At The End There May Be A Rainbow

 

Oscar Dominguez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

On Friday afternoon I was waiting to get a call from RTD Het Dorp, the company who will be supplying me with the Seetech computer.

Despite agreeing a time to call back, which was three o'clock, they neither kept their promise, nor could they be bothered to send me an e-mail. 

This morning I expected to find an e-mail in my inbox, however there was nothing, at 15.30 I called them.

My call was answered after ages, then the receptionist put me on hold for more than 4 minutes of horrible music then I lost the connection.

On calling back I was told that the colleague I wanted to speak to was busy on the phone, I enquired whether I should call back in 5 minutes I was told they would ring me.

This did not really convince me, I put the phone down and quite amazingly after 10 minutes I got a telephone call from the company.

However they didn't want to make an appointment, as Friday's caller wanted to, Rita only wanted to discuss whether I actually needed a German dictionary.

I really couldn't believe that was what the call was about, seeing as I discussed this intensively with both my occupational therapist and the representative Werner from RTD Het Dorp.

Werner had found a German dictionary for the Seetech computer, he informed me in an e-mail what the price was and I sent him an e-mail saying okay.

It seems that only after I have paid for the dictionary, will they will instruct their planning department to make an appointment to deliver the Seetech computer.

Not long after this slightly disappointing telephone call, I had another, this time about the air conditioning.

Next week Tuesday at two o'clock I have an appointment with somebody who will come here to see how and where to install the air conditioning unit.

If RTD Het Dorp gets their act together perhaps the Seetech computer will also be delivered next week.

Brilliant to think soon I will have had all the things that I currently need, when that happens I will be very happy, I can't wait.

Senseless Acts Of Violence.

 

Oscar Dominguez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

The news that 12 people were killed and more than 50 were wounded at a midnight premiere of a Batman film in a suburb of Denver, Colorado was shocking.

Devastating to hear the details of those killed, one of them was a six-year old child; and among the wounded a baby of four months.

A truly horrible story, all those people going there to enjoy the first viewing of a new film, they must have been very excited to be there.

Until they realised one of the audience had launched an attack on them, dreadful to think of their excitement turning to blind panic.

What happened was a totally senseless, irrational act; one that I think was made possible by the ease with which the perpetrator could acquire guns.

I find it really hard to believe that in America you can legally buy guns so easily and it seems that they are available everywhere.

Apparently you can buy them in Wal-Mart, which surprised me somewhat, as large supermarkets in Europe do not sell guns.

Supermarkets like Sainsbury's and Tesco in England do not have a gun department down the corridor from children's toys and accessories.

Maybe if it were made impossible to pop into a shopping mall and acquire handguns, shotguns, semiautomatic and automatic weapons.

In England you can only acquire a shot gun to shoot rabbits or birds if you have a license, you can no longer buy handguns.

It may not be a perfect way to control the use of firearms; it certainly keeps down the number of incidents involving the use of guns.

The other thing that needs to be changed is the film industry fixation with promoting violence as something intrinsically masculine.

Films like the ones in which Bruce Willis made his name, totally glorify violence, they send a message that killing can resolve situations.

These films seem to say that killing can be good if you kill the right people; what dreadful propaganda.

I believe that not allowing guns to be freely sold in shops needs to be underpinned by a different mentality in the film industry in Hollywood.

They need to stop making the link between being a man and being violent; Hollywood has been responsible for promoting a culture of violence which should not be tolerated any longer.

Perhaps when guns and violence are no longer presented as acceptable and guns are no longer easily bought maybe there will not be any more shooting sprees in America.

The Sunshine In My Life.

Salvador Dali.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD 

Life is getting extremely difficult for me right now, and that is because my spine is becoming more deformed, so it's difficult for me to sit straight.

Richie does his best to get me sitting well-balanced, however it's not easy to achieve this, usually within minutes it's not good anymore.

This happened again today, Richie spent ages trying to get me sitting in a balanced position.

After about 15 minutes, he got the result he wanted and raised the head of the bed, so I could sit up.

By the time he put my computer table in front of me with the laptop on it, my position had changed and I was slumped to the left.

It is extremely frustrating for both of us and uncomfortable as well as quite painful when I can't maintain my position for more than a few minutes.

When I got the bed supports near the end of February, they worked well and I did not need so many adjustments.

That lasted until May when I started to need Richie’s help more often and this has been becoming more frequent since June.

My problems maintaining my position becomes much worse when the temperature goes beyond 22°.

Today the weather is not a problem for me, the lack of muscles, and my crooked spine are.

This is not easy to cope with, for either Richie nor for me, we do our best to cope, which is all we can do.

Richie is brilliant at devising strategies that help me; he makes life better for me despite all the difficulties of living with a progressive disease like Multiple Sclerosis.

Richie is the sunshine in my life, being here with him makes life good and motivates me to keep making the best of everything and enjoy the moment.

Something To Look Forward To..

