Steve's News

What's in your sack?

2012-01-12T23:28:00.003Z

As the actress said to the bishop...

It may have come to your attention that I'm doing quite a bit of walking. Nothing new there, I'm always walking. The difference is, I'm walking 2012 miles this year. A mere 5.5 miles a day because it's a leap year.

I was talking about this with Ollie Rastall just the other day over a Costa Coffee, like you do.

We were talking about my walking, the distance, and was I carrying anything with me. Well, the answer is yes. I'm carrying the same things I would carry if I was on a hike in some far off place, maybe in the lakes, or up a smaller hill maybe. Even though at the moment I'm staying local and usually only a bus ride from home if needed.
If it was easy it wouldn't be a challenge etc. etc.

If, or should I say, when I do some longer walks, the kit will be extended to include some extra goodies like the ones I used when I walked from Glasgow to Reading (even though I did do it in two bits due to a twisted ankle in Leeds)

I tell you what, here comes some of my famous lists. This is not everyone's idea of perfect 'stuff' but it has looked after me on numerous occasions, and if it works, why change it?

Personal day to day kit

Rucksack
Waterproof jacket and trousers
Map and Compass
Torch with spare batteries
Gaiters just in case
Drink and food (more than I think I'll need)
Whistle
Hat, gloves and spare warm top whatever the weather when I leave home
Sun cream
Insect repellent
First aid kit
Camera
Mobile phone

For longer walks, as above but also...

Sleeping bag
Tent or Hammock (I prefer the later)
Sleeping mat
Eating Irons (KFS or a spork)
Stove and fuel
Mess tins or similar
Matches, lighter and mag stick (spark type not the torch)
Spare food
Spare socks
Spare warm top and trousers

If I'm lucky enough to be out and about when white stuff is all around then the kit gets bigger as does the sack on my back. It can include all sorts of lovely stuff, here are just a few of the essentials

Helmet
Harness
Rope (if I'm in the hills, and includes a selection of 'biners, prussik loops, etc)
4 Season boots
Ice axe
Crampons
Goggles
Spare fleece or jacket (Love my Paramo)
Shovel
Emergency Bivvi

The list goes on

What kit do you carry that I have not mentioned here? What's your favourite luxury item when out walking?

Helen the Butterfly

2012-01-03T23:17:00.001Z

...continued from 2012 miles (as promised)

Some of you may be wondering why I seem to have developed a sudden interest in lepidopterology. Here is a story, a true one, that I'd like you all to read. Hopefully, by the end, you will know why I have been rabbiting on about butterflies, why I seem to have taken leave of my senses and started walking 2012 miles and why at some point along the way, I intend to push a wheelchair up a mountain.

Helen is a mate of mine. She's slightly mad and a medic (sound familiar?) I met Helen on a rugby pitch one Saturday afternoon, she was a 2nd row and I was a prop... what do you mean you don't believe me? OK we were both part of the medical team. One of the players collapsed after a blow to the chest and we both ended up treating the guy. There were stethoscopes and sphyg's, oximeters, tubes of various descriptions and as I recall a mad doctor flapping like a headless chicken, although this may have been a relative or the coach, who knows? Helen, being the pro that she is was a picture of total calm, a caring professional in a day-glow yellow jacket and purple gloves. We worked together quite a bit and were like a well oiled machine, never needing to ask what the other one wanted, but always taking the piss out of each other at every opportunity.

Helen isn't a medic now. Not because she doesn't want to be, and not even because my jokes got so bad she couldn't take it any more. Helen doesn't run around with a large medical bag of goodies that's twice the size of her strapped to her back any more. Actually she doesn't run anywhere any more, she can't. This is an email I got from another medic on the same team...

Hi Steve,

Helen will not be back at work.
She is reliant on her chair.
She asked me to pass on her email if you want to contact her.
See you Saturday.

Dave

Dave is not a man of many words!

Helen has Lupus, she knew she was not going to be getting better but had not counted on deteriorating quite as fast as she did. One week she's kicking me round a rugby pitch, then she walked with a bit of a limp, now she is in a wheelchair. She's now planning to have her home modified, or maybe move to another house that she can navigate in her new set of wheels. These wheels don't come cheap you know, about £2k ish for a lightweight fold up thing that she can get in and out of a car. Yeah, she has to pay for the wheels because she isn't disabled enough to get a free set. Having your pelvis and spine fall apart seems to be not high on the 'How disabled are you?' list that the DWP has. So for now she has her bum planted firmly in an NHS thing while she fills out a million forms, nice!

Helen has some carers looking after her and her other half, while he tries to look after paying the bills and pumping up Helen's tyres every now and then. They're going to try and get them a small grant to get them on a holiday, the first one in ten years. They teach people how to lift loved ones without ending up in a chair yourself, and they're always on the end of a phone, which HELEN still needs to give me the number for HINT HINT!

Butterfly?

Yeah, sorry I forgot about that. People with Lupus can develop a rash on their face, above and below the eyes and across the nose. It looks a bit like a butterfly.

So what is Lupus anyway? Lupus is a disease which can present many different facets, rarely do two people have exactly the same symptoms, and these can vary from just one to many.

Joint/muscle aches and pains
Permanent rash over cheeks
Extreme fatigue and weakness
Increased risk of miscarriage
Rashes from sunlight/UV light
Flu-like symptoms and/or night sweats
Weight gain or loss
Inflammation of the tissues covering internal organs with associated chest and/or abdominal pain
Seizures, mental illness or other cerebral problems

Headaches, migraine
Kidney problems
Oral/nasal ulcers
Hair loss
Depression
Haematological disorders including anaemia
Swollen glands
Poor blood circulation causing the tips of fingers and toes to turn white then blue on exposure to cold (Raynauds)

So, enough about 'H'

Don't want to go on about her for too long, she'll get a big head

Why am I walking 2012 miles?
You have to ask?

If I can raise awareness for people with Lupus, maybe help the Carers Support Services that look after people like Helen and her Husband, perhaps maybe raise some dosh to get my mate a new set of wheels. That's why I'm doing it!

Oh, and before I forget, Helen said to me once that she thought it would be cool to enjoy the outdoors like I do. So what better way of adding some miles to my total than to push her up a hill to admire the view, and try out her new wheels at the same time :o) It better be quite a big hill to make it worthwhile, Snowdon or Nevis maybe, or both. Sorry H, but you did say... Mwahahahaha!

For more info on Lupus take a look here

Fancy powering yourself over 2012 miles, for whatever reason? Click this

Santa injured

2011-12-14T10:10:00.001Z

SHOCK NEWS!

Santa injured by Rudolf at office party!

Santa was injured last night by Rudolf, who had been celebrating the completion of his gift wrapping duties with the Elves, just in time for this years deliveries. Rudolf said "I just had a few too many drinks and remember falling over" he added "when I came round I noticed I'd landed on the boss"

Christmas Saved by Beyond Medics!
Luckily, the medics from Beyond First Aid were on hand. After being treated Santa had this to say about the team. "I'm lucky those guys from Beyond First Aid were so close, because without their treatment I may not have been able to deliver to all those children, the first failed delivery since I began the service all those years ago"

Steve Blethyn from Beyond First Aid said, "Santa's injuries were only minor thankfully and he'll be back on his sleigh in no time. But if anyone else thinks they may need us, we're only a phone call away"
Santa was obviously pleased with Steve and his team, he has booked them in the New Year for an Elf and Safety course and has ordered loads of First Aid Kits, including special kits for the Reindeer (smaller kits are available for cats and dogs) and a Travellers kit for the 24th December. Santa will be quite busy then and needs to know that if Rudolf has any more accidents, they'll have emergency gear with them that can cover anything.

Santa and Steve would like to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Christmas!

2012 Miles?

2011-12-13T14:45:00.000Z

Not long to go until 2012, unless you're walking that is. 2012 miles is about how far it is to Kazakhstan from my house, here in a very wet Shinfield. Of course, if I went the other way and up a bit, keeping Iceland on my right, I'd make it to Greenland. If I went West and was dropped 2012 miles away, I'd drown, because I'd be a bit short of Canada. My point is, it's only a few weeks away if you're talking about the year 2012, (I know it's here already, but I wrote this a while ago) but 2012 miles is quite some distance. It would take about 30 days to walk if it was possible to walk non-stop, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, no sleeping, eating or even stopping for a pee. Take these things into account, and walking about 20 miles every day, it would be a trip of over 3 months. Now that's some walk, even by my standards. So why would I even be considering walking 2012 miles next year, 2012?

Well I blame a friend of mine, Mr Ollie Rastall, or to be more accurate, his better half, Anthea Barteau. The thing is, Anthea wanted to follow in Ollie's footsteps and do something challenging. (Ollie cycled across America ~~earlier this~~ last year) Not being greedy, she has shared this challenge with the world, or at least anyone who knows her or Ollie.

The challenge is quite simple (that's why I like it!) In 2012, travel 2012 miles under your own steam. Walk, run, swim, cycle, paddle or row. It really does not matter how you travel so long as the only power source is you. So in a nutshell, next year use human power to travel 2012 miles. What could be easier than that?

Let me break this down for you a bit.

2012 miles in one year

167.66 miles a month

38.7 miles a week

5.5 miles a day - Easy :o)

OK, there will be days when there will be no travelling at all, knocking the daily requirement up a bit. But if I do something mad like a half marathon one day, then I might be able to have a few rest days. Anyone who knows me will be aware that I'm no stranger to the odd long walk, so chances are I'll do the occasional over-nighter, or a 'walk to school' hey Janine!

Yeah, this is achievable. PLUS! Because Anthea, Ollie, and quite a few others are in on the act. We'll all be around so support and encourage each other. So what's the catch? There isn't one. It's as simple as that. Power yourself over 2012 miles any way you like.Then tell everyone about it on twitter with #2012milesin2012 and motivate others with #teammotivation

I'm walking most of it, cos I can. Join me if you want, but no one is going to make you, it's just a bit of fun. A challenging bit of fun I'll admit, but if you don't make it, so what. You may get to the end of next year and find you've only ran 500 miles over a handful of weekends. Ask yourself this though, would you have ran those miles if nobody got you to challenge yourself?

Butterflies

I've just emailed a medic friend of mine and told her about my plan to go for a 2012 mile amble around Britain, and depending on if she is with me or not, I may be walking with a butterfly on my t-shirt. Confused? All will be revealed.

to be continued...

Alphabet Soup

2011-11-16T21:41:00.001Z

Now call me old fashioned, but when I went to school, it was A B C D etc... So surely I can be forgiven for getting in a bit of a tizz lately. Now your regular alphabet hasn't changed much I know, but when I learnt first aid (many moons ago) it was all B's. Breathing, Bleeding, Breaks and Burns. Then when I started to teach the stuff it had morphed into the ABC version with A for Airway, B for Breathing, C for Circulation. Made sense I guess, and still does if you're at a fairly basic level of first aid.

But now we take it up a notch, things get a bit silly. First the Doctor gets in on the act. Or DRS to be more precise. D for Danger, to yourself, bystanders, and finally the poor old injured or sick. The R is for Response. When you shout at the sick, lame or lazy, do they respond? "OPEN YOUR EYES" Nothing, not so much as a twitch. So we give the casualty a little squeeze to see if this is just a deaf guy having a nap. You decide that it is actually someone in need of some help so that's when you Shout (S) for Help! Well, you don't want to be doing this on your own do you?

So, DRS it is, then ABC you'd think. Well, no actually it isn't. Some smart guy has screwed up the Alphabet and got way too many C's in the list.

Now it's GO DRS CAcBCDEEEEFGHI

D for Danger

R for Response

S for Shout for Help

C (the first of many) for Catastrophic Haemorrhaging

A for Airway (at last) with a little c cos you're thinking c-spine injury

B for Breathing

C (again) for Circulation D for Disability (neurological that is)

All the E's for Expose/Examine/Environment/Evacuate

That last E for Evacuate can of course be exchanged for FGHI or F***ing Get to Hospital Immediately.

Confused? Let me explain from the first C...

There are two very important things for life, air is one of them, or Oxygen or O2, and the other is blood. Blood carries the Oxygen around the body to every single cell. Without O2 bits die. When enough of your bits are dead you can safely say that you will soon follow the trend and start dropping off, you will cease to be! Bereft of life you'll rest in peace! You'll be pushing up the daisies! Your metabolic processes will be history! You'll kick the bucket, shuffle off your mortal coil,run down the curtain and join the bleedin' choir invisible!!

Sorry, got a bit of Python stuck in my Blog.

The point is, blood is meant to go round and round. If it's pouring out, then no matter what you do to the casualties airway ain't going to matter a jot, cos he or she will be dead. The good news is that all bleeding stops... eventually.

So, you've stopped the sea of claret from getting any bigger, now you need to make sure the guy has an airway, if not, do something about it. Like the blood going round and round, air needs to go in and out. This may be as simple as tilting his head back, but it may mean getting a bit invasive. I'll not go into details here, because I'm not teaching all of you to be paramedics, that's what Holby is for!

That little 'c' can be quite a big thing. As if Mr Casualty has a broken neck (c-spine) you don't want to be wriggling him around much, if at all. So you make sure he has an airway (A) and it's working (B) make sure he's breathing!

It's C time again! Circulation, he needs to have that blood that you stopped leaking out, going round, so if he has no pulse, give him a pulse. It's called Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation or CPR, it has nothing to do with the Canadian Pacific Railway, trust me!

Here's a little tip. If Mr Horizontal has an airway but nothing is going in and out, chances are he won't have a pulse either, so start bouncing up and down on his ribs. If the mood takes you, after every 30 bounces, stick a couple of breaths into the guy. If you don't want to because he is covered in sick, blood, last night's curry or all of the above. Or maybe you can't because half of his face is missing, that's fine. You don't have to blow into him, but it helps if you can. Keep this up until the men from the Big Yellow Taxi Company show up... you did shout for Help didn't you? They can sort out the D and the EEEE's and the FGHI bits. You can then rest safe in the knowledge that you may have just saved a life, Simply by knowing that ABCDEFG is now GO DRS CAcBCDEEEEFGHI.

Oops! Silly me, I didn't say what the G and the O were for at the start.

GO for Gloves On. Well, I'm not touching the casualty, don't know where he's been!

If you think after reading my light hearted words above, "I can do that!" Good, I'm glad. BUT... Reading this is no substitute for good first aid training with a qualified trainer. If it's just Basic Life Support you want (see above) or maybe you work with kids and need a paediatric first aid course, I can help. If you're planning on crossing some massive ice sheet heading South, or maybe a sand bit in North Africa, I can advise you on what training and medical kit you'll need. In fact, even if you're going on an 'all-inclusive' to somewhere exotic, I may still be able to assist you. Do you know how clean the hospitals are in Goa for example?

Go on, give Beyond First Aid a call

One last thing. If you're thinking of hiring the Big Yellow Taxi Company, Don't! Unless it's an emergency of course!

Travel Myths

2011-11-08T13:36:00.000Z

I've come across some classics in my time, like

"I can't catch Leprosy, I'm not poor"

and

"Everest is the only place you can get sick from altitude"

The best one yet has to be

"I won't catch Malaria, I drink too much Gin"

WHAT?

Do these people actually believe what they're saying or were they just put on this planet to annoy those of us with brains?

I was in the Doctors Surgery this morning collecting some of the biggest tablets I've ever seen, when I saw this leaflet entitled There is no such thing as risk free travel. It had just been placed on the table in the waiting room by a kid who looked about 8 years old. Her Mum had just told her... now wait for it, this will knock your socks off... "We don't need that, we're going to Ghana not f***ing Africa" Now there are a few things that I should point out before I go any further.

Last time I looked, Ghana was in Africa
This is the very sort of person the leaflet was written for

and finally

Why was the woman 'f***ing' at an 8 year old?

Back to the leaflet. I had to read it after the Ghana/Africa comment, it's actually quite good. It's from the 8 weeks to go campaign guys funded by GlaxoSmithKline, in association with Fit For Travel, The Royal College of Nursing and that Know Before You Go bunch from Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Like me, 8 Weeks To Go are trying to educate Brits about the importance of getting advice before you travel overseas. It's far better to ask questions and be told not to worry you're perfectly safe, rather than go to Ghana for example (which is still in Africa) not knowing about Malaria, that is a risk all year long. Not to mention Dracunculiasis, Dengue Fever, Leishmaniasis, Rabies, Schistosomiasis, I could go on to say what foods to avoid like cold buffets and butter or cream, I could tell you all about the dysentery, both amoebic and bacillary, but hey, they're not going to Africa.

What I'm trying to say is, if you are planning on going overseas, no matter where it is, ask at your Doctors Surgery for advice. Check out the links above, or even ask me. It does say travel advice on my new letterheads after all. If you need jabs, make sure you get them in time, if you need to take extra medicines with you, guess what, make sure you get them in time. So how much time do you need? Did I say this leaflet was from 8 weeks to go?

To quote the leaflet...

Given the potential risk of infectious disease associated with overseas travel, can you afford not to seek travel advice 6-8 weeks before travel?

RICE anyone?

