Run a practice, climb a mountain.

Teeth sometimes take a back seat in the shenanigans of life.And training to climb a mountain can be way off the radar too.
Running a practice has without doubt been one of the toughest challenges of my life. To run a business effectively and efficiently 24 hours a day means you have to be a robot with no family, no friends, no emotional trauma, no stress, no illnesses, no depression, no hospitals, no worries, no children, no nothing. Might come as a revelation to some but dentists are actually human beings not robots.
There are days I have gone into the practice and feel like I’m close to burn out. And then my nurse will make me smile, the receptionist will make me a coffee and a patient will say thank you and my world is right again. So where am I going with this.
I suppose I’m just trying to make myself feel better for taking my eye off the business ball and not being Lord Alan Sugar focussed on profits and losses all the time. I have a wonderful family and sometimes they need me more than the business. The sad thing is the business doesn’t give me a hug and tell me not to worry. It kicks me in the teeth when I have my back turned. But that’s okay because I do eventually get back on track. With sheer grit and determination …which should come in useful for climbing Kili too.
So the guilt I feel at having let my Kili training slip and slide is okay too. I just need to get back on track.
Although I did climb a mountain last weekend ! My very first one. Snowdon. With members of that fabulous Team DH I told you about. They have been amazing. Realized I had not a clue what was coming my way and arranged to get me up my first mountain.What an experience! Sadly weather stopped us from getting to the summit but as our trainer Stuart Amory said, if it had been a beautiful sunny day I would have learned nought. We got 3/4 of the way up and it was snowing. There were strong winds, hail and in fact a woman did get blown off the mountain that day, so disappointing as it was we turned back and headed back down for hot chocolates. It’s like running a practice, sometimes you have to stop the stress, sip a hot chocolate and reflect.
The most important thing I did learn was that I like mountains, I am happy to climb,sometimes with a spring in my step, chatting happily to my companions, sometimes battling with the elements, barely being able to breathe let alone walk but the views are like nowhere else on earth.
A bit like running a practice. And life.

Back on track now so please donate to a worthy cause.
http://www.justgiving.com/sarveen-mann/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=sarveen-mann&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Shiny Teeth and Fulham Feet

The next step is joining the parkrun family as part of my Kili training. There I said it.
Parkruns. How did they ever come under my radar given how I feel about running? Well you remember that guy… Stuart Amory? Team DH’s long suffering trainer? Well he is passionate about parkruns to the point of obsession. In fact to the point I feel he should be made their ambassador so that he has a named vocation under their flagship rather than just coming across as a parkrun nutter 😉
Parkruns are Saturday morning 5k runs around the country for any age and ability (or disability even) and they’re free! Run entirely by enthusiastic volunteers passionate about running and their communites. http://www.parkrun.org.uk/
So of course Team DH were going to have Stuart harp on and on at us about how good they were, how motivational, blah blah blah blah blah.In one ear…Managed to ignore him for a bit but I tell you what.. he’s a bloody good trainer. He never forces us to do anything but somehow manages to get us to do what he wants. I still can’t work out how he does it.

So not only did I turn up for a Bushy park run a few months back but he also very cleverly mentioned that Fulham were having their first ever parkrun and before I knew it I was roped in.
Now two things went through my mind.. Well three actually but one has been censored
1. This is a great way to carry on with  Kili fitness training. Waking up at 6am in the cold and dark on a weekday is proving a little too difficult to do a 5k waddle so may wait until Spring to start those ones again. In the meantime on those Saturday’s I am not working I should get up and do a parkrun. There I said it again.
2. As a Fulham local business I need to support the community. I tweeted about it and found out that the event organiser happened to be a friend of mine I had met on twitter, Diane Mulholland who also happens to be my pilates instructor. Twitter is amazing for building relationships with patients,people and peer groups but that’s another blog.

