V Summer Festival 2006

WELCOME/ WILLKOMMEN TO THE BRITISH SUMMER!

Ahh...yes, the sunshine, those warm balmy breezes, sand slipping between your toes on a warm, soft, sandy beach, BBQs, sunscreen, tans and bikinis...all are quickly forgotten as the usual British summer weather digs in deep.
Welly deep.
Yes, it's August again folks, which means only one thing...our annual pilgramage to all things music, the 'V' Summer Festival Weekend, Weston Park stately home, in deepest Staffordshire.
Well, not that deep. About 5 miles from Karen and Stef in Shifnal, Shropshire, to be precise.

Infact, we went with them on our first V Festival, back in good ol' sunny 2003. The darlings again spared us the horrors of camping on-site, by not only letting us stay over with them instead, but dropping us off, and picking us up! We're so lucky to have such brilliant friends! We landed around 9.15 after work, and had a gorgeous meal (at the best Indian Restaurant in Shropshire, The East End Balti, Shifnal) and then gabbed away until the early hours, as we did on the Sat and Sunday too...as usual!!

The next morning, Karen dropped us off, and we began the long and arduous trek to the actual V Festival itself, which is about 1 mile, and this year, it was through mud.

You may guess by the countanance of the gentleman pictured to your left, that it was abit of a war zone.
With mud.
Lots of it.
The week before, I had been valiantly watching all weather reports about the that area of the country. Last Monday, it began to rain, rain, rain, and just for good measure, it rained some more. I decided that wellington boots were definitely going to be required at this rate, never mind a pac-a-mac, and D deftly purchased the said items.


We were ready for the 60,000 capacity outdoor Festival.

This was war...



War Log. V Festival, 19th August, 2006.

DAY 1.


Dear Diary...

Will this monumental torrent of rain never cease? Tis enough to send a man mad! Arrghhhh I can see my self getting foot rot at this rate [Editor grabs keyboard and smacks Celia over the head].


Well despite the rain, wellies and chemical toilets, V 2006 was another top-notch festival, and it was great fun!! We had wellies (tick), raincoats (tick), bags to sit on (so no wet bums sitting on the grass(tick). It was an '80's flashback to my Girl Guides camping trips. The music, atmosphere and energy over the entire weekend was great, everyone having a good time, no trouble, people relaxing and enjoying the music, food, drink and a bit of noseying (and buying) from the clothes, ornaments, hats, jewellery, and anything else I've missed out stalls around the site.



Hiding from the rain inside one of the performance tents

On Saturday, besides eating and drinking (Darren got an orange mouth from the Orange Bacardi Breezers lol) D and I saw The Beautiful South (cracking), Faithless, a bit of Paul Weller, Imogen Heap and Morrissey, who, as always, is brilliant, especially when doing old Smiths songs!!

Yep it may have been a v rainy V weekend, but D and I had a brilliant time. Here, you can see us dining 'al fresco' style...



(picture left: Celia pouting sensually whilst in the pouring rain with a cardboard plate about to collapse)

(picture right: Darren contemplates the Norse God of Rain and asks " so, do you like The Smiths then?")...

DAY 2


Sunday: caught last bit of Kula Shaker (waaah), Keane (lucky we saw them before the lead singer booked himself into the Priory Rehab today, eh), Echo and The Bunnymen (brilliant as always), and Beck (bizarre yet amusing stage set- puppets of themselves)

Sunday: To the winner, the spoils...D with his hard-fought for blow-up lilo/phone (they threw them over fencing on the hour and it was like feeding time at the Zoo. The victor, above, raises a glass- he was offered 2 burgers and two drinks in exchange for this freebie (£ 15 worth!!) He declined.

Radiohead headlined Sunday. They were really very good, and I enjoyed seeing them again...not bad for a person who avoided them for 15years! Bless, D popped his ' I've never seen Radiohead do "Creep" live' cherry at last (5 gigs), so that was one thing ticked off his 'to do before I die' list.

But the night was made for me with a set from joint headliner, Fat Boy Slim, who was just absolutely brilliant!! Remember I'm a rave/dance girl at heart!!



Inside the Dance Tent at Fat Boy Slim (when I managed to stop dancing for two seconds lol)










So I was a v happy chappy when I eventually crawled into bed...and to be woken by your best mate's other half offering D and I fried egg sandwiches for breakfast before the drive home northbound, you realise just how lucky you are!

