Horrible incidence in Appeldoorn this afternoon when a man who wanted to ram the bus in which the Royals were touring the town created a blood bath.

In his attempt he deliberately drove through the masses of people who were there to cheer the Queen, killing 4 and injuring 16.

Another victim died later in hospital and 13 are in critical condition in hospital.

Appeldoorn immediately cancelled all festivities and other towns and cities followed suit.

Here in Amsterdam everything went very quiet for a long time this afternoon but it seems the Mayor decided there were too many people in the city to cancel the party.

Queen's Day at Museumplein, Amsterdam.









Today is Queen's Day the Queen's official birthday which has been promoted to a big celebration so as to overshadow tomorrow which is May Day.

In England I used to get May Day off here everyone gets the 30 April off work so it has become very popular.

Last night got a taste of Queen's Day courtesy of groups of drunks who seemed to be having great fun shouting and bawling at each other outside our building at about 3 am.

Their fun even went as far as throwing a bottle not at anyone but just it seemed for the happy sound of broken glass.

It is quite a liability to have the books on the side of the house lit up at night as drunken 'art critics' were keen to let the entire neighbourhood know what they thought of them.

Luckily the neighbourhood kids have gone somewhere else today so could get some sleep from about 6am until 10 am and then the boats started to go by.

Each playing music mostly really dreadfully boring music but loud so everyone can enjoy it.

Here there seems to be the idea that if the music is amplified it is good which sadly is very often not true as I can hear only too clearly today.

Some of the boats are playing Amsterdam music but sadly only a couple the rest seem to be playing a two cord loop without any bass which gets louder without building to anything.

Hopefully people will stop riding up and down the canals and go indoors and spare us them getting drunker on the water and playing their favourite tunes even louder.

Every now and then like now I can hear the dull amplified music dimly in the background and a few kids are playing in the sunshine.

It is a really lovely day today which makes a pleasant change hope it does not result in riots outside Central Station like a couple of years ago when it had been an exceptionally hot day.

People had drunk alot of cool beers and when they could not get on trains at Central Station and the police response was instant violence the masses responded in kind.

Think the train company will have learned their lesson and put on enough trains since then.

I shall now get on with enjoying my day and will start by playing some music I like such as The Four Tops, lovely music for a lovely day.

Hope it is a good day for you too.

I was given the Outstanding Bloggery Award

by Stephany of Soulful Sepulcher
http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/

I would like to pass it on to the following great blogs:

Susan’s: If You’re Going Though Hell Keep Going

http://ifyouregoingthoughhellkeepgoing.blogspot.com/


Lisa’s: Brass and Ivory
http://brassandivory.blogspot.com/


Lanetta: Chain Reactions
http://mylifeisachainreaction.blogspot.com/2009/04/time-for-joke.html


Anne: Disabled not Dead.
http://disablednotdead-anne3.blogspot.com/


Naomi: Sitting in the Hills.
http://sitteninthehills64.blogspot.com/2006/04/100-posts-i-have-just-passed-that.html

Mary: Rejected Truth.
http://rejectedtruth.blogspot.com/


Andy’s: Jughead’s Baltimore Blog
http://jugheadsbaltimoreblog.blogspot.com/

Please pass them on to five other blogs each in a post on your blog.

Woke up much better than yesterday after a good night’s sleep but sadly my darling Richie did not sleep at all well.

He kept waking up and going off again only to wake up once again and lie awake for hours.

Hope that a nice shower will restore him hope so very much as it is a very nice day very sunny with the occasional cloud which is soon gone again.

Thanks to the morning routine of arm exercise and Richie doing the leg massage and providing THC and baclofen and food supplement I could start the day very well.

Always feel great when Richie places my laptop on the bed table and I can get connected to the world.

It is brilliant really do love it; it makes me happy which is good.

Do not want to spend too much time being down but when I do or feel unhappy like yesterday I cry and/or howl whatever it takes to get it all out of my system.

We both try to do that as we do not need negative emotions festering better out than in and afterwards be able to enjoy the rest of the day.

Like now I intend to enjoy the day and it is a lovely one too.

Hope it is a good day for all.

Kreativ Blogging Award

Tara has given me this wonderful award.

http://livingdaytodaywithmultiplesclerosis.blogspot.com/2009/04/kreativ-blogger-award-i-have-nominated.html

I in turn would like to pass it on to the following blogs;

Amy: Word Salads the Demyelination of me
http://wordsalads.blogspot.com/


Chekoloa:Wobbly, Teetering Blogging
http://multiplesclerosisprincess.blogspot.com/

Steve and BR:Wheel of Fortuna
http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

Gina: Traditional Batik on Silk
http://batikonsilk.blogspot.com/

Libby: thoughts...usually with attitude...
http://libybil.blogspot.com/

Webster: Halt Stop Forget Relax
http://hsfr.blogspot.com/

Blinders off: Living with MS
http://living-with-ms.blogspot.com/

SarahLulu’s:Normal is a cycle on a washing machine.
http://serendipitylulu.blogspot.com/

PLEASE TAKE YOUR SPECIAL AWARD AND PUT IT ON YOUR BLOG PAGE AND THEN PASS IT ON TO YOUR TOP 7 NOMINEES.

