Home again

Here I am back at Abbey House. Still feeling rough and weak, but I'm home safe and sound. I have an appointment to see my GP at 08.30 on Monday morning, so I just need to rest up this weekend and then see what diagnosis the doctor gives me on Monday morning.

I feel very grateful to Vajraketu. He texted me yesterday offering to come and get me in Cheltenham by car from Cambridge, together with my bike. It was decent of him. He arrived around 11.30 this morning after having set out early. He had an opportunity to meet my daughter-in-law Clare briefly together with my granddaughter Hazel. My son Barney and wife Clare have been so helpful and caring of me on this trip.

Once we were out on the road heading back to Cambridge, I found my map-reading skills pretty useless. The nausea just wouldn't allow me to concentrate. Anyway, despite a traffic hold-up at one point we got back OK late afternoon, and we had a good talk on the way back. Vajraketu seemed to effortlessly combine mindful driving, navigating and listening to me wittering on.

I'm glad to be back home in the community and feel - looking back to be happy that I have done the ride that I did and got away without having a serious accident. I'm happy I raised all that money for the Kolkata Project, and fully intend to complete the rest of the Big Ride another time. Only this time, I shall have someone along with me in a vehicle for back up. Being ill and a long way from home with a bike is a vulnerable situation to be in, I found. Also, the heatwave was so intense. I'll go in the Spring next time.

I cycled 420 miles from Land's End to Knighton in mid-Wales in 10 days. Penzance, Land's End, Penzance again, Truro, Liskeard, Okehampton, Honiton, Glastonbury, Bristol, Cheltenham, Garway Knighton. There are lots of things I learned and appreciated from the experience, and wonderful people I met. I also got to know myself in new ways. But that must wait until tomorrow because I've just got to go to bed now.