Slightly off topic ...

We have 3 kids, a large dog, bees and now 3 chickens! We collected them yesterday, a Sussex White (as above), a Rhode Island Red and the other we can't quite remember. We were going to get the small and easy to look after Bantams but their eggs are equally small so went for the full size version. They are really friendly and should give us up to 18 eggs per week and have a laying life of 4 - 5 years making them excellent value for money (providing we can keep them, our dog and the local foxes apart!).

Can't wait for eggs and bacon using our own eggs and the bacon cooked in our own honey. Now where can we keep a pig ...

I was back at the Physio today and for the first time since I injured myself my knee was sufficiently relaxed to allow him to do all his tests. So after pulling and twisting in several different directions the assessment was that he doesn't believe anything has snapped or been torn. So that's the good news. He had a theory that has something to do with age and wear-and-tear but I can't remember the exact name, but it involves wearing of a groove or hole in the cartilage and somehow whilst exercising something has caught in the groove/hole. It's still swollen but I am now encouraged to ride my bike, building up to an hour a day, and then icing for 20 minutes to get rid of the swelling that is still present. Hopefully, when the swelling disappears I will regain the full range of movement in my knee.

So, despite everything, I'm feeling quite positive at the moment.

British Sportsmen to be proud of

We seem really good at putting our sportsmen and women down, so today was a great day for Britain.

Lewis Hamilton


Mark Cavendish


Both were utterly awesome today.

More Improvements, but ...

Today I managed 2 x 10 minutes on the bike, 5 mins on the treadmill focussed on heel striking to stretch the hamstrings, and also did some sit-ups and press-ups. Getting off the bike my knee feels much stronger but it doesn't take long for the stiffness to return. Worryingly, I was doing some mobility exercises and noticed that when I squatted down an ominous bulge appeared on the outside edge of the knee, maybe half an inch tall. I'm hoping this is just the fluid being pushed out to the side and not part of the meniscus that has broken away; there was no pain associated with this movement so I believe it is fluid (well you have to think positive!).

Glad to see the TdF kicking off today, with Contador taking the fight to Voeckler and Evans. Evans responded brilliantly to Contador's attacks and Voeckler did well to minimise his losses after appearing to be beaten towards the top of the climb. Great to see Cavendish do well, rolling in a little over a minute behind Andy Schleck. You would have thought the Schleck's would have learned how to descend by now!

Feeling Better?

Yesterday's 6 minutes of cycling seems to have really helped. Target today is 10 minutes.

We had a technology upgrade day in our household yesterday; new notebook computers for my daughter and I, and a smartphone for Mrs Turbo. The HD screen on my Samsung machine is simply amazing and the speed that it loads stuff from the net is a vast improvement. I'm going to have to try watching sport on the net now; Moto GP coverage starts in 10 minutes. As for smartphones, it seems they are almost giving them away if you look around. Mrs Turbo got an HTC something-or-other free on a monthly contract of £15 per month with £150 of gift tokens thrown in to sweeten the deal.

The weather outside is frightful (sounds like a good line for a song!) so today I will be mostly staying indoors watching Moto GP and Le Tour. I have become a bit of a fan of Thomas Voeckler who is riding way beyond expectations in defending the yellow jersey. I'm not sure what his time trialling is like but the way he is going in the mountains he could very well wear it all the way to Paris. The other main contenders appear to be so busy looking at each other that they have missed the point of the race, that is to win!

Heal well folks.

Start with the first small step

This injury malarkey is beginning to get me down, as although the knee is improving it is doing so very, very slowly. The physio said I could ride my bike providing it didn't hurt, so this morning I cleared all the stuff from in front of the turbo (that's right, I haven't used it this year at all!) and climbed aboard. With no resistance at all and in a very low gear I managed to turn the pedals, pain free, and did about 5 minutes. I did get a bit ambitious and got a stab of pain so I do have to be careful, but at least this means I can start doing something.

So cycling, press-ups and sit-ups plus loads and loads of hamstring and calf stretches will be my routine for the next few weeks. I can't say that I'm looking forward to it but it sure as Hell is better than nothing.

All the best.

16 Days and Counting

It's now 16 days since I sustained my knee injury and I am still unable to walk properly. The physio is convinced I have damaged my hamstring at the knee end but the only way to confirm this would be invasive surgery that I am, at the moment, unwilling to put myself through. Mobility is restricted and the joint is very sensitive to any twisting; I have a thorough stretch and flex routine that really helps but it only takes a few minutes for the severe stiffness to return. It is very frustrating and I have cancelled all my remaining events for 2011.

Looking ahead, this weekend will see me dust off the turbo trainer to start my rehabilitation. Easy cycling, walking, squats, stretch and flex are the order of the day for the foreseeable future. Until I can do this without pain then there is nothing else on the agenda. Fingers crossed that things start to improve soon because this is beginning to really get me down.

But there is the Tour de France to cheer me up. I have been a fan of Mark Cavendish for many years but this year he seems to have taken it to another level; always recognising the support from his team, recognising when he hasn't got it quite right, acknowledging when his rivals have performed really well, being genuinely upset when his mates get injured and have to withdraw. Yes, I really am a Cav fan. The race for GC is absolutely fascinating, with no-one having made a play for the No 1 spot. I reckon Frank Schleck or Cadel Evans will be No 1 come the finish in Paris, after Cav has, once again, led them home of course!

And finally, Mrs T and I were back in Yorkshire on Tuesday for our daughters Junior School Prize Giving and to bring her home for the Summer Holiday. I am delighted to say that our daughter collected the following awards: Best Violinist, Academic of the Year (Year 5), Star of the Year (Year 5), Star of the year (Junior School). To say we are proud parents is probably the understatement of the year - we are glowing!

:-)

A Real Mixed Bag of a Week

I missed Monday's CrossFit session as we attended a lecture at our son's college about going to university; it was very interesting and the presenter was very witty making a potentially dry subject quite interesting. On Tuesday I headed off to CrossFit and we had a good session, all upper body (pull-ups and handstand press-ups (or variations thereof)) but then I managed to damage my knee whilst we were doing the 'extra' session into the cool-down. On Wednesday I was at the Med Centre first thing and after an initial examination by a medic and a review by the physio I was whisked off to the local hospital for an x-ray to confirm there was no one damage. There wasn't, which in one way is good but in another is very bad, as it means it is a soft tissue injury that may take a lot longer to heal/fix. The x-ray also confirmed that the 3 staples in my knee from when I had my anterior cruciate repair in 1986 were still in place so I think that is another plus point. It is now Sunday and I still can't walk and am unable to weight bare fully, and any twisting force appled to the knee is VERY painful; I suspect medial ligament damage. I am at the physio Monday morning so will hopefully have a better idea after that, but the knee is still swollen and my leg raises and knee bend exercises just seem to make the swelling worse. Maybe it's time to slow down a lot more than I already have?

On Friday, we headed up north to see our daughter perform as the Mock Turtle in 'Alice', her school performance of Alice in Wonderland. Our daughter has always been a confident performer and has appeared on stage several times singing as part of a group and dancing, so it was no surprise when she delivered her lines with great emotion and enthusiasm. What we were not prepared for was the way she sang her solo; we have no idea where her ability to sing comes from, it certainly isn't her parents! Can't wait for the DVD so we can re-live it again (and again!). It was one of those occasions that make you, as a parent, glow with pride.

All the best