Swam on my back today. Couldn’t hear a thing or see where I was going, but 1.2k m in 37 minutes, so def faster.

Swallowed a fair bit of salt water though.

I swam a whole km today, with no flotation aid.

God, salt water makes all the difference. I swam in a salty lake and never once felt I was going to sink.

30 mins for the first 500m, facing forward.. Vertical swimming/ legs straight down..then on my back for the return 500m where my legs were straight out behind me – twice as fast, back in 15 minutes.

I’m gonna try again today with a little flotation foam stuck in my shorts, to see if I can stroke with alternate arms rather than both at the same time, which is a bit like doing butterfly on my back.

Mega thanks to Stu and Lucy for swimming with me, Ben and Lex in the safety boat, and Stu and Mark for lifting me into and out of the lake.

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I’ve had the most brilliant assistance from my brother, Stu, this week
Nothing is ever too much trouble. He’s pushed me about, been out riding with me, serviced pretty much everything mechanical I own, and driven me around.
He and Gerry didn’t take no for an answer when I doubted my ability to drive a hand controlled go kart, meaning that after they lifted me into the thing, I could race them and the kids too, like a normal Dad.
It was great to be included, not to be sidelined. I should add here that it’s often my reluctance to be a nuisance, to stand out, to slow everyone and everything down, that sidelines myself.
I still suffer from the embarrassment of being this way, feeling different from everyone else, effectively being prejudiced against myself. I’m not sure if and when that will pass.

However, once in the go kart, it was a blast. I actually was only interested in driving near to my two girls, seeing their faces, hearing their screams, breathing in their excitement.
The last time I drove a kart was on my stag day/night. Gerry and Stu were there that day too, back in August 1995. Driving the kart was pretty much the last thing I recall of that day. It wasn’t until Stu sent me some photos 3 weeks later that I even knew what they’d made me do that evening…. So drunk I’d genuinely no recollection of the terrible events that passed for a male celebration of my forthcoming marriage.
It was a wonder I even made it to my own wedding.

Anyway I digress. Back to hand biking.. Not getting any easier, but I am dead excited that some very generous friends have clubbed together to buy me a new, proper one – my own size, modern spec, with all the bells and whistles a paraplegic could want.
Then I’ve no excuses for my speed… other than the one about having no legs and crap lungs.
I’ve got to do 40 odd miles a day on the third weekend of September, for 3 days, rain or shine, accompanying my buddies from my crash day, as they canoe from Devizes to Westminster in my honour.
The fellas have been training hard at Richmond Canoe Club at all hours, coached by Richard Hendron mainly, along with Tony, Rob and Peter.
They’ll see that endurance kayaking is hard work, but should love it, plus gain a skill set that’s always going to be useful.

We went to a Waterpark yesterday. They charged me to get in, but wouldn’t allow me on any of the rides. No matter, I could watch them have fun, and get a kick out of that. I did get to hold a golden eagle too, although it was apparently a little freaked out by the wheelchair. It and me both then.

Being splashed by the rollercoaster was funny though, as per the video clip above.

Before my injury I was certainly more childish at Waterparks than the children, so it was a bit odd not to partake. I know that they realise how I feel, and they are very loving to me, which does help.

Soon I go back to work, full time for 2 weeks, to do an induction for 3 new student optometrists. Unable now to physically demonstrate lots of things, I’ll have to talk a lot instead. It’ll be harder, not being the old me ie really hands on… but I don’t have a choice.

Also soon I go on a 3 day intro to para rowing camp. As I can’t sit up straight in a wheelchair , it’s going to be a real challenge in a boat, but I’m sure the boat people will be used to paralysed people  potentially falling out of boats so will have a plan to prevent that.

The first day is theory and capsize drill.

Can’t wait for the floundering about in the river followed by rescue part. Other than dragging me into the rescue craft by my arms/life vest, I can’t see how they would save me… Maybe throw a rope at me, then drag me to a shallow bit of the river?

All will no doubt be revealed.

I’m also soon going to a beginners hand biking weekend at Stoke Mandeville track. As I’m now not a total novice ie I’ve already crashed at speed, I’m hoping for a bit of coaching instead, plus better technique for getting in and out of a lie down bike. My regained muscularity is against me in terms of flexibility required to get from lying down to wheelchair, dragging still quite heavy and stiff legs behind me.

Yep, it’s all going on.

http://www.mapmyride.com/view_workout?w=698892199

Arm biking continues….. Varying the rides.. 26 miles maximum so far, but as short as 5 miles  hill rep’s.

