TAKE CARE of yourself . . .

. . . unless, that is, you are under police escort in The Gambia !

Last January my youngest son Tim rode his motorbike from Essex to Africa. He did this quite alone - without a 'whoosie' back-up team - and wore his crash helmet all the way. On his return to UK - rode a friends bike across their field in Essex, without wearing a helmet - he took a tumble 'head first'.

For six days after we were most fearful. Six months later he is still recovering - under care of BUPA not NHS.


So, whilst this 'site' was originally created exclusively for a 'careless council', it can include 'care' in all its various guises.

For today, to bikers everyday, for my son Tim, please do 'take care' !

Perhaps, from my forced exile 'in bed' I shall 'blog' about Care as I have experienced 'it' - a certain PCT 'in action' springs to mind. Watch this space for the flip side to "Doctors" and "Where The Heart Is".

Meanwhile, back to the consequenses of 'helmetless' biking. At Basildon hospital, Tim was 'shipped out' of Intensive Care whilst still concussed - sent home unaware what or where 'home', or even his name, actually was !

As these 'bashed bonce' pictures clearly show, Tim was not himself. One must wonder what quality of care might he have received in Mauritainia, Senegal or Gambia ?

For more on Tim's 'African Adventure' visit his own site :

http://www.essex-dakar.org/

The bike Tim rode was a 125cc Suzuki - which shows how times, and distances, have changed over one generation. My own 125cc Bantam took me from Barnet to Bournemouth - I would never have trusted an old BSA, nor a younger self, anything further !

Here a 70cc BSA Dandy is 'bump started', in a hope to circuit 'the block' outside my childhood home. Obviously a 'crash hat', 'boots' and 'leathers' were not yet road safety regulations - in 1962 !

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