Quick! RUN!!!!!!!!!

I type this week’s post, unusually, out of sync. It is mid-week, and I am away at my usual blog-post publication time, so I feel it vastly unfair to cheat you all out of a blog post.

Ok, it is early in the week, but I do have a small compilation of notes, written on my phone, for trans-global viewing pleasure!

The sun has been shining in this very country (quite rare), and everyone seems more content and positive with a smile.

I wander down the street, smiling, it occurs to me that it is soooo easy to make friendly acquaintances, from a wheelchair. But I struggle to list proper friends that I have made since being in 'my wheelchair years'.

This could be just an issue that everyone faces in their twenties, no longer being a school child or university student. I have been forced to live the ’other’ way. I am however, so so so soooo happy and grateful to people I befriended in ‘Life partA’.

I was quite amused yesterday, sitting outside ‘The Press Room’ (café, obviously). The sun was shining, happiness shone from most people’s faces. Though not everyone.

I watch people stress out, running for the bus. 50% success rate.

I was sitting close to a fairly main bus stop, taking buses towards Kingston from near Surbiton station. I realised the stress that I manage to duck away from, since living in a wheelchair. I now know that if I can see a bus that I may well miss it as I have no option to sprint in aim to catch a bus. My wheelchair, as with any, legally (I think) can only go as fast as walking pace. I accept this and so feel no major disappointment.  I don’t have hopes raised and then thrown away as a bus accelerates off. It is advantageous to be able to plan for such event, instead of requiring an unprepared, sudden burst of speed that can fail half of the time!

Summer sun allows everyone to show off.  I am content, saddened that everyone suffers/ strives to reach perfection. Yet I know that they will never reach their goal, as perfection doesn't exist. Even though there are those seemingly close, all is equal, so they must have a negative that maybe hidden.

Hehe. OK, I made that note on a return from town, as I was perhaps feeling negative, myself. It is quite clearly a note that has been twisted and spun into a ‘positive’ (for me). Read it how you wish.

I also write to tell those of you on Facebook, to ‘like’ KCIL (Kingston Centre for Independent Living). As a voluntary employee, I am biased, but it is such a special special organisation, deserving increased recognition by everyone.

 KCIL

100th Tour, Bon anniversaire!

 Thank you David Millar. My hero gave a mighty fine performance today.

The entire peleton gave an amazing performance on an anniversary, including circumnavigating L'Arc de Triomphe. Special.

'Chapeau'!!

‘What IS Alpe d’Huez?’

On Thursday, I was actually asked this. Not only was I wearing a give-away t-shirt but on this day the Tour de France was visiting this legendary place, twice!!

This special, special climb was the key site of my trip in 2006. Once myself had cornered the full 21 hairpins, the arrival of the peloton was viewed atop ‘L’Alpe’. It is a special, mythical place. I didn’t find it too hard, because this was back in 2006 (pre-accident, obviously), and being part of a legendary scene, helped incredibly.

Twenty one hairpins, almost 15km long, with 13% sections. Beautiful.

Leaders of the 2006 stage, Damiano Cunego (left), an Frank Schleck (right)

‘Chapeau’ Christophe! My hat goes off to Christophe Riblon, who won yesterday’s stage following an impressive chase of Teejay Van Garderen.

I am going to describe ‘L’Alpe’, no more. If you want to find out, it deserves better research. A legendary place.

I continue. I copy a note that I made to myself earlier in the week. Part of my explanation behind some reasoning for ‘positive thinking’, and ‘caffeine desire’…

I dream for too much, too regularly. The truth hurts, but I block it out of my mind, because negativity gets us nowhere.

Best to think positively, because then at worst, one thinks neutrally. If you are neutral, any negative thought brings you down to a poor 'negative level'.

... Coffee

I would take you down the only road, I’ve ever been down…

…

… Sex and violence, like a melody and silence

I finish this week’s short post by sharing a photo taken this morning on route to Kingston by the riverside route. I was in a good good mood this morning, helped by perfect weather on my route to buy pink roses and deliver them (successfully, I think?) in Richmond. I took the photo (moving left to right), and realised i had taken a photo of two young girls (at the left). I went up to apologise, and check if they were ok with being photographed. They then looked completely puzzled, and explained that they were Italian and didn't understand. I gave up, my language skills failed me. I think that it is ok. Still, if you do find out, and want a share of the millions that I make from my blog, then I am sure we can come to an agreement! 

My music discovery, this week, is ‘Daughter’. Have a listen…

The sun hits the sky

Hello,

‘tis a good old British language introduction this week, as I have run out of foreign languages after the last two weeks. Two ‘other’ languages, damn that is pretty pathetic. But hey.

 I arrived back at Surbiton station, after a good, sunny day, earlier in the week. I was feeling good, content. I moved along the platform to wait for a lift up to ground level. I hear the lift, ‘ssssssSS’

‘HIT!!’