Slept well and woke up in pain and crying quite shocked myself that I was crying as I had slept very soundly.

Richie got up and returned at top speed with some thc for me after 3 lots started to feel less stressed.

Could then do the arm exercises and Richie massaged my legs thoroughly after which I had more thc and baclofen against leg spasms and finally my food supplement drink and my laptop.

Once I have my laptop my day starts, today after a short time or so it seemed it was 12 noon and the physio was here.

After 30 mins, which I felt the session was over and I could relax and drink a delicious fruit smoothy of orange/pear and banana and eat turkish bread and cheddar and soft turkish cheese and a couple of crackers and peanut butter.

Felt great after eating and can now get on with enjoying the day.

Chris Hoy

The A Hoy awards is to celebrate Chris Hoy's amazing achievements at the Olympics in Beijing.

From Wikipedia:
Sir Christopher Andrew "Chris" Hoy MBE (born 23 March 1976 in Edinburgh) is a track cyclist representing Great Britain and Scotland. He is a multiple world champion and Olympic Games gold medal winner. With his three gold medals in Beijing 2008, Hoy became Scotland's most successful Olympian,[3] the first Briton to win three gold medals in a single Olympic games since Henry Taylor, in 1908, and the most successful Olympic male cyclist of all time.



http://threegoldsinonetournament.blogspot.com/

Trini soca music

I was given this award by Stan

http://bipolar-stanscroniclesandnarritive.blogspot.com/2009/02/inspirational-award.html

I would like to pass it on to five blogs that I think deserve this award in the hope that they will in turn pass them onto five blogs that they think deserve this award.

Here are the five blogs I would like to give The Inspirational Blog Award to:

Erin’s: The Lemonadestand:
http://thelemonaidstand.blogspot.com/

Amelia’s: Tales of Life with Multiple Sclerosis:
http://talesoflifewithmultiplesclerosis.blogspot.com/

Mort’s Caring and Sharing:
http://mortonlake-caring-and-sharing.blogspot.com/

Dianne’s: A Stellar Life:
http://dj-astellarlife.blogspot.com/

Rain’s: Mountain Mamma:
http://rain-mountain-mamma.blogspot.com/

An extra award to:

Judi’s : Life as a Hospice Patient:
http://judi-lifeasahospicepatient.blogspot.com/

Lots of pain again today but all helped with our routine of thc then arm exercises then more thc and leg massage and exercises done by Richie and baclofen and food supplement drink and I can start my day.
This morning had one of those rare mornings where I woke up not once but three times and each time fell asleep again.

Which is quite an achievement for me these days; mind you what are not these days.

Despite all the shit that MS has brought into my life and Richie’s life it is still a good life, it has many restrictions which are not easy to live with.

Like feeling trapped in a body that won’t do anything while my mind works on with no problem.

There are moments this drives me mad, feel like shouting and throwing my hands in the air but try not to do this too much as it really upsets the dogs.

The frustration usually ebbs away but it still there just not acted upon and not allowed by me to get toxic.

I find that it is best to deal with these feelings and to ventilate rather than to keep a lid on those as that only works like a sort of emotional pressure cooker.

Luckily blogging helps me to express my feelings about this disease and allows me to rationalise my feelings.

Just had a very pleasant visit from a friend called Anne nice to see her and to catch up with his life by hearing her news.

Tomorrow another friend Marianne will visit, she comes by every Tuesday and we usually sit and look at her recent photos of weekends in Limburg.

Really enjoy seeing photos they take me briefly away from my surroundings and transport me to the outside world.

Have the same feeling reading other peoples blogs which take me to other parts of the world
and to other lives which is brilliant.

Herrad's Awards

I Want My Mummie Award 2009

I would like to bestow the I want My Mummie Award 2009 to Stan of

http://bipolar-stanscroniclesandnarritive.blogspot.com/

This is as a small mark of my immense apprecation for Stan's brilliant wit and repartee.

Arise Sir Stan and receive The I Want My Mummie Award 2009.



























;

Lights out and going to sleep has never been a favourite with me and since being so crippled notice it has become even less popular.

Lying flat on my back unable to shift to a different position is not nice, the only way I can change position is by operating the hand control on the bed and raising or lowering the top of the bed or the foot end or raise or lower the whole bed.

Apart from that I can not alter my position, mind you I constantly tilt and slip over usually to the right, so Richie has to adjust me at regular intervals.

It’s real difficult trying to sit up to eat or drink and at the same time have to fight against gravity as I am being dragged down to the right.

Several times a day I the bed and Richie will pull the covers away to see how I am lying and then he will correct how I am lying by pulling me up in the bed as I often also slip down in the bed.

As well as pulling me over to the left, each time any adjustments are made my top has to be examined as every movement causes little pleats and folds which will irritate me and can cause red marks on my skin.

Richie has to pull the collar up sometimes the top will get pulled taut and slightly choke me, then he has to pull it under both armpits to check there are no folds/pleats by my shoulderblades.

Finally he will check in the small of my back, he always puts his hand between me and the bed checking for folds, pleats and creases.