Oscar Dominguez

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez

Amazingly the sun came out after lunch and it's been a sunny afternoon with big fluffy clouds drifting by, they are now getting denser as well as dark.

So for once the whole afternoon has been pleasant, the kids playing on the play area opposite certainly sound like they're enjoying it very much.

Hopefully Richie and the dogs will be back from the park before the dark ominous clouds start to shower us with torrential rain as it did night before last.

It has been a really bad summer over here, very worrying for farmers as well as people’s allotments and vegetable/fruit and flower gardens.

Global warming does not mean long warm summers; instead it seems to mean intolerable heat waves for some, while for others like in Northern Europe now it means cool, wet weather, not summer weather.

Recently I've needed a lot more adjustments of my position in bed as well as in the shower chair, some days it feels like I'm constantly needing Richie's help.

But every now and again, like right now I'm sitting reasonably well a whole hour after Richie last adjusted my position, I am slightly leaning to the left but I can keep dictating without any problem.

The Dragon voice recognition software is good, although it can be quite frustrating at times when it writes something I did not say.

When the dogs start barking I have to try to switch the microphone off quickly otherwise I get sentences of either gobbledygook or just a series of are.

Often a whole sentence will appear that I never once mentioned, just now there were two sentences full of random words.

One thing I've noticed is that the speech recognition software does not recognise swear words so if I want to use them I have to enter them into the vocabulary.

I've entered quite a few names, strangely there are few that don't get recognised even after I've enter them into the vocabulary.

I was phoned by somebody from RTD Het Dorp, who wanted to make an appointment for them to bring me the Seetech computer.

When I received the phone call Richie was massaging and exercising my arms and legs, I was asked whether it would be better for the caller to try later on.

This was an excellent suggestion sadly she did not call me back at the agreed time nor did she send me an e-mail as she said she would do if she could not call me.

Hopefully I will get an appointment on Monday for the equipment to be brought round as soon as possible; I am looking forward to learning how to use Seetech.

Good News..

 

Oscar Dominguez

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

Today I've received some good news; the first was from Werner, the salesman/advisor from RTD Het Dorp that my health insurance has given the go-ahead for Seetech.

What a relief it was to get the news that finally I would be getting the eye controlled software which I've been asking for since February last year.

Right now I don't care as long as I get it as soon as possible, so that I can learn how to use it, hopefully I'll become Seetech literate quite quickly.

The other good news came in the form of a registered letter from Mrs Yildiz from the Amsterdam council’s legal department.

It was a long densely written bureaucratic letter which went through point by point what the council’s duty of care to the handicap was.

As well is outlining exactly in what circumstances an application for air conditioning would be agreed to.

While stating in the letter that I won my appeal, it also mentions that there could be a problem with abnormal levels of heat in this apartment.

In the letter it says that the investigator Hans de Graaf from Mozaak had asked me this question as well is whether I asked my landlords for assistance with my problem with the heat.

The letter states that because I did not cooperate with this part of the investigation, and that is the reason in negative decision had been made by the investigator.

I of course answered all the questions including those two, informing the investigator of the problem was my MS which my landlord could not help me with.

Mrs. Yildiz goes on to explain that she has decided to overturn the negative decision and give me air conditioning.

The letter does not tell me what type of air conditioning I will get nor does it tell me who will install it or when we can expect it to happen.

Seeing as its holiday time right now in the Netherlands, I will have to wait a bit longer to hear.

Everything Went Well.

 

Oscar Dominguez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

Last night, Richie and I decided to change the catheter after Milou, the wound nurse had been to check on the progress of the pressure wound today.

After Milou had taken a swab and a photo of the wound she left again not before she made an appointment for three weeks time on 8^th of August.

I was trying to remain calm cool and relaxed, but wasn't really fooling either myself or Richie that I was any of those things, nevertheless I did remain calm.

Richie got me some THC vapour which I slowly inhaled by simply by placing the tube in my mouth.

Quite soon I felt myself becoming relaxed, despite noticing that Richie had been getting all the equipment assembled for the catheter change.

Watching this made me a touch apprehensive but I managed to stay pretty relaxed despite this little wobble.

Richie had no sooner got everything he needed when he started the procedure, before I knew it, Richie had emptied the catheter balloon.

Then he removed the old catheter, which I hardly noticed except for a momentary tingle and then it was out and thrown in the bin.

When I asked if he was about to put the new catheter in, Richie told me it had already been inserted, this time I had felt nothing.

Really brilliant, the whole procedure went very well, without any problems or any discomfort for me.

Richie had to laugh because apparently I looked massively relieved and overjoyed when he told me that the new catheter had been inserted.

The news about the catheter was the best news ever at that moment, as soon as I heard those words, the tension in my shoulders evaporated away.

Now it's done I feel wonderful, it really was a weight off my shoulders, only when it was gone did I realise what a burden it had been.

After a wonderful pampering shower, Richie dressed, perfumed me and put earrings in my ears and rings on my fingers.

