Dinner

Then for dinner tonight I took a breath and tried to cut up (I failed, had to ask GGGtGG for chopping assistance) the Butternut Squash which I bought last week and was too intimidated to try.

But it was actually really nice roasted as main carbohydrate

Tomatoes

And the tray that has been sitting in the kitchen is starting to look a bit more useful

Walkies

Then s'afternoon we drove around town looking for a free parking space to no avail. So we headed into the pay&display bit at the end of King St. We parked there, walked to the other end of King St then turned around and walked back.

The only problem was that Gareth set my FES stickers as recommended by Sara t'other day which was fine for 200 yds then stopped working.  I sat on a bench, he investigated and found that as they weren't supported by my sockings in the new position they had simply fallen right off.

Lunging

Then s'morning I did the first of my (as instructed by Sara) 3 times a day lunging exercises. Which involves putting my right leg forward, bending it about half way (which I can manage now) then bending my backwards left leg as far as possible, for about 5 seconds. Dunno, it is supposed to improve my flexibility and strength

Done a second now, while I was cooking dinner

Pizza

But then, eventually, I made a couple of na'an bread pizze with chips for dinner. It was as nice as usual

Marginally Chaotic

So after she left I was pushed for time. So I went to bed with no bath, napped, got up and went to the Dr's about my armpits then came back and felt that I'd better have a bath today as my armpits are so wonky, so we did have a late but delicious dinner

Right. The Docs. So we explained, asked for stronger cream, she said "No, that is the strongest", suggested antibiotics, had a close look at my 'pits and after looking at he right one, the worst, she said "Yes, it is all infected, you need antibiotics" and gave me one I don't recall ever having before, it is obviously specialising in this kind of infection. But after looking at the instructions and looking online it is not a killer to have a few pints one night next week

Then

So we had a quiet morning then didn't go to class as the physio lady was coming to see me. She listened to my issues then tried a different position for the FES. We went off walked up the street to test it and walked back. She told Mike loadsa stuff that "the staff" need to know about positioning, then was really impressed with how my foot/leg position was so hopefully if I can repeat that... Then we took 3 or 4 photos which I will send to "the staff" later..... after my nap then after my trip to the Dr's about the rash in my armpits...

Out

So we are out for the night at Caffi Iechyd Da

And it was excellent. Took loadsa photos but it is too late to transfer them now, manyana

It's done today

Sudden Hail

And suddenly tonight it was suddenly hailing really hard for about 3 minutes. The sky was blue 10 mins ago and it is slightly raining now

More Docs

And Timmy phoned the Dr s'morning and was told to phone back to speak to her tomorrow so we can find out why my armpits are still swelling

Scared

And Timmy came in s'morning and talked about the tiler coming in next week and moving the fridge, washing machine etc

Aargh, and I had just been to pick up my weeks veg and we won't be eating here much......

Busy

And we have a relatively busy day today, pick up veg, go shopping, go to gym, take tablet, go out to Iechyd Da tonight......

And we gave done all the morning stuff now. Part of the exercise at gym just wouldn't work but as she is coming here to see me tomorrow, the physio, perhaps we will have an update

Walkies

Then before dinner I said "Lets go for a walk, so we drove to Carmarthen, parked up in the disabled bay at the beginning of Lammas St, headed off then up the hill to King Street, past Iechyd Da, from there along King St, down the side of the Court House back to the car. Exhausting walking up and downhill thus, but it is worth it. (In blue dots on this map)

Exhausted

So the AA class was renamed this week, it is now called Aqua Fitness. Dunno if it will last but... Anyway I did a session doing random tilty in the water rather than against the wall but I did it. And I was able to stand on my right foot and kick with the left more than last week so summat is helping me

Marginally Busy

And today I have an early lunch, then Denyse is coming here to discuss summat with me, then we are off for an Aqua Aerobics class

No, less busy now, Denyse phoned me at quarter past ten and said "As it wasn't a very important discussion we had planned and summat else more important has come up......" so she cried off today and is gonna email me with a substitute date soon. So just early lunch, take my tablet then go to Aqua Aerobics

Well an early lunch has been eaten....

