Gout is not all roast swan and port

Just getting over my worst bout of gout ever. I normally get a single attack each year when I go to France courtesy of the delicious diet of mussells!  An over the counter 3 day reducing course of colchicine normally works. This year it didn't.  Ended up taking NSAIDs, colchicine and finally a course of steroids.  Even had an X-ray to exclude osteomyelitis. About to start allopurinol in a fortnight when it has finally calmed down.
Only managing to swim at the moment as running is still too painful.
So what causes gout? The inability to clear urate from the body effectively, which then can accululate in joints as crystals. I get mine in my left big toe joint.  Foods that are high in purines are mussells, prawns, kidneys and liver. Despite being a teetotal, water guzzling vegan for a few weeks hasn't helped much. It takes months for the crystals to accumulate, and a long period for it to go, so no quick answers.
Long term solutions are to take up an alkaline diet.  An Alkaline Diet (also known as Acid Alkaline Diet, Alkaline Acid Diet, or Alkaline Ash Diet) is a dietary procedure based on the consumption of a selection of food, which burns in the body, and leaves ash. The incombustible ash or alkaline residue is composed of minerals rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. The burning, in comparison to the catabolism of food, produces waste. There are three categories, in which the food is classified: alkaline, acid, and neutral. This is determined by the pH levels of the ash, when the diluted in water.  Alkaline Diets puts a large emphasis on eating a variety of fresh vegetables, citrus fruits, nuts, tubers, and legumes, and discourages the consumption of dairy products, grains, meat, and too much salt. The diet creates the minimal alkalinity in blood, ranging from 7.35 to 7.45. This means the diet maintains the balance of acid-base homeostasis in the blood, which is the balance of acids and bases (commonly known as pH), in the body. Without this balance, the body is unable to sustain itself.

Let's hope I've turned the corner, and get back to running and cycling.