A lot can, and generally does, happen in a week. In that respect, this last week has been nothing out of the ordinary. In many other weeks it has been utterly unusual with highs and lows of both magnificent and appalling proportions. I was shocked to learn that our friend Naomi lost her battle against bowel cancer. She was diagnosed within a week of Charlotte, but their journeys were to be very different. I was heartbroken to hear that a beautiful life had been cut so tragically short by this most brutal disease. My sympathies are extended to her wonderful 'superhero' husband and Sam, and all Naomi's family, especially her sister Jess.
"I like bikes. What I lack in height I make up for in willpower."
In loving memory of Naomi Hemmant (nee Anderson)
Naomi took extreme sports to another level and her year-round cycling was the stuff that legends are made of. Never have I heard of anyone taking to two wheels at temperatures well below zero. But this was Naomi's preferred mode of transport to, and from work. Come rain or shine. Or deep snow. In the dark. She was, I think, happiest out and about climbing the steepest of hills, or pushing herself in the final leg of a road race. I like to think that she has the full complement of bicycles in the better place she has departed to, complete with world class mechanics and physios. We have lost a friend but her inspiration lives on.
So, dissertation finally complete and submitted (lastminute.com style via courier), I feel as though I can breathe once more. I can reclaim my weekends, and maybe even sit (on the sofa or on my bike) without feeling as though I should probably be doing something related to academia. Whilst the bane of my life in recent weeks, it was allocated no more time than was strictly necessary as, life goes on, and this degree has not perhaps been afforded the same priority as previous programmes of study. The slogan 'how important is it?' was something I have clung to throughout, and whilst I am proud of my efforts, and the achievement of completing a substantial piece of work, I am not yet quite ready to sit on my laurels. I just hope it passes.
The last 8 months have been extraordinary. Looking back at 2012 is apt to take my breath away. There have been challenges and changes aplenty. Sitting alongside Charlotte in her 'garden' recently (which is actually a giant, but most beautifully cultivated flowerbed together with a vast array of pots bearing all kinds of goodies, some of which are edible), it hit home that we never know what's just a-round-the-corner. Life is precious. Life is wonderful. Life is to be lived.
I am looking forward to visiting Charlotte later. Yesterday she went under the knife. Well, strictly speaking, knives. There were a pack of consultants on the job. And what a job. Double mastectomy and reconstruction. The alien has been poisoned and her remains thoroughly excavated. Charlotte's new best friend is of the opiate variety, but this is a woman made of the strongest stuff. She's a Northerner, after all. Hailing from County Durham no less. They don't make them stronger than that.
Please support 'The Ride' in aid of Cancer Research UK
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