MND can get in the sea

There was no blog last week I'm afraid as I was really on a bit of a downer. I had been feeling poorly for three weeks and was really fed up with coughing, sneezing and nursing a sore throat. My hands and legs were weak, my body ached all over, and I was feeling sorry for myself, wallowing in self pity on my own at home while Alice was at work.  Apart from attending the monthly MND support group meeting, I didn’t leave the house for six days and I said to Alice that I just couldn't write anything down. While resting either in bed or on the sofa, I had a lot of time to think and sometimes too much thinking is not necessarily a good thing.  For the first time since my diagnosis over a year ago, I actually felt scared of dying. It's not the actual death that frightens me as we are all going to go sometime and we just hope it will be painless and atraumatic. MND is largely a painless condition and I've come to accept the inevitable so that isn't my worry. What I am scar...

Another week of feeling like a poor poorly pig I'm afraid. I just can't seem to shake this thing I've picked up, but I had things planned for Monday and Tuesday though, so on with the show! People of a certain age will remember the former Doctor Who actor Jon Pertwee from the 1970’s, swapping heads and being regenerated in the 80's as the scarecrow that comes to life - Worzel Gummidge. I was that age and I enjoyed his portrayal of the lovable but recalcitrant scarecrow, who very rarely scares any crows.  As a child growing up on the Isle of Wight, I didn’t realise it was filmed just a few miles over the water in various Hampshire locations until I moved to Southampton a decade ago. My friend Dean grew up in Southampton and when he mentioned that he knew where the episodes were filmed, I was excited to go in search of Worzel! We chose a lovely day and Dean pushed me in Duggy the buggy for the first time as we made our way through small villages, getting more ...

Unfortunately I have felt unwell this week. I may have picked up festival flu after last weeks shannanagens, or maybe it was covid as there has been a spate of cases locally. Either way, a cough, sore throat, headache and the shivers has laid me low. Of course my nurse, carer, and wife, Alice has looked after me, with suitable aplomb, bringing home Lucozade and paracetamol and I have spent even more time in bed than I normally do. I was off drinking coffee, so I must have been ill, and I couldn't face sunbathing with a temperature, which was a shame as we are enjoying a mini heatwave in the UK.  This week, I have mostly been eating cold oranges from the fridge, warm  peaches from the conservatory, figs, and kiwi fruit, so I have definitely been having my 5 a day in pursuit of feeling better. The non stop Olympic action from Paris has also aided my recuperation. My friend and nutritionist doctor, Sandra will be pleased with my fruit filled diet. She has recently been looking in...