Grabb'in a few pics whilst doing local loops.

Truth be known, I didn't feel like heading out on my bike this morning. I had a proper upset tummy, which coincided with the usual and the shits. This ulcerative colitis is really doing my head in. I don't think I can tolerate the mesalazine medication; it actually makes me feel worse, and I was supposed to be going for an urgent sigmoidoscopy, which I think is a waste of time, as I just had one in April. Obviously, I want to try and avoid yet another camera stuck up where the sun doesn't shine. It now appears as if I am just being left to my own devices, not on any treatment and just hoping and praying that the god awful symptoms start getting better.

Before I went out on my bike, I checked the weather forecast. I'm not sure if in the back of my mind I hoped it was due to rain, that way I would have even more of an excuse to just stay in. Then I thought to myself, "Glenn, just get yourself sorted, you'll feel better once you are out", and so that is what I did.

I had no real plans on where I was going and just decided to ride and see where it took me. Then I was off on my new Scott Lumen. The other day, when I was out, I was thinking, "I am sure this bike has three power settings". It only took me a few minutes to figure out that I had to hold the power button in just that bit longer to get the bike to have no assist, "Ahh that is why it had felt like the bike rolled real easy the other day", I had been riding around in eco mode, so had a little bit of assist.

A little bit of a rant! Which I am sure you will be onboard with me about.

Okay, so this blog post is going to be a bit of a rant concerning just a few things that have happened that I am sure each and every one will agree with me about. Of course, if you know me, you will also understand I tend to go off on tangents, so the post also contains a link to a video I wasn't going to post, as I didn't think I had enough footage to make it interesting. Well, maybe I still haven't, but fuck it cobbled it together and uploaded it to YouTube anyhoo.

So, to what has pissed me off, well, it's basically society in a whole, but mainly how corporations and companies, businesses and whatnot are all out to rip us off.

Some weeks ago, I got a message from my insurance provider saying words to the effect of "Dear Mr Johnstone, would you like to get a guaranteed future value on your motor vehicle?". The car in question is Grandma, my limited edition VW Beetle GSR. Grandma is on a 63 plate, so 12 years old. She is not classed as a classic, as not old enough; however, she is a very rare car as there were only 30 ever brought into the UK in this model and colour. Not only that, she has lots of top-end mods, so when I insured her, I put a valuation of £20,000 on her. Now I know a lot of people may think that is a bonkers price, but I just saw a Yellow & Black GSR for sale on Piston Heads with a lower spec and not as many mods, and it was up for £18,995.

Anyhoo, I had posted on Facebook about this valuation and one of my friends contacted me saying before I went ahead with paying the extra £52 to get the valuation, if I sent him the details of my car, so the registration and. mileage, he could get the true value that the insurance company would use. You see, he works for a company that all the insurance companies use for guide prices.

So this is what I got back from my mate. Sorry, the image isn't great.

So, as you can see, the top book is probably just over £10,000. So my point here is why the hell would I pay an extra £52 just to be told that my car is only valued at the rate the insurance company value it at in the first place. This has been nowhere near what it would actually cost to replace it in the event of an accident. Insurance companies are only too happy to quote us extortionate amounts for us to insure our vehicles, yet when we come to claim, we would be lucky to be able to go out and purchase a like-for-like example.

I think a good idea from a customer's point of view, where insurance is concerned, and it could easily be introduced, is that, say, your insurance was £1000  per year. If, after that year, you had no claims, you were reimbursed half the amount of your insurance. I mean, the insurance companies would still get interest on the money you paid them.

Anyhoo, this gets me onto my next whinge. So a few months back, I paid for an updated version of Wondershare Filmora. A piece of software so that I could edit my GoPro footage. Now I thought, in fact, I am sure I had a paid-up version of the software, version 13 or something. Yet when I went on to make a film, I was told ~I had to update to version 14. So I did this and paid once again for the latest version. Now, in making this latest video, the one I wasn't going to make Lol well, I got all the way through the editing and went to produce it, only to be told "You have used transition assets in your production", or words to that effect. I thought "WTF", I've just been on ages complaining this and now this dumb software wants to charge me more money to produce the final edition. Not only would it not allow me to just pay a one-off fee, oh no, it wanted me to fucking subscribe to a monthly payment. I hate shit like that. I mean, if you subscribe to everything that comes along nowadays, it's like signing your pay cheque away.

I had to go back and remove all the paid content out of my video, and fudged together something which is probably pretty naff, not much riding scenes in it, but it does have some pretty places I visited the other day. 

Ok rant over, here's the video. Oh, and whilst you are here, if you haven't already, why not go and grab yourself a copy of my book "Lost2bFound"? You can find it on Amazon or in other good bookshops.

