Two weeks to go!

Been living on Paracetamol for the past week waiting for an 'emergency' appointment to get an offending tooth   pulled!  It was one of those 'Murphy's Law' things, I'd recently been on a standard six monthly check up appointment and had a 'drill and fill' and a polish.  Not long after getting home I began to notice sensitivity in a particular tooth; it soon became unbearable until controlled by paracetamol.  I had seven days to wait before a special appointment could be set up and so used up all of the out of date paracetamol that we owned!  Bus up the road, a short walk to the surgery and wait; not long thankfully.  After peering at my molar and giving it a prod with his pointy tooth prodding tool he agree "Yes, I think its got to come out".  Two ampoules of novacane injected and a five minute wait for things to 'numb up'; during this time we had a wee chat about my Parkinson's medication and how effective I found it.  This all seemed like polite chat but then it dawned on me that my medication is designed to improve neuro transmissions (messages along nerves), while the novacane is aimed at stopping nerve impulses!  The two drugs were trying to counteract each other!!  Dentist is now fired up and grippy things are clutching tooth.  "Here we go" he says!  Grinding, crunchy noises along with acute pain!  Toes were curled up and fingers leaving deep indents in the chair arms.  "Say if it's hurting"  I gurgled something unintelligible and the pulling and twisting stopped.  Another amp of freezer went in; a couple of minutes while it took effect and the dentist agreed that the med to deal with Parkinson's was most likely wiping out much of the anaesthetic effect on my tooth!!  Wonderful!  "Well it's loose now and needs to come out"......... Fifteen minutes later I'm heading off to get the bus back to Elgin, a gauze swab wedged in the tooth space and a dental information leaflet in my pocket.  Still, It's better than toothache any day!!

Tuesday and time for my seventh anti-androgen implant; so far, so good!  I should get my blood results on Monday 1st April and see how it's all going.  10.00, meeting at The Bothy the Men's 'Gang', part of Elgin and District Cancer Support Group off the leash and out for their monthly meet up, coffee, scone and put the world to rights!

Waiting for the coffee and scones and hogging the table nearest the fire!  L-R Ack, John, Don and Gordon.  The obligatory photo has to be taken for Elizabeth the Group's Secretary, to go into the newsletter.

The remainder of the week has been taken up with spinning, giving the bike a good going over and getting a few bits and pieces of spare parts, split chain links, brake pads etc.  Next job, a spare brake and gear cable.

A very pleasant evening out on Thursday with some of the Parkinson's group, a meal at Elgin College restaurant.  The Hospitality course were putting on a French menu; first class food and service!  All the diners were very impressed with the professional manner the food was prepared, presented and served!  I'm sure we will be back.

Sunday night I'm off back up the road to Inversneckie, Son Phil is playing with Woodenbox at Hootananny's , so a night out to see the gig and then give him a lift back to stay with us for a couple of days before he has to shoot off back to Glasgow to get sorted for a three week continental tour with Hidden Orchestra.  Both bands have just released CD's, they're bound to do a complementary one for the lads dad!?!?

Three Week Countdown

Monday 18th.  Mostly admin stuff, I had my arm twisted (Verbally) to write an article about my proposed ride and why, for BASP (British Association of Ski Patrollers).  I had said I would get it done over the weekend but life intervened!  Saturday and the restless natives (And 'Incomers') were revolting!  I'll re-phrase that!!  Many Burghead residents and some folk from local arts and drama groups were demonstrating about the savage cuts proposed by Moray Council to the library and arts budgets (Burghead is due to lose its library facilities) so not only the books but the few computers providing Internet access used by those without their own computers and broadband systems.  Once they're gone I can't see them being reinstated.
Pessimistic!  Moi!!  Never!!!

Burghead protesters gather in the rain to be led by The Grim Reaper, scythe ready for the cuts!

Monday evening; Elgin and District Parkinson's Support Group monthly meeting, this evening we had two speakers, Pat, the sister of Evelyn, one of our 'Parky suffering' members, and Seonaidh (Shona) her companion on The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.  They did an illustrated presentation of their walk in to the awe inspiring Inca Ruins and presented a cheque (They raised in excess of £3,000, with £1,175 being

From Left: Gillian (Group Secretary) Pat and Seonaidh

donated to our local support group.
Well done, and a big thank you to Pat And Seonaidh.

Tuesday, got a big packet of venison mince which was slowly turned into a big pot of curry!  Done slowly to savour  the spices and to let it mature!!  Curry bubbling away it's back to working out roughly where I'll be and when during the next three months.

Fortified by coffee and chocolate the plan takes shape.  Ferry out and flight back are booked, it's just the bits in between to get sorted now!!

Wednesday, Bus into Elgin, get specs adjusted so they don't slide forward, tick that one off.
To the Leisure Centre, spinning class, legs, lungs and heart still functioning? Yep, tick that one off.
Back on-line to see if Sustrans have done any up-dates on various parts of the route.  Found an NSCR (North Sea Cycle Route) guide book for Denmark at about a third of the usual price and am now awaiting delivery.  The NSCR is supposed to be way marked but I'm not relying on that, anyway, what's an adventure if you can't get lost now and again!!

