Off Topic

So Sarah Jones, the OT, came to see me today. We talked about loadsa stuff and she is gonna bring ingredients next week so I can practice walking in the kitchen. Then I am gonna see her again the following week when she is gonna take me to the Carmarthenshire Volunteering Centre and we will have a look there

My Door Wouldn't Lock

So as yesterday I wasn't able to lock my front door from the inside or the outside. So panic panic panic. So Timmy just generally hit it with a hammer and ever since the lock has worked

No news

There is nowt happening in the world today. All news men and women have become focussed on this, so there is nowt else important

Jim Jiminy...

...Jeroo (noisy link) So s'morning we are off to gym. Hoo-flipping-ray

And s'morning it went well, I took my wheelchair into the room because I am nervous if I can't see it, took my walky stick out and did not sit in my wheelchair until the class was finished

More Reasons To Shop At....

Then after lunch today we nipped to Morrison's and did the rest of the weeks shopping. (noisy link)

There was a bit of hassle with cheese flavoured baps for lunch time snacks but in the end we bought some, hopefully they will last longer than the 2 days date as there were 4 in a packet

Take Her Home

So then s'morning after she had a lie in for a couple of hours and then a play on my PC we took that Freya home again, to her Mum and StepDad's

Today

So we have had a quiet day today but Freya is coming to stay over later

And while dinner was cooking we watched Dr Who which was rather excellent

And when it was cooked, it was rather nice. Baked spuds, beans and falafel we had

And we had this novel dinner because all the "spuds pre cooked" come in portions of 2 and there were 3 of us tonight and I am trying not to make do with oven chips

Local

And we went out to my local pub last night.....

Aardvarkin

And as "someone" had fitted my Bioness I wore it to Aardvark. Perhaps that's why I spent so much this week...

QUIET morning

We have done f. all s'morning, still no Bioness so no change of chair. Paul has done some gardening with me watching and being in charge

And all afternoon I have been sat outside commenting on etc and watching SmallPaul gardening. On one level he hasn't done much but on another level he has made such a difference, it looks well better out the front

Posh

Well today I am sitting in a proper chair. My wheelchair feels abandoned across the room

And I can manage, stood up and walked to the loo, no prob etc etc

Happy chappie....

And I have been wheelchairing again since I bathed today but just WOW, I can manage the proper seat some and it will get more every day

Quiet

A quiet day today but I won't be using my stick holder as I am going to gym and will be exhausted afterwards. Tomorrow....

And I am trying out gym with no splint on today....

And just WOW. We took the splint in case I needed it, Ed was watching me the whole time and we didn't need it. I think we will do that "splint in pocket" thing again but it was well good without it

My right foot stayed almost completely straight, Bioness is working wonders

Stick Holder

This morning me and Timmy were discussing how my proper chair was harder to use because there was no way of holding my stick, so after much discussion we nipped into LTC Mobility and picked up a strange clip that lets me put my 'stick on the back of my PC chair out of the way

And just WOW, after lunch I sat on my PC chair and was still there at bathtime

Walk Into Shop

And as the shops are open again we need to go and buy some "non mayonaisey" salad and some focaccia with cheese, for my lunch and some potatoes to cook at dinner time

And I went into shop, looked for cheesy bread thingies (they had none of the same today), found summat else eventually, wallked to the other end of the shop, bought more, remembered that I had forgotten summat in the first aisle and walked the whole length of the shop again before paying and walking back to the car

With no splint on my right foot

No Shopping Today

As the shops are shut all day as it's some dead god chaps re-erection or summat

MORE Walkies

And because Morrisons will be shut tomorrow I went to get most of the rest of my shopping today, WITHOUT my wheelchair. I actually did much more walking than on our trip yesterday, and I will have to come back on Monday to buy some more "proper" salad, not this mayonaisey gunk I have been eating for months.

AND more to the point with no splint on my right foot, as my Bioness is working on my right leg

Walkies

And because we needed more salad(1) this morning we nipped to Morrison's. Got there, in thru the front door in my wheelchair, stood up and walked to all ends of the shop, walked back to the till and finally sat in my wheelchair then. The whole shopping trip done on my own two feet

(1) Proper green salad now, not the mayonaisey fattening stuff I have been eating for some months. So for lunch now I have a little green salad and 1 piece of toast, hopefully I will loose weight 

Out To Play

And tonight we are going to a monthly folk club at Iechyd Da (noisy link) with Freya who we are picking up after Spanish Extra Lessons at school later

AND Toby who is over here for half a week met up with us too, he seemsd happy and well. He is staying with his Mum for a few days which is good too

Sara

Then Sara the Physio came round this morning. I phoned her because she was late and she said "Sorry, at SPAR shop, buying chocolate" so....

