I’ve just been in a saddle for the first time in over two weeks. We finished our spinathon on April 2nd – since then I’ve been more or less prostrate. That was caused in part by preparations for my colonography. I’ll not go into details here but suffice it to say I had to ensure my colon was empty by following a very restricted diet and taking some powerful medications. The abdominal pain continues, varying in location but most often in my ascending colon.

The fatigue has also continued, along with backache, pains in my left hip and both feet and random other places. I get to sleep about 11pm, wake some time after 3am, toss and turn for a few hours, then sleep on to mid-morning. Despite this, it can take a minute to walk from one end of the flat to the other, and I often flake out on the sofa for an hour or so in the afternoon. Elly and I have walked most days to a nearby coffee-shop for lunch – this has almost always led to further prostration.

Despite this, or rather because of it, I’m frustrated that I can’t do more, and that Lev Davidovich has sat outside, unridden, for at least 3 weeks. So when Elly suggested that we cycle to Jenner’s storage depot to check what we have there, I was determined to do it.

My legs had no power, and my road-reflexes were rusty at first. It took us over 32 minutes to cycle under 4·5 miles (cyclometer map). Ah well, it’s a start. Let’s hope for more tomorrow.