2011-11-02T14:49:00.000Z

In the staffroom at the 'day job', there sits a bunch of reusable ice packs. Now I supplied these things and put them in the freezer (where they live) Next day, I see some have gone downstairs to the fridge, so I send them back to the cold box like naughty little kids. Next day, would you believe it? They are back in the fridge again. These pesky little scamps don't seem to want to stay in the freezer so I put a sign on the door advising staff as to the correct location of the ice packs and that any seen moving to the fridge should be told off and sent back to -20 degrees immediately. Now a member of staff, who has the safety of the ice packs at heart asks me why they have been sent to the freezer when the fridge is quite cold too. I point out the little word we throw around on first aid courses when teaching about sprains and strains RICE. Now this stands for

Rest
Ice
Compression and
Elevation

Not Rest, Slightly Chilly, Compression, Elevation... Need I say more? Apart from the following drivel is a copy of the poster that now adorns the wall in the afore mentioned staffroom.

Injuries areno fun, but too little or too much ice can leave the body's healing mechanismsout in the cold.

Applying ice to injuries can help healing in severalways. Firstly, cold constricts blood vessels, which reduces blood flow to andswelling around the injury site. Ice also numbs the area, which reduces yourpain and helps to prevent muscle spasms. Finally, lowering the temperature ofthe injured area slows the area's cellular processes, which can actually helpto limit tissue damage.

Removing an ice pack after a brief cooling periodis important because your skin, although tough, is sensitive and doesn't get usedto the cold from directly applied ice packs or bags. Believe it or not, yourisk developing frostbite and, in severe cases, nerve and tissue damage whenyou leave your body exposed to extreme cold for long stretches of time. Also,when the skin cools below 15ºC, the body tries to counteract the cold byopening blood vessels in the affected area to increase blood flow, exactly whatyou don't want if you're hoping for a speedy healing process!

So, nexttime you get a boo-boo, try some ice: on for ten – fifteen minutes. You canrepeat this cycle several times during the day to maximize the benefits of icewithout risking further tissue damage. Whether you're using a bag of frozenveggies, an ice pack, or plain old ice in a plastic bag, make sure to wrap athin towel or bandage around either the ice or the injured area to protect yourskin.

It'salways a good idea to consult with a qualified expert following an injury,professionals will be able to assess the nature of your injury and will makesure you are on the right path towards full recovery.

Reusable hot/cold therapy packs shouldnever be used on an injury where the skin has been broken, as getting aninfection from someone else’s injury is never a bonus you want to win. Singleuse chemical packs are available. They’re inexpensive, easy to use and hygienic

At the otherend of the temperature scale, hot packs will assist in increasing circulation,with temporary relief to muscle aches, back pain, sinusitis or menstrualcramps.

Hyperventilation

2011-10-22T22:09:00.000+01:00

"I can't breathe, it feels like something is stuck in my throat!" said the young guy after his bout, fight, or whatever it's called when kids do judo. He clearly was breathing because he just spoke to me. If anything he was over doing it and hyperventilating (breathing to much). Yep, it is possible to overdose on the very stuff that keeps us all alive. Or should I say, it's possible to have too much oxygen in your system which forces down the level of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and this is where the problems start, as its CO2 that tells your brain that you need to take another breath. Confused? Thought so! I'll keep this as simple as I can, I'll even make it a list.

Young lad breathing too fast
Mildly aggressive or attention seeking behaviour
Tingling in hands and fingers (also in feet but not in this case)
Feeling of being strangled
Pain in chest
Panicking

All classic signs, symptoms, call it what you want, of hyperventilation. So, what do you do about it? OK here's another list...

If there is something causing stress, remove it from the equation or take the person away from it, or, as in this case, get bystanders to walk away.
Be firm, polite, but firm and reassure them.
Get the casualty to... what was it the Prime Minister said? "Calm down Dear!"
Lower the oxygen level and raise the CO2. How? I hear you say, well there is always the good old paper bag trick, but I'm a bit more high-tech than that...

This lad was acting like he was going to die if he didn't get drugs, "you must have an inhaler or something!" maybe I did, but I wasn't giving it to him. He wasn't having an asthma attack after all. I got a cylinder of gas, and told him to take deep, slow breaths, "in, hold it, out" this seemed to do the trick, he held on to the mask like his life depended on it. I was in charge now, so I told him when to breathe this magic stuff in, when to hold it and when to breathe out. He was soon on the mend. The look of panic went from his face and he stopped squeezing my hand like he was trying to rip my fingers off. He told me that the pain in his chest was going and his behaviour settled down.
So what was this magic gas that did such a fine job of restoring the lads health? Nothing much, no seriously, nothing. I didn't connect the mask to the gas cylinder. It was an oxygen cylinder anyway. He was hyperventilating, so the last thing I wanted to do was give him more oxygen, but he didn't know that. All he was doing was breathing in and out of a mask with a bit of tube stuck on it. But the nice medic made him better with this magic gas. Yeah, I'm nice like that!
Now, after my little lesson, everyone of you will know what to do if you find a mate hyperventilating, so I can relax and go watch telly.

Oh, one last thing, here's a new word for you...
PLACEBO
Go look it up ;o)

Your First Aid Kit is Obsolete!

2011-10-18T08:26:00.001+01:00

"Old specification first aid kits such as the HSE 10, 20 and 50 person kits are not compliant with the new British Standard and will soon become obsolete."

What a load of tripe!

This really get's up my nose... I've may have told you that already!

Had any emails from companies trying to sell you any over priced "New BS-8599 First Aid Kits" because your first aid kit is going to be obsolete? Well if you have, delete it! If you get any flyers from first aid suppliers trying to palm off an over priced kit because your one/s will self destruct any second, bin 'em.

Seriously... File 13 for the lot, throw them all in room 101. Do your bit for the planet and stick it all in the nearest recycle bin.

If you have an analog TV, chances are it MAY stop working, but get someone to fit a 'thingamiebob' or a new 'whatjamacallit' and it will pick up a digital signal. My point is, don't throw your old telly away because someone tries to sell you a new, all singing, all dancing TV that will almost cost you 3 months wages, when your old one works. OK so it may need a tweek.

The same applies to your first aid kit. Here's my example... Mrs D has been working in the same school for 15 years as a receptionist/administrator/first aider. All her qualifications are up to date and what she doesn't know about her job, well, frankly it isn't worth knowing. Now Mrs D is the one who gets all the first aid kit for the school. She doesn't get HSE refills and she certainly won't be getting a new BS-8599 First Aid Kit for anyone. See the thing is, she has been doing this for ages and she knows what first aid equipment the school uses better than any sales person and better than any bloke sat in a BS-8599 office somewhere.

The fact of the matter is, nowhere does it say "you must get a BS-8599 first aid kit or you will burn in hell" nor does it say you must throw away any HSE kits you have because they may self destruct at any moment. HSE kits are fine for your every day I-don't-know-what-to-get-but-I-know-I-need-a-kit-on-my-office-wall-because-the-law-says-I-have-to-look-after-my-staff kind of guy. Someone who works in the BS-8599 department has noticed (through research) that people run out of plasters faster than triangular bandages, they also have now admitted that having a burn type dressing in a workplace is maybe not a bad idea after all. "AH!" "But I don't work with anything hot!" I hear you say. Drink Tea? Got a kettle in your office? Stick a burn type dressing in your kit! Ask my friend M! She'll tell you all about burn dressings and how easily burns can happen when arm meets half made cup of tea at a Parent Teacher meeting. Not usually the place you would expect an accident to happen.

So, what's the point of all my ranting? Well, don't throw away your old first aid kit. Keep it topped up with things you use. Check things are not out of date, and that the packets are still intact. If you find that you've run out of plasters, give me a call and I'll sell you a new packet of plasters. I won't sell you a new BS-8599 kit because you more than likely don't need one. IF, and only if, you don't have a first aid kit, if you're the boss at a place of work, if you employ people, Then, and only then will I sell you a new BS-thingy-kit, because they are a good place to start. If you're not sure what you need, give me a call and I'll advise you over the phone, and I don't even charge for that.

But, as for those flyers saying you MUST get a BS-8599 first aid kit... it's bonfire night soon if you get my meaning.

Did I mention that I sell first aid equipment?

Steve Blethyn

Beyond First Aid

Burns Night

2011-10-11T23:34:00.000+01:00

No not Robbie! Burns as in "Ouch! That's hot" type burns. It's outdoor party in the cold and dark season soon so get prepared for some burns and scalds. 'Cos you just know they're going to happen.

Halloween, Guy Fawkes, drunken bbq's in the dark, we've all done it! So what do you do if the worst happens and something (hot) contacts skin (yours)? Apart from scream that is!

First off, we need to stop the burning bit. This means taking away the heat. Sounds obvious I know. Get the burn under cold running water if possible and keep it there for 10 minutes, yeah that's going to seem like forever but hey, I'm not the one with a burn. Do this as soon as possible but within 20 minutes of the burn taking place (if possible). Never use ice, iced water or any creams or greasy substances, such as butter.Now this bit is going to sound counter productive, but keep warm. Cover the casualty with a blanket or coats, but avoid the injured bits. This is to prevent hypothermia occurring, (you may be outside, in the cold, and someone has just poured water over you). This is a particular risk in very young or old. Cover the burn with a layer of cling film but don't wrap it around a limb. A clean, clear plastic bag can be used for burns on your hands or feet. Good thing about cling film, plastic etc, is that it won't stick to the burn, medics (if you called them) can see through it without having to take it off, and you can stick it under the cold tap. Remember the cold water is to cool the burn , not soak it. So, clingfilm rocks!

Paracetamol or ibuprofen are OK for pain relief, but read the leaflets that come with whatever it is you are taking.

If the burn is large, deep, or both, guess what... it's A+E for you!

A good thing to keep in your first aid kit is Burnshield, Reliburn etc. Emergency first aid burn dressing, relieves pain, cools & comforts, helps prevent contamination and is non-adherent, safe for use on all types of burns. You can also get a spray version and I bet you can guess who sells it ;o)

Next time I'm using arm bands

2011-08-28T12:16:00.001+01:00

All the gear for this challenge was supplied by Decathlon

I usually advise people about safety and staying ‘injury and disease free’. So what on earth possessed me (not a strong swimmer) to jump into the River Kennet, with its rusty shopping trolleys and discarded TVs, and gnarly old sticky-out-bits that could rip your leg off when you jump in? I know all about gnarly old sticky-out-bits because I found one, but it takes more than a scratch to stop me. Then swim past a not-busy-enough shopping centre, knowing that the press would be there with their cameras. I was wearing a pair of Speedos that just covered enough to stop me getting arrested and a highly conspicuous, bright red figure-hugging top, and there’s a lot of figure to hug, believe me! Had I been drinking? Was I on some kind of recreational substance that you can’t get in a chemist? Had I had a bang on the head?

I had a wee dram the night before, true. I never touch the other stuff and the bang on the head was 25 years ago… 25 years? Blimey, where did those years go? Anyway, can’t blame anything on my madness apart from the bang on the head.

I used to wear khaki for a living and walk around with a metal tube that went bang when I squeezed it. Now and then I’d come across people who didn’t like me doing my job and would aim their bang-bang-tubes in my direction. Sometimes, some of these people would throw bottles of petrol at me with burning rags in the top to help keep me warm. The glass always smashed though so the fire got too big too fast. When some of us went to this big sandy place, some people used to bury things in the ground that would make a loud noise when you went past or stepped on it. I used to shout “Surprise!” but it didn’t have the same effect. Anyway, one day one of these people was swinging a large lump of wood around when I came walking down the road and it hit me in the head. Didn’t even see it coming, but it must have been a big bit of wood because it fractured my skull, broke my nose, gave me two black eyes and I needed 11 stitches to keep my eye in. It even snapped off the odontoid process from my axis, so I spent several weeks staring at the ceiling while it got better.

Sorry, slipped into medical talk then…

“…snapped off the odontoid process from my axis” = broke my neck

So as you can imagine, I was a mess. Now bones heal and bruises fade, even the scar where the stitches were is hard to see unless I point it out. You can still see a lump on my head above my right eye but that’s nothing to write about, says he, writing about it. It’s what goes on inside that takes time, sometimes it never gets better. Take a look here. I was lucky, everything went back to normal after a while, but I still spent ages trying to learn how to talk again. Doing mental arithmetic was hard for a while, if I gave someone a pound note (remember them) I had to think hard how much change to expect if the thing I was getting cost 90p. What I had was an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Aside from the physical trauma the mental pain can go on and on. It can drive you mad because people think you’re OK when inside you are still finding it hard to do everyday stuff.

Justin Miles

Justin Miles is another Brain Injury survivor, and when I saw he was kayaking from The Bristol Channel to The English Channel to raise awareness and hopefully a bit of cash for Children with ABI then I just had to join in. I was going to borrow a mate’s kayak and paddle through Reading alongside Justin, but he was using it a competition somewhere. (Poor excuse) so I asked if anyone else could lend me a kayak, canoe, rubber ring, driftwood, anything that would float, so that I could give Just some moral support on his challenge. Nothing, not even an offer of some armbands. So there was nothing for it, I’d have to swim. Like I said, I’m not a strong swimmer by any stretch of the imagination, and as for style, let’s not even go there. But this was for charity; I wanted to make a big splash, which I did. What colour will stand out? How can I make myself look ridiculous enough to get an interest from the press and make people ask “why?”

So that is why a middle-aged man who should know better, jumped into a river wearing red budgie smugglers, swam through Reading town centre thrashing around like a dying swan caught in a fishing net. Stopped to talk to the press then carried on along the Kennet.

I was not alone though, Justin was in his Kayak, Melanie Gow and her two sons were in a canoe she borrowed from a friend. (She borrowed it for me but I was already committed to my Speedos) Daniel Martin who can swim, boy can he swim, was in the water showing me how it should be done, and The A-Team aka The Shanks Family were on the river banks collecting money, making sure people got fed, transporting equipment from A to B, and generally being a fantastic support crew.

Me and The A-Team!

Dan Martin

Vikie Shanks - Mum and Head of Support Crew and Melanie Gow - PR, Borrower of Canoe and drop of sanity in a mad world (only a little drop mind)

So what on earth possessed me to jump into the River Kennet?

The Children’s Trust and some of the finest people you could spend a day on the river with, that’s what!

You can make a donation to the Children's Trust here!

This little day out was sponsored by

Thank You to the store in Reading!

I used to be a surveyor you know?

2011-08-25T12:44:00.001+01:00

I'm not on about measuring buildings or drawing maps, I'm on about the "can I ask you a few questions" type of survey.
Thing is, I'm a bit of a nosey bugger sometimes and this is one of those times. I have a few questions I'd like to ask, and if you could spare a minute, maybe two, I'd be extremely grateful.

Thank in advance

Click here to take survey

...oh, and just in case you were wondering, the answer is Yes!

I did used to be a buildings and maps type of surveyor!

Paddle Anyone?

2011-08-24T18:10:00.001+01:00

Got up today knowing I had a day off from the boring day job (facilities) So I sat down with a coffee and thought to myself, "What shall I do today?" I made a mental list, and it went a bit like this.

Walk the dogs
Get some hot water for the campers outside
Have a shower
Check on the guys working on some carpentry
Sort the plumbers out
Swim up the Kennet behind a guy in a kayak wearing a budgie smuggler

Not your usual day off I guess, but then I'm not your usual bloke. I'll try anything once. I'll raise awareness for children with Aquired Brain Injuries, I'll swim in trolley infested waters, and I'll even walk around in public in trunks that are smaller than the eye patches in my first aid kit. BUT... I draw the line at shopping.

Note to self... go back to the sponsors and get some trunks that cover more of me. Thanks again to Decathlon for kitting me out in my gear.

Anyway, you're not here for my story, you want to know where Justin Miles is, take a look below and all will be revealed, actually no, there has been quite enough revealing for one day thank you.

Don't forget, you can click on the map for a bigger view.

Channel to Channel

2011-08-23T14:59:00.001+01:00

Last night a strange couple of alien craft appeared by my back gate, they were pulsing and swaying like they had a life of their own. I wasn’t sure if they were friendly or not at first, so I took care not to startle to occupants. They were big blue things, the craft that is not the occupants, and looked familiar. Then I saw a strange site. Justin Miles poked his head out and said, “Where’s my brandy?” then I realised that the alien craft were indeed a couple of tents being erected by his support crew as he paddles from Channel to Channel. As I type this snippet of information he is paddling towards Theale on the last part of the River Kennet until it joins the Thames in Reading. If you notice the blue dots on the map, that’s not an indication of the colour of the water but my skin, because I’ll be swimming alongside him then. I’ll be passing the Oracle as hundreds of festival goers top up on booze supplies for Reading, if any of their small change drops into the collection pots being carried by the support crew on the bank, then my cyanosis will be worth it!

Later peeps! I’ve got a Budgie to Smuggle!

For all you Reading people out there (and anyone who is interested) The Crazy Paddler aka Justin Miles is here...

and for those of you who don't know Reading that well, here is a zoomed out version...

Where's Just?

2011-08-21T14:30:00.003+01:00

I'm keeping track of Justin Miles (unofficially) so that all you Just Fans out there know where he's at (ish) Not so much GPS as SGPS (Steve's Guessing Position Speculation)

Anyway, he's here about now, if now is 14:30 on Sunday 21st August.

Oh! and for those of you who are here for the first time, scroll down to "My New Friends" and "Budgie Smugglers" for the full story.

The red dots are where Just is heading. If picture is too small, click on it for larger version.

Due to getting a 'dry land' quote last night, the above location is a Blethyn Guesstimate

Location via Twitter at 13:40 today (Monday)

"More lovely locks to negotiate....nearly lost Justin at a really deep one !!"

