Monthly Archives: January 2014

Keep the date free!

Events

Dan has organised, for my charity, a massive ‘white collar’ boxing night. 

On  the evening of March 22nd inside a large marquee at The Park Club, in Acton, there will take place 10 bouts, 9 male and 1 featuring 2 brave ladies. 
None have ever fought before a packed crowd before and all will be very nervous not to ‘let down’ their friends/ family/ colleagues by coming second…. 
For the spectators it’ll be fascinating viewing, uncomfortable in parts but highly intriguing. 
Dan himself is fighting ( obviously ) so as to lead by example. 
All fighters will undertake a 10 week structured training plan, incorporating fitness, strengthening and technique, all coached by resident experts, Ali and Lee. 
They’ll train WITH their opponents and there’ll be no mis-matches. 
There’ll be copious food and drink, and plenty of parking spaces. 
Tickets will sell fast, so get yours early. 
Watch this space for further updates, but keep March 22nd free. 
See you there 🙂

From Dani’s colleague. Lovely touch…

Events
Dani,
 
Just wanted to say, how good it is to have you back and how it must be a really big thing for you (probably welcome in a way that the rest of us can’t imagine).   I have been following Russ’s blog and it really is the most amazing and uplifting read.  There is a danger that we can take family for granted in the daily rush of life and Russ is very good at reminding us all to hug the ones we love. Anyway, if there is anything I can do to help you manage your return to work over the next few months, please don’t hesitate to ask and tell Russ to keep blogging for the benefit of his wider readership!  You and the girls have clearly been out of this world for him.
 
J

Thanks for coming.

Events

Fantastic to see my old Uni mate, Melanie, today. 

27 years later she looks exactly the same!
Me… Well, gone is the string vest and the mullet haircut, add in an aluminium  wheelchair and Hey Presto… virtually unrecognisable probably. 
We had a laugh though. 
To think, if I’d not crashed, I’d never have seen her again. 
See, it’s not all bad… 
And thanks to Ina for coming and filling me in on work stuff, plus offering to help me make the transition to getting back to work and figuring out just how I’ll do my job from the confines of a wheelchair. 
So very generous of her to give up her future spare time to help me. 
Trust me, having someone competent and thoughtful plus lateral thinking enough is a real comfort. 
Star girl!
🙂

Total ( well, partial ) Recall..

Events

Today I saw Jeremy, a top mate and  fellow cyclist from that trip in June.  

He showed me lots of pictures, including the spot I’d hit the road very hard. 
The Tarmac was marked with a green cross. 
It was chokingly emotional to see the place where one life ended and another fought for survival. 
It suddenly dawned on me that I could remember early parts of the day. What for me my mind had filed as  memories of a DIFFERENT trip, suddenly were revealed as THIS trip. 
I remember taking an early morning swim, retrieving my bike from the locked van, and having breakfast on a sun bathed terrace. 
I’d been convinced that all that happened the year before, in Spain. Now, in a flash they were the summer of 2013. 
I’ve still not watched the video taken from my own bike’s camera of my actual crash. The camera sits in the corner of my kitchen, there every time I go home at the weekend. 
Will it do me any good to watch it? 
Who knows. 
What would you do?

Monday night in Aylesbury …

Events

Such a laugh last night with Nick and Sophia Teasdale, who took me out to The Woolsack pub for dinner. 

Actually, we went to The Chequers first, parked up, assembled the chair, got into it, wheeled the 20 feet to the front door,  to discover…. They are closed on Mondays. ..
Moral of the story: open your bloody eyes  maybe?!
Back in the car, up the road, great night. 
In bed by 11 too. 
Thanks both, felt like a ‘normal’ night out again. 
Blimey, this blog’s getting a bit upbeat isn’t it? 
Before long people will stop reading it….. I know you’re only in it for the teary bits..
😉
X

A poignant message.

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Russell I have started so many emails to you. None of them expressed how we felt thinking of you – how often we talked about you – how proud we are of how phenomenal you have been in dealing with this. When I saw you unconscious in Toulon a couple of days after the accident the whole thing felt completely unreal. You looked perfect like you were asleep but we were so so scared you wouldn’t wake up or would wake up a different Russell to the one who we know and love so well. We sat with dani telling her u would ski again listening to Stewart and alwyn tell hilarious stories about you tricking some poor nameless girls into drinking p*^#  out of wine bottles and willed you on to wake up and do it all again. Personally no one else so thoroughly appreciates my musical taste in abba and Bryan Adams and gives me so much pleasure to irritate beyond belief on successive holidays winter and summer. It is so fantastic to read your blog and know you are attacking this crap thing that’s happened in the same way you have attacked every challenge you take on. I saw you skiing on the blog today and I was so excited I was jumping up and down yelling for Gerry and the kids to see it. You bastard you are faster than me already – 15 years later and I will still only see your rear view disappearing in the distance. I can’t wait. 
Xxx k

Sent from my iPhone

My weekend..

Events

My ever loyal buddy, Dan White came and got me on Friday, straight off the FES bike, to Chiswick / Acton , where I saw the lovely Cherie for a bit of massage therapy. 

She reports weekly on my physical status, which I find truly helpful. 
Thus far, she says every week that my body is getting stronger, more muscular and more resilient. 
It’s a real fillip to get a weekly boost from a trained eye. 
After seeing my old mate Jerry for a coffee, Dani took me back, to see my stunning god daughter, Emily at our house. 
So nice to see her before she disappeared back to Sheffield Uni. Hope I can yet be a ‘positive influence ‘ in her life..
Watching TV cuddled up to Amber was a real treat after that ( at least for me )..she’s the most adorable little girl. 
Saturday was pretty laid back ( except for half an hour on the Arm Bike that almost killed me ), til about 6pm when my cycling mate Glenn came round, followed by my school friends Mike and Alyson Jenkins and their talented and lovely kids, Ollie and Beth. 
Such a pleasure to have them in our house. 
Then Dan and Saskia came to dinner – really good fun – til I ran totally out of gas at about 12. 
Sas attempted the Whipped Cream Challenge …. No, not the one you Boys will have seen in strip clubs, but the home version. She said not to post it, so I am. 
Judge for yourself .. 
Sunday we went to watch Lily train at hockey, then played board games, then had lunch at our lovely friends’ – Larry and Sarah. 
Two of their boys were there, Jamie and Charlie – great lads. 
Like the Jenkins brood before them I’m struck by the warmth that teenagers show me. There’s a kind of unspoken and rapt attention that they give me, a sort of not necessarily knowing what to say, but not having to say anything. Their eyes say all they need to. 
Great to see Roy, Dickon, Rob and Rebecca, Jo and Andrew , Richard ( all at hockey ) ,  Jonny, Christina and Pat and Martin too. 
Martin’s going to help me sort a car out before too long – adapted hand control obviously – that should give me a different level of independence. 
The thought of driving is a bit scary frankly, but like skiing I’m sure after 10 minutes or so  it’ll seem ok.
Hopefully, anyway. 
I drove a bit like a sensible  old lady before, so I guess I’ll resume my vehicular habits and not feel the need to show off…reckless on skis and almost fatally so  on a bicycle, yet pedestrian behind the wheel – explain that one. 
I’m getting used to being like I am now a lot more now. 
I don’t spend the whole time thinking about what it was like before any more. 
In company I’ve felt so much more like my proper self, it’s really good. 
I looked at pictures of the mess I was in 6 months ago and Christ, I’ve come a long way from the near skeleton I was then.
That’s progress.