Lucy Eyre-Tanner

The Inspirational Tale of Mike Buss, the Deaf Endurance Athlete

2013-01-28T11:44:38-05:00

As a musician, hearing is the single most important part of my life. When I was in first school us kids would ask each other questions like: "If you HAD to lose a sense, which one would it be?" My answer would always be the same - anything but hearing! In my mind, a world without music is no world at all. It's hard to comprehend how the extraordinary 'deaf' composer Ludwig van Beethoven was still able to compose such magnificent pieces of music despite being robbed of hearing at the tender age of 26.

From a very young I've unfortunately suffered from lots ear infections which I blame entirely on the 4 hour long walks (at least I think they were 4 hour walks...) I was subjected to with my parents in the freezing cold. One time I was whinging so much from pain caused by cold gusts of wind in my ears, my parents actually hid from me when we were walking down a winding country lane... to be honest though, I don't blame them. I was always a very vocal child!

Hearing is definitely something we take for granted, along with everything else we are lucky enough to have. I remember an incident when I was 12 and I was getting incredibly frustrated with my friend who kept saying 'what?' and getting me to repeat myself over and over again. I jokingly replied 'you really need a hearing aid!' to which my friend replied 'I already have one' and promptly burst into tears. I have always felt absolutely terrible about this but of course we are all guilty of saying things absentmindedly, especially when it is something that we personally do not have problems with.

These memories came flooding back recently after learning of an incredible man called Mike Buss. He is an endurance athlete, taking on challenges such as running across the Sahara desert or the Canadian arctic. However he is very lucky to be here at all. In November 1998, when he serving in the army, he was very close to an IRA car bomb that went off and left him profusely deaf. Mike says:

"I was on a green partrol in Northern Ireland to Lisburn Barracks when while waiting for some of the guys to get back I was standing very close to the first of two carbombs that went off inside the barracks. It left me with tinnitus and heavily deaf in my left ear and quite bad in my right.

I was subsequently medically discharged from the army which left me depressed without meaning in life, no goal, no challenge, and in my opinion no life. So I drifted and ended up on the streets of London, where I lived for over 6months. "

I finally got myself off the streets determined to do something with myself and with entering the 2002 London Marathon I broke my first endurance world record and it just went on from there"

That is an understatement of magnificent proportions. He has now broken 47 world records despite his impediment (he has only recently had a hearing aid fitted as a video he produced alongside Dr Hilary Jones details) and is one of those people who is an example to us all. He certainly made my hearing problems feel rather insignificant and made me make two promises

1- Get a bit or perspective next time I have my parents make me go for a winter walk
2- Enter an ultra marathon

I think the first promise may be a bit easier to keep....

Merry Christmas?

2012-12-14T09:56:25-05:00

Christmas without a doubt has to be my favourite time of year; opening presents around a roaring fire, laughter and cheer all around and most of all being with my family (I have to say that as it really does sound terrible if I say the best thing about Christmas are the presents!) It's probably the only time of year when I transform into a hyperactive child filled with breathless excitement at what Santa might be bringing....( like I said, probably the only time of year).
Perhaps it's because I'm from Northumberland, but I just love the cold crisp weather, getting wrapped up for a long walk on the beach with my dog and the smell of snow in the air (meanwhile my late Grandfather would be forced into full blown panic, buying at least 2 dozen bottles of anti-freeze just for the car).
Christmas Eve for me has always been on par with Christmas as my Father and I named it 'Daddy, Daughter Day'. It's the day when my Dad and I get up at the crack of dawn and collect the Christmas goodies; the Goose, vegetables, naughty food treats which Mum can never find out about, last minute presents and just generally have a wonderful day together.
However, this year is going to be my first year without this tradition and it is now my turn to become, what I hope to be - a responsible adult. The Christmas dinner has finally come to be my task. Worst of all, it's not even with my parents who would be wonderfully biased and praise whatever I cook. Instead it's with boyfriend's family whose expectations I have foolishly built up as the day of destiny always felt so far away - more than enough time to turn myself into a professional chef! Christmas is now in just a few days and I still have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do!
What doesn't help is that each and every one of my Christmases has been amazing - even when my dog was running around the house with the goose in her mouth (she was too distracted by her achievement to eat it) was still perfect. My parents are wonderful cooks and I can now appreciate that Christmas dinner is without a doubt, an art.
Now the dreaded event is looming ever closer, I have finally sat down and done a bit of research...
Apparently, it's the gravy that really makes the dinner. This is something I would usually dismiss as I always focus on the delicious bread sauce, exquisite truffle filled stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and then the wonderful sticky toffee pudding (I don't like Xmas pud!). However, luckily for me, I've stumbled across a great gravy recipe that works best with roast chicken which is perfect if, like me, you're on a tight budget this year.
This recipe serves 4 which is perfect as that's precisely the amount of people I'm cooking for..

