Welcome to my blog. I post on this, roughly once a week (it does vary). I sustained a 'Traumatic Acquired Brain Injury', and a six month coma from a 'road traffic accident' whilst cycling, in October 2006. I spent the following 4 years (22-26yrs old), in a combination of hospitals and rehabilitation homes. Now, I have been living independently in Surbiton, England since October 2010. This blog begun life in December 2010, as i realised that there are many people worldwide that i want to share experiences with. I know that, as a wheelchair user, I am obviously not as mobile as i wish, so, use the internet to connect to you. I enjoy letting my thoughts represent through type. I type honestly. As numerous readers, as well as email recipients, will understand, I find typing to be very therapeutic. Thank you :)
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Friday 1 July 2016

Correction! 2016 TDF map :)

July means one thing  - Le Tour de France !! :)






I am so sorry. I am seriously embarrassed. The map of the race route, that I provided yesterday was wrong! :(
The correct map is above!  It can be found at the following link...
Le Tour

break-away artist
Riding alone on and on and on...

I have fans willing me on. I have escaped from anonymity. I continue on, battling alone. No one to ride with. No one to help me, no one to slow me. I test myself against myself. Further on, I will need help. I cannot survive alone. Life is a long race, without an end. I am proud, at my success so far, but I am scared of how much further i have to manage alone. 
Was this always my destiny? Could I forsee it? 
Hmmm...
Many close friends/family will already know how much of 'arrogant b*****d' I can be. If I view people that I do not like, I am very used to keeping my thoughts internal. Have forever done so, and now I regularly have thoughts/opinions and always quickly see how 'everything is equal'! I miss out on so much, but how much do I actually choose to miss? I have unbelievable advantages, and so cannot complain. Only I know the details. I cannot share with anyone. The total misery, I used to feel, was much of life in the rehab home. Many would class all us patients together, which was totally heartbreaking. I was always reliant on my own mental strength. Everyone is different.
I now live alone, so cannot blame anyone.
Omertà, the law of silence! I must do this alone. 
I do not want to blame anyone for anything. I am riding alone, it is how a cyclist exists. 
Eventually, i pray, i will not be alone.

Muse Glastonbury

...The greatest current rock band.

One of the many female artists who I listen to a lot...
A couple of years ago, I went to her amazing performance at Somerset House, London...
New Single... 'Familiar'


I am banning myself eating with coffee.
Ok, I mean cake or biscotti. As I type this, I am eating lunch with a coffee (which I must allow for)!
I notice how regularly I eat these biscotti (at least daily), in the evening with my coffee). Tasty, but unnecessary. No more.
By stating this law on my blog, means that I have to stick to it!

An example of how our stupid British political movement, is viewed from across the globe...
quote from the Sydney Morning Herald:
Brexit (verb): the resultant effect when those waiting for the trickle down benefits of globalisation get tired of waiting.

Midweek, I noticed that this blog  reached a page view count of 35,000. ;)
This makes me greatly happy. I have kept this blog alive for 5.5 years. II have been tempted to include adverts, and earn money from such. However I want to keep this blog entirely personal, and not dirty it.
35k in 5.5years 

This coming August, I am 32! Yikes!
Half of my life is 16 years. Sixteen years (half of my life) ago, was 2000. 
The Tour de France visited one of the most feared mountains, conquered by the greatest ever climber, Marco Pantani.


Nowhere near as steep as L'Alpe D'Huez, but Le Geant de Provence is about 10km further in distance!

The Somme




Commemorations are being held in the UK and France to mark the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme.
The nation fell silent to mark the moment on 1 July 1916 when the battle began and the start of the bloodiest day in British military history.
A ceremony at the Lochnagar crater on the battlefield was held and on Thursday night the Queen attended a vigil at Westminster Abbey.
More than a million men were killed and wounded on all sides in the WW1 battle.
The Battle of the Somme, one of World War One's bloodiest, was fought in northern France and lasted five months, with the British suffering almost 60,000 casualties on the first day alone.
(Thank you to bbc.co.uk)



Dark days in Britain currently. We all need to believe of a positivity in our futures.
Wonderful words of Caroline Lucas MP (Green Party):
My six point plan to start to mend post-referendum Britain
A week ago we woke up in a different Britain. For those of us who believe Britain's future lies in our EU membership, it was a devastating shock, and for everyone who believes in a multicultural society the last week has been deeply alarming.

I’m really worried about our country – and I know that people up and down Britain fear for the future.
Not only are we now on course for serious economic turmoil but our politics is broken too. 
When we should be uniting and showing leadership, much of what I see around me in Westminster is squabbling and rivalry. It's not good enough when people are struggling to get by after years of austerity and when the country is divided. 
I’m specifically concerned about what these political divisions mean for fallout from the referendum. That’s why, in the coming months it falls upon us, the Green Party, to put forward a positive vision of what a post-referendum Britain could look like.
Today I’m publishing my six point emergency response plan. It sets out the immediate and urgent steps we should take and how we can start to best protect our country against the potential damage caused by Brexit. My plan is below. It’s only a start, of course, and in the coming weeks and months we will be inviting our many thousands of members – including the 2000 who have joined since the referendum – in shaping our plans.
We need: 
1) A General election this year so people can choose the Government they want to represent them in the negotiations to come. The current Government has no mandate for negotiations.
2) A Parliamentary vote on any ‘terms of exit’ BEFORE invoking Article 50. This stops a small cabal at the top of Government having total control over this country’s future place in the world.
3) The protection of free movement within the EU, strong environmental protections, workers rights and the Single Market. We're working with a range of environment NGOs and other experts to identify ways to best protect vital Green legislation
4) A second referendum on the terms of a final deal. Britain decided to leave the EU, but nobody knew what kind of Brexit was on the ballot paper. It’s only right that we’re all given a say.
5) An emergency law which guarantees the rights of non-British nationals already living here in Britain. No one who has come here to make a life for themselves should feel threatened by Brexit.
6) The protection of young people’s future. 75% of young people who voted chose to remain. It’s only right that the Government should now guarantee continued funding for Erasmus, student exchanges and EU funded schemes targeted at young people. 
The Green Party will also be standing up to racism and xenophobia wherever it occurs. We have a proud history of fighting bigotry and our elected politicians across the country will be working alongside others in our communities in the coming weeks and days to make sure everyone feels safe, secure and welcome. 
When others are divided we will unite to oppose Trident renewal, hold Ministers to account as the Chilcot Inquiry is published and bring legislation to Parliament which will distribute the benefits of migration to all communities in Britain.
And we'll be working hard to rebuild our economy and our democracy so that both wealth and power are fairly and equally shared. 
In a time of crisis we stand up for people, and for our environment. It’s no wonder that new members are joining the party at a rate of almost one per minute. 
But to really make an impact we need your help. I’m urging people to join the many who have already signed up for Green Party Membership in the last few days. We rely on our members to make the stand against the Government that’s so desperately needed. We’re committed to working across party lines to challenge the Establishment – but we can only build those bridges upon solid foundations. 

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