She did loadsa stretching as my right arm isn't moving as well as it was last week, probable because of my cough. Also she phoned Daceys and tried to get some more electrical attachments posted out to me because I haven't got enough to last 'til I am back there. There was a discussion because if she does phone them they might realise that I have had the Bioness for a number of weeks for free

Cough Almost Gone

And by today my cough has nearly entirely gone. Every now and again I kind of clear my throat/half cough and loadsa phlegm comes up and out of the way

Blues

And we are going out tonight to a once in a while Blues night at The Tangled Parrot in Carmarthen

And it was good, Clive was there from the start, playing tunes and Naomi was there later which was nice

Right, we drove to there, parked in the car park at the end of King Street and I stood up and walked to The Parrot, not wheelchairing again until we were inside

On't way back

Then on't way back from gym we nipped to town and bought some tips for my big walky stick

Gym

So we nipped to gym again. It was OK, I did some work etc. I had to say to Sam, my instructor, that I accept that it is doing me some good, so I should be a bit more cheerful, but I really don't like it - but as it's doing me some good I will have to keep going

Coughing

And as my cough sounded worse yesterday while we were in't supermarket trying to buy more ink for "their" printer we got some Tesco's Antiseptic Blackcurrant Flavour Lozenges, some cheapskate Strepsil impersonators and they seem to have helped my cough already 

And my cough seems almost better by tonight so hopefully.....

Tell You Again

I wanna tell u about this event yesterday as it was such an important event

Errands

And we all went out to show Nick around where I need to go in Carmarthen tonight, then when we came back to eat later, it took the best part of an hour to cook, so together we had a very late dinner

Newby

So this morning the MOS from West Country who is going to be covering some shifts here came and met me.

He seems OK for now, I will let you know later

Well Dun

So the highlight of the day (apart from meeting Nick, my extra MOS) was going to the Docs to see the dietitian. After some discussion I stood up, walked to my car on my own two feet, Denyse drove off to the docs, leaving my wheelchair here. We parked, I got out again, walked across the car park to my docs, went in, sat on a proper chair, saw the dietitian, stood up walked beck to my car, then from car to home

Animator

So today I was trying again to get my head round the gif animator that Freya was using here t'other night, and today I actually succeeded. OK, it's not very impressive but I have learned from that and the next time I will be able to make a better one.

If I ever try again.....

Jim, Jim, Jeroo

So I went to the gym again. Today I did 10 minutes on the bike so obviously increasing my cardio vascular...

Change Da Bed

And as I was randomly thinking about stuff I changed the bed today, not tomorrow like it said on my diary

More Reasons To Shop At...

So after we took Freya home I nipped to Morrisons (noisy link) and did my weeks shopping. I had loads today, 2 kinds of ketchup eg

Freya-ing

And we are picking Freya up later and she is staying here tonight!!!

And she came back here then, we had veggie sausages, potato croquettes, garlic and... stuffed mushrooms for dinner with an ice cream on a stick for pudding

Aardvarking

What fun I had today. The only event of note was nipping to Aardvark to buy loadsa food. Not as much as last week as I need to eat my wat into the freezer a bit

OK after Aardvarking I nipped to Morrison's too to get a little summat

Daceys

So we nipped to Daceys, east of Cardiff, today. They were good, looked at my splint and gave me (well sold me) a different one and looked at my Bioness machine and altered it loads

(sent from my phone)

Slagging

So we r going off in a bit to the 'splint makers' to say "Yes, please" for my Bioness machine and ask him for a different splint as the one he gave me last time is cutting into my leg

'Puter Crisis

Gosh. So s'morning I hadn't changed owt but my PC was saying "enter password" for email. Oh dear, I have a record of most passwords but not that one. I guessed, guessed again differently etc until it said "Sod off, too many guesses".

Luckily Timmy came in here with his laptop, logged into my account and was able to change the password without guessing, then he told me

So I now have a note of my email password too

Jimming Again

So I have nothing written in my timetable for today apart from Gym. Hoo-flipping-ray. So we well go off there in a few minutes

And oh what fun we had. I took my walking stick today as I seem better using it but it meant that I didn't sit in my wheelchair for an hour

Blown bulb

So as I was going to bed I was in the bathroom the light lit up on the toothbrush that said "Battery" so I walked back into the living room to change it. I switched the light switch on, there was a bang, a sound of breaking glass and the light didn't come on

Pubbing. On my own two feet

And I managed to walk all the way from my house to the pub that's a quarter of a mile up hill.

