Easter 2023 - Sam is 18, family time and lot's of cycling!

The big news this week is that Sam Lindsley is 18 years old...so all of our children are now adults! Lots of other stuff to discuss though. Some great riding this week and many cyclists favourite bike race - Paris-Roubaix!

Let's get to Sam first...he graciously allowed me to take the above picture. I can't tell you enough how proud we are of Sam. A few years ago he was really struggling and on the verge of being excluded from school. His ADHD diagnosis should have been no surprise given that Niamh, Joe and Lee also have ADHD but Sam got through Junior school with few problems. In fact he ended his junior school time being the star of their production of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Then, as often happens in a secondary environment his impulsivity, inattention and hyperactivity came flooding out. Sam was at one point the worst behaved kid in the school...and then he got to grips with things. He finished year 11 with great GCSE results and had become the best behaved boy in the school. In the 6th form he has become the Head Boy, mentors younger students and advises teachers on ADHD! Sam is a very committed student with a passion for history, sociology and politics. He is predicted good grades and had a conditional offer from Kings College in London. It's a remarkable turnaround. It should also be noted that Sam's GCSE year was the one where his Mum, Lee, nearly died of Covid19. During that difficult time Sam just got his head down and go on with things. Like I said...I can't put into words how proud we are of him!

The picture above is of Lee's brother Ian. He sadly died in 1982 due to cancer. The Tonka Toy in front of his picture was one of his favourite toys and had been in a bag in pieces in our understairs for quite some time. I decided it was time to restore it to it's former glory. I'm really pleased with the result and more importantly so are Lee and her Mum. This was a wonderful thing to work on. Some finishing touches are yet to come as I have ordered replacement "PACER X" stickers

This week for my cycling I have been lucky to get out for 3 good group rides. The first was on Tuesday for the RFW Good Bean Cafe ride. 

A group of 6 headed out to the East of Corby, stopping for food at Dexter's in Oundle. I was particularly pleased to catch up with Pete Rowbotham who is battling back from illness and injury. I say battling back...he was riding better than me! The day started out freezing cold and as the ride progressed got nicer and nicer. In the end it was rude not to turn it into a full 100k fondo ride.

Thursday's mountain bike ride was something quite different. On a filthy day we also suffered numerous mechanicals. Earlier in the week I'd replaced my rear wheel bearings only to discover the wheel wobble issues were actually due to a rubbish rear skewer! Then on the day I realised that the same wheel was massively buckled. Worse still for Pete whose freewheel broke with less than a mile rode and then Giles whose left crank fell off! It was tough enough already in slippy, soft conditions...we only did 7 miles but were utterly plastered in mud at the end.

Yesterday I joined WVCC for their Easter gravel ride...it was an early start leaving Market Harborough at 07.30 so I got really organised and prepared my bike and kit the night before. I left home bang on 6.50 as planned and then realised leaving Rothwell that I'd left my camelbak at home! So a quick message and change of plan and I met the group on the Brampton Valley Way instead. 

From the start I didn't feel right. Tree pollen has burst into life and my hay fever is always bad early in the season. So I was struggling...well I'd probably have been okay but this was a group of good riders who ride a notch faster than my usual pace.

It was just 1C as I left home wearing just about every layer of cycling kit I could find. A fog descended too making it even colder! 

As we rode on though the day did eventually warm up and by the end we were all discarding layers. Many thanks to Adrian 'Killa,' Kilworth for organising the ride and planning an excellent route. This was also a bit of practise run for the WVCC 100k gravel sportive on Sunday 16th April welland-valley-cc-spring-gravel-ride-. 

The other riders thankfully tolerated my slower pace, having to wait for me at times. As the route passed close to home before looping back to Market Harborough I decided my day was done and headed home from the top of Violet Lane.

One thing pointed out to me by Eddo was that my saddle height looked low. This is something others have said to me in the past and just like yesterday I demonstrated that I have the height set by the widely accepted method of putting my heal on my peddle at the low point of the crank and setting the height for a slight bend at the knee. Many people will now be thinking...why doesn't Rich just pay for a bike fit? Well I've heard mixed things about these and like to work things out for myself! I have found the following saddle height. I also have some brake cable issues to sort tomorrow so I'm going to try the method recommended in the blog I've linked to and see if it's different to the heal on the peddle method!

As I type I'm enjoying the Paris-Roubaix men's coverage. The women's race yesterday was stunning and the men's is going the same way. Dubbed the hell of the north or L'enfer du Nord, Paris-Roubaix is many people's favourite cobbled classic. We are so lucky to get footage of such things in the UK these days.

Happy Peddling

All the mod cons...

