When the wheels come down - A Musical Tuesday

A bit late with the musical Tuesday, and almost missed it for a couple of reasons. The second reason was because I have been watching a programme about a teenage boy with Aspergers. It upset me in parts as it made me think lots about what life must be like for my number 3 nephew who also has Aspergers. Saving that for another day (maybe), I'll explain the first reason - I almost had no song to talk about. That's right, a 25 minute journey home plus a trip to Tesco, over 1000 songs on the iPod, yet I must have flicked through at least 100 before I found something I really wanted to listen to tonight. It's funny how I like every single (almost) song on my iPod yet I have to be in the right mood to listen to most of them. 


Tonight's song that made me smile & made me sing along all the way home from Tesco was Foo Fighters - Wheels. Apart from this being a great song with lovely lyrics, this song reminds me of a lovely moment when we went to see them at Milton Keynes earlier this year. 


About half way through the evening, Dave Grohl ran up the walkway, past where we were standing and round to face those not lucky enough to be able to see the main stage. Here he sat with his guitar and sang a couple of songs. One of them was Wheels, and as a lot of the inner circle ran to the back to get a better view, we stayed put. With our arms around each other we swayed and sang to the whole song. Sounds cheesy, but at one moment it felt like it was just me, my husband and Dave Grohl there. 

Foo Fighters-Wheels

I know what you're thinkin'We were goin' downI can feel the sinkin'But then I came around

And everyone I've loved beforeFlashed before my eyesAnd nothin' mattered anymoreI looked into the sky

Well I wanted something better manI wished for something newAnd I wanted something beautifulAnd wish for something trueBeen lookin' for a reason manSomething to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)And you feel like it's all overThere's another round for youWhen the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

Know your head is spinnin'Broken hearts will mendThis is our beginningComin to an end

Well, you wanted something better manYou wished for something newWell, you wanted something beautifulWished for something trueBeen lookin for a reason manSomething to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)And you feel like it's all overThere's another round for youWhen the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

Cervical cancer awareness or A storyline too close to home?

I'm talking about the Eastenders story line. 

Last night when Tanya ripped up the letter, it made me cross. Since then, every time I have thought about it, I start to feel all the emotions of when I went through it. I'll never forget the day I came home from holiday, straight after New Year, to see those words, 'severe changes to cells' otherwise known as Severe Dyskariosis, or CIN 3. I'll never forget the fear I felt, and how quickly the big C word popped into my head. I'm not sure how I would have felt had I not had my husband to stand by me and support me. If I'd been alone, would I have reacted how she did? Now I know that Tanya is just a character in a soap, and not a real person, but the storyline is very real and hundreds of women go through this every week, possibly every day. 

Even watching it tonight, I was feeling emotional, seeing Tanya call the clinic and book that appointment. It's something I hope I never have to do again. Although the procedure wasn't as painful and horrific as it sounds, the emotional stress related to it was great. At the time, I was in a job where I was unhappy, with a boss who was more concerned about me not being able to return to work after than whether I was actually alright! Luckily, I had my supportive, although equally scared husband, some fantastic friends, some who had been through the same experience, and an amazing gynae-oncologist, and colposcopy nursing team. I'm not sure I would have got through it so easily without that nurse holding my hand and wiping my tears, or the gynae-oncologist who talked to me about Toy Story 3 during the whole procedure. At one point he even made me laugh!

I was one of the lucky ones. I got the all clear less than six months later, and although I need to now have smear tests every six months, they see no reason for the abnormalities to return. Still, it will not stop me from worrying every time I have one from now on. For Tanya, it's not going to be such a happy story as hers is going to be the big C word. For me, watching this storyline unfold is going to continue to be emotional, especially if they show her going to the clinic later this week.

I really hope that Eastenders airing this storyline will raise the awareness of cervical cancer, and will encourage many women to have regular smear tests.

Concrete Circus

Watching this amazing programme on Channel 4 called Concrete Circus. It's about Skateboarding, BMX tricks & Free running, and it's absolutely incredible to watch. The photos I'm about to share are no-where near the standard of skill shown on this programme, but are still really amazing, and take a lot of skill and nerve.

These photos were taken at Lifestyles Festival in Hunstanton, earlier this year.