Autumn Already??????

Have just been for a practice on my uni, without the trauma of having to get back the balance! I always have a fear that I will lose the 'knack' of it if I have not been on for a while!.

This morning before I went out, I was feeling a little 'down', the combined thoughts of winter coming(I HATE LONG DARK NIGHTS AND SHORT DAYS), the realisation that chasing balloons will come to an end within the next month and the idea of working in a workshop with oil and noise and dust for 5 months!!. Don't get me wrong, I love the people I work with at English Wirework and really appreciate the fact that my winter commute to work is only a 2 minute bike ride but boy o boy do I miss the summer, crap as the British one can be at times!!!! However.......after half an hour messing around on one wheel, doing something many people would not even attempt, my feeling of well being and self confidence is now through the roof!!! Bloody good therapy for the cost of a night in the pub!.

Back in the Saddle!!!

Wooowhoooo.....Got back on the Uni this morning after a long break......20 odd attempts to mount from the curb before I had the confidence to stay up and cycle....It took a massive amount of concentration to get the hang of it again, mainly because I was not used to focusing, which is the key as far as I am concerned. However, after the initial problems, within 20 minutes I was away down the small country road I now practice on, and walking back to the house through the little estate, I mounted again and rode to the front of my house!.....I have not lost the buzz of being able to ride my Uni and have made a pact with my self to get on it everyday that the weather and work permits.......my incentive is to do a charity ride sometime in the near future......

I am back in mind...

Have had a hectic couple of months moving....holidays etc and no chance to unicycle....but I am now in the position to start thinking about training up again!! wooooowhoooo!!! I actually miss falling over and wobbling........

Moving House

Totally off track here.........moving to Corsham as soon as poss.....anyone out there know anyone with a house that has a large second bedroom, garden and do not mind two cats moving in also..........We want to rent long term, while daughter goes to Corsham School.....need to move by end of August at the latest!!!!

Nice little practice

Quick run around the cull-de-sac this morning, balance good and managed a few circuits of the driveway, still working too much to get regular practice but I suppose that is a double edged sword as I would be a sad man without work!

Back on track

Been busy the last few weeks with work and stuff.....but had a practice yesterday(Sat) and off again today in the hot sun!.....Still trying to 'free mount' but had little time to practice.....no excuse .....will MAKE time over the next few days and weeks to practice REALLY hard!

Quick Ride

Just had a quick burn up along the cul-de-sac to keep my hand in, first practice for about 2 weeks........still no joy with the free mount, must try a new method! Anyway, my balance is good at the moment, just need to build up the leg muscles to get some distance runs going.

Busy Busy

Been busy on the balloon launching lately.......now the weather is pants.......can't wait for a dry few hours to jump on and give it some!!!.....must keep practicing the free mount which I need to perfect before 'WOMAD'......or the next time we go to Pembrokeshire, so I can impress the nephews!

Bugger!

Fifty+ attempts at a' free mount' and not one success........this is the bit most people don't see/want to see.....practice, practice, practice, practice.....sometimes many hours to master a simple trick/manouvre. This is why unicycling is so good for concentration/balance/fitness....because if you lose one of those qualities, it has the same effect as the fire triangle, take out one element and its out!, or in my case, Off!!!....Anyway, coz my glass is normally half full, I will crack on and master the art of 'free mount' and 'hover'....

Frustration...........

Just done 40 minutes trying to 'free mount' with about as much success as someone who doesn't have much success, alot.......however, I shall not be defeated.....I can feel success coming along.....date to be announced!.....One thing I have learnt about riding a unicycle, it is soooooo easy to lose focus and.....fall off!!!

Check out the link.....must lose some weight on my neck!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no_d9Ip_sV4

Back on the One Wheeler

"While it is good to see people paying down their debt and building up equity in their homes, this process is bad news for business and the economy," said David Breger, of HW Fisher chartered accountants. ....Sorry to go off subject for a minute, but please take time to read this extract from the BBC Business section on their website........Proof that the 'money men' really want everybody in 'hock'!!!!

Anyway.......still practicing the 'free mount' and trying to 'hover'........'we shall never surrender'.....as a certain Wartime PM once said.......

Broken Knee

Stiff knee for the last few days has swollen up, so I can't practice this weekend.......nurse recommended euthanasia, but I declined......so she told me I had to come back and see the doctor about my blood pressure as it was very high at 190/104.......back on the pills!!!!.....must lose weight!!!!.....OK, OK I am trying.........

Going off subject yet again....but had three days working in London(Maida Vale...Little Venice)......installing wall panels in the garden of a £3.5 million house........hard work but good fun......landscaper and garden designer were so far up their own bottoms......but unfortunately they could not co-ordinate a drinking session in a beer factory.......fortunately for us, their incompetence had no adverse effect on our job apart from the garden wall at the bottom of the garden falling over!......we left some panels for them to fit when the wall is re-built!.....

What a Day!

It's Mothers Day, and to go off subject initially, please read and enjoy the following poem written by our daughter, Hannah, for her Mum.........


Mum, you have such a busy life,
Yet you always have time for me,
You never give up, you always try,
As you approach each challenge with happiness.

