Turning 30 and all that goes with it.

Last Saturday I turned 30.  It was a rather emotional build up but actually the day itself passed by without too much trouble.

My birthday weekend started with a lovely curry with my knitting girls. They bought me some beautiful gifts which were most unexpected. It was such a lovely evening.

Saturday, which was actually my birthday, was quite a quiet day.  My knee was so painful and stiff all day, typical!  I went to get my hair done in the afternoon, they're so ace at Franceso's, they always look after me.

My Mum made me a cake and my Dad iced it.  It was his first attempt at icing a cake and I think he did a fine job.

The cake my Mum and Dad made for me.

In the evening we went to Granvilles in Stone.  What a laugh ! My mates were on form and great fun. Granvilles always have a live band on so most of my pals were throwing some shapes and taking it in turns to come and sit with me.  My friends try and include me all the time which is great but I want them to have a good time and not worry about me all the time.  Dancing is the one thing I think I miss the most.  Being a musician I love live music.  When a band are playing stuff like Stevie Wonder I find it really shitty that I can't have a dance with my pals, although I have for very good at wheelchair dancing at gigs etc.

My biggest concern with turning 30 is that I don't feel my life has moved on since I was 20.  I'm still living at home, I have no family or career.  I know things have changed since I was 20 but it just doesn't feel like it.  I went and got myself a masters degree.  I worked so hard to get some kind of career but life didn't take me down that path.  I've traveled, all be it mostly with my Mum and Dad but hey I've seen some amazing places so every cloud and all that!

Another little bitesize cake my friend bought for me.

Picture Knitting

Over the last month or so I've had go at picture knitting or intarsia.  It basically means knitting with lots of colours to create a picture.

The picture I wanted to do was only 3 colours, but with all the colours weaving in and out I ended up with with 15 balls of wool on the go at once!

WHAT A PAIN....but its worth it as the finished item looks amazing.

I'm knitting for my friend who is due to get married soon. She has a camper van and instead of gifts she would like little donations to put towards doing the camper up.

Therefore, she is getting knitting. I can't tell you what it is but I hope she likes it.

More to come soon....

Home of Metal

For those of you who don't know, the West Midlands is the Home of Metal. Black Sabboth, Led Zeppelin, Napalm Death and Judas Priest, amongst others, paved the way for rock music as we know and love it today.

Local musicians were celebrated in an exhibition in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in September. My friend Emma and I went along to have a look.

It was great to see how much the Midlands has shaped music and how the bands influenced the next generation of music lovers. Most of these men came from nothing, but went on to become some of the most famous people in the world, although often not for the right reasons (see Ozzy and something to do with a bat or a chicken, or something!)

No other genre has had the influence on fans and their imaginations as the metal genre has. Fashion and attitudes are all influenced buy metal, to the point that you know someone rocks before you've even spoken to them. Having said that, we don't all have the band shirts and patches on our jackets, some of the most straight looking people I've ever met love to rock out.

It's a genre with great depth and is often misunderstood, but I don't think it will ever die out. It's way too much fun and is forever capturing peoples imaginations.

www.homeofmetal.com

Home of Rock family tree.

Birmingham ArtsFest

Last weekend saw another successful weekend of arts in Birmingham. Every year the city boasts ArtsFest, the countries largest free arts festival.

My friend Nicola and I go every year and this year was no exception.  We saw some interesting stuff but the highlights have to be the CBSO (along with fireworks that are synchronized with the music) and a band called Casino. The Guillemots headlined but Casino were far better. Check them out; one of the guys is from the Stereophonics...I know that isn't much to go on as I'm not a Stereophonics fan but there we go.

Why does a day out ALWAYS make me ill?

I don't understand.  I went out for the day yesterday.  I didn't get up any earlier and I didn't go to bed any later, but I'm shattered. I used my scooter all day but my knee still hurts like mad.  We went to Blackpool to see the lights. I love Blackpool, people slag it off but I think there's a charm to it. 

I was amazed to see the lovely new accessible promenade that they've been working on for the last couple of years. It's still not quite finished but it looks great already.  The tram stops are being raised to tram level to make it accessible. Again, they are not quite finished but it will be great when they are done.  We spent a lot of the day in Cleavleys which is just north of Blackpool.  It's rather lovely.  A mixture of Blackpool tat but with cleaner streets. Although Blackpool looks a lot better than it did, even a year ago. 

The lights were rather dissopointing. Not so many years ago the road was full of illuminations on either side, this year a lot we're missing. Some of the lights that were there had bulbs out, in some cases a whole row was out. You wouldn't have seen this a few years ago. Workmen would go up and down the promenade fixing the lights throughout the evening. 

All in all though I had a fab day but I do wish some of the dropped kerbs were a little more dropped!

FibreFest 2011

My friend and I went to FibreFest which was at Bicton College in Devon last week.  I was pretty disappointed as to start with as the access for disabled people was terrible.  It was set out across two marquees which would have been fine if it was a flat surface to start with, but it was awful.  The lumps and bumps were terrible and I wouldn’t have been surprised if anyone had fallen over and hurt themselves.  My scooter was have so much trouble getting across the fields that after about an hour it packed up and that was it, dead for the rest of the day.  I happen to talk to another girl who was also in a scooter and it cut out as well so I think it must have been something to do with the terrain.

The organisation was absolutely awful and so bad that we didn’t even pay to get in, no one asked us for any money and to be honest if I had have paid, I’d have been asking for my money back due to the access.  I think there were some very disappointed people leaving and I don’t think they will be going back again.

Hip replacements, helpful hints and tips.

My Mother suggested that it would be a good idea to write down some helpful hints and tips and what to do after of going through a hip replacement. So here goes...

Things you will need to have or do post op.

Half Step.

1. Plastic bag for the car.  You put it on the car seat, sit on it and twist your legs round to get in and out.
2. Lots of grabbers as you won't be able to bend or twist to reach anything.
3. Have everything to hand so you don't have to keep getting up and down.
4. Think about where your bedside table is! I had to put another table in front of my bedside table so I didn’t twist my body round to get my drink, remote etc.
5. Long handled sponge.  You can buy them from the disabled shops but they are cheaper from Poundland/Poundworld, whatever it's called.

Grabbers are very useful!!

6. One of those trays with the polystyrene balls in it, again you can buy them from the disabled shops but they are cheaper from other places.
7. Some straws so you don't have to sit up if you have a drink in bed.
8. Raised toilet seats which should be provided by the hospital.
9. Lots of cushions as it isn't easy to sleep once you get home.
10. The hospital will get you to measure your chair.  It's been the fashion recently to have low furniture I've had to have a rise and recline chair to help me get up.
11. You will also be asked to measure your front door step. I was given a Derby half step by social services as mine is too high.