My new friends

2011-08-20T13:39:00.003+01:00

Decathlon in Reading have done me proud. Not only have I got something to smuggle a budgie in, but I can keep the belly warm, grit out of my eyes and stop the bed of the Thames attacking my feet.

We did draw the line at the flippers but I can picture the scene now, I'd look like Mobby Dick floating past the Oracle.

Thanks to Matt, for printing the shirt, and Antoine the Operations and Customer service Manager for all his help and advice

As an unofficial time keeper, I can let you know that Justin stopped at Keynsham to 'refuel' at about 2:15 today...

Just after 7 tonight (20th August) Justin gets to Bathampton.

I'm sure he's got a motor on the back of that thing!

Budgie Smugglers

2011-08-18T20:56:00.003+01:00

Why is a bloke, known for his blogs about first aid and wilderness stuff, suddenly talking about the illegal export/import of small Australian parrots?

If you've been paying attention, you'll know that I used to work in a school for kids with special needs, but I’ll talk about needs in a minute.

It all boils down to the lack of floating objects really, and the lack of funds. Hang in there, this gets good and it'll be as clear as mud in no time at all.

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start or so I’m told…

The Budgerigar, Common Pet Parakeet, Shell Parakeet or just good old Budgie, is a small, seed-eating parrot, and the only species in the Australian genus Melopsittacus. That's one of the little feathered beauties up above.

A Smuggler is a person involved in the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border. There are various motivations to smuggle, but most of them involve money.

So what do Budgie Smugglers (people who import small parrots illegally) have to do with needs, other than their own need to raise a quick buck? Like I said, these are special needs, and this is no ordinary Budgie, believe me.

There’s this bloke called Justin Miles, nice bloke, does stuff for charity sometimes bit like myself. Anyway, Justin had a bang on the bonce* a while back, messed his day up big time. Actually it was quite a bit longer than a day but he’s all fixed now. He knows how hard it can be to recover from a bang on the noggin* as it’s not just about bruises and broken bones (Is this the first aid bit? No not yet). It can be so much more than that. It can screw up every aspect of your life because inside that hard shell called a skull is a very sensitive bit of kit called a brain. It’s the hard drive if you like. It tells you to breath, makes you sleep, wake up, lets you know how to communicate with others, and even tells muscles in your legs to move in the right order so that you can walk, clever eh? So imagine if its wiring gets damaged. You might have some of those needs I mentioned earlier. You might need someone to help feed you. Maybe you find it hard to walk, not because you’ve hurt your legs but because there’s nobody telling the muscles what to do, a hard enough time for anyone, even a strong adult like Justin. Now imagine you have all those needs and some more on top, now imagine you’re a child. It’s just got a whole lot harder.

“But that’s what Mums and Dads are for” Really? You think? OK they will do everything in their power to help their child, but it’s tough times like this when the experts come in handy. Experts like The Children’s Trust.

The Children’s Trust provides care, education, therapy and rehabilitation to children with multiple disabilities, complex health needs and acquired brain injury. Justin is doing his bit to raise awareness and maybe a few quid to help them do what they do best, help kids. He is going to get in his Kayak in the Bristol Channel and start paddling. He will be pointing East, and won’t stop until he get’s to the English Channel. Now that’s some paddle. I’m going to do my bit to help support Justin. I’ve sponsored him here, go on don’t be shy, click on it and sponsor him too. I’m also going to support him in person. As he gets near Reading, Berkshire, I’m going to hopefully get in the water with him. With a bit of luck there will be loads of people in the water by then so it’ll be a good laugh. Now I’m having trouble finding a suitable floatation device, or kayak, or canoe, or even a large inner tube. So I may have to resort to the afore mentioned ‘Budgie Smuggling’

STOP! I hear you say, the poor little feathered thing will drown.

Now you know as well as the next person, Budgies are not the only thing to come out of Australia, but the land down under is also famous for a few other legal exports. Fosters larger, coal, iron ores, wool, beef, barley, raw sugar and Speedos! So if I can’t find a boat of some description by Wednesday at the latest, it’s down to these…


Oh! Like that!

BREAKING NEWS

I was just starting to panic about getting afloat through the murky waters of Reading when the very nice people at Decathlon in Reading came to the rescue with a shiny new pair of goggles and a snug little red number, so it's action stations and watch out Reading, here we come!

Must be Jelly 'cos Jam don't wobble like that!

2011-08-13T15:37:00.000+01:00

There has been a bit in the news lately about jellyfish and how they can sting and maim people and how they are showing up around the coasts of the UK, so I thought I’d pass on what I know about the things in the form of a “FLOG” or First Aid Blog. I just made that up, good eh? Oh well, whatever!

Man of War

Man o' War washed up on a beach

When I say Man of War I'm not talking about Arnold Swatsisface or even Chuck Norris. No, I'm talking about a ball of slime that can sting and even kill a human. The Portuguese Man of War, Bluebottle or a jelly-like marine invertebrate, as my friends over at the FCO would say.

To start with lets get the facts right. The Portuguese Man of War (MoW) is not actually a jellyfish, in fact it is not even an ‘it’ but more of a collection of several ‘its’ It is a siphonophore, or a collection of several separate organisms, confused? Good ‘cos I am too, so let’s get on with the hurty bit.

The MoW can and does sting several thousand people each year, yep, thousands. Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like marks that last a couple of days to a week, though the pain should subside after about an hour or two. But… a sting may lead to an allergic reaction which is where the trouble really starts. Anaphylactic shock, along with interference with the heart and lungs can cause death, although this is extremely rare.

Ouch!

If you’re unfortunate enough to get stung by a MoW try avoid any further contact with it, (don’t pick it up). If you’re in the water, get out, if you have found the thing on a beach, leave it alone and move away. Carefully remove any remnants of tentacles from the skin, using gloves if available or a passing stick, towel or bit of seaweed. Wash with sea water if possible, not fresh water as this can make things worse. Then, after the sea water, if you can, wash with water as hot as you can stand, this neutralises the toxins, thereby easing the pain.

If eyes have been affected they should be washed with tap water for 15 minutes. Seek medical advice every time, these are your eyes remember and I don’t know about you, but I only have two and I’ve grown to be quite fond of them. If you experience blurred vision, pain, swelling, or if light hurts your eyes, call 999 or 112.

Despite what some people say, do not use vinegar as this will make things worse. Remember, the MoW is not a jellyfish and the venom is different. Vinegar can also cause bleeding when used on the less severe stings of other similar species.

Jellyfish

Unlike the free floating, I-go-where-the-wind-takes-me MoW I mentioned above, jellyfish can swim. They’re not vertebrates and they’re not even fish so like the scientist who told me about them, I’m going to just call them Jellies.

Some Jellies can sting using tentacles, some may be uncomfortable even if non-toxic, some hurt like hell and some can see you off. Some jellies are quite simply a ball of slime and are not dangerous at all, but unless you are a jelly expert, and can say which one is which, stay away from the things. They are sometimes so transparent that this is impossible to do in the water so there is a chance you may come in contact with them while swimming in the sea. What to do, if you’re stung? First get out of the water, this, if nothing else takes away the drowning part of the scenario.

As with the MoW, don’t touch. If you are the first aider and grab the jelly to remove it from the casualty, we now have two casualties. Not good. Remove it by using the back of a knife, or even a safety razor, as this will remove any stingers the jelly left you with. If you are dry and can see, possibly hundreds of stingers in you, one thing to consider may be waxing the area. Seriously! If it removes hair from the ladies legs or a “back, sack and crack”, it’ll pull out unwanted jelly stingers. The heat from the wax being put on you will also help. For stings on or around the eyes, use a cloth or lint free bandage soaked in seawater to pat the area with avoiding the eyeballs themselves. Again, don’t use fresh water as this can cause more venom to be released. Also, don’t believe the wives tales that peeing on stings helps, it doesn’t, and it can make things much worse, especially if it’s me you’re peeing on, if you get my meaning.

Summary

Even a dead, dying, washed up on the beach jelly or MoW can still sting so don’t touch.
If you get stung while in water, get out
Get rid of whatever it is holding onto you without touching it if you can
Wash with the water you were swimming in, this reduces the chance of upsetting the stingers and making them fire more toxin into you
Then wash with the hottest water you can stand
If pain persists or is intense, if there is an extreme allergic reaction, the rash gets worse, or you just feel ill, seek medical advice.

Going somewhere nice?

2011-08-11T23:14:00.000+01:00

Now I don't want to be a kill-joy (Should that be one word? Sorry, thinking on my keyboard) but sometimes when people go on holiday, or visit the in-laws overseas, or even take a year out and travel the world, well, sometimes things can go pear shaped. You can get ill, (there are lots of nasty things out there), you could have an accident, yes, shit happens. So what are you going to do about it?

Seek medical advice of course, go and see a doctor, or get something from the local chemist. Yeah right, but you're in Namibia and the nearest chemist is, well, who knows. So lets look at a few of the obvious things first...

Insurance

Health insurance is essential but check repatriation is included.

Personal Medications

Take enough of your personal stuff to last. These may not be easy to get hold of where you're going and they may be called something different. Paracetamol for example, would you know to ask for Acetaminophen in America? There's nothing worse than getting ill knowing there loads of your tablets at home.
Whatever you take overseas, carry the paperwork to show what it is, carry it in it's original packaging, with the label from the chemist to show that it's yours. This goes for the Sterile kits that Beyond First Aid can supply for the prevention of blood borne infections. Customs don't like people taking needles through their airports without good reason. If you can, get a doctor's letter or certificate.

A First Aid Kit

You didn't think I was going to forget these did you?

Medications: these may include paracetamol, ibuprofen or antacids.
Diarrhoea: Like I've already said, shit happens so take some fluid replacement powders.
Minor injuries: gauze squares, non-adherent dressings, bandages, plasters, adhesive tape, scissors, tweezers, jaffa tape (no that's not a typo) jaffa like the cake, or is that a biscuit?
Bites: insect repellents and an antihistamine cream for when repellents fail. A venom pump is also a good idea for removing toxins in case of bites and stings. Bet you can't guess who sells these.
Sterilising water: tablets, UV light, filters etc.
Sun exposure: sun-block and a cream for when you look like a lobster.
Infections: antibiotics are useful for those heading out to the wilderness, as a good dose of infection can ruin your day. I can advise but can't prescribe these so go to your Doctor.
Malaria: you will need to take preventive tablets if going to certain areas where there is high risk.These need to be started before you go so see your Doctor as soon as you know you're off on your travels.
Sterile pack: take a sterile pack for prevention of blood-borne nasties as not everywhere has facilities as good as us here in the UK.
You can't beat a good first aid course, and I know just the guy to teach you. Click here to contact him. Failing that, at least take a first aid book. Yes I do, before you ask!

Why Beyond First Aid supports Justin Miles?

2011-07-21T01:00:00.000+01:00

Right, it's a nice sunny day, you're a 14 year old lad walking home from rugby, or was it football, cricket maybe, you play so many sports it's hard to keep up. Anyway, you're walking home because your Mum and Dad said they need to go shopping. Not a problem for you as you're perfectly fit, and live only a 5 minute walk from the club. Your head is spinning because your team just thrashed the visiting side by quite a bit, almost got the club record if my memory serves me well. Later you might bump into that girl from that posh school in Reading that you've had your eye on for ages. What a day, what a fantastic day. Now your life seems almost perfect. Then your head starts spinning again. Not the thought of sports or girls this time, this time your head is spinning because the door mirror on the van speeding up the road just hit you on the back of your head.

Life ain't so perfect anymore is it?

Skip forwards a year or two. Now all you can remember is what happened yesterday. Anything older than 24 hours and it's like it never happened. In fact anything that happens before you go to sleep has gone, totally gone when you wake up again. You know your name, but only because your Mum and the staff at the school tell you it every day. Dad doesn't tell you your name any more. He committed suicide a few months ago, racked with guilt that you need to be fed by a tube, and sit in a wheelchair all day because he took your Mum shopping. It doesn't matter to you though because you can't even remember your Dad any more, or your Mum, even if she does dress and bath you all the time. Nope, life ain't so good any more!

Creative writing? No! I used to work in a school for kids with special needs and every word above is true. Conrad (not real name) was a lad in this school who used to be a sporty, fit young boy with his whole life ahead of him. Then in a split second it was all gone. Severe cranial trauma, brain damage, severed spinal cord, I wont go on.

Justin Miles (real name) knows all about brain injuries, I'm too lazy to tell you all about him, so I feel a copy/paste coming on... he won't mind!

Take it away Just...

"In March 1999 I had a car accident which dramatically changed my life. The resulting brain injuries left me having to learn basic functions like walking and talking virtually from scratch – but that wasn’t the hardest part of my recovery.

The tough parts, I found, were based around other people. Friends and family who knew me and were fully aware of what had happened didn’t really know how best to help and weren’t really sure how to act and react around me."

OK Just, this is my Blog, I'll take it from here! (if you want the rest of this story from Justin Miles, click on his name) I would, it's worth a read)

Anyway... moving swiftly on, Justin is doing something that some may say is slightly mad. He's going to travel under his own steam, from one side of the country to the other... he's going to kayak from one side of Britain to the other through its inland waterways. The trip would begin in the Bristol Channel and finish, as far as possible, in the English Channel. See, I told you he was slightly bonkers. Rich coming from someone who walks home from the pub, all 42 miles of it, then walks home from Glasgow airport. (I live in Reading) So I know all about mad.

He is raising money for The Children's Trust
The Children’s Trust is a national charity that provides the best possible care, therapy and education for children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs, in partnership with their families and other carers. They offer both residential and community-based rehabilitation services for children and young people with acquired brain injury (ABI).

So what have we got?

I know about how children's lives can be destroyed in a second.
Justin knows first hand about Acquired brain injury.
Justin is doing something to raise awareness (and cash) for The Children's Trust
I want to help him

What else do you need to know? This, for starters! http://www.justgiving.com/channel2channel

Follow Justin on Twitter
If you're reading this, chances are you already follow me, but here I am anyway
We'll both be knocking on about this until you get the hint, and more than likely long after you do too! Please do a little bit to help, you don't even have to spend any money, take a look at how you can do your bit! CLICK HERE Go on, you know you want to!

Oh! One last thing, if you've read this far, thanks and please tell your followers, friends, contacts or whatever people are called this week.

You need a new BS 5899 HSE First Aid Kit, it's the law!

2011-07-07T22:36:00.001+01:00

Crap!

Sorry, but there's no other way of putting it. Let me get this straight right from the start...

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN HSE FIRST AID KIT

There, I said it, I just upset all the people in the world who supply first aid kits, yep, even the ones that sell to me! Look at it like this, how can anyone say they sell first aid kits that are approved for the workplace? What is a workplace? A place where people go to work! Might sound a bit obvious but it's a fact. So, design a first aid kit that will suit every single workplace, that way every time a person goes to work they will know that they have a suitable kit... it'll be the biggest bloody first aid kit in the known universe but a standard kit suitable for everyone. Have I lost you yet?

Thought so, right, Mrs Bloggs goes to work in a smart little outfit she got from Marks and Sparks, and open toe shoes she picked up at the sales last week. Mrs Bloggs works in a library, nice quiet place most of the time, though she did get a paper cut back in 1986, nasty one it was, even her 2 members of staff said it looked painful. Mr Bloggs on the other hand, has to wear steel toe capped boots, not you normal boots cos these ones are huge and have big leather bits that cover half his leg. He wears a massive outfit made of something that could stop a scud missile in it's tracks. Blacked out visor to protect his face, ear defenders and a hard hat top off this seasons foundry look. Now I can't tell you how many plasters, burn dressings and bandages this place gets through, but if they got the stuff from me I could retire early. They employ over 1500 staff, work in dark, hot, dangerous conditions and work long hours coming home filthy dirty and knackered. Do you honestly think the library and foundry use the same first aid kits? I think not!

So when you get the latest newsletter from your first aid supplier saying you MUST buy a new first aid kit, throw it in the bin. Speak to your boss, because it is his or her job to make sure you have stuff you need (loads of plasters for all those paper cuts)

Sure, suppliers are going to sell 'HSE First Aid Kits' but these are based on the Health and Safety Executive recommendations, there is no law that says you MUST get them and hang them proudly on your office wall, and I can tell you for nothing, they will not be suitable for every workplace.

Here's the deal, if you are not sure what you need give me a call, if you do know what you need, give me a call. If you have not understood a word I have said but think a nice new first aid kit would, now I mention it, look quite nice against the pale blue of the office walls, call me and I'll sell you one. BUT... I'll only sell you one with things in that you'll actually need.

I'll make this as easy for you as I can...

I sell first aid equipment
I can teach you how to use it
Call 07784 585 408 and quote "there's no such thing as an HSE first aid kit" and get 10% off (offer closes 31st December)
email admin@beyondfirstaid and one of us will call you to discuss your needs

There's more...
I know what you're saying. "I'm off on a trip to the Great Victorian Desert unsupported, then I'm heading to K2, then circumnavigating the globe via both poles, bet you can't supply me with a kit to cover that little lot can you? There will be snake bites, insects to deal with, extremes of temperature, not to mention possible altitude related illnesses, bet you can't cover that lot can you?" Well, actually... in a word, YES!
Let me know where you're travelling to, and I'll tell you what vaccinations you'll need, what illnesses are found in the countries you're visiting, I'll tell you where to find safe healthcare and even give you a kit that you can take to the dentist if you need a filling in some place where the hygiene may not be as good as that you're used to. (Dr. N'anga has strange ideas on sterility)
So you see, if it's a small kit for the car or bathroom cupboard, a large amount of 'approved' kits for your new offices or a bespoke kit for your adventures around the globe, I can sort you out. So give me a call, you might be glad you did!