Then he installed me comfortably back in bed where I am enjoying writing this post and looking forward to enjoying this evening with my Darling Richie.

Keeping Calm.

 

Oscar Dominguez

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

Today is another dreary, grey, overcast cool day which is more suitable for the end of October than the 17^th of July which it is.

This week is when my catheter gets changed again; I hope that this time Richie will be able to get the new catheter in without any problems.

The last time it took a little time before Richie could insert it, and the time before it took hours and even calling the doctor did not help.

Richie got it in that time because he changed the angle of insertion, last time it worked because he used the thinner catheter, it had been a 16 now it is a size 14.

The size is of no interest to me what really matters, is that it happens as quickly as possible, it's a shame there has been some problems with changing catheters.

As I was fairly relaxed about the whole procedure, I began to realise that any discomfort I experienced would only be of a brief duration, a matter of seconds.

But since it has been a problem twice is got me feeling quite apprehensive about the procedure, which I know I really don't have to be.

Not sure that I can really do too much about this anxiety apart from relaxing and focusing that nervous energy into other activities.

Such as writing my posts for my blog and concentrating on other things, it works to an extent but it does not stop me thinking about the change of catheter.

Tomorrow Milou, the wound nurse will visit here, to check on the progress of my wound, I hope that there is noticeable change since she was last here.

Two of my least favourite things happening in the same week, no wonder I'm feeling so apprehensive.

Now to convince myself that I really don't have to be nervous about either of these events, either changing the catheter or seeing Milou.

Seeing Richie and the dogs coming back from the park will change my mood as well as make me smile and enjoy the evening in the company of Richie.

Communication Is Vital for Our Understanding.

Oscar Dominguez
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez

When I briefly visited Face book this afternoon, I noticed a discussion critical of people who use violence to teach their children about right and wrong.

Amazing to think that people, actually believe that hitting a small child could be beneficial either for the child, or the person inflicting violence on a vulnerable child.

In my opinion it teaches them negative things, such as they can't trust their parents, that violence is good, also don't get caught then you won't be punished.

None of these are a positive leIf you are new to thesson, but it's not surprising especially when you don't know why you're being hit, like I never knew why it happened when I was growing up

Sometimes I'll be sitting reading when suddenly I would be slapped around the head or hit with a belt for no reason that was obvious to me.

Something like that is very scary, especially to a child, I've heard and read about people saying that they were hit when they were kids and it never did them any harm.

This is something I totally disagree with as I think did me a lot of harm and it's something that I will never forget as long as I live.

I totally agree with the Face book discussion when they said that violence was being used instead of talking to children, verbal communication is essential for our understanding.

Instead of hitting children and expecting them to learn from this violence I believe it is much better to talk to them and explain things.

It is essential that children learn to understand that they have to be aware of the people and the environment around them and how their behaviour can affect the community they live in.

That is what parents should be doing; they should be talking to their children, explaining and giving them the tools they need to survive in this world.

This can only be done by verbal communication, it is essential to explain how to become a useful and productive part of the community to children.

Talking helps to not only create a strong bond between children and their parents but it also helps them to understand the world around them.

I am totally in favour of communication and totally opposed to violence being used as a way of organising society or educating children.

A Boxing Contest.

Oscar  Dominguez.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

Yesterday evening late we watched the boxing contest at West Ham’s football ground Upton Park, East London between David Hay and Derek Chisora.

David Hay came on to the familiar tune of McFadden and whitehead’s Ain’t No Stopping Us Now, he was totally concentrated on the fight ahead not a flicker of emotion visible in his face.

His entrance was simple, David Hay walked towards the ring wearing his blue white and red boxing shorts and a red T-shirt and with an umbrella held over his head to shield him from the pouring rain.

There were 40,000 spectators present at the venue, the rain could not dampen the crowds excited anticipation of the fight.

Derek Chisora’s entrance was more dramatic he was wearing a long coat with a hood which made him look like a ghoulish character from Star Wars.

The fight started immediately with a dynamic confrontation between the two boxers, Derek looked in good form.

Round one went to David Hay, as did the next three rounds, although Derek Chisora put up a good fight it became obvious that David had the upper hand .

This became more noticeable in round four and in round five David knocked Derek to the ground with a classic two punch combination, a huge left and a massive right punch.

The referee counted Derek back to his feet and the fight resumed but not for long as David Hay knocked him down for the second time with three left hooks and two left hooks all in one combination.

The fight was over in five rounds, and David Hay was the winner, when it was all over David Hay and Derek Chisora embraced, their enmity now forgotten.

Derek praised David and in his turn David Hay was complimentary about Derek Chisora saying there was no doubt in his mind that Derek was a future champion.

David Hay managed to knock out Derek Chisora in the fifth round something that the world middleweight champion Vitali Klitschko could not manage in their 12 round fight in Munchen, Germany earlier in the year.

