Flash's Journal
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I was taught to fight, taught to win, I never thought I could fail
Thu, 11th Mar 2010 @ 12:07 am
This is a shout out to people who don't give up.
A lot of my friends have a disability / impairment which affects their daily life - although of course many don't.
Regardless, it is obvious which of my friends look for opportunities that might work out for them, be it work, or something that is enjoyable, rewarding and validating in another way, and those who don't bother or don't have any belief that there is a point to it.
Some of my ex-friends used to complain - how would anyone like / fancy / employ me? And my answer would be "I don't know. But how do you expect someone to value you if you don't rate yourself?" And if the problem is mental illness then I do sympathise, I do - and as for a loss of self-belief, or self-validation when you can no longer work, well I can understand that. I have gone from being an equal to Mike to being dependent on him in many ways. I resent that - but I also have to accept it, in order to accept where I'm at and to move on.
It is people who don't give up who remain on my friends list. Those who keep on with their education, or work, or voluntary positions, or social calendar, or whatever else matters to complete their life. I won't embarrass you because I am sure you know who you are (or if you aren't sure - you should know who you are - either you are excluded from my friends list and spend too much time in self-pity - or if you are still making a go of everything without being too self-deprecating and needy, then rest assured I am talking to you here, as a friend).
In fact this topic hits close to home. When I am firing on all cylinders I am inspired, but when I have had a bad night's sleep and am in pain I am only able to chug through a couple of hours of routine tasks, while worrying about my mental capacity enough to take an online Alzheimers test (it's ok, I might not remember the word for Zantac in Boots, but I know what year it is so I can't be demented). I know how hard it is to push on and to work, while wondering what it will achieve and why I should spend all my physical energy on this one seemingly pointless task. It is hard. But it is possible, and if you don't try, you will never achieve or make discoveries.
So - don't give up. Someone will love you. Someone will believe in you. Someone will trust you.
Just keep looking for that someone. Keep the faith, because you are your own best advert.
This may seem like a world away, depending on circumstance, but the only certainty is that if you give up on yourself everyone else will do so too, and then predictions of failure will become self-fulfilling prophesies.
And when I feel like giving up - please remind me of my own words. That there is still space and time for me to achieve my dreams, even if they have to be slightly snipped or curtailed. That there is still much to be achieved, and I only have the smallest taste of that, and so much more to anticipate.
And whoever you are, whatever your situation, I am sure there is still more for you to achieve too.
If there was no water, what would people drink?
Sat, 6th Mar 2010 @ 12:04 pm
I heard the news that 6 music and the Asian Network are to be axed, and like most people I was cross.
How dare they axe the home of new music!
And I've often meant to listen to the Asian network, even though the taxi drivers tell me the songs are "just all about love", I bought the Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham soundtrack because I enjoyed it on a taxi driver's stereo and I often listen to Asian-influenced "world" or "new age" music. I ought to get familiar with the mainstream, just to plug a gap in my education.
But I haven't really listened to 6 music either, truth be told. Just the odd programme that I've iPlayered when it featured my favourite band. So this week I've been listening to 6 music in the afternoon, instead of MP3s.
Well, Lauren Laverne was appalling. Lots of lunchtime shout outs, and too much talking. Meh. Nemone was a bit better but not to my taste. But Steve Lamacq? Already I'm a convert, and have a new 4-7pm habit. I didn't really like him on Radio 1 back in the day, but now I'm really enjoying what he plays (a lot of it makes me go "Oh yes! Must dig that out and listen to the whole album again!" or "Oh, those were the days!"). He's also running a contest to work out the best punk band - listeners' top 32 bands were drawn FA cup style, for head to head bouts. Well, Crass against the Clash? We will lose one fantastic band in round one! That's going to be mega!
...and already you can see I am hooked.
So now I feel I am within my right to email the BBC and complain. They can't axe 6 music. Not now I've found a station which offers me more than the others. What a shame it took the threat of closure for me to give it a fair go.
Je suis le meme... (ahem)
Sat, 13th Feb 2010 @ 6:55 pm
It's been a while since I did a meme and I haven't seen this one before. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
mistdog completed it and I found his answers interesting, so in the same spirit I offer you my responses.
( Meme below the cut )
I'm just trying to do my jig-saw puzzle
Wed, 10th Feb 2010 @ 5:41 pm
A question for you:
There are two teams, First and Second.
I have 1500 points with the First team and 0 with the Second.
There are two activities I can do, in favour of either team.