So I got three members of my staff on board, one of my closest friends Sara.. remember her?.. the motivational half marathon runner?.. and of course the unofficial parkrun ambassador Stuart who pulled together a few of his friends and clients too. Hence I would like to take credit for at least 5 % of the number who showed up for the Fulham Palace inaugural parkrun on Saturday 19th October 2013 at Bishops Park at 9am.
It was also a fantastic opportunity to promote ourselves in the community by wearing The Fulham Dentist t-shirts. Now actually although that sounds mercenary it wasn’t my intention. I don’t expect people to come rushing to us just because they’ve seen a phone number on my back. No what I wanted them to see is that some dentists aren’t stuck in their ivory tower inflicting pain and grabbing your money. We are out there pounding the park pavements with you. whilst giving you a laugh as we show you very clearly we are not runners.. we are carers of teeth and people.
And we certainly raised  a laugh.
My two lovely 21 year old nurses had done no training so I put my arm on their shoulders and told them not to worry. I’d stay back and make sure they didn’t overdo it being such a 5k veteran.. and their boss. My associate Tori is another matter.. She’s a hardened runner and this was a walk in the park for her. Sara  will always stay by my side even if she ends up looking silly.. that’s real friendship.
As for Stuart. Lets just say parkrun should be proud to have him as ambassador given he ran a sub 20 minutes WITH his three year old son in a buggy.
So off we plodded. If ever there was a word to describe distance running for me it’s ‘plodding’.
Sara our half marathon runner told me to slow my pace down and assured me we would end up passing lots of fast starters who would no doubt run out of puff.
On we plodded and just behind my left shoulder was a marshal in a bright yellow jacket.
Gosh she’s a bit slow I thought not realising she was the end ‘marker’
This also explained why everyone who lapped us later kept shouting words of encouragement . Loved that bit ..something so warm and fuzzy about people saying ” Well done ladies.. keep going!”
As we plodded on it occurred to us. There was no one who would run out of puff apart from maybe my 21 year old nurses as these were all parkrun enthusiasts. There seemed to be  very little information on the parkrun for the local residents prior to the big day. And even if there was its unlikely the locals would  turn up for an inaugural event . Like many people myself included when there’s something new in the area we live in we like to make sure it’s not a fad before joining.
So there we were watching several red 50th and even a few black 100th parkrun t-shirts whizz by. These t shirts depict the number of parkruns people have run. I’ve got another 48 to go to get one.
And then a blind man ran past us shouting  out to our lovely marshal Dawn/ Donna ( she’s called either) that he was blind and could she take him to the finish. I was too impressed and in total awe to feel embarrassed.
This parkrun lark can be humbling.
Even Stuart whizzed past us with his buggy. Now I was embarassed. Lapped  by a 3 year old.
As we approached the first lap many runners had finished and there was Donna/ Dawn still running alongside us. I think she liked us as there were a few latecomers but she never left our side. No she continued to hold that imaginary sign over our heads
The one that said ” These are the last ones. Clap harder”
And they did. Now I know how Mo Farah feels . Its a great feeling.Mine and Sara’s moment of glory passed quickly however and on we plodded on the final lap.
Surely I’ll catch up with my ‘haven’t- done- any- exercise- for- years’ 21 year old nurses. And then I learnt another harsh life lesson. At 21  your body screams ” yeah baby go for it!!” At 47 your body screams ” you stupid woman what were you thinking? It’ll take  me a week to get over this!” And so I watched them disappear ahead of me.

Plod ,plod,plod and then there it was… the finish. OMG. That little switch went off in my head. That’s the finish ! RUN and this ordeal will be over quicker.
So I sprinted and the woman in front decided she was not having me pass her. It was a race on who was not to be last. I dug deep and whizzed past her. She gave it a bit of welly and I dug deeper.  You will not pass me. I am Mo Farah.. In slow motion. Very slow motion
The crowd were going wild , claps and cheers and I gritted my teeth , sped  through the finish and collapsed in a heap.
And if ever there was a way to make an impact on the local community as a dentist well.. I’d just done it. I think I caught one guy laughing hysterically and I was dragged away by my  associate before I could yell ” let’s hope you don’t get toothache sunshine!!”
I’m joking of course but I do think I made his day.
Met some lovely people afterwards too, one lovely lady who advised me on what I should do after a run.. Rather than collapse I should stand tall, breathe deeply and stretch. Didn’t have the heart to tell her that Stuart had been banging on about that for 5 years and if I wasn’t going to listen to him ..well.. but I did what she said. As we chatted a young man crossed the line walking “Ha at least I wasn’t last” I joked.
“That’s my husband” said the lovely lady.
My face must’ve been a picture as she hastened to make me feel better by saying “he’s injured so he’s walked it today”.
Phew! Off we went for coffee because that’s what always makes it all better.
I ran the 5k in 39.something minutes. Bit slower than my best time of 35 minutes some years ago and oh my goodness the competitive side of me now wants to do more parkruns to get back to 35minutes … And oh my double goodness I just had a thought.. Could I ever do a sub30?
Told you that Stuart Amory was good. 😉
Parkruns people . Do them . Fun and addictive no matter what time you finish it in And finally a motivational quote for those aspiring to be fitter and faster:

“It’s you versus you”..Stuart Amory OBL

No More Excuses. CQC have been and gone.

