Well, I am pleased to be able to say, that since my last entry, I have snapped out of things and I am feeling a lot more positive about things.
So, I am pleased to be able to report that not only have I been training, but so has David! As you may know my sister moved to Birmingham last weekend and I was a bit worried that I would fall massively behind on the training. You see, although I hate to admit it, I am probably one of the world’s laziest people; I am only too aware of my limitations and sometimes a bit too eager to admit defeat. I know that it would be a lot easier to stay in and do nothing after work rather than go out on the bike in the cold, dark, rainy night and when Penni was here we would give each other the right pushes and motivational words to get the job done – when left to my own devices, I am very slack – it’s as much as I can do to run a bath let alone down the street from the car to the house, much less go out cycling!
Anyway, David has decided that he will help me now that Penni has moved away. He has been and bought a bike, some lights and a helmet (but no Lycra) and today was our first bike ride! Although he got the bike last Wednesday, the weather has not been very nice, it is quite difficult to rude in the dark and I was very aware that Dave had not ridden a bike in a very long time! I don’t think he realised quite how difficult it was going to be because he kept telling me that he used to carry a tackle box, two fishing rods and about a million other things on his old bike. Even when I reminded him that this was however many years ago he still wasn’t fazed; however, he was ready to go home after about 3 miles today and as I did the circuit again, Dave went to the shop and then took the most ridiculous route home. He went up the Parade from the Lake and this involves one nasty hill! I did warn him not to and to go up ‘slug lane’ but what can ya do? I think however that he enjoyed it and he is really looking forward to going out again. He said that he wants to take his camera next time to get some shots of different views of places. (Not so that he can stop every so often!) I think he is looking forward to having, as Terry Wogan calls it, a ‘racing snake physique’!
Speaking of racing snake physiques, I was talking with my mum about exercise and as an extra something, we have decided that every evening we will do 20 minutes of one of her many exercise videos. It can only help and having someone else to do them with will help her and me – so bring it on Mr Motivator! At least I won’t feel completely guilty if the weather is too bad for a bike ride! I just know I will be thin and beautiful for Lewys’ wedding in July and have buns of steel for Gemma’s birthday in August – fit, fair (if the sun does it’s thang in July) and frankly fan-blinkin-tastic!
So, hope yous are brillo and until the next time, take great care and spread the word about our fundraising page! We have reached the £1000 mark and have a few hundred quid to send in soon but we still have a long way to go and not long to do it!
Loadsa love, Jx
www.justgiving.com/joandpenni
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Don’t you find it just gets you sometimes?
There are some people in this world who are genuinely trying to do some good and there are those who do all they can to avoid good; there are those who would like to do some good but no matter what they try they just can’t seem to say or do the right thing and there are those who just can’t be bothered. For those who can’t be bothered and those who go out of their way to annoy people – I couldn’t give a monkey’s, I am doing this bike ride for those who are trying and for those who would like to but can’t.
I was talking to a lady just before Christmas and she was telling me that one of her friends has MS. This lady is in her latey twenties and some days she ‘can’t be bothered’ to get dressed. Had she told me that on some days she ‘couldn’t’ get dressed I would have been a lot more sympathetic but because she said she ‘couldn’t be bothered’ I really didn’t care about much after that but only now is it starting to make me angry! I know that this disease affects people differently and that the nature of the beast is such that it can’t really be predicted, not every MS sufferer could cycle to Paris and sometimes I doubt myself! I also know that everyone has down days and that sometimes none of us want to get out of bed or dressed but we do it. We get up, washed, dressed, go to work, come home, eat, sleep and repeat the whole thing over and over and over and although we don’t always want to and sometimes we plain can’t be bothered – we still do it.
I know I shouldn’t rant and that my comments must sound very unfair but sometimes I take the actions of people (even those that I have never met) personally – especially if they suffer from the same disease as I do. It is sometimes easy to see why people have the impression they do of MS but if they only see people who are negative and tell the world that they can’t be bothered to dress or that they want to kill themselves because of their terrible lives then that is the only view people will see. As I said earlier, I don’t think mine is the best way and I do understand that there are those who would love to ride to Paris but can’t and I am not trying to take anything away from them – MS is not nice and, frankly, can be sh*t. But I am seeing more negative press, hearing more negative talk and I find it really annoying that people still don’t know that there are more than one side to the story.
I am not completely blinkered, I know that there is a distinct possibility that I could become on of the people who can’t anymore, that I could become incontinent and fully disabled but I don’t need to hear ever two minutes how bad it will be if this happens.
So as I say, for all those who just say nothing and carry on and for those who would like to but can’t – let’s keep going; for those who complain too loudly to make sure everyone knows how bad things are for them or those who tell anyone that will listen how ill they are and those who ‘just can’t be bothered’ I do have to wonder what would happen if none of us could be bothered? The MS Trust relies on money raised through activities such as this and if none of us could be bothered ton get dressed, research and education would be a lot further behind than it is now – if this were the case we might all be complaining and making such a noise that nobody would listen – sometimes I almost wish that no one would listen!
It is difficult being constantly positive in a consistently negative environment but I will try!
I was talking to a lady just before Christmas and she was telling me that one of her friends has MS. This lady is in her latey twenties and some days she ‘can’t be bothered’ to get dressed. Had she told me that on some days she ‘couldn’t’ get dressed I would have been a lot more sympathetic but because she said she ‘couldn’t be bothered’ I really didn’t care about much after that but only now is it starting to make me angry! I know that this disease affects people differently and that the nature of the beast is such that it can’t really be predicted, not every MS sufferer could cycle to Paris and sometimes I doubt myself! I also know that everyone has down days and that sometimes none of us want to get out of bed or dressed but we do it. We get up, washed, dressed, go to work, come home, eat, sleep and repeat the whole thing over and over and over and although we don’t always want to and sometimes we plain can’t be bothered – we still do it.
