The last 5 days have seen me conducting administration to turn me around after 3 weeks away in the beautiful Craignish Peninsula, idyllic Suffolk and marvellous London. It was nothing terribly exciting. Lots of walking and eating the right foods to keep the beast stable, while practicing golf and the organ to train the cognitive and motor function of the brain while keeping a calm outlook on the future through morning and evening prayer, and all shaped around the humdrum of washing and ironing and the paying of bills. But it all had to be done because tomorrow I fly to South Africa.
It was to be a family wedding that I simply couldn’t stretch my resources to, but the family all chipped in together and bought me a ticket so I could go. Sadly, the wedding was cancelled but as the family had already bought me the ticket they insisted that I was to go anyway. They want to get me up Table Mountain, show me the beautiful country of South Africa and all it has to offer. I have never been before so conducted my final preparations with an air of excitement. I needed to take 2 months supply of all my drugs so that I had 1 month’s supply of drugs packed away in both my suitcase and hand-baggage just in case one or the other goes missing. So anti-seizure medication, eye drops and gels, and steroids to stop my brain from swelling on the flight, were all ordered and collected, money ordered and collected, train tickets ordered and received, and flight details all squared away. I was good to go after lots of washing and ironing.
In and around the running around for drugs, collecting a school blazer for Heather, getting a dental check-up and a haircut, all on the No.59 bus, I managed two short walks totalling 5 miles each and every day, I managed to catch up with some old friends and I managed to get to the golf course while cooking and eating my daily intake of healing food to target and stay well and truly sat on the beast to keep it stable so:
Banana – 1 a day
Brazil Nuts – 6 to 8 a day
Blueberries – 24 a day
Apple – 1 a day
Calcium in the form of coconut milk and a lactose free yoghurt every day
Omega 3 in the form of flaxseed taken with the cereal and yoghurt each day
Egg – 1 a day
Carrots raw x 100g each and every day
Tenderstem Broccoli raw x 50g each and every day
Exploding (Cherry) tomatoes x 4 each and every day
Red Grapes x 12 each and every day
Spinach, Rocket and Watercress x a handful each and every day
Oats in cereal and flapjacks for carbohydrates (energy) each and every day
A freshly cooked meal with a salad each and every day if I possibly can to ensure more protein and certainly more vegetables taken on board each and every day at a rate of consumption of:
Red Meat no more than once a week
White meat a couple of times a week
Oily fish no more than once a week
White fish a couple of times a week
Vegetable only dish once a week
I try and ensure an intake of 5 portions of organic fruit and vegetables each and every day
A port glass of organic red wine each and every evening
A mug of Horlicks each and every evening
4 squares of 85% Organic Dark Chocolate each and every day
Turmeric supplement each and every day
But the one thing that I hadn’t yet managed to do was to see the children. I had been away for a couple of weeks and was heading off for another two weeks so was very keen to see them. They were working so hard with the Dunblane Centre to put together and perform the musical Grease which resulted in late nights each and every day. I managed to snatch a short chat with Heather and James but sadly wasn’t going to be able to make it to a show as they were on while I was away. But all was not lost. I was so sad not to be seeing them perform so called the Dunblane Centre to see if I could at least sneak into a rehearsal to catch a glimpse of Heather and James performing. The team at the Dunblane Centre were fantastic and could squeeze me in to a rehearsal after lunch at 1300 hrs on Friday. I had a haircut booked for 1015hrs but public transport couldn’t get me to Dunblane in time for the rehearsal so I could cancel the haircut even though I needed it done before flying to South Africa, but I also needed to be packed with all my bags for South Africa to get to Edinburgh in time to catch the train South. I had to catch that particular train having paid for the ticket in advance. I could just achieve it but having to rely on public transport was making timelines very tight. I really wanted to see the children before I flew but couldn’t afford to miss the train South. But help came. Allie was also wanting to see me before I went South but that just wasn’t going to be possible unless, of course, she drove up to see the children perform in the rehearsal too. She could pick me up from Doune after the haircut so I didn’t have to fly to South Africa looking like a Shetland pony, I could pack in all my luggage, take it to Dunblane. The two of us watch the rehearsal together then she could drive me to Edinburgh to catch my train South. It was a great plan and Allie was more than happy to assist. Perfect. All was perfectly achievable.
Friday came and the plan worked a treat. We arrived at the centre in good time and were given two seats next to the amazing Pamela who 3 times a year brings together 100 children aged from 12 to 18, and in one week drills them hard to produce the most wonderful of shows. So for today Allie and I could not have been closer to the action and had a wonderful opportunity to watch Heather and James dance, sing and perform close up. I was thrilled and as it was a complete surprise for them both. Once they had given me the ‘don’t embarrass me Dad’ look, they smiled and were clearly chuffed to see that I had managed to make it. The rehearsal was uplifting. The casting had been done so very cleverly. The wonderful solo songs that we all know and love were delivered with such confidence by the individual members of the cast while the harmonies and dance moves in support of the story were beautifully choreographed, drilled and delivered with such energy. I found myself tapping away quite happily to the music and songs while Allie reminded me on several occasions not to get carried away and embarrass the children! We thoroughly enjoyed the performance and the insight into how cleverly Pamela brings this amorphous mass of children into a singing and dancing sensation. It was a wonderful couple of hours spent which finished with a delightful hug from the children before having to rush off. A huge well done to all the children on such a good job and a massive thank you to Pamela and her team for making our preview possible. And if you haven’t bought tickets to go and see the show it would be well worth the effort if you stay close by Dunblane.
A successful 5 days had, I write this post travelling South to stay with Mum so we can travel to South Africa together early tomorrow morning. All very exciting. Let’s just hope that the steroids work and my brain doesn’t swell too much!! I will keep you posted.
Yours aye
Archie