Mostly about brain injuries mine or others.
As grim as this year has been with the loss of Sara I really wanted a needed to celebrate Christmas as she loved it so much!
Had a lovely ride with club with said Turkey! And been down to wales to have Christmas with folks and Chloë family and it’s just been really lovely!
Martha wasn’t sure about the Turkey! Nor was Dad about the Beard baubles!
it was also some lovely weather no snow but sun!
Had some lovely walks and views and lot of fun!
Last day I had with her properly we had a lovely day just being in the garden and she was trying and failing to photograph the baby fish!
It was her happy space, she was quite the homemaker and loved our home and garden, and the pond.
And was a maker, as is this wonderful post on facebook she did!
“I learned the basics of dressmaking at my (all-girls) school in the 70s. I enjoyed the lessons, many didn’t.
But what a skill to have when you start work and you’re skint, and you know how to repair/replace a zip in a pair of jeans, or run up a skirt from an off-cut of usually expensive fabric so you look good in an interview.
I’ve kept up my love of sewing, and make sometimes outrageous shorts for the amazing and lovely Roger Merriman to cycle in, I made a dress for my sister to get married in “because no one else will do exactly what I want”.
Point is, if you get the chance to learn the basics of a skill – any skill – take it, you never know when it’ll come in handy.”
She loved her cats! Though she did scare them by shouting at Rugby!
And we adored each other!
Though she had an expressive and quite mobile face!
And we did travel and lived a life together!
We brushed up all right!
I loved our life together we met 19 years ago and married 16 years we had such fun!
Been spending way too much time in hospitals lately! After an argument with the ground a week or so back, I relented and went to get my hands looked at, and X rayed.
Joint in wee pinkie has bits in it! And thus strapped up,
It’s by far the most impactful crash I’ve had with both hands/chest all sort and all sorts of bruises. The one I didn’t walk away from was I only had a wee mark on my hip, and much less speed involved. Even if I did crack my skull, ie it’s not the big ones that get you as you where!
as that’s how we roll Sara joined me in A&E and told the paramedics too look for a tall dark hairy Beardy man and they found me as I walked back into A&E!
I’d quite like not too see insides of hospitals if life could arrange that for a little while!
Been a long old time since I’ve been able to come down to Wales and so had a quick spin with Paul and his E MTB to attempt “Mother of God” which is a 30% climb up to end of the Hafod, had planned to visit The Lonely Shepherd after and before that some more of Pwll Du but ran out of time and was wetter than initially predicted!
Was an absolute hoot, not sure I’d want to do it again mind you!
Just recently on Dragons Den had an episode with a unproven cure for M E which they have had to Remove from iPlayer and generally even in mainstream media getting a poor response.
Interesting such stuff isn’t universal as disability isn’t a homogeneous lump, for example Brain Injury doesn’t get any, but lots of we can cure your child who is neurodivergent ie ADHD and similar.
It’s one reason I moved away from the dyslexia groups admittedly nearly 20 years ago!
Been a few anniversaries or dates of notes, recently including Hampton Court’s dry moat being wet and frozen! Similar to 10 years ago when I was getting my independence back on the bike, and terrifying Sara as I had no concept of how unwell and different I was!
Didn’t freeze at least that year, though I was very cold! Which comes from being unwell/fragile I guess!
And Claudia had her 16th birthday, which reminded me of Claude and with that the various stories he told.
It’s my 10 year anniversary, that I didn’t quite make it to work and well life changed from then on.
I didn’t realise for probably a good year by how much, mainly as until you try some thing and it’s harder to do or not doable anymore. And the mind is very good a glossing over problems even brain injuries!
It’s not been a linear process I very much needed help be that Sara or the local Headway group who got me back into the NHS system so I could get rehabilitation and simply learn and meet others like myself.
But today I shall be fairly self centred and have cake!
One of the things that change some 10 years since my brain injury see below! Is that cycling which was always a hobby/leisure activity also became my way of travelling about as I don’t cope with busy public spaces well, and so public transport is hard or just not doable!
I was interviewed by Wheels for Wellbeing recently and talked about this and my forthcoming visit to the Disablity Expo where my only realistic way to get their was via bike, as I can’t use the Tube/DLR I did try once, never again!
The 3 or so hours at the event where the most exhausting for lots of reasons mainly overloaded ie too much noise from different places, and movement and so on being the delicate wee flower I am!
Did see some fun bits of kit though with wheelchair attachments and recumbent bikes!
This weekend was coronation weekend or excuse for a street party! Wasn’t as engaging on tv as the Queens funeral but historic never the less and had a lovely street party next day, with much better weather!
But today went to Parliament for the reading ie some speeches by Chris Bryant MP who is the man (mosty) who is pushing this forward. While I wanted to be their as, we as group tend to let stuff happen for us than been with us?
It was hugely stressful and exhausting! Every one was lovely I even managed to recognise folks! But oh I am paying for it!
I was amazed how easy it was to visit just some airport type put stuff in a tray and get patted down, as my MP said well it is your building! I did enjoy having a wander around briefly at the end.
I also got a cup as well I wanted a treat as I felt proud I’d managed it, I did twitch a fair bit on the train home, and have generally felt exhausted but I’m proud that I managed it, and I enjoyed parts/felt I should in other parts, but good day nonetheless!