Wembley on Prednisone

[notlocal]

What a weekend. A few weeks ago my son asked me if I wanted to go to Wembley Stadium , home of football (soccer to Americans) for the Johnstone's Paint Cup Trophy final (Division 3) Bristol City v Walsall. He’s a City fan. As I’d never been, I agreed. Further down the line I volunteered to drive a 16 seater van with him and his friends out of safety concerns as none of them had experience with that size and I did. So it was a Sunday gig..

Saturday night and my breathing deteriorates (I'm about 20% LF) and I’m in trouble, popping preds (25mg) thinking of calling an ambulance. Begin a AB course in case it’s an infection. Think of cancelling everything. Finally at 2am the preds work and I try and sleep, but the pred…! Wake up after 3 hours sleep, breathing ok but I pop 10mg for the day ahead, we pick everybody up at 9am and off we go, cans of beer being opened (they all in their 30’s), chanting football songs up the motorway! Frequent pee stops, all that beer! My main worry was the walk from the reserved parking to the stadium (and back) and so it proved. Thankfully there are lifts for the disabled at the stadium, all those stairs and sloping walkways would have killed me. Finally made it (+ another 10mg) and it was fantastic. 73,000 attendance, 2nd biggest in Europe that weekend. City won 2- 0, everybody happy inc me and drunk (not me!). Walk back in the evening chill was a killer but made it with Gabriel’s help, stopping for breath a lot. Then huge traffic jams coming out of London and and a long drive down the M4 with frequent pee stops again. Back into Bristol at midnight , drop them off at Asda car park (round of applause, everybody in the van chanting my name!) home and in bed before 1am.

It could all have gone horribly wrong with me. I feel ok this morning but could have easily picked up a chill and that means hospital, or worse. However, there is also a sense of accomplishment, I did it! Was I stupid? Yes. Did I have an experience I'd never otherwise have had? Yes!