My excuse to fret and worry as a dentist for the last few years has been the  CQC. The dentist ‘s version of Big Brother otherwise known as Care Quality Commission. I won’t bore you with the details of what it is and  how it came about. That’s what Google is for. Suffice to say it became a legal requirement on 1st April 2011 to put the fear of god into dentists, especially the fully private ones not regulated by  primary care trusts (PCT’s)  who focused solely on NHS practices. The PCT’s are now obsolete. CQC rule.

So when I finally got around to registering us ( late) and declared us non compliant on safeguarding (Outcome 7 for any CQC nerds) because quite simply it was all new and we had no idea what safeguarding was about (seems every other practice did even though they didn’t if you know what I mean. Too honest for my own good sometimes), I then sat and waited for ‘the phone call’. And waited. And waited. And waited.

As we waited I went through what every dentist does, staff issues, patient care, staff issues, juggling home and work life, staff issues, kids exams, staff issues and not forgetting staff issues. Seriously how was I supposed to get all this CQC tick boxing stuff done AND treat my patients with a constant change of staff? More importantly why was I getting this constant change of staff?Well the last question is a blog in itself so let’s leave that for another time.

Of course I care about my patients. Of course I sterilise all our stuff, Of course  I use disposable instruments  where I can. Of course I treat my patients with dignity and respect. Why do I have to tick a million sheets of paper each day every day to say I do? Surely every dentist is doing what they should be doing? Aren’t they?

Finally the call came, 2 years, 5 months and 19 days after I expected it.  I was one of the lucky ones. I had almost a week’s notice. Most people got 2 days and if you were really unlucky they could turn up unannounced. And then the panic ensued. Had we got all our stuff in place? Where was the policies folder?  Where the hell did I put my enhanced CRB document? Where the hell were all the maintenance certificates? Did I have staff? Where was the tickboxing boxes of ticks? I won’t go on. Let’s just say I know my practice top to toe now, where every piece of paper is and every cobweb. The latter have been cleaned out, generations and generations of spider families wiped out thanks to CQC.

The practice is looking the best it’s ever been. A serious declutter and organisation I never thought I was capable of let alone able to implement. I was knackered. My two NEW nurses were knackered. If ever there should be an initiation test for a new nurse a CQC visit should be it. My nurses, Lucy and Meranda passed it with flying colours regardless of what the CQC outcome would be ( get what I did there CQC nerds? 😉

The day was upon us Wednesday 25th September 2013. My dad’s birthday. Surely that’s a good omen. My first patient was at 10am. CQC arrived at 9am. Not the whole department obviously. Just one lady. A strong powerful lady who made us all quake in our fully compliant surgery crocs. At 9:30am I got my first text ”erm she’s very thorough” ( that made me laugh ..no really)..”where’s the referrals policy?”  I DON’T KNOW! THAT WAS YOUR JOB TO GET READY! I didn’t text that back. Next text came through ” Oh no Lucy is almost in tears. She’s being grilled on HTM01-05 ( decontamination stuff)” That was the text that had me charging into the practice. No one makes my nurse cry! Not even CQC.

Downstairs I charged, into the basement, heart hammering, hand outstretched, introduced myself and waited to be tortured by CQC. Would she use her torture equipment? Tickling normally does it for me. I’ll blurt out ”NO I DIDN’T SHOW LUCY HOW TO WASH HER HANDS PROPERLY!I’M SORRY! DON’T SHUT ME DOWN!” if she brings out the feathers.

So imagine my surprise when she said she was very pleased with the website. It had all the relevant  information for patients required by CQC and in fact it made her smile. Really? Well done Sunny Mann! She had been through our CQC cupboard (yes we have one allocated specifically) and seen we had all the policies, procedures, documents in place. She had been in both surgeries checking our equipment, materials and even did the ‘dust test’ ..finger wiped along surface. You ain’t never going to catch us out on that CQC..never! Were we now compliant on safeguarding having truthfully declared ourselves as not when we first registered? But of course! Level 3 baby!! No I didn’t say that to her ..although I was tempted. And all she needed to do to finish her inspection was speak to some of our patients and make sure we were treating them with dignity and respect. That was the easy part. I am not bragging when I say our patients do love us. It’s a fact.

