The problem with my jeans, though extremely comfortable, is that they are very low-waisted, so when I bend over people can see my lovely 'big knickers' popping out of the top of them! Not very attractive for television. Many of you would probably suggest that I wear thongs or g-strings instead. But oh no, not me! I absolutely hate them and would spend all day pulling at the 'string', because I find them soooo uncomfortable.

What's really annoying is that my mum, who is 65 years old, wears fancy knickers all the time and I, the 35 year old, wear 'old lady' knickers instead!

So what did I decide to do at the last minute? Go commando! Yes, just like Judith Chalmers. (Apparently she was in all the papers last week doing exactly the same as me!)

Never mind, no harm done and as soon as we'd finished filming, I was straight back into my huge, comfortable 'circus tent' (as my husband calls them) knicks.

Next time I ride a horse, I'll wear high-waisted trousers, or just make sure I'm not being filmed!

I`m in total shock! Alaw, my 7 year old daughter, has just had her first horse riding lesson. We're both so excited and she absolutely loved it. She didn`t want to come off the horse and can`t wait until her lesson next week.

I was quite emotional seeing her on the horse and felt quite chuffed that I have now given her the opportunity to learn horse riding. I've even decided that a friend and myself are going to book in for private lessons over the summer holidays.

I was also able to help her guide the horse a little as I actually learnt quite a lot during the filming. If you'd told me 6 months ago that I would be going to horse riding lessons, I would never have believed it. I still don`t fancy wearing those jodhpurs though and horse riding boots with elastic. Yuuuuuk!

Wow, yet another totally interesting week, though I did find the rock pools a little tedious after an hour or so! So I decided that as the weather was so glorious, I would catch up with a touch of sunbathing on the rocks.

To begin with, I was extremely uneasy at approaching the horse and did have difficulty in trying to get on! So thanks to a massive 'push' from two horsey women, I managed to get on Blondie (how appropriate)and then tried to keep completely still to avoid upsetting her in any way. The minute her head started to drop to the ground I had visions of me sliding all the way down her neck and off over her head. The instructor did reassure me that this wouldn't happen and made sure that I knew how to handle my horse before moving off anywhere.

I'm rather a slow learner and don't tend to pick things up straight away, so I wasn't feeling comfortable at all with my horse for at least 20 minutes, until my instructor told me off - which soon stopped me moaning!

Once I got into it, I was off like John Wayne and, wow, did I feel good! Never in a million years did I think I'd try horse riding as an adult. My daughter has been asking for 12 months if she can start horse riding, so last week I booked her in for her first lesson this Friday.

I was told that I would have to go with her and guide the horse, which I wasn't very comfortable with. So when I managed to try out some horse riding this week I felt so much happier about her first horse riding lesson. It was obviously meant to be!

Some people are beginning to talk to me who wouldn't usually, so that's really nice. I feel I'm quite a sociable person anyway and very rarely get miserable, so I'm hoping the increased attention won't affect my life in a negative way.

I also had the Daily Post newspaper placed under my nose and who was there staring back at me, but myself! That was a shock! A 3/4 page all about my experience on the programme. Thank goodness the pictures are quite presentable too!

I'm a little stressed today. Got so much going on in my business and personal life at the moment. Arrived back from Cardiff last night (Friday) and going back down to Cardiff on Sunday at 1.45pm - so not much spare time this weekend. The kids are busy with dancing lessons and parties and then I've offered to carry out beauty treatments at the local town hall on Sunday from 10am - 4pm for a Wellbeing day.

Unfortunately, I can only work 9.30am - 12.30 as I need to get back to catch the train, but my lovely therapists have offered to stay later (oh, what would I do without them!) So off I go now to unpack and wash clothes ready to re-pack for a week's filming.

It's strange when you're expecting to go somewhere to stay for a few days and then all of a sudden you don`t need to go. It threw me a little and at first I didn`t quite know what to do with myself. Believe me, that didn`t last long with all the cleaning, washing and tidying to catch up on.

I did have a lovely evening just relaxing with Aaron though. Our conversations are getting much broader having been on this programme and I'm watching so many more programmes relating to nature, geography and even history. It`s very strange to be honest with you. I think one part of my brain has stopped working for some years and found it very difficult to diversify my thinking to other things rather than beauty! Now, my thoughts, views and interests have totally changed in such a short time. I do thank Not in My Nature for this!

