Recent UK Politics, my summary...

A relative in the States said news coverage of what's happened with our election wasn't very good over there, but it was obviously more interesting that a typical election and asked me to explain.

Obviously that's a huge subject, and the more information I added, the more background I felt was needed and I ended up writing a lot, even at the end of it all, it's still only a summary - and as I'm a total masochist I thought I'd share it here for "review"...

I attempted to stay mostly impartial, but it clearly has a left/liberal bias, other than that, I'd be interested to hear of anything I've got factually wrong or misunderstood?  Or any gaping holes I've missed out...

Dons flame-proof suit and stands-back...

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin... 

Some Background
For a stupidly long time, both main parties have been indistinguishably centrist, (fatuous remarks warning) the main way to tell them apart being the colour of their ties...  You effectively had the choice of whether you wanted them to laugh or look sympathetic while they shafted you...

A few years ago Nigel Farage's UKIP, started getting traction with shouty right wing fear-mongering; "too many foreigners, caused by the EU's open border policy, sponging on our benefits" etc...  This appealed to the further right "Eurosceptic" Tory voters who never wanted to join the EU in the first place, as well as typically working class Labour voters who see jobs disappearing, communities changing and finite public services being over-saturated.
Both parties noticed voters leaving them; to appease growing elements of dissent within his party David Cameron agreed to have the referendum on EU membership, never believing it would happen, just hoping to shut up his detractors... We all know how that turned out...

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn, a more left wing candidate than Labour had seen for decades, was nominated for leader, almost as a joke.  However this move from the centre chimed with many Labour party members and he was voted in, much to the annoyance of many in his own party, which has lead to much in-fighting...
The press, and other members of his party have vilified Corbyn ever since, and the notion of a left wing party succeeding has been hugely derided.

At the previous General Election (a couple of years ago) the Torys gained an overall majority, but only just. This effectively means that getting parliament to do what you want is harder than it could be.  With 'Brexit' looming, and May's decision to go for a 'Hard Brexit' (all-or-nothing & piss off the EU and non-brexit voters as much as possible) she needed/wanted all the voting power possible.
Additionally, May took over after Cameron stepped down post-Brexit, as opposed to having been voted in by the public, which some were arguing didn't give her the mandate to go for such a drastic version of 'Brexit' (I really hate the term Brexit, it trivialises a significant event, but I guess we're stuck with it), there's also an element of her ego in play here too...

With the polls showing that the Torys had a massive lead over Labour (>20%), and the opposition looking weak and chaotic due to in-fighting, May thought she could make an easy land grab and kill several birds with one stone.

But...

• Since the Torys got in they've slashed benefits and public services massively
• Only a very slight majority voted for Brexit, so going for a hard uncompromising version pissed a lot of people off
• Corbyn held a blinder of a campaign, even managing to engage young voters who typically don't bother, whereas May appeared to act as though she didn't need to campaign and even published a manifesto that hurt typical Tory voters

In other-words the polls/May misread the public mood.

So...

In the end, the Torys gained the most votes on the night but took fewer seats than they had to start with - not enough to govern on their own - meaning they have had to form a coalition or risk losing power.  To do this they've aligned themselves with a particularly unpleasant party from Northern Ireland (run by creationist, homophobes etc) which runs the risk of damaging the various peace accords that have been stable(ish) for many years and potentially reigniting "the troubles" from the 70s/80s - who knows, Islamist terrorists may eventually have some competition over here...

Despite the Torys starting with;

• being in power
• there being no need to call an election
• the polls all being massively in their favour

They now;

• have fewer seats
• are dependent on an obscure extremist party for power
• look foolish and weak
• have enabled Corbyn to no longer seem like a joke but rather appear as a credible opposition to more of the population instead.

If it wasn't all so terrifying it would be hilarious!

To the future...

May is clinging on by the skin of her teeth, but looks very weak and even with the coalition they only have a 2 seat majority.

It looks inevitable that she'll be gone before too long, and if only 2 seats are lost or the coalition breaks down we'll possibly have yet ANOTHER election!  Sigh...

If/when there is another election Corbyn would be starting from appearing credible and may even have support of his own party so it's not impossible to think that he could win.  BUT if it puts him in charge of Brexit he would likely be being set up to fail.  You just can't please all the people so no matter what outcome is achieved a lot of people will be pissed off so I don't believe it'll be possible to make a "success" of it - but that's a topic for a whole other load of waffle.