And then she was gone.

And then it dawned on me. CQC are not out to catch you out. They are out to catch you out if you’re not doing what you should be doing. And as the lady said ‘they’re not stupid’ If you try and blag your way out of something make sure you have indemnity cover. CQC requirement. Because you’re going to get caught. If you haven’t complied on something admit it and then comply. We knew we were doing the right thing. Now the public knows we’re doing the right thing And there’s a reason for CQC to be a good thing if ever there was one.

I just want to end this by saying a BIG thank you to Stacey Firman of Boulevard Practice Management who was invaluable in getting us organised, ready for  CQC  and was happy to be the lamb in the lion’s den for most of the inspection. If you have not had your inspection..call her..seriously. Big thank you to Sunny Mann, my practice manager who stayed up with me until the early hours of the morning eating takeaways and chocolate, fretted with me and has been solidly working on all our policies, procedures,website and HR over the last year and a half and continues to do so. Call her if you want a website to make CQC smile because I can tell you right now there’s not an awful lot for them to smile about given the fact we treat them like dental traffic wardens. Another big thank you to my two new nurses Lucy and Meranda who within two weeks of starting work at The Fulham Dentist have been put under the most pressure to make sure my surgeries were spotless.

And the final biggest thank you to my dad. Of course his birthday was going to be a good omen for a CQC inspection.

Now back to Kili training. No excuses.

And then life gets in the way….

Kili training..pffft. This last week has been awful. Seems like a lot longer but I have done NO walking or waddling at all. Is the honeymoon period over?..blimey that was quick if so. I’d only managed a few weeks of getting up early and trudging my way around parks and pavements. I have yet to climb the mountain..which is almost a WHOLE year away still.
How do I get my Kili fitness mojo and motivation back?
Firstly I think I need to understand what went so horribly wrong and more importantly why..in other words let me think up my excuses.
I have a list.
1. kids back at school
2. new staff starting at the practice
3. bugs doing the rounds
4. didn’t expect the weather to last to be fair but ..the weather
5. Team DH ‘abandoned’ because our trainer @stuartamorypt is on holiday.

Okay now let me dissect this.
Kids at school. That’s a good thing right? After a long summer of lying about, no discipline, routine, homework, alarm clocks, mad dashes to the school bus stop in pyjamas, I’d say yes but no but yes but no. I am not the kind of person who can organise the kids school stuff, my work stuff AND fitness stuff the night before. Something has to give and sometimes it all gives. The fact that my youngest has been sent to school with trainers to tap out his piano notes for music and a swim bag on his PE day may give you an idea of just how disorganised I can be.
On the other hand as long as I turn up to work with or without scrubs all I need are my eyes, my ears,my hands and my right foot and I’m ready to drill and fill.
Which leaves the 6am fitness start. What I should do is get everything laid out, joggers, t-shirt, warm jacket, socks and trainers ready to slip my feet into as soon as I roll out of bed.Okay I’ll try that..in fact the thought has just occurred to me that I should just go to bed in all the aforementioned fitness paraphenalia..apart from the trainers of course. Even I’m not that pathetic. BUT(there is always a but) what about putting my contact lenses in? And OF COURSE I am not about to leave home without brushing my teeth.Just the thought of these extra ‘getting ready’ hassle factors has me switching the alarm off, rolling over and giving myself that extra hour cosied up under the duvet whilst promising myself that tomorrow I WILL do it. And to quote a cliche,slightly differently,tomorrow never came.

