Tiffany writes:
Stuart.I have just read your article about boosting my immune system. Would you be able to come to Eastbourne and make me “soar like an eagle”. I’m sure that you would be a good teacher. I would even miss my Dance Class. Call me.
Stuart writes:
This is how Julie and I deal with keeping our immune system as good as possible. It might not be perfect, but it is what we have learnt and currently practice.
Without further ado ..
Here are a few broad pointers…
The Liver is your organ of detoxification and is like your septic tank. If it is not kept clear then it can becomes toxic. Imagine an overflowing or blocked septic tank. This image is far from good.
You need to:
Strengthen your Liver – We take milk thistle, magnesium, curcumin and Vitamin K2. I believe Dandelion extract is also great liver strengtheners, but have yet to try this out.
Clean your Liver – Detox with olive oil and Epsom salts and prepare to stay near your bathroom, with a good book to hand.
Dilate the Liver’s Bile ducts – this helps to get rid of toxins more easily. The best way for this is a series of coffee enemas. Julie does this on a daily basis, but I have yet to try these delights as I have an in-built defence mechanism to having things shoved up my anus.
The other major way that your body gets rid of toxins is through your lymph system. It is essential that you keep this system moving as it really does not have a “pump” as such.
It is really up to you to move your lymph’s every day. The absolutely best way to do this is by “rebounding” on one of those small trampolines. Five to ten minutes per day will do it.
Other than that, half an hour of light exercise such as Yoga, Tai Chi or swimming will move the lymph in your thoracic duct. The ones near the armpits.
If push comes to shove, then failing your arms around like a windmill for a few minutes per day will not do any harm. You will look a bit like you’re in the “Care in the Community” programme, so do it in the bedroom or bathroom and not on the bus or in the middle of a Board Meeting.
Exercise improves your immune system. As well as getting the lymph to take away toxins from your cells, it oxygenates the blood, strengthens your body and releases endorphins which give you the “feel good” factor.
More importantly, it starts to dissolve your visceral fat. That is to say, the fat that you cannot see, but is the fat that surrounds your internal organs that hold onto the toxins that you need to get rid of.
Half an hour of moderate exercise EVERY day will suffice to get this part of your life together. Needless to say, the more exercise you do, the better you will feel.
Finally, laughter boosts the immune system and moves your lymph so keep a bank of your best loved sitcoms and have a blast, or get someone to tickle you at regular intervals.
For us, this is the key to getting your immune system in tip top form. There are probably now millions of web pages dedicated to food, nutrition and recipes.
With that in mind, here are our general, but ESSENTIAL general principles to which we rigidly adhere.
Fruit and vegetables provide more antioxidants than any supplement, especially if they are ORGANIC and RAW.
We have, as a minimum, some of the following good natural ORGANIC foods for everyday basic antioxidants from each category.
For example, 4 tablespoons of sunflower seeds covers our Vitamin E, Zinc and Selenium for the day. Easy, no excuse!!
| WHAT YOU GET | IF YOU EAT THESE: |
| Vitamin E | 2 x tblspoons sunflower seeds |
| 20 x Almonds | |
| Vitamin C | 1 x large red pepper |
| 100gms broccoli | |
| 1 x large orange | |
| Beta – Carotene | 1 cup carrot juice |
| I x sweet potato | |
| 5 x dried apricots | |
| Zinc | 4 x tblspoons sunflower seeds |
| Selenium | 4 x cracked brazil nuts |
| 2 x tblspoons sunflower seeds | |
| 1 x free range egg | |
| 1 x chicken breast | |
| Lycopene | Tomatoes – as many as you like |
We live on the outskirts of Manchester in the North of England, which is excellent if you like being cold, damp and miserable.
However, sunshine can boost your immune system because it causes the production of Vitamin D from cholesterol under your skin.
Unless you are one of the lucky bar stewards who live in the South of France, on the Algarve or in the Canaries, you are unlikely to get your hour of direct sunshine every day.
