I went to see another Flower Festival yesterday, this time the theme was "The Magical Kingdom" and had displays all based on Disney films. Many were well known and familiar ones to me like Bambi, Snow White, Lady & the Tramp, but some I`d not heard of, such as this one which I took a picture of.




It`s a disney film called "Mulan". Wonder if anyone else has heard of it? Apparently its the retelling of an old Chinese folktale. 

A Blessing in Disguise

If you`ve missed my blog entries this week its because I`ve been off line for a while. I was trying to get my laptop on to a wireless connection, and having got the neccessary equipment from my internet supplier and being told I would just need to unplug the current Broadband items and plugged in the new one, I expected it to work immediately. I suppose that was naive of me really to expect it to be that simple!

I knew that I had some emails awaiting me, and one in particular I was anxious to read. So, as I was unable to read it, and I was so desparate for the help I hoped it would give me on some personal matters that I rang the person up to see if I could have a printed copy of what it contained. But, instead of getting a printed version, I had a conversation with the person and found it was far more helpful to talk to someone, however stumbling my words came out.

Emails are great, but I found in this instance it was so much better to actually hear a voice and even in spells of quiet within the call, to just know that someone was there at the other end of the line with me was reassuring and comforting. And, although the problems weren`t completely solved I felt a lot better afterwards.

So, losing my connection for a day or so, was a "blessing in disguise".

God moves in mysterious ways........

Got it!

After spending over two hours working on it, I`m feeling pleased with myself as I think I`ve succeeded.
I`ve been connecting and disconnecting leads, plugs, sockets, crawling round on the floor to get to several of them, diving under tables, pulling out a desk to get to a lead which went behind it.... Why is it that sockets are in such awkward places, and connection point on equipent at the back so that one has to pull them out to get to it. Anyway eventually I got it working...what am I talking about, probably something that`s simple to many of you, but at least I`ve done it now.... got my laptop linked up with a wireless connection to the Internet. And, if I`ve got it right, this post will come from it.

Logic

One of the pastimes I enjoy is doing logic puzzles in books and magazines. Infact I have occasionally created some puzzles and did a few years ago even get a couple published in one of the monthly books of them. So, I couldn`t resist doing this quiz to see how logical I am!

You Are Incredibly Logical

Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

Blog Motto

I wonder what people`s blog motto would be? I think mine will be "If you`ve nothing to say give `em a picture!"

So, here`s a picture for today.



So.... it`s a household item, but what is it?

Dainty Beauty

I saw this flower the other day and was captured by its delicate beauty. But, I don`t know what it is. The plant was about 2 - 3 ft tall. It was in natural surroundings, so is it a cultivated flower, or is it a weed?

Nothing to say

"If you`ve not got anything sensible to say, don`t say anything"....
I can remember that being said to me years and years ago. Maybe that`s why I`m such a quiet person, and find it very difficult to start up conversations with people.

Anyway, I`m not going to `run on` today. I can`t think of anything to say. That`s why there was no post yesterday either, and only this squit today!

Perhaps tomorrow will be better for ideas.

New kind of Post

I made a very useful discovery a few weeks ago - a much better way to post letters than to queue up at a post office for ages to buy the necessary stamps. I can print my own postage paid labels on here. Wonder if anyone else has found that out?

No Idea

I`ve no idea what to write about today. I said yesterday that I`d try and write more interesting posts this week... but my mind just won`t get there, so I`ll try to do better tomorrow. But, you know how the saying goes "Tomorrow never comes". Oh well, wait and see.

Two weeks today

Two weeks today I should be several miles away from home. Don`t get me wrong, I do like my home, but at them moment I need a break from it. If you`ve been reading my blog this week, you`ll have realised how I feel and that I want and need a break on my own. I shan`t though be on my own as I`m going to stay with friends, but it will be a break away from the responsiblities of here which are weighing heavily on me at present and getting me down, so there I know I will be able to have a rest and relax.

I`ll try and write more interesting posts this coming week, but I just had to pour things out somewhere over the last few days and the blog seemed the best place.

Taxi anyone?

My parents didn`t drive, but I was encouraged or should I say "persuaded" to learn to drive about 14 years ago now, just after my Dad died, by my doctor as a means of helping my self-confidence and to give me independence. I passed my test second time, having failed the first one through being too cautious. Learning to drive was one of the best things I`ve ever done and I love driving. My biggest regret though, is that I didn`t do it while Dad was alive so that he could have enjoyed outings with me.

But, now I`m getting very frustrated and fed by by seeming to be seen as a taxi service, not only for my parent (which is I suppose natural), but now too she assumes that I`ll take her friend here and there and to this and that appointment he has regardless of what I`m doing or planning to do. It`s "I told D you`d take him to........." not asking me first are you able to take ........ It`s most annoying but what can I do?

