An Update on My Blog and Life September 2013

I have just been looking back at some of the statistics to do with my blog, I had forgotten that I first started it back in 2006, it was a way to share some of my life with family and friends and also to talk about subjects that I felt may be of interest to others, such as my holidays. From reading the statistics I was quite surprised to see I had posted 109 posts and that the post had been viewed over 5000 times by people in different parts of the world. So I would like to thank all you readers for the time you have taken reading the blog and your comments, by the way I have now opened comments up to anybody on the blog, but I am also pleased when people email me to say they have just enjoyed it also.

This year I seem to have had a fair bit of time in hospital, first to do with my prostate, then my nosebleeds, let’s hope that’s the end of these, in a couple of weeks I am trying a course called breath works that is supposed to help me make the most of my health it will be interesting to see what happens with this. My physio also tells me that if I really wanted to, more could be achieved with my neck and spine to stop the deterioration, the only problem would be that I would have to have intensive work for at least three months and spend much more time in maintaining my health. At present I am unsure whether or not I am that committed and with all that is going on in my life, unable to decide whether I would go without the lifestyle I have now in the chance that my posture would improve.

More by coincidence than anything else, this year seems to of been filled with holidays and short breaks, plus a range of other activities that have included joining U3A which is opening up a whole range of other interests and activities. The latest of these is joining a photography group and attending the general meeting once a month, with talks by a female racing driver, about how the ability to laugh can help us to maintain our health, I look forward to the future meetings with great interest. The local branch is doing work to keep better records of the membership, so I have become involved in creating a database for this very task, it is a reminder that we can always change our direction and develop new skills.

Unfortunately the case I have been involved in for over two years, was lost but some useful things have come out of it and hopefully other people in the future or benefit from the lessons learnt. I am still acting as advocate in the same case regarding the funding by the NHS for continuing care, I am hopeful of a positive outcome eventually, but so far I do worry about the obstacles placed by the NHS in the way of people who seek continuing care funding from the NHS, even more worrying is the shortage of agencies who can advise and support people on this path, when they other people who are being cared are coping with serious illness or disability and find they have this huge amount of stress to obtain resources that should be made much simpler to obtain at the time when people are in the greatest need, rather than a process which appears designed to protect the budget rather than the individual and their nursing needs.

On a brighter note this year I am planning to go to Malaga with two friends over the Christmas new year period as a change from the usual routine, am hoping that the weather is kind to us and there is no rain, I will be taking my tablet and hopefully recording our adventures, at present there is discussion about a trip to Madrid and/or North Africa within the time we have.

Debbie and Jeffs Story Final episode 2013

Hi folks looking back through my posts I realised I had never given an update on Jeff and Debbie’s story for a long time, in fact it was 2009 when I last wrote about us. Unfortunately the dream has come to an end, over 12 months ago we finally split, it was very sad for both of us and the reasons are quite complex, I feel to be fair to both of us it is better not to discuss them on here.

What I can say is that we had a fantastic four years of fun, caring and sharing our lives and I would never have missed it, we have agreed we would like to remain friends if that is possible but that we have both now moved on in our lives, who knows what the future holds