Somerset flood

Now firstly I'm in the mist of a terrible hand flare, thanks to the awful weather we are experiencing here but I had to write this piece through pain.

As a youngster I spent many happy holidays on the south west coast in  Somerset, it holds such lovely memories of both my mum and grandad who have both passed away. The one holiday we were all together in brean my uncles aunty cousins and grandparents.

But as I write this the beautiful area if being hammered by flooding ruining people's lives, communities cut off life will not be the same. I hope it can be cleaned up and tourism this summer can give them financial support to rebuild and help those affected, they are proud people of course they want help but they also want to help them selfs too.

Secondly I'd like to congratulate prince Charles on his recent visit to Somerset and providing funding to help the area.

My thoughts are with everyone in Somerset and I hope that this weather Improves and you get the support you need to get your communities sorted and strong again. I also hope the farmers can come through this natural disaster.

Xx

A trip of a lifetime .. time zones and all

U.S.A

Now ever since i was knee high i always said "im going to travel mum" and she always said i have no doubt you will, because once i set my mind to something i will get there. Now i had a couple of opportunities to do a world trip but for different reasons, mainly academic, i didnt go. then i got rheumatoid then i got the wheelchair accessory, i thought im never going to forfill my dreams, then i thought hey who you talking to vicky, a defeatist or yourself!

Last year in 2013, i traveled to the cannary islands, a place thats never been on my rador before now however i love the place home from home! Then of course i forfilled a life time dream to visit france, i know crazy right? just one place ive always wanted togo to! I hope to go back to france and explore more of the country and met lots of lovely french people! I have many other european countries to tick off my travel bucket list, its quite extensive! Seeing a camal in May 2013 well i almost ekked with excitment new experiences. Dont get me wrong the UK ius beautiful, England, Scotland, ireland and wales too, beautiful places to visit and you can not beat a sunny day walking along the themes or a cold winters night under the lights of old trafford!

But this summer (as long as my last health check 1 week before travel fit to fly) i am going to conqur my BIGGEST adventure yet i am going to visit AMERICA!!! (i heard those screams!!)

Now i have ALWAYS wanted to visit New York and unfortunatly this trip wont allow me to explore unless you count the 6 hours houled up in JFK airport waiting for my flight home to the UK! I will travel many time zones!!! British summer time, Eastern time (+5), Central Time (+6) and Pacific time (+8).

I have met some wonderful people through my heart and rheumatoid groups with facebook, unfortunatly i wont manage to visit you all, but you know what they say ... ill be back!!!

I am so excited to meet my oldest friend Mary and my rheumatoid friend Amber and there lovely families and ive no doubt some friends along with the way!!

So i am going to be visiting DETROIT where Amber lives and we are definatly going to be visiting an american football stadium and a basketball match and a casino too and lots of other things i am so looking forward to hitting detroit ad surrounding areas. We are thinking of visiting Chicargo for a day how exciting is that? If i have time/energy and money allows we may visit Las Vegas but if not next time for sure!!

Then im heading east and for the pacific ocean! Well not literally haha! Im going to SEATTLE ekk!! This is where Mary lives and the home of super bowl champions 2014, seattle seahawks!! Now a little confession i actually thought she lived in washington DC so when i realised it was washington state and nearer to australia than new york i did have a little pale moment!! Im excitied to be heading for the space needle, seattle wheel, monerail mall and an island im getting a boat too!

So America vickys coming to visit doing it as always the vicky way!! Although the thought of sitting in JFK airport for 6 hours is quite annoying haha!!!

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS NO MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT YOU BECAUSE YOU CAN ACHIEVE THEM.

lots of love xxx

Flu

I got sick

So after my trip to Manchester to see my team play and get booted out the capital one cup, i came feeling tired as always and nearled ended up in bournmouth!!

