I went ( by Tube and Tri ) to the Southbank last night again then to see a tribute to Mark Hollis evening. He was the singer in Talk Talk and he died in February. At one of these events lots of other well known musicians perform the deceased’s songs. It was good too. That band did some great stuff. Lots of die hard fans go to things like this and last night was no exception.
It wasn’t raining so I Tri’d back. It’s like having a go cart, driving this thing – low down and fast as f***. I went along the river path ( South side ) passing the London Eye on my side and Parliament on the other, and crossed to the north side on Vauxhall Bridge. As this thing goes much faster it’s very tempting to use main roads. After all I used to cycle on them and this thing is faster than I rode a bike. I’d go along quite happily at 21 mph and do 10 mph more if I pushed hard. That seemed fairly fast on a bicycle, but bloody hell 30mph in a wheelchair feels like you are doing about 90… and I’m not kidding. It’s definitely an adrenaline rush. Yes, yes I know — be careful out there. I am ( though it doesn’t sound like it I realise ). If I crashed it would be a mess, but crashing a bicycle at 30mph is potentially terminal too. Pretty sure one more crash and I’m a goner, but I’m honestly not trying to, or trying not to ( take your pick ).

Small world isn’t it? I bumped into a fella I was in Stoke Mandeville paralysis unit with me. Miley is from a travelling family. He was in a car crash ( in Belgium I think ). He was in a car with his brother and his dad. I know his dad was killed. I’m not sure if his brother was too. To lose your loved ones and then wake up to be told they are dead AND be paralysed as well, as the survivor, is a double whammy of shit tbh. We from the unit are united by circumstance, and brothers in arms ( well brothers on wheels actually ). We will see each other again soon. After Stoke he paid quite a lot to have ‘ a miracle cure ‘ of stem cell injections. Needless to say they didn’t cure much. At that point you are so bloody desperate you will believe anything, I recall. He told me there was zero change, except about 2 months after the treatment he realised that he could tell if his bladder was about to empty. That seems like a little thing, but actually it’s a big thing to us. It saves him pissing his pants essentially, which is useful.
To me, having a catheter go into my tummy is far better. I don’t even have to use a disabled loo. I attach a wee bomb bag hidden in my leg cover and drink as much fluid as I want. Last night when I got back there was 2.5 litres in it. That’s a LOT of trips to the toilet avoided, I’d say.

He did say that he wants to have an implant ‘ for his wife ‘ … though. Depending on your level of injury and luck you can become impotent or you may well not. The one he was talking about ( the implant ) was one where you can pump up your ‘ instrument’ and it stays that way until you ‘ let the air out’ again. Traveling girls like their sex, it seems. Fair enough too. Obviously there’s more than one way to skin a cat though, which I’m sure by now he’d have cottoned onto.
That was a figure of speech btw, not me implying that gypses eat cats.

But they might, who knows.

Tho only ones they’ve stolen.

( I just laughed at my own disrespectful joke! )