 

The blog this week is thankfully devoid of drama. I'll do a quick family catch up and some cycling stuff. The theme for this week's blog is the benefits of modern technology plus the first world problem of having access to amazing stuff!

I really should have an excellent family photo this week but somehow whilst we were all out together on Friday night I didn't take any pictures! So instead imagine the empty sofa above is packed with family Lindsley as it often is. If you're wondering why I took a picture of the sofa...I steam cleaned it and wanted a before and after shot to see what difference it made! Lee this week is no better and no worse. She had a fabulous day spending her birthday money and vouchers in Milton Keynes and then straight after we went to the Comedy Club at The Red Lion. Niamh organised us a splendid table and a great night was had by all! 

Being on her feet all day on Friday followed by a night out has predictably taken it's toll on Lee and she has spent the rest of the weekend in bed! This is life with Long Covid! Lee knew this would be the case and views a crash weekend as worth it for a very nice day!

I posted the above photo on social media and I must apologise to those who still believe I did an outdoor swim, bike ride, run and dog walk before 09.00. It was April the 1st and I love a good April Fool! It has been pointed out that it's me and it wouldn't be the greatest surprise if I'd actually done this...maybe one day I will! Other splendid examples on the day were the Leicestershire Cyclocross League and Northampton Saints! 

From the #NHS1000miles community there was a tale of familiar woe. Marcelle and Shiv did an epic 50km walk only for Marcelle's Strava and Garmin to credit her with just 49.72km! Those extra 0.28km make all the difference to us data obsessed active people...many times I have ridden or run a bit extra just to make sure that my apps don't sell me short. There is nothing worse than a 99.9 mile bike ride!!! Or is there? This paired with Tony Warne's blog - Life Through a Different Lens it made me think how spoiled we are by modern gadgetry, especially those powerful smartphones! Tony's blog is always a good read and this week discusses his Dad's love of photography and how much that has changed through the years. The smartphone has completely changed how accessible photography is to us all. In the old days it was point, press and hope that something reasonable came back from Boots (other film developers were available...) More importantly congratulations to Marcelle and Shiv...your feet will know you did 50k!!!

What the flippetty flip flops is that Dad???

People my age will know the gadget above was the only way to track your distance at one point in cycling history. My first 100 mile ride was at the age of 14 but as I couldn't record this on Strava did it really happen? I didn't even have one of those mile counters and the only way I even think it was 100 miles was because I planned it on an ordnance survey map, measured it with a piece of cotton and then did some maths to work it out from the scale! Now you can get your smartphone to do it for you but many of us prefer bike computers like Garmin or Wahoo. You don't even need to plan the route or know where you're going...just follow your device!

These kids, are maps!

But is life really better this way? Erm..yeah it is but with a few downsides. Before tracking apps all you had to go on was how it felt! Did you enjoy that ride? If yes it was a good one, if no it was a bad one! Now we're looking at heart rate, average speed, cadence, watts etc...every morning I check my body battery on my Garmin watch to find out how I'm feeling! Surely we were happier when life was simpler!

This week I got out cycling 4 times. This new way of life really is magnificent! Today I needed 40km to complete my weekly target. So I had a ride out on the road via Naseby and Brixworth seeing lots of spring things on the way like daffodils and lambs! It was just lovely to be out!

This way to the mud!

On Thursday morning I was lucky enough to join the RFW mountain bike ride at Wakerley and Fineshade Woods. I love that I can do things like this on my weekday mornings. I still had work that day but not until the afternoon. Because it has been wet the trails were really heavy so just 15 miles was still very tiring.

I was also able to get out on Tuesday morning. as it was cold and wet I didn't really feel like a road ride so I took my cyclocross bike for an offroad spin.

You have to love a bridge picture

look at the lovely trails...

I took a well tested route from Harrington to Arthingworth and then down the Brampton Valley Way to Hanging Houghton. I then went back to bridleways from Lamport through to Mawsley. One bridleway which was brilliant last year is now a horrible ploughed field. So for fellow off roaders avoid this bit.

un-ride-able - between the byway off Mill Lane and Mawsley!

On Monday I went for a quick ride around my regular training route I call it Standard 17. I used to do this at 6am before work but life has changed a lot since then. It's still a really nice route for a quick ride.

No daffodils were harmed by a Giant Propel

Front to back: Timmy, Bruce & Charity

As well as some good cycling I've been out for daily dog walks with my crazy pack. I've also managed 3 5k runs. 

In elite cycling I'm really enjoying the Spring Classics. Today's Tour of Flanders was a brilliant race. It's great that we can now enjoy footage of these races in the UK. Hopefully one day I'll get out to one of the monument races, preferably in Belgium. Apparently there was a dedicated beer today for each of the climbs in the Tour of Flanders, each beer selected has a strength equal to the gradient of the climb...so there's 12% beers in there - I love my Belgian ales but I do know that 19 of them will not end well!