Yay........................

Halo, Goodbye

The halo has finally been removed!  After my hopes of getting rid of it before Xmas were dashed, I received an appointment for it to be removed on New Year's Eve.

At the clinic
On arrival at the hospital a couple of x-rays were taken which showed the fracture had healed well; rather oddly the x-ray operator appeared to remember me and the details of my accident.

The removal doesn't take place in surgery, and is just done as part of the routine clinic sessions!  The osteopath first detached the vest from the halo, then the supporting bars were taken off, before finally undoing the screws/pins.  The screws actually felt more like they were being tightened than undone; the front right had been the worst to attach and also hurt the most when being removed.  Once undone, the wounds were cleansed and overly-large plasters were attached.  I was fitted with a collar to support my head, this isn't strictly necessary but having been supported by scaffolding for a quarter of a year, the head feels incredibly unstable at first without it.
Without the collar I can only describe trying to keep my head up as trying to get an egg to balance on its pointed end!  My head felt incredibly top heavy and my neck felt in no way able to do anything about it.

The osteopath arranged for me to have a follow up appointment in a couple of week's time where I will have additional x-rays and an MRI to confirm things are continuing to heal as expected and assess what physiotherapy, if any, will be necessary.  These couldn't be done today as the muscles and ligaments need a little while to start moving again before correct assessments can be made.

I brought up the pains in my left arm and he took me through various ranges of movement to attempt to pinpoint the location/cause, while doing this the pain of the screw-removal became a bit too much and I felt as though I was going to faint.  A sit down and a glass of water was enough to help me feel better again and I was sent on my way.

I was asked if I wanted to keep the halo and chose to (why wouldn't you?!), apparently I'm the first to do so, most people never want to see it again!  While it's not been much fun to have on, the alternatives are infinitely worst; I wouldn't go as far as to say I'm fond of the halo, but I certainly don't bear it any ill will.

Home again
Possibly foolishly I'd walked to the hospital and decided I'd walk back too.  I called via a shop and bought a celebratory bottle of JD.  Once home I had a few snifters of JD and then went for the most eagerly anticipated bath of my life (even more yearned for than the one I had after Glastonbury '97!).  I'm still not able to wash my hair as the wounds need a few days to heal fully, but it still felt great to have a thorough soak.

We'd arranged for our usual gang of mates to call round for a few hours on their way into town to celebrate NYE.  In the end people skipped the pub and stayed till silly o'clock, it felt nice to have a few too many without the worry of the frame.  I kept the collar on for the majority of the time but dabbled without it.

New Year's Day
I managed to dodge a full hangover, settling for a generally lethargic feeling.  We had a steady start to the day where I only occasionally used the brace.  We headed out into town for lunch and I used the halo while out; I didn't entirely need it for support, but I preferred to have it and not need it, rather than the other way around, it's also a useful visual cue to others to be a little more careful around me.

As advised I sat and turned my head through as much range of movement as possible several times throughout the day, I also changed the dressing and cleaned the pin wounds on my forehead.  The pin points are raised from my forehead and feel very solid, as if there's a ball-bearing under the skin; presumably this will reduce with time, it'll be interesting to see what level of scarring I'm left with.

Sleeping proved to be awkward (a problem that had been solved by alcohol on NYE), each of the pin points is sensitive to pressure and they're evenly spaced around my head, coupled with my sore left arm this is making finding a comfortable spot difficult.

Since then my range of movement has improved noticeably each day and I'm only using the collar when leaving the house.  However my right arm/shoulder has started to ache too, possibly caused by the long-dormant movement in my neck/shoulder muscles.

Pros and Cons
As well as bathing, I've also enjoyed having a full range of clothing to wear, not having to plan even the simplest of movements in advance and most of all, being able to cuddle my daughter properly again!  I should also be able to start using the turbo trainer in the next couple of days too, this will be a mixed blessing as while I'll enjoy working out again, I'm scared to see how much fitness I'll have lost!
On the downside, my neck muscles ache permanently and it'll still be a while before I'm back to training and entering events again, also the prospect of returning to 8-9 hour working days isn't too appealing!