Thursday, start messing about with dry-bags and seeing how small I can squash a sleeping bag.  The weather is still freezing!  Decisions on what clothes??  The Vernal Equinox yesterday, officially Spring; nine more days to the 31st and British Summer Time begins!!  Yea Right!!

Update!!

I should have headed it Oops!!  I forgot to put the justgiving links in, it's obviously time I was in my bed!!

http://www.justgiving.com/Tony-Cardwell  should get you Parkinson's page

http://www.justgiving.com/Tony-Cardwell1     for Maggie's

http://www.justgiving.com/Tony-Cardwell3     for Clan

Sorted (so far)

Bed time.

Sunday 17th.
Have been doing some checking with justgiving and there seems to be no way of working from just one page  and then splitting the proceeds.  Anyway, that's the way it is then.  Now, back to peering at maps to get a rough idea of daily travel and where I might be getting my head down!  21 days to kick off (I guess it should be pedal off!!).........

Project prep.

Project Wee Bike Ride:  A bike trip I've had my eye on for a while is Thee North Sea Cycle Route (Google it!).

 Did a bit of research and discovered ferries no longer run between Bergen and Shetland, so a run down through the Islands is out until I get my act together for another trip, as is the Englandshire bit south of Newcastle (I want to have a few days in hand to do all the foreign stuff).

Plan:  Set off April 8th (Bound to be cracking weather by then!!), back roads and cycle ways on NCR1 to Aberdeen, down to Stonehaven, Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, St Andrews, Kirkcaldy and over the bridge to Edinburgh and a comfy kip at daughter Louise's.  She's promised to take a couple of days off work and pace me over some of the next section!  NCR1 goes in land a bit via Melrose and Coldstream, so to stick close to the sea it's NCR76 through Dunbar, Berwick upon Tweed (Rejoin NCR1), Bamburgh, Amble and Blyth to Newcastle.  DFDS ferry to Ijmuden (Near Amsterdam), turn left and head north-ish through The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, ferry to Sweden, on to Norway and to Stavanger, then it's a flight back to Aberdeen and back up the road to Burghead.  Around 4500 km, flight booked for 2nd July, got to get back for the birthday bash!!  70, or if you're a 'facebooker' 103.

The ride is for me, it's therapy!  The just giving links are there if you feel like dipping your hand in your pocket, hammering your American Express Platinum card (Visa, Mastercard or any other kind of plastic that will entice money from a hole in the wall), you can even text it!!  Go on, you know you want to!

A sincere thanks to anyone who parts with some of their hard earned cash; as I say, the ride is a therapeutic thing for me and not specifically done as a fund raiser but if the justgiving pages bring in a pound or two to help out the organisations that have helped me so much the better.

March...spring time!!

March 1st, shed painting done! (must take a photo)

That's it, shelves up, bikes in.  April's project taking shape!!  More research to do and bits to gather but it's all coming together!!

February, project time!

It's time I got a shed!  It's becoming a drag hauling bikes in and out of the bike locker I've got.  The current bike store is an Asguard, they make quality secure steel lockers but I'm after something I can stand up in and wheel a bike in and out without struggling with entangled pedals and handle bars.

It's a bit tight if you're trying to store two bikes, spare tubes and all the bits and pieces for cleaning, fixing etc.
Want a shed!!

Shed ordered!  Still in the sale at half price!!  Delivery date next Wednesday but I don't get back from sunny Ft William until Thursday (Off to SAMS Dunstaffnage to examine a 1st Aid course), it looks like Next Friday is shed construction day!!


Thursday, lay slabs and move the green locker, a bit more turf taken up, weed stopper and then gravel down.  Friday, crack of dawn start to get the bus up to Inversnechie in time for a dental appointment at 0920.  The bus dropped me at the retail park in time for a quick Tesco breakfast before getting 'drilled and filled'; in the food queue who should I bump into but Chris Marshall from Event's First Aid and Rescue, he and his mate were also grabbing a breakfast before heading off to cover the Snowman Rally, when they left I wished them a quiet and uneventful time.  On Special Stage 1 of the rally a car spun off the track into spectators killing a  50 year old woman from Skye and injuring a young boy!!

The weekend was taken up with making a fresh batch of chilli chocolate brownies, tidy up the base slabs where the shed will be going and move a short section of fence.  Sunday, a visit from Geoff and Avril.  I taught Geoff to ski back in 82-3, the aim was for him to be able to do some ski-mountaineering, since then (He's now 83!!) I've taken him touring on Ben Lawers, Cairngorm, several trips to the Alps and a biggie to NZ touring on the glaciers around Mt Cook.  Geoff had booked a table at the Stotfield Hotel in Lossiemouth for their Sunday carvery; a couple of hours later, stuffed to the gills (Which enabled me to soak up a few glasses of the red stuff) we headed back to Burghead for coffee and a bit more reminiscing about past ski tours.

Monday and more project work completed, fence re-sited and painted, a two o'clock appointment at the Doc's to fix up a three month supply of meds to cover me for a wee bike ride coming up soon, and an evening meeting of the Parkinson's Support Group, the subject for the evening was Wills and Power of Attorney, a dry subject but essential nevertheless and followed as always by tea, coffee and sticky buns.