And a tablet taken...

Dinner

And for dinner tonight Alex was crying when I said there was a pan of curry so instead we had baked spuds with grated cheese and beans. It was delicious but the curry in the fridge...?

Gymtastic

Then we went to gym and got stuck into various exercise machines etc. Today on the 'pedal by hand' machine I managed a full 10 minutes exercise, the longest I have managed in the past has been 6 of those minutes

Pick it up

Then s'morning we popped into the Doctors at the end of King St. and picked up my prescription, then I walked across and down to the chemist to have it made up

It seems like no time since this whole trip involved out of car, into wheelchair.... but for a couple of.... at a guess months, it has been walking

And we had to sit in the car for 5 minutes until the rain stopped at the first call, the sun was out by the time we finished in the chemist.

Quote From Ixion

And on the mailing list which eats up my life "someone" said about the do last weekend

>> It was good to see Neil the Hippy there sans wheelchair

And someone else replied

> Indeed it was, another mark of continuing recovery

Which was nice to read

Hail

And there was an outburst of hailstones s'morning. It's supposed to be becoming summer........

And an hour later the sun is bright from an almost cloudless blue sky.....

And 15 minutes later the sky looks grey and cloudy again......

10 minutes later it is nearly cloudless again...

(Not real photos, got them off the Interweb....)

And a few hours later this was the view from my bedroom window when I was settling down for my nap (real pic)

Ordered

So again I ordered my fruit and veg from CMOrganics which will be delivered to Iechyd Da on Thursday

Feck All On

Then after lunch I had nowt on to do. But I got stuck into cooking a big pan of curry which MM said was rather nice, not as burning as last time I cooked curry for him.

But then I realised that we had no more "microwave rice makes 2 portions" so we nipped to MoreReasonsToShopAt.... and while I was there I stocked up on Sweet Potato Oven Chips and some frozen protein

Sigh

So I am off to the 'wimming-pool in a bit with my part time trainer of disabled swimmers MOS so no doubt he will expect me to do loads etc

Well did it. It didn't hurt so much

And I did a whole breadth of the pool with no floating aids, I just swam it!!!! Which I haven't managed since my accident years ago

Out

So as I was bored we popped into town to a pub (as my local is shut on Sunday's and Mondays now, we found out when we drove there) and had a couple of pints

And earwigging this morning when Timmy was handing over to MM he was paranoid that I would fall over etc

But we parked a couple of hundred meters from the pub, I walked there without my 'chair and walked back without falling over etc

Chores

And today I have stripped my bed and washed it, weighed myself and... done bu**er all else. Oh, I have cleaned myself from top to bottom. Well had a bath

Uphill

Then s'afternoon I had to take Timmy out for a coffee/bun treat as he took me and paid for it on Monday. This time we parked on the corner of Blue St/Lammas St in town and walked all the way up the hill to (the very posh) Ice Cream shop at the top of the hill, past the old Crown Court building

Mmmmm

But after we had eaten the woman who served us said "How was it?" and I just said "Will you marry me?" and she said "If you take me on holiday" but I can't as Timmy needs to keep us company etc

Painter

So Timmy came in s'morning and said "Someone coming to see us s'morning" then pottered for a bit until someone parked outside. Went round the place with Timmy then said "I won't be able to start for 3 weeks, if..." which suits us. So he agreed to email Timmy a quote this week then hopefully he will paint the whole outside of the house and repair some bits etc

Phew

And while I was preparing dinner tonight I knocked the timer device on to the floor. Oops. 3 pieces and a battery lying there. I reconnected it all up, put it all back together, and it just worked, first time I presses a button

