So I was sat outside reading and GGtGG had a conversation with the next door neighbours. They are travelling to Dorset this weekend because her father is dying.
What a coincidence....
Well I did it. It was OK. The usual teacher was off today so we had novelty exercises which made it a bit more interesting
Then a bit later he said "Turn it over, put the pirate patch against your face" which I tried and thought "Gord, and I have a load a pirate patches, will take a new one when we need to...." and stopped trying to head out(A pic with the outside patch to compare)
My family news was eating my head, that's enough for one day
Just hoo-flipping-ray. We can't get a refund on the booking we booked for June but as we need to go now someone has put funds into petty cash so we have some cash to spend(1) Me and Timmy and GGtGG will go
Right we have already booked flights, someone else needs to book the car (as they are driving) and I will pay them
Golly, it didn't take long. We just had a pizza and a glass of wine and we were coming home in just over an hour. But it was lovely
In the area where I had to lay some floor tiles as I used to have some trouble walking there.....
And we got here, walked in, someone said 'There are loadsa stairs, lift here' but I just went for it, walked up one floor realised we had to go up another and just did itGosh, well the support act were well impressive
And she was even more impressive
What we are talking about I have no idea.....And yes, she came but just to see them, without me, talking about various kinds of Brain Injury....
And yes I was being careful to tread with both feet etc. I just walked like a proper grownup
I was thinking "Right, I am so rough after that 7km that I will stop when it says 8" but I didn't ask (nor on 9km) I just struggled on and did it
THEN we popped into the Lyric Theatre and bought 2 tickets for comedy this month and next month and a ticket for the entertainer who is playing in Ammanford this Friday
It fills me with such joy.......Well I have dun it. It went well. And I did notice that all but one of the 'standing on your right foot' exercises I managed, stand on your right foot and move your left leg thus ...
But possibly before that we are heading to Cantre Mobility in Carmarthen to see if they can sell me another walky stick device as mine is looking a bit tired now.......
<waves>
And I do need to ask her where to buy more groovy coloured walking sticks as mine is starting to wear and the NHS grey ones look a bit too sad for someone in my positionAnd she did say re walking stick that she can't get one for me and this buying online is a nightmare but check out the mobility shop in Carmarthen so I will
Well knackered. She (as well as looking wonderful) got me on the treadmill thingy. I walked for .91 of a km in half an hour (which is still well slow but almost twice as quick as last time she measured me. Then I did some walking sideways and walking backwards, some directions were much harder but I managed all directions without holding on too. Then we did a walking uphill exercise where I was walking at 11% up and I managed 15 minutes of that. For some of it I was walking faster and more uphill. So I think next time I will practice walking downhill too, but that is harder
Well we went there and it held off the rain for the 3 hours until we came home, by the time I had my bath and got into bed it was very noisily raining
A program on my PC tells me how far away the delivery is, it started off about 4 hours and now........ just lordy
(More in focus pic now)
Before I did the washing up I went out to a) my trug to water it and b) the greenhouse to water the beetroot and chilli peppers which are there and c) the washing line to bring back in the stuff that I only put there a couple of hours ago to put it on the airer to dry indoors nowBut it's just no longer an issue walking across the small stones to the greenhouse, it is just easy nowadays. A repeat
The one I am in now is called a "Stroke" class for those of us recovering......
Well I did it. It was as exhausting as a very exhausting thing but I did it all. And at the end I took my walking stick held sideways off the ground in my right hand and walked out of the classroom, across the other room, down stairs, across the hall, out of the door and the 50 steps to the car without using my walking stick. I think I will start using it again now as I am so tired etc but just wow too
The first time I have poured owt with my right hand in nearly 15 years
Then we headed round Morrisons where as usual I bought most of the rest of my weeks food.Then just about at lunchtime we headed gymwards where I did 5 minutes on the walking upstairs machine (11 flights apparently) and got on the rowing machine and did 1500m quicker than last time etc
It had the only cushion because I had to get one a while back but again summat is better
BUT it is really strange walking round to my Trug and the greenhouse. Last autumn I was really struggling with the small stones underfoot whereas today I can just walk on them, no problem. So my balance and footwork have both improved loads and loads in the intervening months
Ho hum, tra la la la.....
