Breaking the blog silence - celebrations, loss, career changes, life changes, a bit of cycling but most of all RELATIONSHIPS!

I haven't blogged since June, so much has happened since then and some of those things are the reason for my lack of writing! The Lindsley family rollercoaster has ramped up to new levels in recent weeks. We have had the devastating loss of Lee's Dad, Lee's 50th birthday and I have left the NHS all at the same time. The first is obviously very upsetting and will take a long time to accept, the second is a wonder of modern medicine as two years ago Lee had just left ICU and the third is the mixture of a wonderful opportunity, saying goodbye to fabulous colleagues and a massive step into the unknown. Although this is a fair reflection of life as we know it, putting all of that into one sentence feels a bit wrong! Finally all of this has made me focus on one thing; the importance of relationships. We  are so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people!

Lee's Dad, my father in law, Richard (Beaky) Dexter died on Friday the 17th of February 2023 after a long battle with thyroid cancer. His diagnosis was in 2017 and it is testament to the strength of the man that it took him so long to succumb to this horrific disease. The last days were particularly unpleasant and our only comfort is that he is no longer suffering.

Dad was very well known locally having played football and cricket to a high standard. He is most notably remembered as a one of the best goalkeepers in the area. More recently he was part of the Rowell Fair Society, carrying a halberd on proclamation day (look it up, if you're not local, you won't believe what you read!) and he was also the President of the Rothwell Conservative Club. The flag is currently at half mast over the Cons in his honour. The high regard in which he was held is best illustrated by our house looking like a florist and the fact we are regularly stopped in the street by people offering their condolences. We will all miss him: he was a good husband, father, grandfather and friend.

With all that going on you could forgive Lee if she decided to cancel her 50th birthday party. However she knew that was not her Dad's wishes so this weekend we enjoyed a brilliant celebration at The Red Lion in Rothwell. Our daughter Niamh works there and she organised us to have The Old Barns. I'm not on commission here but I will say it's a great place to have an event!

So many of our family friends joined us to make it a really special evening. Truly a night to never forget, despite me being quite unable to remember large parts of the evening! The photo-booth was a great idea as were the cakes Lee made herself (well the Queen of Cakes is not going to let anyone else!)

For the last two and half years I have been the Service Manager for NHFT Children's Community Services. This was 9 teams with 120 staff including Children's Community Nursing, Special School Nursing, Children's Continence, Community Paediatricians, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy. Being a Mental Health Nurse with a long history in CAMHS this might sound like an odd career choice but it was right for me at that point in time. These teams are wonderful. They do fantastic work with children and families. I was very proud to be their manager. I had good support from my peers in the management team and I couldn't have asked for more from my line manager. It wasn't all unicorns and rainbows. There is a massive capacity issue for teams like these, in short there are too few, trying to do too much for too many. Despite this they turned up, put a shift in and made a difference. The biggest thing was that during the dark days with Lee in ICU and in her long recovery, they carried me. I enjoyed coming to work and seeing my teams. Handing in my notice was very difficult. In many ways it was also an affirming experience. The positive comments and well wishes I have received have been truly overwhelming. 

The most amazing leaving gifts and cards!

Many of you will know I needed a new helmet after the last one had an impact with some tarmac!

I do love to feed the birds!

All of this probably leaves you wondering why on earth I'm leaving...well, due to another one of those relationships I was offered the chance to make a bit of extra money doing some independent work with children and families. I quickly realised how much I was enjoying being back at the careface, offering direct work. Suddenly a bit of extra became a realistic full time opportunity. It's the chance to be my own boss, to set my own hours, to have more time at home, to go out on my bike in the week and to work with fantastic young people! I'll also be able to wait until it's light before taking the dogs out!!!!

It's been a year of changes. I realised I was giving too much of myself away when my family needed me. So I reluctantly gave up Junior Parkrun and cycling coaching. The biggest reason for this was to give me time to do the extra independent work. I needed this extra work because Sam (our youngest,) is going to University in London in September. His journey from being the bad kid with ADHD, through to head boy and now having a place to study history at Kings is truly remarkable. We are very proud of him! 

Having left the coaching set up I felt able to make another change and switch from Kettering CC to Rockingham Forest CC. I was already a second claim member at Rocko due to spending so much time with them and they do more off road stuff than KCC so the move made sense. One of the things my new working life will enable me to do is to join the Tuesday road ride and Thursday mountain bike rides.