Thrush

And the new cream that I have got from the Dr for my rash says "For the treatment of vaginal thrush and for your partner if he has thrush on his penis" which is slightly reassuring

Off Oot

Then when Timmy was here t'other day I said "There are some musicians at Iechyd Da on Friday but I think guitarists upset me, as I used to be (half a) one". He said "You don't say that at the Open Folk Night....". Oh yes, that's right... so my and GGTGG are heading out after dinner tonight

Lordy, just wow etc (noisy link)

Back To Docs

Then s'morning "we"(7) need to go back to the Drs to ask for a new, stronger, cream for my armpits. It has got 90% better but that cream has been rubbed on for 3 weeks now. I need a stronger one to actually make it all the way better

(7) Me and GGtGG

And we saw a very beautiful young Dr and she gave me a weeks worth of hydrocortison tablets and a new cream

Than we went to gym, oh what fun we had 

Suddenly Busy

So s'morning we popped out s'morning to buy a new toilet thingy to fix the leak in the staff room loo that flooded last night. So first of all we went to Towy Works walked in, turned around looking, thought"WTF?", walked to the counter, showed the chap the broken thing we had brought, he said "Hang on" and went and fetched one.

Then we popped to Iechyd Da and picked up the delivered Organic Veg

Then we popped home and put the goods away.

Then we popped to gym where I did 6 minutes on the bike, said "Ohhh". Timmy said "Take it to 7 minutes", took it to 7 minutes and said "Nuff" then Timmy said "OK" but I tried to carry on more and the machine gave up. So I went homeNow Timmy has turned all the water off and is trying to fit the loo fixer piece

And he did fix it, put it all back together then last piece he realised that that should have been in the middle so he is now taking it all apart again to put that piece on

Aargh, well he finished and it flushes and doesn't leak so much but there us still a slight leak, so he gas set the old one on the side and left a note on it for Alex, the ex-plumber, so when he comes in he can hopefully properly fix it

It seems to have settled down into a "properly fixed" position now, it no longer leaks and is filling up faster

TBCC

So half way through the class in the pool at't gym today Tina announced that it had a new name. Instead of Aqua Aerobics it was now to be known as the "Tina Being Cruel Class". Fairy Nuff, I think so too

Nooneraft

So we headed out this afternoon/evening in search of "coffee and buns" and we ended up on St Clears in the actually rather welcoming Little Chef cafe where I did indeed have coffee and bun

So when we came home for dinner I didn't have any carbohydrate, just protein (no chips)

Gymtastic

So we headed over to gym today and did loads of machines, lifting etc. It was all looking much easier than last week when I got stuck into The Cross Trainer machine but I felt that machine was making my right knee move in the way that I have been fighting against for months now

Swimming

So we went swimming s'morning and while I am impressed with speed of swimming etc, and definitely better at it than last week, I still had as much fun as a.... poorly tiger

Rearrange

And Timmy came in s'morning and said he had been txting with the floor tiler over the weekend and basically he is coming in 2 weeks to do the kitchen/dining room. So "someone" will have to rearrange furniture etc.

So I will eat breakfast and lunch as normal, well in the bedroom to eat them, and we will go out for evening meals until he has finished

Back To "Normal"

So then I came back and was much too busy to switch on my PC for ages. So we nipped out to Morrisons to do a weeks non organic shopping and also to get half of my weeks supply of organic food (which was half and half possible from Morrisons) as I was away when normally eating fresh orgy produce so I will get an order again later this week.

And I did (am still doing) loads of washing to catch up

And I am socking-less today as we had to wash all 3 pairs that I normally rotate today

Bysee Bye

So we have had breakfast and already said "Tara" to a number of people.  I will finish my shit, pack the rest of my stuff and then be off ourselves

Last Night

So tonight we had the last night of Ixies. I decided not to go out to eat so I had a small pizza here with half a bowl of chips. MM had the same. So we ate with about half the Ixies, chatted to them for a bit then chatted to all folk when they came back. A pleasant evening was spent, many folk said to me how much better/lighter I am

And it is so warm tonight that I took off my fleece and was just wearing a T shirt

Hay On...