Activity A adds 2 points to one team and deducts 1 from the other.
Activity B adds 3 points to one team and deducts 1 from the other.
The minimum number of points is 0 (nothing is deducted once 0 is reached) and the maximum is 1500 (nothing is added once 1500 is reached).
How long will it take me to reach 1500 points with both teams simultaneously?
What ratio of activity A to activity B do I need to use?
I wish to keep my rating with the First team as high as possible while trying to maximise both - what strategy should I take?
[E2A: Well spotted, I can only have 1500 with one team and 1499 with another. That, however, would be ok. And thanks to Alex Holden for the solution!]
Its early so take your time, don't let me rush you please
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 @ 10:08 am
The dog stands up, shakes gently, his collar goes ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding.
I've slept badly, and lie still.
There is a nose gently pressed to my hand, and the collar makes four more dings, near my face this time.
Bother - he's actually realised that the sound from his collar will wake me up!
It will be exactly 7.30am but check my phone anyway. Yes, he's right on time.
I pull the bedside drawer open and provide the dog with his "morning treat", a pedigree joint care stick.
He hurries back to bed to enjoy it.
I go back to sleep; Mike knows he has a few minutes before the dog will be on his feet again, this time asking him for breakfast.
Hope you find it...
Sun, 24th Jan 2010 @ 12:42 am
I have written articles for local press and also The Oldie magazine, but how do I get an "in" to other places? For example, the Guardian won't take pitches unless you already write for them, so how do you start to write for them? Anywhere else I could try that might take an article from me (on whatever topic, from pylons to disability and equality)? Any and all ideas welcome, please!
6 Comments | Comment on thisYou give me 1 out of 9
Fri, 22nd Jan 2010 @ 11:47 pm
I like this meme: it is short and cheerful. And it appeared in the blog of someone I like and respect but don't know why she bothers with me! So...
Comment here if you'd like me to tell you one thing I like about you. Not necessarily the thing I like best, or the thing I think other people will like best, just something. If you like the idea then pass it on in your own journal.
We don't follow fashion, that would be a joke
Thu, 21st Jan 2010 @ 10:38 pm
A few weeks ago I was involved in a discussion about flat shoes for cripples, so I thought I would document the 6 pairs of footwear I own, in the hope that it gives people some ideas of where to look and what might work. Anyone not interested, look away now!
My requirements: entirely flat, as close to going barefoot as possible; my knees can detect even the slightest heel and respond with pain and instability. I also refuse to squish my toes up. Finally, I need a strap across the front of my foot - slip ons won't stay put.
( So here's my footwear collection... )
As you can tell I'm not someone who buys shoes as a fashion accessory, but that doesn't mean I don't have something to meet most occasions.
Gonna get a Friday fun
Thu, 14th Jan 2010 @ 10:59 pm
If you ever need a quick giggle, and Not Always Right and Lolcats won't do it, don't forget Sign Language, will you?
2 Comments | Comment on thisLook to the sky and you'll see God is gone
Sat, 9th Jan 2010 @ 11:30 pm
In response to tasseltip, who is dealing with a temperature of up to 43C at the moment:
I vaguelly remember how much I hate heat. How the bedroom has to be kept at 18C and how much energy that requires. How I wilt in much above 20C and cannot bear festivals where I am stuck in sweltering tents (to avoid sunburn) at 30C or so. Yep, that's what happens in summer.
But right now we have the opposite problem. The entire country is coated in snow. In my area (London) we are expecting heavy snow tomorrow and Monday along with winds which will create drifts. A visit to relatives has been called off, as it would take us along a motorway where drivers were recently stuck in their cars overnight. It is too cold to put my young herbs out, and I am struggling to melt an area of the pond each day (the fish readily swim to it when I do so).
There are powercuts sweeping the region; I've checked on the location of matches, candles, blankets, and our camping gaz stove. There are also lots of burst water mains from the weather but we are ok so far - one about 500m away this week though.
I am wearing thermal trousers and a vest under my clothes, even at home, even though normally I am too hot rather than at all cold.
We are sweeping and gritting the pavement as best we can, the path from a corner near us to the main road is now clear, but we have run out of grit and need to drive to the council bins to get some more, as we have used the 15kg bag of salt I got initially, plus two buckets of salty grit that I scooped up after that. I can't walk Cray on ice, so Mike is having to do it.
