34th needle and Crying Mums...

Eel Pie Island, River Thames, Twickenham, Thursday.

Since my encounter with the wonderful Deer in Bushy Park on Monday I have learned what they were actually doing with all that painful bellowing across the dying yellow grass of the park. I have "Autumn Watch" on BBC2 to thank for that. It has finished now which is a shame...very good show & all live too. Bill Oddie is funny, everytime he saw himself on the monitor he seemed to be tidying his hair. Seem to forget sometimes he was in "The Goodies".
Right....Since Monday then I have been doing the kind of stuff I like to do and in the kind of weather I like to do it in. Another ride around Richmond Park on Tuesday....Very high tide along the footpath! The whole length was a foot under water. I did the whole length trying not to get wet feet! Silly really, fighting a bit of a loosing battle I was. It's not so nice either when you can't see where the bank ends and the river starts. Good fun though. Played havoc with my ankle joints though! They don't like to get cold & wet! I could hardly walk when I got home!
Then Wednesday more cycling...This time in the other direction towards Bushy Park. Lovely and sunny, wind nice and little. A few midges (bloody Muffleheads!) still alive and looking for the odd orifice of the Human type (Nowhere near as bad as in the Summer & the vicious Highland Midge I encountered in Fort William in June! Millions is an understatement!). Dogs out in force looking for a free Squirrel shaped meal:) It doesn't surprise me that one was wearing a muzzle. The trip back home took me right past Hampton Court Palace....Very quiet looking and probably pretty glad to be rid of all those camera wielding tourists looking for the ghost of Thomas Cardinal Wolsey (did you know that Henry VIII built 49 other places around England similar in style to HCP & none remain today!).
Along the towpath back to Kingston I noticed some of the leaves (don't know what kind of plant) from the Palace spilling over the wall onto the river side. turning a bright red! Autumn is here and the years carry on regardless.

Autumns death, gives life...

As I took the photo, another cyclist was riding up and down wondering what the hell I was doing bending down, looking right into the leaves! Three times she went past. I was tempted to say that I had found a secret portal into another world, what only my little camera could see....thought better of it in the end! I don't look too good in straight-jackets!....not white ones anyway;)

So on to Thursday, A very short, impulsive decision to go for a little kayak up the Thames (see photo at top). Only the day before I had seen some kayakists paddling away and thought that that is what I am going to do tomorrow. Ideally I would have Loved to take a drive to Lulworth Cove, My favorite Kayaking area. My friend Lee and I have planned to go together in the next month. I am all excited just thinking about it, it has been a while........Christ on a bike!! It has been 2 years since I was last down at the "Door" (Durdle Door)! This can't be right...but it is and the Cove here we come...watch this space!
So...I launch right under St Marys Church in Twickenham. Signs everywhere warning drivers of the massive risk of flooding at high tide. Believe me, I have seen plenty of half submerged cars, a tasty treat for the very greedy and not very choosy Thames! But before I take to the Thames, I have lunch over at my younger Sister Tania's. My little niece Millie was there too:) And my Mum. I went onto Tania's PC to see what my blog looked like (I have a Mac). I read one of my previous posts titled "For the Love of Livers" out to them, they were interested as to what sort of stuff I do on there. My Mum don't do computers and wouldn't read it herself. Anyway, by the time I was finished, My Sister said; "See what you've done? I looked up and saw my Mum was crying! I had no idea it would have that effect on her! I never no what to do when I see people crying. I'm not used to crying at all. It doesn't come easily to me for some reason....
.....The sun was very low in the late afternoon sky! It was almost like looking into the proverbial tunnel of light to another world...I needed sun glasses! I was forced to paddle in the direction of the sun (Teddington Lock) as I needed to stay against the flow of the tide, because coming back to the car would be much easier if my arm began to hurt. So off I go, cutting through the oncoming water, being careful to avoid being a local fisherman's biggest catch of the day! Past Trevor Bayliss' house on Eel Pie Island, round the long sweeping left hand bend towards the Lock at Teddington. A lone Swan thunders past from behind me, almost level with my head! These kind of sights don't come too often but when they do....well, it was like when Concorde used to fly over my Mums garden every day, I always stopped and just stared in amazement! Swans make a terrific sound as they swoosh past, wheezing & squeaking as they plunge those ginormous wings up and down!
Up to the Lock itself, passing Rick Parfitts' (Status Quo) riverside apartment. The weir part of the lock was letting in tonnes of water from the non-tidal part of the Thames and made the whole area a no-no for paddling, especially since I was all alone and not wearing a buoyancy aid! I know, I know...! I do have one, but this part of the Thames is so predictable I don't bother. (Slapped wrist starting to sting). I turn around and head back for Twick just as it gets dark. The tide had risen now and has flooded part of the road. Again, very predictable if you know the area. My car was safe and sound:) My day ended in more water in the form of a Lovely warm bath when I got in doors:) A nice little taster for the impending trip to The Cove (with buoyancy aid). Thursday night also saw my 34th Interferon injection go into battle, all guns blazing and wearing steel toe capped boots for the ones who are still squirming in the darkest recesses of my liver.....Stamp those little parasites into dust....Lovely!
So on to Friday! Friday 13th! A trip up to the RFH in Hampstead for my 4 weekly Hep C tx bloods. Lovely sunny day again. Stinky dirty train, look for a discarded "Metro" newspaper to read on the half hour trip. Collect copies of my blood results (from the beginning of tx to present day) I requested a few days before. I wanted to see what my levels have been up to over the last 8 months. I may have to post them on to the forum and Maybe Ross can decipher them for me.
Quickly in and quickly out, back home and prepare myself for a night ride around Pitch Hill, Surrey with my friend Lee. As it's name suggests, it is pitch black when we arrive at the car park in Peaslake. Great weather for cycling, dry'ish, little wind and not too cold. I could tell the Winter is only around the corner though. We had a nice 2 hour ride under the stars and trees. But right near the end, we took a look down a steep looking channel we have named "The Trench", Lee went first and halfway down lost control and went right over his handlebars! He was very lucky! A bit shaken....more worried about his bike and new lights! Oh well, Friday 13th couldn't take a night off could it!

Lee & I. Friday 13th. (post crash)

That was it really. Bit of a long post this time, & 3 photos too:) By the way, Lee is 6ft 4! He looks shorter than me in this photo. I am 5ft 11 on a good day;)

P.s. Friday the 13th, October, 2006....13+10+2006=13!

Jason