14. In what ways do you communicate online?

January 18, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

Primarily via e-mail – my preference, but otherwise I tend to use the online communication channel preferred by the people with whom I am talking (albeit virtually). There also many different choices available and I tend to use most of them, except where their operation or lack thereof are not available to me because they either have security measures that operate so fast that I just can’t access them in time due to manual dexterity difficulties and the need to use voice dictation software rather than typing on a keyboard.

When I want to engage in a ‘proper’ conversation with those distant from me, including my parents, I use Skype for my personal contacts. It’s just nicer to be able to see them whilst speaking naturally. And then for special occasions I tend to use Zoom as we can group together and it just provides a different “party” feel.

I deliberately restrict posting to Twitter (now X – stupid name) for things like petitions and/or keeping up-to-date with the activities of the various ‘health related’ contacts that I have made since being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and using a wheelchair.

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · FAMILY · PETS

15. What is your favorite animal?

January 15, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

Pet rats climbing over woman's rollneck jumper with her smiling — Photo by Xeniya Kovaleva on Pexels.com

As a juxtaposition to my previous post on my WordPress ‘memory jar’ site – I have also had a number of pet rodents as I was growing up, from mice to gerbils to my pet rat “John” (the name gives you an idea of my age at this point) and finally hamsters whilst at college. John rat was one of my favourites and a rescue from my mother’s school, where he needed too much attention as his teeth would not grow straight and hence had to be cut regularly.

So yes, I love both rodents and their nemesis cats – who knew!

My current cat “Charlie” likes mice and rats – he doesn’t kill them and/or eat them he just likes to “play with them”. Although I love the sound of birdsong and birds in general, they just don’t have the intelligence of mice and rats. I am particularly impressed by the ‘clever’ ways that mice just seem to run rings around cats and how canny they can be. We’ve even had a mouse (caught by a previous cat) who managed to hide underneath his food bowl – now that’s smart!

The problem with Charlie is that far from removing mice from our home, we’ve had to resort to mouse traps, because he is forever losing them. So unlike my parent’s cats in France where they really noticed the increase in mouse population upon the death of the last of their 2 cats, we have the opposite problem. I can’t help thinking that we have more mice than we would have if we didn’t have a cat.

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · FAMILY · PAIN

13. Think back on your most memorable road trip.

January 14, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

Now this will be an even shorter than the equivalent one that I posted on my WordPress ‘memory jar’ site, because it is much earlier in my life and so my memories are even more vague and probably largely shaped by what I have been told by my parents.

For my birthday, between the ages of about 5 to 10, we used to stay every year at a farmhouse on Dartmoor in a village called Poundsgate (I think). However, one of my clearest memories about these holidays is the time when my father did his back in. He had been chopping wood (no problem) and sitting chatting by the fire when he got up to put a new log on the fire – as simple as that. He bent over, something went and he just couldn’t stand up again, he was in agony!

Flames & wood burning — Photo by Nuh Isa on Pexels.com

Eventually he was helped to lie on his back on a sheet of wood. Next thing that I remember is my mother lowering the backseats in our car so that my dad could be lifted into the boot lying on a sheet of wood. The holiday was called short and we were rushing him home from Devon to Southend in Essex (a large proportion of the South of England). We drove hellbent off Dartmoor until we made it to the M5/M4 and my mum was speeding along the road. Years later she admitted that she hadn’t realised the emergency phones on the motorways in the UK were spaced about 1 mile apart, because they seem to skip by so quickly!

My dad underwent some very expensive physiotherapy & massage sessions on his back, but it had never been the same since. So, dad in back of car writhing in agony, Mum alongside me in front driving as fast as she could and me just being scared and not really sure what was going on. Yes, you could describe that as my most “memorable” road trip but for all the wrong reasons!

Man lying over chair being treated for back pain — Photo by Stephanie Allen on Pexels.com

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · PETS · SLEEP · WEATHER

12. What snack would I eat right now?

January 13, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

Clock and sleeping person behind duvet/bed covers — Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush on Pexels.com

This prompt is not really appropriate for me “right now”, as despite what the clock in the picture shows it is past midnight, I’ve had my chocolate biscuits and “Sleepy Tea” and now my final tasks are scrubbing my teeth before going off to bed to sleep with the cat. It’s been a long day today and I will enjoy snuggling up under the duvet to keep warm while the weather is still too cold for me. I’m looking forward to a long sleep – something at which I am very good!

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · HEALTH · Multiple Sclerosis · WORK

11. Today’s prompt

January 11, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

Daily writing prompt

Come up with a crazy business idea.

View all responses

This will be quick as I don’t really have any stunning “crazy business ideas”. Probably the most “crazy” idea that I had and have already done and moved on, was refusing to retire on medical grounds from my previous job and instead setup my own business as an IP attorney having never worked outside the safe environment of an existing large company/organisation and doing everything myself – manager, finances, Patent Attorney and paralegal all rolled into one. Not very interesting but the best I can offer.