The day before Lee's Dad died there was another big loss. My Dad joined the police cadets in the late 60s with his friend Don. Dad introduced Don to his school friend Sue who was a nurse cadet with my Mum. The four of them have been friends ever since and we grew up knowing Sue and Don. Don sadly died of cancer. It's another huge loss. Don taught me to drive. For the whole 10 weeks Lee was in hospital, Sue and Don brought me a cake and left it on the doorstep. The vicar who knows them personally described them as: "the very best of people!" My Dad was mentioned twice in the funeral and pointed out that the large group of children and grandchildren existed because of his introduction of Sue to Don.  RELATIONSHIPS - There's nothing more important!

Part of my new work will be to create professional blogs. I couldn't start writing them without coming back to this creative outlet. I will blog regularly from now on.

Happy Pedalling

 

Lee's progress, annual leave and lot of cycling

It's blog time again and the usual format will be followed. We'll have a catch up on Lee's progress followed by my cycling stuff. Stay for the bit you want.

Right now I'm half way through 2 weeks of annual leave. I was more than ready for this time off! We started with a trip to Plymouth but before that I'll tell you where Lee is health wise...

It's more than a bit frustrating for Lee. She's finished her walks with the physio and these have helped. Lee also attends a fatigue management group, which she finds tiring! A recent call to the GP wasn't helpful at all, she seems to speak to a variety of doctors who give contradictory advice. Meds have been changed and then changed back! In February Lee found herself on the shower room floor with no idea what happened. As a result she was referred for an urgent cardiology appointment which happened a couple of weeks ago. In the teams I manage urgent means 'that week,' not 3 months later! At that appointment we learned that Lee is probably experiencing recurrent SVT episodes and she has been referred for a heart operation called an ablasion to reset her heart rhythms. We also learned that she shouldn't have been driving! This is a huge blow to Lee's independence. Even bigger is the blow to her self esteem. It is important to Lee to be able to help others. Now she can't do things like drive her Dad to his appointments. She was hoping to start her phased return to work in July, not being able to drive makes that more difficult. That's all on top of the daily grind of feeling permanently tired, weak and in pain!

Okay enough of the negativity. We did get away last weekend to see friends in Plymouth and on Monday we're off to the Lake District for the week. I've hired a wheelchair for Lee and you know, it's me, so expect a blog next week where I've pushed Lee to the top of Scafell Pike! 

On the beach in Seaton

Kevin and Perry Go Large

Time to switch to cycling

At the start of June the Queen 👸 gave us a four day weekend. I started by organising an off road ride for my friends in the Cyclasylum.

It was great to see Phil 'the beast,' Broxton for the first time in ages. A good sized group of us met on Rothwell Market Square and headed out on an eventful ride.

Big shout out to Uncle Bob's patriotic ebike!

Rule #1 is no one gets left behind. Rule #2 is: You should never ride off in front of your ride leader. So after selfishly leaving me to deal with an awkward gate, 2 miles into the ride the group got lost and I sat waiting for them on the really obvious trail above! 

There's a sheep and a Richard in that hedge!

Shortly after that we were stopped by a local farmer who requested help freeing one of his sheep from being stuck in the hedge! Once that was achieved we headed downhill to find the bridge blocked by cows! Luckily we had Denford's foremost cow whisperer with us as Andy P shooed the bovine beasts out of the way. I should have taken a picture but after a close call with a stampeding herd of cows I must confess to being nervous around them!

That should have been the end of the drama but we also managed to lose Mark S on the Brampton Valley Way! After that...we had a good rest of the ride! This is a really nice off road loop that I'd recommend to anyone looking for a fun couple of hours.

On the Saturday we had a group ride with yet more drama. Somehow we lost Bruce after a few miles. Then Bert and Bruno touched wheels with Bruno eventually crashing into the verge. Bert's bike had a couple of dings and Bruno lost his phone. This was not a good day to have a name beginning with B. 

Bert fixing his bike

I've continued to take part in the Friday Night Summer Series. A couple of weeks ago it was Numplumz turn to host at Wadenhoe. I broke my wrist at this venue in 2017 so I'm always a bit wary here. My goals were first to survive and then the usual ones of not coming last! This was a great course, challenging physically and technically. 

Many thanks to the snappers who got these shots!

The ride above is my 30 mile hill training route. The Welland Valley is a beautiful place and I'll never get bored of this ride. However no pictures...there's a theme here!

