No. 15: The Three Dessert Challenge

Okay, so this was started by my friends who run a comic convention in my home town (Melksham). After a very successful con, we all went to the pub and my friends dared each other to see who could eat three desserts the fastest. Essentially, we are all children. The desserts are banana split, chocolate brownie and ice cream from the children’s menu.

So far I am the only woman to take part in this (apparently the others value their dignity) but I’m also the third fastest out of about 7. I’m part proud, part….ok, I’m proud.

Anyway, here it is, but I warn you, it isn’t sexy.

All of a sudden, I’m not hungry…

No.3 – Ask what year it is, when told the year, shout “It worked!”

Oh good grief, what am I doing to myself in the name of this blog??

Okay, so one of the dares that I was given was to ask someone in a shop what year it was, and shout “It worked!” You can practically see my palms sweating as I prepare to do it. It was made more interesting by being with my friend Byron, because after filming, when trying to explain to the staff what I was doing and why I had done what I did, he kept telling me that we had to go, and that ‘the home’ had a curfew and we would miss tea. Let’s just say that I looked far from in charge of my faculties when leaving the shop. Talk about being double pranked. To that end, I hope you find it entertaining!!

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/

No. 9 – Climb a mountain (Snowdon)

“There ain’t no mountain high enough…”

Well, sorry to disappoint you, Marvin, but I beg to differ.

So some of you may ask “Well, how come you’ve got M.E. but you can climb a mountain?”

I say that’s a very valid question. People with M.E have very different limitations. Some are housebound, some bedbound. Some are in wheelchairs. Some can still work but just get tired and end up taking a lot of time off. Others can complete exercises like this but pay for it afterwards. Sometimes immediately, sometimes not for another 24-48 hours. When completing something like this,  I needed to prepare for it very carefully, and deliberately chose the mountain with a train that could take me back down. This was just as well as you’ll see by the end of the video that I was pretty much out of it, and I passed out/fainted in the cafe area and had to be helped onto a train because by that point I couldn’t walk anywhere anymore. I shaln’t do it again any time soon but I’m proud to say it’s been done. Once back at the bottom and away from the altitude though, I perked back up and we all went home for a well deserved rest! I was joined by the fabulous Wednesday, Bill Evans, Howard Sinclair and Dudley Burrows, who made the whole experience wonderful. See the video below for how much fun we had!

Oh, and for the Game of Thrones fans out there (and those who didn’t have a clue what the Peter Dinklage thing was about, this might enlighten you….

Peeeeeter, Peeeeter, Peter Dinklage (Peter Dinklage, Peter Dinklage)

Until next time!

No. 25 – Body Painting

Well, that started well. I nearly typo’d and wrote ‘boy painting’, which really isn’t something I’d want to be blogging about. So now, post-proof reading, the body painting.

After a lot of online hunting to find reputable body painters and not just a pervert with a dark room and a paint brush, I was pointed towards the Body Painting League, who welcomed me with open arms and a great deal of reassuring professionalism. It was the 15th February, so the theme was ‘The Art of Love’ (awwww). I also had a pair of lovely artists (Sara and Julie) who not only had a fantastic sense of humour and weren’t perturbed by my inappropriate jokes (they apparently secured my return), they got me a spot next to the HEATER. It’s like they know me. Bear in mind that when being painted, you don’t wear much, and there was ice on the grass outside.

Making preparations….

 

I’ve got to stick them where?!?

After about 6 hours of painting, and lots of chatting, dancing and communal singing

along to Pink Floyd, the finished result…

This piece is called “‘Til Death Do Us Part”. Note the lady looking up at the sugar skull. Such a clever piece,

and I feel lucky to have been a part of it.

Thank you to Sara Theobald and Julie Mansfield for the amazing artwork (especially Sara as it was her first full body paint), Matthew Phillips for the wonderful photo above, and to all at the Body Paint League for supporting me so much so that I could get this blog post done. They really did get into the spirit and go out of their way for me. In fact, I’m going back later this month to be painted as a super hero.

See? People with M.E can still have fun. And get near-naked with strangers.

 

No. 2 – Jump into a London can and shout “Follow that car!”

What are you all doing to me?! This’ll certainly prove to be one to tell the grandkids.

Whilst out on a shopping trip on 28th February, a shifty looking man stole my pocket of Milky Bar’s Magic Stars. He jumped into a car and made off like a bolt. Well obviously, this was completely out of order so we hailed the nearest cab and followed in hot pursuit!

http://youtu.be/rbXnPyG0ZNU

Steal a woman’s chocolate and feel her wrath.

No. 21 – Take a mop into a bar and convince people that it is my friend

Well this one was easier than expected. I don’t whether this says more about the task or the town I live in (believe me, either could be true knowing this place! I love it though).

So, I went into a bar with George the mop. Here he is:

He was up for a good time.

When taking him into the bar, people just came up to me and asked me who he was. On replying “he is George”, they just replied “Oh, hello George!”. Well, that was easy.