What was the second excuse..sorry.. reason? Oh yes that old chestnut. Staff. But it’s true I tell you! Never in the history of The Fulham Dentist, which to be fair isn’t a long one, have we ever been in the position of taking on THREE new members of staff in the same week. A qualified head nurse, a trainee nurse and an associate. I am very privileged I have such a team but with it comes responsibility. Much like my children starting new school, I need to be there to hold their hands, ease their nervousness and make them toast and hot chocolate if need be. It’s a form of leadership apparently. And it works. I have spent time explaining what The Fulham Dentist stands for, what we believe in and why,showing them what needs to be done and which Care Quality Commission boxes need to be ticked.In all of that I have to be a role model for our trainee nurse who wants to be a dentist. Just a bit of pressure then.
None of them have run hell for leather out of the surgery yet so I think they may well be keepers. I’ll find out at 9am tomorrow morning. All being well, much like my kids again, I can loosen the plastic apron strings and allow them to run things efficiently and effectively thus leaving me to just, well, run.

Then come the bugs..blinking annoying things. Being in the profession I’m in, with my nose to patients mouths most of the time (that mask is not impenetrable btw) my immunity is pretty solid. Where most people throw up with stomach bugs I’ll get a stomach ache, where others get floored with the flu, I’ll get a blocked nose. When I do come down though I am completely and utterly floored but even then I drag my carcass around as I’m not in a position to ‘rest’ and/or do a ‘sickie. No one told me that when I bought the practice.So I will not feel guilty when my body is in battle with bug of the month and I decide not to make it run around a park at 6am. So there.

The weather. Good old British weather. It always gives me something to talk to my patients about. And haven’t we been harping on about the two months of sunshine we have just enjoyed? My goodness TWO whole months!’ Where have you been on holiday?’ my patients ask. ‘Wales’ I say proudly. ‘Lovely. Wales is SO beautiful in the sunshine’. YES IT IS ! Life is so beautiful in the sunshine, 5k walk,run,waddles are so beautiful in the sunshine. But of course this week was the week of rain and cold and the colour grey. I just could not get up. I tried getting a friend to motivate me but it seemed at 6 am in the morning both of us were happy to text each other about ‘you going?’ ‘if you go’ ‘nah,lets go tomorrow’ rather than just going. And yep that tomorrow never came either.
So I have to accept that I need to just get on with it. The weather is not going to improve. Kili is not going to be bathed in beautiful warm sunshine on that last summit climb. Life is not sunshine and roses.Just get out of bed and go.

And finally the team I told you about, Team DH. We got together for a brief rendez vous after the summer holidays and we celebrated with cake and coffee ..after a session of course but that’s secondary.Except I realised actually it’s not. Having two exercise sessions a week where you think you’re going just for the social side of it isn’t actually true. I have missed the exercise. Socially I could meet up with any of Team DH now they’re all back from their holidays but I don’t because the reason I do meet up with them is actually to get fit ..and then we can sit back and have fun. Where else are we going to swing kettle bells, throw around a bulgarian bag or two after slamming a ball in between shuttle runs? All thanks to @stuartamorypt. And then he decides he needs a holiday! Honestly..the one week where I need a kick up the backside, he takes his feet off to France. But he does need a holiday. He’s a bloody good trainer. So good he has motivated one of my closest friends to do her first ever half marathon. Bought it for her as a 50th birthday present. No seriously I am not being sarcastic. She is eternally grateful because he saw the potential in her, gave her the tools and a little bit of emotional blackmail and she is now a half marathon runner. And in fact despite all my previous waffle on deciphering the reasons why this week has been so rubbish for my Kili training and trying to get my mojo and motivation back..I think this picture has done it. I’m getting up at 6 am tomorrow and waddling around the park come hell or high water..and knowing my luck it’ll be both. So thank you Sara, thank you Stuart, I will be swearing at both of you under my breath tomorrow morning.

These feet were meant for walking. Step 1

It occurred to me whilst downing a glass of perfectly chilled Sancerre, that I should really think about getting some suitable exercise started if I was going to get up Kili. I’ve heard it’s a big mountain.

Slight problem there as the regular group I exercise with under the expertise of @stuartamorypt were all on holiday. Now this is the group I rely on heavily to get any type of exercise done. We call ourselves Team DH. The DH  stands for Desperate Housewives. Self explanatory.Don’t laugh. They are a bunch of mums..and a dad, very good friends and my lifeline to sanity. We started out June 2nd 2008.I remember the day well. Stuart set us a little fitness test and I failed as soon as he told us to run to the tree and back. it’s taken me five years and I can run a 5K now so I suppose that’s progress. But where are they when you need them. Sunning themselves in exotic places no doubt..selfish bunch.I am on my own. This is scary. Who do I turn to? What do I do? I mean I’VE GOT A BLOODY BIG MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB.