David Hay winning was exactly what the crowd wanted to happen, Derek Chisora demonstrated that he was not only a good fighter but an honourable one too something that will be to his advantage in the future.

More Good News

 Oscar Dominguez

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez 

Just had some good news from Richie's sister Aud, that she contacted Google right away to inform them about the malware problem on my blog.

The next time she wanted to read my blog she no longer got any messages about malware which is a relief.

Google must have acted quickly, it is good to know that they are proactive it is reassuring.

Today was the last day that we have the use of special lotion on our hair and body; we are hoping that it has been effective.

It be good to know that Richie is finally clear of this nasty bacteria which is obviously been the reason for his re-occurring nasty skin problems.

This afternoon I suddenly thought that we had not really celebrated the fact that I had managed to get air conditioning from the Amsterdam Council.

A remarkable achievement and I really can't wait to get the official letter so that I can get Richie to scan it and send it to Ango, the National organisation for the handicapped in the Netherlands.

What amuses me is how long it took for the penny to drop that I had indeed had an astonishing victory against Amsterdam Council.

On Thursday I was very calm when Anja told me and also when I told Richie the good news, amazing I did not realise then what an achievement it was.

Getting good news that the bacteria have been eliminated due to the lotion and the antibiotics would make it a hat-trick of good news.

Finally Good News.

Oscar Dominguez 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez

The other day I had an e-mail from Richie's sister telling me that when she tried to access my blog she got a warning that there was malware on it.

I received no warning from Google, nor has anybody else mentioned this to me, the night I got Aud's e-mail Richie could access my blog without getting any warning.

If anybody else has seen a warning about malware could they please let me know, and if they know how to get rid of it on the blog that would be even better.

I did have a warning about malware on my blog living with MS on Blog. com,when I read the information about the warning it became clear that there was no evidence of malware actually on that blog.

I hope that nobody else has had a warning about malware on my Google blog and it proves to also be a false alarm.

It is very worrying however as I would hate to think my blog had been hijacked and was being used to attack other peoples computers.

Yesterday my friend Anja called Mrs Yildiz from Amsterdam Councils legal department who is responsible for making the decision about my air conditioning.

Apparently Mrs Yildiz has decided to ignore the negative advice from Hans de Graaf, the investigator, and give me air conditioning.

She would not give Anja any details just that I would be getting air conditioning and it would be installed by a council department.

So I still don't know whether it is a mobile air conditioning unit or the whole apartment, I will have to wait to receive the letter informing me of the Council’s decision.

I don't care which type of air conditioning I get as long as it works well and I no longer have to endure sudden hot weather.

It has been quite a struggle to get Amsterdam Council to give me air conditioning.

As soon as I get a letter from the council, I will inform ANGO, the National organisation for the handicapped who I hope will be able to use this legal precedent to help other people apply for air conditioning.

So it seems that finally there is some good news which is really brilliant, it just shows you that if you persevere you will get a result.

Thunder And Lightning

Oscar Dominguez 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez

Yesterday evening when Richie and the dogs were in the park, I saw dark clouds and thought that any moment there would be a thunderstorm.

Luckily nothing happened while Richie was in the park, and the dogs had a great time.

Later on after we had gone to sleep there was a thunderstorm which went on for hours, every time I thought it was finished there was another roll of thunder.

It was accompanied by torrential rain which lasted all night until it was daylight.

The noise of the storm and the rain was soon replaced by the sound of birds on the bird feeder outside the bedroom window.

There were jackdaws who like the fat balls and parakeets that come for the peanuts as well as blue and great tits.

We have been thinking about putting a web cam on the balcony so that we can see exactly which birds visit our bird feeder.

A couple weeks ago a woodpecker was one of the visitors; at our last apartment we saw 24 types of birds in the garden behind us.

We saw sparrows in the garden but since we're live here I have not seen any not surprisingly as they like to stay close to the ground.

The other reason we don't see them so much is that they are becoming almost extinct in the Netherlands.

Despite the storm last night I somehow managed to sleep which was good, today is the third day of the bacteria treatment and it is going well.

Next week Tuesday Richie has an appointment with our doctor, so she can take swabs in order to check if the treatment has been successful.

I expect we will have to wait at least a week to get the results back from the laboratory so we have to be patient and hope it has worked.

It will be brilliant if Richie is finally cured of this horrible skin infection which has been so painful for him for the last four years.

More Waiting.

Oscar Dominguez

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Dom%C3%ADnguez

The weather is still miserable, at the moment I can hear thunder, the clouds are dark and the sun came out like a last hurrah before a storm.

This afternoon I had a pleasant visit from Anja, we had arranged it when she was here two weeks ago to assist me with some paperwork.

Today we had intended to brainstorm how to get Amsterdam Council to install the air conditioning.

Yesterday I received an e-mail from my case manager informing me that the council had decided to give me one mobile air-conditioning unit.

When Anja telephoned Mrs Yildiz in order to get more information about this, she was told she did not work on Wednesdays.

