Clubby

And we went to a folky club tonight which was OK but as we spent most of the night trying to download a version of Google Chrome to go on my mobile....

Ikea

So s'morning me and Timmy went miles to Cardiff, where we went to Ikea for some shopping. Good lord, it was full of good stuff but my head was exploding as I am planning the first move out of a f##king institution in (shout)9 years(/s)

Shepherdless

And then this afternoon that Toby came round and as a lesson he had to cook for ages, using loadsa saucepans making summat way to elaborate for someone living alone but he did learn loadsa stuff making a Shepherdless Pie

NPT and Becky

And if the chap from (no, not Neil's Penis Training on his T-shirt) Neath Port Talbot and Becky are being new converts to Neil's Blog well hiya

Panic

"Someone" contacted me s'morning "Your order from Amazon is out for delivery today and is estimated to be delivered between 11:32-12:32. Can you please ensure that someone will be available to sign for the parcel at" and I had to go to the Gym s'lunchtime and when I was coming back I remembered that I had forgotten to stick up my "Deliver it to the office" sticker but when I opened my door afterwards what was sitting on't floor? My delivery....

At new residence

And we went past my new residence on't way home and found out that my mobile phone does work outside

Smallifying

So Small Paul came, had a huge crisis with the laptop and then took me to gym. Which was as exciting as usual. Then he worked out the laptop crisis

Boat Club

So tonight we went to Loughor Boat Club which we used to go to once a month but haven't been to for ages. It was good except when it got busy later there were too many folk sitting between me and the loo to wheelchair it, I had to stand up and walk past 3 tables and out the door

Deposit Paid

This afternoon Denyse txted me to say that "they" have paid the deposit on my new house today. So I am f***ing moving, it's official. In a month or 6 weeks I will live in 53 Dol-Y-Dderwen, Llangain, SA33 5BE

VVVVVVVVBG

Food (glorius food)

Then we went shopping where I needed a fair amount. Instead of buying a bag of salad Timmy suggested that we go to the counter where you can fill your own. Which looks nice but how long will it last?

And it occurs to me, one day last week "someone" criticised me saying I had just had salad for lunch and I needed some protein too. But today in the selection of salad I had some cous cous stuff and some mixed seeds and nuts

(More) Timmy-ing

So s'morning when Tim came we were about to go out the door when a member of staff from here came and saw me. Basically we both said "Missing you already" because she was pleased that I am so much better but....

Light

It is so late and it is still light, roll on summer time

Toast

And I had toast for lunch again today, I tried buttering it again today and succeeded so well enuf that I just had toast and butter for lunch

Cutting

And Timmy is cutting the grass now. We had to charge the strimmer to finish the front and it is now recharging to finish the back. He has done most of it with a lawnmower but needs to strim the edges

Stress

Gosh, a stressful few minutes, trying to update my webpage but it wouldn't modernise, in the end I tried loading a page called "1N.T~H..." and that worked whereas the original "N.T~H..." still wouldn't update

A couple of hours later it just did it, gosh nose, perhaps the Internet is less busy now...

Toast

And I had toast today for lunch. Last time I had toast I had had such trouble with butter last time that I just put jam on it but this time, today, I managed to spread butter like properly and then added jam. So obviously my "doin' stuff with my hands" is improving

1st Timmying

And hooray today Timmy is here being bored doing f. all, for the first of his 3 day adventure

He's gone now. "See you tomorrow" we both said as he was leaving

Double Lordy

Gosh, my new house was built less than 10 years ago so it was after the law changed so that eg the doors are wide enuf for my arse wheelchair etc

Lord

What a day, photos etc to go here will have to wait for tomorrow. Basically I signed up for a flat which Anthony is gonne pay for on Monday so it looks like I can move into the real world in a couple of months

To The Real World

And my head is on strike today. As tomorrow, if all goes well, we may take the first step of me moving out of an establishment to me actually living in the real world.

The real world!!!!