I really don't want your heat. I would rather this cold snap, because I can always put more clothes on but in summer I can't take my skin off! However, this cold snap is hard work, compared to the normal chill of winter, requiring strategic heating of rooms before we need them, effort to sweep and salt pavements, and advance planning before going outside.
Now you know I'd try
Sat, 9th Jan 2010 @ 11:11 pm
People have been reviewing the last decade, and a brave few have looked ahead to the next. This post has taken a while so I realise I am a week or so late, and this post may be incomplete even so, but here we are now, entertain us. (Oh no, that was the 90s...)
Background...
1999 was the year my life changed. In roughly chronological order, I graduated (BSc Applied Computing), split up with Ryk after 4+ years on and off, spent about 6 months with a guy called Alan in what can only be described as a tumultuous and almost abusive relationship, spent the same period in goth clubs during which time I went from a size 16 to a 10/12, and finally got my first "real" job at Demon Internet, calmed down, and met Mike. Oh, and I was mad. Well not mad, but I was alternately depressed and high, my coping strategy was trying to control everything I touched, and subsequently I didn't cope with very much that happened. Oh boy!
The last decade:
In 2000 I was just a few months into a relationship with Mike, which was somewhat up and down for the first year or so, until I sorted my head out. Luckily he turned out to be a wonderful man who stuck with me, and our love grew. In autumn 2002 we got a house together, on Christmas day 2003 he proposed (in a cracker) and in 2006 we finally married. To that extent it has been the happiest ten years of my life and I consider myself very lucky.
We went to Iceland on Honeymoon and found that we enjoy driving holidays; other than music festivals, we have been to Scotland and Wales since then, and also spent two days in Liverpool.
I began 2000 working at Demon Internet (where I met Mike). In 2001 I went to Globix (disaster, but I'd wanted to strike out on my own) and in 2002 I went to Global Name Registry (at last I felt happy and accepted, but after 6 months the company made huge reductions and I was a casualty). With the support of The Prince's Trust I started my own business specialising in website accessibility and I am still running Web Design & Mastery today. I also earnt money writing articles, speaking on the radio and a couple of TV appearances (not forgetting Deal or No Deal in 2006!)
At the start of the decade I weighed around 10 stone (size 12), started 2009 at 15 stone (size 20), and ended it a bit over 13 stone (size 16). Most of this has related to the progression of my impairment but I still don't like it. I am working hard to be thinner and healthier but it's not easy! I was 12 stone (size 16) in 1999 and got down to 9 stone (size 10/12) over six months, but much of that was to do with stress, clubbing, and (ahem) speed. Losing weight nowadays when I can barely exercise and won't touch illegal drugs is much, much harder.
My impairment has grown worse; I started the decade with occasional knee dislocations and regular subluxes, but ended it as a semi-regular wheelchair user with complex knee, wrist and other pains. However, part of this may be that I finally got a diagnosis in 2008 - and all the symptoms that I thought were individual problems turned out to make sense as a whole. Also, I have learnt to accept that crutches and wheelchairs are aids and can enable me to do more; they are not negative or a sign of inability. So I have learnt to accept help. Now I can address the way my impairment affects all of my body, and hopefully make progress.
I lost a dear neighbour, Brian, a few years ago. Health scares meant that other close friends and relatives came close to death but thankfully are still with us. In particular, December 2008 involved several days of 24 hour vigil at my dad's bedside; amazingly and fantastically he is still with us. Miracles DO happen.
My cat Jeremy died in 2006, just a few weeks after we returned from honeymoon (we received his cancer diagnosis on the day between our wedding and the honeymoon). He was ten.
In 2004 we adopted Cray, and in 2005 I met Imogen for the first time, both pivotal events which would extend my "family"! I also met Sergey at Glastonbury and made many new friends - especially those very local to me, those I came to know through LJ, and friends of friends. I already knew Pepsi, Ryk and Beth from the 90s, and they are still good friends today. I also made friends on the Glastonbury Festival boards which I moderated for a few years, but now only know a very few people from that community, which shows how transient friendship can be.
Other achievements: I passed my driving test, and then my advanced test 9 months later. I joined London Forest Choir which I still very much enjoy.
Hopes for the next decade:
I love my husband so much that it hurts, and I want to find ways to show him this and for him to understand how much he is valued. I hope to end the decade by reaching our 13th wedding anniversary together and to feel closer than ever when we get there.
I want to find a way to travel further. In December I have tickets for A-ha's final concert in Oslo, and I also want to return to Iceland. I hate flying, and physically it's difficult and painful. I get seasick and am scared of water so boats aren't the answer. Either we need to drive further or find a way to fly. However it happens, I want to spread my wings in the next ten years.
