Wednesday 1^st July

OK. This time in three weeks, I SHOULD be on my way to Paris. Unprepared and unfit, but undaunted nonetheless! As long as the road isn’t undulating, we should be OK...

After June being another pathetic month in terms of my diary entries, I have to make July a bit more consistent. June’s entries were “patchy” to say the least, as was my training, and I need to improve in all areas in July. Of course, the month ahead is looking to be just as busy as the previous ones (this is turning into a heck of a year...), but I need to keep at it. I have some serious doubts now as to whether I’ll even start the trip. My fitness is OK, and I know can grit my teeth and get to the end, even if I don’t get on Ruby again before the start, but the house is in such a state, and I don’t want to leave Mel in that mess for any longer. It’s a dilemma – I want to raise some money for research into babies’ health, but I need to look after my own one first...

Another beautiful day yesterday, and I ended up taking the day off. Mel had spent most of her day off on Monday supplying all of the workmen with an assortment of cold and hot drinks. My plan was to spend some time at home with her so that she didn’t have to do that all day again on Tuesday, but I also wanted to take her shopping. After our disastrous trip for maternity clothes at the weekend, I was hoping that we might be a bit more successful yesterday. And we were!

Having seen the workmen all set up with their refreshments for the day, we jumped in the car, and took an hour to get up the M1 to Fosse Park. Mel thought I was mad going 70 miles to try and find her some clothes, but it was worth it. It was just an hour in the car, which was fine (at least it was cool in there), and our shopping expedition was very productive, and Mel was very happy. And I was ecstatic!!! Shorts, dresses, tops - loads of things for the pretty and petite lady with the temporarily expanding waistline who doesn’t want to feel like a whale and feel like she’s wearing a tent.

So it was another hour in the car (despite a slight delay for a stray sheep wandering along the M1...), and we were home, a spot of lunch, and then I was able to get out for a couple of hours in the real heat of the afternoon. And it was REALLY very hot. Just how I like it, and I had a really nice ride. I had to stop in Kensworth to buy another bottle of cold water, and all in all, it was really enjoyable two and a half hours. 40 miles done and dusted. Rides like that in the warm sunshine are simply wonderful.

After a quick shower and something to eat, it was off to our first NCT class. Interesting stuff. 16 strangers stuck in a room together, to talk about things that they have no idea about and are absolutely petrified of. Fun, fun, fun!! It was good though, and I am looking forward to at least getting a FEW answers to these hundreds of questions that are going around in my head (the one and only answer that I wasn’t is the answer to the question “what am I supposed to do??”).

 

Friday 3^rd July

I finally managed a really good ride last night. Just an hour but I went HARD at it for the whole way. It was good route as well. And one I know that I can try and repeat and that it should take me about an hour, or better, hopefully. I went out through Caddington, down to the A5 and blasted along there to Redbourne. Then up to and through Harpenden, and back along the main road and up the hill into the village. I was flying! And overtook and raced a moped for about half an hour, shouting over my shoulder and egging him on to catch me. He laughed at me, at least! Bloke in a sharp suit on one of those trendy, retro Vespa things, that was obviously very slow! Good fun for me though. 18.5 miles in just under an hour.

I was actually home early last night, as I wanted to see the decorator. I thought I’d see him and then get out for 2-3 hours. Unfortunately, he’d left, and I discovered that we had a wild bees nest in the airbrick that goes into the nursery. Just another thing to sort out...

Had a trip down to Maidstone this morning to see clients, so again no training this morning. I had to get back in time to see the bee killer and he has just been and delivered his deathly payload on the unsuspecting insects. Hopefully that will be the end of them. Hopefully get some miles in tomorrow.

Saturday 4^th July

Fantastic ride this morning!

An absolutely beautiful start to the day. Lots to do today, so I couldn’t get a long one in, but it was a nice couple of hours and 34 miles. Started by doing the same route as Thursday night to Harpenden then out through Southdown to Wheathampstead, then on up to Kimpton and Whitwell, along to Tea Green and home. I felt really good as well, but it was still only 34 miles, I need to do 3 times that much for three days in a row... It was just starting to get really hot by the time I was back, but a longer ride would be nice. I will hopefully get one or two in during the next couple of weeks.

