With SJ continuing to set her own pace of slow steady progress and us stuck in what the consultant described as “the boring middle bit” whilst she grows a teeny bit bigger and stronger week by week, my attention has turned to what else we can do for Savannah whilst she’s laid up in hospital.  Roz has been busy nest building and with the nursery now looking more like a nursery than a milking parlour, for the first time, I decided I needed to do something useful too.

And the other night, I hit upon an idea – fund raising time! Now, it’s not often that I say this and, in fact, this may very well be the only time I ever say it but…..inspired by my old pal Charles, who decided we should row the length of the Thames (or part of it in my case) to raise money for the GBS charity after his recovery from it, my mind turned to thinking of a suitable challenge to raise some money for the amazing First Touch charity here at St Georges (see www.first-touch.org.uk for info on the amazing work they do for premature and sick babies).

Running a marathon seemed like a good idea until I remember just how much I loath running so that plan was quickly scrapped.  Swimming the English channel was quickly dismissed as an idea due to my distinct lack of interest in both swimming and in being freezing cold. Climbing Everest just seemed a little too extreme and would take me away from SJ and Roz for too long (not to mention the fact I haven’t got a clue how to climb a mountain and one person in the family on oxygen at a time is quite enough). And then I remembered…I quite like cycling (despite having given my bike away to the Oxfam shop last year when we needed the room in the garden shed for a lawn mower instead…..a small detail,  which I’m sure we can resolve). So cycling it would be then. Seems that cycling pretty in vogue at the mo so a quick search on google revealed a plethora of rides to choose from.  London to Brighton sounded interesting but  at just over 50 miles, it somehow didn’t seem to be a big enough challenge, compared to the challenge SJ is dealing with on a daily basis.  So after a bit of research, I came across a 185 mile, round London event – the London Revolution on the weekened of 16th and 17th May. Done.

So there it is, I’ve no bike, am about as unfit as I’ve ever been in my adult life and I’ve just signed up to a 185 mile bike ride in a little over 18 weeks time to raise money for sick babies – no pressure at all and what could possibly go wrong!

It’s payback time for Charles for not only making me row part of the way down the Thames but also navigate the Tideway (the busy tidal section of the river as it enters London), in the middle of a regatta, so he’s got no choice about joining me on this escapade.  Alistair, who insists on signing me up to an annual run (did I mention that I hate running!?) is in as payback too and now we just need as many other daft people to join us on team SJ for all or part of the ride to make an occasion of it and raise some cash.  But fear not, if you’re not up for the ride, rest assured the sponsorship forms will be circulated very soon!

On ya bike it is then for now.   Oh and Savannah’s doing OK today too. Here’s the star of the show again…..