It's a big week ahead with Sam's 18th birthday and then a few days off for Easter!

Happy Pedaling

let's say Spring...

When I start a blog I like to have a theme, right now I have too many to pick from and don't know where to start. It's been quite a week with my Father in Law's funeral, mother's day and the ongoing roller coaster that is life. So I'm just going to say it's time to Spring into action!

Let's start with the obvious. A week ago today was Lee's Dad's funeral. As these events go it was a very positive day. His last requests were no fuss, denim and red to be worn and to depart to ACDC Highway to Hell! A moving ceremony was delivered by Jez Safford who coincidentally is the chaplain for Northampton Saints! He understood the brief perfectly. There was a wonderful picture tribute set to Guns n Roses Patience. I delivered the eulogy followed by our daughter Níamh who shared special memories of her Grandad and finally Lee read a poem dedicated to her Dad. I was very proud of my ladies reading to a packed Chapel with standing room only. We then had an equally well attended wake at Rothwell Conservative Club. Realising what a popular and well regarded man he was, has been a comfort to us all. The flag over the cons remains at half mast.

our beautiful daughter!

This time of year is my favourite. I love the world coming back to life, daffodils, lighter mornings and evenings and blossom 🌸 will always be linked to my memories of Lee's recovery. Here's the blog from last year with that epic video of Lee leaving ICU.

#nhs1000miles in 7 weeks

Lee is pleased that she can get the Spring norms/gonks out.

I've been in a reflective mood and realise what a lucky man I am. Whilst we have had a recent loss, such events are rare to me. I was 48 when I lost my paternal grandfather and I still have my Nan. My parents are in very good health. We also have a lot of good friends.

The picture above is Lee with a special group of ladies who started out as 'Friends of Rothwell Junior School,' and have just kept going. In the background you can see my Mum and Dad having a cuddle!

A great example of family and friends contributing to our life was the recent snowday Friday. It started with a drama, as Amy, Joe's fiance, bumped her car in the tricky conditions. Luckily it wasn't that bad so we had a nice dog walk in the snow. Then we went sledging with our friend, also Amy and her 3 year old son...who we adore! After that it was a pub lunch with another friend Tina who added to the growing gang. This was followed by an afternoon nap before Níamh and I headed to Northampton to watch the Saints beat Bath with yet more friends! Pretty much the perfect day!!!

So where is Lee now with regards to recovery? Well the last few weeks have wiped her out with both the good and the bad! However she maintains a positive attitude. She knew there would be a physical price to pay for her party but considers the resulting fatigue, 'worth it!' She needed a few weeks off due to everything, returning to work this week. We are still waiting for her heart operation which we hope is the start of a fuller recovery. Until then the breathlessness, tachycardia and muscle aches continue. That covid19 really is a horrible thing!!!

My new life as a self employed Nurse Therapist is quite the adjustment! I was so busy in the NHS that for that few weeks I kept thinking I've forgotten something! However it's going really well. I have plenty of work and I'm getting lots of positive feedback. The work/life balance change is just lovely! For starters on the snow day I could just do what I wanted! Now I'm focusing on creating some healthy habits. I've restarted doing my daily calm mindfulness, I'm also running again.

I noticed I was feeling really tired recently, which felt weird until I realised I haven't cycled much at all since my crash! Those of us who do a lot of cycling are addicted to it. It's a positive addiction but an addiction none the less. There's a good video on you tube by the vegan cyclist where he describes becoming depressed following an enforced break from cycling. There's two solutions, wait until you get used to reduced dopamine levels or my preference...get back on the bike.

I've been out on my bike the last 3 days running. It was always my intention to join the Tuesday morning RFW Good Bean cafe rides and this morning I finally managed this.

It was a brilliant ride with Giles, Phil, John and James. The weather threatened to be a pain but then it turned out really nice. We had a headwind out to a superb cafe stop, Mortons Bistro in Gilmorton. This is a lovely place and a few other groups of cyclists turned up proving that it's also a popular venue! 

On the way back we enjoyed a tailwind that blasted us back to the clubhouse in Middleton. From there I confess I limped home, partly because its been ages since I did a proper ride and partly because my bike needs a bit of TLC. So my Giant Propel is now in Craig's good hands, it's 8 years old and has done 12000 miles on one one bottom bracket...surely that needs a change! It's press fit so I didn't fancy the job myself!!!

My plan for the rest of the week is to enjoy a mountain bike ride on Thursday, get some work done and continue to enjoy this new way of life!

Happy Pedalling 

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