The ride was actually better than I expected, as I have neglected to mention that Mel and I went out for a curry last night! A new restaurant has opened up in the next village and we can walk there. It was a nice evening, and we’re both fed up with the state the house is in, so we thought we’d give it a go. And very nice it was too! An escape from the carnage that is our home, and a chance to chat. And no real adverse effects on the pedalling today, so a good result all round!

Mel has understandably been a bit down with the state of the house this week, so I am going to surprise her and take her away to somewhere (hopefully!) nice, so we can get away from the mess and forget about all the work that needs doing for a few hours at least.

 

Monday 6^th July

Well, we had a really great weekend. Apart from a couple of hours on Saturday, I had no exercise, but we relaxed and I hate and drank too much, but I’m hoping that it did us some good.

I dropped Mel off at yoga, and then raced home in time to see Lance Armstrong start the Tour de France before I quickly packed a bag containing pretty much all of Mel’s clothes and toiletries.

I made it back in time to pick her from yoga, before taking her for a “bit of a ride”, and her surprise magical mystery tour.

Now, a Saturday night in Bedford might not sound like the most romantic or most relaxing of evenings, but ours was really excellent. Having taken a very large punt on the hotel, it turned out to be superb, and in a great spot. Beautiful room, peace and quiet, and an excellent meal in the evening. I hope that Mel was able to relax without all of the mess that still surrounds us at home.

Here's a picture of Mel in her new dress in the hotel room. Note the seemless way she blends in to the wallpaper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the past few weeks wondering if I should actually DO London to Paris this year.

I’m not as fit as I would like, but I think I can make it to the end. It will probably just hurt a bit. The thing is, there is such a huge amount of stuff to do at home, and Mel is worried that we won’t do it in time before baby Rush comes along in September.  I know that we’ll get it done, but I understand why she’s worried. I would just like to get things done now too. We have been living in such a mess for such a long time now. I really don’t know what to do.

I’d love to raise a load of money for AMR – we’re praying for a healthy baby, but we can’t take anything for granted – and the work they’re doing is priceless and worthy of me putting myself through a bit of pain if they get some more money. I am positive that we will be blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby. I do know that some people aren’t so lucky to have babies that are quite so healthy, and that they need all the help and support that they can get. Friends, colleagues and family have all experienced some difficult, traumatic, and very painful times. If I DO make the trip this year, it will not be easy for me, but four days of pain will be worth it if I raise some more money for medical research, and manage to let a few more people know about the great work that AMR are doing in areas such as pregnancy complications, reducing premature births, and improving the care for sick babies .

Personally, I have already benefitted from their work, when they developed hip replacement surgery all those years ago. I am sure that our baby will be very fit and well when it makes its way, kicking and screaming into the world. Even so, it will still be reassuring to know that there are people out there working very hard to help those other people who aren’t as fortunate as we will be. So, I need to get this website of mine up and running and get on the fundraising road as quickly and energetically as possible. If I can raise some cash again this year, all the mess and disorder at home, as well as all the pain (and undoubted chafage!) on the road to Paris will have been worth it.  

The racing in the Tour de France was simply sensational this evening, Unbelievable. The Columbia team went for it and split the field as they turned into the wind, taking Armstrong with them, but leaving Contador behind. Excellent stuff.

 

Wednesday 8^th July

I was up early yesterday morning. Up and out on the road at 5.30 to do the same route that I did for the first time on Thursday night. It was fun as well, the same 18.5 miles in the hour. Back home in time to see Mel for ten minutes before she went to work. Then it was in the shower for me and off to hospital for a “Health Assessment”...

This turned out to be a lot more thorough and detailed than I was expecting, but at least the doctor had warm hands...

Apart from telling me that I needed to lose weight (or grow about a foot taller...), the rest of the results were a pleasant surprise. Cholesterol was very low, and my risks of heart disease were actually off the scale – on the negative side. They didn’t have a score lower than -1, and I was -2, so that was nice. My ECG showed that I had an enlarged heart, which CAN be a bad thing, but she said it was good in my case, and that I actually had “the heart of an athlete”!!!! It’s true! And then the report said that I had the lungs of a 25 year old. So I guess the cycling must be doing some good, even if I am well overweight and my legs are a bit weak and girly!!

