My Odds and Ends
Here are articles that don’t easily fit into any of the groups. I’m not always too sure why they exist. I like to think ther are some interesting ideas
A short visit to Woburn Centre Parcs
I last visited Centre Parcs when all 3 of our children were under 10, over thirty years ago. My diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was at least 10 years into the future. Now our two daughters are married, and each has a baby son and I am living with advanced multiple sclerosis. A visit to Centre […]
Time to move into a more suitable property
Me and MrsB decided its time to move into a more suitable property. Multiple sclerosis and age have finally caught up with me. Our Victorian five bedroomed terraced house is beautiful, but not at all practical. The local council built a wet room a few years ago. It made washing and going to the loo […]
My interview on Tring Today – Friday 18 February
Bored on Friday 18th at lunch time? Why not tune into Tring radio on Friday between 12 and 1 and listen to my interview as a guest on Tring Today. Tring Radio is a local community radio station run entirely by volunteers. Two people started the station two years ago at the start of the […]
Something vaguely interesting, dining across the divide
Its July, the middle of a dreadful summer and I’ve got nothing to do so I‘m surfing the internet. I find something vaguely interesting, The Guardian are offering a chance to have a discussion with someone who holds opposing views. A free meal is thrown in. I answer the questions on my views, submit my […]
The curious incident of the missing disability ramp
I often travel by train on London NorthWestern Railway, I ride The Tike to my local station, flash my disabled person’s travel card, and buy a ticket. The staff check which train I am catching and my destination. When the train arrives at the station a member of the staff puts up disability ramp up […]
Dog chews the internet cable
Stress happens when there is an excess of emotional or mental pressure. Something totally unexpected happens and the body does not know what to do. The flight or fight reaction creates a conflict which leads to stress. Dog chews the internet cable taking my stress levels to a new high. The Lunchbox show Every Thursday […]
The urgent search for hope by Patrick Burke
I always enjoy unexpected surprises. One started in early November. I was having my 18-month check-up for the MS-Stat2 drug trial with simvastatin. It’s always a pleasure going down to the MS centre at Queens Square, the staff are really friendly. Also there is an urgent search for hope for people with MS. The end […]
Table topics competition at Toastmasters floors me
I have been a member of Toastmasters since 2012. It was September 2017 and I had entered a national competition. Either give a prepared humorous speech or talk on an unprepared subject. I had reached the second round of the unprepared speech, the table topics competition. Table Topics competition Make an impromptu unrehearsed speech on […]
Now I’m a volunteer with Tring radio
I have decided to volunteer with Tring Radio. Starting off with a little role. I had a sneaky feeling that when I completed my sponsored #Walk4onehour in September I was going to feel lost. A new challenge was required and I was right. The sponsored walk had been a wonderful success. It had concentrated my […]
Suffering from consequences of panic buying
20-March 2020. People are buying huge amounts of essential food and clearing supermarket shelves on a daily basis. I get out of bed at about 8.00. It takes me nearly an hour just to get dressed. Factor in breakfast and 90 minutes of the day is gone. At this stage of the morning some supermarkets […]
Chemistry in the kitchen
Cooking food is simple and easy for me plus everyone enjoys food cooked by somebody else. I have also rediscovered baking, just four or five basic ingredients and you create a cake. Incidentally I love raw cake mixture, but the cooked product is sooo much better. It was after a recent cake disaster that I […]
Discounted theatre tickets for disabled people
Almost every British theatre offers discounted tickets for disabled people. Basically the carer gets in for free. I have seen excellent productions as well as extremely good actors via this scheme. This opportunity of discounted tickets for disabled people is available all over the UK. If you can show that you are disabled then your […]
Another way to dry my phone
I dropped my mobile phone down the loo, accidentally of course 🙂 . To be more precise it fell out of my back jeans pocket and sank beneath the surface; a trail of bubbles gave its position away. I fished it out, gave it a quick dry with a towel and then put it into […]
I am disabled but am I green enough?