I`m just awaiting yet another interview with the press. - this time the Daily Post. The programme hasn`t aired yet and the amount of people who want interviews is staggering. I`m also appearing on the Hywel a Nia show on Radio Cymru on Thursday, so I`m busy trying to make sure that I have the correct Welsh translations for the many places that we've visited here in Wales. I'm a little nervous to be honest with you. I'm quite used to talking on the radio in Welsh as I regularly appear giving advice and tips on beauty and health. I have never discussed nature on Welsh radio before. This is going to be very strange and hope they don`t ask me any difficult or uneasy questions. The item is going out live too, which is a little more daunting. Never mind, they can take me as I am, that's what I say. Just be yourself Julie!

And to top it all, the week I finish filming for the programme I've been asked to appear on a particular shopping channel on Sky to sell beauty products. So this means yet another couple of nights away. I've been kind enough to invite my husband Aaron with me on this trip (thought I'd better had as we haven`t spent much time together lately). I just wish I could take the kids with me, but don`t want to take them out of school unnecessarily.

I've vowed to make it up to them over the summer holidays. Being self-employed does allow me to take time off with them during the school holidays and this is a lovely perk I must say. My mother was always home with me and my brother Bobby during the holidays, and I really do appreciate the time we spent together.

Running two businesses does mean I have the telephone ringing constantly with vast amounts of emails coming through on a daily basis, so escaping to the hair salon is pure bliss!

My hair has always played an important part in my life. I change the colour and style on a regular basis and my husband has even commented before now that it`s like waking up to a different wife every month (in his dreams!) I love experimenting with various styles and make-up and it`s probably something to do with my character and personality.

Everyone wants to know about the programme and what Iolo's like to work with. He's so well respected on BBC Wales and S4C - let`s just hope us recruits don`t let him down too much.

I carried out a demonstration last night for Denbigh W.I (Women's Institute) and we had such a laugh and a giggle. All the women were over 65 and they were trying to find out so much about Iolo - so I told them everything. Yes, even when he broke wind in the hide on Llandegla Moors! Their poor faces dropped. "What, Iolo `farts`? That`s not possible! Not our lovely Iolo!" I was meant to be sharing my knowledge of the health and beauty industry, not discussing `our Lordship's` antics whilst filming.

I`ve been eating healthily all of this week and I actually feel much better for it already! Saying that, I am going out for supper shortly and WON`T be tucking into a salad. I often have about 4 days a week of eating sensibly and then have nice treats at the weekend. Many people wouldn't see the point in this but I feel that if I ate naughty all week and didn`t behave on occasions, then I would probably be a few dress sizes bigger than I already am. I actually went down to a dress size 12 last summer and really did feel much better about myself.

Lately, it has started to creep back on so I've decided I need to be careful during the week in order to try and get back down. I don`t want to spend money on bigger sizes when I know I have a wardrobe full of decent clothes. So I think I`m going to get up early tomorrow morning and pop out for a 30 minute power walk before the kids wake up. Then again, this probably won't happen. My cosy bed will be far too enticing!
Well that's it for now, will keep you informed and maybe let you in on some `secret` gossip. Not that I do gossip, of course!

Yet again another truly eventful week of activities that I would probably never have experienced had it not been for this programme.

Watch Julie's Snowdon video diary.

My brother and my uncle walk Snowdonia most weekends and I'm now looking forward to taking them to see these rare plants that they didn`t realise existed either!

My brother admitted that you can often walk and walk for miles without realising there are precious things right in front of your nose. You tend to look at the obvious things like the views while walking Snowdonia, so in future I'll take so much more notice of the smaller details.

We also had a chance to try some abseiling which completely horrified me at first. It had not entered my head that I would be trying any extreme sports like this. Heights and ropes definitely do NOT fit into my lifestyle - but I must admit, they soon will. This was truly amazing and I'm so proud of myself you wouldn't believe.

I hope I`m correct in saying that all six of us were astonished at the breathtaking views that surrounded us whilst on Snowdon. We could have been anywhere in the world, but instead, were here in our beautiful Welsh countryside. What lucky people we are! If you haven`t walked Snowdon or Snowdonia, you are missing a true treat I promise you.

