...and we are just not used to it up here in the Dales - it has been such a kind winter to us so far. I needed to post a couple of letters this morning so I put on my duvet coat and crossed to the box before the post called but it was so windy I decided to go no further. Then after lunch the wind appeared to have lessened a bit so I got all togged up again and set off but it was still very windy and I was pleased to get round the block and back home. But at least it gave me a chance to have two or three conversations to break up the monotony.
J, who lives just a few doors below me, was walking her very old Border Terrier, Meg, who has sadly now gone almost blind. It is so hard when old dogs become neither well nor ill. At least my dear old dog had a bad stroke and it would not have been kind to keep her alive But Meg has deteriorated every time I see her and J and I agreed that perhaps the time had not quite come to make the painful decision.
J now has her mother out of nursing home and at home and both J and her mother are happier as a result. J offered me the use of her mother's motorised wheel chair to see how I felt about having one. It is very kind of her (her mother is now bedfast) and I may well take her up on the offer when the weather gets a bit warmer. Friend T some time ago did offer to walk with me the first time I used it to give me confidence - I am a little apprehensive.
I had two more pleasant chats with folk I recognised and then when I reached home neighbour M had seen me coming and was waiting in the shelter of the wall to have a chat before I went in.
I have now made an appointment at the Optician for the week after next - difficult because I can't get up to the Optician's surgery easily. There is a stair lift but there are 2 steps up to it and I can't manage steps at all. He does come to the house if necessary but he has looked after my eyes for years and he needs his specialist equipment which he can't bring. However we have fixed it for my son to take me down - it is only a short distance - and to take both Priscilla and also my Zimmer frame so that Priscilla need not go upstairs. I can't walk a single step without one or the other. Time will tell how well it all works out.
There were a few more snowdrops out today here and there and M next door has a patch of yellow crocus - all signs that Spring is certainly considering coming. Until tomorrow friends.....
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15 comments:
How wonderful to have flowers already. I should not complain as I did have a few brave pansies and calendula even into the first week of January, a rare treat here in our mountains.
I am impressed always at how you are determined to walk, even when it's a struggle. The power wheelchair might be nice, but I bet you continue to make your rounds with Priscilla as often as possible.
As my cranial therapist says just keep moving no matter how little. I am sure a motorised wheelchair or even a scooter would be very good for getting out and about your neighbourhood In the spring and summer there will be plenty of people around to have a chat to.
I would hold off as long as possible for the motorized chair...but that being said, it is up to you to determine when it is no longer possible.
I have a motorized wheelchair and I love it - mind you I'm paralyzed.
It is so nice to hear about Spring bulbs and flowers emerging. Even in the cold and wind they reliably carry on; the force of nature is amazing. With every walk, you seem to meet and chat with friends and neighbors and their dogs.
It's nice to find friends on out walks!
I have a real 'soft-spot' for older dogs. When they begin to get tired, and their muzzles become grey, they tend to have a dignity about them that younger dogs don't have. I was talking to one yesterday in the park; he was a lovely boy. I think he knew that he didn't have long!
Yellow crocus! I have not yet seen any crocus in the gardens around here, but snowbells and aconites are out in full force. Also, it has been a great season for hellebores, they were much more abundant than most winters.
Good idea not to attempt your first outing with the electric wheelchair on your own.
We certainly have to make the most of the fine days we get. They do make such a difference to life.
I too enjoy chats with neighbours - putting the world to rights.
I hope the trip to the optician will proof beneficial when the time comes.
What a good idea to try out your neighbour's motorised wheelchair. You will feel more confident if the time comes for you to get one for yourself. Several people in my town use them even though they can still walk. They park outside the shops, cafes or supermarket, safe in the knowledge that they can cope with the journey into the town and home again.
We have snowdrops out in our lawn and one solitary daffodil!
A motorized wheelchair has been a great source of amusement at our farm. When my father died last June we decided to keep his as you never know if someone needs one even temporally. Well the grandchildren now head straight for it and go up and down the yard on it. From 4 y o through 6 y o,7 y o, 11 y o to 20 y o plus a neighbours 17 son who has a little mental immpairment but helps on the farm. Often 2 or even 3 up.
***Dunham Lass - Welcome to my blog - I would love to blog with you as I am the widow of a farmer in the Yorkshire Dales but I have tried to get on to your blog to leave a reply and can't do so - can you just have a fiddle with your blog to see if it something you
haven't done - have answered other blogs today with no problem. Do hope we can soon communicate.
Funny Gnome - I still have some movement but can't walk unaided- so shall definitely try out my friends offer when the weather improves.
ry
Thanks everyone for your encouragement. Let's all try to commment on Durham Lass's poat to encourage her to get going again.
How lovely to have people around that look out for you. Viv
I have known totally blind dogs which use their noses to navigate. They bump into furniture sometimes, but seem to cope quite well.
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