So we popped into Hay On Wye s'morning and I was actually rather impressed. It was all uphill and downhill and unsettling underfoot and I managed, we walked around for ages, went and had a brew, then walked some more. I insisted to MightyMark that he bring along the wheelchair as last year I had some difficulty walking everywhere but I didn't need it this year. I walked everywhere, pretty much from one end of town tovt'other then back

MOS

And we were leaving the hotel today and another MOS was sitting on the desk, she said "I didn't see you yesterday, I saw you s'morning and thought 'Where's your wheelchair?'" which was nice to hear and to be recognised from last year

Thundery

So this weekend I am sharing my bedroom with someone who is best described as a loud snorer. A very loud snorer

Pleasant Night

Then I had a pleasant evening mixing with folk talking about motorcycles etc. And folk did say that they haven't seen me since last year, when I was stuck in a wheelchair etc.

Made It

Well we made it here. I walked in, the woman behind the counter immediately commented how I was in my wheelchair last time she saw me, came to our room. Plugged in what was needed, put away what was needed,  went into the bathroom and washed my bits then napping before hopefully meeting some Ixies

We're Off

And s'morning I had to nip to the Drs to pick up a 'script, then we came back and packed all away etc now we are about to head off to SoS

See y'awl  in a bit....

Remainder Of Day

And me & Timmy started piling stuff that I am gonna need to take away tomorrow on the settee and writing a list of the rest of it. So tomorrow AM will be spent packing it all away etc, then heading off

Many Staff

And there are 5 MOS here and Denyse The Boss here ATM for a team meeting

And they are still sat in the kitchen, muttering, giggling.......

And they were pretty positive about me when they left......

Fredumpkins

And we picked her up and she was nice, a civilised grownup who it was nice to spend a couple of hours with

And she did mention how much less objectionable I am nowadays as opposed to shortly after my accident.....

Aqua

Then later today "we" had an acqa aerobics class. Again it is incredible how much my balance has got better etc

The instructor woman was getting us to do sum exercises on the wall, I explained that my right toes were complaining and I was rather impressed how much she listened and said "Class do this, Neil do this instead" for much of the rest of the class

 So there is only "Pick up Freya" to do

Dentist

And I went to the scary dentist s'morning, seeing both the hygienist and the dentist, but they both seemed pleased with my oral hygiene, no fillings or owt needed.

Then I came back, had a quick lunch then off to pool for an aqua aerobics session

Then over to Freya's to pick her up for a visit

Pictures

So David sent over Nora's pictures from the weekend, which was nice.

But as he was involved in Onedrive he found another load of his old photo's which he sent me too. They were from when he had to come over to Lon Ty Cwm just before I moved there and fit it out with furniture etc for me to move there from a care home. It is a bit tearful looking at the photos but also proof of how well I am doing. That was a big step for me, but I moved well beyond that a couple of years ago. The past

Not Yet

So Alex hasn't started the greenhouse yet because he "had" to take me to the gym where I did various machines. On the bike machine (20 min exercise) I only stopped once, to blow my nose, I think if my nose hadn't run I would have been able to do it all and in the past I had to stop every three and a half minutes, or so

Well afterwards he got stuck in, putting the frame together and has stopped now while I have my bath etc then he is fairly confident that it will go back together and be unknockable over this time

REgreenhouse-ing

So tomorrow Alex the handy chap is back here so he will put back together the greenhouse and protect it with extra tape etc so hopefully this time we can plant, grow and actually get some veg in the end

Armpits

And my armpits seem so much better. The left is almost completely better and the right is perhaps 90% better, so hopefully in a couple of days they will both be mended

Walkies, more

Today I made lunch etc, sat down to eat it, then thought "Aargh, no salad creme", stood up, walked to the fridge with no walking stick, got it out and walked back

Cash4Tiles

And Timmy said "Cheque your bank account" s'morning as Anthony has paid into petty cash the cash for the floor tiles for the kitchen/dining area. We are not gonna buy then 'til after Thursday when Denyse is here for the team meeting and can check it all out etc. So at a guess Thursday afternoon "we" will be back at the tile shop buying....