I walked with walking stick, it seems to improve so much

Shopping. On my own two feet

Then afterwards we nipped shopping, I stood up, got in my wheelchair until I was in the shop, walked all the way to the back of the shop, all the way forwards, paid, walked back to the car, walked from the car into the house. All on my own two feet

And I notice, in all the photo's of shopping my right hand/arm is properly straight

When I'm Cleaning Windows....

Well not me but my MOS produced a bottle of Industrial Strength window cleaner from somewhere and what can I say, all the streaks on my windows which I thought were scratches seem to have gone now, just WOW.

OK he had to do the cleaning but still...

What an afternoon

Good lord

Shhh

Hooray

Changed my bed, next we are off to Jim.... :)

Which went well. The new class seem to be accepting me as a "mouthy chap" and all goes well. I am able to show off walking in my Bioness

More Reasons To Shop At....

Then after lunch, when I finished my salad we are going off to get some more and a few other things.

But no blueberries this week

A few other things including some more "mini choc ice on a sticks" and some toffee ice cream cones

Rugger

And we went to the pub about half past two and didn't leave until half way thru the third match some hours later. Firstly Ireland got beat which upset me a bit but then in the next match Wales played England and trounced them by nearly 20 points, an effective victory.

Ed had some of the freeby sausage and mash so I only had to pay for one dinner

He's back

And Ed is back today(1) so I am having to get used to looking up to his eyes, unlike the rest of 'my team'

(1) From the first part of his nurses training

Aardvarking

Then we nipped to Aardvark early and spent far too much on org. tofu and org. apple juice and so on. I went into the shop sitting in my 'chair to give me a chance to browse the shelves slowly and I got everything on my list and some more

Physioing

So this morning the Sara the Physio came to see me, and as we couldn't go out to walk in the rain just did loadsaa checks on my Bioness tool and my splint, and agreed to put next Thursdays patients on hold and come to Daceys with me

Freya

Then later we went to pick up Freya from school. She worked hard on her O-levels the whole time she was here apart from when we were eating dinner

For dinner tonight we had some of the pasta in spicy and tomatoey sauce that I had made t'other week for my parents dinner but it turns out that Mum was allergic to one or two of the ingredients. We weren't sure if it would freeze well, with the pasta in it etc but it was actually rather delicious, according to Freya, Paul and me

Wales Fan

And eventually we found a Wales supporter hat in town even tho I am pulling a face in this photo

Nowt On All Day

So me and Paul nipped into Morrisons where I bought more salad and 2 more packets of pre prepared potatoes.

Bingo

And so we nipped to the school fundraising bingo tonight, which was as much fun as usual.

Tonight, for the first time since my accident I experimented with playing 2 bingo cards at once. It was possible but I still didn't win

BUT tonight after the bingo he called out the raffle results, the very last one called was a bottle of cider that I won.

Jimming

So we are off to gym in a bit with the Bioness functioning on my right leg

And just further WOWness. Today I was able to walk about the gym without my walking stick, just my Bionesses foot. And just good lord. My right foot step isn't quite as long as the left but it's not far off. This Bioness makes such a difference. So next week I might try on a bike with Bioness

Walkies - first time in 10 years

And today I set off with Dicky to do walkies. We set off up the street with my walky stick and my Bioness clicking away, up the street, paused sat in stationary wheelchair got up and started progressing again.

Made it TO THE PUB. It is the first time in 10 years I have been able to walk to my local

(sent from my phone)

Nowt On Today

So I have nowt on my diary for today but I will nip out for another walk up the street later

Just WOW what a difference

So s'morning Paul showed up in his van, not who I was expecting but at least someone showed up. Shortly after we had done the showing him how to fit my new splint and my new Bioness device we set off.

So I was a bit nervous but we tried wearing my Bioness to gym.

What can I say but "WOW" it makes a big difference, a number of people commented on how my walking has changed, looks better etc

Lived & Learned

And tonight I ate (link to yesterdays) burger and backed small new potatoes and tonight I picked up the burgers with the big flat lifter and the spuds with the big spoon device and tonight it worked

Windy Miller

So I was in the bathroom running my bath. I thought I needed a pooh but couldn't make anything come out, squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. So I moved over towards the bath when suddenly an ENORMOUS fart escaped and I didn't need a pooh any more

(sent from my phone)

Walkies

And we went out today with my new electrical device on my leg and someone pushing my wheelchair behind and walked up the street for 15 minutes and back down. I only had 2 rests, stationary, in my 'chair.

