April 14th: My Birthday

Wow!  What a weekend.  So much to tell, so many people to thank.  Today, the 14^th April, is my birthday.  My first one since Caroline passed away.  The start of the week had been tough.  I miss her so much and not being able to be with her is unbearable.  As the week went on I gradually started to pull myself together.  In any case there was a charity bike ride to organize for the 13th and then the party on the evening.  Even before we had reached Saturday there had been a few scares to be dealt with.  For example the local newspapers either side of the border had announced that the Severn Bridge was closed over the weekend for maintenance.  If this was true the all ride was off.  Thankfully, this had proved to be a false alarm.  Just goes to show that the press cant even get that right.

The "intrepids" at the Sennedd, Cardiff Bay

The idea of a bike ride in memory of Caroline from Cardiff to Bristol seemed to be a great one at the time.  But there is always one essential ingredient for any enjoyable bike ride.  Good weather!  The weather forecast suggested we were going to get something quite different from the ideal.  The forecast was absolutely atrocious.

The Bristol entourage set off to Cardiff by car in good spirits determined not to let the forecast get us down.  “Bring it on”.  Anyway the weather was surprisingly good.  Had the forecasters got it wrong again?  The question was very quickly answered.  No!  As soon as we reached the Welsh capital the first drops started to fall from the sky.  We had to prepare ourselves.  First things first!  A fuel stop! Mimosa Kitchen and Bar on Cardiff Bay for an excellent breakfast.  We were now ready to take on the World!  The intrepid cyclists were now ready for the 50 mile endurance test.

It was great to see so many supporters and well wishers. The Bristol boys of Rich, Neil, Karl, Mark and I now joined by the Welsh contingent of Dave, “Rat” and “Sprinter” set off on their machines to Bristol.  At the back of my mind I was concerned that the weather conditions had increased the risk of an accident.  Even hyperthermia.  Karl had turned up as though it was the middle of the summer.   My main goal was to get everyone home safely.

Alas! Melenium Sq, Bristol

The ride itself quickly became a duel between man and his machine against the elements.  Throughout the journey the heavens just emptied with the wind against us.  It was certainly a grueling ride of endurance.  The memory of Caroline and the work of St Peters Hospice spurred us on.  There was no way we were not going to finish.  The crossing of the Severn Bridge was spectacular for those who weren’t too scared to look down.   En route we even picked up a couple “stragglers”, Georgina’s friends Lizzy and Georgie, on the Portway Bristol, who accompanied us on the last five miles home.

The one value that we all had agreed to stick with no matter what was “we left as a team and we finish as a team”.  This was absolutely key to maintaining morale and safety.   Nearly five hours after leaving Cardiff Bay we proudly rode into Mellenium Square greeted by our supporters with so many wearing their St Peters Hospice t-shirts. At last we had made it.  Caroline would have been proud of our achievement although I know she would have been giving me grief for doing it in the rain.

There was a real sense of relief. The weather definitely played a part in the time.  The main thing is there was only one minor incident on the trip, a puncture in Avonmouth.  We had arrived in Bristol safe and unscarred.  The weather conditions had added to the sense of achievement to the Team effort.  Now the bar was beckoning and there was no way we were going to resist. We did look slightly out of place in a central Bristol bar soaking wet, covered in mud, and wet through when everyone around us were dressed up ready for an evening out.  Despite this we still received around £50 of donations for our cause.  The final total still has to be counted but we will have raised between £300 and £400.  A magnificent effort and well worthwhile.  We had completed the main event, next the celebration.

Fair play to everyone.  The cyclists had all managed to warm our bones, brush themselves down and were now ready for an evening of jocularity joined by a load more family and friends.  What a night! 

The venue, Kobe Karaoke, was absolutely perfect for us and highly recommended.  I had booked a large Karaoke booth furnished with contemporary sofas, chairs, a dance floor and interactive Karaoke screens.  Brilliant!   It was fair to say that in most cases the singing left a bit to be desired.  Although Suzanne’s rendition of Adele’s “rolling in the deep” was excellent.  My highlight of the evening was the old Sisters Sledge song “we are family”.  It just summed up the day and the past year.  It was so great to see so many friends and family together enjoying themselves. Without any doubt there will be a lot of people nursing sore heads and having a quiet day on the sofa.  This includes me.

Thanks to everyone for making my birthday so special in difficult circumstances.  If you can please donate to http://www.justgiving.com/Caroline-Watson-48.