I suffer from advanced multiple sclerosis so I am disabled. I am disabled but am I green enough? Can I balance my disability with being an ecological friendly person? Sometimes I can and I do make planet-friendly choices but there are many other areas that are a total car-crash. In the latter case I have […]
Firing on all four cylinders
I am now recovering from a particularly nasty bout of man-flu. I was in bed for two a half days with a sneeze rate of anything up to 10 per hour. Add to this a temperature and I felt super grotty. I was not firing on all four cylinders Going out into the fresh air […]
I’m talking about Uhthoff’s syndrome
The mercury in the thermometer will creep up over the summer. Some days it creeps higher than other days. Whilst it remains below 20 I am more than happy, 21 or 22 and I need to be careful. If it gets over 23 then I can only venture out occasionally. I’m talking about Uhthoff’s syndrome. […]
Physically disabled in Athens a survival guide
I am on the Patient Advisory Board for the RADAR-CNS project. This is an exciting and ground-breaking project and rather than me explaining it, I suggest you go to their website which is HERE. This year their annual conference was in Athens and I was there for four days in mid May. If you are […]
Five day city break in Seville
I’ve never been to Seville before and the idea of a city break in February appealed to me. Of course I had to take usual paraphernalia that a disabled person needs when going away. We had found a hotel in Seville with an accessible room, crucially a walk-in shower. As soon as I had booked […]
My first job interview since 2012
Recently I received an email from a charity that wanted to interview me for a zero hour contract position. I have advanced multiple sclerosis and I cannot walk unaided which I disclosed on the application form. This was going to be my first job interview since 2012. My MS blew the last one in 2012 […]
Simple things I now need to understand
A few years ago I kidded myself that I could still do the things just like I did in the noughties. Simple things I now need to understand. “Don’t worry, I can do it” I shouted enthusiastically as I was starting jobs like cooking supper. It would all begin swimmingly. Suddenly, out of the blue, […]
I am physically disabled but I still travel
When I was working I travelled all over the world then medical retirement kicked me in the groin. Life as I knew it suddenly changed. Occasionally I still get the urge to travel, this time me and MrsB went to Australia. I am physically disabled but I still travel. Cut the stress I have just […]
One Hell of a Day
There have been some cracking days this summer. Yup, it has been a bit hot but I have really enjoyed getting dressed in just a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Like all good things there will be an end. I had a bit of a hiccup on Monday 9th July. It really was one […]
Going away for a short break
Going away for a short break used to be so easy. The hardest part was deciding where to go. The wife and I would finally agree on a place. From then on it was a simple process. Throw a few clothes into a suitcase, grab a book, car keys, wallet and the cheque book and […]
WorldvsMS challenge and The Amsterdam HACK
The WordvsMS campaign is an initiative that had been setup to give a voice to people with Multiple Sclerosis. The campaign has asked people with MS to list their challenges in everyday life. Three challenges were accepted from 103 that were submitted A weekend in mid-November was selected when groups of people were invited to […]
MS Society MSLIFE2016 Exhibition
Over the weekend 17/18 September the MS Society held its biennial exhibition, The MS Society MSLIFE2016 Exhibition MS Society MSLIFE2016 Exhibition I went there on the first day and arrived at about 12.30. There was expectation and excitement from the moment I walked into the exhibition as well as a noisy atmosphere. During the day I […]
A Very Wet Phone and 5 Rules to Dry it
Does your mobile phone float? Mine fell into the loo. I had a very wet phone. A very wet phone and 5 rules to dry it. Let’s start at the beginning I’m a bloke and I keep my phone in the breast pocket of my shirt. If I bend over at the waist I will fall […]
Inactivity kills more than obesity
Be active, it really is good for you even if you are grossly overweight. Obesity Not taking enough exercise is more likely to kill you than obesity BUT obesity in children is linked with an increased risk of MS and other autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s Disease. Inactivity Believe it or not you do not need to […]
Visiting Wales
I am visiting Wales, Penarth to be precise. Meanwhile Barby is on a walking break, 5 days of respite. She is on her annual pilgrimage to the Lake District so more Wainwrights can be crossed off the list, notably Skiddaw. Home alone? With one arm in a sling it is impossible for me to put on […]
Exciting news
I got up at 6.45 in the morning on Thursday 7th August. I had to go up to London, another infusion for the ASCEND trial; week 100. Almost eight hours later I walked back into the house. Autopilot The first thing, even before a cup of tea I always check my emails and there was […]
MS Life 2014
This was a weekend where an MS sufferer was able to mix with and see other MS Sufferers courtesy of the Multiple Sclerosis society UK. MS Life 2014 was a golden opportunity to find out so much. Latest research, symptom management, get expert advice and tips on living with MS were subjects you could explore. […]
Multiple Sclerosis Word Cloud
The plan I want to build a word cloud or a picture of words that is associated with multiple sclerosis. This is a way to visualize text. A word cloud picture shows the frequency of word usage and the more frequently a word is used so the size of the word in the word cloud […]
Chilterns MS Centre
Chilterns MS Centre moved into a new building in 2013. It used to be in a small prefab concrete single story building. Money was raised to build a much larger new two storey Chilterns MS Centre. The annual cost of running the new building has exceeded expectations. Turn it into a viable business Robert Breakwell, […]
Hemel Hempstead Water Gardens & Ashridge Estate
I am a part of a group of people with disabilities, this includes deafness, blindness and mobility issues. We make occasional trips to places of interest and assess them for accessibility. We visit locations in and around Hemel Hempstead. This time it was a visit to the Water Gardens at Hemel Hempstead and Ashridge Estate. […]
Buy a stick, lose a stick and find a stick
I’m hopeless, I admit it. I scatter my possessions here, there and everywhere. I don’t know how many times Barby has sat me down and said that I must sop stop forgetting things. I must check that I always have my possessions with me. I agree, I need to learn how to remember things. I […]
Bonkers daughter
One of my daughters enjoys a challenge. Its the same attitude that mountaineers have to mountains, they only climb them because they are there. She and a group of friends are going to cycle the length of Britain, Lands End to John O’Groats to raise money for charity. The distance they cycle will be 1000 […]
Happy Birthday
The website is now one year old, a bit of a roller coaster ride but I think it deserves a Happy Birthday. I can still remember 1 February 2012, I had just been given the website, there was no content, a Facebook page but no followers and something called Twitter with no followers. Overwhelmed, daunted, […]