Brill weekend!

Seeing the sunshine after the rain...

Normality restored...

A lovely BBC weather map of the British Isles...note the large amount of cloud in August

It's Summer, it's August, therefore, it's raining!

Blackpool is on the North West coast of England...you know where it is...wee hint...just where the RAIN CLOUD is on the map... X marks the spot!!!

Neck and back were dodgy again last week, I presume because the Flying Lesson was hard work (that wee plane's controls were flippin' heavy!).

GP has put me on new anti-depressants medication to help me get a full night's sleep. The Venaflaxine was giving me seriously nasty nightmares (of my mum dying, etc). The new ones also have a sedative effect, so I must take them at night along with my muscle relaxant meds (to relax the neck and back while I sleep). Together they are seriously strong stuff, I've only been on them 3 nights and feel drugged all day and wake up grumpy. The GP said the doping effect will ease off to a natural sleep in 2-3 weeks, but the welcome onset of having 10hrs sleep straight through every night is wonderful, plus I haven't slept for that length of time for well over a year.

Touch wood, though, I've had two good days in a row neck-wise, so cross fingers for me guys. The Chiropractic treatments seem to be doing the job...now having more good days than bad on average. GP pleased with results and so he has authorised another 8 sessions on the NHS.
But now my poor GP is going to get in trouble with the Auditor of the Trust monies, authorising another 8 sessions. One of my friends in medicine had already told me about how GP hands are tied to cost in the NHS. My GP confirmed this upon my questioning. But he said the slap he will receive is outweighed by the patient (me) being in less pain. Plus he will tell them it is cheaper than recommending surgery (which is the next stage if this doesn't work. A surgical procedure into my neck will be required to manually move the naughty nerve).


I have no idea what to have for dinner! Red or Green day? Red or Green? Yes, those of you who know what Red and Green days are will sympathise. For those who don't, Red and Green days are the diet plan to Slimming World! I've re-joined Slimming World, and Darren has joined too. I lost three stone last time, and I kept most of it off, despite the neck injury, loosely following the plan. I now want to hit the weight again, and so I have re-joined.

Before Slimming World- 16 stone...

...being a natural blonde didn't hide
the fatness! By the way, I was holding
my tummy in for this shot...oh dear.

After Slimming World 2004...

So I decided to start it again the other week, wanting to lose another two stone.

I was very good...so good, that I lost an amazing HALF POUND.

Not funny.
Not happy.

Upon scrutinising my Food Diary, The Group Consultant said I hadn't eaten enough!


So this week I have been a total pig!!!!!

New Section: Fun Pic of The Week. Pictures from days gone by where you wish the camera hadn't been invented!

Fun Pic of the week: Here's one Darren doesn't want the world to see...

wearing his Mum's hat at his sister Alison's wedding reception...tee hee....
cream is SO his colour...

Up up and away...Celia piloting a plane!!!!

Celia and her plane!

Today...I took flight! Darren bought me a flying lesson for my birthday last year ( 11th September 'o5). We were advised to wait for the weather to improve...and to wait until at least May- August. So three weeks ago I booked it for yesterday, after I refused to keep on waiting for my neck to improve and grab life by the balls again, Ceals style! Sadly the weather drew in, and so I re-scheduled for today...but boy, was it ever worth the wait!!!!

We telephoned at 12 noon for a weather check- and were told we were ON for 2 o'clock. I replaced the telephone handset and headed straight for the toilet...I suddenly had a nervous tummy..ahem...

We arrived for 2p.m. Darren was my passenger (brave or a fool- answers on a postcard lol).

To be honest, I had expected a 'little' talk, then to be taken up by the Instructor, have a two minute go on the controls and then the return flight to be flown by the Instructor, who would fly the rest and land us back on terra-firma.

No.

I was thrown straight in, with Instructor Richard's opening question..."Right, do you want to do take off?"

I immediately said "Yes!" like a five-year old would...then gulped as the adult part of my brain kicked in and whispered in my ear "WHAT??! ME? Are you JOKING?!"