We finally had some carpet fitted at home yesterday. At last. And it looks good, too. We WILL get there and get things finished and looking perfect well before our new addition comes along to make a mess of everything again.

And we had another NCT class last night – interesting, exciting, and scary, all in equal measure!!!

I won’t be hitting the road tonight – it looks as though it’s raining again and I need to get home to shift some of the furniture that’s been filling the dining room for the past month or so back upstairs. Mel has an NHS antenatal class tomorrow so she needs to be able to work on the dining room table.

Talking to Mel on the train on the way in this morning, I had decided not to make the trip to Paris. I have been going over this so many times over the past few weeks, and we were talking today about what needs doing, and there is still a lot to do. Then I had an email from my mate Simon. He had a baby girl six weeks ago. His wife and baby have only just come home from Great Ormond Street Hospital. But, the important thing is that they’re home and getting better. They will undoubtedly have benefitted from all of the research that is being done into babies’ health.  I am POSITIVE that our baby will be 100% perfect, but I am so aware of other people who aren’t so lucky and are dependent on medical expertise to help them out.

 

Monday 13^th July

I am having a real dilemma at the minute. I am really not in the right frame of mind to do the ride to Paris. I’m certainly not as fit as I would like to be either. I’d rather take the time to try and get things sorted out at home. But then, I DO want to raise some money for AMR, and I don’t want to let anyone down there. They are a great bunch of people who work incredibly hard to carry out some priceless research. I don’t want to let Crawford down, as we agreed that we would do it again this year. If I don’t go, it could mean letting Mel’s parents down as they are looking forward to coming and spending some time with her. Of course, they are still welcome to come even if I don’t go to Paris, but I know that i wouldn’t get any of these jobs that doing done if they’re there as well. Decisions, decisions...

Again, it has been another sparse week on the training front. I’ve not been out since last Tuesday morning, as there have just been too many things to do. I suppose I should be tapering now, so I guess I am doing that right! The thing is, I should have done a ton of miles by now, but I haven’t.

I was into work early on Thursday morning, so that meant there was no time for a ride, and we went to Milton Keynes in the evening to go and pick up a sofabed for the spare room. I ended up taking Friday off work so that I could get the house in some sort of shape for the weekend, and I had a very busy day shifting all of the furniture back upstairs from the dining room where it has been for the past month or so. I was hoping to get out on the bike for an hour or two, but I ran out of time before I had to go and pick Mel up from the station and head to the supermarket.

There was no ride again on Saturday morning, as my back was killing me from all of the previous day’s exertions. There wouldn’t have been time for a decent ride anyway, as we had to get off for a full day’s NCT class at 10, but the intention had been to get out and do one of my quick 18.5 mile laps. As it was, I could barely move when I got up, so that plan went out the window. As did the NCT class, in the end. Just as we were leaving, Mel got a text measure to say that the class had been cancelled. Very annoying, but it suddenly gave us some time to ourselves which we hadn’t been expecting, and was a bit of a bonus. Al l clean and smart and presentable for the NCT class, we didn’t go and get our dirty work clothes on and set to the house like we probably should have done, but went for a bit of a ride instead. It was nice few hours, and as tends to be the case these days, it turned into a bit of an expensive excursion. We ended up ordering some new furniture for our bedroom which should be really nice. It should hopefully be delivered in a few weeks time, once we have managed to arrange to get the carpet fitted.

I went into London later on Saturday afternoon to meet Phil. We had a few beers in Waterloo and then made our way down to Hammersmith to see a very excellent British rock band by the name of Thunder. This is a band that I have followed from the very beginning, from before their triumphant debut at the Monsters of Rock in 1990, and I have lost count of the number of times that I have seen them (but it could be into the 20s.....). This tour is called the “20 and out tour” and that says it all, after 20 great years together, they are calling it quits and they will be very sadly missed. Their albums have always been good, but live they have always been one of the best bands around. Despite being sad, it was great to see them bowing out to a screaming, sell out Hammersmith ODEON (I cannot call it the Apollo). A really great night, and the accompanying pics (courtesy of Phil’s BlackBerry) do not really do it justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason, my head was REALLY sore on Sunday morning.