I didn't quite make it to the pub as I was thinking "I am allowed even on a non drinking day as it is SO impressive"

And it is all uphill that I covered today. And back down obviously...

(sent from my phone)

More Reason's To Shop At...

So we went off to Morrisons and did my weeks shopping today

Live & Learn

So tonight I was cooking scrambled eggs, beans and oven chips. When they were dun I was trying to lift up the egg bowl and fork stuff out. This didn't work, it was too hot to pick up, so I shouted "Help". Then I was trying to pick up the chips with a large spoon like tool, even bigger than a wooden spoon. This didn't work either. I saw my MOS picking up the eggs a spoonful at a time which worked but took a while. I should have lifted the eggs with that spoon device I used for the chips initially

What day/date?

And my new watch arrived s'morning. It was much cheaper to buy it from Amazon rather than a local shop, and I now can tell the date, time and what day it is from glancing at my wrist again.

I used to be able to do this but the strap on my old watch broke

Intimidated

And it felt a bit strange having Timmy tell Dicky about my new splint and my new, really expensive, piece of kit, my Bioness, which electrically impulses my leg. Because on Monday morning Dicky has to tell someone else about it and it is so important, it seems to work.

Walking with it on feels so different, so much better....

And Oh Dear, when we took it off for my bath my leg was well crushed, so we need to put it on much more loosely tomorrow

Shopping

So we nipped into town s'morning with a long shopping list. First of all into Morrison's to get some salad, then into the mobile phone shop to have him look at why it is wonky, which he succeeded, then into Aardvark for loadsa shopping. It seems busy enuf that I don't need to wait til just before closing time, for a delivery, like I used to at Waverley

Ybot

And Toby txted me today and said "I think I have got a job"

Ask It

So Timmy just came and showed me the new app he has on his tablet.

You literally ask it a question, vocally, and it answers vocally

Brief

And Freya came round for a very brief visit, we have arranged a different day's visit next week

And that Freya was telling my about her half way completed O levels. So far she is getting 3 A* with potentially more to come

Blinkin Flip

So today I had to go to Daceys in Cardiff for my "trying again" to see if my right leg was well enuf to need a Bioness Machine. And it was and he gave me a number of thousand pounds worth of machine to try it out. We are back in a fortnight to see if it's ok.

While we were there I walked up and down the room with no splint on to see how it worked. Immediately I was stepping further forward with my right leg, summat I haven't managed in 10 years.

So it is now switched to "train" mode so it feels a bit odd doing stuff to my leg while I am sitting down but it is a start.

So what can I say, just VVVVVVVBG

Blinkin' Flip

Gosh, so we played an excellent song tonight.

Then we played another 80's excellent song

SaraH OT

So Sarah came down and helped me cook a "simple" (as in far too complex) dish which I will eat with Freya and Timmy tomorrow. It's just called Veg Casserole with Herby Dumplins bit it looks OK

And afterwards she explained again what I am supposed to do with my new Weakly Timetable (as I have renamed them)

Hoo flipping ray

Off to Jim in a bit.....

And it seemed knackering but good

Drink in peace

So after the team meeting Denyse told me that they had decided that I would probably be OK to drink on my own as long as I wasn't snacking too and as long as the door was open so they could hear me if I was aspirating(1)

(1) Choking

Team Meeting

And ATM all my staff and Denyse are in't kitchen talking about looking after me

Dinner

And with tonight's dinner we had potatoes which you set in an oven dish then bake. So when I took them out of the oven I set it on a wet t towel (as recommended by a shop assistant last week) and it didn't slide about, sat still while I got stuck into the bits of spud with a lifter

Small Hand Towels

And while I was at gym today "someone" delivered my 2 new small towels to fit on my hangars. I expected them to txt me but they just stuck them in the outside of the letter box. I assume they forged my sig but it was good of them and I think it is posh enuf here to be able to do that

Jim

And then s'morning me and Timmy went to gym, I did loads, I couldn't even speak for a few minutes afterwards as I was so knackered.

Walking everywhere in't gym, and remembering to bend my right knee when it's about to go down etc, so it doesn't hurt as much

Sheets

And before gym today we nipped to the drapers, then had to go to the second one in Carmarthen which did sell fitted sheets that are long enough to go over my matress, normal ones are 5-6 inches long whereas my matress is 8 inches thick

So sheets are a bit pricey but it fits

Shaved

Well s'morning b4 I had my breakfast I had a shave.

And for the first time in ages I didn't cut myself, not even one little bit

Chipless

For tonights dinner we had Tofu burgers which were strange but quite nice and tomato and chilli new potatoes.

Which were surprising and really nice

And I continued on my "easy cook potato dishes".....