He wasn't joking...this was a full-on lesson... taxi-ing, controlling the aircraft, including take-off cruising and landing, with the Instructor only there in an instructing and emergency capacity. Ex-RAF Richard put it bluntly: " I only take control if something bad or unexpected happens, otherwise she's all yours."

Can you trust this woman??!

So after an overview of Health & Saftey, checking controls, being shown which controls do what and when, taxi-ing towards the runway...pedals controlling left and right, hands not used at ALL for anything at this point. Afterall, you use your hands on the stick to control pitch- up and down- in the air...not much use for your hands when your feet are controlling where the plane's going! Very strange- unlearn everything you've ever learnt in a car. But alot of fun!

Then...checking air-speed , windspeed, balance..pulling back...and I'm off up up and awaay!

Celia's climbing altitude!

I climbed and the intensity of the concentration, (and physical strain too, controlling the climb, G force, etc) was astounding...but so was the view- after I'd climbed thousands of feet above the Irish Sea and held my height, I was shown how to use the controls to 'lock' the altitude. Then you just decided which direction you want to go, and fly...

We first took-off out south over Lytham St Annes,

then circled back north over the Irish Sea towards Blackpool and went up along the coast.

D took all the fanastic pictures as we soared through gossamer-thin clouds over the whole of Fylde Blackpool and Wyre beneath us...

Then we banked hard right at Knott End, and, following the River Wyre estuary, we circled around the green lush fields of Wyre and Fylde...

before heading back towards the airport.

Banking round towards the Wyre Estuary

The descent was great- controlling the drop in altitude, lining up for the runway- just like the Krypton Factor lol- but this is REAL, not a simulation! Richard assisted with the landing as per regulations, and the next thing....touch-down!

Coming in for landing..." Celia, control and descend towards those piano-keys at the bottom of the air-strip"

It was truely an amazing experience...I was even complemented on my proficency! My instructor said that I was "very good, especially as that was your first time" and that I "had the knack". He even said he'd had a guy out this morning for an hour, who just "couldn't get the knack", and that Richard had to do most of it. I was informed back on terra-firma that he genuinely hadn't been touching the controls- which D confirmed was true. Infact, he and Richard had been having a wee chat whilst I was flying, and Richard was turning round and talking to him, with no worry about the fact that a novice was piloting the plane thousands of feet above the Irish Sea!

Celia and Richard, ex-Raf Instructor

Oh it was amazing guys...you MUST do this- even just the one time in your life.

I have a new ambition- to get my Fixed wing Pilot's licence before I'm 45.

It will have to wait for a few years as cost prohibitive at the moment (each lesson being £125 p/hour, two a month with the minimum of 45 air-hours for the licence! ) but I would love it! Or if nothing else- have another damn go lol !!!

Celia and G-BASL (fondly nicknamed 'Basil' by me)

Fantastic!

Thankyou Darren, from the bottom of my heart, for enabling me to fulfill a life-long dream... xxxxx

Visiting Mark in London

Darren and Mark in Windsor

D and I visited one of my oldest friends, Mark Jagger, in London this weekend. Known him since I was 20. Arrrggh lol! Hadn't been to see him since 2002 when the three of us went to see the band Garbage in Brixton Academy. We had a brilliant time in 2002, and had been really wanting to visit him again, but schedules always got in the way. We met at his restaurant (he's the Manager of Nico's Restaurant in The Crown Plaza at Heathrow Airport), as he couldn't manage to get anyone to cover the evening shift. We set off 8pm and arrived just before midnight. Met his lodger Sean and pal Dan, with whom D and Mark had a mini-lock-in before heading to Mark's house. I had a few drinks too upon landing at Mark's house, and then D and I slept on the inflatable mattress in the livingroom lol.

Windsor Castle

On Saturday Mark took us into Windsor and we had a nice we wander around, visited a few pubs, and sat in the beer garden before getting some v nice food in the Lloyds pub, sitting on the verandah, shaded by the parasols overlooking Windsor's parks and canal basking in the sunshine...lovely.


View from the Lloyds verandah...