10 weeks in...

My general lack of updates reflects the little that has changed since I last posted.  This is my 10th week with the halo and I now have a fairly well set daily routine;

   7am: up for breakfast with daughter
   7:20am: listen to podcasts while doing the best I can to clean myself with flannels
   8:20am: walk daughter to school
   9am: catch up on work emails
      [Bit in middle...]
   3:15pm: pick up daughter from school
   midnight: tuck-in time.

The bit in the middle varies from day to day;
- carry on working if there's things I'm able to do and feel up to doing
- watch TV/read/puzzles/Xbox/learn Guitar
- walk as far as I'm able

For a while I was attempting to use my bike with a borrowed turbo trainer, but even at a low intensity the volume of sweat that builds up in the wool-lined plastic vest is unpleasant.  Worst of all is then sitting around in a damp stinking vest for the rest of the day!  So, I've decided to knock that on the head until the vest is off.

TV, Film and Entertainment
I managed to watch all 86 episodes of The Sopranos in a month!  I then had a spate of watching some older films; The French Connection, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Jungle Book, Clerks 2.  I've been to the cinema and seen The Martian, Black Mass, Spectre, Sicario and have tickets to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens this week!  I've also started to re-watch The Wire, it's my favourite TV Show and seeing it for the 2nd time is definitely better as you're straight into the action without having to learn the slang and who people are.
I mentioned that I was getting stuck into Driver: San Francisco on the Xbox360, I've since completed it and bought Red Dead Redemption which I'm loving!  Gaming is something I'm not usually able to find time for, so it's been nice to be able to get into it again.  I've also had a mate round for some gaming sessions on Fifa and Forza; another thing I used to do a LOT and enjoyed but no longer seem to have the time for.

General Halo Observations
Before my last screw tightening session the frame had been creaking a little for a few days, this was both concerning and unpleasant, but the doc didn't seem to think it was a problem and after tightening it's been fine.
At the last session I had hoped that the doc was going to tell me that it would be being removed this week (2.5 months) but he said it needs to stay on for at least the full 3 months, this was a bit disappointing as I'd hoped to have it removed before Xmas.  Ultimately though, I'd rather it healed as well as it can, so if that means wearing it for longer then so be it...
The screw points are no longer getting as crusty as they were to begin with and I'm now only cleaning them a couple of times a week, rather than daily as I was for the first few weeks

I've been stopped in the street many times by strangers wanting to ask about it, a few weeks ago an older bloke stopped me and told me he'd had to wear one about 10 years ago.  His break sounded much worse than mine, and the halo hadn't managed to heal the break and he'd then had to have an operation to plate the bones together!  He proceeded to demonstrate the full range of movement that he now has.  Up until then I'd been a bit concerned as to how well everything would heal and this really helped me get a feel for what is possible.  I wish I'd taken a little more time to explain to him how reassuring his words had been.

Today I was pointed to a Facebook post about a cyclist who'd managed to keep training (on a turbo trainer) despite wearing a halo (he was getting fresh linings for his vest every week - why can't I get that?!?).  I found him in the comments section and managed to exchange a few messages with him, which again has been reassuring.

Life begins at 40... Apparently...

It's been 4 weeks since the accident and 3 since the cage was fitted so I thought I'd fill in the blanks since my last update.

Out and about
I've managed to get out for a few short-ish trips, mostly accompanied but once on my own.  Leisurely strolls around the park and trips to the pictures to watch the new Bond film have been fine, but I'm less keen on busy areas.  I had the pleasure of turning 40 yesterday so managed to lure a few mates to the local for a few drinkies.
It's been good to get out, but I'm quickly finding my limits; I become tired quickly, so I'll be OK for a while and then suddenly feel the need to be home again.  I also find I'm quite achy after trips out too, I suspect I'm attempting turn my neck more (which obviously I can't do) which is slightly aggravating things.

Entertainment

Lots of friends have visited and kept in touch over the internet, which has been great.  There haven't been many days where I've not had contact of some form with the outside world.

I'm ploughing through the Sopranos box-set (I'm typing all this with an American-Italian gangster twang) and have more than enough Netflix and DVDs to keep me occupied.  I've also rediscovered the neglected-of-late Xbox 360, with Diablo 3, Fifa 2012 and Driver: San Franciso helping to pass a few hours.

