I think women make the world go round.
Since my accident I’ve largely been looked after by the ‘fairer sex’ and wow, they’ve been just fantastic.
So boys, please give it up for the ladies.

34 tomorrow. Birthday in a hospital bed? It’s a first.
Getting my appetite back suddenly so cake on the agenda.

And guess what! X ray at 8, then tracheotomy out!
Speaking, eating, swallowing, coughing all back in one go.
How cool is that!?

I feel progress is much more tangible suddenly.

X

Comment from Lissie;
Bloody fab news Russ..A great start to your birthday!  Lots of love xxxx

My mum, Jenni has just sent the below to the staff at the ITU ward in Toulon:

Today is our very first day at home. We live in the country,I can hear an owl outside very close to our house. It seemed very strange to be occupied with ordinary domesticity rather than travelling on the tube  to visit Russ at some point during the day. Looking back over the last week is quite extraordinary. When we arrived Russ looked so thin, so tired, so despondent, so sad. He was not eating or sleeping very well and it showed in his face and general demeanor .During the week he made a massive effort to eat . He saw fewer visitors which allowed him to sleep during the day. What a difference this made . Russ's face lightened, he smiled more frequently and his appearance quickly became less gaunt. I took the photo yesterday when Russ was eating his lunch. The tracheotomy is still in place so that eating is not easy, its time consuming and difficult, you are really trying so hard.  Well done Russ. You are recovering , on ward and upward.
See you soon.
Love from Mum and Dad 

My beautiful family are back tomorrow, so I can’t wait to spend ALL Saturday and Sunday just with them 🙂
If anybody out there was planning to come see me, then I wonder could you reschedule to another time?
It’s my birthday on Sunday, yep 34. I feel old too…
Today I had the world’s longest blimmin MRI scan…. About 90 minutes in a very small noisy tunnel, sweating like a sweaty thing. Was literally running off me.
Hopefully they’ll find out a fair bit about the state of my spine, well that was the idea anyway.
Watched Mo win the 5,000   Wow, what a run. He spent his childhood in Feltham, where we have a practice. We’ve just spent about 40k doing the place up. He costs 2k to come and officially ‘re-open’ the place. Worth it, or not?

Lets vote on it.

Russ

Hello lovely Peeps

As most of you probably know Dani, Amber and Lily have been in Portugal for a week. Russ has missed them immensely.  They are coming home tomorrow and their first stop will be London Bridge Hospital to see Daddy.

Russ is really hoping for some quality time alone with his brood so if you are planning to visit over the weekend, please can you reschedule for next week or next weekend so the clan can have a good regroup?

Thanks as ever for your understanding.

XXX

From the beautiful Pia;

Morning Russ-Boy,

I have just read your blog but decided I can’t write the following knowing that you have by now no doubt had over 50,000 hits?!
There was an evening in Toulon (I think it was the Wednesday evening after your accident), there were quite a few of your family & friends there: Dani, Alwyn, Stuart, Jenni, Dan, Lisa and Karena (your Mum and Dad were also there but at their hotel miles away!) and by all accounts the news looked a lot more promising than it had that first weekend. The evening ended up being a late one with non-stop Russel stories being told. It was quite unbelievable how many totally unique and bloody hilarious stories that were being told. It was very surreal knowing that you were up the road fighting for your life and obviously highly emotional for Dani. The one thing that struck us all though was the amount of friends, family and love that people have for you. So remember that when you are reflecting on the person you are! – you are very special and unique Russ-Boy.

See you this afternoon.

Love you lots xxx

Dear Family and Friends,

Most of you know our friend Beth went in for a surgical procedure for an Arse Lift at the Tesco Medical Center . She didn’t have the most pleasant experience. She should’ve left well enough alone.

We wanted to show you how it turned out. We hope this keeps YOU from having this done.

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE . . . Don’t get an Arse Lift at the Tesco Medical Center . You will most certainly regret it!

From Piran Shelley; We can make plans on how to get him back on the Thames with the river in the background to inspire him. With Russ leaning like this learning how to paddle again can only do him good 😉

Another good day today . Russ on good form. We arrived at the ICU to find that Russ was being hoisted into his wheelchair. This is a painful and lengthy manoeuvre for Russ. Almost all of Russ’s ribs were fractured and they are not fully healed ;any pressure, however slight, continues to be very painful. Today, it was just too painful for Russ to sit upright in his wheelchair so, he had to be hoisted out and back into bed. No stroll on the bank of the Thames today. However, he was smiling when we entered his room, in typical Russ fashion. Russ is determined to eat more , determined to gain some weight as he is still extremely thin. With that thought in mind, he ate a very good lunch . Being his Mum, I was very pleased about that. His physiotherapists are very pleased with his progress too which is excellent news. Today we return to our home in Wales. We find it hard to leave you Russ but we can do so because we know that you will be well taken care of in our absence. Thank you to all those wonderful friends of Russ who have and continue to support him. You have all made such a difference Mum and Dad

I’m finally getting to watch the British Lions vs Australis tests from 7 weeks ago. I know the results already but have just got to see the apparently amazing Welsh input. Today’s been a day most memorable for how painful it was trying to slide into a wheelchair. My ribs are very much NOT better. By the time I’d gotten in, I had to get out again into bed, before I started to cry! My parents came for the last time for a month, as they go off to my brother’s mansion in America. I’m sure there is more fun than here! Big thanks to them both though for their support. 🙂 A level result day today. Friends of mine have kids, plus my nephew Sam, who got what they needed and are off come September. Christ, I got my results on my birthday back in ’84(?) and after that there was no stopping me. I don’t think I’m a whole lot different now to the guy that graduated from Cardiff 3 years later. Ok, so I drink less and don’t get into fights so much, but am still a 20 yr old big kid underneath. The staff here are so nice it’s untrue. Across the board they are lovely. I think the people that employ them must place niceness as highly as ability We’ve found at my business that that’s the way forward anyway. Increase the love I say, you can teach people the job, but you can’t create a nice person out of a total, er, ****. Mind you, I used to be bloody hard work on occasion,whereas now I’m a pleasure 😉 I have to credit my partner, Helen, with putting up with me 15 years ago. Now I’m the softy and she’s the Hatchet. I’ve not had a coffee since June 13th. Wonder if that’s had any effect on me? I’m about £150 better off, that’s a fact. Not drinking’s saved me a lot too. Not much incentive to drink alone in bed in the middle of the night. Obviously I’d do anything to turn back the clock 2 months, but that’s not an option. My girls and Dani are back from Portugal for a few days on Saturday, and I can’t wait to see them. My daughters make me so very happy. Having them in the same room as me lifts my spirits I’m sure it’s the same for all parents. But since my accident I seem to crave their love more. Is that self pity or was I missing something before? Night all X