Cool, Grey Summer Solstice Today.

Reclamation, oil & gouche on board, 1944

It has been a pleasant, relaxed day, today is the summer solstice not that you can notice that it is.

Sadly the weather is overcast, cool, grey with the strong possibility of rain, not at all hot, summery and the middle of summer.

Even the nights in the last couple of weeks have not been as nice and bright because it has been so overcast.

We did need the rain as this spring has been very dry; it got quite warm middle of April, beginning of May.

 I was really hopeful that we were set for a gorgeous warm summer, we are still waiting, Easter was gorgeous, since then it has got cooler and damper.

Good for farmers, gardeners not so for the rest of us, I am longing to get outside again in a t-shirt like I did on 24^th April.

Who knows it could still get warm again, as it did last year when it was also cool in June, then we had a huge temperature swing from 20 to 30 degrees literally overnight.

Tomorrow is the appointment with Annelies and Welzorg to discuss Ruud’s suggestions for further adaptations that are needed to the wheelchair seat.

Annelies is pregnant so it might be that we do not see her again before her pregnancy leave, so we have a wee present for her, some shower gel, shampoo and body lotion.

John Tunnard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tunnard

Sitting Around.

Street Art.

It was sweet sitting in the front room again, loved watching Richie prepare and cook our dinner, pleasant seeing him chop up the vegetables.

We were both very happy that I was there, so were the dogs, they were delighted and were playing happily for us.

Spike spent most of his time sitting or lying right next to my chair, so Richie would regularly let me know where he was, so I did not roll over him.

Every now and then Richie would say don’t move now, he is lying right between your front wheels, amusingly Spike had to keep his head lowered to sit there.

As soon as I started to sit again it was a shock to discover that it was so exhausting, almost got me down, as I had thought that the adaptation would do it all.

Really could not have foreseen that it would be such a slow process.

Told Richie that I could see now that the idea of me going to the gig on 21 November, a mere three weeks after starting to sit again had been extremely unrealistic.

Richie agreed that it had not been realistic, but reminded me what a big boost it had been for me to think that I might get to the gig.

He said he thought that having a goal had done me a power of good, he is right; it really had cheered me up.

I was buzzing in the weeks after, which was a good feeling, glad Richie reminded me of the positive effects.

Just the thought that it could be possible was so empowering, after 14 long months in bed.

Richie also reminded me that I had got a response from Peter that I had not expected; it had confirmed what I had thought about Peter and The Test Tube Babies.

Really kind of him to mail me back; nice to know he reads my blog, it is always good to make new friends.

Sitting yesterday while good made me aware of the progression of my MS, my right arm is weaker than it was last year, I have built up muscle in my upper arm so it is not strength that I lack.

My arm is just not as flexible, can not move it as fluidly, found eating to be quite a struggle getting the fork up to my mouth.

Thought eating sitting up would be effortless; perhaps with time it will get easier, hope so.

Getting up soon look forward to late afternoon and evening sitting up and enjoying our Saturday evening together.

Optimistic now that I can sit again.

Yesterday was the big day that the adaptation was finally brought around, only realise now how much I had been anticipating the appointment and how worried I had been.

Had not realised how worried I had been but know that I have been and am no longer worried as I slept very well last night.

What amuses me today is that I was lying there last night convinced that I would not sleep and promptly fell asleep.

Just before they all arrived yesterday I felt terribly nervous and then they all got here and I was instantly ok, just wanted to get on with it and sit.

I was sat in the chair, Elwin had a good look and Ludwine made some adjustments and Elwin made some marks where he needed to reduce the mould.

At this point I was put back in bed and after some adjustments; I was hoisted out of bed again and sat back in the chair to see if there were more adjustments needed.

Elwin made some more drawings of the parts that needed adjusting, and Jenny arrived with the pressure gauging cushion which was extremely useful.

It pinpointed exactly where the pressure was, and it turned out to be exactly where the wound had been.

Ludwine and Jenny gave Richie a master class in how to recognise how I am sitting and how to rectify and correctly position me so that I am sitting properly.

It was a very tiring day, all the anticipation and then twice being hoisted in and out of bed and at the end of the afternoon Elwin had to take the chair and the adaptation away with him to finish it off at his work.

Shame as had wanted to sit up for awhile after the appointment, had wanted to leave the building and go downstairs and round the side and say hello to Willes.

Still never mind, the wheelchair and adaptation was back here early this morning at 8.30 and this afternoon I can sit in it and gradually get the hang of sitting again.

Am so curious how it will feel to move around of my own free will and without someone else pushing me.

That is quite an exciting thought that I will be able to move from room to room when I want to.

Not sure that I can actually cope with visualising that idea, think it will make more sense when I do it rather than try to visualise something that I have not been able to do for over 14 months now.

Right now I am looking forward to sitting again this afternoon, in fact I am really looking forward to sitting for an hour a day to start with, and hope that it goes exceptionally well and by next week I will be able to sit for two hours.

Not sure whether there is enough time for me to build up enough hours sitting in the wheelchair so that I can go to the gig on the 21 November.

That is why it is such a shame that I did not get the adaptation fitted onto the chair earlier as every day really counts in order to build up enough time sitting without ant negative affects on my bottom.

It would upset me a lot if I am not ready to go the concert on the 21 November, but it would upset me even more if I developed another pressure sore that turned into a deep open wound.

That would for sure be much worse indeed.

For now I am optimistic that I will be able to sit up for four hours by the 21 November.

Optimistic and looking forward to what happens next and new adventures to be had.

It is Friday again so quickly, this time it it is the day after getting the adaptation, the day my life starts again and the day when I can decide when I want to sit.

Hope everyone has a good day too.