So, for the unloved and unwashed like me and you, there is no point loitering under orange glow street lamps or looking longingly at pictures of the Caribbean for that sunshine input.
There is no better alternative than getting a Vitamin D3 supplement. Not Vitamin D1 nor Vitamin D2, but Vitamin D3, at a dosage of 1,000 to 5,000 IU’s per day (IU is International Unit, the dosage per capsule will be on the label)
As an added bonus, if you also take a supplement of Vitamin K2, then this will help the Vitamin D3 to “activate” your T-cells so that they can attack any rogue cells in your body.
It is essential to have good gut bacteria as the foundation of a strong immune system.
The are many probiotics on the market and you can be blinded by science and terminology such as Lapidio berfidiculi, Ver-i ridiculorus blah, blah
We have nailed our colours to one called “Prescript-Assist”. The tipping point that made us decide was the extent of the testing before the launch of the probiotic product.
In addition to the above, I take a few supplements every day.
The upshot is that I have not been sick for one day in the last four years. Prior to that I had the usual cycle of colds, flu, migraines headaches and a persistent chronic sinus problem.
All gone !!
In brief they are :
I am just a normal bloke trying to keep healthy. In Julie’s case, she has Cancer and so takes a lot more supplements directly focussed on getting a SUPER IMMUNE system, Supplements such as Pancreatic Enzymes, Omega 3 and 6, resveratrol, curcumin together with other esoteric concoctions which I won’t go into here.
Obviously, you would have to tailor specific additions to suit your personal health / immune system circumstances.
A colleague of mine once said to me a few years ago, during a particularly difficult business problem, and, I quote:
“How can you soar like an Eagle, when you are surrounded by Turkeys?”
I am sure that the ornithologically pedantic out there will realise that in all probability, in the wild, Eagles won’t give two hoots about Turkeys. (Leave that to the Owls)
The point that he was making is that you should cut out of your life all the things and people that are holding you back, making you feel guilty, stressed or just plain uncomfortable.
Let them go … They will soon find someone else to annoy.
This in itself will make you feel a whole lot better about life.
I’ve said enough.
End of Message
Tiffany writes:
Stuart, I have just read your article about the spice Turmeric. When are you coming back to Eastbourne ? I could skip Dance Class and show you what I do with my spices. (I could pay for your Rail Fare)
Stuart writes:
I am NOT coming to Eastbourne. I have enough spice in my life, thank you. GO AWAY !!
In 2011 just after Julie’s cancer diagnosis we went into hyper drive to get her immune system in tip top condition. This was our own protocol and was born out of the idea that we had to do SOMETHING other than accept the medics grim prescriptions and outlook.
The original rough protocol was basically no sugar, drink only warm water, only organic foods, no dairy etc .
A way of life that we have constantly tweaked and refined ever since. For example, introducing juicing and vitamins as part of our daily regime.
Anyway, …. At some time in the early days someone (and I can’t remember who) said to me
“Did you know that turmeric makes cancer cells commit suicide?”
This was fantastic news. Curry every night and turmeric with everything !!
The kitchen was awash with this yellow stained powder! Our clothes were stained with it. Our hands were stained to the point that it looked like I was smoking 60 Woodbines a day!
If you are not old enough to know what a Woodbine is, then Google it.
Originally, we bought powdered ORGANIC turmeric from Crazy Jacks. Indeed, we still do and put in on our food and into our juices. We have now progressed to buying raw organic turmeric root that we grate and put onto food and into juices.
So, all this is very wonderful. Birds are twitting, gospel choirs appear in the garden giving it full throttle and angels are dancing around the chimney stacks ……!!
Then….. Hang on a minute. I do a bit more research and discover that it’s not turmeric that makes cancer cells commit suicide, but rather its active ingredient CURCURMIN.
Four Canal.
Here’s the science bit ……….
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, which is a member of the ginger family and has been used by our Asian friends for a couple of thousand years, Goodness Gracious Me.
Some research suggests that it benefits you by:
Glutathione, the most important antioxidant in the body.