We caught up on alot of gossip, and then returned to the house to his lodger Sean and pal Karen, who happens to herald from Anchorsholme (not 6 miles from where we live near Blackpool). She's a qualified and happily working teacher, but, as weird as co-incidence is, she worked at D and I's workplace a few years ago when at Uni as a casual Admin Assistant and even worked at the other end of my office (about 60 people per office) and I could actually place her, even though she'd only been there 3 months 2yr ago lol! As Warbreck houses over 200o civil servants, that is a weird statistical probability. Not only does she know my mate, but used to work in my office 250 miles away- never did I dream we'd end up being mutual friends of a bloke that lives in London, nevermind meet again! Cracking girl.

Karen, Sean & Devil Woman

The five of us went out to Uxbridge that night, as Mark knew we were a tad skint (weekend before payday) so Central London was out. We had a wee drink in a few pubs and a late bar, girls had a dance, and most of us had a kebab (Sorry but haute cuisine note here: not as good as Sinbad's in Blackpool. And nothing can beat a Wolverhampton kebab. Good try but 7 out of 10).

Ww arrived home 2.30, and we were looking forward to a relaxing drink and chill in the backgarden before retiring. Instead D and I managed to get 4 and a half hrs sleep after a situation unfolded, that resulted in staying up with Mark until dawn, me sat out on the patio in the spitting rain with him, while D cleaned the sofa and carpet where Karen had projectile vomited...(you look back at this things in time, and laugh, hopefully...)

The next morning Mark set us up with a fantastic fry up for the drive home, and we all sat outside on his patio:

Darren's appreciative photo of his Sunday morning breakfast (flippin' gorgeous yum yum)

To be honest I was totally psychologically and physically shattered, so the return home took 5 and a half hours, with me at one point seriously thinking of staying overnight in a Birmingham motel as I was exhausted with lack of sleep and my trapped nerve was kicking off. D did most of the driving home bless him. I felt guilty as I am the experienced driver and I was unable to do my fair share. But Darren insisted if I wasn't feeling well then he would jump in. He took it in his stride...you would never know he's only ever driven on a motorway 5-6 times since passing his driving test this February, and the motorway drives were reasonably short drives (most was 100 miles). I just got us out of London thru M25, M4 and then swapped at Oxford on the M40. Darren did the M40, M42, M6 & M55 ( I valiantly tried a drive attempt again at Sandbach, but could only manage 20 mins before having to pull over onto a slip-road and swap places. My neck was wrecking me and I was scared that I was losing concentration due to fatigue). I fell asleep when D took over the driving I was that sure of his abilities, felt totally safe...and I don't like sleeping in cars!

We landed around 7 and called out for Dominos (no way could we face cooking lol) and made a big fuss of the cat, who Ann had fed for the past two days. He was in the mood for big cuddles and affection. Normality was restored when Greebo sat in D's lap. Ahhh!!

Darren and I in the beer garden of Henry IV pub in Windsor

My back update (oh dear...) and Sunny Blackpool shocker

Yes dear readers...we have been having unseasonally lovely hot weather this past fortnight...hence the fact I've been a bit quiet on the Blog front...I've either been out in it or laid up with bad back and neck.

Firstly, the trapped nerve in the neck has been diagnosed at being at position C5, near the base of the neck. The Chiropractor has narrowed it down to this being the 'Bad Boy' of my problem- mostly down to my 'input' and the experience afew weeks ago...

C5- this is where my nerve is trapped...in here...this is the wee bar-steward causing the havoc...

The 'input' and 'insight' I gave to the Dr was simple...two weeks ago this Friday, I began to have a niggling, dull headache start in the middle of my forehead, travel across the left of my head, around and behind the eyes stretching round into the base of my neck, like a migraine starting.
Then I started to get strange feelings in my left arm and the first finger on my left hand started to jump and twitch all by itself. I'm quite accustomed to this, so ignored it- I fondly call it the 'X-Box finger'. I began with this headache and twitchy hand whilst upstairs, so, putting it down to a stressful day, I pottered down into the livingroom to get some painkillers from my handbag.
I remember going to sit down on the sofa, and then...I remember a haze, being rudely awoken and feeling disorientated...I was laid out on the floor with Darren over me shouting "Celia, Celia! Do you want an ambulance?!" I'd blacked out, and collapsed onto the floor. Thankfully, somehow, I'd missed the corner of the coffee table, otherwise it would have been much more serious.
I've actually experienced these before, but always put it down to 'low blood sugar', a 'hypo'. Although I am not diabetic, I did go without food for 8-9hrs once in my teens and flaked out was told by the GP it was low blood sugar and not to go without food for too long. So when this -my third- blackout happened, to be honest I eventually came round, got up, brushed it off, and had a few sweets to bring my suspected low sugar level back up again.