A reasonably early start on the Tuesday to get the bus into Elgin and onward to Inverness; I was heading back west to work with Mark Fair examining a first aid course at SAMS Dunstaffnage on the following day. In Inverness I met up with Pip who was also in town and had kindly offered me a lift back to Mark's.  The route back led us to 'Anna's Stronaba Coffee Shop' where we were forced to stop to take on board caffeine; having a captive audience I dispensed samples of the latest Chilli Chocolate Brownies looking for favourable comments;  It was a thumbs up for the baking (I hope they weren't just being polite!).  It was Anna's turn to experiment on Pip and myself now, by offering us a bowl of whitish slurry and asking us to guess what it was!!  Abject failure on both Pip's and my part; it turns out that we were being introduced to 'Tibetan Mushrooms'.  We'd never heard of them but you'll have to do some googling to find out more!

Cafe Anna, the perfect spot for a coffee and a slurp of Tibetan Mushroom elixir!!

A short while later Mark and daughter Bethany arrived, another coffee later we were off down the road to Chez Fair for a wash and brush up.  Anna arrived and kindly offered to be duty driver to run us all down to the Lochy Bar for eats and a glass or two (Two bottles) of a very drinkable Shiraz!  (High in anti-oxidants and taken for medicinal purposes only!!).

A selection (The Cream) of Nervous Range staff found skulking in the Lochy.  For some reason my glass (And it's not the orange juice!!) seems to have a flower in it !?!?

Wednesday, coffee in the Fort while Mark attends a nursey type lecture, then off to SAMS to examine the first aid course students; for most of the journey Mark was muttering "Look closely at the raisins, now listen to the raisins"!! "What a load of @?%$$"!!  I wasn't sure I really wanted to know what the lecture was about but from Mark's comments I'm sure that he wasn't too impressed!?!

In a rush now!  Thursday, on the first bus back.....build shed!!!

Small but perfectly formed!!



More when it's painted!

January 2013 (The last bit)

Something I forgot to put into the previous post was that Moray now has its own Parkinson's Nurse Specialist, Heidi Simpson (Front right).  Others in the photo are the support group secretary, Gillian Gibson (Front Left), behind her is Elsie Watson, the support group chair person, Elsie, a formidable lady, is a retired ward sister from Dr Gray's.  Back row right is Dr Sands, a Geriatrician with a special interest in Parkinson's.

Tuesday 22nd, off to Gr Gray's for an 0930 appointment with Dr Sands.  It was a six monthly review of my condition and how it was responding to medication.  Well I guess it's 'so far so good' and if I'm happy with the state of things then she is!  So it seems we're both happy!
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were the usual run of spinning, coffee and planning the last bits of work I want to be doing to finish off the storage locker area.
Saturday 26th, an early start off up the road to Contin and the 2013 Strathpuffer.  The Puffer is a 24hr endurance race, the object of the exercise is to complete as many laps of the course as possible, it can be ridden solo, as a pair, team of three or four.  A lap is roughly 7.5 miles and was taking riders anything from 35min to >1hr.  The race started at 10.00 in reasonable weather with the riders being piped to a start line about 100m down the track from where they had a 'Le Mans' style run to their bikes and away on the course.

08.45 The team (Paul and Allan) arrive with all the kit, the Easy-Up and Med Base unit and both Med Marshal sets of equipment (Susie and myself were already there and waiting for the bacon roll van to open!).

Med Base, waiting for customers.

The piper leads the riders to the start of the run back to the bikes.

The riders heading for the start line!  And in real sunshine!!

Racing to the bikes!

Riders getting 'dibbed' at the transition point to log their laps and times,

Paul busy interrogating a casualty, wanting to know why he fell off and disturbed his evening!

OUCH!!! 

Not sure if it should be sutured, darned or patched!

Hardy soul, cold, dark, wet and another twelve hours to go!!

End of shift nearing, must have time for a brew before the relief team arrives.

A quick warm up before setting out again.

Shift handover time, Pip and Forestry Dave head off to relieve Susie and Allan while at Med Base Nurse Ann and Bex go over the cas list before settling down for the next twelve hours!!

I'm off home now, it's well past my bedtime!





Monday 28th.  Time flies! Christmas just over and January nearly done!!  Off to another Burns Supper this evening; this one is organised by our Local Heritage Group.

The Haggis is piped in.

Chef on the move to present the haggis.

Dan Ralph (The Clavie King) does the 'Great Chieftain o the puddin race' bit before.......

.......the poor wee haggis gets a richt good stabbin and it didn't even squeal once!

The sacrificial haggis is carried off back to the kitchen while we all sit down to a first course of Cock a Leekie soup.  The haggis is divided up and along with neeps and tatties miraculously manages to feed about eighty folk!  Pud was a choice of Tipsy Laird (A whisky Trifle) or Clooty Dumpling.

Just to see out January it was a trip to the Bothy for an Americano and a slice of their excellent gluten free flapjack!

See you in February.