Gym-ming

And so we went back to't gym s'afternoon. But I wasn't in the mood for it today as my head is full of tomorrow, looking for somewhere in the real world to live, but I did as well as I could

Ed-ding

Then Ed came in s'morning. He has done my feet, said "Plan 4 today?" and accepted my answer and it sitting typing on the laptop now

Newbie

And I was just about to go to bed last night when a thought struck me. So after a few minuted on Google I got a new, free, plugin for Winamp which doesn't affect it normally but then I can, at bed time, set it to play as much music as usual then click on "File/Shutdown PC when playlist finishes". So last night I put on some tunes, clicked "Shutdown after..." and went to bed. While I was falling asleep I could hear tunes then when I woke up s'morning I had to switch my PC on once more

Folking

And then tonight we went out to the miles away folk club, which was as good as a very good thing

And after drinking loadsa water every day for ages my bladder is still getting better enough that I could still have a piss here b4 we left then not need another one until we were leaving Folky Club

OT

So Sarah the OT came to see me today. We talked loads about me moving out and she said "Ikea" have loads of sample rooms so we will go to Cardiff and look at that next week

Timmying

So Tim was here s'morning. With a newspaper. And in that newspaper he saw today a very close to "here" rented house to let. So while he was here he phoned them and then phoned someone else to confirm us going on Friday to look. So now, on Friday, we well go look at three separate houses to rent

And Denyse has said "Don't panic, I will tell them you are leaving if you are" etc

Tob

Then later that Toby came back and "we" together nagged him into making a vegetable bake for our dinner which was reasonably nice when he finished. Dunno how worth while it was teaching him as it is too much preparation for me living alone but he did learn how to make a white sauce (or cheese sauce) so it wasn't too bad.

And we have a plan for cooking next week too, now

DoubleAnd he took a brief juggling lesson from Paul, I didn't know either of them could juggle

Napping

And as apparently I fell asleep in't car on the way home last night I will accept that I need a 30 minute nap every day.

For now.....

Pauling

So with Paul first of all we went to the gym where a number of people told me how much I have improved in the few months I have been going.

And my foot in splint felt a bit odd, to me it felt like it was turning over wrongly but on inspection it seemed to be sitting properly, the right way round.

Then we had a sandwich in the cafe there and Becky from the gym came up and asked permission to video me next week to be an example in a text book.

Then we went and drove around looking at houses I will be looking inside on Friday

Then we picked up that Toby and brought him here for a shower then we will take him back when he is finished then he will go and sign on then come back and cook dinner for me

... In Spain...

And we are going out to the Folky Club in half an hour and you should hear the rain

And we came home from the FC and it wasn't raining...

Napping

And before I went for my nap s'afternoon I decided to try it with my alarm set to go off in 20 minutes not half an hour as usual because it seems...... dunno, I think I am ready to get up sooner

AND Tesco's

So s'morning we nipped out to (More Reasons To Shop At) Morrison's to get our biggish list of food, including mouthwash and toothpaste, but all their blueberries were best b4 tomorrow, so we had to nip to Tesco's afterwards and get 2 packs of much longer dated ones

Third Day

And Ed is coming in in a bit for his third day of work.

But we are off to a Folk Club tonight so I shouldn't be too grumpy...

Patience

And tonight I was sitting in my room no email so I was bored, so I actually watched the snooker for 3 frames. Hours it was and it was actually quite interesting

Mobile Security

And I had a pop up on my phone saying Pay for Mobile Apps now as it is running out of time. As I didn't install F-Security, it installed itself a couple of weeks ago, I thought nah, uninstall it. For a number of hours both me and Ed have been trying in the end he gave up and then I managed on my last try for today

Less Than Half My Life

And it seems so important now, but it was invented less than half my life ago

Ed-Ding

And hoo-flipping-ray Ed has come in for the second of his 3 days to work. He has washed my feet and commented on how Germolene seems to be making my leg look better so.....