We've all had such a good laugh this week, though most of us were quite close to tears at some point as our legs turned to jelly during the climb to the peak. But when we were feeling quite miserable and cold, we'd give each other a cuddle and offer a few positive words of encouragement.

Over the last few weeks the six of us have become very close (I do hope the others will agree with me) although we all have completely different beliefs and interests.

Friends have been asking if I get on with anyone in particular and I can honestly say I feel I get on with all of them - though some better than others.

Chris is a true gentleman, is always content and willing to help others - and he absolutely adores his family. Lloyd is a great laugh and probably more like me than any of the others. A little bit mad, loves fashion and people. Carly is a typical 17 year old who isn`t afraid to make her views known. This probably gets her into trouble at times, although she often doesn`t realise what she's said and really doesn`t like upsetting people. I love Carly to bits and I do hope she doesn`t find me too bossy. Her swearing has made a few people cringe, but usually a quick disapproving glance from me makes her more aware! I love teaching this age group at my Academy as you can really mould them to be excellent therapists and turn them into proper polite young ladies. If she lived closer to me, I'd definitely take her on board and give her a crash course in customer care and etiquette. Carly - there is a spare bedroom here if you fancy it!

Abul has a heart of gold and is so excited to be on the programme. He's really eager to learn more about Wales and its culture and we love sharing and comparing our life experiences. I`ve been invited to meet his family after the programme has finished, so it'll be nice to experience some of his wife's wonderful cooking.

And then there's Kate. She only lives about ten minutes away from me - but we have completely different personalities. She moans constantly (though she is getting better I must say) and I don`t enjoy moaning (though I have started to since appearing on the programme!). I am just hoping that I don`t end up turning into Kate and she into me! Besides the personality clash, we do actually get on very well, I think. If she moans, I'll tell her and vice versa without being malicious to one another.

I'm extremely passionate about Wales whereas she doesn`t realise what all the fuss is about. Fair play though, she has mentioned that she would like to start learning some Welsh - and Abul is also starting to pick up some words. If all of us Welsh speakers tried our best to help the non-Welsh speakers with a few little phases or words maybe more and more people would be keen to learn.

Having read Kate`s blogs, I realise my vocabulary might not be as colourful as hers. Obviously I need to start reading more English books (preferably ones on nature!)

Thankfully, both of our kids enjoy reading and we do encourage them to read in English and Welsh. It`s me who actually needs encouragement as all I appear to read are books relating to my work, health and beauty.

Hopefully other Welsh speakers may be able to relate to this, although I must say that personally I'm much happier being able to speak Welsh fluently than have an English vocabulary the size of a dictionary!

Over the years, I've written many articles on health and beauty and write regularly for a Welsh magazine, but then they are always in Welsh. Writing these blogs regularly may actually improve my English writing!

I find it actually quite sad that I am the only fluent Welsh speaker out of the 6 chosen candidates. Considering that we all live in Wales, it`s disheartening to discover that the others can't hold a conversation in Welsh and others have no interest at all in learning our precious language.

Maybe after learning more about the nature of Wales it may make them more aware of our culture and take interest in the language too? Lloyd has mentioned many a time that he would love to try and speak Welsh (fair play I say) He does remember some words from school, but I think he has just lost his confidence. So hopefully, with Iolo and myself guiding and encouraging him during the filming, he may come out of this programme with more than just knowledge of Welsh nature.

Anyway, off I go again. Filming in Snowdonia for the next couple of days and staying in Caernarfon up in North Wales. I love this part of the world and I'm really excited that I'm getting the opportunity to stay over for a few days.

Just a quickie today, but wanted to share something with you.

Been out in the garden this afternoon just pottering as the weather was so pleasant. There were some seagulls up in the sky (well, that`s where they usually are I suppose!!) and I was thinking about the day we spent filming on Flat Holm island counting the hundreds of seagull nests.

Apparently, when a female and male seagull meet and then mate, they are a faithful couple for life. Some seagulls live until they are about 30 years old, though often don`t manage to reach this age. Isn`t that so lovely? Growing old together. Maybe that's why they're so vicious as they work hard to protect their family members and their nests - unlike other animals that turn their back on their females once they've had what they wanted!