Once this is done I can lie comfortably otherwise a tiny fold could have the potential to cause alot of distress.

There is something that has to be constantly adjusted and corrected so that I do not have additional aches and pains.

These are things that we never even considered before but since I am so crippled these are now important issues.

Since our move here our GP does house calls as does my physio who comes by twice a week and the chemist delivers all prescriptions to the flat.

Shopping is not something I that can do anymore although I did bring shopping back once a week when a friend Marianne and I used to go to the market every Tuesday.

Am hoping that once the sore has totally healed and I can sit in the wheelchair I will be able to go to my favourite market, the Ten Cate Markt which is just down the road.

I am looking so forward to getting in the lift and going downstairs and rolling up the road, that will be a glorious day when I go and visit the market and see the market stall holders again.

The sounds and smells will be overwhelming and I will get euphoric and everything, every person every shop every item on sale will be the best and the most beautiful ever.

I used to have this on my twice weekly jaunts to the market so think that after 9 months in bed I will be head over heels in love with everyone and everything I see and encounter.

It has been a long 8 months in some ways but in others it has flown by think this has something to do with my mindset and also the fact that blogging has given me another dimension and a lot of new friends and contacts and communication.

This has kept me interested and connected to the world and has helped me to stay optimistic and keen to seize the moment this moment and enjoy it to the full.


,

Luckily went to sleep and did not wake until morning just before they came to empty the containers so that must have been before 8 am.

Yikes thats quite early horrible.

Had a brief moment with Spike this morning when Richie put him onto my bed, short but good and much appreciated by us both especially Spike.

After arm and leg exercises and massage Richie got me the usual suspects such as baclofen and more thc.

After a wee bit I managed to pick up Spike's toys and could give him the sort of game he likes.

Marleen of course started to muscle in which I approve of, think it is great that she is now so part of the scene here.

When she was here first she was very worried, had problems moving around and could not groom herself very well.

Nor could she play and certainly not with someone else, she did not understand that, so when I would try to0 get her playing she would stand ju8st out o0f arm's reach barking.

Now all that has gone and Marleen is very sweet and extremely playful not the fat depressed dog she was when she first came to live with us.

Now she is our dynamic Marleen who loves playing and will get her toys and get you to play whether you want to or not.

Such optimism is infectious and it spreads from her via Spike to us which is extremely amusing.

I must tell you all about the unexpected thrill of being given a blogging award yesterday.

I am truly speechless, choked up at the thought of getting this award which is held in such great esteem.

Thanks to Stan and Stephany I have a wonderful trophy the Outstanding Bloggery Award which I have to hand on to another blogger.

After thinking about it for a wee while I have decided to give this award to Ana

at http://justana-justana.blogspot.com/

Congatulations Ana.

Have a good day everyone.

Last night had to wake Richie and tell him that I could not sleep, felt real bad about doing that.

It did help though as he got out of bed and got me two bags of thc vapour which helped me get off to sleep quite quickly.

The next thing I knew was an explosion of kids outside the Fijnhout theatre opposite us.

It sounded like hundreds of children but was probably no more than twenty to thirty, the noise they were making was explosive.

So much joy first thing in the morning was quite wonderful to hear even though it meant the end of sleeping.

Afer the arm exercises the dogs came up on my bed for their morning cuddles this time Marleen first.

She sat quite regally on the bed and enjoyed being petted tremendously Spike was watching enviously but luckily without any vocals.

Then it was his turn whereupon he went into full puppy mode all soft on his back enjoying having his tummy tickled and stroked behind his ears.

It is a privilege to have these two lovely dogs and for them to love and trust us as they do it is very touching.

After they have been on my bed the dogs seem even happier and play with renewed energy round my bed.

Richie massaged my legs while around us Spike and Marleen were playing with their respective toys.

Every now and then Marleen would grab Spike's red ball (his favourite) luckily he seems to have learnt how to tease back picking up her discarded toy and shaking it in front of her face.

Great fun and the massage went double quick because of the entertainment the dogs provided us with.

We have been watching the Animal Rescue Services on Animal Planet, time and time again I am amazed how nice the animals are despite having been treated really badly.

Still the dogs and cats are trusting and friendly and affectionate what amazing creatures, sure I would not be nice if I had been half starved and tied up permanently in a too tight collar that was literally cutting into my neck..

There have been a few of these where dogs were rescued in the nick of time before the dog died of internal bleeding as a result of long term damage from dangerously tight collars and inappropriate ways of tying a dog up.

Horrible stories and brilliant rescues and heart warming stories of cats and dogs being fostered and well looked after and re-homed.

Happy endings are nice and no finer sight than a previously abused animal totally happy with its new home.

Horrible to think what might have happened to Spike had we not re-homed him when we did as he could have become an unpleasant little bully as a result of the neglect and bad treatment plus being dumped as a pup.

We always advocate people re-home dogs and cats rather than buy, as buying keeps the world of dog and cat cruelty alive and flourishing.

Not every breeder is neglectful but how do you know where your dogs and puppies go to and how do you know where the dogs are that they might be wanting to churn out lots of pups.