The immune system cannot function properly without it and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E rely on it to function properly. The glutathione and cancer connection has been well established.
People with cancer and other chronic illness have reduced glutathione levels. Glutathione plays a specific role in the detoxification of many cell-damaging substances in your body.
Curcumin and Cancers
Curcumin has the most literature supporting its use against cancer of any other nutrient or vitamin. In fact curcumin could be unique in that it appears to be universally useful for just about every type of cancer.
This is odd, considering the fact that cancer consists of a wide variety of different molecular pathologies. One reason for this could be curcumin’s ability to affect multiple molecular targets, via more than 100 multiple pathways.
Moreover, curcumin is non-toxic, and does not adversely affect healthy cells, suggesting it selectively targets cancer cells—all of which are clear benefits in cancer treatment.
Research has even shown that it works synergistically with certain chemotherapy drugs, enhancing the elimination of cancer cells.
Also, various US studies have shown that curcumin can:
As an aside, the University of Michigan Cancer Centre in 2009 and 2012 found that Curcumin and piperine could each stop the development of breast cancer stem cells and that they inhibited the formation of blood supply to tumours.
Additionally, Piperine and resveratrol were shown to increase tumour sensitivity to radiotherapy. (BMB Report April 2012)
Curcumin and Arthritic Joint Pain
Another common condition that can benefit from curcumin’s anti-inflammatory activity is osteoarthritis. Research from 2011 found that patients who added 200 mg of curcumin a day to their regular medical treatment plan had reduced pain and increased mobility compared to the control group.
Earlier research also found that a turmeric extract blocked inflammatory pathways, effectively restricting a protein that triggers swelling and pain.
Using Turmeric and Curcumin
While turmeric is readily available in the spice section of any grocery store, it’s important to realise that if you’re looking for clinical results, it’s not enough to simply use turmeric in your cooking.
The turmeric root itself contains only about three percent curcumin concentration, and curcumin is poorly absorbed by your body to boot. When taken in its raw form, you’re only absorbing about one percent of the available curcumin.
Even in supplement form it’s unlikely to provide the results shown in various disease studies.
Find a high quality turmeric extract that contains 100 percent certified organic ingredients, with at least 95 percent curcuminoids.
Typical anti-cancer doses are up to three grams of good bio-available curcumin extract, three to four times daily.
After months of research we found a good supplement and a good supplier, because this ingredient has been key to our thinking almost from day one.
Julie takes a supplement called “CURCUMIN X 4000” which is 23 times more powerful than ordinary Curcumin and contains Curcuma longa extract, which is easily absorbed by the body. She has been taking 1.5 grams three times per day, along with all her other supplements.
We source the supplement tablets from “Goodhealthnaturally”.
So get some good quality organic turmeric either in root or powder form and lob it into your juices stews and curries and smatter over your food. This will keep you ticking over.
If you want a more therapeutic solution to get your immune system into tip top shape then get some CURCUMIN extract (Organic and not puffed up with fillers – so check the label)
End of message
Tiffany writes:
Stuart, I love your article on Magnesium, in French !! You are such a cunning linguist.
Maybe, you could come down to Eastbourne and give me some lessons after Dance Class. Don’t Delay !!
Stuart Writes:
Tiffany, I do not teach French nor intend to come to Eastbourne – GOODBYE !!
Douze aliments riches en magnésium préviennent l’hypertension artérielle et la formation de caillots sanguins
Le magnésium contribue à quelque 300 processus métaboliques dans le corps, ce qui en fait l’un des minéraux les plus importants pour optimiser le fonctionnement de l’organisme
Une carence en magnesium peut conduire à de nombreux problèmes de santé, d’où l’importance de favoriser la consommation d’aliments riches en magnésium. Il est essentiel de comprendre le rôle essentiel de ce minéral et d’apprendre à détecter les symptômes indiquant une carence.
Qu’est-ce que le magnésium ?
Le magnésium est un minéral qui joue un rôle crucial pour assurer le bon fonctionnement de la plupart des organes, notamment le cœur, les reins et les muscles. Il participe à environ 300 systèmes enzymatiques dans le corps.