Hooray

So today I think I will be seen as healthy enough to nip into the swimming pool for a couple of lengths etc.

Hooray

In order to lessen chances of infection etc I have got a new Woggle

And we did it, did various exercises (which I am much better at already) and 6 lengths. And I had been thinking that Timmy better clean the Woggle in the shower in the staff room but it occurred to my while we were under the showers at t'pool to just get it under there and wash it with Neil's decongestant soap stuff

And the Woggle name stayed on, I don't need to find a better pen and renew it

Blew Down

And Alex said to me today "Your greenhouse has blown over", went to put it in the garage for now. Came back saying not damaged etc, will put it back up next week when the wind is down and try to reinforce it with loadsa tape etc

Visitors

And D&N came over before lunchtime, talked for a bit the went off to have lunch, leaving me to eat here then nap/bath, then they will come back in a bit.

So they came over and had a brew here then we headed off to their hotel where we had a very nice meal. They are off early in't morning so we won't see them again. Until we meet up in Belfast in about 6 weeks

Walking

And now I can walk a short distance without my stick. It is slower and I have got to concentrate harder but it works, I can do it

A couple of years ago that would just have been an "impossible" but progress is being made

OK, progress. A few months ago I couldn't take my right arm out of the sleeve of my jacket, I had to take out left then reach across with my left arm to do it... A few weeks ago I eventually could pake out my right arm/sleeve if I had already taken my left out, yesterday, for the first time in fscking years, I can take my right arm out first. And I could still do it s'morning, it wasn't good luck, it was a skill that I have relearned

It might seem like a small thing but a combination of all the small things that are becoming possible makes my life so much better/easier

Big Bruv

And today, later on, my brother and his (beautiful) wife are coming over from Belfast to visit me for today and my birthday (tomorrow) then they are flying out so early on Monday morning that they won't see me after Sunday night

And I have just spoken to Nora, they are just in Carmarthen. So I will give them time to unpack in the hotel etc, have my bath & nap then see them in an hour or so

Then we did meet them later, picked 'em up and tonight we tried somewhere new, the Railway Inn in Nant Garedig and wow wasn't it delicious. We will be back

Yum?

Let's hope tonight's regular Friday dinner is as nice as it has been recently

And it was. Yum yum yum

NO Neil

And today's practice is "No Neil, you can't be untoward to Sam" as I am going to her gym class today for my one trip a week

And 'tis done now. Again I am astonished every week at how much fitter etc I am becoming, I must have been a fat sitting still all day kind of guy in the past

Testing

And just out of force of habit I tried a broadband speed test tonight and it isn't bad, not too slow downloading

Labels

And I went out by myself after dinner, walked to the greenhouse, watered it and stuck the labels that I made yesterday for the pots on. The tomatoes aren't coming up yet but everything else is growing along nicely

A Busy Day part 27

Well, so we headed into ToppsTiles and looked around. After 5 minutes the tiler chap arrived and we conversed etc for 10 mins. Then I bought 2 tiles to bring back here and compare colour against my kitchen.

So Timmy and he conversed, he got us a quote in writing, Timmy emailed Anthony's assistant and asked for the cash, soon hopefully it will be paid into my account, then we go and buy the tiles and bring them back. Then eventually the Tiler Chap will come and do them. So hopefully the whole kitchen/dining area will be tiled with do not slip on these tiles

Busy

So s'morning I asked GGTGG to put my FES on b4 Timmy arrived as as soon as they had finished talking we shot off to the gym where I did 10 mins on one machine, quarter of an hour on the next then 5 minutes on my least favourite. But I did it.

