So, here I am, home again. Back to normality and news. Hubby has been a treasure while I’ve been away and I came back to well fed cats and a clean house – I have no idea what it all looked like 24 hours before I came home but when I came home it all looked fab....well, apart from the hole in the hall ceiling that is....
...now I hasten to add here that I don’t think hubby was doing somersaults on the landing or using a pogo stick over enthusiastically in the hall to ruin the ceiling, I think we had what is known in the trade as “sudden ceiling collapse”! I’m sure when we bought our house (which was built in 1896), our surveyor said something like “your ceilings are original and they might fall down at any moment” but in true it’ll be fine *1 fashion, I chose to ignore it. Now, before I went away, the BUF and her VNSO came to visit and we were discussing the crack in the ceiling which seemed to be growing day by day and I did mean to get in touch with the plasterer but, um, well, you know how it is....
Anyway, as to how sudden it was, we are really not quite sure as poor hubby went away for the weekend and came home to a pile of rubble on the carpet. The only witnesses were Clumsy and Grace and they’re saying nothing. Me, I suspect that they had one of those thunder up and down the stairs moments and the whole lot collapsed, but they’re not owning up to anything!
My only other news on my return was that Hubby had not only found a new job, but had actually started work too. I don’t think it’s exactly what he would have chosen, but it pays much better than the dole so he’ll stick it out for a bit.
Normality seems to be returning.....
*1I say this a lot
A few days ago, I was told that the bathroom floor in our apartment was lethal when wet, so I decided to be very safe and take my wheelchair into the bathroom to sit on to get dressed. I had a lovely shower, and perched on the edge of my chair to dry myself as planned and everything was hunky dory. The problem started when I raised one leg to put my trousers on and the other leg just started sliding across the floor in a way that perfectly imitated Bambi on ice...
So....my backside hit the ground with a thump, and I said ooof (or something like that!) and E2O starts banging on the door. "Are you ok in there?" she yells, "Can I come in?". Long story short (which involves keys and all sorts because I'd locked the door) and she sees me sitting on the floor in a state of shock with tears in my eyes
"OMG!" she exclaimed, "Are you all right?"
"My leg slid away from me, and a landed in a puddle and now my knickers are all wet" I bleated.
E2O burst out laughing*1 - "Well, that's the problem you get" she said, "when your legs are inconveniently attached to your body!"
I can always reply on her for support and sympathy in a time of crisis as you can see - although this time I am at least grateful she didn't get her camera and take a photo!
At least it was not a painful experience - merely an undignified one....
*1 Turns out she was so worried I had hurt myself that she thought it was really funny that I was more concerned about my wet clothes than how bruised I was. She later admitted that she had once fallen and cut her head open and was more concerned that she had ruined her shirt than the fact that there was blood pouring out of her. It's amazing how the brain works sometimes!
...maybe it was orange???
Anyway, a few days ago we had to go to the Ambassador's for a reception in a marquee in the garden. This marquee had very posh carpets and chandaliers but I'm guessing it still qualifies as a marqueee as I think the sides may have once been some kind of reinforced material....before the wallpapaer was applied (actually I am joking about the wallpaper!). Anyway, it was very nice, with free flowing drinks and lots of people wandering around with little trays of canapes.
The following morning P of O * didn't feel very well. She had a bit of Beijing belly and after a while came over grumbling;
"I dunno", she said, " Come all this way to China, just to be poisoned by your own Embassy!"
Poor thing, but it didn't half tickle me!
*Phantom of Opera or Physio of Our-flat whichever you prefer....
BTW, she is better now....
Perhaps this is non pc of me, but I have become fascinated by prosthetic legs. People around here all wear shorts and show off their 'legs' proudly. There is such an assortment, from those that loook like human skin to those unusual looking 'blade runners'. In between is an enormous range from those that look like a metal broomstick with a shoe or (slightly more odd ) bare foot on the end to those that woudldn't look out of place on the set of the next Terminator movie - all hydraulics and shiny steel. The people who use them almost without exception walk so fluidly that the limb looks every much a part of them as their own skin and bone. I know that is true from conversation, but its another thing to be able to sense, feel and see that for yourself.
So, life in the Olympic village continues smoothly although that is perhaps not the word that some people would use when looking at the number of limpers and lurchers around the place. Progress is not always smooth in such cases...not that I can talk of course, having been a limper and lurcher all my life! In fact my smooth progress these days is only down to the chair, which has been a huge help in enabling me to cover the long distances required around here.
Today, I saw a caterpillar of people wend their way down the road, each with their hand on the shoulder of the guy in front - the guy in front had a white stick which he ran along the pavement. This really was a case of the blind leading the blind! I cannot get over the level of trust that they must have in each other - it really is amazing! I do wonder though what happens if the 5th guy in line loses touch with the guy in front of him. Do they get lost or do they just whip out their own white stick and become the leader of another caterpillar?
Of course, this kind of thing happens all the time with large groups of wheelchairs where people who get tired grab onto the handles of the guy in front. Not such a bad thing to collect 16 wheelchairs behind you if you are in an electric chair (need a big motor though) but not so much fun at all if you are in a manual chair and are are the person at the front. You sit there pushing away and the chair gets a little heavier as one person gets on, then another and its a bit tougher , then another and you start to feel like you're going uphill. 16 people later and there is much mirth and merriment behind you as you start to feel like you are pushing your way through deep (very, very deep) wet cement.....and then your arms drop off!
The Paralympic Games started yesterday and I was lucky enough to be in the Birds nest stadium to see it all get kicked off. The atmosphere was amazing...I really did have goosebumps on my goosebumps!
More great stuff on this can be found here...they can do this stuff justice so much better than I can!
EO is now E2O as it was her birthday yesterday. She got another Eeyore to add to the collection so that’s it. We have discussed the new name and she is happy! I did think of calling her E2TSSO, as she also had a teddy, sheep and snake, but that seemed a little extreme....and before you all start wondering why a grown woman should be getting such a menagerie for her birthday, I should add that they were largely good luck charms for her trip!
I am now settled in and unpacked having travelled halfway across the world for a 2 day stop and then on to China. All is well in the world and the sun is shining – so far there isn’t even too much smog! Considering I am here for what could be a pretty stressful time, I am actually pretty unstressed and enjoying myself...although there’s always time for that to change.
Yesterday I had one of those silly moments where a photo was taken that I will probably regret forever and will be face-booked around the world if I am really unlucky. I was trying on one of those silly hats (the ones like a giant top hat with bells and lawd knows what attached) and discovered that trying to fit it on my rather small head (I normally wear children’s caps etc) was indeed a foolish notion. I put it on, resting on top of my glasses, then took them off to clean them and the hat slid right down over my nose, over my chin and only stopped when it reached my shoulders. To add insult to injury, the top of the hat was then dressed with a wig and I was forced to have my picture taken (if I get a copy maybe i can post it) ....by multiple people. All this in 30 degree heat – I was only allowed to take it off when I made sounds of asphyxiating woman from under the hat! Egads, I have some cruel friends....!
