pointless and was just too easy. That said, I'm now getting involved in a bigger and better version of this challenge. Allow me to introduce... the Polar Plunge.

The Polar Plunge is the brainchild of the Special Olympics, a charity which helps the intellectually handicapped to compete in sport. Forget a tepid bucket of water; this is on an altogether different scale and involves a container with twenty tons of icy water in which you have to submerge yourself. As if that weren't enough there is another catch - fancy dress is compulsory. As an ambassador I'm struggling to think of ways to excuse myself from this challenge. I wonder if dressing as a deep sea diver or polar explorer would be considered cheating?

Tasty blood

It would have been all too easy to start this week's column by bragging about how fantastic the weather is here in Phuket. Whilst it has certainly been good, I have to confess the first day of the inaugural Beach Modern Pentathlon event was rained off.

As you might have guessed, the Asian Beach Games is composed entirely of sports which can be played on the beach; a slight problem when November marks the tail end of the monsoon season. It only seems to rain in the north of the island for an hour or so in the late afternoon. Unfortunately this is exactly when and where the event I'm here to commentate on was scheduled. After a sensible reshuffle we made the most of the guaranteed sunshine the next morning which resulted in a successful debut for Beach Pentathlon (shoot-run-swim). Maybe next year they can bring fencing and riding to the beach as well?

I decided to make the most of the long flight by extending my stay in Thailand. As soon as duties were over in the north I headed to the south of the island in search of sunshine but more importantly to distance myself from the rainforest and its mosquitoes. I love the food, the people, the climate and the beautiful clear seas but sadly the mosquitoes love me. I'll be coming home with a nice glow, that will probably fade in a few days at this time of year, so the only evidence of my holiday will be the bites all over my body. Believe or not, I actually don't mind the thought of returning to Dartmoor - there aren't any mosquitoes.