Peace Perfect Peace

Again I had a lie in, didn't get up to about 9.30. So I was sitting having breakfast with Paul and my brother, thinking "Finish breakfast then text my Dad and say 'Come here'" when their car pulled up outside and they came in.

They have been and gone, now peace again probably 'til the end of April when they will have to come back for another meeting

Dinner Out

So because mum was allergic to summat I cooked "they" had to take me out to dinner again.

I had Cheese&BroccoliBake with chips and it was very nice

And I had to ask my neighbour what his sweatchirt meant

Shopping

Then today we went and did our Aardvark shopping a day late and my mum had to pay loads because I got loads.

Then we went to Wilkinsons and did some more

Eatin' Out

So tonight I presented my parents with the big dish of pastas and veg and cheese bake that me and Paul made s'morning, and my mother said "Oh, I can't eat cheese" so..... eating out

Aargh

So about 4 o'clock my parents and brother arrived here. Ever since then I haven't been on my PC but they have gone to bed now. About an hour ago we took my brother back to his hotel

Iechyd Da

And we are off in a bit to pick up Freya and then we are going to Iechyd Da for their monthly folk night

And it was as excellent as it was last month

And I sat in a different seat than usual because when I walked in Ruth and her tribe were sat downstairs so I joined them. Which I couldn't have managed a few months ago but last night I only pissed after we had left Iechyd Da

They're Here

So today my parents and big brother are in Bristol having a meeting with my barrister and hopefully saying "He deserves loads" etc then tomorrow they are driving a hired car to here where various combinations of them will stay here Friday and Saturday night

And I just spoke to them, they were being really positive about the barrister so hopefully.....

Proper Healthy Eating

So tonight I made our dinner with one of the products I have been a bit paranoid about but from the fridge, prepared mashed spuds was on our plates. For the first 3 mouthfuls I thought "Not as nice as chips" but by mouthful 4 I realised how lovely it was, and how healthy etc etc

Sigh

So it's off to gym in a bit......

And we need to buy some "stuff" for when my folks are here, eg coffee etc, so we will be in't superdoopermarket again

Double sigh, I have had enough of going to gym but I am still getting better so I'd better be quiet

After gym we first of all headed to Aardvark to stock up on coffee and milk before nipping to super-dooper-market but we bought everything we were looking for there, including floor cleaner and antibiotic hand wash. The only thing they didn't have was white loaf with long enuf date on it but we found one of those on the market stall outside so we didn't need to go to a supermarket at all

Shopping

Then we went to the usual supermarket today in search of some carbohydrate that was a) less fattening than oven chips and b) as easy to cook. and in the end we found loads in the fridge section.

Jones Bach

So Sarah Jones the OT came to see me s'morning and we talked about loadsa stuff, 'Neil needs to get a life' etc, how and why

Pudding Tonight

And after my scrambled eggs and beans and chips dinner I had a pudding. I went to the freezer, opened the new packet of cornettos and had one.

Gosh but it was very delicious. I am very tempted to have another pudd....... supper but as I am on a diet I'd better not

Jeroo

And we are off to gym in a bit...

And off we went.

This time I changed my boots in the car park and went in on my wheelchair and didn't sit in it again until the session was over and I had been all over the gym, on my own two feet

WTF?

And today as I was exploring the interweb I realised that driverless trucks exist and are safe and.........

I can now, some

And today I proved that I can cut bread rolls with my right hand. OK, it's a relatively simple task but the fact that I can do anything with my right hand is an improvement

More Reasons To Shop At...

.... Morrisons (noisy - video) today. We will go and do my weekly shop there today

Which we did, bought the usual amount and a pressie and 8 ice cream cones. Dieting isn't.....

Early to bed.....

As I was tired today after not napping in the day I went to bed about a quarter to 11, about an hour and a half earlier than usual

Opening A Bottle

I tried to open the litre and a half of organic apple juice and as usual I couldn't. So as usual I looked for my MOS to ask for help but he had nipped out to the loo. I tried again, no avail, then I tried gripping the lid between my teeth. It opened easily and I was still able to close it afterwards.

Hoo-flipping-ray

Sport

And we are going to the Pub up the street s'afternoon to watch the Wales v Italy rugby match

So we nipped to the pub at the end of the street to watch the rugby. Wales won and then we talked about whether I needed a nap etc and stayed to watch England flipping win too, but only just in their case

While I was there I got a freebie

3D cinema

After I posted a link on my website re: a film that I wanna see, Timmy was researching times of showing etc and it is only showing in 3D. Arse, wait 'til a DVD is available