I think I like this story as I'm so protective of my family too. We've always been very close and are all great friends. I have my brother Bobby and his wife, Nicola, living next door with their three great kids, Ryan, Gareth and Cerys and we spend many days during spring and summer just chilling in the garden watching the kids playing and sipping vino. My brother is a great cook and often prepares some lovely meals for us too.

My parents live a stone's throw away and are also such wonderful company. None of us interfere with each other's lives - we realise that we're all different and although we don`t always agree with each other's actions we realise that it's each to their own and respect everyone's views and beliefs!

Without such a close family, I would never have managed to take part in this exciting new series, so I do owe a big thank you to them!

Well, that blog turned out longer than I first anticipated!

We take it for granted when all of these programmes appear on our television screens, but many of us are actually unaware of the small details and mass of organising that goes on behind the scenes. Things don`t always go to plan i.e weather, traffic, illness etc... but without any panic, they re-organise and jiggle things around in order for us to carry on as normal. They really are a pleasure to work with and I think it would be very difficult to find such a great team to work with again. So thank you BBC Wales for making us all feel so welcome!

I`m sure many of you are wondering what Iolo's like to work with. And do I fancy him? I knew you'd ask that - so many people have!

Well, the answer is NO! I don`t fancy him, though he really is a true gentlemen and is very kind-natured. He's so dedicated to nature and his passion is really infectious. I feel that I`m actually turning into a female version of Iolo, but with nicer legs and a slightly smaller brain! He's also a true family man and can't wait to return home after filming to spend time with his boys and his wife.

I`ve just arrived back from filming in Dolgellau. It`s been a total pleasure exploring our local areas as there are so many places I've never paid much attention to. I went camping for the first time and we were taken to explore the dark forest of Coed-y-Brenin to try and spot some animals that come out at night. We managed to catch a glimpse of some deer and foxes and it really was quite an experience. We all had to keep very quiet, which was quite difficult at times, especially for Carly. She's so cute though and Lloyd, myself and her do get quite giggly at times!

The worst experience during this task was the vast amount of gnats. I`ve scratched and scratched all day and the nat bites are appearing before my eyes! I didn`t think they'd find my skin for all the fake tan, but obviously they like it!

Please don`t think I`m slating camping, `cos I`m not, I've just never had the chance to experience it before.

In fact, if anyone has any tips to make it easier and more enjoyable I would love hear from you.

It`s now Saturday morning and it`s taken me 4 days to actually manage to sit down by the computer to write my next blog. I really have lost track of my week.

Following on from our last challenge, I had hoped that I would be going home to try and catch up with my missed sleep! Unfortunately, I didn`t.

I tucked up into bed all nice and cosy and closed my eyes. I waited, waited and waited and still nothing happened. My body was sooooo tired, but my mind was racing. All I could see where birds flying round in my head and Iolo going "Sssssshhhhhhhh"!

I then decided just to go to bed earlier instead of trying to force myself to sleep. People always say to me, don't try and catch up, just got to bed earlier. But I must admit, I do love sneaking into bed during the day when the house is empty. Reminds me of my teenage years.

Wednesday was another evening of filming, though not as late this time. We were told that we were fiming at Talacre beach on the North Wales coast. I know this area quite well as I only live about 15 minutes away and my mother-in-law, Jean Gwynn, was brought up in this area. So, we have had many a visit down to the dunes and have heard lots of interesting stories from her during her childhood here.

When we arrived at Talacre, I was totally horrified to see mountain bikes for us all. Until this week I hadn`t been on a bike for years and after 15 minutes, realised why! Put it this way, when they start making soft, padded ladies seats I may then consider riding one again. It`s only today that I can say my gluteus maximus has gone back to normal!

We did have a laugh on the bikes though and felt just like the Railway Children cycling along the railway track. I remember my father finding me a second hand bike at a local skip when I was a little girl. I was so excited and used to ride it endlessly.

These days, you very rarely see kids on bikes, unless they're really young. I don`t think I've seen many teenagers around Denbigh on bikes recently - a shame I`m sure you'll agree. It probably doesn`t appear cool any more! I do realise though, that the increased amount of vehicles does have something to do with this too as there are so many lunatics on the roads these days.

The evening started off quite well and no, Kate didn`t moan much at all! She actually enjoyed the cycling, which we were all amazed with. Lloyd was so cool on his bike - he looked like a professional. Abul was just like a big kid and was giggling like a little girl! So we did quite enjoy this task after all.