A man exits the lift, and all I hear was that! It is alright, it wasn’t aimed at me, or at the railway (I don’t think). My mind often works in strange ways, I know.

I smiled and laughed to myself, puzzled by this man’s dissatisfaction. I realised, that my day had been good relatively (it seemed).

But now I am not too sure, should I be more troubled by the fact that I may seem to find joy (a positive) out of someone’s anguish (a negative)?

Oh, I don’t know.    

Sunny weather! YAY!

Hmmmm…

Sun means I must draw on 'my mental toughness'

 ???? EVERYONE is smiling! 

What???!!!?

OK, hmm. Everyone likes the sun, including myself. Everyone visibly enjoys it, showing smiles, tanned skin, summer clothes. I get confused, one bit of sun, and everyone is positive and happy (this is a good thing, obviously). I ponder though, does it really just take  a tiny bit of sunshine to change people’s real attitudes in life?

After such a deep, philosophical question,  I can only offer a photograph of a solution. A daaaammn good one as well, courtesy of Anna Witko at The Riverside Café, Kingston.

Thank you Anna J

  

My final note this weak allows me to re-enforce to you all, how therapeutic I find ‘typing’. Perhaps obvious in a blog, but I have an ability to think thoughts, and by typing them, lets them out, in exactly the way I feel. I do not need to worry about ‘creatively expressing thoughts’, I can give them exactly. The wonderful thing about it all, is the internet. I type this and I know that it is open to be read if people want. I admit that I have been in email communication with a dream hero, from the other side of the world, and I think that they have found this blog of great interest (maybe…).

I finish this week by providing a link of my latest personal discovery. I have downloaded  the new, but second album of ‘Widowspeak’. Therefore I admit being slow by a couple of years. Chilled, melancholy, dramatic , right up ‘my street’.

A dailymotion link:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x109iwp_love-songs-widowspeak_music#.UeBGsRYn-Rg

Ciao Ciao!!

Ciao Ciao!!

The Tour de France has started, so

Bonjour tous le monde! Le soleil est ici!

Today, was the first day of proper summer sun in England! Yay! Happy happy J

Hehehe, it is Christmas soon! Hehehe, no.

If you view this blog randomly, or even just weekly, you may have missed out  on my special image collection ‘2013A’. It can be viewed under my clipboard, in the previous post, below this one.

This week’s post. I begin with a quote taken from the final Sunday Observer magazine, of June. Eddy Merckx (widely regarded as the greatest cyclist ever):

‘Cycling is a good school for life. It makes you hard and gives you ambition, but you can never say you've arrived.’

I totally agree with this quote. Cycling has formed such a large portion of my life. Admittedly, it seriously injured me, but I still feel that I owe it so much. Even in survival, and rehabilitation (so far), I have drawn on the amazingly strong mentality which was formed from cycling. In this term ‘cycling’, I refer to my fanaticism of the professional sport, the physical health/fitness of the activity, and both my design education and part-time work in the bicycle trade.

I made the note below, earlier in the week, in anger. Sheer disgust, and sorrow. I copy it here but as it is history, and negative, it shall stay that way. I am not to dwell on it here (or anywhere else)!

Not allowed to be nice, ignored, blanked by a pair of arrogant, snobby, lowlife, biatches. 

I needed a deep breath, my feelings confirmed by my friend! I was shocked as I begun to realise that I hadn't felt like this since my injury! It saddened me to realise that there are such 'negative' personalities in existence. I comfort myself by typing this note, and my belief in fate, and that everything equals.

I include it because  I felt it necessary and made the note.

Hehe, many may laugh now as I include my music choice as a ‘positive’ to balance the previous ‘negative’.

Cat Power performed at the Glastonbury festival just gone. A heroine. Such a beautiful song.

My next note, tells me to tell you all that whilst I have only sold a few image prints, I have now decided that not everyone wants such large prints. As you will see by going to my NBN blog(http://naturallybeautifulnormality.blogspot.co.uk), I introduce a smaller, cheaper option.

40cm x 30cm  at £39

Any of the images viewed on my NBN website can now be purchased at this lower price.

Below is an image of an example of a ‘larger size’ print.

My final note, this week, was made yesterday.

‘The worst is the calm before’…

As I am British, I am used to regularly alternating weather. I typed this yesterday, when it seemed that the whole day was building up for almighty rainfall. It was my intention to complete the note by with ’the rainfall, or storm’, but the weather was anticlimactic. It never came. No rain, phew! However for the whole day glumly, we faced a storm ahead. My conclusion, it is only water afterall! Hmmm… 

'13 A/B

As we enter 2013 part B, I give you a selection of image highlights from part A.

the film roll  - 2013A

(a camera roll is never perfect)