Recovery

The pain in my head has largely gone now; the screws are still tender but I suspect that's how it will be until they're removed.  At the time of the accident I was focussed on the pain in my neck and hadn't noticed other injuries that have now become apparent.  My left arm/shoulder has been painful when stretching out to extremities which I initially thought was just a bruise/sprain, however it's now a month down the line and it doesn't appear to have improved.

More concerningly I noticed a lump about half-way down my spine last night.  After a bit of light stretching it became much smaller however that specific vertebra still feels sore.  I have my 2 weekly screw tightening session in a couple of days so will get both of these developments checked out there.  Fingers crossed it's nothing major and the lump is just related to poor posture caused by the halo...
I think I had convinced myself that I'd be able to do more than I can.  I'd envisaged servicing my bikes and tidying the garden, however both of these jobs feel out of reach at the moment and it appears my recovery will be slower than I'd originally expected.

The world of disability

I've been quite surprised at the number of total strangers who are happy to approach you and ask for the details of what's happened to you.  Most are friendly and harmless and I've been happy to pass the time of day with them.  But personally I'd be incredibly British about such things and go to great lengths not to mention someone's obvious ailment.

On the plus side I've twice received what I'd call exceptional and unexpected service from businesses.  The Ipswich Regent upgraded our seats to a box (show booked before the injury, this was my first trip out of the house and put me off going out again for another week!) and Cineworld offered to find me the most appropriate seat possible if needed, in a very busy screen.

Me, me, me...

Up until recently I'd been fairly upbeat about my situation; the first week with the halo had been fairly unpleasant but the following 2 weeks passed fairly quickly and having some time to rest without the pressure of training or the stresses of work was actually quite nice.  It's fair to say, though, that the novelty has now well and truly worn off and the uncertainty around the new symptoms coupled with not knowing how well I'll heal or if I'll be able to swim/bike/run to the same level again is starting to get me down.

The realisation that I've another 9 weeks before the halo is removed, and that there's an additional unknown length of time after that before I'm recovered (if at all) is disheartening.

I'm well aware that things could be a lot worse, but at this moment in time I'm also aware of how much better they could be too.

The first few days

I've been home few days now so thought I'd make a few notes on my initial experiences with the halo.

Sleeping and Medication
The halo was fitted Friday night; up until then I'd spent 3 days laid in bed, with instructions to not get up, stay still and keep the angle of the bed below 30 degrees.  After the op I spent a bit of time getting used to being sat up and then dabbled with walking like a newborn gazelle around the bed.

I slept in a half seated position, but the halo was uncomfortable to lay against the pillow.  Since I've been home I've tried various quantities and positions of pillows but the pressure the frame applies to my head when laying down isn't pleasant.  Getting loaded up with paracetamol and liquid morphine has helped me sleep, but when it wears off in the early hours I soon wake up again.  I'm not keen on the morphine's side effects so have resisted taking it through the day and I've even resisted taking it on some nights too.
Yesterday my mum made me a tall and narrow (18" x 6") beanbag pillow which fits between my bars meaning my head rests on it and the bars float in mid air, which saves the pressure against my head.  This lead to last night's sleep being the best I've had - no morphine and the paracetamol took me until 4am.

Activity
The surgeon prescribed a steady course of pottering; in other words, not sat doing nothing, but not doing anything strenuous either.  So I've spent the first few days sorting those little jobs that never normally get done, interspersed with lengthy spells of reading/films/music/etc.

My friends have been great; many have chatted on-line and via text, some have sent cards, and I've had a few surprise visits too.  All of which have been very welcome.  Facebook has been a very valuable lifeline.

I've not left the house since I came home, and can't see me doing so for few more days at the very least.  I'm a bit unsteady on my feet and tire fairly quickly.  I'm hoping I might be able to manage a trip to the cinema next week, but that may be a bit ambitious just yet.  

Clothing
Due to the way the bars attach from the halo to the vest my clothing no longer fits.  As someone who lives in t-shirts, I'm having to pack them away for the foreseeable future and embrace buttoned shirts!  Even then, only the first few buttons can be fastened and I then look-like a cross between Robocop and a cheesy 70's medallion man.  Hoodies also fit quite well in the same way (zip 1/3rd done up) but ideally I need something to fit around the metalwork.
We've raided the charity shops and hopefully my mum can turn her needlework skills to adapting some clothes to fit a bit better!