Disappointment

Living with my parent, (or I should say having my parent live with me, as it`s my house), and having just spent another holiday with her, I was looking forward to having at least a weeks break and having the house to myself this coming week. But now that`s not to be. The person she was going away with is unable to go, so she cancelled too. I am so disappointed. I really need some time to myself.

It is so frustrating, she`s getting so demanding, so slow, so irritable, it takes me twice as long to do anything, go anywhere. I want my home to be a home not turning into a nursing home with rails, high loo seats, high chairs. Everything has to be "her", she doesn`t stop to think how I feel about things. I feel that my life is going past but it`s not my life, I`m not being able to do what I want, to be Me.

I`ve got no brothers or sisters or anyone to say all this to, so sorry my readers, but I`ll have to write it here instead.

Is it wrong to want my own "space", time to be me, to do what I want to do?

"Did you enjoy your holiday?"

"Did you enjoy your holiday?", "Did you have a good holiday?"... so many people have asked me that question in the last few days, and I`ve found myself automatically replying, "Yes, thanks, it was lovely, the weather was good".......etc. But really that is the polite answer. I wonder why it is, that when asked such questions we always (or at least I know I do), tend to give the answer we think the other person wants to hear and not the real answer to the question, which probably they haven`t got time to listen to anyway.

The truthful answer to Did I enjoy my holiday, would actually be I enjoyed some of it, but not all. A lot of the time I found it very hard work, very difficult coping with pushing a wheelchair everywhere, always thinking what can be done or where visited with an elderly person. It, to be blunt - felt a huge tie. I couldn`t just go for a walk along the cliffs, or to picturesque old towns with narrow, steep, winding streets or anything like that. It`s surprising how even a promenade which looks level and flat, actual isn`t, it leans towards the beach - I suppose to send any sea water back the right way when it splashes over - but it makes it very arm aching holding a wheelchair with more pressure on one side than the other. I had anxiety too over whether my parent was alright, especially when she wasn`t well one day, and then on the morning that we were due to come home, when I went into her room in the morning she told me she`d been sick in the night which made me very on edge as to whether she`d be ok travelling home. The whole while it was so very taxing, I couldn`t relax.

I`ve come back feeling tireder (is there such a word as that?) more tired, than before I went.

Holiday Shopping

Looking at all the merchandise on sale in the stores in the shopping centre while on holiday, when I had time to go round, and round and round the shops pushing my parent, it really made me wonder, does it all get sold? How much do the stores actually sell at full price, because everywhere you went there were signs - half price, 50% off, buy one get one free. Are goods originally priced so high, that these offers can be made to be seeming bargains when infact they are the price one should be paying for the item?

Holiday experiences (3)

LOCKED IN?

I frightened myself one day on my holiday. I think I`ve written here before about my fear and hate of being shut in anywhere, well, while on holiday I happened to go into a public loo, going into the cubical the door slammed shut behind me as soon as I entered. I didn`t like that sensation. It wasn`t a very well lit place and was all dark brown paint. Going to leave the cubical I turned the lock back and the door wouldn`t budge, immediately I started to panic. There was no-one else in there, and not many people at that site, I kept turning the lock knob this way and that, pushing the door, but nothing gave. I looked at the gap at the bottom of the door, but decided it wasn`t big enough for me to limbo under. I knew my parent was in the car, but not very mobile and wondered how long it would be before she came to find me, and I knew she`d be worried when I failed to return. Should I start to shout for help? Would anyone hear me? What should I do?

The toilet roll was hanging on the back of the door, I thought frantically perhaps if I shove hard on that it will help to move/open the door - pushing on that by now in desparation, although it had only been a very few minutes that I`d been in there, I found the toilet roll moved easily, downwards, and the door opened easily! It turned out that the roll had been hanging on the handle of the door that one just needed to press down to open it, but with the darkness of the surroundings I hadn`t been able to see that. Was I relieved!

Holiday experiences (2)

Talking or should I say writing about rain greeting us at our holiday destination, it reminded me of a holiday many years ago when we went to Dover. That was quite an "adventurous" holiday in more ways than one! We arrived there in a torrential storm, thunder, lighning and pouring rain, so much rain that the streets were flooded including the road where our guest house was. Climbing the steps to it and ringing the bell, there was no reply, we waited and waited and eventually after a long time a lady came racing along the road. Not a very good welcome.

Then one night during that holiday, I was sound asleep - it was in the days before we really had the need to lock doors - I was woken by giggling voices and discovered a young man carring a (I assume) girlfriend into the room ready to get into bed...... ! I don`t know who had the greatest shock, them or me!

