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Whenever I think of Elvis I think of my best friend Jill. She loves Elvis and many’s the time I’ve been around at her place to hear and see her cooking dinner to a greatest hits compilation; ‘Teddy Bear’ getting the loudest and most enthusiastic accompaniment.
She has a strength and determination that astounds me and achieves everything she sets her mind to. It wasn’t a surprise, therefore, to discover that she was in training to ride the Jacob’s Creek Down Under cycling event with her fourteen year old son Patrick. What was a surprise – and not a pleasant one – was hearing that both of them had fallen and that Jill was in hospital with stitches to her eye, upper lip and inside her mouth and was covered in bloody cuts, bruises and suffering concussion.
When I called her she could barely speak because of the swelling but one of the first things she said was, “It’s no-one’s fault, it’s just bad luck. Of course I’ll be back riding again.” Her second concern was how she was going to make it into work on the Monday and a few of us suggested that just by sending her boss a photo of her ‘after’ the race would be evidence enough. It was.
I found out a couple of days ago that Spring Valley is giving away a complimentary download of Elvis Presley’s song ‘Spring Fever’. Sure, it’s not spring here in Australia and autumn is now upon us but their juices are called Spring Valley and I don’t think Elvis sang anything with autumn in the title.
To get your hands on the download (he’s not singing ‘Keep your hands off of it’ here), simply head over to the Spring Valley Facebook page and ‘like it’ . Once you’ve done that, you can access the song via the ‘Elvis Track’ tab. It’ll be your ‘Good Luck Charm’ and, for some reason, ‘The grass won’t pay you no mind.’
Perhaps Elvis has more to say to Jill (apart from ‘Come hear me at Spring Valley sometime baby.’) He’d surely be aware that having no memory after flying over her handlebars and having an imprint of a pedal in her leg that she was ‘All Shook Up’ and needs to ‘Patch it up’ but also be treated ‘Gently’ and realise that she’s a ‘Hard Headed Woman’ who is very lucky because ‘Only the Strong Survive’ such a ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ accident.
I’m ‘Thinking about you’ old buddy and ‘I feel that I’ve known you forever.’ Perhaps that’s because I actually have. Get well soon dear friend and enjoy the download from Spring Valley.
18 comments:
Best wishes for a speedy recovery for this intrepid cycling friend of yours!
ANd now I can't stop thinking about the dozens of sparkly jumpsuits I saw at Graceland.
Aww Kath - I don't know what to say, that's more than lovely. Even though I am a (now proven) "Hard Headed Woman", today I do feel a bit "In the Ghetto" (a favourite)... Sick of being home and useless - even going back to work (hopefully next week) looks appealing. Thanks for caring so much and being such a great friend. xxx Jilly
Although I've never really got the appeal of Elvis, I wish Jill all the best - glad that all her injuries are fairly easily fixed.
Thank you Hannah. Ooh I'd love to go to Graceland!
Jill, being your friend is the easiest job ever.
Thanks Pandora. It's a slow process and one that frustrates my usually very fit and active friend, but in a way it's making her slow down and rest, which surely can't be a bad thing?
Speedy recovery Jill. Those long time frindships are so special.
Oh ouch! ouch! ouch! I'm in pain just thinking about Jill.
I love how you wove the songs into the text like that.
What do you mean autumn is upon us?
It's still February! That browning of the trees you see isn't autumn leaves, it's sunburn.
G'Day Kath,
Sounds like something I did as a teenager.
Ouch!
:0)
Cheers
PM
They are, Vanessa. I just wish that she wasn't so far away in Adelaide....
River you're right - Autumn starts in March, doesn't it; NOT February???
PlasMan, when Jill's husband sent me a photo of her in hospital a couple of hours after her accident, I didn't recognise her. Even now, with a bruised brain and loose bits in her inner ear, her outward face might have healed but she's still recovering on the inside and has lost a good couple of hours of memory.
Poor Jillery - thank goodness it wasn't a heck of a lot worse.
I know a guy who did motorcross stunts yet his worst injury was on a push bike. He required a new nose. Unpleasant.
Of course even Mark Webber's worst injury (I think) was a broken leg from a pushy accident. And this from the only man to have vertically flipped two cars (on separate occasions, and, ha!, bet he could never do it on purpose)!
So, tell your dear friend she's in adventurous company. Oh, and perhaps she'd be safer with motorsports.
hope she recovers and is "getting better, growing stronger" and it does not deter her. I hope she goes back to the training with her son, it will be a great achievement if they do it
You're right, Chestnut: no broken bones, or neck damage or stuff to do with the brain that it's too frightening to think about.... what she's having to recover from now is scary enough.
Eleanor, if I told her about motorsports, she'd try it! After all she's run a marathon, swum the Murray mile, canoed the River Murray and now done the Jacobs Creek Downunder event but left some of her face on the road.....
Don't worry, Nuttynoton, she will.
I thought your running addiction (bra attacks and torturing your tendons) was crazy enbough, but road-cycling is definately up there for me as "not in this lifetime!). I wish Jill a speedy and full recovery and hope her son is ok too..you will be dancing to Elvis before you know it!
Romana
Thanks everyone! I am so lucky to have Katherine as a friend - she is much more than just a friend to me, we are certainly on this crazy journey of life together. Katherine is the most generous, funny, loyal, never-boring, soft (of skin), gorgeous person you could meet.
And, yes I will be getting back out there, I can't wait. Patrick and I intend to ride the last 15km of the 'race' together when we are all healed - we are hoping for a group of people to do it with us (and no accidents this time). How lucky I am to have survived this crash so well, but more to have the great friends I do (no one more so than Katherine). xxx J
...and Jill's about the only person (apart from my parents) who still calls me 'Katherine' these days.
Told youse she'd never give up!
No one's fault just bad luck. With an attitude like that your friend Jill will recover no doubt to ride again.
By the way, I joined up for the asylum seeker request to free 8 year old Seema from detention. I sometimes wonder what it is our leaders have in their heads when they allow these obvious injustices to continue.
Thanks, Kath.
Hope Jill recovers quickly!
I love my Elvis. =) He could sing Amazing Grace with perfection.
Thanks Elisabeth - when I read the lame excuse in the paper that they were fast tracking the asylum seekers' who survived the boat accident and that things could happen by 'June', I was livid. A nine year old who saw his father die and his mother disappear has to be in custody for over SIX months?! It's time to stop using 'boat people', 'asylum seekers' and 'refugees' as nouns.... Rant over for now.
Thanks Have Myelin. I think I rediscovered Elvis thanks to watching 'Lilo and Stitch' a few dozen times when Sapphire was younger.
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