We were very lucky to see some of the rare protected Natterjack toads in the sand dunes at Talacre. These were actually so cute and we couldn`t believe how tiny they were. We were all quite frightened of actually standing on them and I became quite obsessed with this by the end of the evening.

By 10pm, I was starting to flake a little due to lack of sleep during the week. I was also struggling to see as my eyesight is very poor in the dark and I actually felt quite nauseous at one point due to my eye straining!

I also found it strange that I couldn`t really see people's facial expressions or read their body language during this task due to the lack of vision. I'm quite an expressive person and communicate with people through eye contact, smiling, hand gestures. So, I regret to say that this was one of the least enjoyed tasks so far.

Anyway, less of my moaning (sorry, don`t do moaning). I`m really looking forward to spending the next few days with my family. They have been so patient with me during the filming, so I need to make it up to them this weekend.

Alaw has got tap dancing shortly as she is preparing to appear in a dance show in July. I'd love to start adult tap dancing but find it difficult due to work commitments. I used to go to modern, tap and ballet when I was younger and stopped when I was 15 years old. I enjoyed every minute of it and still have a tap around the kitchen every so often.

I actually feel like I have a hangover. I haven`t, I promise you. I'm just seriously lacking sleep.

My kids have adapted so well to this filming. From one day to the other they don't know if I`m home or away across the country and Aaron my husband has been a true star. I couldn't wish for a better hubby as he hasn`t moaned once about me abandoning him and the kids. At times like this you realise what you have, don`t you? A truly supportive family. I really am such a lucky lady.

Anway, let me get back to what I`ve been up to today.

At 2am we got woken up by nasty Iolo and the camera crew pouncing on us when looking at our worst. Thank god I decided to wear underwear for bed last night!

We were told to wrap up very warm with our walking shoes. We were then driven to somewhere on the top of Llandegla in North Wales. I couldn`t really tell where we were in the dark and to be honest, didn`t really care as I was still in the sleepy mode!

Anyway, the hit from the cold air soon woke us all up as we then had to walk for about 15 minutes to get the our destination, on top of the Llandegla moors. Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh - so creepy at 3am in the morning.

Six of us then had to squash (and I mean squash) into a two-man hide (a tent to you and me) and sit quietly for nearly four hours. Yes, I`m sure you can imagine the noises and aromas in there! And oooh, everyone was so stiff and unable to get comfortable.

I have got to say though, that it was all worth it. We did see some amazing birds, though I can't remember all of their names, and the sounds and songs that they were all making together were truly incredible. I honestly haven`t heard anything quite like it before. Seeing the sun rise over the top of the mountains was also an added bonus.

I'm definitely going to start feeding the birds in my garden from now pn and and maybe I'll put up a couple of bird houses too. Hopefully, this will encourage my family and I to take much more interest in these fascinating and clever animals that we really do take for granted.

Well that`s it for now, going to get my head down for a couple of hours and will be refreshed for yet another evening of filming tomorrow.

We didn`t have a clue where we were being taken, so when we arrived St David's, I was totally excited to see such a beautiful place. We could have been anywhere abroad, but instead, we were here in our home country!

We were also shown how to snorkle (again something totally new to me) and couldn`t get over the beauty that was under the water.

My kids would love to have the opportunity to snorkle, so I will definitely go back with them and maybe pay to have some lessons with a qualified instructor.

Every year we usually go abroad for our summer holiday because:

a) we are usually guaranteed sunshine

and

b) we like somewhere that has a beautiful beach.

However, this year, we have now decided not to go abroad!

Instead, we have booked to stay just outside Cardiff for the National Eisteddfod and will spend a few days down in St Davids for the kids to play on the beach. Why do we need to go abroad when we have just as beautiful places to visit here in Wales? And we are also helping the environment a little by reducing the amount of travelling and also protecting our children's skins from the extreme sunshine that we don`t usually get in this country!

Having thoroughly enjoyed this week, I'm really quite stunned at the beauty that I didn`t realise existed on our doorstep. It just shows that we take everything for granted and don`t appreciate what we really have.

I`ve got a funny feeling that the next tasks aren`t going to be as enjoyable as the previous ones! We really have been spoilt and surely, there must be some `not so beautiful` places here in Wales? Let`s just wait and see!