Heads, you lose...

As it often can, life's taken an unexpected turn.  Rather than attempting to keep in shape over winter and be ready to come back stronger for next season, I find myself severely injured and wondering to what level, if any, I'll be able to enjoy my sports in the future.

The following is a summary of the last 7 days starting on Sunday 4th Oct.

Sunday 
I went out for a steady ride on the MTB. I've nothing to train for at the moment so wasn't going flat out and was just enjoying riding for the sake of riding.  I headed over to Foxhall Woods, somewhere I've ridden hundreds of times over the years which forms an early part of a 25 mile loop I was planning to do.
As I rode into a clearing I headed over to a smallish hump (2-3ft high-ish) in the ground that I've ridden lots of times before. What I couldn't see until I was at the top of it was that someone had dug out the back end of it turning it from a hump into a ramp with a ditch behind it.
I wasn't carrying enough speed to clear the ramp and the front wheel fell into the ditch, throwing me over the bars and through the air. I landed on the top of my head and immediately knew it was a bad fall. I lay there for a few minutes while I worked out what hurt and what didn't.
I eventually got up and was surprised to find that nothing appeared to be broken and nothing was bleeding. My neck felt sore but not ridiculously so. I, reluctantly, decided to cut my ride short and headed for home. I rather foolishly didn't take the most direct route back, but despite taking it very steady I felt every lump and bump juddering though my back.
Once home I told Clare I'd had a bad fall and wasn't sure what to do. I had a cup of tea and a biscuit, posted on Facebook for advice and pottered about in the garage for a bit. Enough mates said it sounded like an A&E job so I decided to go. We had arranged a big BBQ with our mates in the afternoon so was conscious of wanting to be back in time... Priorities eh...
The wait at A&E wasn't too bad, the nurse was incredibly thorough with her assessment of me and at this point I started taking the incident more seriously. She sent me through for x-rays; weirdly, to x-ray the top of your spine, they have to do it through your open mouth.  Both the nurse and on-duty registrar examined the x-ray but couldn't see any problems so diagnosed severe whiplash and told me to take it steady and rest a lot for a few days. She did mention that a radiographer would also check the x-rays and that they'd call me if there was a problem.
I got back in time for the BBQ and spent the afternoon chatting with my mates, although I handed over the cooking duties and took it as steady as possible.

Monday 
After getting hardly any sleep I built myself a nest in the arm chair to support my neck.  I spent the day in front of the telly, taking a break to set up the new YouView box (it seems very good, but still not a patch on the 15 year-old TiVo it replaces).  I emailed work and told them that I planned to be back in the office on Wednesday, maybe Thursday. 

Tuesday
I cleaned myself up first thing and settled into my nest for another day in front of the telly.  After the accident I decided that the impact to the helmet had been too much, and although it wasn't showing signs of damage, I wouldn't take any chances and would replace it. I ordered a new one and arranged for it to be delivered to work as I was going to be back in in a day or so... 

Around 10ish the phone rang and it was a hidden number; I almost didn't pick it up and when I did, I didn't speak, expecting an automated sales pitch to kick in.  When the person on the other end finally spoke and asked for Mr France I prepared for the usual call-centre spiel, however he explained he was calling from the hospital and that I needed to come back in as soon as possible!  I rang a couple of mates for a lift but everyone was at work. Fortunately the buses run regularly and I only had to wait a minute or 2 at the end of the road. 
Once at A&E I didn't have to wait in the waiting room and was whisked away to a room where the doctor explained that I had a fracture and that an MRI was needed to assess the extent of the damage. As I hadn't been booked in I was going to have to hope they could squeeze me in if possible. Fortunately a friend of mine is a radiographer at the hospital and she was able to fit me in fairly quickly.
The MRI took about 20 mins; for anyone who hasn't had one, they are a weird sensation where you're fed into a tightly enclosed space and water-boarded with extreme drum and base music.
Having refused to tell them what I knew, the next torture was to spend hours laid on a bed in various corridors and rooms waiting to find out what happens next.

