Emma's Cycling the Paddington Bear Trail

Paddington in Venice....our farewell to 2014.

Will 2015 bring a cure to diabetes? Almost certainly not. However, mine and your contributions to fundraising for JDRF will enable the scientists to reach the goal sooner. Thank you everyone who has donated. Thank you everyone who has taken time to look at the blog. I had a great time and have met a lot of lovely people. I'm disappointed that I was unable to complete the challenge by bike but I don't think I would have managed to see all 58 bears, nor have another 2 members of my family join in.

Here's my fundraising page, as a reminder for those who had considered donating and not quite got round to it. I appreciate with Christmas now over that bank balances aren't particularly healthy!!

https://www.justgiving.com/Emmas-Paddington-Bear-cycle

Thank you for you support.

x

Traditionally our family goes out for a walk on Boxing Day, generally somewhere we've never been. However, in 2014 it was Year of the Bus and 60 sculptures of buses popped up in London. Then in December 17 buses arrived in Croydon, our hometown. So I printed a map, we (hubby, Steph & I) got a tram into Croydon and we started our walk around the town. The photos above are of those buses most significant to Croydon. You may notice a certain bear wanted to come along...

Info about the trail:

We've finished! Woop! I've seen all 58 Paddington Bears!! OK, so I am a little disappointed that I have been unable to cycle and therefore not been able to complete the challenge on a bike. However, Steph and I have had 3 nice days out exploring bits of London she and I have never been to. I've never been up Primose Hill, yet it's an iconic view. I've never walked along Regents Canal or around Little Venice. We've spoken to so many lovely people - some of those also raising money and others just wanting to see how many bears they can tick off on the list or others who were interested in JDRF. 

Bears in order of viewing - I've finally sussed out how to put the photos in order! I'll also find somewhere better than Facebook and Tumblr to post all the photos I took!

Stripes - Inkie - Cadogan Place

Precious - Solange Azagury-Partridge - Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Knightsbridge

Chief Scout Bear - Bear Grylls - Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport

Bearodiversity - Peru - Glasshouse Street

Blush - Nicole Kidman - Leicester Square

Little Blue Bear - Intel - Noel Street - he has flashing lights!

Bear Necessities - John Hurt - Near British Museum (Steph's propping herself up as she feels hypo)

R.G.B - Zaha Hadid - Royal Exchange (Steph's a bit more smiley as she's had something to eat!)

So that's it. All done!

We're almost at the end. Another 8 done today! You may have noticed an additional character in today's photos!!

It's been a blessing me being ill and hurting my back because I've been able to have 2 very special days with Steph which i wouldn't have done if I'd been cycling. Steph can't ride a bike. As well as having type 1 diabetes she also has an autistic spectrum disorder and dypraxic tendencies so she has never been able to balance very well and therefore cycling, on a 2 wheeler at least, is impossible for her. But she can walk, and believe me we've done a lot of that today!

Bears in order of seeing:

Dapper Bear - Guy Ritchie - Notting Hill Gate

Sticky Wicket - Ian Botham - Regents Park

Primose Paddington - Julie Walters - Primrose Hill

Maya's Bear - NSPCC

Alan Shearer's Bear - ChildLine

Patchwork - Rhianna - ChidLine

Toggle - Benjamin Shine - Museum of Childhood

Paddington That - Take that - O2

Part 3 of Monday's Paddington Bear finding: 

Paddington Bear Shop at Paddington Station

Selfridge's Paddington Bear shop

The rear of High on Toast bear at Selfridges

Marmalade!

Paddington Bears at Hamleys

Paddington Bear bench - during the summer there was a trail of  benches of books

Bronze Paddington Bear

Plaque to indicate filming took place on the platform

Part 2 of Monday's Paddington Bear finding! 

One thing to mention, diabetes related, is that exercise greatly effects blood sugar levels. In Steph's case, because she dislikes exercise so avoids it all costs, a days walking really has a noticeable effect on the amount of insulin she needs. Or doesn't need, as the case is. When we had lunch she had 2/3 of her usual amount of insulin. If she'd had her usual amount she would just have hypo.d and that would have been disastrous for what was a lovely day out. When we reached home I decided we would have fish and chips from the chippy. Once again, she had to have far less insulin, and even then throughout the night I wondered whether she had too much as she was quite low. The exercise effect actually lasted until Wednesday morning!! 