We had fun checking out the talent….

…and he raised a few eyebrows.

…still, he was a big hit with the ladies…

…and got on really well with the lads.

Still, no night out on the tiles is the same without pulling a hot lady bouncer. He obviously likes strong women.

Oh, George; you’re bungalowed again! Someone needs a kebab.

No. 12 – Squashed Fairy Shoot

So before I go into the fairy shoot, a little more about the reason for this blog. I’m using it as a fun way to raise awareness of ME/CFS. The name is actually undergoing a proposed change to “Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease”, or SEID, because it is more than being tired, and that people are sensitive to various forms of exertion, be it physical, cognitive or emotional (stress). For example, the cognitive stuff. Many people like to disappear into their own heads as a reprieve from the real world for a while, which can be relaxing. For some with ME/CFS, it is as though you have gone into your head, only to find that someone has locked the door behind you, and you’re stuck in there with all of the bits that scare you, sometimes for years. This impacts your whole awareness of the world around you, and concentration is impossible. Playing gigs like it is definitely a character building experience. If you meet someone with ME and they seem a bit out of it, please try to be patient and understanding. To be fair, most do see the funny side that they spent the morning trying to fit their cornflakes in the freezer or put pickled onions in the cat bowl.

So onto the fun stuff again!!

Ok, so squashed fairies; I feel the need to explain. Terry Jones of Monty Python fame wrote a book entitled “Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairies”. Lady Cottington collected fairies from the bottom of her garden and pressed them like flowers. Here are some examples:

Beautiful, huh? So, my good friend Wednesday started a photography project based on these photos. On a warm, sunny day in the Westcountry, she had me lying on the floor in a dainty dress, pulling some really fun facial expressions. Add some magical wings and fairy dust, and here it is. Elkie Seviour, the squashed fairy (click on the photo to enlarge).

Prog Magazine’s 2013 heartthrob. Let that sink in for a while 😉

Keep tuned for the race of the blog items. I will add that the zip-wire will be completed late for geographical/logistical reasons on the 20th March. I’m endeavoring to get through the rest before the 7th March.

No. 17: Watch all of the Monty Python films in one sitting

So, we did it. We watched all of the Monty Python films in one sitting (By ‘we’. I mean myself, Wednesday, Howard and Bill). There’s not a lot to show for this, however we made a fun game which included squeaking a child’s toy every time a noteworthy quote came up. This coupled with the amount of port/beer/Domino’s we had made for some seriously loud moments. We started with And Now For Something Completely Different, moved onto Life of Brian, then to Meaning of Life and ended with the ever memorable Holy Grail. We stayed awake for the lot. Honest.

I promise the item on the left is a child’s toy.

 

 

 

 

This little chap is Sir Edmund Brainfreeze. No ridiculous event is complete without a mascot, and he now lives in the lounge. Cute little beggar, ain’t he? Thanks to Wednesday’s Mum for her wonderful skill in making him.

 

 

No. 6: Pole Dancing lesson.

Oh yes! Now this one was fun, although I write this today lacking the ability to walk in a straight line or move my arms. Totally worth it. Mr friend Ginny and I met a wonderful lady from the Wiltshire company Pole Krazee called Gina. I found out how many ways one can lose one’s dignity whilst hanging upside down on a pole. Turns out there are quite a few.

The health benefits of pole dancing are apparently limitless, although it’s best not to ask me for them on the morning after my first session.

Also, it was cold.

I want to thank Gina and Ginny for being sporting enough to help me with this, and for giving me a fantastic taster lesson to get a great idea of how pole works. I’d thoroughly recommend it.

And yes, I’m glad I wore two pairs of shorts. Dignity loss #74 narrowly averted.

No. 29 – Successfully Go Running

Oh yes; it happened!

Ok, so why should running be such a big thing?

People with ME/CFS react to different things in different ways. That’s one of the reasons people often find us lazy or think that we’re faking, because what one of us can’t do, another one can. I got to the stage where my body couldn’t handle running. I tried, I really did. However, the pressure it put on my nervous system was too much and as soon as the adrenaline kicked in, it would result in me having a panic attack at the side of the road. As you’ll imagine, this is far from fun.

For this reason, I haven’t run since October 2011, when it just got too much and I stopped, but vowed to get to the stage where I could start again. After discovering a great new martial art called Systema, which is designed to calm the nervous system in stressful situations, I was given some great breathing techniques to try, and as a consequence, today I ran 0.8 miles in about 20 minutes. Proof is provided with a magical little app what is claiming to be my coach through this process, although I’ll keep updating this entry with new times and increasing distances as I make progress in the future.

You don’t really want to see a photo of a puffed out sweaty me, so instead here is a link provided from my app of all the morbid exercise details:

https://www.runtastic.com/en/users/kim-seviour/sport-sessions/244116081

Until next time peeps 🙂

Love ‘n’ hugs,

Elkie xxx