De plus, le magnésium aide à prévenir les dommages causés par les radicaux libres, les métaux lourds et autres toxines, permettant ainsi de détoxifier l’organisme.
D’autre part, une carence en magnésium peut causer une fatigue et une faiblesse inexpliquées, des troubles du rythme cardiaque ou même des spasmes musculaires et oculaires.
Le magnésium participe à d’autres fonctions importantes pour la santé :
Pourquoi les carences sont de plus en plus fréquentes ?
À cause des techniques agricoles modernes basées sur le traitement des sols avec des engrais chimiques, des pesticides et des insecticides, le magnésium et d’autres minéraux sont en faibles quantités dans la plupart des terres fertiles.
Selon l’étude française SU.VI.MAX menée en 1997, 77% des femmes et 75% des hommes sont en dessous de l’apport nutritionnel conseillé.
Il est vrai que les aliments biologiques cultivés dans des sols riches en nutriments contiennent plus de magnésium, mais ils sont moins accessibles. D’autre part, il existe de nombreux compléments de ce minéral sur le marché, sauf que le magnésium doit être lié à une autre substance pour être efficace. En d’autres termes, il n’y a pas de complément 100% magnésium.
Par ailleurs, la substance liée au magnésium favorise l’absorption et la biodisponibilité du magnésium et offre d’autres bienfaits santé. Les meilleures sources sont le thréonate de magnésium et le citrate de magnésium, car ils pénètrent dans les membranes cellulaires, stimulant l’énergie.
Comment savoir si vous obtenez assez de magnésium ?
Le « test de l’intestin » est la meilleure façon de savoir si votre corps comporte une quantité suffisante de magnésium. Un excès de magnésium se manifeste par des selles molles, voire plus liquides, ce qui peut être un avantage pour les personnes souffrant de constipation…
Les symptômes d’une carence en magnésium
Riche en propriétés anti-inflammatoires, le magnésium est efficace pour prévenir l’arthrite, la maladie d’Alzheimer, l’hypertension, le diabète ou les problèmes respiratoires, entre autres.
Ce minéral opère à un niveau cellulaire et s’accumule dans les tissus des organes et des nerfs. Cela signifie qu’une carence en magnésium ne peut être détectée par un simple test sanguin, car le sang contient seulement 1% du magnésium présent dans le corps.
Ces signes peuvent indiquer une carence en magnésium :
– L’anxiété et les crises de panique
– L’asthme
– Les maladies intestinales
– Des caillots sanguins
– Une carence en calcium
– La cystite
– Une confusion mentale
– La constipation
– Une difficulté à avaler
– La dépression
– Le vertige
– La fatigue et la faiblesse physique
– L’hypertension et les maladies cardiovasculaires
– L’hypoglycémie
– L’insomnie
– Les maladies du foie et des reins
– La migraine
– Des crampes musculaires
– Des nausées
– Des problèmes nerveux et des tremblements
– L’ostéoporose
– Des troubles de la personnalité
– Le syndrome prémenstruel (SPM), l’infertilité et la pré-éclampsie
– Des troubles de la mémoire
– Une carence en potassium
– Des problèmes respiratoires
– Le syndrome de Raynaud
– Les caries
– Le diabète de type 2
Comment faire le plein de magnésium ?
Les compléments qui contiennent du citrate de magnésium, la forme de magnésium la mieux absorbée par le corps, sont disponibles et pas chers.
D’autre part, le chlorure de magnésium, connu sous le nom d’ « huile de magnésium » (mais qui n’est pas réellement une huile), est disponible sur Internet. Vous pouvez l’utiliser par voie topique, car ce produit est facilement absorbé par la peau.