I want to reduce my weight and hopefully get to a healthy curvy size 14 - I think that would be good for me. Any more would be a bonus but I think unrealistic given my build (short torso in relation to my legs - I should be taller but ended up apple shaped!) I will persevere in this but unless I miraculously manage to exercise, it is unrealistic to hope for too much more.
I am unsure how I can affect my impairment, other than becoming more familar with it and more able to manage my own problems. From what I read, as I grow older and my muscles tighten I should become more "normal" so maybe I will start to glow in my 40s.
My work is all done at home these days and in a way I miss commuting - the banter and routine. However I recognise that I can't really manage it anymore. I love creating accessible websites and working with a range of people and charities, however my dream now is to make my living from articles / radio and I am slowly working towards that. Maybe by the end of the decade that's where I'll be, as it will invariably be a slow process (and involve selling myself, even on my worse days!) TV would be even better, but I realise that I don't have the face for that!
A close friend, and my father, came close to death in the last few years. I am desparately worried that I will lose them both in the next decade - either event would tear me apart. Also, as Cray is ten in April it is fairly inevitable that we will lose him before 2019 (I plan to replace him as soon as is practically possible, as I love having a dog as part of the family, it is something which "completes" me in a way). I am secretly worried that I might lose my elderly neighbour too. I think that this decade will be one of bereavement, finding a way to cope, and growing up for me. I hope the sadness is bearable and that finding a way through it makes me stronger.
I also look forward to meeting new people; I'm not exactly a social bunny but I have made some wonderful friendships in the last decade and I'm sure I will make more in the next. Not knowing where they will come from is the exciting part!
Other achievements: I want to buy an electric piano, and record some music. I wrote lots of lyrics in 1999, and the songs are still in my head. I'm not sure I could create them now, not sure they are relevant as they have sat inside me for a decade and haven't grown with me, but I want to at least have some musical output in the next decade, no matter what. This will be the hardest thing for me to achieve as it will take time to hone the skills, and courage to let my ideas out (I am scared of letting them out, then getting them wrong) but it is something that I have put off for too long already. 9 Comments | Comment on this
You may fade, my dog will always come through
Wed, 6th Jan 2010 @ 12:50 pm
Cray was barking downstairs after Mike went to work. Since this is far too early for me to get out of bed, I called down to him.
Bark! Bark!
Cray, be quiet!
Bark! Bark!
Cray, shut UP!
Bark! Bark!
Cray, settle down.
Bark! Bark!
Cray, come back upstairs and go in your bed.
Dog trots up the stairs, touches his nose to mine in greeting, walks to his bed and flops down onto it.
So it seems that the dog understands complex commands - otherwise "go in your bed" relates to the room he is currently occupying. He has a bed in the lounge, in my study, and in our bedroom.
I was impressed by this (and pleased - I could go back to sleep) and was just about to post when I saw this BBC News article about how most dogs only know about 15 commands.
I think this is rubbish - Cray knows far more than that, and he's not even one of the smartest breeds. He hasn't had any special or intensive training, just things that I think will be fun or useful, or things he has picked up as we went along. I must update the list of commands that he knows - it has certainly expanded to include upstairs / downstairs since we removed the stairgate last year.
Those who are dog-owners, how many commands does your dog know, and what breed is he/she?
Let's drink to the hard working people
Tue, 5th Jan 2010 @ 4:39 pm
Inspired by sammason's efforts to keep pavements clear and to let others know that it would really help - I thought "hmm, given that heavy snow is forecast, what can I do about it?"*
So I rang the council, who told me the location of my nearest salt/grit bins. It was just on the limit of how far I could walk today, so I set off armed with a bag and a scoop.
When I got there, I realised they are no longer filled up with sandy salt for you to scoop out some for yourself, but instead are full of 15kg bags of salt. This was significantly more than I intended to take, and far more than I can safely carry, but seemed to be the only option.
I grabbed a bag, put my cloth bag around it, and struggled to the bus stop. I'd been planning to walk home - and hadn't brought my freedom pass. Just this short distance meant pushing myself very hard, so to go another 2 stops would be impossible. I could feel my knee starting to wobble and didn't think I'd make it home. Bother.
The bus arrived - full of schoolkids, with a harrassed looking driver. Bother.
I boarded and explained "I've forgotten my freedom pass. How much for 2 stops?"
