Being Outside Again For The First Time In 20 Months.

Absurdist Art



Today is Queen's Day here, the Queen's official birthday a national holiday which was brought in to replace May Day as a public holiday.

Sadly last night there was a huge thunderstorm and rain all night which has brought the temperature down from 23/25 yesterday to 15/16 degrees today.

Even more pleased now that I went out yesterday, it was brilliant; it was warm enough for me to go out without a jacket just had a hooded top on over my two t-shirts.

After my physiotherapy session Richie and I went outside with our two very excited dogs, should have seen them strutting proudly next to my wheelchair.

It felt good, it really did, coming out of the building and feeling the warm wind was excellent; and speaking to the first strangers on the street since August 2008 was wonderful.

We went down the road to the dog toilet and while they were busy there I sat for the first time in the sunshine since 19 August 2008.

After the dogs had done their business we walked slowly back up the road enjoying the sunshine and being outside together again.

Richie asked me if I wanted to go straight back upstairs, which I did not want to do was enjoying being out too much.

So instead I suggested that we go and do the shopping together up the road at Bibi's our friendly Turkish shop.

Got there a split second before Bibbi arrived to take over from her brother, she was delighted to see me again after so long.

It was lovely rolling down the road saying good afternoon to people we encountered on our way.
.
Everyone we met was friendly and was very helpful at moving out of the way so I could roll by.

All in all it was brilliant going out again after so long, it has been 1 year and 8 months since I was able to go out.

Yesterday happened very easily and naturally, had thought it would be more difficult but it was not.

I just rolled out of the door and into the lift and was out the front gate and out onto the street with no problem.

Even the unevenness of the pavement was not a big problem and I was not over the top about being outside again, just drank it all in and enjoyed every moment of being outside.

It was brilliant and I can not wait to do it again, think I will go to the market with Richie this Saturday and carry our shopping home hanging off the back of my wheelchair.

In the excitement of going out Richie forgot his camera so there no pictures of me sitting in the sun.

But there will be soon so everyone can see how brilliant it is that my world is getting bigger again.


Please visit Steve, on Saturday is the Memorial for BobRobert in Belcher where they will have a good wake for Steve’s much loved partner.

Hope that we all continue to support Steve in these difficult first weeks of his bereavement.

Let’s weave a web of support and friendship and caring around the globe for Steve.

Please visit The Wheel Of Fortuna and leave Steve a supportive comment.


http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

Support Networks For Steve Across The Globe.

Modern Art.


It is a sunny day again today which is very nice so nice that the window near my bed is wide open and it is pleasant feeling the outside air.

Planning to go out this afternoon after my physiotherapist at 14.30 that is going to be very exciting indeed.

Feeling so much more relaxed now that Spike is doing well and the tax return has been sent in by our friendly tax advisor.

Feels good to get it done and without too many problems or too much stress, typically before was worse than the actual event.

So typical of me to get all wound up alt the prospect of something, yesterday was very good for me, as all ,y arrangements went wrong and everyone was late coming round.

I could have panicked and tried to organise instead decided to go with the flow and let lit all happen.

This was a good idea as it turned out things went well and everything got done with no stress at all.

It was really pleasant to see that even if it does not go according to plan things can work out well.

It is heart warming to read about the support and love that Steve is getting from family and friends
.
On Saturday is the Memorial for BobRobert in Belcher where they will have a good memorial/wake for Steve’s much loved partner.

Hope that we all continue to support Steve in these difficult first weeks of his bereavement.

Let’s weave a web of support and friendship and caring around the globe for Steve.

Please visit The Wheel Of Fortuna and leave Steve a supportive comment.

http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

Another Busy Afternoon.

New York Art.


Another busy afternoon after I had sat for just over an hour I had to go back to bed for an appointment with my occupational therapist Johanneke and Jenny who works in the RCA technical department.

Jenny wanted to see what my posture is like in bed so she can make some long supportive cushions to keep my body in one spot.

The cushion will be from under my lower arm until halfway down my calf to stop my knees splaying outwards which destabilises me.

She is also making a cushion to go between my feet and the footboard to stop my feet pointing outwards which causes the foot to hang like that, pointing downwards.

Make wearing shoes difficult as the feet slip out of them and then the feet won't be easy to place or keep on the wheelchair foot stand.

Jenny also brought somet3hing else it is a simple device which fits a round the hand and has a protruding bit with one of those rubber finger tips that help you turn pages and shuffle through paperwork.

This simple device makes it possible for me to read books again which is really exciting as there are a few books on our bookshelves that I would like to read.

After they went Willes came upstairs to help me organise the papers to be taken to our tax advisor.

And as soon as we were done Marianne came round for a visit and to check that the pillow case she made fitted the neck support pillow.

Before she went Cecile turned up for the paperwork, what was especially nice fro me was that they were happy with the clothes I gave them.

Good to recycle clothes like that, the turquoise trousers and top were perfect for Marianne and the little black dress and jacket was excellent for Cecile.

Sadly after everyone had gone Richie discovered that the catheter tube had slightly got out of position maybe when Jenny moved me up and across the bed.

So we had to go right away to the bathroom for a wash and clean trousers and so Richie could put the saline solution through t he catheter to check it was not blocked, it was not.

I am back in bed now waiting for the delicious lasagne Richie is making and for the football game Barcelona versus Inter Milan, should be good.

