Don't Hold Your Breath

Am I going loopy, it seems I have had to reset passwords all over the place, it is difficult to remember my name let alone what password I used where. There must be something in the pipe line that will be safe and do away with passwords especially for us senior surfers.

My friend and I have booked for an outdoor concert this coming Saturday, what’s the betting that after all this good weather we get a wet day. Just have to keep the picnic dry can’t cope with soggy sandwiches.

We went to a local National Trust house last weekend where there was a Jazz Band playing, it was a take your own chairs and picnic do in the garden. I think I am hooked; the band was fantastic but the weather was a bit cooler than expected. If it had been any cooler I may have had to give in to Parky he doesn’t do cold but I managed and so did he.

I got talking to the lady next to me as you do just as it was coming to a close and she told us about this next one so as soon as I got home I was on the internet. The tickets are now in front of me, not bad going. Heard about it Sunday ordered tickets Monday and here they are on Tuesday way to go.

Friday the local Parkinson’s support group is meeting at the local seal sanctuary, might be interesting for the inmates to get a look at us, so here’s hoping for a fine day. I must remember my camera may get some unusual shots.

Now going to rack my brain and see if I can think of a way to replace passwords. Who knows I might make a mint. Don’t hold your breath.

Smell the Roses

I have had a message from a lady who follows my blog and it has got me thinking.

Her comment was

We think we are super woman but maybe Parky is telling us....time to smell the roses and be good to ourselves.

I don’t think we are geared to putting of ourselves first, it’s not until it was pointed out to me that by doing all the things that we think we have to do we are not helping ourselves and not helping others.

It is fine to say no I can’t manage that, rather than stress yourself out. In fact someone else may do the task better, not that we like to think that.

So now I am going to smell the roses and the honeysuckle and who knows what else there is to smell.

Coming to terms with our capabilities is the hardest thing but fighting it only encourages Parky to get a foot hold. So as I said in one of my last blogs it really is a case of CHILL.

What is the use of getting worked up about something that we can do nothing about?

 My pills seem to be balanced, I am enjoying driving again, and the sun is shining, what more can a girl ask for?

Don’t answer that.

Accepting Help

The day I realised I had to get help and not try to do everything myself happened not that long ago.

I was trying to sort out my garden and thought my summer house had seem much better days so it had to go. The slabs that it stood on could be used elsewhere in the garden and the space turfed making a nice area of grass for the grandchildren to play.

But as usual I wanted it done yesterday; I thought I would just take a few pieces off the summerhouse just to get things started I had removed quite a few screws and had got the ladder out to start demolishing the roof.

I had a flash of realisation, what the fluff was I doing? The whole thing could collapse or I could fall of the ladder, no one would know I was in trouble and no mobile phone in pocket for this escapade. So I came inside and found my local paper and searched for a man who can. I have given in to having a cleaner once a week and now a gardener, with hindsight I should have done it sooner but then hindsight is a wonderful thing.

By accepting I can’t do all the things I expected myself to do I now have time to do things that are less stressful and keeps Parky from getting his foot in the door.

Do you think I am learning?

Left Pills at Home Again

The Parkinson’s support group that I belong to went to a place called Harrington Hall last Sunday for a musical afternoon.

There were two singers both of them local and boy were they good. It was a hot sunny day ideal for going round the gardens afterwards but this idiot left her pills on the side in the kitchen. I was so annoyed with myself I had been looking forward to a nice amble round such a beautiful place.

I didn’t dare stay much longer than pill time as I knew that I would start to get stiff and I was the driver, so the three people with me had to go home as well. It really was a BUM BUM BUM moment.

It was a bit of a help that I had pill popped just before I left so it got me through the concert it would have been terrible if I had gone stiff while sitting there and not been able to get home. Still Harrington Hall is a nice place to get stranded but the owners would have had a bit of a shock had my mate Parky made himself known.

The concert was in aid of another Parkinson’s group, the subject being “Songs from the Shows” lots of familiar songs as well as a few I didn’t know and as I have said all sung beautifully.

There were a lot of Parky people and it was interesting to see the various symptoms, can I now spot Parkinson’s? I think maybe I can.   

JUST CHILL

Today I am waiting around for someone to get my hot water working. I know I should be patient but I do hate not knowing what’s happening.

I want to keep myself busy so that I won’t get stressed, so as I have been saying to others JUST CHILL girl. Do I stand a chance?

I am trying to think what has happened to me since my last blog, gosh I have just looked at my last blog and it is about a month since I did one.

We have had another Parkinson’s meeting this time we had Misty, a lovely lady who had us doing exercises while sat in our chairs. Even though we were sat it was a good workout. When she did exercises to get our brains working that caused a few strange actions, changing from doing right leg and right hand to right hand and left leg even confused the ones without Parkinson’s.

I have my heating engineer YIPPI.

I had a break in Southport with my local holiday club and managed to stay safe and sound, my only mishap was locking myself out of my room and as it was as far away from reception as you could possibly get I rang a friend to ring down to get someone to let me in as I couldn’t face the trek.

I did not let many people know as I am still getting a lot of flak from my little escapade on the Isle of White. (Read 999 blog)

Over the last few months I have been trying acupuncture and also some homeopathic pills, I feel a lot less stressed in fact I was running late for my last appointment and didn’t even worry about it. How’s that for progress?

Heating engineer has gone, now to put everything back in the airing cupboard, maybe a little chocolate break first!

Head in Sand

These last few weeks have been different to say the least and to be fair to Parky he hasn’t been as bad as I thought he would be. Maybe sticking my head in the sand and trying to ignore a lot of what’s going on around me has helped.

My mum has gone into residential care, which has left us feeling very guilty, but also rather relieved that she is being looked after.

Number 1 daughter has told me that when it’s my turn she will just say remember Nana and I will know that’s it is no good being difficult. (I can’t think why she gets this idea that I of all people will be difficult)

Yesterday being the last Friday in the month it was our local Parkinson meeting, I look forward to it as we have some very nice members. We had a lady from the local hospice that came to talk to us about the work they do. There is a day centre that anyone with life changing conditions can go to even if it only for information.

The hospice in question was the same one that my husband had been into many times and indeed where he died, even after 12 years I found myself getting very emotional.

I can talk about his illness and what he went through to anyone else but as soon as I meet anyone from St Barnabas and want to say what a wonderful place it is with such a dedicated staff I go to pieces.

Maybe I should take the bull by the horns and go visit the Hospice and sort of lay a ghost to rest, any way enough of that it must be chocolate time.

Now let me see where did I hide that last bar?