Audio Book

And yesterday I got half way through the first step of buying an MP3 Audiobook to listen to on my Walkman but I thought "I have got so many books already in my Kindle that I wouldn't have time to listen to it"

Reset

And just then my PC wouldn't connect to the Interweb. All 4 lights on my hub were still lit but I pressed the reset button on it and as if by magic the web came back

Ding

And Ed came in s'morning for the first of his 3 days in a row working here/with me

Wiv Freya

So tonight I was feeling a bit grumpy so I said "Freya, wanna come out to eat?" and she agreed. After we had been out for food and then a drink in a pub then we dropped her off.

And came home and in my Inbox was an email from Denyse saying "Don't go out so much!"

Hectic

And today I am going to fetch Toby from Llanelli at 3 o'clock and dropping him home but Freya txted me s'morning and said "Can I come to your house early today" so we have had to agree not to lock the door which is a bit unsettling but as I am currently here there is no issue. Next month I will have to leave a key under't mat or summat. Hopefully

And then Toby txted me to say "No, not today"

TimMY

So s'morning Tim was able to fix my original diary so I was able to go back to it and happy chappy is the mood now

Extra

And WOW. Tonight we went to an extra at Caffi Iechyd Da and it was excellent, a variety of singer songwriters taking turn to sing

Democracy

Then we went to sumwhere else and voted. Dunno what I thought but I did it

Sigh

Then after lunch we had to go to the Gym where mainly they were testing me. And good lord, compared with when I started I can stand up, walk etc nearly twice as well as I could last year

Oh What A Flippin' Morning

So Ed came in today as I was nearly crying as Google Calendar was f**ked again. I restarted my PC and did the steps that I had to take yesterday and it was still f**ked. After much fiddling etc I loaded another version, an alternative and it has worked so far

Racism

When I was at school my best friend was black and another good friend was Asian. Now it feels a bit odd to see a black singer tonight at the Folk Club. He is good but...

Folking

And in a few minutes we are nipping out to Llanelli Folk Club

Cleaning Him

Then that Toby phoned and said "Can I come up for a shower?" and as I had nowt on obviously I said "Yes"

Sarahless

So Sarah the OT txted me and said "Can't cwm today, got a migraine"

Timmy

So Timmy came in s'morning and together we looked at loadsa rental properties on the www. In the end we decided 2 to follow up and he is on the phone now...

And he had a strange conversation with them. He had to say that my solicitor is paying it so there will be no issue with not paying etc

Sitting Properly

Then we took Toby out for dinner (yes I know, we owe him a cooking lesson) and when we got to the restaurant we said "One of the back seats" but they said "No, sorry full, 20 minutes?" but we said that we would try sitting at a proper seat. Which worked, it felt strange, it looked strange but I did it, it was the first time I have managed to get in a proper seat in 9 years

Deliverer

And when I was just about to go for my nap s'afternoon I thought I'd better not stick my Do Not Disturb sign on the door as someone was coming here today to deliver summat, they came yesterday but I was out.... So I went thru to the living room to tell Paul that he needed to answer the door while I was in bed. I was half way thru explaining when he said "Look" as the deliverer had pulled up outside and was delivering to me

Lookin' After Gym

Then we went to Gym which I enjoyed as much as ever. We stopped and had lunch there then drove round a bit looking for houses to rent. To no avail

Wiv Paul

So when Paul arrived s'morning I was nearly crying, Google Calendar wasn't working, hadn't been for 3 days now but s'morning I set out to fix it and failed. Paul looked a bit, couldn't mend it, we started the laptop and that worked so it was obviously my PC. So we phoned Clever Timmy and asked him, he said "Clear your cache" and as if by magic that worked. So he is now known as Clever Timmy

City 1

And tonights folk club is quiet because everyone but me is flippin' watching at present Man City beating Man United

AND they won!!!!

City 1 United 0

Toby

And later we took that Toby chap to Kidwelly to watch the football with his mates

Edding

And this morning I had a bit of a row with Ed on't way to the supermarket as I said "I am not walking today, my head is in bits 'cos it's my anniversary" and he said "No, but.... walk" and I had to insist (at greater volume "NO"

I know U

And tonight in't pub I saw a man who has said hello to me loadsa times and tonight I asked him a slightly different "Who are you?" question than usual and from that it became clear that he was Naomi's partner in Brer Rabbit, Clive. Dunno how we have missed it so much but now I know. "Hello Clive"

Bike Racing

And I was able to watch a whole bike race, MotoGP, on't telly today. Last time I tried I felt as if my head was exploding but today I watched a whole race

Late

And with TimMy again s'morning. After I was nearly late yesterday I made sure that I had got dressed and brushed my teeth well in time today. Then TimMY was 15 mins late!!!

