Peaks and troughs

Since I last posted rather a lot has been going on in my life and I have found it difficult to put pen to paper, (or should that be thumb to iPad screen?) and I have subconsciously been putting off my next blog. One of the macedoine of reasons is now that people are actually reading my ramblings, for some strange reason I feel more inhibited about what to publish. Oh well, here goes..

It is interesting how I have changed in the last few weeks. I would have previously focused on negative things, the panic attacks, the feeling of worthlessness….They still emerge from time to time but I can now deal with them much much better. I put this down a variety of things; to a course of counselling which helped me considerably but also the encouragement given to me by the people closest to me.

So what have I been up to? As you might have guessed, lots of cycling. One day I was even joined by Ros and son Nick when we rode along the busway from Cambridge to St Ives. I don’t think Nick had ever ridden that far so he did well to finish. Lately I have been practising going up some of the steeper hills round here to prepare me for the Suisse Normande section of La Vélo Francette. Parts of the climb from Ickleton to Elmdon are 11% so it is a good test.

I have also been increasingly preoccupied with my elderly mother. She has reached the stage where she is unable to look after herself and the family has found it stressful to make other arrangements but thanks almost entirely to the efforts of Ros and my sister, it has not got to me too much.

April also saw me resume work at Newmarket Racecourse. There was a training day to attend followed by three days at the Craven meeting. Thé weather was certainly kinder than in 2016.

It was tiring, especially as I had cycled there on the first day. At the same time it was comforting to catch up with friends and colleagues who I hadn’t seen for five months, refamiliarising myself with their curmudgeonliness, humour, and eccentricity.

I also had the opportunity last month to watch Camilla unveil a new statue of Charles 2nd at the racecourse.