The original doctor came back and said I was going to be taken up to a ward where I'd be fitted with a collar that I'd have to wear for at least 6 weeks and there was a possibility that I'd be kept in overnight.
Once on the ward I sat on the bed for a few hours waiting for more details. No one said I had to lay down or even that I had to stay in bed. A nurse went through various admin forms but didn't know if I was due to be staying. Eventually a junior doctor came and explained that I would be having a collar for a few weeks, that I should be laying totally still and told me off for walking to the loo earlier... He said I'd be having an overnight stay while the consultant assessed my scans, and that I could leave the next day.
Clare and Lily came to visit in the evening and brought me some supplies, it was clearly very upsetting for Lily to see me like this. They brought the tablet for me and I spent the evening watching the Lego Movie on that (If I'd known I'd need it, I would have stuck something other than Lily's films on it!)
My bed was by a window so I had a nice breeze, there were 6 beds on the ward, all except mine were occupied by blokes in their 70s/80s.  Most seem nice enough, although I nicknamed one Goldilocks as he was forever calling the nurses as he's too hot/cold, the beds too hard/soft, he had too many/not enough pillows etc etc. He spent the whole of the first night calling out like this. I think I managed 2 hrs sleep!

Wednesday
Spent much of the day doing crosswords, playing with phone and tablet (how people survive in hospital without internet access I'll never know) reading and listening to music.  Eventually the consultant called by and explained his findings.
He made it very clear how lucky I've been and how much worse it could easily have been. He explained that below your skull is a hoop-like vertebra and underneath that is a disc shaped one with a peg sticking out that slots into the hoop - It's the peg that has fractured and damaged various ligaments.

The options available to me were;
- Wear a collar for 6 to 8 weeks; this would leave me bed bound, needing Clare to act as a carer and risked the spine not healing correctly as the collar doesn't hold the neck solidly in place enough.
- Be fitted with a "halo" head and neck brace; this involves having some scaffolding fitted to my head and torso (4 screws into the skull, which are in-turn attached to frame and then onto a rigid vest).  which has to stay in place for up to 3 months. This makes a good heal more likely and means I'm not bed bound but leaves me looking like Frankenstein...
- Operation on the spine to pin the vertebra back together; this has the most risk as it involves operating near the spinal cord and is obviously very invasive in a confined and sensitive area.

The halo option was his preferred option and and weighing up the options it was mine too...  So no longer leaving on Wednesday after all and the op was hopefully happening on Friday (although they wouldn't commit to it and it may slip to Mon/Tues the following week!).

In the evening a friend from work kindly collected a few extra essentials from Clare and dropped them off for me.  I slept with headphones in that night and was only disturbed once by Goldilocks...

Thursday 
Another day of reading/music/puzzles etc. Clare came to visit me around lunchtime and brought fresh pyjamas and supplies.  Another mate called by in the evening to keep me company for a while.  There was still no commitment that the op would definitely be on Friday...
Goldilocks was discharged, hooray a good night's sleep!

Friday
I was prepped for surgery bright and early but still given no indication when (or even if) it would be happening that day.  I didn't eat much and dozed on and off all day, not feeling well and not overly excited at the prospect of someone screwing things into my skull.  Around 3:30 I was finally taken to theatre for the operation. You might want to skip the next paragraph if you're of a squeamish disposition...

The op takes place under local anaesthetic, meaning your completely awake for it!  The 2 main surgeons appeared to have a Dr Cox and Carla type relationship (for all the Scrubs fans out there), him being slightly sadistic yet funny, and her being more of a calming foil to him.
Before he started, the surgeon advised me to keep my eyes shut (like I wasn't planning to anyway!) because if they're open when the screws go in, the muscles that control your eyelids are pinned open and you can't close your eyes until the halo is removed 3 months later!
After offering up the frame to my head he pointed out that I was about to hate him and to feel free to swear at him as much as I liked.  Even with all the local anaesthetic in the world, there's no avoiding the fact/feeling that someone is screwing things into your skull.  The screws themselves have torque heads on them that snap off as soon as the screw is in tight enough, this prevents them from being accidentally over-tightened. The surgeon warned me that I would feel the grinding as they snapped and he wasn't wrong...
Then the various bars were attached to the frame on my head; each clank vibrated through my skull and shook my fillings.  And the same happened again as it was attached to my chest plate.  After being wheeled back to the ward a nurse cleansed the blood from my face and taught me how to clean my screws to prevent infection...