Snooker

And I am staying up late to watch the snooker. Gosh but it is a really strange game

Snooker

Then today I switched on t'telly to watch the snooker. Just good lord, if you think about it it is a really strange game. Who invented it and when?

Intro

And I was in bed s'afternoon when it occurred to me that my BLOG needs an introduction, a say hello, to make it legible to a newbie not just fans who have been reading it for ages

HP

And I have been trying to go to bed for an hour and a half but Harry Potter has taken my breath away. I am currently 96% of the way thru book 5 and just wow....

Laziness

So for now I am sat in my wheelychair wheeling about. I am quite capable of eg walking to push my lunch carrier into the kitchen, unloading it then pushing it back. But it is such a struggle, so difficult that most of the time I am wheelying. Do I need to change my habits? How can I? Denyse, any view?

Looking For Somewhere To Live

So me and TimMY are going out looking for property to rent in and around Carmarthen today

And we found some!

Daughter

Then, because my head is in such bits, we decided to take Freya to eat out and we had a lovely meal at The Harvester

Out For Lunch

Then later me and Paul went out to Waverley Stores (where we will be shopping later) for a delicious lunch. I had what was described as Shepherds Pie but I think it should have been called Veg Farmers Pie!!

Physio

And Sara the Physio came and did "stuff" to my right arm/shoulder that flipping hurt but did me good so I shouldn't complain

Iechyd Da

Then we went to Caffi Iechyd Da for their monthly folk night

There didn't seem to be very many folk in tonight but it was good anyway

T-shirt

And a new T-shirt that I bought arrived today

Smileys

So we had to go to great lengths to get a smiley in my blog today and there is more possibility

/please :))

Washing

So I listened to the new messages that I put on my diary

so today when Ed was taking my car in for a service I had a proper shower.

Not my bits and pits but a proper shower

Roof

Then today that beautiful woman Ruth came over and returned my big TV which she can't fit. So it will go in my front room in my new bungalow, not my living room as the small TV that I can see will be there

Service

And I won't be able to go to gym today as the car started flashing a "service now" light on't dash every time the engine is started and the only time available was s'afternoon.

So Ed took it earlier, they phoned and it is back now, new oil, new oil filter etc, and washed!!!

And I didn't have to pay for it either :)

'Elli

And we are going off in a bit to Llanelli Folk Club

And it was as excellent as we have come to expect

Triple Busy

Then I was in cooking dinner when that Toby arrived, said "Can I have a shower" then showered and left

Moishe

Then unexpectedly Moishe came round with Eli, her son, to see me and we talked about moving and decorating afterwards etc

OT

Then Sarah the OT came round and spoke about Mindfulness and NAT's and paying attention and moving etc

Looking For Property

Then me and TimMY went out and about, calling into a letting agent or 3 and then looking at their property

Wow

So I am sitting in a restaurant with Toby because I was s'posed to be cooking for him but my head exploded. Why? Denyse came to see me s'afternoon and said "We have got funds, you are moving". The first person ever to leave that place

Just good lord I don't know what to say, other than Hoo-(f**king)-rah!!

Gosh, just OMG - I am moving

OhMyFlippin'God

So TimMY came round s'afternoon and chatted for a bit then we went online and booked my trip to Manchester for Sam's graduation

Nobody

And then s'morning I woke up at about 7, thought I lay there for about 10 minutes and looked at the clock again and it said 10 past 9!!! So obviously I was asleep without realising it

And s'morning I am looking out my window, waiting in the hall etc for my MOS but they are not coming, they are having a scary meeting about me s'morning and then coming later

Still not here...