Waiting is the worst part

       As we approach the end of another year and I reflect back, I have to say this year has been, without sounding to depressing almost a complete fail. 

      Of course there have been some exciting and positive moments, like my involvement in all of the success of the film "Meet the Local Hero", and the very kind invitation to travel over to Spain from my friend Dragos, the director to spend time with him and his partner Ana, then being able to attend the film screening in Barcelona, at the Love & Hope International Film Festival. 

Dragos and myself during filming

      There has been the help and support of various generous people alongside the Arctic ONE Foundation, on my Go Fund me page in trying to help me raise enough funds to buy a new G3 Infinity Knee, so that I could continue riding. 

  

Arctic ONE - what an amazing foundation

G3 Infinity Knee

      And there is the fact I have found trying to write a book quite intriguing, and have enjoyed the journey of reflection and putting my thoughts and memories down. There is still a lot of work to do to get it all finished, mostly to do with grammar and getting a front and back cover done, however the story is just about at a point where I am happy.

      And so to this year and why I consider it a fail. Well I decided to treat myself to a new ebike, way back in May of this year 2024. After doing some research I opted for a Cannondale Moterra SL. I contacted Wheelbase in Darlington and went down to put a deposit down and place my order. I knew with the bike being a new model it would take some time to arrive, however whilst waiting I got my eye on a different model bike, so I decided to change my mind, and opted for an Orbea Rise M10 LT. I custom specc'd the bike down at Wheelbase and then I waited, and waited, and waited some more. Finally after waiting over 6 months the bike had not arrived, and I was informed it wouldn't be here until possibly December or even later. Apparently there was a problem with getting components.

      Now at this point I must make it clear, Wheelbase had done everything they possibly could to get the bike to me, it has had nothing to do with their customer service. I spoke to another local bike shop lately and they stated they have had the exact same problems when it comes to delivery times from Orbea. The same thing actually happened when I was looking to buy my Orbea Gain, I just couldn't get a bike for love nor money at the time.

      Anyhoo just this week I cancelled the order for the Orbea Rise with Wheelbase. There are other reasons, other than the long wait. I currently have stuff going on that have me kind of all over the place. If you are a follower of my blog you may have read that I have been going through some health issues, which funnily enough started just after I ordered a new bike, oh and when my old Bartlett Tendon Knee started acting up and became pretty much un-useable. 

   

Orbea Rise Cancelled - Took way too long to arrive

      Going back to this health thing, I originally thought I had just picked up a really bad bug from work, however after a prolongued period of illness I was to discover this was not the case. 

      It has hit me really hard as my intention was to save up for a new bike, then my knee fucked up so I started the GoFund Me, and then this whatever it is health problem started getting worse. Obviously best laid plans and all that have not gone as I thought. I think I must have been off work going on 6 or so months this year, with what had been described as Ulcerative Colitis by the Inflamatory Bowel Disease clinic.

    Things got a little better following the taking of some predisanone which are steroids, these allowed me to take the trip over to Spain and even do some riding, however upon my return home and gradually coming off the steroids I found I was feeling unwell again, which has meant more time off work and I cannot ride my bike. I just feel so unwell. Whatever is going on has me wiped out, and in so much pain, alongside lots of stress.

      Having been back to the IBD clinic and now been put back on steroids alongside another medication, Salofalk Granules I am now waiting more investigations, this is to be another camera up my hoop, something called a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy and a MRE, which is similar to a MRI, however is apparently better for observing soft tissue.

      My IBD nurse has been wonderful in her support, she says there is a Big question mark over my diagnosis, and I am a trickey customer, due to my past history with the Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and having treatment for that. Now that I am needing more tests  I am obviously concerned, however trying to stay positive.      

      I just feel my whole life is back in limbo again, waiting for a definitive diagnosis, and then to see what will happen. My health has to come first as without it I can't do jack. I am stressed about work, and I know I will have the Department of Work and Pensions on my case and the awful people over at Universal Credit. I was sanctioned £800 the first week I was forced onto this new benefit system, and went from disabled tax credits which I used to receive from HMRC without problems.

       Now recently I have been sanctioned by Universal Credit, 2 months in a row since being on the sick, and I have been informed I owe £900 quid back. The people at Universal Credit took great delight in telling me there is no such things as "disabled tax credits", basically you are treat like a benefit scrounger. I hate it on the rare occassion when I do have to attend the Job Centre, as you have to face the demeaning glare of the so called advisors, who look at you like you are pure scum. I don't get a great deal a month from the government, it's just supposed to be a little help to bump up my wage, to meet the national standard. I have had to reduce my hours at work, as I have been struggling for sometime, so I am now down to 24 hours per week, well when I feel well enough to even go.