Bears in order of visiting:

Bear Humbug - Ant and Dec - outside John Lewis

Camo Bear - Selfridges

High on Toast - Selfridges

Goldiebear - Kate Moss - Selfridges

Sparkles - Frankie Bridge - South Molton Street 

The Spirit of Paddington - Rolls Royce - Berkeley Square Gardens

Thread Bear - Matthew Williamson - New Bond Street 

Parka Paddington - Liam Gallagher - Carnaby Street

Bit of bad news....I have slipped a disc in my back and have been told by my osteopath not to cycle for a couple of weeks. I'm Ok to walk though....so, on Monday my lovely daughter, Steph, joined me on the Paddington Bear trail. The plan was to just see all the PBs in the Paddington Station area of London! We did a few more than that...might take a couple of more posts lol.

The blue bear, Bearing Up, is Steph's favourite - it's furry. Coincidentally, it's also the colour symbol of diabetes internationally!

So, in order of visiting: 

Paddington - Michael Bond - Paddington Station

Paddingtonscape - Hannah Warren - Norfolk Square Gardens

Futuristic Robot Bear - Jonathan Ross - Merchant Sq, North Wharf Road

Bearing Up - Taylor Wimpey - St Mary's Footbridge, W2 1AF

The Mayor of Paddington - Paddington Waterside & Coston, Canalside 

Texting Paddington - Westminster Academy - Sheldon Square

That's what I was asked this week. ALL diabetes is bad!

Type 1 CAN'T be managed by food and exercise. The pancreas doesn't work. Insulin needs to be injected.

Type 2 CAN be managed by food and exercise. Insulin is still being produced but either there's not enough or the body can't use it properly.

The complications after long term poor management for either are the same as seen in the TV ad.

PS I have a chest infection so no cycling for me for a few days and therefore no more Paddington Bears.

I've not had much time this week but I've managed to see a few bears, and get to see 3 which weren't in place last week. On Monday  I did a quick cycle up to Stamford Bridge to see "The Special One". Whilst there a woman with her toddler asked for their photo. The little tot was dressed in a Chelsea scarf and Chelsea coat. Cute, even though I'm a West Ham United fan! After Stamford Bridge I cycled further west along the King's Road to the Duke of York Square to see "Paws". I got chatting to someone else taking photos of the bears. He was the chauffeur of the wife of a top bod at Shell. She was having coffee with a friend so he was making constructive use of his time while he was waiting for her to finish. He told me that friends were giving him 50p for every photo he took, and which he was matching, for the hospital (didn't catch which) that was treating his sister for multiple sclerosis. So that was Monday's cycle - on a Pearson Touché single speed.

On Tuesday morning I was back on my Specialized Sirrus (I'd been doing a little cycle instructing before I cycled into London) cycling towards Westminster & Green Park to see 3 bears which weren't there last week. Good News Bear and Paddington Jack and then my most favourite bear so far...."Golden Paws" in Green Park. I have no particular admiration for David Beckham, nor actually the bear as such, but the position of it, and the England aspect of it, I found quite heart tugging. Not sure why as I'm not particularly patriotic.

From Green Park I then went in search of lunch and as I approached Trafalgar Square I thought I'd revisit a bear I'd already seen - the Bear of London - which I'd seen at night in my wander around the West End a couple of weeks ago. Here I got chatting to a couple of guys, one of which was a cyclist from Perth, Australia. The other quizzed me on my knowledge of an insulin nasal spray which is at the trial stages. Although I'm aware of research I don't upset myself too much about potential cures. They are a long way off but management is getting better and that's what I look at most.

Bears visited in order:

The Special One - Chelsea FC - Stamford Bridge

Paws - Sally Hawkins - Duke of York Square

Good News Bear - the Telegraph - Great George Street

Paddington Jack - Davina McCall - Clive Steps, Horseguard's Parade

Golden Paws - David Beckham - Green Park

Having been told in June 2013 that my daughter had a chronic, non-curable condition I went in search of some information and support. Actually, when you Google "Type 1 diabetes" the charity, Diabetes UK, pops up way before JDRF. So I ordered their info and found out what their charity does for people with type 1 diabetes - information and care events are by far their best contribution to the life of a t1 diabetic. It was only after I signed up to run the Great South Run for Diabetes UK and the email asking for donations went to 100s that someone I had known for a couple of years told me that his younger daughter had type 1 and that I ought to take a look at JDRF. I did, and found that their ideas and information for children was excellent, especially, the opportunity to be type 1 activists. Yesterday I took my daughter to a Youth Ambassador film workshop morning. She likes meeting other children and teens with type 1 and it's mainly for this reason that I try and get her involved as much as I can. It's a very lonely condition otherwise, especially as the media tells everyone that you get diabetes from being overweight or eating too much sugar!!