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · FAMILY · HOSPITAL · TOYS

10. Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

January 11, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

Sorry for the delay, but having promised a second post yesterday on my “memory jar” WordPress site here it is.

Black Scottish terrier dog on lead against white tiled, medicinal background — Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

I have chosen this photograph specifically, because it shows a black terrier dog against a medicinal tiled room and features both aspects of my second post in response to this prompt.

When I was a very young child (again), my grandfather was in hospital having been run over and having to have his legs amputated. Now in the late 60s/early 70s, hospitals were quite different and visiting with children was just not allowed. Every week or so, my parents used to make the journey from Southend (where we lived) to the hospital at Black Notley – a 2 hour+ journey and take me with them. However, I was too young and was not allowed access to the ward, but instead would spend the time while they were visiting my grandad in the nursing station in a separate room. During this time I was so well behaved that I believe I was allowed to see my grandad just before he was discharged from hospital and he gave me a soft toy of a black Scottish terrier dog that I rather unimaginatively named “Scottie”. My toy dog looked similar to the live dog shown in the picture above and I thought it appropriate at the dog shown in the picture appeared to be sitting in a medical setting i.e. white tiles & clean floor.

As I have already described in the post on my “memory jar” WordPress site, my parents now live in France and are trying to clear out their loft containing lots of my soft toys. At the end of this year they brought over a selection of the soft toys that I had asked them to keep when they donated the majority of them to the grandchildren of local neighbours. I hadn’t seen him for years (40+ perhaps) but he still looked in pretty good condition and so now he is back in my home again.

I wanted to keep him, because he was the only reminder that I have now of my grandfather, who died when I was about 5 years old. He is buried in the graveyard of the Little Maplestead round church in Essex, which is where my parents lived for many years having renovated and extended his house by buying the house next door and reconnecting them together.

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · FUN · Nature · PAIN · PAMPERING · SUNNY

8. What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

January 8, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

I think that this question hinges on your quality of life. Personally, a fulfilling happy life is preferable to a long, miserable existence. Of course the best option is a long, fulfilling and happy life BUT if I had to choose between the quality of my life versus its length – the former would always come out on top.

Paintbrush and paints with framed 3D word JOY in limegreen, dark green and red — Photo by Bekka Mongeau on Pexels.com

However, my perspective is definitely skewed because I have been fortunate enough to live over half my life already with the first third being fantastic and the later stages being harder but still with room for enjoyment although somewhat curtailed.

If the tables had been reversed and my existence was hard and joyless then I don’t think that I would want my life to be long and drawn out, particularly if I was in pain or depressed. No, a short but gleeful life like that of a soaring bird or fluttering butterfly would be my preference.

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · HEALTH · Nature

7. What could you do differently?

January 7, 2024January 7, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

What could I do differently? To what does this apply? The question is probably intentionally vague so that people can answer in lots of different ways. Thinking of myself, I don’t really think that there is anything that I could or would do differently and that is being honest.

Young lady in jumper and jeans sitting pondering with paper cup of drink in hands and a backdrop of see, clouds and a vauge outline of hills on the other side of a bay — Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

I am lucky to have been given lots of encouragement and possibilities throughout my life, although somewhat tempered in my latter years due to my deterioration in health and the need to use a wheelchair. However, I do value the advice and chances that have been provided to me and wherever possible I try to encourage the younger generation to achieve their full potential.

Fortunately, I have no children and I do not envy those that have only just started their lives. On a global scale things seem to be slowly slipping ever downwards and I only hope that the next generations are able to correct or at least manage the world that we are passing onto them. I am increasingly depressed and disillusioned, but occasionally there is a spark from some younger people that inspire me with a little hope.

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · Nature

6. If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?

January 6, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

Sorry, but this will be short and sweet from me – I would not have a “freeway billboard”. My reasoning: I hate the distraction of billboards particularly on the motorway/freeway. It’s a waste of resources, distracting to the driver and covers up the roadway nature that I would much prefer to see instead.

I have seen other posts saying things like “relax” and “take a break”, but in the UK these are the types of notices that are already displayed on all our motorways.

Bloganuary · CHALLENGES · FESTIVALS · HEALTH · WEATHER

5. Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?

January 5, 2024 Debra SmithLeave a comment

I think about both, but my happiest memories are definitely from the past. For me (personally) the future is scary – challenging certainly and likely to deteriorate if I don’t make the effort to improve things. This is odd because I am much more a science/technology nerd than I ever was a history buff.

Why? The past is a happy place, the future is just sad. The most positive spin I can come up with is that “things can only get better”, although most would not think them too bad for me. It depends upon how you look at good & bad and definitely in the last few months there have been several things that I should be grateful for.

Sea and sky with fluffy white clouds — Photo by Splash of Rain on Pexels.com