One of the reasons for going to Plymouth was the Dartmoor Classic 2022. I was meant to be riding with my friend Nigel but like last year he's injured. For me this was unfinished business. Last year I limped around Dartmoor, walking every significant climb and being sick on the biggest, KOM hill. I was determined to do better. DC gives gold, silver and bronze medals based on time. Gold for my age group for the 100km medio ride was 4 hours 47 minutes and I felt this was well within reach. On that KOM climb all the doubts from the year came back but I pushed on...then instead of getting of and walking I was overtaking people...lots of people! This is the third time I've done this climb and not only did I better last year's effort but I knocked 3 minutes off my time from 2019! After that I knew the hills couldn't beat me...that was until about 40 miles! I was feeling great after the stop at Princetown. I was well on course to get the gold medal and was starting to really push on the climbs. Out of nowhere cramp struck! After that I cramped on three more hills and whilst going fast on the flat run in to Newton Abbott. Each time I had to stop and walk it off and this lost me loads of time. I finished in 5 hours 3 minutes, 16 minutes off of gold. Still way better than last year so I'm not too disappointed. No pictures were taken as I was going to buy the official ones. Unfortunately I don't like any of the ones of me so no pictures...

I've read and heard loads about cramp and I don't believe it has anything to do with electrolytes or hydration for me. It happens when my legs get tired, I think that hours of repetitive movement like in cycling, just sends the signals funny to my muscles and they misfire into cramps. The article below backs that theory up. I also think if I ever get to the supposed ideal riding weight of 83kg it would help (I'm currently 89kg.)

cramp article

The mystery of my weight persists...

Back home in the shire after a wonderful few days in Devon I needed a leg loostener on my MTB due to the race on Friday. This was another classic route for me. Out to Geddington, down Geddington Chase, back via the Brigstock bumps. A good test for the bike and some well needed miles for me.

Last night I took part in FNSS round 6 at Marston Lodge, organised this time by the legend that is Dean Barnett. Dean created a beast of a course with more climbing in my 12 miles than I'd faced in 25 miles a few days before! On the DC I chatted with someone who thought Northamptonshire was flat...it's just not!

No pics of me yet but I'm fairly sure that's my wheel behind rider 552. That's Mark Humphreys of Rugby Velo. He and I had our own little battle which he won on the last lap. Straight after Mark came to shake my hand, that's what FNSS is all about. 

I wasn't at my best last night. Mark was kind enough to say I was stronger on the climbs but he caught me up on the technical bits. He's right, technically something was wrong last night. On the first lap I messed my gears up and had to run up a hill, then I dropped my chain twice (nukeproof chain guide has been ordered,) that tree Mark is going round tripped me up all night and my cornering was shocking! At least it's all stuff I can work on! 41st out of 48 is still not last place!!!

That's enough about me I need to mention my awesome cycling friends. Bruce has done the Chase to Sun ride from the Kent coast to the opposite one in Somerset. Gary Carter is on an epic multi day journey from Wales and my ride mates from Cyclasylum are riding from Kettering to Skegness and back as I type this! My biggest shout out is to Andy Brown, Ian Bird and Olly Crabtree who rode from Kettering to Wales, Olly came back from Aberystwyth by train but Ian and Andy rode all the way back too! 

I asked Andy some questions and got this in response:

It was Ian's idea

- Around 1,200km and 14,400m ascent (about 1.6 x Everest)

Route was approx Chilterns -> southern Cotswolds -> Wye Valley / Ross-on-Wye -> Brecon Beacons -> St Davids -> Aberystwyth -> Snowdonia -> Conway -> Staffs -> Home

Favourite bit for me - the west coast was beautiful, into the setting sun, and then up into Snowdonia the next day; another highlight was following the River Wye

I'm sure Ian has thoughts about toughest climbs - although the beginning of day two was Streatley Hill in the Chilterns, and that is where it really kicked off (Garmin said 20%+ in places) and then there were multiple other climbs with 20% sections during middle days. Going through the Brecon Beacon's we hit 420m+ elevation, and then had a lovely 10 mile descent. Followed by another vicious climb (Ian is still asking me 'why, oh why Andy?' - apparently it was my bit of the route!)

By day six, we were a bit lost (trying to follow a route from David Wilson) and ended up climbing Moel Arthur (NW Wales, in the Cylwdian range, part of 'Offa's Dyke') (2.4 km / 343 m at the top / 224 meters climbing / avg 9.4%) - we were off course and a bit tired by that point, but it was beautiful. So that was probably one of the most challenging sections. 

And day seven was super hot.

It was a great adventure - amazing to be able to set out on a bike from home, with all your stuff, and see so much of the country by pedal power alone. It's a great way to see the country. Ian did nearly all the leg work with route and accommodation, and Olly and I just played with it at the end. So thanks to Ian.

I'm sure most of are pretty envious of a ride like that!

Last but not least I have some sad news. Earlier this month Richard Daniells of Rockingham Forest Wheelers was involved in a collision with a car near his home in Rothwell and died as a result of his injuries. I did not know him personally but did know of him. Richard was a key contributor to local cycling. He was heavily involved in organising and time keeping for local races. I know my friends at RFW will miss him greatly and my thoughts are with them and Richard's family at this time.