Anja will telephone her again tomorrow morning and see if she can obtain more information from Mrs Yildiz then.

I'm curious how they will install it, maybe they think we have ordinary windows under which you can place a mobile air-conditioning unit and hang the extractor tube out of the window.

This is not possible in our apartment as all the windows go from floor to ceiling,

the mobile unit that we have does not work well at all because we can't put it under a window.

The only place Richie could find was next to the toilet door, he cut a round hole in the wall for the extractor hose.

The hot air goes into the toilet where we have the extractor fan running continuously, this makes the toilet unusable because of the hot air.

The other problem is that the extractor tube is not long enough for the unit to be put in the bedroom so it’s near the door.

Which means it is not as effective as it should be if we could install it correctly, it will be very interesting to get more information tomorrow after Anja’s call.

While Anja was here she got a call from Paul Loos from De Alliantie my landlords, who she tried to contact on Monday about the whole air-conditioning saga.

She explained that we've now heard Amsterdam Council was going to give me one mobile air-conditioning unit.

However we have no further information, we don't even know how or even if they will install it, Paul Loos asked to be kept informed.

More waiting hopefully some answers tomorrow and who knows there may even be a resolution in sight.

The Never Ending Skin Problems.

 

Jan Toorop

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Toorop

Today there is still dense cloud cover and it is very cool, in fact it is quite cold definitely October weather not summer weather appropriate for July.

We have had to start a new routine which will last for five days; Richie apparently has some bacteria which is resistant to antibiotics.

So we have to use a special lotion for hair and body which has to stay on for 3 minutes before showering off.

After the shower we both have to have some cream put into our nostrils, and Richie has to take antibiotics specifically for these bacteria as well as apply cream.

This helps explain why Richie’s skin kept getting one after the other of this horrible reaction, it damages the skin on his hands and feet.

No wonder that it kept coming back; Richie has had this recurring problem for the last four years, but never so often as this year.

When it starts affecting his hands everything Richie does is painful and seeing as he has to look after me, it means constant use of his hands.

Hoisting me out of bed, removing clothes showering me and drying, manicures and pedicures plus plucking my facial hair.

As well as constantly having to adjust my position both in the shower chair and in bed.

Not pleasant sight having to witness Richie's discomfort when he has to carry out these tasks, which have to be done day and night.

The lotion for hair and body is not the nicest fragrance but that is a minor inconvenience compared to the pain and discomfort Richie has had to put up with.

We are both hopeful that this course of treatment will finally be the solution for Richie seemingly never ending skin problems; it would be excellent if that were the case.

The Never Ending Story.

 

Jan Toorop

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Toorop 

The news last Wednesday of the council’s negative decision concerning installing air-conditioning, despite my winning the appeal on 16th of May, upset us.

Both my posts were about this news, after I'd written and published on Thursday, I decided to put everything out of my mind until the next week.

Later on Thursday night I was relaxed, ready to go to sleep with no conscious thoughts in my mind, when instantly I started thinking about the airco.

I told Richie, he said try to think of something else which I did, surprisingly it worked well, the thought was Yorkshire pudding.

A good blog friend Muff, put forward a suggestion of starting a petition, her other suggestion was to start a Face book page to protest against Amsterdam Council's callous and arbitrary decision.

I like both of the suggestions, a petition sounds good, so does a Face book page, trouble is I really haven't got the energy to do either; I don't have any objections to anybody else doing this.

I've identified three places to register protest against the negative advice concerning the air conditioning.

First of all there is the Amsterdam ombudsman for whom I have this e-mail address: info@gemeentelijkeombudsman.nl

The ombudsman is the place for all complaints against the council, here is also the telephone number 020 6259999 you can telephone between 10 and 12 every weekday morning.

The investigator for the Council in this case is Hans de Graaf, he works for Mozaak who assess handicapped peoples applications, and his e-mail address is Hans.de.Graaf@mozaak.nl.

Then there is the person responsible for the decision in this matter, Mrs Yildiz she works for the legal department of Amsterdam Council.

Telephone; 0031 20 552 7151/7512

When I had written this, I received an e-mail from my case manager, to tell me that the council had decided to give me one air-conditioning unit.

She congratulated me; the problem is one unit is not the answer for this apartment, as the windows are from floor-to-ceiling.

A separate air-conditioning unit needs to be positioned under a window which you open enough to hang out the extractor tube.

Funnily despite the council’s zeal for investigations, they did not bother to check whether an individual air-conditioning unit would work here.

When Amsterdam Council refused my application in 2011, we had a heat wave.

So Richie brought one of these units in the hope that it would help me,

sadly because of the windows we cannot use it.

Today is 10^th of July, the investigation was closed on 19^th of June and I have not heard from Amsterdam Council.

Who Knows.

 Jan Toorop

It's amazing that after a miserable looking day, which was preceded by rain all night and then suddenly at 19.00 there is a glimmer of sunshine.