So, no ride on Sunday morning either.

Byron and Jen and George came up to see us yesterday, and that was really great. George is 10 weeks old now, and he has grown a LOT. Byron helped me put the cabinets and a new shower screen back up in the bathroom, but apart from that it was pretty relaxing day. Eating too much good food, and probably drinking too many cold beers and red wine.

 More or less resigned to the fact that I’m NOT going to do L2P.

And then, on the train in with Mel this morning, we were discussing things – weighing up all the options – what needs doing / who will I upset, etc, etc, and I think I had resolved that I WOULD do the ride. I want to go and raise some money for sick babies. And then I turned my phone on and there’s a message from my decorator saying that he wouldn’t be coming today as he had another job to go to. But he’s half way through doing our house!!! So, if he doesn’t finish this week, I’ll have to cancel the bike ride and do the painting instead. NOT what I want to do. Just another thing to think about.

If I’m going to do it, I need to get some money in soon, so I’ll need to get this website up to some sort of standard that I can let people know about it, and then I can plead for some of their hard-earned cash.

I’m shattered today, but I’m going to try and get out for an hour tonight. Of course, there is a huge pile of ironing that I don’t want Mel to do, so we’ll see if I actually make it out. Then of course, I could do with spending some time on my website and writing some grovelling emails.

Tuesday 14^th July

Up at 4.55 this morning and out on the road not long after.

And it was a good ride too. 22 miles, out in the fresh air and beautiful countryside. I even got up close and personal with a muntjac deer this morning. I’m still not sure who was more perturbed. But I did manage to get very close to it. Beautiful thing, actually, and quite a way to start the day.

I attempted some action shots while I was pedalling past Whipsnade zoo this morning, at the top of Bison Hill. I don’t think that they fully capture the excessive and dangerous speed at which I was pedalling, though...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The disappointing thing is that the ride was just an hour or so again. No longer rides since the beginning of June now, so I don’t know how the legs will be next week. Wobbly, I should think!

But, at the moment, I AM going to cycle from London to Paris next week.

It’s been a difficult year. Mostly fantastic, of course, with Mel positively blooming. But a combination of her being shattered, and me fussing like a girl and being far too over-protective meant that I missed the first couple of months of training at the start of the year.

Then we had the flood. Coming home after a week away at the end of March to water dripping from the ceilings and running down the walls, was something of a shock, and threw a huge great spanner in the works. Not a lot of cycling after that, either.

Now, almost four months later, we’re still in a state, there are still assorted workmen in and out of the house, Mel’s seven months pregnant, I’ve barely done any training, and I’ve spent the past few weeks debating whether I should actually do the ride from London to Paris this year.

Two main reasons, really. Firstly, I’m not fit and four days of cycling will hurt. And secondly, and more importantly, the house is a mess and it needs to be straight before this baby comes.

On the other hand though, I really want to raise some money for Action Medical Research.

Last year I did the ride to celebrate the 15^th anniversary of my first hip replacement. Having pioneered this surgery, AMR have done a ton a work for which I will personally be eternally grateful. Five operations later, I’m at the point where I can actually get out there and spend a few days pedalling with no real concerns, other than a really sore backside. This year, I wanted to do the ride to emphasise all of the tireless and priceless research that they do into the complex issues that can affect babies and children. We hope that we won’t need any of it directly, but you can’t take anything for granted, can you? Over the last 12 months, I've heard stories from more and more people who have experienced all sorts of difficulties and disappointment when it comes to pregnancy and babies.

Now, my wife is truly amazing. Despite the mess that she’s had to endure for the past four months, she’s told me to go for it. Do the ride, and the building / redecorating / etc can wait for yet another week. The cynical might say that she just wants me out of the house for four days, but I’d like to think that’s not the case. She knows I’ve been torn as to what to do. She knows that I want to raise some money for a great cause, she knows that it will be difficult for me (maybe that’s why she wants me to go??), but she knows that I feel I should look after my own baby first, and get our home straight too, before taking a little holiday on the Continent.