And wasn't it fun. Although this week I discovered that I can now stand on my right leg and lift my left to do exercises which I couldn't manage last week
So yes, I am sweaty, smelly and exhausted now but it is done
I am a bit of a fan, I will have to explore further.....
Well we did the first part fine, needed to park in a paying loads space as all the free spaces were full but we did it, in plenty of time etc. Now it's an early lunch then take ourselves off....CRISIS
Then we travelled miles to the Headway Swansea meeting which actually wasn't so mind bogglingly bad. So we played a game with the japanese woman who I have played with before and she is obsessively good at it and there was a new chap who was iller than me and his carer playing
So when I was running my bath I opened the window, turned my back and "Splash". I turned round to see what caused it and the old loo cleaning stuff, that I had just set a new version next to, had blown off the window sill into the loo. No harm done, we needed to throw the box away but the contents are still in the container
But I can't do it outside as walk on flat pavement for 2 miles then suddenly there is an uneven up and down nearly broken bit which I need my stick for
Well, that went. I am still getting better and better every week.
That done we headed to Morrison's and got the rest of the weeks shopping, and 6 tubs of hot&spicy pickled onions as they were still on offer
After we brought that back here and put it away etc we headed to gym. Today Timmy suggested a 20 minute cycle where every 5 minutes I was going flat out to get my heart beating
And then it wouldn't connect to Wifi, the internet. So MM had to phone about 3 folk and eventually one of them said "Oh yes....." and sorted it out. But then the staff laptop wouldn't connect, my iPad wouldn't connect etc but since then MM has seemed fairly competent making stuff work again
I don't think she is trying to fix my lust but I just glance at her and it feels better already
Well wasn't that hard work. So I walked on the treadometer machine for 1 mile (or was it a km?), mostly forwards, some sideways and a bigger amount backwards. I can just do it all now. And for about a quarter of the distance she had me me walking uphill, up to 11% at the end which made her make strange noises, last time we tried it I simply couldn't walk uphill at all whereas today I was managing a steep hillside. Knackering but I did it
AND when we were getting out of the car to start the walk I noticed my FES device saying "Short of battery" but we just carried on, thinking we would finish the walk before it ran out. But about a third of the way through the walk it stopped working but this wasn't an issue as I am so much better at keeping my right foot level these days
Much relief that it is solid again, much relief
And no, I had to squeeze out a proper thick p*oh s'morning, back to normal
I think next time she see's me and says "How are you?" that I will reply "All the better for seeing you" more sincerely
Then we need to dig some holes and plant the plants Mum bought for me and plant the "for bees" flowers in the gap we have left for them
Then we needed to go back and buy more soil, I sold 2 bags of compost to GGtGG, we had the amounts all wrong
So just waiting, it should appear in a couple of days, I will transfer my SIM across and it will just work. Apparently
No, I can't relax, we need to nip out and buy some staff bogroll as Roy just announced. "Why couldn't we do this when we were out earlier?" I said. Oh no, because he couldn't suggest anything on top of what we were already doing. Neil is not very pleased at this
We also got some concrete to put around the base of the washing line to make it more upright
<Pant pant pant>Well I did it, various lifting up and pulling down machines, a few minutes on the move it with your feet machine then some cycle motion with your hands</P p p>
So we now have a bag of clothes pegs hanging from the washing line, waiting for the first load s'afternoon
No, we didn't come back for birthday cake as we had an pudding after tea
I am so much more capable week after week
After lunch they said "Tara" and we are picking them up in a bit to take them to The Tafarn Tanerdy to make them buy me dinner, but not pudding as me and my mum have a third of a bottle of champagne in the fridge and we all have a birthday cake sitting out ready to munch on
We had a lovely meal and they did tell me about plans for tomorrow night too. It will be the last time I see them too, this visit
Then I have come home for my nap, then me and Timmy are going to fetch Freya and we will head into their hotel where are all going for dinner
Hopefully it is all clean and tidy enuf.....Well they have been delayed by meeting up with Denyse but they are on their way now. I am gonna go and meet then at the hotel in a bit
And she didn't tell me over the phone because..... just one can't hear certain things like thatWell. What a night. We have had a delicious dinner and a very pleasant glass of wine but my mother was talking. About why she hasn't been to see me for ages. FARK. Bit of a shock to the system knowing she has had that wrong with her but she seems to beaten it off so she will be here a lot more often nowadays. Hopefully