Il faut favoriser la consommation de ces aliments riches en magnésium, pour éviter toute carence :
– Les fruits secs (figues)
– Le gombo
– Les haricots (rouges et noirs) et lentilles
– Le chocolat noir
– Les amandes et les noix de cajou (ou autres noix)
– Les grains entiers et le riz brun
– Les épinards et les légumes à feuilles
– L’avocat
– Les bananes
– Les graines de citrouille, de sésame et de tournesol
Consommer des aliments qui ont une forte teneur en magnésium est le meilleur moyen d’augmenter votre apport alimentaire en magnésium, mais il existe d’autres possibilités :
– Pensez à prendre régulièrement des bains ou des bains de ped avec du sel d’Epsom, qui est un sulfate de magnésium absorbé facilement par le corps à travers la peau.
– Les compléments de magnésium (évitez le stéarate de magnésium, car il peut être dangereux).
Tiffany writes:
Hi have just come back from Dance Class. (My poor knees !!). I have just read your article on Magnesium and it reminded me of the time when you were in Eastbourne and rubbed my aching limbs with Magnesium Oil.
Do you remember ?
Stuart writes:
Tiffany, I am sorry that your knees are still poorly. However, I have deleted you from this Blog. Do not refer to Eastbourne again.!
In September 2015, Julie’s spinal cancer started to press inwards from her vertebrae onto her spinal cord. The spinal cord is the one thing that you don’t mess about with unless you are in a hurry to be paralysed or a lover of extreme pain.
Julie tried the extreme pain bit for a month, until the orthopaedic surgeons started to play the paralysis card. “If we don’t operate within a few days, you WILL be paralysed.” He harrumphed.
We asked to see the scans, and, indeed there was this tumour in Julie’s back looking uncannily like the thing that wrapped around John hurts face in the film Alien.
It had to get sorted.
To cut a very long story short, she underwent a five hour spinal decompression operation which involved removing part of the Spinal Column, to relieve pressure on the Spinal Cord, which, in turn, successfully removed the pain and the immediate risk of paralysis.
In exchange, she got a back full of steel rods and nuts and bolts which will deny her smooth access through any future Airport Security Scanner for the rest of her travels.
The procedure was a success in that:
Result !!!
After a month, or so, of post operative recovery, it came to pass that really, really, really we were on our own. The medics can’t really do much more in terms of chemo, radiation or Mechanics, other than tightening any loose screws in Julie’s back.
This is not a problem, because she didn’t want any of that from day one, back in 2011.
However, it did get us thinking about bone strength and supporting the spine.
Immediately, we turned our attention to Calcium which everybody knows is why you need to drink your Milk.
But, milk is dairy, and dairy is not in Julie’s diet because it is full of nasty hormones and other things that fuel her cancer and are generally not conducive to having a tip top immune system.
Undaunted, I go off on the Research Trail. (Again !!)
Surprisingly, I find one of the ways forward is not necessarily Calcium, but Magnesium.
Before diving feet first (Again !!), I message one of my trusted gurus, who also has cancer and has also rejected the “Chemo Radio Drugs” route about her thoughts on Magnesium.
This was her instant reply:
“Magnesium is essential for all cellular energy, and especially is crucial to us Cancer patients.
We both know that it is proven that Magnesium helps Calcium enter our bones and cells. It is Magnesium that “acts as the pump” in the membrane of all our cells, which in turn pumps Potassium into our cells, and the mitochondria kicks out all the nasty Sodium. The Sodium keeps the cells acidic which lowers our Oxygen levels, which then deflates our energy levels.
I have also heard that most people are deficient in Magnesium.”
This is an excellent summary from a non scientist, who is putting her faith in knowledge of minerals to help her survive, and survive well against cancer.
The first generic pointers that I came across were that Magnesium levels are lowered by:
Magnesium is also crucial for a healthy liver. The liver is the major detox organ in your body.
A healthy liver means a healthy body. In fact, the French aare particularly adroit at using Magnesium for liver cleansing.
The key point is that without enough Magnesium, your Calcium and Potassium transport system cannot function correctly and a build up of Sodium will occur, creating acidic cell conditions with consequent lower Oxygen levels.