Gravy Sauce (Serves 4)
2 Small Onions Quartered
1 Carrot Cut into Four Lengthways
2 Stalks Celery Roughly Chopped
5 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
1 heaped tbs plain flour
70ml Brandy
3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
700ml Chicken Stock

Method;
This is a two stage recipe. Before roasting your chicken, place the quartered onion, carrot and celery in the tray long with the fresh thyme and cook as required. When the cooking time has elapsed, remove your chicken from the oven and allow time to rest for 20 minutes on a plate covered loosely in foil. Pour off some of the fat from the tray then add the flour, cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, add your brandy and then reduce by half, pour in the stock, bring to the boil and cook until the gravy thickens. At this stage add any of the resting juices from the chicken. Season with salt and pepper then pass through a sieve before serving.

It's Winter... But How Do I Keep the Weight Off?

2012-11-21T08:32:44-05:00

First, the clocks go back. Next, the mercury in thermometers nationwide starts to plummet. And that's not all that's falling - the leaves have nearly all waved a final teary goodbye to the branches they've called home for the past few months. Yes, winter is nearly with us and by the time the next Strictly Come Dancing or X-Factor champ is crowned the chilly season will be well settled in.

And there is the problem. And it is a big problem that if you're not careful will only get bigger.
The temptation to sit at home, watching Brucie or Gary Barlow whilst munching away at a packet of chocolate/crisps (delete where appropriate) is overwhelming. It also means that by the time the last waltz or power ballad is being caressed/killed (yet again, delete where appropriate) it won't be your emotions that are out of control, but your weight.

Yes, bulging waistlines are likely to be the fashion trend for many this season as 'diet hibernation' takes hold of the nation. As the nights draw in we start eating more comfort food, exercising less and covering up from the cold so it's no surprise that the pounds will start to pile on.

Despite this, it would seem that people still have big weight loss intentions during winter. Nearly half (46%) of people are aiming to drop at least one dress size by the time the party season begins with 27% aiming to lose two dress sizes and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) aiming to reduce their wardrobe by three dress sizes.

In fact 54% of winter dieters want to shed the pounds to look good in party outfits with 36% admitting that they want to impress their friends and family.

So how does one square the circle? How can you wow the crowds at the annual office bash when all your instincts have been telling you to eat, drink and be motionless since the beginning of November?

One person who knows is actress and comedienne Helen Lederer. (You have probably seen her in the legendary television comedy show Absolutely Fabulous alongside Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders, or maybe read her thoughts in her Huffington Post UK blog) Together with dietician Helen Bond and personal trainer Eliise Lindsay (the woman who helped get Coleen Rooney into shape for her wedding to footballer Wayne) she has been finding out how to keep the weight off during the winter. In fact, Helen is pretty well qualified for this job. She has recently dropped a couple of dress sizes and a couple of stone in just three months by using something called the 'XLS-Medical Fat Binder'.

So are you curious? Are you in the majority of people who want Santa Claus to greet you with a cheery "my word, have you lost weight?" as he stumbles out of your chimney? If you are, then settle down, grab yourself a nice sticky bun and hot chocolate - well perhaps not - and watch Helen & co show you how it's done.