Alright dear readers, its not quite as full on as it sounds! You can relax as you join me in a 2 hour excursion. It will be a rewarding one and I'm sure you will enjoy seeing what I saw.
Last Saturday on a bright spring morning I set off on my bike to the start of a running course I used to do regularly before my accident.
I'll let the photos and captions tell the story.
We're on our way
Hope you're warmed up
Destination up! It's steeper than it looks!
Heading for those pylons
Time to enjoy some lovely bush
Last pinch to the top!
You've made it! Well done! Now that wasn't so bad was it!
Looking out over Paraparaumu Beach at 300 metres!
It's all down hill from here
Now for a little ride
Better do some groin strengthening
One of my favourite arm strengthening equipment
From here it was a 15 minute ride home!
Hope you enjoyed our outing!
Be sure to join me again soon when you've recovered!
A new chapter started in my life just over a year ago when Lea and I officially got together. Lea is a very private person so I'm not really sure how she feels about me going global.
In my last post I mentioned that we were moving to a new house on Monday which is exciting but also a little bit scary. It is a big commitment!
Since meeting Lea 2 years ago as Bianca's teacher we have been through a lot. I'm sure with time our lives will become less complicated as we continue to make a new life together. I truly one lucky guy!
I am extremely grateful to Lea for allowing me to be in her life and entrusting me with part time care of her beautiful girls Bianca and Caitlyn.
My girls, Kate and Alice are slowly settling into their dad having a new direction in his life. I am thankful to them for their learning to accept what must be a difficult and confusing transition.
As a continuation of the musical theme I have included another song I recorded with John in London just over a year ago. It is called Love Song and was written a day before Hold Me. John was not happy with his penny whistle playing as it was a very new song for both of us. Hope you like it!
Over the last few weeks I have been pre-occupied by work demands and have spent most waking and sleeping hours thinking of what needed to be done to get through the last weeks of term.
Now its the holidays and I've switched my attention to the big move next Monday. Lea and I are excited but also aware that change brings new challenges. It will be good to have a place of our own with more room and separate bedrooms for Bianca, Caitlyn, Kate and Alice if they come to visit. There has been a lot of work with sorting mortgage, changing banks and arranging the move.
Hope all my readers are well and haven't given up on me just yet. Off to make some comments.
Here is a post from my last blog that many of you would not have seen and a song that I recorded with John seemingly an age ago now.
Getting Close
A risky business getting close to people. I know over the years I have been rather cautious about getting involved with people. Most of us will be able to recall times where we have trusted in people and they let us down. People who on the surface come across as genuine and caring that you open up to and find that they are only there for the good times. People who tell you one thing and do another.
Opening up to others of course makes you vulnerable and it is human nature to protect yourself. It makes it particularly hard when you feel you make a connection with someone who initially appeared genuine and you find is unreliable.
This blogging business has been a special way of connecting for me and although most people I am in contact with I will probably never meet in person it has been lovely to open up and share parts of my life with them. It has been lovely to communicate with others who share similar experiences and it is a positive network of support.
A special thanks to Lea for introducing me to blogging as I am enjoying sharing my music with others.
Also a special mention to John who many will know writes delightful and entertaining posts. It has been a great pleasure to learn about John through following his blog and also to meet up with him in person on my recent expedition to England. In one day it felt like we had known each other forever. I look forward to catching up again in 2 years time if he doesn't change his mind in the meantime.
I want to finish with a song I wrote for Lea that expresses my love for her, how special she is to me and how much I need her in my life. As a mere male I don't always get it right but meeting and getting to know Lea has been a turning point in my life. I now can say I feel truly loved.
This recently written song is called Hold Me and was recorded with John while with him at his home in southern England. The song's lyrics are about letting someone get close to you and how much joy that can bring. It speaks of how another person's love can transform you from sadness and emptiness to joy and hope. Only by opening up to others can we be truly loved.
Hope you enjoy Hold Me! If you have heard it already have another listen as I believe it is one of my finest compositions and has been an important song for me in love's journey.
Alright...a weak excuse! 'We can all claim that one!' I hear you say.
The last few weeks I've been pre-occupied by school working late nights and weekends. I have missed the blogging and keeping contact with my old and new friends.
Although work has dominated my recent weeks I have had some interesting
titbits of worthy news that I want to share with you.
Had a visit a few days ago to hospital for an x ray. The hip bone has mended well, however I still have some pain due to the muscle tissues needing to be developed through inactivity.
I have continued my gym work using the exer-cycle, rowing machine and weights. I have enjoyed some good cycle rides but I'm limited to dry tracks as a precaution.
My youngest, Alice has been accepted for the army but missed out on the bomb disposal unit. Damn!!! She will begin as a trainee medic in early August and might be working closely with the bomb unit. A bad joke I think!
Alice had her School Ball last weekend and had a great time. An important night for her as her time at school ends.
Bianca celebrated her 10th birthday last night and we had a lovely meal at Fishermen's Table. Her favourite was Zombie Lego.