Did I mention I can sort you out with a kit for your cat, dog, horse etc?

Beyond First Aid

2011-06-12T22:53:00.000+01:00

Hold on to your hats, something new is about to hit the web...

I can't say too much but it looks like this...

Jaffa!

2011-06-07T22:02:00.000+01:00

That's right, Jaffa! What does that mean to you?

Now for lots of people it will mean those biscuits, or are they cakes, those things with the orange bit covered in chocolate. For others it's the orange itself.
Jaffa is an ancient port and is believed to be one of the oldest in the world. It's even slang for quite a few different things and even a term for a cricket ball that's hard to hit, or so I'm told!
Jaffa to me is none of those things, at least not any more it isn't.

It all changed the other day. I was at a motorcross event as medical cover should someone come a cropper and end up inverted in a hedge somewhere with limbs missing. Luckily this didn't happen to anyone, but one guy did go apex over anchor over his tool box and whack his bonce. Anyway, I was chatting to Keith (another medic) about some courses I'm re-writing, wilderness stuff for the outdoor type medics like myself.

Being a medic far from anywhere means that I don't have the luxury of a fully equipped front line ambulance, and have to make do with what I can carry, which up until now has included gaffa tape, I take it everywhere with me. Trouble with this is I keep loosing the stuff. Imagine putting it down on the floor of a Mongolian Ger at night, it's never seen again, leave it in a tree in a Columbian jungle and wave goodbye to it, this I know first hand.

Then Keith hands me this strange orange object. It looked familiar, like an old friend, but different somehow. I turned it over and although something was not quite as it should be, I felt a warm glow. It was a roll of 'Jaffa Tape' My dreams had come true. Never again would this medic loose his most important piece of equipment. The 'old' tape was good, it splints, it bandages, it makes slings, it has even been used in Nepal to hold in a line feeding vital fluids to a very sick man. You could say it saved lives, because it has. But now...

Never again will wound coverings look dull, spints will be more pleasing on the eye, bright orange, waterproof tape on someones foot will stop pain purely by brightening up their life, albeit for a short while.
Thank you Everbuild, from every future patient of mine. Be they up a mountain, crossing an ocean, or filming a new insect for an 'Attenborough' documentary, they can sleep safe in their beds knowing that the medic has a new tool in his armoury, JAFFA TAPE.

My medical kit is now complete

I was almost right!

2011-05-09T15:02:00.001+01:00

tick /tik/ n. various arachnids of the order Acarina, parasitic on the skin of dogs and cattle etc. colloq. an unpleasant or despicable little bugger that is high on my "I don't like you" list!

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about removing the offending beasts if you should be unlucky enough to find one attached.

There are a couple of things I should mention...

Don't use oils, potions and lotions, don't try and burn them or drown them with petroleum jelly. Doing these things will only upset the critter and make it sick, not good when it's mouth parts are buried in your skin, I think you'll agree.

Now I said that the only way to get rid of one was to be like Chubby Checker, and do the twist. I still stand by this and still suggest that a tick removal tool is used.

But, and I stand corrected here, (yes, even I make mistakes). My new friends at BADA-UK have asked me look again at the evidence if using pointed tweezers, so I did, carefully, and now I'll say this...

IF you have a tick removal tool, follow the instructions carefully. This will mean doing the twist.

BUT if you only have tweezers then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) advice against twisting as it is recognised that the uneven pressure applied to the tick's mouth parts can lead to these breaking away from the body of the tick. Unless you want to walk around with festering tick bits under your skin, which I'm advised is not a good look this season, follow this advice.
Now take a look at my new friends website. It's here where you can find everything you need to know about Ticks, removing them and the nasty stuff they can leave behind.

Oh, and one last thing, Ray Mears, you know the guy, bushcraft, survival type who scared Ewan McGregor half to death, and told the story of the real heroes of Telemark, yeah him. One of my heroes of the great outdoors, that's the fellow. Well, he's Patron of BADA-UK

Join this competition to win a great Petzl e+LITE!

2011-04-24T11:26:00.000+01:00

Join this competition to win a great Petzl e+LITE!

Bites, Snake - Treatment - NHS Choices

2011-04-23T23:40:00.000+01:00

Bites, Snake - Treatment - NHS Choices

Critters

2011-04-23T23:01:00.001+01:00

Slithery, crawling, buzzing, biting critters. Now that the sun has come out, there are critters all over the place. Being the UK most of these are harmless, but some can be annoying and we do have the odd nasty.

Adders and Ticks are the two that seem to be hitting the headlines in one way or another, so, being a nice chap, I'm going to let you all in on a few facts about the dynamic duo so you don't have to hunt the web or take a chance with online encyclopedias. I'll start with my favorite...

The Adder (the good guy)

Handsome little bugger isn't he...

In the UK the Adder is the only native venomous snake. He is not a killer though, not in the last 20 years or so anyway, so seeing one is no cause to panic. He's a placid fella, and would prefer to slope off and hide rather than come at you waving his fangs. If you are bitten though, you should recover after a while suffering only bruising, feeling sick, and sleepy. I'm not saying don't seek medical help, far from it. Get to a Dr as soon as possible. As for first aid, there isn't any. All you can do is to try and immobilise the affected limb, calm and reassure the victim. DO NOT try and do the Hollywood thing and suck out the poison from an adder bite or any other bite for that matter, from anything, ever, just don't OK!

Adders are protected by law so don't kill one if you see it, don't even handle it as this is after all how most people get bitten in the first place, and don't think you could make a quick buck by selling it to your mate who loves snakes, cos this is illegal too.

You can tell the adder by its dark zigzag running down its back and dark spots down the sides. If you get close enough to look him in the eye, you'll see a red eye that is split vertically (top to bottom). Don't think that if you find a black snake it's only a grass snake because this is also a variation of the adders clothing. He, or should I say she, is an odd one. She does not lay eggs like most reptiles but gives birth to perfectly formed little versions of herself.

I personally would be more worried about the next critter on my list...

The Tick (the bad guy)

Not such a handsome beast...

In fact, I'd go so far as to say these are ugly little ba****ds, and possibly one of my least favorite living things. They're vampires after all, livingon the blood of birds, some reptiles, or any mammal that happens to walk past, including you and me! Because they can suck the blood of just about anything, they can carry the nasties that may be found in just about anything too. They can even pass on disease to its young, so larva, nymph and adult, are capable of transmitting diseases on to you.

They usually live in moist shady areas of grass, on bushes or in leaf litter. They are most active in the summer months but don't rule out a bite in a warmer winter. Don't think that your safe because you live in Lodon away from the countryside. Ticks are plentiful in Londons parks and cases of Lyme disease have been found there too.

Some people will tell you that a tick has to be on you for two or three days for you to get a disease from one, basically that's rubbish!

Ehrlichia for example can be passed on to you almost immediately a tick sticks its blood sucker in to you, and that's the thanks you get for taking a tick off your dog. Thankfully this is rare in the UK, so far. Babesiosis is another gift from out 8 legged friends. Babesiosis has symptoms similar to my old nemesis, malaria. Shaking chills, fever and anemia are on the list along with other delights such as sudden cardiac death and/or respiratory failure. Again, luckily this is rare in the UK but young, old or people with immunodeficiency disorders are most at risk. Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis is the most common disease that our friend the tick can leave us with. Early symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a characteristic circular skin rash called erythema migrans (see picture above) Left untreated, later symptoms may involve the joints, heart, and central nervous system. In most cases, the infection and its symptoms are eliminated by antibiotics, especially if the illness is treated early.
There are LOADS of tick borne nasties for you to catch, but most are spread around the globe, so I stick to our local ones!

In the UK, medical education is variable regarding tick borne diseases. Your GP may not know about the little annoying arachnids so it is up to you to drum it into him or her that you are seeing the Dr because of symptoms linked to a tick bite. Be careful with self diagnosis as there is loads of tick info on the web, but alas, much of it either wrong or just out of date.

Removing Ticks
Now I know this is going to start an argument as some say pull and some say twist. I am in the twist group here as I have learnt from experience. If you have one, use a tick removal tool, if you don't have one, I'll sell you one ;o) failing that most pet shops and campng or outdoor clothing shops sell them. Grab the tick as close to the skin as possible and gently twist the little critter out. Making sure you get it all and don't leave any mouth parts behind.

DO cleanse the bite site and the tweezers with antiseptic after removing the tick.
DO wash your hands afterwards.
DO save the tick if possible, or take a photo of it in case you develop symptoms later*.
DO NOT squeeze the body of the tick., as this may inject its stomach contents into the wound.
DO NOT use your fingernails to remove a tick. Infection can enter via any breaks in your skin.
DO NOT try to burn the tick off, use vaseline to shift it, or use nail polish or any other chemical. these methods can cause the tick to regurgitate, or release saliva.

*The Health Protection Agency are currently running a scheme to investigate ticks, details available at www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/information/tick.htm or from the HPA at www.hpa.org.uk.

April Fool

2011-04-01T11:43:00.000+01:00

OK it's the time of year when everyone feels the need to play little jokes, tell white lies, and have a laugh at the expense of others. So, in line with tradition, and for people who have not read my blog from the beginning, here are some facts about me. Some are true, some just works of fiction. Trouble is, it's up to you lot to decide which ones are which!

Good Luck! (You're gonna need it!)

Madoc ap Bleddyn (Prince Madoc/King of Wales) was my Great great great etc Granddad.
Brenda Blethyn (Actress - Little Voice, A River Runs Through It) is my sister
I've broken my neck, fractured my skull, and broke my nose all at once but Moses saved my life
I trekked through Indonesia with a mate and climbed Puncak Jaya
I've climbed Everest twice once from Nepal and once from Tibet
I tried skiing across The Bering Strait with mate from question 4. but failed miserably
I was adopted by an Indonesian who called me Saudara Putra
Kriss Akabusi - Athlete/TV presenter/Speaker used to be my physical training instructor in the Army
I once delivered a baby in a shop changing room
My nickname at school used to be 'Fuzz' because my dad was a policeman

Well, there they are, 10 facts about me... or are they?

Busy, busy, busy!

2011-03-28T12:18:00.000+01:00

Right then, what's next on Steve's Big List of things to do? Well to start off I've got to walk to school next week. Shinfield St Mary's Junior School to be precise. Not much of a challenge in itself, seeing as I live about 30 yards away from it's front door. Maybe I should tell you that we are starting outside Robert Piggott School, then going via Polehamton CofE Junior School, Willowbank Junior, Emmbrook, St Pauls CofE, Westende School, Oaklands, Gorse Ride, and then Shinfield St Mary's, or to put it another way, we'll be walking past every Junior School in Wokingham Council's area, a total of 23.6 miles (38km). I ought to mention that we will be starting at midnight, and hoping to finish at 7:30a.m. on the 8th of April. (That's the last day of term.) We'll be in time to join the kids in the breakfast club for toast and a coffee. It's those kids we're raising money for after all. You may have noticed by all the "we", "we'll" and "we are" that I've used, that I'm not doing this alone. I shall be walking through the streets of Reading and Wokingham accompanied by a 6' tall duck. No I have not gone mad or changed my name to Elwood P. Dowd, so don't panic. Anyway Elwood's friend was a rabbit called Harvey, mine is a duck called Janine! (I'd better point out that I in no way represent any of the schools above, and they do not all officially endorse the walk) << legal bit!

Moving quickly on to June now, and also moving North. To a lump of rock called Ben Nevis. Not any old lump of rock I might add, Ben is the tallest lump of rock in the UK, and I've just volunteered to climb it as part of a team led by someone in a wheelchair, I kid you not. Why should mountains be for us so called 'able' people. What makes someone in a wheelchair so different to the rest of us? Answer... Nothing other than the way other people see them. Just take Dick and Rick Hoyt for example, a father and son team who run marathons, and take part in Iron Man triathlons. Take a look at 'Team Hoyt' in action here.

So, like I said, there is no difference. Soon after I saw this film I was told about an event held in Scotland in 2008 where eight teams made history by making the first ever wheelchair user led ascent of Ben Nevis. The event was an inspirational success raising over £100,000 to fund work campaigning with and supporting disabled people. Well wouldn't you know it, it's happening again this year. The Bowmore Ben Nevis Challenge 2011 has now officially launched and this year it will give even more people the opportunity to take on this tremendous challenge. Guided by ex-SAS officer and TV Presenter Ken Hames, the mastermind behind the original event, twelve teams of six will be led by disabled people with a variety of impairments. The leaders will navigate and direct their team to the summit and in the process help beat 2008’s fundraising total of £100,000. I'm proud to say that I'm going to be a part of this event and you can sponsor me here. The Bowmore Ben Nevis Challenge is not just about raising valuable funds. It will challenge me and everyone else participating in the event and we hope it will challenge people’s expectations of what is possible. Scotland has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK and disabled people, just like non-disabled people want the opportunity to explore and enjoy every part of the country, an opportunity which they are not always given. If I can do my bit to help that happen then I'll be a happy bunny. Maybe you are a Medic or First Aider and want to join in too, take a look here as I think the challenge team are still after some more volunteers.

Then I move towards the end of the year (because I have not fixed a date yet) and my Help for Heroes trek through Europe. I'll be starting in Paris at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, walking North to Ypres and the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, heading home then to Westminster Abbey and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. I hope to finish this in time for the 2 minute silence on 11th November. So fingers crossed. More about this here

Well that should keep me busy for a while, now all I have to do is get people to part with their 'hard earned' or maybe donate a ferry ticket as I'm not swimming from Oostende to Ramsgate for nobody. Hero or not! How much is it to gt to Paris these days? Even getting to Ben Nevis is going to cost a bit, flying has to be better than a train/ bus combo (hint hint) anyway, I'm off now to pack up my living room and kitchen, the chimney is going tomorrow. Totally irrelevant I know, but a good place to finish don't you think?

Pancake anyone?

2011-03-08T09:44:00.000Z

OK! Today is one of those days when I forget that my body is a temple and the healthy diet goes out the window.(I won't go into the other 364 days of the year at this stage). Pancakes are a must in the Blethyn house. The 'Boss' and youngest sprog (other two have left home) cover their pancakes with fruit, ice cream, sugar, and that nasty stuff that calls itself cream but comes in a spray can and looks like I should shave with it, (what's that all about?). Me, I just stick to sugar and a squirt of lemon. Followed by more pancakes obviously. What I can not believe is that there are people on this planet that don't know how to make a pancake. "but don't you just add water and shake?" NOOOOO! Not unless you live in a squat or are a student you don't!

Here are the bits you need to know...

Basic pancake batter (Enough for 8 pancakes)

1 large egg or 1 egg and one yolk

½ pint/280ml milk

4oz/110g plain flour (4 heaped dessertspoons)

1 tbsp melted butter

By hand: sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Break in the egg (and yolk, if using) and add a pinch of salt and a splash of the milk. Whisk the egg, gradually incorporating the flour, to make a smooth cream. Whisk in the rest of the milk and the melted butter.

With a blender: put all the ingredients in a blender jug with a pinch of salt. Whizz until smooth.

Better still, watch the lady in action...

ENJOY!

Thanks to the Telegraph for doing most of the work for me

Finally a question, what will you do tonight?

Make a mess of the kitchen
Add water and shake

Answers on my twitter page please...

The Death Zone

2011-03-07T11:24:00.002Z

Some of you may be wondering what on Earth the Death Zone is. A new X-Box game, a teenagers bedroom maybe? Well, you could be right on both counts, but the one I'm referring to is to do with height. In mountaineering, anything above 8000m (that's 26,250 feet or 4.9something in miles) is known as The Death Zone.

The thing is, we humans evolved mostly around coastal areas or African plains where altitude was not a big deal, in fact it didn't come into the equation of our evolution at all. When you live at 2cm above sea level, high altitude is for birds. As a result of this, our bodies developed to survive in an oxygen rich environment. I'm not going to go deep into the mathematics or anatomy of it all, but at sea level there is a high atmospheric pressure (Well over 1000 millibars). Around 21% of this atmosphere is good old O₂(Oxygen) and we need this to live. Every cell in our bodies needs oxygen to live. It's the level of oxygen along with the pressure that basically fills Haemoglobin (part of the red stuff in your veins) with life giving oxygen. So, Oxygen, under pressure, fills blood, keeps you alive. Simple!