I'm watching the television without the sound so that I can dictate today's post while at the same time watching the final at Wimbledon between Andy Murray and Roger Federer.

Tennis really is not something that interests me greatly; however it would be brilliant if Murray were to win against Federer.

It's been really amusing hearing English radio and TV describe Andy Murray as British, when he got to the final.

The BBC had Go Andy on the screens, nice to hear them being so encouraging about Murray; I hope it continues regardless of the outcome of the match.

Despite really not being interested in tennis I wish now that I understood scoring then maybe I would know exactly what was going on.

My disinterest in tennis occurred because of what happened at a school I attended in England. 

I started there in September 1964 and happily played hockey which I've never done before, I enjoyed it tremendously and I was very good at it too once I had been shown how to play.

The summer term meant that instead of hockey we would now have to play tennis, of which I also did not have any experience.

In Trinidad I had enjoyed playing rounders at school which I was good at and I was always picked to play in the school team.

When the tennis teacher heard that I could not play tennis, instead of showing me how to play she gave me a racket and a ball and told me to go and hit the ball against the fence surrounding the court.

I thought this was just a one off but every time we had tennis that was what I was doing, it was horrible for me, extremely boring too.

Basically the teacher could not be bothered to do the job she was paid for; instead she opted to do nothing to help me learn how to play tennis.

Because this teacher was not interested enough to do her job I never learnt how to play, what a shame, maybe I would have been good at tennis.

I am sure that if the tennis teacher had done her job, I would have enjoyed playing, and who knows maybe I would have been good at it too.

  

Keep A Balance.

Jan Toorop 

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/jan-toorop

Since Wednesday the days were really difficult for me because it was such shocking news about the air conditioning that it got me quite depressed.

Which is not how I want to be, especially as depression is one of the side-effects of Multiple Sclerosis.

I'm sure that depression can cause a lot of damage; something that I want to avoid is much as I can, for a brief period the news totally demoralised me.

Somehow I will have to try to keep a balance and not get too involved with fighting for my rights, but on the hand I don't intend to give up any time soon.

The whole way this is being handled just shows what the Amsterdam Council thinks of my application for air conditioning, they seem to think it is a frivolous request.

Of course it is not frivolous it is a vital necessity, Wednesdays heat wave confirmed once again why I needed it.

If I didn't get physically sick and unable to function due to the heat I would not want air conditioning.

In my opinion air conditioning is one of the contributors to global warming and the destruction of our weather systems.

My earliest memory of air conditioning was in the 50s in Trinidad, when an American school friend took a little group of us to her house.

I remember thinking that her house felt like a deep freeze which I did not like; I also recall being offered strange cheese sandwiches.

It was cheese like I've never seen nor eaten before; bright orange cheese spread in a jar, the other option was hot dogs, also orange.

I remember tentatively trying both but I could not manage to eat them, I was very glad to get home to a delicious curry.

The only other time I've experienced air conditioning was in 1997 when I visited Trinidad for the first time since 1962 when we had left.

The other thing I never thought I'd be using here in Amsterdam is mosquito nets, which we both have so that we can get a good nights sleep.

That is much better than swatting mosquitoes all night which is something that we had to do, especially in the last 10 years.

Today I feel a lot better especially as yesterday and today it has been cooler which is made my life a lot easier.

My intention now is to relax as much as I can and enjoy the weekend with my Darling Richie and our three delightful dogs.

Amsterdam Council is callous and arbitrary to the handicapped.

 Jan Muller, 1957.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_M%C3%BCller_%28artist%29 

Yesterday I sent an e-mail to Hans de Graaf from Mozaak, the investigator for Amsterdam Council.

In the e-mail I asked for an explanation why I had heard that he apparently sent me another e-mail on 12^th of June asking further questions, which I never received.

Apparently on 19^th of June having not heard anything from me and not being bothered to telephone me or send me an e-mail.

He decided to give a negative advice and close the case, which was then sent to the council’s legal department.

I received a brief response from him today with no explanation whatsoever just telling me he had completed his investigation.

So much for his so-called sympathetic understanding of my position as an MS sufferer.

Which he mentioned in his e-mail of 12^th of June, he even said it was not his intention to give a negative decision, but he had to make an inventory of all the information.

Today he told me that in due course I would receive a letter informing me of the Councils decision, and that was all the explanation he gave me.

Amazing given that he had told my friend more when she telephoned him, that he'd sent additional questions in an e-mail on 12^th of June which I had not replied to, so the investigation was closed by him on 19^th of June.

He also told my friend that there had been unanswered questions about our apartment, he wondered whether there was something structurally wrong with the apartment.

Apparently this is the responsibility of our landlord; I am really amazed that this is an issue, as I had answered a question about this, saying that the only problem was my having multiple sclerosis and not the apartment.

However seeing as I am communicating with bureaucrats, I shouldn't be surprised at their callous and arbitrary manner of dealing with vulnerable people such as myself.