And another strange thing about that place was that although you met and passed people on the stairs, or they burst into your bedroom, you never saw them again during the whole of the stay. Odd.

HOLIDAY EXPERIENCES

I took my laptop on holiday with me, so wrote a diary entry each day, and here you can read about some of my holiday happenings.

Day 1. It was a bright although not sunny morning when we loaded the car up and set off for our holiday, but part way along the clouds thickened and became showers of rain. For the first year that I can remember we arrived at this holiday destination in rain, usually the sun had shone. To see where we are staying have a look here - you`ll also see the view I had from my bedroom window, which was the left hand one of the two bay windows at the top of the building.

Day 2. Well, what an strange night that turned out to be. I was awoken from sleep at around 2.30 a.m. by sounds of lumping and bumping coming from another room. It sounded as if they were moving all the furniture around, slamming doors as they did so, then there were voices of people talking, which got louder and louder, a mans voice and a high pitched femail voice which seemed at time to be whining and wailing. This kept up for two hours. I felt I wanted to get up and go on knock on the door, if I`d known which door it was, it was loud so I assumed it was from the one next to me or opposite me, and remind them that people were trying to sleep. Needless to say, I didn`t venture out of my room to do so, I just laid there unable to sleep getting more and more irritated and wishing I was at home and not come away on holiday, because one comes away to have a rest. Eventually after a couple of hours it went quiet and eventually I slept till the alarm woke me. Going down to breakfast in the morning, we were told the reason for the disturbance - a couple had been having a punch up in their room (the room under mine) and the proprieter had had to call the police, to take the man away!
Let me hasten to add, that the hotel is in a good area and this was a most unusual occurance.

Day 3. Walked miles today! the sun shone and it was beautiful by the sea. Strange isn`t it, that although I live by the sea, I see more of the sea when I`m away on holiday than I do at home. I suppose there its something I just take for granted, yet, I know I couldn`t live inland or away from it somehow. Once having a holiday away from the sea it just didn`t seem right. Maybe it too goes back to feeling shut in, with buildings all around instead of somehow the openness of the sea on one side

Day 4. "An ill wind...." . My parent didn`t feel very well this morning so was unable to go out. So, I spent a pleasant morning wandering around the shops on my own, and then an afternoon walking and sitting on the sea front, enjoying the sun and the breeze. I shouldn`t say it, but it was nice today to get a day to myself!

Day 5. We found Paradise this morning. A place full of the history of how the earth had evolved, fossils from thousands and millions of years ago. Plants from all around the world - I`ve never seen so many cacti all in one place before!

Paths through gardens with interesting features at every twist and turn, relief from the heat of the sun in the shade of hedges and trees, ponds and streams all full of fish. I was very taken by the pure gold colouring of one of them in particular, I`ve seen gold fish and shades of yellows before but this one was like a metallic 24 carat gold. The trail was quiet and peaceful, we scarcely met another soul as we followed the arrows around the route, giving us time to stand and stare and enjoy.
(to see more, look here)

Day 6. A friend came and joined me today, so, "parking" my parent in her chair for a while we went off for a long walk and a natter. How good it was to have someone to walk my speed with, to exchange news and talk about nothing in particular. We discovered talking together that we both feel lonely at times and feel isolated through being single, finding it difficult to make friends with others. It was in some ways good to know that someone else feels the same as I do, but doesn`t solve the problem. Still we both enjoyed getting together today and catching up on things, and the sun shone again.

Day 7. Round and round the shops. The majority of today was spent pushing my parent around the shopping centre, and in and out of gift shops, book shops, clothes shops, stationers and many more. Not that I minded doing it, and it gave her an opportunity she seldom has of going round large stores and I quite enjoy wandering round shops. Gradually though it became a problem to carry all the bags and so they piled up on mothers lap, until she could just about see over the top of them all! It did get hard work pushing her too as the wheelchair got heavier and heavier and heavier due to all her purchases! We nearly gained several people on mother`s lap too during the day, as people just walked across or out infront of us without looking. I think I shall have to buy her a bicycle bell, or maybe a horn to toot to warn them!

Day 8. Home again. A good drive, which I enjoyed, and the bonus of no traffic jams or road works.

Today`s the Day!

The cases are packed, the car is loaded, the map is to hand, sandwiches are made, so, it`s holiday time! I`ll try and keep a diary while I`m away, then I can share my holiday on here when I return. Now, there`s something to look forward to !
And hopefully, very hopefully, I`ll be able to return and report that my parent did manage to cope with the stairs without blundering down them. Wish me luck.

Finished Result

Here`s what happened to that bucket of flowers.