When we humans discovered mountains and started climbing them, we also came across a little annoying phenomena called Altitude Sickness. Why do people get sick when they get high? (above sea level not stoned) Well despite what people think, even some mountaineers, it's not the lack of oxygen. SHOCK NEWS. the whole atmosphere has about 21% oxygen regardless of altitude. Until you get to over 70 miles then we're talking space. So what's the problem? Pressure my friend, pressure. The higher above sea level the lower the atmospheric pressure. Air, like water, has mass (weight), not much but it has a mass all the same. So if you are at sea level the weight of the air on top of you is far greater than the air above your head if you were, for example 20 miles high. Lets see if I can make this easy to understand. Stand on a beach with a party balloon, take a deep breath, now blow hard into the balloon, balloon fills up right? Imagine the balloon is one of your lungs, where haemoglobin in your blood takes on oxygen, you blowing hard is high pressure, you put loads of atmosphere, with it's 21% oxygen, in the balloon. Now take an imaginary trip up to about the height of Everest Base Camp. You're over 5000m above sea level and the pressure has dropped to less than 500 millibars. This time when you blow into the balloon you blow with less than half the effort you put into the first attempt. Now your balloon is not as full of atmosphere, but it's still 21% oxygen. Right, now your imaginary trip takes you to the summit of Everest, 8848m, this time the pressure is down to less than 350 millibars, when you blow into your balloon this time there is about the same pressure as it takes to blow out a candle. So your balloon looks like a shrivelled prune. There is not enough atmosphere in there to sustain life, even if there is still 21% oxygen. Now your body is suffering something called Hypoxia, lack of oxygen, not because there isn't any but because there is not enough pressure to get the stuff where it's needed, in your lungs. Your blood hasn't got enough to go round so you breath faster and your heart beats faster to try and compensate, things start going wrong, extremities (finger and toes) have hardly any blood rushing round because you need it elsewhere to stay alive, this makes them more susceptible to frost bite, your lungs and brain start going pear shaped, oh the possibilities are endless. At 8848m you'll be dead in about 2-3 minutes. "Steve's talking rubbish, loads of people have spent more than 3 minutes on the summit of Everest, some without taking their own oxygen so how did they do that?" Simple answer, acclimatisation, but that's another story for later in the week maybe.

I wrote all of this because I was asked where I would rather be on a Monday morning, other than my usual place of work. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy teaching first aid, I enjoy being a wilderness medic even more. I even sometimes get a kick out of studying. Hell, even the day job has it's moments. But I also enjoy mountains, walking around them, up them, getting cold at high altitude (having acclimatised, naturally) getting on a pair of crampons and challenging myself to another peak. I can't get enough of the outdoors, and two of my ambitions are the South Pole, and Everest from the North. That way I get to go to Tibet too, another one of my ambitions.

OK, I know what you're thinking. I just spent ages telling everyone why going to high altitude is a bad idea and humans are not made to spend time up with the clouds. It's called the Death Zone because you'll die a horrible death... No... let me stop you there. I said what would happen if you went straight to the top of Everest from Sea level, carrying a party balloon. I have no intention of carrying any balloons up Everest, although it might be funny watching it get bigger as I got higher. (Ask me why, if you're interested). I want to summit Everest for several reasons, mostly personal, some medical, and also just because I want to experience a challenge that has to be right up there among the best. I won't be the youngest, first, tallest, oldest or any other kind of record breaker. I won't make the news (at least I hope not, because it usually means you fell off) I just want to do it for me. Nobody else is going to benefit apart maybe some med students studying the effects of high altitude. So where would I rather be on a Monday morning. North Col, Everest, on the way down. I'd have done it. I'd have ticked off my mountain ambition and climbed the highest mountain in the world, I'd have stood on the top of the world, knowing that everyone else on the planet was below me. So why the North Col, why not the summit? I do the odd bit of motivational talking, (very odd, and only when I can't get out of it) and I tell everyone who thinks they've 'done it' in life,

"Getting to the top is only half way"

My Old Páramo

2011-01-26T14:18:00.000Z

Blimey that was strange!

Last few days I've been spring cleaning the computer. Saving photos to disk, getting rid of old films and music, usual stuff that just takes up space. I was looking back at some photos of a trip to Nepal back in 2007. I did smile at the one of us sleeping on the floor in Kathmandu airport waiting for the cloud to lift. Then there's the one of me almost crapping my pants when the Yeti Airlines twin otter fell out of the sky. Luckily, it was high enough at the time to avoid flying into the Himalayas, just.

I actually remember looking at my Páramo jacket in the photos and saying, "That thing's never 4 years old?" I still wear that jacket in winter, or if I'm off on one of my mountain adventures, or even if I'm walking the dogs and its raining, snowing or there is the smallest chance of any other earthbound stuff coming my way from the heavens. Then today, like some strange message from above, I get an email from Páramo marketing. Spooky!

She says in her mail that someone has replied to an article I wrote about that very jacket back in 2007 (rapid response is after all, my job). In the article I mention Everest and Annapurna. Now the smarty-pants who replied says, quite rightly, that these are two completely different areas in Nepal. It would be like writing about sailing on the Norfolk Broads while taking pictures of Ben Nevis. So as a good citizen of the world of Blogs, I'm here today to explain.

Right, here goes. Back in 2007 I won a couple of free trips to Everest Base Camp. Mrs Blethyn (the boss) refuses point blank to go anyway beyond Heathrow if there's a mountain or a jungle, or a glacier or any big white wild animals that may want us for lunch. Adventure is my baby and she married me not it! To Ginny, adventure is going to Marks and Sparks for a change from the usual Asda trip. So I took our eldest, Martin. Now being a free trip, we were not going in peak season, not a problem. After all if it's easy it isn't a challenge. But... we spent 4 days sleeping on the floor at the airport in Kathmandu because of the weather. Finally someone says, "sod this, lets go to Annapurna instead” so we got on a flight to Pokhara and the next day headed for the hills. To say it rained is a slight understatement.

Anyway, I'll let the photos do the talking, I just hope this has made it quite clear why I was talking about Everest and Annapurna in the same breath. It will also demonstrate, quite well I think, that you shouldn't always pack what the tour company says to pack. "You shouldn't need heavy waterproofs" get lost tour company, who shall remain nameless, and yes it was me who laughed at you at the Outdoor Show this year when you asked if I'd be interested in travelling with you. No, I wouldn't thanks. It was actually this trip that made me start 'Beyond First Aid' the reasons why will be saved for a later blog, maybe. But it was also this trip that made me a life long fan of Páramo. I do apologise to Páramo for not saying "hi" at the Outdoor Show, but Ben Fogle wouldn't shut up. :o)

Paul Sleeping on the floor at Kathmandu

Me by a stupa, Kathmandu. (in a Páramo base layer)

Spot the dry one, that's me in my Páramo jacket

That Yeti never did say why his relatives were so hard to find

Annapurna + Rain = Leeches

The views and opinions in this blog are mine and not in any way shape or form connected to Páramo, Yeti Airlines or the Archana Guest House in Nepal.

But you have my number Fiona ;o)

Between two Royals

2010-10-17T12:29:00.000+01:00

From a Royal Home to the Home of The Royals

(A Royal Adventure)

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the Queen!
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there? I man with a rucksack and thinning grey hair, walking down the A4 like some kind of nutter!

Buckingham Palace has been the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today it's the home of Queen Elizabeth II. Just in case you don't know, it's in the City of Westminster and is the setting for state occasions and royal shindigs, to which I have yet to be invited. It has been a place for us Brits to meet at times of national rejoicing, crisis, and the odd royal wedding or two. I couldn't even guess at how many people have had their photo taken outside it's gates, but earlier this year I joined their ranks.

Yep, I went to London to visit the Queen, OK so I didn't have a knighthood to collect or even know if she's was going to be in. To be honest she was not my main reason to go London at all. The reason I went to London was to see Alastair Humphreys

Alastair and several other adventurers were meeting in a pub by Victoria station (half a mile south of Buck House) to share their knowledge with wannabe adventurers. Travelling around the world on a pushbike or on foot can be fraught with dangers and problems so, we-who-had were going to share our wisdom with those-who-would.

Alastair was grateful for the help of a long distance cyclist when he was planning his own trip around the world, so he was offering his services to anyone who was planning something similar. So if you were going on an expedition and needed some advice, or indeed if you had experience of expeditions like myself and were willing to share your knowledge with others, then down the pub was the place to be that night. We shared a bit of wisdom and a pint with other like-minded people, and headed home with the feeling of having done some good that night. I actually used the whole day for a mini adventure all of my own. First of all I got myself photographed outside as many tourist attractions in London as possible in one day. Then I went off to the pub to meet Alastair for a couple of hours and to get my breath back for a little bit of night time training. I walked home from the pub, that's normal. Much better than drinking and driving and much cheaper than a taxi. Especially as the taxi would have had to drive 40 miles to take me home.

The Home of the Royals

You see I don't live in London but between Reading and Wokingham, just round the corner from The Madejski Stadium or the 'Mad Stad' This is where London Irish play their Rugby and it's also the home of my team, Reading Football Club aka The Royals.

Anyway, back to the night training...

The pub was, and at a guess still is, 40 miles from the Madejski Stadium, which is a stones throw from my front door. This is a bit shorter than the distances I would be covering later in the year when I walked from Glasgow to Reading to raise money for charity. That challenge was called 'Another Long Way Down' but that's another long story so back to the pub...

Not being one to turn down a golden opportunity for a bit of training and a mini challenge, I decided to walk back from the pub, just me and my rucksack, with a set of waterproofs just in case. It was a right Royal Adventure. The Royal Adventure was just because I wanted to, no fundraising, no ulterior motive, no big sponsor's logo on my sleeve. Nothing apart from the fact that I could, and no bugger was going to stop me!

I started at the pub and headed down to the Thames, along Grosvenor Road and the Chelsea Embankment. I followed the Thames Path for a short while amazed at how different it looks at night when not shooting past in a car over Putney Bridge. On past Fulham FC and forwards to Hammersmith Bridge. Under the flyover and onto the A4, my guide for the rest of my journey. It was well past midnight when the wife phoned to ask how I was doing, and she was amazed that I had managed to get as far as the Worley Parsons building just south of Gunnersbury Park. It was easy to hear her while I stood under the M4 as the traffic at that time of night is not quite as loud as the singing from the drunks and homeless that scatter whenever a police car passes. A4 and M4 part company just as I enter Brentford, and I have a celebration coffee from my flask. "Just a quick dash past Heathrow now" I thought to myself as the sweet tasting caffeine warmed my cockles. "quick dash"? How wrong could I be? I'd driven down this road loads of times and it only took a few minutes, I was sure it was a straight road, no hills, no worries! Bloody hell, it went on forever, if not longer. It took a good couple of hours to pass Heathrow. Even the odd plane I saw looked fed up. Reading seemed a lifetime away. There was nothing for it, I had to walk faster, this was confirmed when I saw the first milkman of the day. Not your average milkman this guy, for when I asked if I could buy a bottle of something cold and wet from him, he asked me what I was doing walking past Kedermister Park at 3 o'clock in the morning. After I told him, he gave me a bottle of fresh orange juice FREE! Thanks Gordon, you saved the day, even if you did call me something unprintable.

I almost ran past Slough, having eaten my breakfast that was packed in my rucksack, drank my coffee, and my free orange juice. All I was carrying now was a map, mobile phone and waterproof trousers, I was wearing everything else as it was bloody freezing. I headed off the A4 for the first time and put my trust in my OS map and compass. I tried to walk as straight a route as possible to save time. Windsor saw the end of street lights for a while, and it was the sun coming up over Waltham St Lawrence that made me think for the first time that I may actually do this. I had told the local DJ's at Reading 107fm that I was going to walk home from the pub and I wanted to be outside The Madejski Stadium while Tony James was on air. I was aiming for 8am and it was 6 o'clock as I got to Twyford. Back on the A4 again now for the dash into Reading. I don't know why, but I felt all emotional. More than likely because I had not had any sleep for about 26 hours, I was knackered, I had just walked home from Buckingham Palace. It also dawned on me that I may just be slightly bonkers! I past Charvil and though about cutting left and going through Woodley, past the Uni, and across Whitley into the Mad Stad. But, I had time on my hands and my feet didn't hurt so I headed straight along the A4. This road had been my companion for most of my trek, so why not follow it as far as I could. I passed the Royal Berks, and Kendrick School, then left into Silver Street. Mount Pleasant, for once did actually seem quite pleasant, and I headed down Basingstoke Road, past the site of the Avenue School where I used to work until it moved. Then I saw it across the trading estate, a beautiful sight indeed, the wind turbine on Green Park. "That's where I'm heading" I do believe I said it out loud, as a woman who I can only describe as the top half of the stocking clad legs on Tom and Jerry smiled at me as though to say, "poor mad fool"

Cradock Street (or Craddock Street, depending on which road sign you read) then across to Rose Kiln Lane and Pets at Home, Halfords and Next. I phoned Reading 107fm and spoke to Tony James who seemed shocked that I had actually done it. He put me on air to say good morning to Reading at just after 7:30 that morning. I said I had left Buckingham Palace, a Royal Home at 11 o'clock last night, I had walked from there to The Home of The Royals. It had taken me 8½ hours doing on average 4¾ miles every hour. I was knackered, and now my feet hurt. He asked me why I had done it, to which I could only answer that I wasn't sure anymore but a milkman I saw earlier said I was barking mad, or words to that effect. There must have been a few people listening to the radio that morning as they drove to work. I had perfect strangers shout "well done" others beeped their horns and smiled, usually a horn is accompanied by a hand gesture or other kind of sign language but today I got smiles. Even a young woman out jogging with her earphones in, dressed in far too little for that time of day asked "are you the guy walking home from Buck House?" I nodded and she said "wicked man, wicked" as she jogged off into Green Park.

I love Reading!

Blisters and other stuff

2010-09-30T13:25:00.000+01:00

I've done things on blisters before, (I walk a lot so... anyway) a fellow Gobi 2011 team member, Sucheta, has asked me for advice so here goes.

"What do I do to prevent blisters..."

1. Make sure your shoes or boots fit correctly. Sounds daft, but try different styles, different manufacturers etc when choosing your boots. One size 11 boot (UK Sizes) may be different from the next when it comes to length, width, and so on. Try BOTH on not just one, time spent in the shop is time well spent, trust me.
2. New boots? Break them in before you do any serious stuff. Wear them around the house, but take them off before walking on the new bedroom carpet, trust me, I know all about this too. After a bit of 'in house training' your boots will be more flexible and easier on your feet.
3. Reduce friction, the cause of most blisters (but not all). Use petroleum jelly if your planning on walking or running any great distance in new boots, even if they have been 'house trained' apply some to the places where you feel they may rub your feet.
4. Always wear socks, not the fashion tube shaped, or should I say shapeless things, but good quality 'foot shaped' socks. Stay away from cotton too, as this will hold moisture like a sponge and wet feet spell disaster. Go for an acrylic sock or better still merino wool. Once again, spend some time with the sock choice, time spent here means less time with me looking at your feet. That has to be good news all round.
5. Keep your feet dry to help prevent painful blisters from forming on your feet. Use foot powder on a daily basis before you put your socks and shoes on. (Gobi Team please note, I'll have some with me, but I advise you bring your own. 60 days multiplied by 28 feet (assuming 2 each) equates to a large amount of powder for one medic to carry). If you're a sweaty foot person... firstly stay on the right side of the wind from the rest of the team when removing boots, but also... take your footwear off at every possible opportunity and dry your feet. At night (and I think Ripley has already said this somewhere else) try to stay barefoot when safe to do so, if not get yourself some sandals (not flip-flops) and let the air get to your feet.
6. Some people put moleskin or tape over hot spots on their feet that are prone to blisters, as a preventive measure. If you do this, make sure that whatever you use is applied smoothly, any wrinkles will be as bad as a wet foot in a cotton sock in your grand-dads old boots.) but don't do it up so tight that your toes turn blue.

So...
Keep feet dry, in a good quality sock (not cotton) and in a good quality boot/shoe, that fits well and has been broken in or 'house-trained'

Treating Blisters.

Now some people say cover them, some say don't. Some say pop 'em some don't. Some even go as far as to heat up a needle and stab yourself with it. Don't! That's all I'm going to say!

If you already have a blister and it's not painful, just leave it alone, since the skin serves as protection. It will eventually break and the fluid will drain. If the blister is painful, for Gobi 2011 Team only, come and see me and I will carefully pierce the blister painlessly and with a sterile something-or-other, drain any fluid out and use an antiseptic cream, and cover it, I'm nice like that. Everyone else, if it's that painful see your doc who will more than likely ask a nurse to do what I just said above. DON'T go stabbing yourself with anything.

Now for the other stuff...

Preventing Mosquito Bites

Malaria is not a problem where we're going so I'm going to call this bit...
"Avoiding Insect X"
X is responsible for the spread of many tropical diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, leishmaniasis, the list is huge. Stopping X from biting in the first place has to be the best way to avoid getting anything nasty. Indeed in some cases, leishmaniasis for example, this is the only way to avoid it. X is a bit fond of carbon dioxide, movement, heat, some colours etc. So to avoid 'the bite' we try and cover up these things. Either wearing long sleeves and trousers or with chemicals.
Chemically I have to say, I have found DEET or N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide products to be the best. I am however going to be field testing some other products and letting the Gobi 2011 Team know what I find. DEET may be good stuff but some people say it is harmful, and I know from experience, that if it leaks in your day-sack, it plays havoc with anything plastic. Digital Camera for example, I liked that camera too.
Whatever chemical is used it should be reapplied at regular intervals, especially in hot, humid conditions when they may be removed by perspiration, and after swimming. When both sunscreens and repellents are used, the repellent should be applied over sunscreen. Sunscreens that contains repellent should be avoided as it may encourage excessive use of DEET.

All chemicals have rules and here are some of mine...

Use only on exposed areas of skin
Do not apply to cuts, abrasions or irritated skin.
Remove with soap and water when the repellent is no longer required.
Don't spray directly on your face and wash your hands after using the stuff.
Read the instructions!!!

Treatment of insect bites

Small, red, sometimes raised areas that are very itchy usually mean that agent X has been at work. Swelling can be reduced by the using mild steroid cream. Anti-histamine tablets can be taken to try and ease any itching. DO NOT SCRATCH and keep clean and dry to avoid infection.