Magnesium’s Importance
Magnesium is our master mineral and, depending on which studies you read, is responsible for between 300 and 800 enzyme driven processes in the body including:
The problem is that most people in the Western World are lacking in magnesium. Our culture means that we have the highest levels of blood calcium and the lowest levels of bone calcium. Which is, precisely, the wrong way around. This is because we eat lots of dairy which floods the body with calcium, but magnesium (and Vitamin D) are needed to get the calcium out of your blood and into your bones. The main modern culprits are:
Diet
Modern day diets, because magnesium has been systematically farmed out of the soil. A hundred years ago we enjoyed a diet high in magnesium with a daily intake of some 500mg per day in a normal diet. Today, you would be lucky to get 200mg.per day.
Calcium and magnesium work together in our bodies, but modern diets are low in magnesium (see above) and because of the ready availability of dairy products much higher in calcium.
In fact, you can get enough calcium from food without taking in any dairy. Your daily calcium requirement could be supplied by having 150 grams per day of, for example:
Furthermore, eating good levels of Potassium and Magnesium but low levels of Sodium will help your cells to become more alkaline, and more importantly stay that way.
Stress
Magnesium levels are also depleted by stress. When you find yourself in a stress full situation, your adrenal hormones trigger a fall in magnesium within your cells. What happens then is that there is an influx of calcium into nerve cells which constricts all kinds of muscle cell, in particular the heart and veins. This is the immediate response to a “flight or fight” situation.
Under normal conditions, the muscle cells return to a relaxed state once the emergency is over. But…. When stress is chronic and magnesium levels continually fall then calcium is drawn from the bones and cardiac and vascular muscles will remain in a state of sustained contraction. This could leave to palpitations, muscle cramps and further anxiety. So the situation is self perpetuating.
The combination of modern diet, high levels of stress due to 21st Century Urban lifestyle, increase in use of magnesium depleting pharmaceutical drugs, plus an increase in calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis has tended to raise the threshold at which muscles and veins remain contracted.
People who have a large input of calcium through some of the above without taking magnesium have shown an increase risk of heart disease in men and women.
Magnesium Supplements
The amount of supplements that you should take will depend on your diet, stress levels and prescribed drugs that are being taken.
As a rule of thumb, a person weighing 70Kgs (11 stone) would need 350 mg/day, or 5mg/Kg of bodyweight.
A second, less scientific, but more prescient is to take a dose increasing 50mg/day until your bowels become loose. Your optimum level would be the dosage before that.!!!
People suffering from anxiety, fatigue, headaches insomnia or are on a very short emotional fuse should see some relief from an increase in magnesium.
EPSOM SALTS
Another way to get more magnesium into your system is by soaking in a bath of magnesium sulphate, otherwise known as Epsom Salts. Commonly used to ease muscle aches and pains, magnesium sulphate also helps with detoxification when sulphur is needed by the body. When used intravenously, magnesium sulphate can save lives in such crises as acute asthma attack, onset of myocardial infarction, etc.
A couple of cups of Epsom Salts added to a hot bath will induce sweating and detoxification; after the water cools a bit, the body will then absorb the magnesium sulphate.
N.B. Alcohol and caffeine intake can cause liver stress and deplete magnesium. If this is this case, then consider taking Milk Thistle and Dandelion Extract, if liver health is poor.
GOOD FOOD SOURCES OF MAGNESIUM
The Magnesium – Calcium Conundrum
The amount of daily calcium needed for good health is one gram per day. Any excess will lead to Magnesium depletion. The paradox is that if magnesium levels fall, then calium cannot be absorbed into bones and tissue.
Calcium also needs Vitamin D to deliver it into the bones and Vitamin D needs magnesium to synthesise it into the body.
So.
Too much dairy leads to high blood calcium, low magnesium and vitamin D means poor delivery to your bones and tissues thereby potentially leading to cancers.
Tiffany writes:
Hi Stuart,
I have now retired from Classical Dancing and have very bad knees. I was wondering what the difference was between Pancreatic Enzymes and Digestive Enzymes?Are you coming down to see me again? Eastbourne is lovely at this time of year.
