Another Little Bleeder;)

Samuel treating a bleed on Wednesday


Firstly, sorry Chris...yet another image of a steel hungry vein to greet you first thing in the morning;)

Ok...what was the last post about? Oh yes...the weather. Goodness me, isn't there anything else the English talk about besides the bleeding weather? No not really. The weather rules our lives to a certain degree and our emotions and moods too. Stoopid isn't it! It's just a mixture of different elements all coming together and MAKING ME F*CKING WET WHEN I GO OUT CYCLING OR A PADDLE IN THE BLOODY THAMES!!! Ahem...ok...I'm fine now...I promise;) Please don't rain on Sunday...Please!! I got this mountain bike ride on Sunday with me mate Lee. We're just two of around a thousand mountain bikers taking part in this race across the rolling hills of the Welsh Borders in a little place called Kington (thats Kingston without the S) and it looks like rain! And we're camping the night before...in tents!

Anyway...enough about that. I shall endeavour to tell you all about it the moment I make it back (if) to London with half of June's total predicted rainfall soaked into my pants! Christ on a bike! Is it June already?
So...I'm ready and fit and me arm hurts and me ankle hurts & me head ain't quite all it should be...but I'm ready and as I said...I'm fit. I can't be any fitter and anyway, it isn't a race to the finish as such...more of an endurance race to finish the route. The long or the short route? Still haven't decided...35k or 70k? Depends on the...wait for it...the weather. And obviously how my elbow feels at the point where the route forks to long & short. I was out on Thursday afternoon for what turned out to be a 31 mile ride locally with two and a half laps of RP chucked in and a quick look at Kingston before I went home...in pain! It was sunny & warm which helped...a little. For the most part I was resting my right hand lightly on me handle bar because my elbow was so sore! I wasn't even off-road for goodness sakes. It sometimes goes like that...me arm...and me right ankle had a few words to say also on the subject of pain. But that didn't stop me going kayaking on Thursday night. Plus I am going to attend the public enquiry into contaminated blood products the very next morning after the race in London on Monday. I'm sure they won't mind if I sit at the back and have a kip on one of their comfy armchairs that I spotted the last time I was there. Also I want to sneak out one of their snazzy bottle of 'House of Commons' mineral water too;) Don't tell anyone!

So on to the photo...It is of my 14yr old Nephew Samuel. He's my eldest Sisters Son down from Donny (Doncaster) for the week and on Wednesday he rang me up and asked if I could lend him some of my Factor VIII (he too has severe Haemophilia 'A') and thank f*ck without all the trimmings!...which I was only too pleased to do. I'm not sure why he didn't bring any of his own down...I was 14 once and the last thing on my mind was Haemophilia...so there is the reason;) We are on the same stuff and therefore was not a problem. He started to treat himself in the last year or so and was all too happy to allow me to shoot him shooting up so to speak. Before I knew it he was all done and dusted and on the road to recovery. Like Uncle like Nephew:) And on Thursday Samuel, Daisy, Lee & I all went for a blast around Ealing Pool in our kayaks. Samuel had never been before and thoroughly enjoyed himself and even perforemed a rescue on me and saved me from drowing a rather horrible and somewhat terminally breath missing death (all staged of course;) Lee was rolling like know ones business and I just paddled around like a looney again keeping my eye on Samuel & Daisy until Lee asked me if I was going to do some rolls. I had all but given up since last weeks metal block and was quite happy to be the 'Fool in the Pool'...but then thought sod it and with half an hour left of pool time tried again. I capsized meself and just sat there upside down looking at me paddle...all the while running out of air and just couldn't think what to do! I didn't even try and signalled to Lee to right me. He did and then suggested I try a slightly different method...a 'C to C' roll...Lee's been reading up on the different rolls and is fast becoming an egg-spurt on the matter;) I had been attempting the 'Sweep' roll before and successfully too up until last Thursday when for some reason all me brain cells decided to abseil out from my ears and run off into the sunset...with each and every one of the little bastards giving me the middle finger as he did so!! Anyway, I tried one using this new technique and did it first go...then another and another. Much bloody easier! Why didn't I start with this one? So that's the one for me then...the 'C to C' roll. Tune in next week to see if I have gone mental again and lost that one too;)



Jason


P.s. Be sure to check out my other two posts right below this one that I also posted...they're just me cycling & kayaking for May is all...but you might like to see them...See ya when I get back from my race... www.roughride.co.uk Jx






(C) JPT 2007.........1578.42 miles