Ticks need to be removed from the skin very carefully. This can be done with tweezers or specially designed tick removers, better still by me or Ripley (sorry mate). Grasp the tick near to the skin and steadily pull out the tick being careful not to crush the tick’s body or squeeze the stomach contents into the site of the bite. It's also a good habit to erm... er... find out who ya mates are, and if you're in an area prone to tick-borne encephalitis, check each other out each night for any lodgers in those dark warm areas, like armpits and... well, you get the idea!

I hope this has helped Sucheta and all the other members of the Gobi 2011 Team, indeed anyone who may be off on their travels.

Ethics and other stuff...

2010-09-24T22:56:00.001+01:00

Ever had one of those days when you want to say something but the words just don't come. You want to share a thought or two but the brain has stopped functioning? Well I'm having one of those days today. What better excuse could a guy ask for, to introduce a guest blogger and friend, Ripley Davenport. You've already met his better half, Laura, when she kindly agreed to let me share her thoughts on what it's like to be the wife of an adventurer. You can read that here if you missed it first time round. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Ripley. Like me, he likes a bit of walking now and then and gets a bit of outdoorness* when ever possible. I followed his trek across Mongolia earlier this year and will be following him when he does it again next year. I'll be following a bit closer though next time. Quite a lot closer actually 'cos I'm going with him. Yep, Ripley, me, a few camels and a well chosen group of guys and gals from around the world. Tell you what, I'm going to shut up now and let Ripley tell you about it. But before I go, the picture below is a camel, not Ripley.

Our expedition isn’t going to change the planet but we're trying to do something good. We really, really, really want to leave things a little bit better than we find them and be accountable for our behaviour. We got our little heads together and mutually decided that we will do our expedition in a more progressive manner, where we take responsibility for the effect of our expedition on the indigenous people and their environment, and, in return, do as much good as we can. Our journey is a real expedition with real people with moods and bodily smells, where we can have a positive effect on our future generations and the wonderful world around us.

Tourism can be a real help to local communities, providing some well deserved cash, positive cultural exchanges and a cash bonus to protect their beautiful natural environment. This is responsible tourism. Mongolia needs it. We are going to see to it that there is an economic benefit to the local community; we’ll buy local stuff, eat local grub and not use horrid expedition foods in foil packs, and use local services, thus ensuring that as much money as possible is given back within the local economies and the host communities.

Of course, we’re far from perfect, so we can't expect them to be either. Our plan is to meet people who struggle to make ends meet. The Mongolian people are always openly happy to help, with a real smile and not our plastic western version. Achieving our expedition goals will be a long journey, just like our walk, and probably one that will never end, but every small positive change is a step in the right direction and we’ll promise not to cut corners. We shall be using the services of local drivers, cooks and translators and treat everyone as we would like to be treated ourselves. With respect, dignity and open minds.

We’re delighted and jumping for joy that we won’t be using flashy 4X4 off road vehicles that tear up the terrain or use a stash of private jets or helicopters that litter the airports and atmosphere. In fact, when we're not busy walking and talking to amazing people, there's nothing we’d like better than to load up several four legged spitting stinky beasts and taking a stroll across the country. Naturally, this means that we have decided to use traditional forms of transportation rather than some oversized 4X4 with go faster stripes. We feel our camels are better than air-conditioned vehicles, which require expensive fuel and cause noise, damage to the vegetation and terrain. We also think it’s nice to use traditions. Our four legged friends are much more Eco friendly and require less servicing! Of course, animals are far slower but we want to take our time and not rush things.

Our camels will be treated with tender loving care and respect. After our expedition they will be gracefully returned to their lives and - and no doubt - greatly missed by us!

*quite possibly a made up word but sounded good at the time

Sand, sand and more sand, right?

2010-08-29T12:55:00.002+01:00

Say the word "Desert" and people think of sand dunes, camels and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, do a picture search for him and you'll get a fine collection of photo's of Peter O'Toole. Now don't get me wrong, Lawrence of Arabia was a good film, and Mr O'Toole was a fine actor, but there is a whole lot more to deserts than men on camels.

Lets start with a few pictures shall we, just to get us in the mood...

All Deserts look like this, Right?


Wrong!


Some actually look like this! That's not sand, it's ice!

The only thing to live in a desert is a camel! Oh and here's a few more things.
You've got Sheep, Cats, Rabbits and Foxes, not to mention the Wild Dogs and Prairie Dogs that are not even dogs but a type of squirrel, Not to be confused with a Marmot which is sometimes called a groundhog, although it's not a pig they do live in the ground. Here's a little video of a Marmot that makes me chuckle.

Irrelevant but funny don't ya think? Now, where was I? Oh yeah! Animals...
So there's lizards snakes, spiders and various other creepy stuff, some things you can eat and some things that want to eat you, little animals and big animals. Some come out during the day and some at night when it's not as hot. In fact it can get blooming cold at night in a desert. Then there are the birds, hundreds of 'em. Little hummingbirds living off nectar from a cactus and big vultures that are just waiting for something or someone to keel over and become lunch.
Talking of lunch, it's true that this may be harder to find in a desert than a rainforest. But if you know what you're doing it's out there somewhere, just not as plentiful and better hidden.
So you see, even though I'm guilty of saying it myself, deserts are not all about 'keeping sand out of your shoes'. There's a whole lot more to deserts than people think. There's a lot for people to learn about deserts (myself included). That's just one of the many reasons I'm joining Ripley Davenport next year as he and his band of men (and women) journey across the Gobi desert in Mongolia... Where is it?

So that's where it is, and this is what it looks like (in places)

Nice eh!

So why am I going, why is anyone going for that matter? Easy... here's a bit I borrowed off the Gobi 2011 Expedition website

Our INTENTIONS
To trek the entire 1000 miles / 1600 km of the Mongolian Gobi Desert, the fifth largest desert on earth alongside the Khongoryn Els, the largest and most spectacular sand dunes in Mongolia, from Bulgan a sum district of Khovd Province in the west, to Sainshand the capital city in Dornogovi province using a traditional method of desert transportation: the Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus).

To INTERACT: Produce an authentic and professional documentary film that depicts genuine adventure and the interaction between the indigenous people of the Gobi and the project team.

To INSPIRE: To provide the knowledge and enable all aspiring individuals to succeed in adventure and exploration and to inspire them with a life enhancing experience.

To ILLUSTRATE: To bridge the cultural divides and document and illustrate the indigenous lives, far removed from our own, who have proudly continued their way of life regardless of the spectra of climate change.

...as for the learning bit...

THE GOBI 2011 SCHOOL PROJECT
It is extremely significant to have a team who believes in ambition. How they can replicate your own ideas and strengthen it and grow stronger as the responsibilities are increased. It is my strategy to have many schools involved in the Gobi 2011 Schools Project and include the expedition as part of their curriculum. Schools, their students and teachers form a fundamental ingredient in our team and share assorted backgrounds, cultures and experiences.The core of our approach to the Schools Project is to encourage children to reach their full potential by making a more meaningful contribution to the world we live through academic achievement and adventure. What unites everyone is a shared sense of duty and enthusiasm fired by the belief that the greater your ambitions the further you will go.
The Gobi 2011 Expedition team would like to get young people involved and thinking about Mongolia. To enable you to easily incorporate the expedition into your classroom or home we will be assembling science, history, geography, social science and english based worksheets.
We hope that by incorporating these into your lessons you can begin a discussion with your class about the fragile environment of Mongolia, cultural divides and indigenous people and encourage an interest in the more remote parts of the globe with the young.
Temüjin, (Teh-Moo-Gin), our virtual team member will be passing on interesting facts about Mongolia throughout the teams progress and keeping an eye on all those schools participating in our expedition. We will be introducing him very soon!
If you'd like to know more then contact us about how you or your school can become involved in this amazing project!
Our worksheets will be available sooner rather than later!

Finally... Who on Earth is Alan?

Dehydration

2010-08-26T16:11:00.000+01:00

Here it is, hot on the heels of Part 1 (Food and hygiene-related illness), the much sought after, Part 2.

Dehydration.
Dehydration occurs when body fluids we loose exceeds the amount that we take in. We lose water every day just by breathing, an important task I think you'll agree, the breath we exhale has water vapour in it, breath out hard in the cold... that's a mini cloud in front of your face. There is also loads of the stuff in our sweat, urine, and stool, that's poop to you and me. Along with the water, small amounts of salts and sugars are also lost. When we lose too much water, our bodies may become out of balance or dehydrated. Severe dehydration can lead to death, usually a condition that is best avoided.

So what causes it? There are loads of things that can cause dehydration, here are a few...

High temperature, and excessive exercise
Vomiting, Gobi Guts (see part 1) and increased urination due to infection.
Diabetes
No access to safe drinking water
Major injuries to skin, such as burns, or severe skin diseases or infections. (This includes blisters)

...and how do you know you are dehydrated?

The signs and symptoms of dehydration range from minor to severe.

Increased thirst with an extremely dry mouth
Increased or constant vomiting for more than a day (Gobi, any vomiting I want to know)
Temperature over 38C (101F)
Diarrhoea for more than two days (Gobi, any diarrhoea at all and I want to know)
Feeling weak and dizzy
Palpitations (feeling that the heart is jumping or pounding)
Confusion (normal for some, so know your team)
Sluggishness, even fainting
Inability to sweat
Unexplained and sudden weight loss
Decreased urine output.
Colour If urine is deep yellow or even orange, you may be dehydrated.

If you have any of these symptoms, go to your Doctor, if you are a member of the Gobi 2011 Expedition and you have any symptoms, you guessed it, I want to know.
It's vital that I know about these things immediately, because if your symptoms get worse, (see below) you're in trouble.
If you ever feel these symptoms, or more likely, notice them in somebody else, get to hospital, because A+E can get fluids into you faster than you can say Bactrian Camel. In the Gobi, there is a chance I could run out of fluids before I've got enough in you, not good!

The following symptoms (in combination with those above) are bad news and must be dealt with Now if not sooner!

Temperature higher than 39C (103F)
Lethargy
Headache
Seizures
Difficulty breathing
Chest or abdominal pains
Fainting
No urine in the last 12 hours

Try to get people who are dehydrated (even those who have been vomiting) to take in fluids in the following ways:

Sip small amounts of water.
Drink carbohydrate/electrolyte-containing drinks. (Gobi 2011 team members will be treated to a Steve Special Cocktail*, this will taste fantastic, and I have been known to tell fibs) Good choices are sports drinks or prepared replacement solutions.
Suck on ice lollies made from juices and sports drinks. (I'll stop Kubla Khan the icecream mhan as he passes)

Try to cool the person, if there has been heat exposure or if the person has an elevated temperature, in the following ways:

Remove any excess clothing and loosen other clothing. Keep them out of the sun or they will end up like a rasher of bacon!
Air-conditioned areas are best. If air conditioning is not available, (it won’t be) increase cooling through evaporation by placing the person near fans or in the shade. (Fans? Shade?)
Place a wet towel around the person.
If available, use a spray bottle or misters to spray luke warm water on exposed skin surfaces to help with cooling by evaporation.
Avoid exposing skin to excessive cold, such as ice packs or ice water. This can cause the blood vessels in the skin to constrict and will decrease rather than increase heat loss. Exposure to excessive cold can also cause shivering, which will increase body temperature. Strange but true!

Medical treatment
(You'll need an A+E Dept for this bit)
If your core body temperature is greater than 40C (104F), doctors will cool the entire body. They may promote cooling by evaporation with mists and fans or cooling blankets and baths. Now your beginning to see why I don’t want dehydrated people in the desert. If there is no nausea and vomiting, fluid replacement begins. You are asked to drink electrolyte/carbohydrate-containing fluids along with water, not a Steve Special
If there are signs of significant dehydration (elevated resting heart rate, low blood pressure), fluids are generally given through an IV. I could do this in the Gobi if I had the right kit but I don’t fancy hauling loads of saline bags and giving sets around just in case, and you’re not having my drinking water, but lets not go there eh!

Medications
If high temperature is a cause of dehydration, the use of paracetamol or ibuprofen may be used. This can be given by mouth if you are not vomiting.

As with all medical conditions, if you can avoid it, that is far better than me trying to treat it, agree? So…

Prevention.

Anticipate the need for increased fluid intake.
Keep yourself well hydrated with plenty of water.
Watch for signs of dehydration in yourself and others.
Avoid drinking alcohol
Tell me if you notice anything I have mentioned above
Wear the clothing Ripley will recommend, light coloured, loose fitting at a guess

Steve Special Cocktail

1 Ltr water+teaspoon of salt+4-6 teaspoons of sugar Yum!

Going Somewhere?

2010-08-25T11:07:00.000+01:00

Mongolia Medic/aka Me!

Steve is on a Mission

Those of you who have been paying attention may have noticed that I'm planning on joining an expedition to cross the Gobi Desert next year, 2011. It's not just a jolly for a couple of days but serious stuff. I'm not saying it's not going to be fun, it is, but it's going to be tough at times too. One thing I know for certain is that it's going to be educational. That's one of the main reasons for doing it. Personally I can't wait, but I have a job to do also. It is going to be my responsibility to make sure everyone stays safe and well.

Someone asked what precautions we will be taking to ensure everyone’s safety, he said “will there be a medic in case of sprained ankles, heat stroke etc? I'm just trying to think of the what-ifs.” Well, that’s a good question. The short answer is yes, me. On a trip like this, who knows what could happen. That’s why Ripley, the expedition leader, has emergency evacuation plans in place, just in case. I will be putting together a list of any vaccinations we’re going to need, and even telling people what to put in a ’small’ first aid kit. I say ’small’ because as the expedition medic, I will have some kit with me that should cover most circumstances, blisters on the toes, insect bites, right up to keeping someone alive should the worst happen, and if necessary staying with them until the afore mentioned emergency evacuation plans kick in and beyond. It’s what I do here in the UK after all. Just this week I must have attended a couple of dozen wasp stings, a judge got bitten by one of the show dogs (it didn’t win) and somebody discovered how much it hurts when not following instructions while using a bow and arrow. Don’t ask!
OK! When on an expedition like this, common sense states that safety is everyone's responsibility, we'll keep an eye on each other, and help each other out when necessary. Making sure simple things are done, like washing your hands before eating. (Don't panic, we won't be wasting water). But, as with everything we do in life, things can go pear-shaped. That's why I'm writing this little blog, to put people’s minds at rest that they will be as safe as it is possible to be.

Between Ripley, also a former medic, and myself we should have most things covered but, I’m going to be blogging like a man on a mission over the next few months for several reasons. These little words of wisdom are not only for people coming to Mongolia next year but for anyone who is planning expeditions, or trips to the wilderness. They are even suitable for Mr and Mrs Packaged Tour, spending a few days on the Costa Fortune. Don’t Panic! I’m going to be writing little bits at a time so that;

a) People don’t get bored with Health and Safety and
b) I can get on with, and I quote Mr Davenport, “doing a billion things at once”

So here is my first tip for a safe and enjoyable Gobi 2011…

Food and hygiene-related illness
Delhi Belly or in this case Gobi Guts, (diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera) are contracted through contaminated food and water. “Getting the Squits” is the most common illness contracted abroad, affecting up to 60% of overseas travellers.
You can significantly reduce your risk of such diseases by following basic guidelines.

Water
In countries where sanitation is not up to scratch it’s a good idea not to drink tap water or use it to clean teeth unless it has been treated. Ice should also be avoided. Bottled drinks are usually safe, if sealed, as is boiled water, as boiling disinfects water. Although a reliable method, this is not always easy or convenient. Chemical disinfectants will usually kill bacteria and viruses. However, some parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium are not reliably killed by this method. In this instance combining chemicals with filters should be effective. Iodine was one of my preferred weapons of bug destruction; however, since the EU in it’s ultimate wisdom decided that I can’t use it after October last year, I’m doing some research into other methods, including devices utilising UV light.

Food
Certain foods can be a bit dodgy and should usually be avoided:

Salads, lettuce for example, are often contaminated, and may have been washed (if at all) in dirty water.
Uncooked fruit and veg, unless they have been washed in safe water and peeled by you.
Fresh or cooked food that has be allowed to stand at room temperature in warm environments, or that has been exposed to flies, such as may happen at open buffets. This true in the UK too.
Unpasteurised milk, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products.
Raw or undercooked shellfish

Do not assume that food served in hotels will always be safe, as it may have been contaminated during preparation. (Believe me I know)

Hands should be washed after calls of nature, and always before preparing or eating food.

Follow this advice and the chances of having your trip destroyed by spending most of it sat down with your trousers (or skirt) round your knees should be greatly reduced. On that note, my next blog will be on another common problem, dehydration. So come back and see me again soon.

Still to come...

Dehydration
Fitness problems
Sun and heat related problems
Infectious diseases
Skin infections
Insect bites
Animal-related problems

Temüjin & The Gobi 2011 School Project

2010-08-24T11:42:00.000+01:00

Gobi 2011

Who?

Temüjin (Teh-Moo-Gin)

Borjigin Temüjin to use his full name, but he's better known as Genghis Khan, surely the most famous Mongolian ever. Apart from the guy in the restaurant down the road but that's another story.