I really wish I could expose this, but it really is difficult to get support here in the Netherlands, it is not encouraged.

When I was trapped for one year while I waited for a new apartment on the second floor of our old apartment.

 Because I could not walk the stairs I tried to get newspapers interested in my situation so that they would write about it but nobody was interested.

It was quite a shock for me to discover this, the only time there was some interest was when I could not use a newly built swimming pool which supposedly was accessible for handicapped people, but wasn't.

Then the local paper printed a small piece about it and I was in a radio programme by telephone, 5 minutes of publicity which never resulted in any action.

The only good thing to come of it all was that I started my blog in August 2006 because I needed somewhere to express how I felt about having multiple sclerosis.

Shocking News.

 

    

Jan Muller, 1957.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_M%C3%BCller_%28artist%29       

Today I'm recovering from an extremely humid day yesterday, as well as the shock of hearing the latest news about the air conditioning.

The friend, who represented me at my appeal hearing on 9^th of May against the Amsterdam Councils decision to refuse me urgently needed air conditioning, telephoned them yesterday.       

She wanted to find out for me when the council intended to get around to actually installing the air conditioning.

She was informed that another e-mail with more questions for me to answer was sent on 12^th of June, when they did not get a reply they sent a  letter on 19^th of June.

The letter was to inform me that the advice was negative and they were closing the case immediately.

Both my friend and I were shocked at this news, the only e-mail I received on 12^th of June was one from the investigator Hans de Graaf explaining his investigation.

In the e-mail he apologised if he'd upset me, that was not his intention however he did have to ask questions.

Apart from his apology and explanation there were no questions in this e-mail nor did I receive any letters in the post from either the investigator or the council.

This afternoon I sent an e-mail to Hans de Graaf, it was very short and to the point I just said no e-mail with questions was received on the 12^th of June neither had I had a letter in the post.

I asked for an explanation as to why the case was now closed, I wonder when I will get response, as its July I stand more of a chance of getting an out of office reply.

This really is an incredible state of affairs; it is as if Amsterdam Council were above the law by deciding arbitrarily to close the case.

I almost want to re-read the court decision of the 16^th of June which informed me that my case had been accepted by the court and I had won my appeal.

It was particularly horrible to get this news on the hottest day so far this summer, on Tuesday it was 18° and yesterday it went up to 28° and it was humid.

The humidity made me feel physically sick and I could not do much on the computer, my left index finger was floppy and could not function at all.

The air conditioning is a vital necessity for me now, yet Amsterdam Council seems to think that is not urgently needed.

They have Zero understanding about disabilities especially the effects of a debilitating disease like Multiple Scleroses.

Their only interest is in their careers not in the people they are supposed to be assisting, burocrats love ticking boxes and saving money.

No Compensation For Going Outside

Guillermo Kutica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_Kuitca
http://painters-table.com/link/literal/guillermo-kuitca-painting-resistance-movement

It's Wednesday today, and we had an appointment with Milou, the specialist wound nurse from the Rehabilitation Clinic.

We thought we had plenty time before she got here and Richie was just about to start cutting my hair when the Bell rang and our expected visitor had arrived early.

The dogs gave her a rousing welcome which she likes because she's a doggy person, then Milou could concentrate on the reason for her visit.

These visits are not my favourite but they have to happen, apparently there was progress, the wound has got smaller.

Milou advised us to use another dressing from today, she brought some with her, it is called Aquaseal, it turns out that we still have quite a lot from 2010.

I was happy to notice that Richie was putting less into the wound so that confirms for me that it is indeed getting smaller.

How I wish this was happening at the beginning of June then I might stand a chance of it healing totally before August.

Who knows what can happen, the first time this happened it took a long time but then it was suddenly healed up.

I'm holding out for a pleasant surprise if not for Angela’s visit in August then maybe at the end of the month.

Right now I don't care when as long as it happens so that my world can be expanded again.

Being in one room no matter how lovely is no compensation for not being able to go out and see the city I live in.

Even though I make the best of it by being optimistic and enjoying everything I can around me, none of this compensates me for being stuck in bed.

No wonder that I started eating too many tamarind sweets and Bombay mix, I was shocked in May when Jaya took photos during her visit.

As soon as I saw how fat I had become, my decision was made, to immediately stop snacking, which I did and now I've lost all that weight.

I'm really happy about that as I don't think it's a good idea to put on lots of weight being so handicapped.

No sweets or Bombay mix since May has been great, since then I've been eating small portions of soft fruit which is much nicer than processed foods.

First I will edit this piece, find artwork, post after which I'm going to relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening with Richie.

THC Helps Me.

Patrick Jones

http://patrickjonesabstractartist.co.uk/

 It is another grey dreary looking day; Richie says that despite how it looks it is a mild day outside.

He has taken the dogs to the local park from which they will return excited and looking forward to their dinners.

