X marks the spot

So, the election campaign is in full swing. Politicians are wearing out their soles pounding pavements and trees are being cut down for leaflet after leaflet to be printed, put through your letter box and binned!

So apart from the fact that Gordon "Agrees with Nick", what else do we know? In order to determine the party line on neonatal care I wrote to the parties several weeks ago (finger on the pulse - I sensed an election was in the offing!) to ask. I wrote to the Health Secretary and Shadow Health Secretaries for the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, in addition to the Green Party national HQ. I also contacted my local candidates for Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat (Green hadn't declared theirs at the time). All contact was by email, with the same email sent to all contacts. So, what did they say? First the Greens...

I received a reply from the Green Party Leadership Office. This is an edited (for length, not meaning) version of that reply...

• The Green Party believes that a comprehensive health service, free at the point of need and funded through taxation, is a fundamental citizen’s right.
  
• They fully support the NHS Neonatal Taskforce report Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services published last November.
  
• The Green party would provide the required investment to make up the shortfall of over 2700 nurses and 300 supporting therapists referred to in a recent Bliss newsletter (Ed: Annual Report?) and would make 1:1 nursing a priority for the next decade.
• Also keen to support greater care and support for the mother post-natally.
• The Green Party would also ensure neonatal capacity in the UK was improved to ensure that units were no longer crowded and overstretched and were not endangering the lives of babies.

So, all sounds pretty good doesn't it? At the risk of sounding like a politician, I guess one point is around funding. Ok, so they mention funding through taxation, but there isn't anything else is there?! It is great to see that they have clearly taken the time to read the Taskforce output and have taken onboard the key demands with respect to nursing levels and 1:1 nursing, but I guess the big question is how to pay for it?

Next time, the Liberal Democrats...

Weekly training update

Funny old week this week. I cycled into work and back again on Thursday (round trip of around 36 miles) and hated it. I got off my bike Thursday night really questionning what I was doing. It was cold and windy (no change there!), it hurt (not for the first time), it felt like a struggle (again, not for the first time) and just wasn't enjoyable. I had Good Friday off and then because it fitted in better with Easter stuff, switched this week and next week, so did 40 miles on Saturday and 45 on Sunday. AND LOVED IT! What a difference a couple of days make. Ok, it was sunny and clear which helped, and I was on unfamiliar roads which added interest, but I was absolutely flying, despite Derbyshire hills on Saturday and reasonable hills on Sunday. 40 miles in less than 2.5 hours on Saturday, 45 miles in slightly over 2.5 hours on Sunday, and I enjoyed it! It just goes to show there's always another great ride around the corner!

Nigel's Training Lore #8.
Not all training rides will be great, but another good one is just around the corner.

New Preemie Book

It's been a while since I blogged about preemie issues rather than the obsession of getting two bike wheels to go around as far as possible! My interest has in no way diminished, but my current focus clearly is about the ride and getting as much money as possible for Bliss.

That said, I do have one or two posts in the background - more of which later. In the meantime I am pleased to announce the publication of a new book which may be of interest. Written by Deb and Nicole, also behind the Preemie World site and blog, the book (as described on their website) is...

...taking a different view on supporting families who have just been exposed to the NICU. [The book takes] the preemie books of old to an all new level. Clear-spoken and from the heart, it’s a parent-to-parent must-have guide with tons of tips along the way. Conn and Discenza have created the essential hand-book to surviving the NICU.

The book can be purchased from the PreemieWorld website

We're getting there!

After a week in the US where steppers and the occasional exercise bike was the extent of my training, it was good to get back on the roads today. 77.5 miles in 5 hours with glorious sunshine following me was the outcome. I have to say I write this feeling absolutely exhausted, but also encouraged by the fact that I am now only 10 miles or so short of the maximum distance on the C2P! Clearly the real challenge is doing it day after day, but knowing that the maximum is within sight is very encouraging.

Weekly Update

Not much to report this week. We kind of settling into a routine now! Great weather (well, ok, it rained on Saturday), no punctures, lots of miles and another good week for sponsorship.

Did back to back 40 and 35 miles over the weekend.

I'm travelling again this week so will be restricted to hotel gyms for my exercise...

An eventful week!

So, 3 punctures, breaking through the £1000 mark and another commercial sponsor on board. And that was all before the weekend!

Did a lovely 70 miler (71.3miles!) yesterday through Suffolk and Essex, including Clare, Cavendish, Sudbury and Castle Hedingham. Many thanks to the old boy on the gate at Castle Hedingham. It was closed for a wedding but he let me in for 5 minutes to have a break whilst I ate my power bar.

Hitting the Target

I know I know, three entries in a day (something else that comes in threes!) but just wanted to say that after stating here that I wanted to hit a grand by the end of the week, I have done it!

Current total is £1004!! That's all I have to say.

Oh, and the fact that the second puncture didn't hold so I had to run and train-ride home. But that's another story.

Commercial Sponsor

I have another commercial sponsor onboard! Many thanks to Glasswells, the furniture store for their donation. In the same way that I was delighted that my regular curry house made a donation a couple of weeks ago, I'm delighted that Glasswells have made a donation as we have bought all our carpets, wooden flooring and some furniture from them over the last 5 years or so. Many thanks to them!

If you look down there on the right hand side, I have now added a roll of honour for commercial sponsors, which you can use to clisk through to their websites. Do please support them - they have helped me!

The Rule of Threes Returns

I'm a scientist, and a rational thinker. Homeopathy, acupuncture, the occult. All rubbish. But clearly there are some things that we just cannot explain. As Chappers wrote in her blog a week or so ago, things often happen in threes - with her getting three punctures in the space a of a few days. Doo then got to two punctures in a week. Last weekend, I repaired a puncture, and today, I had two on the way to work! So clearly the cycling Gods prefer punctures to come along in threes*! Good luck with that third puncture Doo!

Fortunately I was riding with my friend Tim this morning who was able to lend me a spare inner tube, otherwise I'd still be walking to work (thanks Tim!).

Nigel's Training Lore #7.
Your bike has two tyres, so taking two spare inner tubes with you makes a lot of sense!

*Ok, in reality my commuting bike had a small sharp stone in the tyre and I went down a pot hole giving me two punctures this morning so there is an explanation, but don't let that get in the way of a good story :o)

Weekly Update

The sun has been shining all week! Still a bit chilly but what a difference it makes to have sun instead of sleet, ice, snow, rain, wind and everything else that seems to have been thrown at me since I started training!

For one of my mid-week rides I did my first ride from home to work this week as the daylight is just about enough (19 miles), and got the train back (6 miles to and from stations) which made a change and was enjoyable, and then did 67 miles today. In the end I didn't do the Audax as other things came up, but did a similar distance which was great. Instead I went up through Newmarket, Ely and Cambridge, so admittedly flat but hey, it all counts!

Ely Cathedral and blue sky!

Also pleasing to see that the sponsorship money is edging up, with nearly another £200 or so into the pot this week - with thanks to Eleanor for baking and hosting a coffee morning to help the funds. It would be great if this week sees the total smash through £1000.

And if that's not enough good news for the week, I have two very exciting preemie-linked blog posts planned over the next few weeks - watch this space!