The answer? £2 no matter how far you're going. I had £1.02 on me.
I rootled around all my pockets on the offchance and unexpectedly found a fiver in my coat, which I produced and poked into the coin tray. However at this point the driver asked how far I was going; I told him again "2 stops. I live just before the station". He waved me on for free, but without smiling.
Perhaps it was my pained look and breathnessless? Maybe he couldn't be bothered to issue change for a note? Or perhaps he was just trying to ensure that I'd be getting off before any inspectors might board?
Anyway, I have made it home in one piece thanks to that bus driver (who I was certain to thank as I left, not that he'd have heard me about the rabble of babbling children). We have salt to spare now - which means that when the snow compacts and turns to ice, we can not only cover the distance from my house to the main road but hopefully do the same for my elderly neighbour too.
* Of course what I should have done is to ensure that I had food dye so I could give expression to the neighbourhood snowmen. 13 Comments | Comment on this
Whisper to me, bad teenage poetry
Tue, 5th Jan 2010 @ 12:51 am
Something I wrote when I was 17:
Washing my hands of it all
Severance the only choice
Climbing beneath the chaos
Fighting for breath as I fall.
The hollowness of yesterday
Bitters me out; the medicine I took
Forgot me, but I could not forget myself.
In mutual dissatisfied shrugs
My life was bought, now I challenge
For control, to return my pets
To the fold. With Satan in my debt
And Gabriel in my arms, I fly,
Selling my soul to the highest biidder:
Washing my hands of it all.
When I looked to the moon it turned to gold
Thu, 31st Dec 2009 @ 10:56 pm
The moon was gorgeous tonight, brilliant, lighting up the clouds. I watched it all the way home in the car this evening.
When we arrived home, there was a coloured halo around it, with rainbow colours - I tried to snap it, but couldn't quite capture it as I wanted - by the time I'd got my camera onto better settings, the halo had gone.
Here is an attempt (adjusted for exposure and brightness but not for colour): 
E2A: sammason points out that it's a blue moon. I suppose it would have to be, on the 31st!
Happy New Year, everyone. I hope 2010 brings you fortune and happiness.
Make my wish come true...
Fri, 25th Dec 2009 @ 8:38 pm
My perfect Christmas: 
This is a place to begin
Fri, 18th Dec 2009 @ 4:03 pm
Earlier in the month cmcmck gave me five questions. I've finally got time to do them justice, so here goes:
If not London then where else in the UK might you fancy living and why?
This one's easy - Liverpool. We visited for our wedding anniversary last year and had a great 2 days - I wish we'd been there for a week!
I'm definitely a city person and I like to be able to walk to shops, have nearby neighbours, and basically have everything packed together and practically on your doorstep. Liverpool had loads of culture, some interesting architecture, and the people were friendly as well as very quick witted. I can see myself living on Hope Street with the Phil as my local... the only downside is that there aren't any Michelin starred restaurants in Liverpool or indeed the surrounding area, so I'm not sure what we'd do for special treats.
What got you into pylons?
This advert. It made me start thinking of them as people-shaped, and looking out for them on car journeys. Then as I looked, I realised there were different designs for different purposes... and the rest is history.
Where in the world have you never visited that you'd like to visit?
Australia. I suppose that comes from watching Neighbours as a child and liking INXS - also, the vastness of it. The idea of people getting lost in the bush, poisonous spiders, Uluru, and Christmas in summertime. It all sounds strange and interesting - and yet they speak English and I'm sure most people there lead very similar lives to those in Britain, the topsy-turvyness of the seasons not withstanding. However, as I don't cope well with flying, and don't see the point in wasting a whole day on travel, I doubt I will ever get there. Nor to New Zealand, which sounds like it has many wonderful features in common with Iceland.
I'd also like to visit Yellowstone, but again it's miles away. Even if my knees were fine and I could sit comfortably on a plane for the whole distance, I think I'd panic at being a) in the air and b) over water for hours.
If you could change one thing to combat ableism, what would it be and why?
That's a really good question. I started thinking of answers and then realised they were more than one thing... unless I can submit "attitude", but that's the whole concept of ableism / discrimination, isn't it?
I suppose I would like it if people learnt not to stare, never to ask what's wrong with you, not to offer to pray for you, but just to say hi and treat you like any other person. That would be a good start. It's something that could begin in schools, and hopefully be ingrained by adulthood.
Is there one person who you would say has been a big influence on your life? If so, how?