‘Sprinting’ up hills with crap lung capacity isn’t very enjoyable, but I’m sure it’s good for me, and seems to lead to me coughing up all sorts of gunk.. Stuff lying in the depths of my lungs  for a year perhaps, and now out.

I like to think that every bit I cough up leads to a little more space I can use to breathe with..

When you’re on the loo and you find seaweed on your balls, you know you must have had a fun day, the day before.

This time last year ( on my birthday ) I was back in London, very much in intensive care still, not really fully aware of just how bad it all was, physically.

They were  still giving me hope that I may have control over my legs, or that it might return.

That wasn’t to be.

I spent this day with Dani and my daughters, and got so many cards it was crazy. It was all pretty overwhelming, in the nicest possible way.

Lots of lovely mums and dads from the kids’ school made a massive banner, and stood outside the hospital.

I only saw pictures of them holding the banner, but that was enough to make me feel very special.

At the time, I couldn’t really speak much, and only very quietly, as I still had the tracheotomy tube in my throat. Plus , champagne tasted like acid.

So God, it’s better now than then… Sure, I know that I probably won’t walk again, officially, now, but at least I’m up and about, can speak almost normally, and am steadily regaining fitness. My body is very much twisted by the assymetry of my injury, plus all the rods in my back, so it’s physically impossible to straighten up. As I’ve always been a bit obsessed by posture, that’s not great for me.

Today though, I’m with my adorable girls, and my little brother, Mandy, Ben and Neal, Debs, Emily, Miles, Karena, Gerry, Conor, Kate, Emily and Sarah…. So I’ll be ok!

Thanks to lots of people who have sent messages and cards too. 🙂

I’ll try to attach pics of some …

Well I never… My resting pulse rate has dropped to 47 per minute.

6 months ago it was about 70.

The hard work is paying off!

On another note, good luck to Voj on his wedding day today, marrying the lucky Chrysso…and equally to Adam.. In his role as best man!

Where do I start?

I know, car parking.

Disabled bays. F’ers who aren’t , parking in them. ‘Oh it was only for ten minutes/ my wife is disabled ( tho not actually with me etc etc’

At the station the other day… The guy parked in the only bay waved his Network Rail ID at me and says ‘ it’s ok, I work for the station ‘… What???   I parked alongside him so he couldn’t get out of his door.

‘ Wheelchair ‘ bays have that chequered yellow paint area to the side of the bay  TO PUT THE BLOODY WHEELCHAIR IN.  Not because the disabled are crap drivers who need more space to park. Or are really, really fat.

Unless you’re in a wheelchair, don’t park in them, ok!

Disabled toilets where the doors are on such high tension springs that I can’t pull them open… Because as I pull I roll closer to the door  stopping it opening.

Pedal bins in loos. Yes, PEDAL bins. What f’ing use is that to me, with paralysed legs that don’t move/ can’t move. I have to reach down and push the sodding pedal with my hand.

Disabled loos used as store rooms – chairs/ladders/ boxes/ the Hoover etc.  Theyre bigger so that a wheelchair can turn around in one   As soon as they’ve got other stuff in them…. You can’t turn around… To reach the pedal bin with your hand.

Accessible loos down a flight of stairs.. Yes, that daft. I asked and he said ‘ yes, no problem, we have one.. Just down those stairs…

Im not angry about these things, just a little bewildered.

A lot of these came via one man called Johnny Morris , a Cwmbran man who played with me for the United and later coached Cwmbran .Johnny was a good old second row, not the game’s greatest thinker but totally immersed in the game. During Cwmbran’s centenary season Johnny asked me if I would help him out at Cwmbran. The whole back division and half the forwards were ex Fairwater boys so I was delighted to get involved. This was the first time anyone had heard the”coat/jacket” used but he had others as well. At one coaching session he was trying to get a point over, getting frustrated he said ” boys, I’ve told you once twice before!” On another occasion whilst on the telephone he asked a player on the other end if he had a pen he could borrow to write something down. I think the most hilarious situation was before a game against Llandaff who had beaten Cwmbran earlier on in the season. He said to me “Bobby you talk about the tactics etc. and then I’ll do the motivation speech. ” After I’d finished he then proceeded to give the finest tirade of abuse re another side I have ever heard. He said ” they are a bunch of bullies, cowards, wankers,” on and on until the ref came in , it lasted a good 5 minutes, nothing but abuse. Then he finally said “just remember boys, they are exactly the same as you.” At that point I had to leave the dressing room I could no longer keep the smile off my face.
Love, Dad