So I looked up #kiltraining on twitter, as you do, and almost gave up on the spot. I mean there’s fitness fanatics and then there are just plain nutters. Apparently for endurance you need to do five marathons in the space of a month. For speed and agility you then do Dodgeball immediately after the fourth marathon and break your leg. But you then do your fifth marathon anyway wearing an altitude mask. Okay I’m exaggerating but there is someone out there who has done almost exactly that..if he isn’t already dead. Luckily there were a lot of rational people on there too and two words kept cropping up. Walk and Hills.

There you go. Simple as. You walk to get up Kili so I guess I’ll start by walking now. Sorted. The hills will come.

Next dilemma. When?

As many of you dentists out there who are working your backsides off running your own practices keeping the corporates from mauling their way into your practice, there is no such thing as ‘exercise time’. I work long hours, treating patients, then doing all the ‘other stuff’ that goes with running a practice from paying wages and bills to CQC tickboxing to being the shoulder for your nurse to sob on. Add to that your own family commitments and is it any wonder why we aren’t a bunch of fat unfit dentists wielding a drill in our pudgy little hands. Wait…

And then the lightbulb moment. I am going to have to MAKE time! Yes I am! I can walk at midnight or 6am. I am not a morning person and 6am is effectively midnight as far as I am concerned so 6am it was. First few days were great. I roped a friend into it (who has no intention of climbing Kili) by mentioning how we really should be doing 10,000 steps a day and as she works at a desk, she’ll slowly but surely get fat and then will look like a pre menstrual bloated whale, except bigger, on our next girlie beach holiday. She carries that 10,000 step app everywhere now so I guess I’ve kind of motivated her.It was great. Off we’d go ..natter, natter, natter… back by 7am. Ready for a days work. The honeymoon period lasted a week. She texted me one morning as I stood brushing my teeth. My hair sleep tousled, sleep in eyes,  t-shirt on inside out but I’ll be damned if my breath stinks first thing in the morning. She couldn’t make it. I could’ve just gone back to bed but I surprised myself..I went out anyway..and then I surprised myself some more.. I jogged for some of the 5 k distance we had been walking! You have no idea what a BIG deal that is to someone who used to come last in the running races back at school. The only time I came 2nd last was when the girl in front tripped and fell. I was only 7 but the memory has scarred me for life.

I was so taken with myself I plastered it all over facebook with pictures and everything. I then went on to spend bank holiday pounding the park and pavements near home and again was shocked that I couldn’t walk without breaking into a gallop every now and then..and the gallops got a little bit longer each time.  Don’t want to get too carried away but apparently I can run, I can keep running and I CAN breathe! Amazing! I got so excited I dragged my 10 year old along on his bike the next day..and as he whizzed off I panted and puffed behind him..for 10K! Admittedly it wasn’t all running but the other thing I can’t do is walk slow. Power walk is what some people call it. I just call it ‘hurry up I have a million things to do and no time to dawdle’ walk. Same thing really.And for anyone who thinks that level of walking interspersed with running, over a 10K distance is easy..you need to have a word with my hip flexors. They are not happy.

Anyway the bottom line is I am walking, getting miles in my legs, trying to discipline myself into getting up early and pounding those pavements and park. I’m not an elite athlete, I’m not fantastically fit but I’m aiming to be as fit as I can to get up that mountain and that’s all that matters.

One foot in front of the other. In life and in training

IT’S A LONG ROAD TO KILI

The Reason Why

The first struggle was actually getting a blog set up. I’m good with teeth, computers not so much. I have overcome that struggle but have a feeling it gets more difficult from here.
Why am I doing this? Everyone has a reason right? Mine is really quite simple.
I was born in Mwanza, a small town on the shores of Lake Victoria in Tanzania a few years ago. In that very town back in 2002, Ian and Andie Wilson set up a dental charity called Bridge2Aid. http://www.bridge2aid.org/b2a/
I am a dentist.
I care about people.
I love adventure.
Put the four together and of course it was inevitable I had to climb the tallest mountain in Africa, in the country where I was born for a dental charity that has been set up in my very own birth town to raise money for people who have not got the excellent dental facilities we have here in the UK, NHS included…and I mean that sincerely.
Mount Kilimanjaro…this time next year…you and me… Uhuru Peak.

The dramatics are done.

Let the training begin.

Gulp.