I know I shouldn’t rant and that my comments must sound very unfair but sometimes I take the actions of people (even those that I have never met) personally – especially if they suffer from the same disease as I do. It is sometimes easy to see why people have the impression they do of MS but if they only see people who are negative and tell the world that they can’t be bothered to dress or that they want to kill themselves because of their terrible lives then that is the only view people will see. As I said earlier, I don’t think mine is the best way and I do understand that there are those who would love to ride to Paris but can’t and I am not trying to take anything away from them – MS is not nice and, frankly, can be sh*t. But I am seeing more negative press, hearing more negative talk and I find it really annoying that people still don’t know that there are more than one side to the story.
I am not completely blinkered, I know that there is a distinct possibility that I could become on of the people who can’t anymore, that I could become incontinent and fully disabled but I don’t need to hear ever two minutes how bad it will be if this happens.
So as I say, for all those who just say nothing and carry on and for those who would like to but can’t – let’s keep going; for those who complain too loudly to make sure everyone knows how bad things are for them or those who tell anyone that will listen how ill they are and those who ‘just can’t be bothered’ I do have to wonder what would happen if none of us could be bothered? The MS Trust relies on money raised through activities such as this and if none of us could be bothered ton get dressed, research and education would be a lot further behind than it is now – if this were the case we might all be complaining and making such a noise that nobody would listen – sometimes I almost wish that no one would listen!
It is difficult being constantly positive in a consistently negative environment but I will try!
Monday, 5 January 2009
On The Road Again
Well, that’s it! The holidays are over, Santa has been and gone (and fair play, he was very generous again this year) and we can now no longer say that we are riding from London to Paris ‘next year’, we are going in 7 months! Before Christmas when we said that we were going next July – fair play, it did seem forever away, not anymore! I think both Pen and I are now very, very worried!
As I mentioned in my previous posts, with everything we have been a bit slack in our training recently, but as the departure date creeps ever closer we have realised that we really have to step it up and fair play, it is freezing!
However, we had some very interesting items of clothing for Christmas – although I don’t think South Wales is quite ready for the sight of me in Lycra, the folks around here really don’t have a choice and although it is not the most attractive or flattering outfit I have ever warn, it doesn’t half keep you warm! What with the cycle clothes, bike lights, tyre pump, on board computer and Spokey Dokies we are certainly looking the part! Now all we hope is that we can ‘walk the walk’ as well as we ‘talk the talk’ if you get my drift! For all my worrying, we are getting back into the swing of things and although we haven’t been out for a few weeks, it is not as difficult as it was initially.
I think everyone puts on a few pounds over the festive period and I am certainly no exception. However, the New Year has begun in fine diet fashion and although today is only the 5th of January I think that as I really have no choice I will keep to my resolution and keep off the cakes!
We are still going on our fundraising but it is very slow and so anything you could do or anyone you could tell would be brillo! We are up to £510 on our online donations page: www.justgiving.com/joandpenni and we have a few other donations on our paper sponsorship forms but we still have a long way to go! We have a ladies only party (if you get my meaning!) booked for the 13th of February and that should be a giggle but the most recent news on the fundraising front is that Penni, as you know has been writing to as many companies as she can think of and just before Christmas she had a very positive response from Arriva Trains Wales who are going to give us £250! 10% of our target! That’s exciting and I think Penni deserves a rather large sherry for that one! But as I say, please spread the word about our bike ride and just giving page!
So, until the next instalment!
Take great care,
Loadsa love, Jx
As I mentioned in my previous posts, with everything we have been a bit slack in our training recently, but as the departure date creeps ever closer we have realised that we really have to step it up and fair play, it is freezing!
However, we had some very interesting items of clothing for Christmas – although I don’t think South Wales is quite ready for the sight of me in Lycra, the folks around here really don’t have a choice and although it is not the most attractive or flattering outfit I have ever warn, it doesn’t half keep you warm! What with the cycle clothes, bike lights, tyre pump, on board computer and Spokey Dokies we are certainly looking the part! Now all we hope is that we can ‘walk the walk’ as well as we ‘talk the talk’ if you get my drift! For all my worrying, we are getting back into the swing of things and although we haven’t been out for a few weeks, it is not as difficult as it was initially.
I think everyone puts on a few pounds over the festive period and I am certainly no exception. However, the New Year has begun in fine diet fashion and although today is only the 5th of January I think that as I really have no choice I will keep to my resolution and keep off the cakes!
We are still going on our fundraising but it is very slow and so anything you could do or anyone you could tell would be brillo! We are up to £510 on our online donations page: www.justgiving.com/joandpenni and we have a few other donations on our paper sponsorship forms but we still have a long way to go! We have a ladies only party (if you get my meaning!) booked for the 13th of February and that should be a giggle but the most recent news on the fundraising front is that Penni, as you know has been writing to as many companies as she can think of and just before Christmas she had a very positive response from Arriva Trains Wales who are going to give us £250! 10% of our target! That’s exciting and I think Penni deserves a rather large sherry for that one! But as I say, please spread the word about our bike ride and just giving page!
So, until the next instalment!
Take great care,
Loadsa love, Jx
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