Monthly Update From Garry McGivern
Garry McGivern’s February-2025 monthly update. The month got off to a good start with my trip to Thorn Cycles in Bridgwater for a service on my bike. A bit extravagant, maybe, but I do more miles on my bike than my car and van combined. I could do it myself, but I would really struggle; now I’ve lost some of the dexterity in my hands (due to my Myelopathy). And besides, Thorn does a much better job than I could ever do. Plus, it also gave me an excuse to go on a bike ride.
I would have liked to have stayed out longer after getting Passepartout serviced. But with few campsites open in February, it was too frustrating. Each time, I found a campsite that I thought would be open. It turned out that they were closed. I prefer to cycle and then try to find somewhere once I’ve had enough rather than planning where I’m going to end up. The weather was also not looking great, with dull grey skies forecast.
And, of course, camping in the winter is hard going and takes a lot of effort. Everything gets damp and stays damp. Batteries don’t work and take an age to charge. The nights are long. And packing away a frozen tent is certainly no picnic. And let’s not even mention the old man syndrome of getting up in the middle of the night. But after saying all that, I still enjoy it, especially when I’m writing about it while sitting at home in my heated house!
See What Happens When You Make Plans
Prior to going to Bridgwater, I cancelled all my hospital appointments for the next few months as I was hoping to go away for a month or two, possibly to Southeast Asia. Although I hadn’t sorted out travel insurance, which could have been a problem. But that’s by the way now.
As I was coming into Southampton on the last day of my ride home from Bridgwater I had a sudden pain in my hip. And it was hard going cycling the last forty miles home, and I would have got a train. Had they been running. I tried to ignore my hip for a few days, but the pain wasn’t going away. So I’ve now got an appointment to see my consultant in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious, and all I need is another steroid injection.
On a more positive note, I was quite pleased with myself when I managed to fix a puncture this month. It’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while now: whether I’d be able to fix one or not because of the loss of dexterity and strength in my hands. Luckily, it was at home, so it wasn’t as bad, although it took me a good hour. But at least I managed it.
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