Lee's recovery continues, mechanicals, races and long rides...

It's been about a month since my last blog and unless something special happens I think this will be the regular pattern from now on. As ever I will start with an update on Lee before switching to all things cycling.

I love this picture of Lee and the cheeky guide dog 🦮 puppy, Flint. Today at Mum and Dad's, Flint was "dancing," with Lee. We haven't had a dog that does this since our beloved Ben passed away a few years ago.

Lee is still struggling but is also still making progress. She has been having physio sessions where they've worked on her walking. Specifically it's been about a better gait, getting stronger and building stamina. Lee's goal is to be able to walk the dogs 🐕 on her own. 

Lee also goes for daily walks with her Mum. She's also been attending a chronic fatigue group, which ironically, makes her tired! Naps, becoming breathless and sore muscles are still part of daily life. It's a case of one step too far being a disaster. Lee will feel okay and then just go weak. It's very frustrating for her and unpleasant for us to see. Let's not get pessimistic though. I think we will get there, it might take a bit more time but we'll get Lee back to "normal," and then we can think about some longer term fitness goals...okay that last bit is me being me! I'm fairly sure Lee isn't planning entering an obstacle race or a crossfit challenge...

 

Time for the cycling 

So my focus has moved from mile munching to a bit of racing. For now that's Friday Night Summer Series MTB racing and time trials...neither have got off to a good start but...for once its mechanicals not my fitness holding me back. The first FNSS race was hosted by Welland valley CC at Spanhoe Airfield on a course designed by Adrian Kilworth. The evening felt like it was going to be awesome. On arrival I met up with so many cycling friends and the atmosphere built nicely. The course looked great and we started on the grass airfield, then onto a concrete runway before the trails started. Only...I didn't get to the trails because my chain snapped after less than a quarter of a lap! It's fair to say I was not amused but it was with utmost shame I heard the following: "it's okay darling he's just cross because his bike broke like Daddy gets sometimes..." So I stomped off to the car and decided to take pics of friends racing instead.

The next day I took my bike to see Craig at Richardson's cycles. I've never had a broken chain before and knew other bits were probably worn out too. Well I wasn't wrong...everything was worn out. I got a good price for parts and as I wanted a bigger cassette with more range it was kind of an upgrade!

Craig asked if I wanted him to change the cassette and stupidly I said no, I could do it.I failed completely to get the old cassette off. I did manage a first for me,  which was to snap one chain whip and bend another. I then got frustrated and tried to cut the cassette off but that didn't work either. So...I took it back to Craig, who with the help of a vice cracked the lock ring off in seconds! With that done, I was able to do the rest myself. 

All that meant I could take part in FNSS round 2 at Borough Hill Daventry. Another great course and this time I made it round in one piece. No mechanicals, no worries! I was 42nd out of 46 finishers in my age group. That's okay for me and now I have something to aim for. Again it was great to see so many cycling friends. The only near disaster of the evening was I got the mini stuck on a hidden fence post in the parking field! My CRV wouldn't have noticed but as Lee finds my car easier to drive, I'm using her mini. Anyway, people came to the rescue, so it all ended well!

Unbelievably last week I snapped a spoke on my mtb front wheel! I was confident I could fix this myself but wasn't sure what size spoke to order. As I was in Northampton I took this to Rutland Cycles at Pitsford. They suggested doing the job and as it was a good price I agreed. Having said it would take a few days they got me sorted the same day...it comes with a warning though. Apparently the rim was bent and the spoke could break again! The only way to find out is to ride it and see. Thankfully I didn't break anything else on a test ride today!

In other news I managed just one TT so far this season. I had broken my road bike this time and again it was Craig to the rescue. This time it was a seized gear cable (clearly I need Di2!) I tried to do this myself but it was near impossible.

On Wednesday I planned to go to the Rocko TT  and for some reason my gears went all weird and then my front tyre went flat! Clearly the universe wanted me to stay home. The whole thing stressed me out on Wednesday evening but after a good night's sleep I woke early the next day and went on a fixing spree. Gears sorted, new tyres on my propel, changed tyre on my winter bike and I stripped the MTB wheel down for the spoke repair. It's weird how productive I am early in the morning!

I've been for some good group rides over the weeks. I'll let the pictures do the talking on these. All I will say is, those friends in the Cyclasylum really do make the world feel better!

In other bits of my cycling, I'm still enjoying coaching, commuting is going well and I've found a way to use my trailer to get to junior parkrun by bike even with the Run Director kit.

Elite cycling is focused on the Giro right now. It's been a thoroughly enjoyable race so far. It bodes well for a great year of cycling!

Happy Pedalling 😊