Then i started getting a scratchy throat and my voice a bit shacky i thought maybe it was from shouting at football, thrn i started sneezing!!

i woke up saturday with full on flu and with my bad health i knew this wasnt good. i spent the weekend in bed, monday i was on the phone ringing appointnrnts to cancel them and it meant i had to miss a football game that i was so looking forward to.

I went to the doctors a rattly chest (chest infection) and the flu, a course of antibiotics. So a week of rest, which always frustrates me as theres always something i need todo or somewhere i need togo.

I had been waiting since july for physio in my local area and i was due an appointmrnt thursday afternoon. i was feeling a little better so decided to see her, oh i wish i hadnt!!

physio came and did an assessment to get an idea of a programme for me to help my joints and build up my arm muscles. Well with being ill anyway bad decision by me ... not only was i sick i was now in a full flare up!!

We are now monday of a new week, i am still not 100% but better than i was my body is still flarimg and i still have a cough but i must get things done and appointments or ill be two weeks behind myself!

Awareness

Six years a go today February 2nd I was 22 years old women, wearing high heels wearing clothes I wanted to, sad because my mum was sick but I didn't know the important of this day. Seven months later I was told I had rheumatoid .. I was 23 .. I had never heard of this disease or the awful things it could do to a person ... Six years on I know about rheumatoid ... I take steroids every day I take chemotherapy once a week I take painkillers every day and I'm not talking paracetamol. Six years on I crnt wear heels .. I crnt wear clothes I like .. My legs don't work .. My hands do fists ..I'm in constant pain .. I need a gel to stop my hips giving so much pain prevent me sleeping. Six years on I suffer insomnia .. Chronic pain .. Depression .. Six years on I'm in a wheelchair ... That's what rheumatoid can do .. They say it's just arthritis though .. What do you think?

Manchester Bound

So here we are 2014 and its January so far no big appointments to tell you about although they are coming thick and fast now! I am planning my first trip to Manchester next week so i thought id give you a wee preview, i might even bring photos back!

So i applied for the second leg of the Capital One Cup games between Manchester United v Sunderland. Now being a wheelchair user i never expect to get a ticket or id get disappointed! So any tickets are a bonus.

I was lucky to obtain tickets, saying that United i like to give me tickets for night games, even though nothing beats a game under the flood lights at Old Trafford.

So i shall make my normal trip up north via bus, train and taxi to my final location The Lowry Hotel i choose this hotel because of there disabled facilities fantastic, i will meet up with my good friend Mark and i will now name him my football no.2 as we go to alot of games together!

The plan is food and football wednesday followed my lunch and traveling home on thursday!

I am looking forward to going and glad to be out and about in January as its normally a quite month for me

Plus im going to my second home MANCHESTER!!!

xx

New Blog

So as i said last year i was going to start a new blog and i thought id share it with my regular readers incase youd like to read about accessability issues that i face as a wheelchair user when planning a weekend out of a day out with family and friends i hope its as bigger success as this blog.

Have you no fear this blog will carry on forward and i hope you still enjoy it xxx


http://disabledaccessability.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/my-new-blog.html

Practicality over brand

Mobile Phone Upgrade

You see i have been really unlucky with rheumatoid because not only did it take my legs it made my hands really deformed and makes a lot of thimgs difficult and one of those things is using a mobile phone. Now its just not as simple as getting which phone you love, im a huge fan of samsung ive had these phones for 6 years but now they are huge and just not practicle for me so heres what i have to consider

• size of mobile
• weight of mobile - too light would not be good

Now you see most people just go oh i love that phone and get it for me i have to consider all these things and it means i often can not get the phone id love and the brand i trust, but what do i do? i have a phone because of brand and choice that i crnt use or do i get a phone thats practicle and useable .. well theres no point in getting a phone i can not use, its a hard thing to deal with but at least the "new" brand ill be getting is still stylish just not a brand i prefer.

Its not the biggest thing or the most distaterous but it just hurts i have to let my rheumatoid rule my choices not just for the easy and simple things.

Above you can see pictures of both my hands