Am going to enjoy this evening very much.

Please visit Steve : The Wheel of Fortuna

http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

BobRobert died late last Friday night, Steve needs plenty of support in these diffcult first weeks.

Picture Of Daisy

English Art.



Muffie @ Kaleidoscope Muff tagged me on 11 April

http://kaleidoscopemuff.blogspot.com/


To see link to her post that day

http://kaleidoscopemuff.blogspot.com/2010/04/ive-been-tagged.html


I would like to tag the following blogs:

Rei @ Xenomorph Angel

http://deadtraumfrau.blogspot.com/


Sherry @ Word Salads

http://wordsalads.blogspot.com/

Chekoala @ Wobbly Teetering Blogging


http://multiplesclerosisprincess.blogspot.com/

Kris @ Where To Vegan

http://www.wheretovegan.com/


Dawn @ Vanilla Kitchen

http://vanillakitchen.blogspot.com/

Darlene @ Rustic Ranch

http://rusticranch.blogspot.com/


Nikina @ Nik’s Backyard

http://niksbackyard.blogspot.com/


Pb @ Pat’s Pond

http://patspond.blogspot.com/


MS-Understood @ MS-Understood

http://www.ms-understood.com/



S.S-O @ Multiple Sclerosis And Me

http://msxats.blogspot.com/


Marit @ Marit Christlock-Lauterbach

http://marit-chrislock-lauterbach.blogspot.com/





My favourite photo is of our first dog Daisy on the balcony @ the Haarlemmerdijk, Amsterdam in 1997.

She was a beautiful dog, a typical terrier and amazingly well behaved and very obedient for one.

A very clever dog, she could fetch her bed and blanket to spend lazy Sunday mornings in the bedroom with us drinking tea and listening to the radio.

She was a great little actress if you told her she was sad and having a hard time she would look very sad indeed in seconds, an Oscar winnign performance.

Daisy was a great mouse and rat hunter, solved the mouse problem one summer att he Haarlemmer Dijk in 1997 and got the undying love of a local flowershop by killing a rat she chased out of his shop and killed in 1999.

She was very popular on that street getting lots of attention and dog biscuits from the shop keepers while I had to wait to buy something.

A great dog and sorely missed by Richie and I.

And my favourite poem by Allen Ginsberg is:


A Supermarket In California

What thoughts I have of you tonight, Walt Whitman, for I walked down the
streets under the trees with a headache self-conscious looking at the full moon.

In my hungry fatigue, and shopping for images, I went into the neon fruit
supermarket, dreaming of your enumerations!
What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles
full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes! --- and you,
Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?
I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the
meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys.
I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops? What price
bananas? Are you my Angel?
I wandered in and out of the brilliant stacks of cans following you, and
followed in my imagination by the store detective.
We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting
artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the cashier.
Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in an hour. Which way does
your beard point tonight?
(I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and feel
absurd.)
Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade to
shade, lights out in the houses, we'll both be lonely.
Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automobiles in
driveways, home to our silent cottage?
Ah, dear father, graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher, what America did you
have when Charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a smoking bank and
stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of Lethe?


Have a good day everyone and please do not forget to visit Steve @ The Wheel of Fortuna and leave him a supportive comment.

http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

New Perspectives

New Orleans Art.

It has been a good afternoon, I sat for a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes which was great, just felt a wee bit tired before Richie put me back into bed just after 17.30.

Had another useful meeting with my occupational therapists, Johanneke and Ludwine, Ludwine was handing over to Johanneke.

She explained the adaption and showed Johanneke the recent changes that had been made and the things that needed attention and possibly adapting at the next appointment with Ruud from Summit.

After they left Mathilde came round for my physiotherapy session which was great to do in the wheelchair.

Afterwards I sat in the front room with Richie and the dogs which was brilliant.

Lovely sitting and looking out of the window and just being part of things again, the dogs were also happy I was there.

Richie was delighted, we discussed clothes for outside, and Richie is going to adapt some of my jackets so they are easier to put on.

We ended up sorting through quite alot of my clothes and we weeded out all those that are no longer suitable.

It was in the end a whole big bag full, which Richie will put in the refugees clothes container up the road.

Nice to do this together and good to do it today, it has given me a huge boost and made me keen to move on to the next stage which is going out of the building and onto the road.

My other big excitement today was that I went out of our door and on to the landing for the first time since 19 August 2008.

Feel very positive now about going outside and about having a life outside of my bed, it is very exciting to get a taste today of what it will be like.

Now I can be more mobile again I can entertain all sorts of ideas which were not applicable while my only perspective was making the best of life in bed.

Good that finally life is starting to improve for me and Richie, we are both looking forward to the summer and me going out with him and the dogs.

Can’t wait forw Perspectives us to go to the market again, it will be brilliant, tomorrow I shall go out for a roll round the block with Richie and the dogs when they return from Spike’s final visit to the orthopaedic vet.

This Friday we plan to go to the end of the road and see the Queen’s Day celebrations.

After I post this I shall visit Steve and leave him a comment on The Wheel of Fortuna

http://spinfortunaswheel.blogspot.com/

These first days just after his beloved partner BobRobert has just died must be very difficult for him.

Then I intend to take it very easy indeed and enjoy the evening with my darling Richie.