However, at the following Chiropractic consultation last week, I happened to mention this blackout. I was beginning to suspect something wasn't right.
The Doc gave me a full all-over check, muttering and umm'ing as they do, and started asking 101 questions such as;

" Did you have visual disturbance before or after?"
"No" I replied.
"Did you have any slurring of speech before or after?"
"No" I replied again...and from my dealing with medical reports, conditions and medical evidence everyday at work, I started to get a niggling feeling that I knew where this was going, and so added, " No, and I do not believe I have had a TIA (mini stroke)."

He sat, he pondered, and he asked my reasoning behind this. "Well the symptoms don't fit with the diagnosis of a TIA, and I've actually had these blackouts before." I replied, and then froze- I'd forgotten to tell him this before, as of course, I didn't believe it was relevant.
Now I knew it was. I told the Dr about the first one when I was 18, being checked for diabetes, clean slate etc. It suddenly dawned on me, that I had then gone for 16 years before experiencing not one, but three including this one in the past 16 months...since I'd hurt my back. I told him this, and that I'd never said anything because, well, I didn't think it was relevant, and the GP had never paid much attention except for occasional blood tests showing I was fine and dandy.

The Dr was satisfied with my account of the signs leading up to it- textbook compression, apparently. He declared that the trapped nerve is at C5- the base of the neck, and right-bang next to it, are the main blood vessels to the brain. Basically...when the medial C5 nerve kicks off, it compresses the blood vessels in my neck, my blood pressure suddenly drops and 'Bang!' I hit the floor unconscious because of a mixture of no blood getting to my brain and oxygen deprivation. (No jokes, you lot, about me actually having a brain lol).

This made sense- I added that the old hospital physio last year tried to crack my neck twice, didn't know what she was doing, and made me violently sick and dizzy for 24 hrs after each treatment. When I told her it had happened again (after she ignored the first one) she panicked and refused to touch me again and just gave me rubber bands to exercise my shoulder with!
My GP, upon hearing this complaint at the time, cheerfully said, "Ahh, yes, I understand her reluctance to treat you...if you had been older, she could have caused a stroke". (insert your own expletives here).

So anyway, it's looking good now, because we have the answer! I am prepared and safe in the knowledge that if I get that tingle again along with the headache...to support/rest my neck immediately and I can avoid it happening (hopefully). Plus I am now receiving the treatment my body requires to adjust the nerve back into its rightful position. In a strange way, I'm glad it happened- I have received specific diagnosis because of it, which benefits the Dr with his Treatment Plan. It was also proof that although I am still susceptible to these blackouts, that my autonomic nervous system is working again- I was proudly displaying the bruise on my left arm where my arm had tried to stop the fall whilst unconscious...I have been without this reflex for 15 months. My body is starting to work again!!! Result!!

So now you know why I wasn't near the PC until last night- because I can't touch-type and I haven't wanted to bend my neck lol!!!


Summer...

Summer Cat

Now, back to the Summer....ahhhhhhh....been Hell at work (no air conditioning and no fans in the buildings and we're hitting 33 degrees some days) but fantastic at home on weekends and evenings! We are just so NOT used to this weather. Southern England are on drought warnings and some parts of the country are on restricted water use. Up here in Lancashire, we're fine as the amount of water in our reservoirs is healthier, due to the usual large rainfalls in Winter/ Spring.


Alot of BBQs have been had (yumm yumm) and a few weeks ago, after watching England get kicked out of the World Cup, the Gang returned to Gill's house and had a BBQ. I made my new-found obsession, potato salad too (recipe courtesy of Karen and Stef who gave me it) and we relaxed and had afew drinkies as the daylight faded into twilight, into darkness, lit by garden candles and the coals of the BBQ.



D and I have also been having min-BBQs on the spur of the moment when returning home from a long and arduous day at work, grabbing disposable BBQ trays and having dinner al fresco in the garden with cat for company!










Greebo pretending not to smell the cooking meat...

...and the providing Man of the house providing lovely grub!