Day 19 - Carlisle Cougars
Today was a rest day. Well, I call it that, but there is no rest days really! Im writing this a week later because I havnt had time to do any writing. Rest days are taken up with an enormous list of things that need doing. So my day started with breakfast, which Neil kindly made. A lovely bacon and egg roll. Then straight into catching up with some social media which I had missed over the past week. It was then already time to get ready from the drive to Carlisle Cougars. It was quite cold on that morning and raining on and off as well. So Paul, Pam and I all bundled into Maggie and set off for the club, with the ball 3 in my arms. Unfortunately the box I had purchased, for the ball to go into, to go on top of the car, had gotten broken. I was really gutted. The vision I had was for the ball to be on display the whole way through the country. Then it didn't happen. It was upsetting, but there was nothing I could do about it. So we changed things to my wheeling in with the ball on my lap.
We arrived a little early, but some of the team were already there. Quite a few of the ladies team had come out to see us, even though they were on a day off and some were going to a wedding later in the day.
We went into the club house. It was lovely. Apparently it had not long been built. It was great to see they had a nice place to go after playing. BBC border were meeting us there, which was amazing, and the Telegraph. This was fantastic for Carlisle. Exactly what I'd hoped for for every club. Unfortunately there was difficulty recruiting anyone to the team to help with the media side of things. There were 2 people who had said they would help but when it came to it, they hadn't had time to do anything. Fortunately I had sorted out a few things before I began the challenge and Neil had been contacting local radio every day to say we were coming through. So that was great. So this day was fantastic for Carlisle, and for the challenge. The girls ran some drills, and then we went off to do a spot of filming. From there we exchanged the ball, which is the most important past to me. This is the ceremony part when I become the vessel to carry the ball from one club to the next. That's basically how I see myself. A vessel for the ball. A conduit to ensure it gets there in one piece! This challenge may have begun as wheeling from John O’Groats to Lands end, but from the 1st meeting it became so much more than that. I didn't want it to be about me. I wanted it to be about those who inspire me the most. These women. The female rugby players. I can't play, but I can support and advocate and shout from the roof tops about how awesome they are. So that's what I want to do.
So we did the ceremony and it was fantastic.
Then photos and the girls had to go. It was fun chatting to them and learning about the team. They were playing a game the next day with only 14 players and no subs. This wasn't unusual. They just don't have enough players. So they were playing against another team who had a full amount of players and subs as well, but were going to carry on and just do their best. Absolutely heroic 💪.
With a new ball in possession, ready for the next club, we went back to the house we were staying in. We had stayed in quite a few houses. Quite tough for me because of the stairs, but you quickly learn to bring everything you need for the day, downstairs in a bag, so that you don't have to climb up the 1.5 flights of stairs again, until bed time. Plus there was a toilet downstairs, which was great. It was a huge house. Really lovely. Neil did cooking every time we were in a house too, which was great. Pam made me more flapjacks which I was so glad about. I'd run out over a week ago, and did have replacement ones, but they were as dry as carpet and just as tasty! So i really welcomed Pams amazing gluten free (not dry) flapjacks. They had proven perfect for wheeling. Then in the evening the group got a takeaway and I had my usual, oven pizza. Great fuel for a long day the next day.
Neil and Paul had a huge deep fried haggis! I have to say, I've never had it, and I can't because it has gluten in it and is swelling up like the pilsberry doeboy. Which I'm quite glad about because I've heard it tastes like faggots, and i really don't like them at all!
So they chomped their way through that, and Pam, her sausage, and we all went into the living room and watched the England V New Zealand friendly. It was an awesome game. Stumpey had other ideas though! It had been playing up all week, and decided to go a bit nuts on that day, so I ended up going up to my room with a hot water bottle and watching the end of the game on my tablet! Well, sort of! When you have a flare, you don't really watch much. Or remember much for that matter. It's a bit annoying! But there was nothing I could do, so basically my life is a series of body conditions dictating what i can and can't do, and I have a choice of weather i fight against them or go with it. I do both, but largely I fight against them because I'm stubborn! 🤣
So that went on for the rest of
Share this post
Lexi Chambers