Stuart writes:
Tiffany. How did you get this Blog address.?You have been blocked.!! Get some cream for your knees. I’m sure one of your dance pupils will rub it in for you.
“It was a dark and stormy night”
Always wanted to start a novel with that!!
I met Julie in December 2009, on a dark and stormy night. We had actually “connected” on line several days before, but the stormy night was the first time that we had met in person.
She had just walked away from a marriage of 25 years where she had been unhappy for several years. She had left him by stealth, apparently.
Moving out, bit by bit. Renting a flat, and then slowing filling it with bits and pieces from home.
He never noticed.
She couldn’t stand being with him and moved out on New Year’s Eve 2006.
When he called her to say “Where are you?” She told him that she had moved out. I thought that was very ballsy.
She never saw him again.
”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
Me.?
I’d spent the last 25 years getting married, getting divorced and generally being a bit of a knob.
It was time to sort ourselves out.
So, as they say, two worlds collided.
HEADLINE NEWS
“Pissed off great woman meets a bit of a knob and connect on the internet.”
She was on sexychicks.com and I was on KnobheadsRus.com …. Pfffff.
””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
We had both been on a few internet dates with other people until we met. What I liked about Jules was her picture, her blue eyes and big smile.
“So, when are we going to meet then?” is what she put in one of our earliest Emails.
Straight to the point, instead of pussy footing around.
We met mid December 2009 (Jules remembers the exact date) in a Pub high upon the Moors above Lancashire.
One of those “American Werewolf in London” type Pubs. Very isolated and complete with resident ghost.
She was wearing Black Trousers and a Red Leather Top with wispy long blond hair. I remember wearing a black leather jacket, scarf and jeans, well Jules tells me that’s what it was !!
Not very James Bond – but good enough.
We chatted all night about this that and the other. The funny thing was that at the time I smoked (I know !!) so was twitchy all night and pretending not to smoke. Jules makes a big play of the fact that we both knew, but ignored it at the time.
Now, it, obviously, seems stupid in hindsight. – I have stopped, by the way!!!
We had a great night and both drove home to our respective homes in a horrendous downpour. Aquaplaning on moorland roads is not a good thing to do, but is apparently part of the dating process “de nos jours” .
Anyway, I got back home and spent about an hour on the phone to Jules saying what a great time we had had. Could have taken two minutes, but there you go.
”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
A couple of days later we arranged to see each other again. What we didn’t reckon on was that was going to be one of the worst winters in living memory.
It snowed and snowed and snowed. It snowed to the point where kids were building igloos behind my house and the road was completely blocked for days. We arranged to meet a few days later but the snow was still blocking the roads. At the appointed date, I phoned Jules and said that we should postpone. However, I didn’t reckon on Jules’s tenacity.
Roads were blocked but she said “I’m coming anyway !!” So, off she came over ten miles of snow blocked roads and met me in my local Pub.
Unbelievable.
What I didn’t know was that she loved driving and in ANY conditions. Julie had grown up helping her Dad with his transport company and could drive comfortably at nine years old. She loves being around Tractors, Lorries, Steam Engines and Massive Cranes !!
She went on to become General Manager of a large transport Company and got her HGV Class 1, which means she can drive those Monster Articulated Trucks that criss-cross the world nowadays.
Not a girl to be messed with, in short.
The next couple of weeks was a bit of a cold snowy blur. Most of England was just about managing to shuffle itself about, carving its way through icy channels of compacted snow.
I finally managed to make the drive to Julie’s house on the evening of Christmas Day 2009 for a roast chicken dinner. It was about two weeks later when I eventually returned home !
Little did we know that eighteen months later did we anticipate that Julie would we diagnosed with Cancer with a much shorter life expectancy than previously thought !!
She immediately rejected the concepts of Chemotherapy, Radiation treatment and Drugs, in favour of alternative therapies.
We knew nothing of the latter, but we knew that the former had killed off some of our dearest friends.
So began “the second long, long dark and stormy night “– the story of this blog.
stuandjudotcom 