Then we nipped to Morrison's where I did the rest of my shopping.

Then we came back here, had late lunch then got in the bath and bed

Later on we are nipping out to meet the tiler chap who is doing the kitchen floor and chose some tiles etc 

Armpits

Well my armpits have chosen today to make themselves a lot better. I *may* be swimming again by next week.....

More Gym

And because I am banned from swimming ATM ("Oh woe" he screamed, weeping bitter tears) I went to gym today and got stuck into cycling

Mention For My Daughter In Political Bumph

Lordy, OK, it's not at the top of page 1 but Freya does get mentioned

Salad Pack

And I am still happy about eating the salad pack I got off the new Organic Supplier 5 days ago, it seems much fresher than the stuff for sale in the SuperDooperMarket

Gymming

So me and Alex headed to the gym s'morning and as I will be there more this week we got stuck into arm and upper body lifting/exercises. And again just guid lairdy, I am still weak by most people's standards but so much stronger than.... last week. Progress=being made

No Swimming

So today we had a conference (Me & Timmy) and decided that I shouldn't go swimming until my armpit rash is a bit better. So we went to gym today, I did 10 minutes on a rowing machine, 10 mins on a treadmill, on an upward incline, then 5 minutes on a new, to me, machine a Cross Trainer which is kind of like a walking machine but each foot goes backwards and forwards in a kind of sideways motion. I finished my time etc but wasn't happy, it felt as if my leg was trying to turn my foot sideways without the leg, IFSWIM

On Foot

And I stood up in the kitchen for an hour and a half to two hours when I was cooking tonight

Old Style Exploring

So we went out s'morning and drove past the first house we lived in in Wales just 'cos I am a bit sentimental.

But I am getting better at saying "Turn up this obscure track" to find them than I was last year.

Afterwards we pooped to Gelli Aur park, where I did my post A level education but it is still half closed up.

Apparently that is to redo it so wait and see...

Better?

And when he was putting the cream on my armpits tonight it felt as if it is recovering big style. Not hurting etc

Nipped Out

Then s'afternoon we (me and GGtGG) nipped out to get some bits from B&Q* to enable him to fix the trug cover. It broke yesterday, Alex thought we were gonna have to buy a new one but today.......

* and to get some cheese nibbles from Morrisons which I forgot this week, despite them being on my shopping list

Wonky Camera

And I had to take any number of photo's of the walls etc to see that the camera wasn't making a hazy bit, like it had been doing earlier but I think these were caused by strange light rather than "summat wrong" with my camera

Walkies

So today I am practicing walking in't house without holding on, just walking a bit. Lordy but it is getting easier and easier all the time

But if it is still getting easier and easier it must have been so difficult at the start of the process

Gardening

Then l8r s'afternoon me and Alex popped out to check on our veg in the greenhouse. Just WOW etc, it has started

But when we were out we noticed that the cover of the trug had been blown off and it died rather. So GGtGG can get stuck into making summat tomorrow or we have to find one to buy

Thrown

It has thrown me this going to the docs before gym thingy. It doesn't "feel" like a Friday. Although I couldn't tell u what the difference is.....

Docs/Gym

Right, he looked at my 'pits, asked me a few questions and didn't seem worried, he just gave me a different cream to apply daily

Then, after picking up my 'script we headed to gym, where I got in there about 7 minutes after the class had started. Lots of people cheered and said "He has made it". It went well anyway, a hectic morning

But I can't help noticing. EG in the standy up and  balance exercise I was able to balance for a bit on my right foot. Summat I couldn't do for about 15 years. Yes, it pisses me off big style all this exercise malarkey but it is doing me so much good, in subtle ways, but by fark am I getting better

To The Docs

And me and Alex have to head over to the Doctors to see about my rashy armpits which looked as if they were healing then came up all red spotty yesterday

My appt is half an hour before gym class, wonder how long I can string it out?