LET'S EAT
A bought job but Lea is baking a proper cake tonight
Hannah Montana card that sings
Caitlyn gives Bianca her present
LONG LIVE THE ZOMBIES
Will try and get some comments done for all you readers who have been neglected.
Lea here. It is my turn for a blog entry. I haven't been blogging for a while - partly because I have been really busy with my new job and partly because I lost the motivation for a bit. Who knows maybe at some point I might get back into it more on a full time basis. But in the meantime, there was something really important today that I wanted to come here and share.
Today's post is all about my 2 girls and why today especially is significant for them and for me. My 2 girls are Bianca and Caitlyn. They share their time between our place and their dad's place. Bianca will be 10 years old in just a few weeks and Caitlyn turned 6 in February. They both enjoy doing cheerleading and Bianca loves playing netball.
Caitlyn trying cheerleading for the first time and she loved it!
Bianca is on the left.
Looking at my girls it is hard to imagine that today 6 years ago everything changed for them. 6 Years ago Bianca who was 2 weeks away from turning 4 was diagnosed with leukemia. I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I look at my beautiful girls and feel so incredibly proud that despite everything they faced, they showed me and others what living life really was all about. Despite going through some of the biggest challenges, Bianca did so with grace and with a smile that would light up the room.
The photo on the left is one of my favourites! Even without hair Bianca was still beautiful!
I remember when Bianca was 5 and was still on treatment and could hardly walk properly thanks to a particular drug (let alone run like other kids her age), her school had a cross country event and she had the option of sitting out or to be a special helper. But instead, she chose to participate and she did. Not only that, she completed the race despite coming completely last. She was not going to give up just because of cancer.
Caitlyn too - she was only 3.5 months old when Bianca was diagnosed. She came into this world and suddenly had to fit into a world not dictated by her needs, but by a hospital schedule and the medical needs of her bigger sister. She was the normal we needed so desperately at the time.
During Bianca's treatment she collected around 1,300 Beads of Courage. This represented 830 days of treatment, procedures, hospital stays, blood product transfusions, lumbar punctures, bone marrow biopsies and so on. This is an amazing programme that was designed by a nurse in the US.
1,322 Beads collected during this time
652 days of chemo (IV, sub-cut, injections into the muscle, tablets, spine)
Bianca is now off treatment - she finished treatment in September 2009 and we planted a tree at her school to celebrate this incredible milestone. This tree represented growth, strength and courage as well as new beginnings. The tree is the same age as Bianca and she will always have the opportunity to go and visit her tree. You can read about this very special day here.
But this post isn't about being sad or mourning loss of innocence (because let's face it at the age of 4 Bianca discovered a world no child [or adult for that matter] should ever have to enter. This post is about hope. It is about showing that you can live life despite cancer. Bianca is not yet cleared. We still have a few more years to go before we will be able to say she is 'cured' and there is still a risk it might come back. There is still a risk of other long term effects as we go forward, but for now we celebrate this moment where Bianca (and her sister) are nothing more than typical kids. They love life. They enjoy doing their activities and playing with their friends.
Caitlyn's 6th birthday.
We don't know why we were chosen to walk this particular road, but what I learnt was that despite dealing with the challenges we faced, we met some amazing people, we had wonderful support through the Child Cancer Foundation and more than that we have had the opportunity to make a difference, to create awareness and to (hopefully) give others hope and for that I will always be thankful.
'Bless me readers for I have been slack! It's been over a week since my last blog entry.'
First of all I would like to say a big thank you to all my lovely blogging friends who have been through my 'Bless me readers for I have been slack! It's been over a week since my last blog entry.'
accident with me and have given me so much encouragement and well wishes. Most of you I have only recently got to know and live on the other side of the world to me. I think it is wonderful we can share our lives together at whatever level we are comfortable with.
Many of you made reference to getting back on the horse when commenting on my Cycling Crazy post. I have really been naughty and some might say 'Crazy' for getting on my bike before the recommended 12 weeks but I have missed it so much and I can ride without pain. Of course if I came off I could be in some trouble. However so far so good and I am being extremely vigilant.
Not only have I got back on the horse with my cycling but also have survived 2 busy weeks at school. I am really glad to be back with my charges and have been getting myself re-acquainted.
This has been a holiday weekend to celebrate the Queen's Birthday. It has been wonderful to have my daughter Alice staying with us for a couple of days. Alice has applied for a positiion in the army, in the bomb disposal unit of all places. I hope they pay her well. Apparently not as dangerous as it sounds though I remain unconvinced. She has done her physical and aptitude tests and is now awaiting the verdict. If accepted she will start her duties at the beginning of August.
Alice on her recent 17th Birthday
Yesterday Lea, Alice and I travelled up to Palmerston an hour up the road to visit my oldest daughter, Kate who is studying Human Nutrition. Many of you will know both girls though some new followers may not. It was a short visit! We had a scrumptious lunch together and a brief catch up. She has been working really hard towards her upcoming first semester exams.
I had to include again some of the photos from our January holiday in Mount Maunganui!