Dinner THEN Folky

So then we went and got Freya from her house at 5 o'clock. First of all we nipped to a restaurant it was closed, went somewhere else and sat outside it for 15 minutes as it said "Opening in 10" then eventually we went to a third place and had a delicious veggie dinner each.

After that we drove not far to a Folk Club where Freya won the prize of tonight's CD, and generally we all had a good time

Arrangements

And I had made arrangements to pick Freya up from school at 5.15 today after her revision lesson but she just txted me to say "Did I tell you they are not happening today?" so after a few more txts we decided to pick her up from her house at 5

Ed-ington

So Ed is back here again today although Paul is taking us (me and Freya) out tonight to give him a rest

'Tween Pics

And I was looking for my reference about how to link to a lower picture and couldn't find it. Looked on that Interweb and confused myself even more trying to put the wrong command in.

Eventu-(f**king)-ly I found my example of how to do it and it finally worked

SoS

Wow. What a weekend I have had, at SoS 2112. We went up on Friday and were one of the first to arrive. On Friday I mat a chap who said "Hello Neil, I never met you before your accident but I can't tell you how much better you seem now than 3 years ago when I fifest met you at an Ixion do" so I don't really know what to say to that.

On Saturday Gordon had to bring in a very grubby bike because he had just fallen off, but he was unhurt. I am struggling with how he crashed and got up and picked his bike up and I am so ill

Also on Saturday we came back to the hotel for lunch, she said "Sorry no chef" and we went and had a nice lunch elsewhere. The same night she said that 5 minutes after we left the chef came in and she tried to phone us but there is almost no mobile coverage there

And someone also was wearing a T-shirt that said "Rock'n'roll with MS". I thought what and asked him, he said it was his band and a friend of theirs had a child who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis so it was to raise cash for them

For the whole weekend I was torn between thinking "Compared with my life 10 years ago I am f*cked" and "Compared with my life 9 years ago I am so much better"

And the local brewery supplied beer there

And a local festival was publicised everywhere

And I was so impressed with marvin's t-shirt that I went to the supplier he told me he got it from and bought one for me

Lord

i am being tokd off for having negative thoughts so.....

"Isn't it a nice day, here I am in a beautiful place with a good crowd of folk..."

What a day

First I packed my bags for SOS then Sara the physio came in and really hurt me to make my arm better

Dr Richard

Then came down the chap who was here for a number of hours, recording and videoing me talking. His name was Dr Richard Body, speech & language therapist and he is on my side putting my claim together. He did say some interesting stuff and gave me an example from his tape device of how I need to speak slowly and louder and clearer (which I was capable of doing, unlike some of his patients) in order to make my voice more understandable

So practising now, every time I speak

Ybot

Then we had to take that Toby chap and buy him some food, as they had cut off his dole without telling him so he had to reapply s'morning. Now he is a proper doley, sign on every fortnight and get hassle off the staff etc

Drs

So Paul came round s'morning and he soon took me to the Doctors for a follow up appointment on my swollen left leg. He said it is still slightly swollen but nowt to worry about. He said that I should try resting my leg on a cushion when I am in bed

S'evening

And we went to the first folk club that I have been to this week later and it was excellent

S'afternoon

Then I was put off by Sarah OT not coming today, her kids are off school today, apparently.

I have been lost in Harry Potter world since and Timmy is now cleaning

Wiv Timmy

Then Timmy came in s'morning. A bit later I ruined the world by getting in my car and being driven to (More Reasons To Shop At) Morrison's to buy £2.00 worth of Blueberries

Ybot

Then that Toby came round. As I had felt unsettled this week and didn't have a "learn to cook this" organised for him we just went out and I bought us dinner

Gym-miny

Then s'morning me and Paul went to the gym which was as much fun as always but I am still getting better. Afterwards we stopped and had lunch there.

And for the first time yes, I was walking a long way but Paul had to catch me when I tripped over a chair-leg

Later today we have arranged to take that Toby chap out for his dinner too, so I will only have eaten breakfast here today

(And it's a reference to a Mary Poppins song - this Gym-miny thing)