Mum, your spirits are always high,
Even though you're extremely hard working,
Your sense of humour and your amazing skills
Keep everyone happy.

Mum you are so fabulous,
Giving up time for everyone,
Your helpful and considerate ways,
Keep everyone smiling throughout the day.

Is that the coolest poem ever?....bar none!!!!!!!!!!

Back to the subject in hand........YES!....... I did it......(only once, but properly).....MY FIRST 'FREE MOUNT'..........so what?......well......it has been a long time coming, many sore shins, and stretched muscles.........and as far as I am personally concerned, it is , in progress terms, on a par with the efforts of the Wright Bros./ or my best mate Brian, who once did a full days work(ish)............

1st Day of Ballooning!!!!

Just a short run out on Mr Unicycle before lunch....having trouble free mounting....still need the kerb.....as for hovering....one thing at a time!

Anyway....really excited coz it's the first flight of the season ....taking off from Bath today and hopefully Monmouth area tomorrow.....and if the winds stay light we could do another launch from Bath on Sunday.......

Summer is coming!

WOW! What a cracking weekend of weather, only just over half way through March and I was out in shorts and 'T' shirt on the one wheel monster!........here are a couple of photos taken by my PR assistant, Hannah, to show Mr 'Blobby' in training!............

Where does the time go............

Been getting frustrated with lack of practice time.......either too knackered after playing with metal stuff all day, or the weather is pants.....weekends have clocks which are twice as fast as weekday clocks, and I can scientifically prove that!, .....but....sorry I have no time at the moment!!!

Anyway, as a step nearer to 'free mounting', I use a piece of 35mmx35mm timber as a 'stop' for the wheel when I mount up......it used to be the pavement curb.....so I am getting there slowly. When the lawn dries out I shall throw caution to the wind......as landing on grass is much more user friendly than road.....

Hovering is proving difficult......not least because I have trouble peddling backwards......my brain thinks I am taking the piss after all the effort to go forward over the past months.....

Fast Forward

It is now February 2009........and to update you on my unicycling proficiency I can honestly say that I can actually ride now!
I am not, nor ever will be, employed by a circus, unless a deadly virus attacks the human race and I am the only unicycle act left in the shires.

Having said that, the tremendous sense of achievement is mind blowing.......my balance is much better....I no longer need to lean on the bar until the second pint of real ale is nearly finished!......I can now focus for much longer periods on a subject....up to 2 -3 minutes sometimes.
I am fitter and able to stay awake until 8 or 9 pm(at weekends).

The physical scars on my elbows and knees have healed, however, my head is still in disarray even though the skull is repaired( my mates' a welder!).

I have been practicing this weekend and am now learning to 'free mount' and 'hover', this, in unicycle world is comparible with a novice skier, straight off the nursery slopes, attempting going 'off piste' in the dark whilst under the influence of crack cocaine!.

The Struggle

February 2008 - I started by sitting on the uni and holding on to the garden gate......after 3 days, I was still on the gate, sore bum, cold and very hungry.....
Decided to ignore the general rules of learning to unicycle which included rocking back and fore on the seat till you feel confident........I would still be rocking like some weird person.
Instead I threw myself away from the gate and peddled..........hit the concrete before half a revolution of the peddle....sustained life threatening injuries to both elbows, both knees and hairline fracture of the skull....so seeing sense I got to my feet ....remounted.....and did exactly the same suicidal move......by now adrenelin had kicked in and pain was less severe.
I continued this until finally I ran out of living flesh on said elbow and knee joints.

This routine went on for weeks until I managed to peddle nearly 4 mtrs to the lawn!!

In March of that year I moved up to hanging from the roof bars on my car, getting my feet correctly on the peddles.........and then throwing myself away from the car...no less painful than leaving the gate, only more potential for falling back and cracking my skull open. There was nothing for it but to buy some safety gear......fingerless gloves!
The reason for the gloves?....well believe it or not, the most painful part of falling off a unicycle is landing on the heel of your hands.
Some people claim that you cannot fall off a unicycle because you always land on your feet........total crap......of the 4,894 times I have left the seat, I have only ever landed on my feet 3 times( and my ankle gave way the second time)

What do you want for your birthday?

About 400 years before my 49th birthday, my wife, with the memory of a person who mentally resembles the elephant, asked what I would like for my birthday, I thought for about 327 years and came up with a unicycle. I immediately forgot my request and carried on dreaming of winning the lottery and buying a 'camel' spec landrover.

On the 19th of July 2006 my present was opened....unicycle!

With great enthusiasm I vowed to learn to ride by my 50th birthday......oops!

In January 2008, I realised that my body was straining to carry 16 stone. Time to get fit I thought. How?..... Easy! ......join a gym?......too expensive and full of well fit posers......Walking?...........no time to do it everyday............Swimming?.......similar to gym plus having the mindset of a 12 year old I get bored swimming back and for and start to bomb other swimmers or grab their legs as they go past!.......Diet?......brilliant!!!......but........love curry and real ale.......

February 2008...still trying to find diet which includes hot curry and Marston's Pedigree. Walk in to garage and bang head on wheel of unicycle......BRILLIANT IDEA!