      Man this all sounds like doom and gloom and I apologise if you are reading this and thinking " Wow I could do without reading all this negativity", however my blog has always been about telling it how it is. Life for a lot of people isn't like in the movies, or like on social media, where everyone is trying to portray this amazing, yet fake lifestyle. Yes I have had a bit of a whine in my relaying of events, or is it more of just getting my thoughts out there ?

      You see I find writing stuff down helps with my thought process. I know I have faced serious health concerns in the past, so although I am stressed to fuck at times, due to the unknown, I also feel pretty well equipped to deal with what is to come. The best bit of advice I can give anyone, I guess is to talk to someone and try not to keep things bottled up. Although it may feel like moaning and it can get tedious as your whole life appears to revolve around whatever problem you have, talking to someone you trust can help relieve a great deal of pressure.

Of course I also have that internal dark side to me, and if you know anything about me you will know I love quotes. This one is by Lou Holtz who used to be an American football player, coach and analyst, and it goes like this...

" Never tell your problems to anyone... Eighty Percent don't care and the other twenty percent are gald you have them"

      I just keep telling myself take one day at a time and live in the moment, the past is the past and the future is not here yet so it is no good getting all wound up, of course its difficult, however I am a lot better at stopping my over active imagination and telling my inner voice to do one, when it starts with all its negative questions and scenarios. At the end of the day this is just life, and part of my journey.

     I am going to focus on keep going with my goal of getting a new G3 Infinity Knee, and looking ahead to getting a new bike so that I can follow my passion of being out in nature on some beautiful trail or another. It kind of reminds me of way back in 2007 when I knew I was going to have my leg amputated. I bought a new bike, way before my surgery and that was the inspiration to overcome and move forward. 

     Future inspiration a picture for now...

Santa Cruz Heckler SL

For now I will probably wait a little while for a more positive diagnosis, then I will know exactly what I am dealing with, and I can figure out a way forward. Hey its just another challenge Right?

22 Minutes of Fame in Spain

           Well, here I am in Spain, writing parts of this blog, I will finish it upon my return. 

  

So fortunate to have these guys as friends.

My dad had taken me to Newcastle Airport, on the 17th of September, and came inside with me briefly. The parking charges at Newcastle Airport are extortionate.

It has been some time since I last travelled, 2013 to be exact, when I travelled to America, which was my first time taking a flight and being outside of the UK, so not being experienced I found trying to find my way around the airport quite daunting. I could feel myself getting anxious, however, I am getting better at understanding my inner feelings, so changed this to a more positive "Oh you are just excited". I decided to approach the man on the Bureau de Change and after getting initial directions I figured out the next steps to eventually get to the boarding area.

I was flying with EasyJet and have to say the plane was a little smaller than I expected. My recollection of my last flights all those years ago where of bigger planes with more room, this is of course, when I think about it, was because they were International flights, taking many hours and not just a 2-hour hop over. 

The flight over was without incident, I was in a window seat and as we were coming in towards Alicante I could see the sky light up with flashes of lightning which looked amazing.

Generation 3 Infinity Knee

 I have probably mentioned at some point that my old Generation2 Hybrid Crossover Knee that I use for cycling is about knackered.

Worn in the top mount

Proper clunking and the circlip keeps popping due to wear

A new knee, works out at about £7500 to £7800 by the time I got it shipped here and paid import duty/taxes. I am no longer supported by various people/companies/clinics, not because I have stopped riding, its just a sign of the times and what with me getting older I guess I am no longer seen as an inspiration or have anything to offer in order to promote stuff and get away with being supported. 

That said I don't want people to think this is a post whining on about not getting free support and meeting any prosthetic needs, far from it, I am eternally grateful to every single person, company, clinic and indeed charity/foundation that has helped me follow my passion. I can honestly say I probably would have given up long ago if I had not had these people in my corner.

Now it is time to I guess go it alone as it were. After considerable thought and saving like hell I have been able to get the funds together, not to buy a new Generation 3 Infinity Knee, but to purchase a refurbished knee.

This means I will be able to continue riding in all the various forms I enjoy, and once I get these health worries out of the way I have some plans to get out, do more bike packing, more adventures, more photography and videos and more creative content for my blog.

G3 Infinity Knee

I needed to sort this knee out as I really do need something to look to in the future. I have been so stressed this last 6 weeks as something just doesn't feel right with me. Even though I have been real poorly I have continued to cycle using my clunky worn out Bartlett Tendon Knee on my Turbo trainer. I have now been riding consecutive days for 4 years and 5 months. Generally only around 30 minutes per day, this year, however man it has been tough these last few weeks. I absolutely refuse to give in though, so here is to onwards and upwards.

Hopefully my new bike will be here in July and everything health wise sorted.