Well there's another Temüjin you should know about. Not the type to form a mighty empire by bumping off half of China and Central Asia, oh no. This Temüjin is still an adventurer but he wont be going around making a nuisance of himself. He is going to be joining me and a few others as we journey across the Gobi desert, he’s our reporter for want of a better word. He will be passing on interesting facts about Mongolia throughout our progress and keeping an eye on all the schools we hope to get participating in our expedition.
He’s a bit shy though, a problem we are working hard to rectify and we will be officially introducing him as soon as he can overcome his shyness!

THE GOBI 2011 SCHOOL PROJECT

I pinched this next bit off my mate, Ripley Davenport. I’m sure he wont mind because it’s me who will be looking after his blisters next year...eugh!

It is extremely significant to have a team who believes in ambition. How they can replicate your own ideas and strengthen it and grow stronger as the responsibilities are increased. It is my strategy to have many schools involved in the Gobi 2011 Schools Project and include the expedition as part of their curriculum. Schools, their students and teachers form a fundamental ingredient in our team and share assorted backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
The core of our approach to the Schools Project is to encourage children to reach their full potential by making a more meaningful contribution to the world we live through academic achievement and adventure. What unites everyone is a shared sense of duty and enthusiasm fired by the belief that the greater your ambitions the further you will go.

The Gobi 2011 Expedition team would like to get young people involved and thinking about Mongolia. To enable you to easily incorporate the expedition into your classroom or home we will be assembling science, history, geography, social science and English based worksheets.
We hope that by incorporating these into your lessons you can begin a discussion with your class about the fragile environment of Mongolia, cultural divides and indigenous people and encourage an interest in the more remote parts of the globe with the young.

edurelief

What is it like to be the wife of an adventurer? by Laura Davenport

2010-07-08T14:09:00.002+01:00

Ripley Davenport, Adventurer, Ex-Forces, Medic, Slightly Bonkers... Remind you of anyone?
Ripley is about 3/4 of his way across Mongolia at the moment. Sporting some fine blisters, and achieving the impossible, the longest solo and unassisted walk ever completed.
Like a lot of adventurers, (ones I know anyway) there is a better half to Ripley sitting at home waiting for him to return. Maybe sitting isn't the right thing to say as Laura, Ripley's wife, is no doubt running around like a woman on a mission while Rip is away, as she has a family to bring up 'solo and unassisted' while still keeping things at home 'normal' and Rip thinks he's having a tough time?
Please welcome my first guest blogger, telling her story of being the wife of an adventurer, Laura Davenport...

Allow me to give you a brief picture of my world and who I was before I met Ripley? I lived in Denmark’s metropolis: Copenhagen. Just a stones throw, with my arm, from the city centre. My life was surrounded by material items and meaningless gossip with, so called girlfriends, in an uptown café every Sunday. It was our girls get together but quite simply a brunch. I could go on weekend shopping tours to London or any other city, whenever I wanted. I could spend my time in the museums or concerts at will. Whatever, wherever, it was all forgotten the next day.
At that time, I thought I was happy and didn’t want to change my life in any way. It seemed to fit. One day, it all changed. I was on a course, one of many yawn filled lectures, with my work colleagues and at the very hotel where we were staying, Ripley Davenport was giving a presentation about his adventure in the Namib Desert. His picture, displayed in the reception, caught my eye and having nothing to do for a few hours and without thought, I purchased a
ticket to see what it was all about.
The room was full with all walks of life and I was surprised at the turn out.
After an introduction, I saw this tall, bald and very confident man giving an amazing speech. The room was silent and I sat, like everyone else, overwhelmed by his story. That was the quickest hour of my life and I just had to speak to him after the event. That evening, we talked, we laughed. Three 3 months later, I quit my job, moved out of the city to the Danish countryside. Four months later we were expecting our first child.
A whirlwind romance you may say but one that still blossoms.

Ripley changed my perception of what is really important in this life. Adventure? I didn’t know what it meant before I met him. To be honest, I had a stereotype of adventurers being strange, bearded and old people. (You're not talking about me are you Laura?) That was my first lesson: Never judge a book by its cover and every story has two sides. Ripley taught me these two minor but important rules. He lives by them, so do I?

What is like to be a wife while your husband is out on an expedition?
In a way, I’m on my own little expedition but only here, in Denmark. I’m a mother of two small children, Ripley’s secretary and coach. I run his home base and remain ready for any emergency call 24/7. I take my mobile phone everywhere. Every time hear Ripley’s Satellite phone ring, my heart misses a beat and my mouth dries up.

Obviously, I’m worried about him. It’s my first time and experience being alone while Ripley is away on his expedition, so I’m still learning. My daily routine consists of strong cup of coffee with milk, getting the kids ready for kindergarten and then getting back home to the office and updating Ripley’s news. Once done and few coffees later, I find ways to promote the Mongolia 2010 Expedition further on top of my normal job (I’m glad that’s only 4 hrs/day). Then I trudge out to get the shopping for dinner, pick up the kids and try to figure out what and how to cook dinners. I can’t cook and given the chance – won’t cook. It’s always been Daddy’s job, but it’s now a role reversal. Scott, our oldest 4½ years old, repeatedly says, “Mummy, daddy cooks much better dinners, why?” What can I say except laugh and find excuses?The hardest psychological challenge was definitely the first 2 weeks. When he called me on the 3rd day of his expedition and told me about the torrential rains and thunderstorms, his equipment being drowned and his body shivering from being cold and wet, I felt hopeless. I contacted every adventurer and endurance athlete that Ripley knew to ask for advice and support. Each helped a great deal. That night, I had a dozen cups of coffee just to stay awake. I felt like it was a duty to stay up with Ripley through his tough night. I believe, it was harder for me.

We were on different sides of the planet and different time zones so I adjusted my clock to suit his and tried to keep in his routine. We have experienced many difficult situations together and got through each a lot wiser. I know that future challenges can be overcome. We have been through so much. I have learnt not to worry so much. I’m more focused and calm now and learn to stay rational in the extreme situations. I thought I was ready to take over the family duties on my own and run home base while Ripley is in Mongolia. I guess you could never be ready for anything until you’re in the actual situation. Out of my comfort zone. We don’t have any family support in Denmark. My mother has passed away and my father has little contact. Ripley’s parents live in England and contact with them is very scarce. I could honestly say, that we’re on our own. It’s not easy, but we do what we have to do and never moan or gripe about our situation. It makes me laugh, when people complain about small petty things. I could write an endless list of examples. We haven’t been out for as much as an evening dinner or drink in four years. So what! We still have our time together, when kids are asleep and that’s what is important. Being an adventurer’s wife teaches you to be happy with what you’ve got and stop comparing what your neighbour has and maybe take a cooking class once in a while?”

Laura Davenport

Religion?

2010-05-18T11:14:00.002+01:00

I just had a knock at the door. It was bloody Jehovah’s Witnesses or ‘Men in Black’ as I called them, much to their disgust and my neighbour’s amusement. Well, if you haven’t got a sense of humour, you shouldn’t have joined, that’s what I say!
Now some people just need to learn when they’re onto a looser, when to call it a day. They need to learn early on in a conversation that this kid is never going to be a convert. Now I’m usually a calm sort of bloke, but when a pair of idiots stand on my doorstep spouting a load of tribe, not taking the hint to ‘go forth and multiply’ it gets my back up! I don’t go around shouting about being an Atheist, so if I tell you I’m not interested in the bloody Watchtower magazine then take the hint and ‘do one!’
“Do you not want to know about the word of the Lord?” one of them said.
“What word did you have in mind matey? I’ve got a few choice words I can share with you!"
Why on Earth would I have religious views? Here are my religious views as told by a well know gent from North of the border. Be warned though, I'm not going to apologise for this, so if you're a devil dodger, bible basher or any other sort of believer in divine beings and afterlife, don't complain about my views on the subject, just don’t bloody listen, or you’ll be sent straight to hell. But worry not, for hell is not a cavern inside the Earth, nor is it located in a hidden dimension or a separate reality. But hell is in fact located just South of Madejski Stadium, on the M4 motorway and is known as the evil that is junction 11 and the number 111 bus will be along in a minute to take you straight back to normality.

Happy Birthday Florence Nightingale

2010-05-12T08:19:00.002+01:00

Each year, on the 12th of May, Florence Nightingale's birthday, nurses celebrate nursing and raise the profile of their work in a variety of ways and events. Few can say they are untouched by the hard work and dedication of nurses in the UK and throughout the world and International Nurses Day is an opportunity to learn about the work of nurses and their workplaces. Many hospitals, day centres, wards, etc hold open days, coffee mornings, fund raising events and use the day for health care promotions and to raise the profile of the profession.

It is also a day for nurses worldwide to celebrate their profession and unite to take pride in their jobs and show the world the importance of their work

For the full story click here thanks to http://www.qaranc.co.uk

Mongolia 2010 Expedition, Ripley Davenport

2010-04-24T18:16:00.001+01:00

Please take a moment or two to read this, then post it to your blog, facebook, twitter, bebo, myspace etc.

Ripley Davenport has spent years planning a walk. Not a walk down the UK like me, but across some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. He had planned to be the first person to walk unsupported across Mongolia, East to West.

Let Ripley explain...

"It stands to become the longest solo and unassisted walk ever completed."

British Adventurer Ripley Davenport will plunge deep inside the most sparsely populated independent country in the world to do what no one else has ever done – to attempt the longest recorded solo and *unssisted walk - across the vast landmass of Mongolia from east to west, starting May 2010.

Enduring sub-zero temperatures, icy blizzards, sand storms, isolation and maybe a touch of frostbite, Grey wolves will look on and shadow Ripley as he walks along the frozen landscape.

The Expedition will involve walking 1700 miles / 2750 km’s across the Eastern Mongolian Steppe, Gobi Desert and the Altai Mountain Range, while hauling provisions and equipment weighing in excess of 200kg in a wheeled trailer, specifically designed for the journey, in 90 days or less.

This effort to push the frontiers of human capabilities, challenge ecological values and inspire youth to reach beyond their perceived limits and engage their dreams.
M2010X will test the limitations of mental and physical human endurance.

*Unassisted - No assistance in any form for the entire expedition (no air resupply, machine, animal or supply depots - all food & fuel is pulled on the trailer.)

Then...

This is a difficult blog to write.

The last 24 hours have been the most unmerciful 24 hours of my life and sat here alone in the darkness, on the fringes of the Steppe, I have reached a surreal moment full of mixed emotions. I will explain...

Molly Brown (Ripley's Trailer) has weathered well considering the terrain and weight she's bearing on her back but with most things there's always a weak point that exposes itself in dire moments. Molly displayed her weakness.

As I left Choibalsan and stepped out onto the edge of the Mongolian Steppe I was taken back by the sheer view of what lay ahead of me.

A land littered with immense pot holes, washes, muddy ground, soft sand and deep trenches. I had expected to be tested to the full but this was a mine field of obstacles and covering just 1 km in a little over 4 hours is heart breaking and emotionally destroying. Those that have been in such conditions will know what I am taking about. That I can handle.

However, Molly started to make a erie noise. Clearly, I as subjecting her to a serious beating. 247kg is no easy feat to pull at the best of times but over dreadful ground is near impossible - not impossible but near enough. I estimate that I unloaded and reloaded her weight 15 to 20 times and dug her out of black mud more times than I can remember.

Could I go around I hear you say? I could but in all directions for about 30km lay the same ground. I picked the best starting point in my estimation. The wheels were subjected to a lot of impact and relentless blowing sand and grit made its way in to everything. The problem was sourced in the wheel hub, which I am sad to say was not a sealed component. The riding rim for the ball bearings and ball bearings were eroded and several of these, what can only be described as her Achillies heal, were mere metal fragments and fine silver dust in two of the wheels. I did prepare for this likelihood and carried a few spares and exchanged the bearings in awkward conditions but the rugged terrain and weight got the better of her. There are only so many bearings to take as spares and I expended them all. I sat, having bearly covered 12km in 12 hours of walking, in the icy dry wind and lost it. I broke down. I'm not afriad to sat that I let out some emotional tears and screamed some disagreeable language. So much time and preparation went into this expedition that it became an obsession. I trained hard and trained well and simply never encountered problems with her bearings until now. A minor flaw in her design and one over-looked but one easily rectifiable.

After a prolonged conversation with my dear wife and full support in my decision, I decided to pause the expedition - not stop - and call in assistance. Unable to move, I set up camp put on a brew and calmly waited in a bitter wind and icy dark Steppe for evacuation.

This is small delay. I am returning back to Denmark on Monday, tail between my legs and tremendously upset and low at the consequence but as soon as I can, at immediate notice if need be, I will return to my last position and resume my walk across Mongolia from where I came to grinding halt.

I want to thank those of you for your support during some dark hours, which my wife has sent to me. I am touched. I want to thank my sponsors but mostly I want to acknowledge Burmaa Zunduisuren from Visit Mongolia, the wonderful and charming duo Delgermaa and Spiro at Eznis Airways, H. E. The British Ambassador to Mongolia Bill Dickson for his telephone call and to Matt Nelson - to name but a few - for support and positive encouragement for making my dream possible and smoothing the way through some heavy formalities. And in her own type of solo expedition - my wife at home, alone with two crazy kids tha I miss dearly, holding the fort and running home base. I love you and can't wait to see you - but it's not for long!! I intend to return to Mongolia as soon as I can, hopefully within the month with a stronger Molly Brown and ready for another crack of this difficult task. I will not quit until I complete my walk across Mongolia. I'm not broken just shattered and eager to get back. Thank you all.

Now...

To go back, Ripley needs to raise $6,000 - DKK 30,000 (max) and needs to be back within a month. If you can help, or know someone who can, or even if you dont, please copy and paste this blog everywhere you can think of, somebody may have $6k they don't need :o)

http://www.mongolia2010.com/donate.html

Health is Part of Being a Responsible Traveller

2010-04-23T09:23:00.000+01:00

Responsible Tourism

I, like lots of you reading this, travel a lot, it's part of what I do as a wilderness medic. When I'm up a mountain or following a river in a rain forest, it's looking after the rest of the expedition, film crew or even school trip, that pays my bills. But my job doesn't end there. It's also part of my task to make sure we don't bring a disease with us to an area of the world that is free of it. Imagine being the explorers who finally discovered a long lost tribe in the jungles of South America. But you're not remembered for this, you're famous because you and your expedition are the guys that killed them all by giving them a common cold. Not very good for your future funding or the poor tribe who is now extinct. Not very responsible you might say. When we think about Responsible Tourism, promoting respect for the cultures and the environment of our destination country come to mind. Health on the other hand, is the other component that is not often talked about.
The following has been taken from the IAMAT Blog (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers. You can find their Home Page Here. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank them for allowing me to use their blog and also wish them a Happy 50th Birthday.

Learning about the cultures, regional geography, languages, and customs is key to being a responsible traveler, as is informing yourself about the potential health risks at your destination. While we have the means to protect our health, we also need to be mindful of how our health status impacts the people we come across during our travels. Getting immunized against vaccine preventable diseases is not only for your benefit, but also for the locals you encounter abroad. At home you may not consider vaccination for yourself, but as a traveller, even if you are healthy, you risk being a conduit for infectious diseases.

Diseases that are considered eradicated or rare in our part of the world (polio, mumps, measles, meningococcal meningitis, yellow fever), are a serious concern for local populations where there are low vaccination rates and different immunity patterns. At home you may not be exposed to diseases because people around you are vaccinated (herd effect), but abroad - if you are not immunized - you risk catching an infection without exhibiting symptoms right away and unwittingly pass it on to someone who is not immune. Not to mention that if you do get sick, you also put a strain on already taxed local healthcare systems.

The recent H1N1 outbreak clearly showed us how infectious diseases leap from continent to continent in a matter of hours, not months or weeks or days. As travelers, we have the potential to bring over infections to places where there was little or no previous concern and we also bring them back with us, adding stress to our own medical system.

Like other infectious diseases, the spread of H1N1 also showed us how poverty plays a major role in health. Persons living in crowded conditions are more susceptible to contracting infections and fighting diseases is harder if you have little or no access to healthcare.

Judging on a recent poll by the Consumer Travel Alliance (CTA), many of us still have a long way to go to becoming responsible travelers. According to the survey of frequent travelers, 73% said that they would fly even if they had the flu. A similar survey done by TripAdvisor last Fall also found that 51% of respondents said they would fly with the flu to avoid the ticket change fee (getting trip cancellation insurance or checking the fine print of your airline's policy for reimbursements on flu and major illnesses may be part of the solution).

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are especially linked to travel. You've heard this before, but avoid unprotected sexual contact. If you are going to have sex with a stranger, use latex or polyurethane condoms consistently and correctly. Bring your own condoms from home. The spread of STIs, including HIV, is in part due to the proliferation of sex trafficking and sexual tourism.

As travelers, we not only have the responsibility to help prevent the spread of diseases, but we should also be aware of the health of tourism industry employees who take care of us. Too often, workers deal with poor and unsafe working conditions, long hours, and poor wages. For example, trail guides may face frost bite in cold environments, scuba diver instructors may get decompression sickness, and hotel room cleaners work long hours, often with no benefits. These conditions may put their health at risk and we can look out for them by encouraging them to seek medical attention.

The International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) publishes 7 Tips For the Responsible Traveler Below are other groups promoting responsible and sustainable tourism.

Willies!

2010-04-21T14:11:00.001+01:00

"Willies?" Got your attention didn't it?

This is a little something I did ages ago when Yahoo 360 was around. I've made some new friends since those days, and wondered just how well people think they know me, or not! So, in the name of research, here it is again in all it's glory.