After the op I was advised that I was free to go home as soon as I wanted, which seemed weird after such an invasive procedure.  I still felt pretty queasy, oddly enough the operation hadn't relieved that feeling, so I wasn't sure whether to stay or go.  At one point the nurse handed a mirror so I could see what a sight my loved ones would be in for when they came to meet me.  It reminded me of that scene in the Tim Burton Batman film when Jack Nicholson's Joker has had the plastic surgery.

Around 6:30 I was feeling a bit better so arranged for Clare to come and collect me in around an hour.  Unfortunately the good feeling didn't last long and within 10 mins I had Exorcist-style vomited all over the bed, I suspect a week's worth of morphine and nerves had taken their toll.  I decided to spend another night on the ward and be collected the next day.

Saturday
I still wasn't feeling great in the morning, but had a double dose of MTFU and arranged to be picked up again.
Being home was both a relief and daunting.  Not having qualified staff on standby was worrying and this stupid frame being stuck to my head still felt very disorientating and uncomfortable.  However seeing Lily and Clare again and having the luxury of home comforts was fantastic.

Sunday
It's now a week since the accident and a day and a half since the "cone of shame" was fitted.  I'm getting a little more used to the frame, but the feeling of it reverberating through my head when I snag it on something still isn't fun.  Trying to get comfortable in bed last night was hard work, but Clare assures me I fell asleep quickly and I managed about 7hrs before the meds wore off, so I can't complain too much.
I headed back to the ward earlier to have my screws tightened and I can assure you that it was about as much fun as it sounds...  The frame had started to be a little more comfortable but we're now back to it hurting like an utter bastard.

Is it Christmas yet?

KLMTB Shouldham Warren 6hr Enduro 2015

I've not raced an MTB event of this length solo before, in fact I've not raced my MTB at all since February and have very much favoured the road bike throughout the summer.  In addition to this, various other events and a severe bout of DIY in the run up to the race had kept me from the level of training I'd have liked.

The race was at Shouldham Warren, a surprisingly hilly venue just south of Kings Lynn.  I'd decided I'd ride as hard as I could for lap 1 to build up a reasonable position in the pack and then back off for the remainder of the event; subsequent advice and experience tells me that this isn't the best strategy...
Essentially a lack of experience and preparedness was building up to a perfect storm of how not to do an event!

The course was approximately 6 miles long; lap 1 went well with minimal hold ups and I was feeling strong.  Lap 2 also went well although I realised I wasn't pacing myself as much as I should be...  I backed off quite a bit for laps 3 and 4 but by the end of lap 4 my thighs were starting to cramp - with over 4 hours still remaining, this wasn't good!  I backed off further for lap 5 and attempted to hydrate (carbs and electrolyte) as much as possible but the cramp had well and truly taken hold at this point and much of my head-start was trickling away.

The course which had seemed challenging-yet-fun to begin with had become hard work and gruelling, with some of the climbs definitely much steeper than they were to begin with!

At the end of lap 6, a little under 2/3rds of the way through, I stopped for a few minutes to ditch my CamelBak and to refuel.  I was surprised to find the CamelBak was still about 1/3rd full; I definitely hadn't been hydrating enough!  D'oh...

From that point on, "each lap was definitely going to be my last", "there was no way I was going to carry on", "this was a stupid way to be spending a Sunday" - my bottom lip was sticking out so far it was affecting my aerodynamics!  But I did manage to slog on until the end, eventually completing 9 laps (1 short of my original target).  I even managed a sprint finish to overtake another rider who I'd swapped places with quite a few times throughout the race!

I finished in a slightly disappointing 20th place (of 38 soloists) but given my lack of experience and preparation I can't complain.

All in all, the event was excellent; the course was challenging, varied and and kept you interested.  The organisation was great with a good atmosphere in the arena and out on the course and it was good to try something new.  However, next time (which is something I swore at the time there wouldn't be) I'll definitely pace myself better from the off, and make sure I'm hydrating as much as possible!

PS: If anyone tells you East Anglia is flat, they should try spending 6hrs MTBing around Shouldham Warren!