Judging by their excitement before they left, and the fact that Richie had been down to the pet shop it must be tripe for their dinner.

It took Richie sometime to get me sitting well, I'm glad he did because I'm still sitting good, some 40 minutes later which is excellent.

Of course keeping my position is helped by the fact that it's not ridiculously warm, as it often is at this time of year.

Now that the Euro 2012 football tournament is over everything seemed a little flat the day after which is often the case after such a competition.

Still it's not long to go now and the new football season 2012/13 will be starting in August which I am looking forward to.

Angela a good friend from England will be visiting us from 9th of August until 13^th of August, I was hoping to be able to go out with her but it's not looking very likely at this moment.

Just like I had hoped to have gone out when our lovely friend Jaya visited us at the beginning of May and that very sadly did not happen, and I am still in bed now.

I'm still doing my best to remain optimistic that the open wound will heal so that I can sit in my wheelchair again, hopefully while it's still summer.

We were really so hopeful in February when the old pressure wound scar broke open that it wouldn't take long.

Now it's already over four months since the 23^rd of February when Richie discovered blood on my leggings.

Usually I manage to put it out of my mind and just concentrate on getting on with daily life; it often pops into my mind as I am drifting off to sleep.

The effect of such a thought always wakes me up and I have to do my best to forget about it and concentrate on not thinking.

So often trying not to think only seems to produce more thoughts, what does seem to work is to imagine being somewhere else.

One that works for me is imagining that I'm in a lighthouse looking out to sea and I'm watching the waves crashing against the rocks below.

Last night I had no such problems as the THC soon had me drifting off to sleep.

Illusion And Make-Believe

 

Goncalo Ivo

Pano de Costa, 2009

 

Yesterday was the final of the Euro 2012 Football Tournament, it was between Italy and Spain, the winners of the 2008 Euro as well as the 2010 World Cup.

We were hoping for another wonderful performance from Italy, like the one against Germany, where Mario Ballotelli scored two great goals in the first 15 minutes.

Which set the tone for the entire game, and Italy beat Germany 2-0, we were both hoping for such a performance last night.

While Italy did force Spain to play differently for the first half, it also meant that it was difficult for them to keep the ball as Spain constantly took control.

During the first 15 min of the game David Silva headed in a goal and within another 4 minutes Xavi Hernandez had made it two, well before half time.

Italy had played well during the whole tournament but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished when their third substitute Thiago Motta suffered a hamstring injury within minutes of coming on.

It left Italy with nobody else to bring on, so they had to play on with 10 men, which left them vulnerable.

Fernando Torres got the third goal followed by a fourth from Juan Mata who scored within minutes of coming on.

Spain could have scored more goals, but fortunately Buffon Italy’s great goalkeeper saved the others.

It was very sad to see the disappointed Italian team at the end of the game, the Spanish team and supporters on the other hand were jubilant.

How typical of these tournaments to produce surprises, like Spain winning the tournament for the second time.

I hope another team wins next time to keep the Euro tournament interesting, it would be dreadful if it always was the same few teams who won every time.

It would feel like the illusion of our democratic elections when it is always a matter of choosing one of the same parties each time, not a real choice I think, just make-believe that we have the ability to choose freely.

Interaction With Friends.

              

Anthonio Carneiro

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant%C3%B3nio_Carneiro 

Luckily for me today is another changeable day with loads of clouds and a cool breeze, amazingly it's already the 1^st of July.

Quite unbelievable given the cool weather we've been having since May, it really is either April weather or autumn, not summer which it’s supposed to be.

Still feel quite mean hoping for cool days, hot and humid weather like on Wednesday is quite catastrophic for me.

On Wednesday I couldn't do anything apart from look at my blog as my index finger could not function in the heat and I felt terrible.

All I could do was to open posts and save as drafts so that I could write up my notes the following day.

On Thursday there was breeze which helped me to function better than the day before, it was quite a relief for me and I'm sure for many others too with Multiple Sclerosis.

I really hate looking forward to it being cool and overcast, that really is not me I'm somebody that loves sunshine and still do as long as the temperature does not get any higher than 24° with breeze.

Our good friend Anja visited us on Friday, which was lovely it really is nice to have friends around; sadly her visit was short.

Visits with her are always too short and no wonder as it always such a pleasure to see a good friend like Anja.

We discussed the council and we agreed that if I had not heard anything on Wednesday, I would let her know and she will phone the council to enquire.

On Friday Anja’s partner Erik and their son Bosse came by to pick her up, it was really nice to see both of them again.

It is noticeable how few people we see on a regular basis, but that's how it has been for quite some time, especially since I became less mobile.

It was not so obvious when we were both still could go out to work and after work we could stroll around and enjoy this beautiful city and see friends.

Then I became handicapped and had to stop work, ever since then our world has become smaller, which we try our best to ameliorate as much as possible.

These days any interaction with friends is so good for us, it really is enjoyable spending time with other people and engaging with different ideas.