Now don't go looking at my old stuff on Yahoo for the answers cos they're not there any more as Yahoo took offence at a picture I posted and took out the whole lot. Must have been my mate having his willy out, OK it was covered by a gourd, and he was a Tribesman from Papua New Guinea, so it's only natural. Anyhow, like I said someone was offended and Yahoo, bless em, took my picture away SO, here's matie again with the offending WILLY, well and truly HIDDEN!

Right here's the deal... I've written down some facts about myself and thrown in some stuff that’s total fiction. See how many you can get right. The prize for the person with the most right is... well, nothing really.

When I’m not up a mountain, for a day job I'm a plumber.
I spent 10 years in the Navy.
I broke my leg in 14 places falling off a mountain.
I have 4 kids.
I was adopted by a naked man in a penis gourd.
I have broken my neck.
I've been read my 'last rights' by a confused Mexican Priest.
I almost got run over because I was staring at a woman’s bum.
I am fluent in 4 languages.
I have climbed the highest mountain in Asia.

Some strange facts there you might agree, or did I just make the whole lot up? Try and answer them, true or false. Then when I get time I'll do a little blog post for all the true ones. If there are any of course ;o)

Damn you pot-hole

2010-03-29T12:43:00.002+01:00

The Following is taken from my Justgiving pages...

My name is Steve Blethyn, on March 22nd 2010, I got on a Rail Air coach which took me to Heathrow then I flew up to Glasgow.

All I had to do then was get back to Reading. I was going to stop at a few places on the way down, a hospice here, a charity ball there, you know how it is. I was going well, doing an average of 52 miles a day. Did I say I was doing it on foot? Just me and a pair of boots. All my food, clothing, waterproofs etc. were in a rucksack on my back. I slept in a Bivvy bag or hammock, depending on how windy it was. If I couldn't carry it then it stayed at home. I was due to arrive back in Reading on April 1st, I'll have walked 503 miles, have sore legs, lost a bit of weight and more than likely be sporting a fine set of blisters. Most importantly, I'll hopefully have raised loads of money for some very worthwhile causes. BUT...

I got as far as Leeds, very early on Saturday morning. I was going to help shake some collection tins. This was not to be however, Leeds Council saw to that, or was it the Highways agency? Either way, the pot hole that I mistook for a puddle because of the early morning sun put me out of action. I was walking like a man on a mission, knocking off miles like there was no tomorrow when the next thing I know, my foot goes sideways, I hear a "POP" and I'm sat on my backside watching white van man screaming towards me.

Not the best thing to have when I was only half way through a 500 mile challenge, a torn ligament maybe, a sprain, something broken perhaps? Fact of the matter is, challenge 'Another Long Way Down' bacame an even bigger Charlie Boorman tribute by becoming... Get home 'By Any Means'

The Leeds to Reading half will have to wait I'm afraid, but your sponsorship does not need to suffer the same as my foot, put hands in pockets and help me reach my target.

http://www.justgiving.com/anotherlongwaydown-scas

Another Long Way Down

2010-03-22T01:14:00.000Z

aka

A Long Way to go for a Curry

Here it is folks, in all it's glory. Add to this, a couple of little things like climbing Helvellyn, and treking up to Malham Cove, and the grand total covered is 500 miles. I start from Reading at 12:00 hrs today (March 22nd) When I get on a Rail Air coach to take me to Heathrow, then it's 90 minutes on a flight to Glasgow. The rest is down to me a map and a pair of boots. I'll only have my mobile phone with me so this is the last blog update you're going to get until I tell of my blisters in April. I shall however be twittering like a madman so that you all know how I'm doing. I need you all to do me a favour (or two)...
Wish me luck, and make sure that there is loads of dosh going into these while I'm away;

http://www.justgiving.com/anotherlongwaydown-scas

http://www.justgiving.com/anotherlongwaydown

You see, when I get back, I would like to be able to grant a wish for some very ill kids, and get some life saving kit for the volunteers who give their own time to help people in their own communities. So that's the favour I need from all of you... Tell EVERYONE what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and how they can help. Then when I get back, I'll even let you get me a drink at the Jazz Cafe, while I tuck into a curry. Come along and I'll tell you about my adventures.

Here's a little secret to keep you interested...

My next adventure may involve a boat and a lot of ice. I shall say no more

Stay in touch here

http://twitter.com/sblethyn

or here

steveblethyn@yahoo.co.uk

or even here

http://www.facebook.com/steve.blethyn

View Larger Map

Long way to go for a curry

2010-03-05T14:38:00.005Z

On March 22nd, about midday, I'm getting on a Rail Air coach that is going to take me to Heathrow, then a big metal budgie is going to fly to Glasgow with me on it. Once there, I'm going to find a nice quiet spot by Loch Lomond to hang my hammock or lay down my bivvy bag. I'm going to cook a meal on my little stove (and I mean little) then get some sleep. I'm going to get up with the birds in the morning pack up my stuff into my rucksack and head off. I'm going for a curry and a beer or two at the Jazz Cafe. There's going to be a comedian (I've no idea who) and a guest speaker, Lee Farmer, a mountaineer and fellow pastie lover (private joke) If you fancy joining me for what is going to be 'Another Good Night Out' you can phone the Jazz Cafe on 0118 9681442 and tell Chris that you want a couple of tickets for the charity event on April 4th, that's Easter Sunday. (I may even give one lucky person an egg) It's £15 for the night if you're eating and only £10 if you're not. If you don't fancy curry, there is going to be chilli also. I'm hoping there will be some other adventurer types there on the night, and also quite a few medical types too. Basically 'cos I'm an adventurer/medical type myself. So please join me if you fit into one of those groups, and join me if you don't to find out what makes us adventure/medical types tick. Either way, it'll be a good night.

Now, those of you who have your eyes open may have noticed something wrong with the stuff above. Maybe wrong isn't the correct word to use, strange is more fitting I guess. "What's the problem?" I hear you say. Well 0118 is the code for Reading, down here in Berkshire. So why am I flying to Scotland? Well I said that I'm a medical/adventurer type of bloke. I'm also a closet explorer, who loves walking.
I even ran once. :o)
Several years ago I did a marathon, time wasn't great but hey, I did it, have you done one?
Anyway, back to the problem... I'm going to be in Scotland when the night out is down here in Reading. No problem, not for me anyway. Why leave the UK to have an adventure when I can explore this country on foot? I'm going to walk to the Jazz Cafe in Reading, starting in Glasgow. I'm going to see Loch Lomond, The Bonnie Banks below the Braes, then take the high road, or is it the low road, I can never remember which is which. I'm going through the gentle hills around the Clyde and Scotland's Southern Uplands, then cross the wall built by the Emperor Hadrian around the year AD 120-something then head down to the lofty Helvellyn in the Lake District. "Yaay Mountains" Then after I've passed down the Eastern shore of Northern end of Lake Windermere, I'm going East towards the Yorkshire Dales, where if my timing is on track, I'll spend the night near Malham Cove. Then it's South again, past Skipton and onto Leeds to meet Alice. Alice is holding a charity ball to raise funds for Rays of Sunshine. More about them below.
After Leeds I'm off to the Slippery Stones above Derwent Water, then through Hathersage, Bakewell for a tart, before leaving the Peak District at Matlock. Then I'll pass by old colliery tips dotting the landscape throughout the area scarred by the industrial revolution. On then to Leicester with it's facade of Roman buildings. (I know there should be a 'squiggley wotsit' under the c in facade but I can't be bothered to hunt for one)
Sporty theme next as I pass the home of the game with an odd shaped ball, then onto Ashby St Ledgers where Robert Catesby hatched a plot in 1605, so the local legend has it, something about gunpowder and a big bang! It's here I'll follow the Oxford Canal all the way to... you guessed it... Oxford. I can almost smell that curry and chilli now. Change of waterway now as I start to follow the Thames. Hopefully it'll all be well in Wallingford, it won't be boring in Goring, and I can't think of anything to rhyme with Mapledurham, so I'll pass there quickly. Or at least as quickly as I can go having just walked 493.5 miles. Just leaving the final 6.5 mile 'sprint' for the finish. 'Sprint'? Who am I trying to kid?
500 miles covered, past some of the finest landscape in the UK, sleeping under the stars whenever and wherever I feel the need, cooking my own grub and washing when the fly's get too much. I'll get to climb a mountain, and walk along some national pathways. I'll be testing my stamina, my mental attitude and my map reading skills. Yes real paper maps, not your 'oh shit the batteries have died in my GPS' for me, oh no. Like I said, who needs to leave the UK for an adventure when you can have one right here.
So why? Why not? Do I know if I can walk over 50 miles a day? (that's going some believe me) Well to be honest, no I don't know, but then it wouldn't be much of a challenge then would it. But if you want to find out if I made it or not, you're going to have to follow me on twitter, I can't reply cos I'm leaving all technology at home apart from the mobile and a solar thingy to charge it. Better still, come to the Jazz Cafe and join me for that curry. Don't worry though, I may be walking 500 miles for it but you can get a taxi.
There are a couple of other reasons for me doing this...
Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity
As long as I can still breath I shall support these guys who do amazing things. Rather than try and explain what they do, take a moment to watch this film.

Then there are the Community First Responders who volunteer their time to help the Ambulance Service. I want to try and get enough funds to get another complete kit so that they can carry on doing what they do and save more lives. A kit can be seen below and costs around £2500

So you see, I'm not totally mad, I do have some good reasons why I want your money. So please part with some of it here, £1 will do, £10 would be better, £100 and you'll have a friend for life :o)

So go on, click on one or both of the links below then phone Chris at the Jazz Cafe and book your Easter Curry/Chilli that number again is 0118 9681442

http://www.justgiving.com/anotherlongwaydown-scas

http://www.justgiving.com/anotherlongwaydown

I may even let you know what I'm doing next!

Before I go, there are a few friends that have helped me get this together. Some have already had a sneaky link or two in the text above, some may not even know it but they have helped, whether they have been a supplier, a sponsor or just an inspiration. They all deserve a mention here. So not to be outdone by the telly, in no particular order are...

http://www.lushsoft.com/
http://www.1stresponsemedical.co.uk/
http://www.orbana.com/
http://www.getreading.co.uk/
http://www.thenextchallenge.org/
http://www.michaelbuble.com/
http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/
http://www.gofasterfood.com/
http://www.danmartinextreme.com/home.php
http://www.escapethecity.org/
http://www.alicehalstead91.moonfruit.com/
http://www.84kmbivvychallenge.co.uk/ (OK I'm doing 804km but so what!)
http://www.reading107fm.com/
http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/
http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/

But mostly thanks to the wife, Ginny, for letting me do this and all the other high risk, high altitude, hijinks, that I get up to. Secretly I think she looks forward to the peace and quiet when I'm not around.

What's the point?

2010-03-02T15:35:00.000Z

I was speaking to someone in a well known 'outdoorsy' type shop yesterday about bivvi bags and some other stuff. He asked me what I needed the thing for, whether it was for an emergency or was I using it for a longer period as my main shelter. I told him that I was walking from Glasgow to Reading later this month and using the bivvy to sleep in every night.
"Blimey, that's gonna take you ages" he said, "isn't that about 350 miles?"
I pointed out that it's just over 400 door to door, but I'm not going the most direct route, but a more 'scenic' 500 mile version.

"So you're gonna take about a month, maybe a bit more yeah?"

"Ten days, or 9 days with a bit on both ends, I fly up on the 22nd and I'm hoping to get back to the Madejski Stadium by lunchtime on April 1st"

There followed a slight break in the conversation and I could see his brain ticking over.
"...but that's like 55, 56 miles a day over nine days" I couldn't fault his maths, but then he came out with this...

"Impossible, nah! Can't be done, it's too much for too long, nah, can't do that, nah, you'll be walking for too long every day, it'll be too hard, and you..."

I tried to stop him because I could see he was going off the rails and was going to self destruct. but on he went anyway...

"You should give yourself longer or not walk as far, I mean, do you know if you can do it or not? It's not going to be easy you know!"

"No, I don't know if I can do it, and yes it will be hard going"

"So what's the point?"

I amazed myself at how calm I stayed at this point! What's the point? My god, consider where he works, and he asks "What's the Point?"

If I wanted something easy, something I could do without any problem, I'd walk to the corner shop everyday and sleep in my garden on a hot summer night, but then it wouldn't be a challenge would it?

I know I can walk to the corner shop, I've done it often enough. I know I can run a marathon (at least I could 'cough splutter' years ago) The idea is to push myself upto and possibly beyond what I think I'm capable of. Hard it may be, and it is a Long Way, hence the name 'Another Long Way Down'
Let's break this down a bit...
Another: an additional; one more; implying 'not the first' perhaps... I may be the first to walk from Glasgow to The Madejski Stadium but the idea is not original by any stretch of the imagination, therefore it's 'Another'
Long: now the Oxford English Dictionary's definition of 'Long' is rather, well, Long! So to keep it simple I shall just use the first line, "measuring much from end to end" says it all really.
Way: a road, track, path etc., for passing along. A course or route for reaching a place. There is way too much on 'Way' so in a way, it's best if I leave it at that!
Challenge: A summons to take part in a contest or trial, to prove or justify something, a demanding or stimulatingly difficult task. "Stimulatingly Difficult?"
Oh well , if that's what the book says!
So there it is!

I'm going to be stimulated by a difficult and demanding task. One that involves traversing a road, track or path that measures much from end to end. Whilst not being original in concept, it's original to me. Especially the Curry/Chilli/Comedian/Speaker bit at the end in the Jazz Cafe by Madejski Stadium on 4th April.
So get your tickets by phoning The Jazz Cafe on 0118 9681442 and I'll tell you if I ever got that bivvy bag or not!
And just in case you were wondering, you don't have to walk 500 miles for a curry and a pint that's my job!

From a Royal Home to the Home of The Royals

2010-02-21T16:04:00.000Z

From a Royal Home to the Home of The Royals

(A Royal Adventure)

A Royal Home

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis. I couldn't even guess at how many people have their photo taken outside it's gates every year, but in a couple of weeks I will be one of them.

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the Queen!
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there? I man with a rucksack and thinning grey hair!

Yep, I'm going to London to visit the Queen, OK so I don't have a knighthood to collect or even know if she's going to be in. To be honest she's not the reason I'm going to London at all. The reason I'm going to London is to see Alastair Humphreys He is going to be on the top floor of the Iron Duke pub by Victoria station (half a mile south of Buck House) from 6.30pm - 9pm on Tuesday March 9th.

Alastair was grateful for the help of a long distance cyclist when he was planning his own trip around the world, so now he is offering his services to anyone who is planning something similar. So if you are going on an expedition and need some advice, or indeed if you have experience of expeditions and are willing to share your knowledge with others, then get yourself down the pub and share a bit of wisdom and a pint with other like-minded people. I'm going, and I'm also using this an excuse for a mini adventure or two.

First of all I'm going to be a 'tourist' and get myself photographed outside as many tourist attractions in London as possible in one day. Then I'm off to the pub to meet Alastair for a couple of hours and to get my breath back for a little bit of night time training. I'm going to walk home from the pub, that's normal. Much better than drinking and driving and much cheaper than a taxi. Especially as the taxi would have to drive 40 miles to take me home.

The Home of the Royals

You see I don't live in London but Reading, just round the corner from The Majedski Stadium or the 'Mad Stad' This is where London Irish play their Rugby and it's also the home of Reading Football Club aka The Royals.

Anyway, back to the night training...The Iron Duke Pub is 40 miles from the Majedski Stadium, which is a stones throw from my front door. This is a bit shorter than the distances I'll be covering each day when I do my 'Another Long Way Down' challenge, but not being one to turn down a golden opportunity for a bit of training and a mini challenge, I have decided to walk back from the pub, just me and my rucksack, with a set of waterproofs just in case. I'm calling this little bit of training "A Royal Adventure"

Another Long Way Down

What am I training for anyway? March 22nd is the start of my 804km bivvy challenge, 500 miles to us imperialists* I got the idea from The 84km Bivvy Challenge but me being me, I thought I'd do a few of them back to back. I'm basically flying to Glasgow, then walking back to the Mad Stad, via the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, a charity ball in Leeds and the Peak District. I shall be living on whatever I can carry on my back, sleeping under the stars and washing in anything that doesn't appear to have too many creatures in it. All of this in under 10 days, that's about 2 marathons a day to save you looking for your calculators. Once back in Reading I'm having a party at the Jazz Cafe, where you are all invited to join me if you fancy a curry/chilli and a couple of beers. Click here for details of that night out. The 'Another Long Way Down' and 'Another Good Night Out' at the Jazz Cafe are to raise money for a couple of charities

http://www.justgiving.com/anotherlongwaydown-scas/

and

http://www.justgiving.com/anotherlongwaydown

The Royal Adventure is just because I want to, no fundraising, no ulterior motive, no big sponsors logo on my sleeve. Nothing in fact apart from the fact that I want to, I'm going to and no bugger is going to stop me!

I do however need some help...
I was going to take the most direct route home. You can see this route on the map below, which is interactive so you can zoom in and follow the roads etc. but Alastair has suggested that I take the Thames Path. This may be a better route, certainly more interesting, but as you can see on the last map, twice as long. So I'm leaving the route I take up to you lot. Please reply to this blog or let me know on twitter or facebook, which route should I take?
Route 1. The Straight Line
Route 2. The Thames Path

View Larger Map

* I am of course talking about lovers of measurements in feet and inches here, not Lenin's theory of imperialism.