Ooh. I was going to trot out my standard "my idols are Bob Geldof and Richard Branson because they show what you can achieve if you try" answer, but when I think about who has really affected my life (apart from Mike, whose calming influence goes without saying) I suppose the answer is first, Michael Hutchence, and secondly, Trent Reznor. Sorry, I can't whittle it down to just one.
Hutch was someone I lusted after as a teen, but luckily I loved the music too (still do, I last played some earlier this week). Being a fan of Hutch meant I made friends with someone in school that I might otherwise have not mixed with, and I enjoyed her company. It meant I stayed up late watching Dogs In Space, and watched it over and over until the video started to degrade.
Then, when I was at uni, he died. My mother rang to see if I was ok, but I hadn't seen the news so I heard it from her. I can't remember what I said but I recall slumping down in a corner of the hall by the telephone, just shocked. I was in a shared house with 3 men who I didn't really get on with, so I avoided the lounge and the TV, but days later I snuck into the lounge in the early hours to watch his funeral on cable TV. And cried.
So Hutch counts as a big influence, in that his life and death was able to have that effect on me.
As for Trent - his music really speaks to me. Whatever I am feeling, there's a NIN song to cover it. I am always surprised at the gigs to see so many people - when surely the songs are pertinent to me? Also, I remember each album and who introduced it to me, I tried to explain this here but don't think I did a very good job.
Everything he does seems to really matter, to be relevant and important. I HAVE to see him on tour. I HAVE to listen to the music. It just resonates with me in a particular way, and to that extent has shaped who I am.
Good questions! If anyone would like five, please leave a comment.
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time
Mon, 14th Dec 2009 @ 6:55 pm
Following on from the dog getting covered in paint and barking for assistance, he called me again over the weekend.
I know his barks. Once you are familiar with a dog you know what can be answered with a simple "stop it!" or "no more food!", what needs reassurance ("it's ok, Daddy will be home later"), and what requires a more timely response - "Ok, I'm coming to let you out, hold on!"
However, he has a short single bark which means "(non-specific) help!" and when repeated urgently I know there is something wrong and I should attend as fast as I can manage.
On Thursday it was "Halp! I'z covered in paint!" but over the weekend it turned out to be "Halp! I'z stolen ur carton of apple juice, and my bed's getting wet!"
I really shouldn't laugh, but it's very hard not to... Luckily I think laughing at dogs only confuses them.
Dirty dog, you had your day
Thu, 10th Dec 2009 @ 8:08 pm
This is a dog that rubbed itself against the wall I'd just painted, and then barked to let me know he was unhappy. He had paint up as far as his ears. 
This is a dog that has had a bath. The first one I've ever given him in 5 years (though I've often wondered about doing it, but greyhounds clean themselves like cats, and you wouldn't want to bathe a cat now, would you?)
The photo is before I rubbed him dry - greyhounds have short fur so they aren't going to be sopping wet, but nonetheless I did give him a good towel dry after the photo was taken.
The bath went fairly well - he wasn't averse to the idea and let me lift him into the bath and lift him out, which I could only manage with his co-operation as I usually can't lift more than a few kilos, although he wouldn't or couldn't jump in.
I had the shower on a gentle and lukewarm setting, and he was happy to be washed and rubbed. Very well behaved considering we've never tried it before. Cray obviously trusts me very well and I hope he's more comfortable for having had a bath. If I'd known he wouldn't mind it, I would have washed him before now. Maybe this time next year he will have another one.
Now to keep him warm and not in any drafts until he stops being damp.
Happy birthday, happy birthday!
Thu, 10th Dec 2009 @ 3:08 pm
Finally! This has taken me a while to write (I am very busy!) so here is what happened last week...
I have had a lovely two days of birthday celebrations! Mike took off Thursday and Friday, so on Thursday we had lunch at Le Gavroche (Michel Roux Jr's 2 Michelin starred restaurant) and went to see Gary Numan at the IndigO2 in the evening. Then on Friday, my actual birthday, I spent the afternoon in St Pancras Champagne Bar with friends, and we went on to Pizza Express for dinner.
On Saturday I woke up thinking I had to get back to work, as I'd just had two days off so it must be Monday! But no, it was only Saturday... so I went back to sleep.
Here's how my birthday treats went...
( Lunch at Le Gavroche )
( Gary Numan at IndigO2 )
( St Pancras Champagne Bar and Euston Road Pizza Express )
I feel thoroughly spoiled and indulged. Wonderful!
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