Lucky...

People are always saying how lucky I am when I meet celebrities or get given stuff and rightly so. I have been extremely fortunate in who I have met down the years and have even been in the presence of bonified legends such as Thierry Henry on more than one occasion.

In fact, at a Junior Gunner awards ceremony back in 2006, I was privileged enough to award the Frenchman one of his many accolades to which he gave me it back and told me to keep it.

Another amazing moment was when Tomas Rosicky picked me out of the crowd and gave me his shirt after a famous North London Derby victory in 2014.

My luck was well and truly in on both occasions. However, I have paid a massive price for my luck and I'm not talking money. I'm not too sure how lucky one can be if they're disabled. I personify the saying "You win some, you lose some" but unfortunately the bad far outweighs the good.

Having photos with famous people is one of the 'perks' if you like of being wheelchair bound. It's a bit like being able to skip queues at most places, getting 2 for 1 cinema tickets and having a parking permit for special places. They're all great schemes and definitely make my life significantly easier but none of them make up for me having this horrendous condition. Unfortunately, I did not have the choice but if someone said to me you can lead a normal, generic life not meeting any celebrities or have Friedreich's Ataxia (obviously they would have to explain what that was) but get concessionary rates on tickets, I would choose not to have a disability.

I would give up Rosicky giving me his shirt, Henry giving me his Player Of The Season award and meeting loads of other famous people just to be able to walk again.

I have also been told how lucky I am to get a council flat even though the fact is if I wasn't disabled, I would be able to get a job and save the money to move out privately. When you think about it, I'm really UNlucky that I am in a position where I have to rely on the  council to house me.

So, I am very lucky sometimes in who I meet but I was not when it came to drawing short straws in the gene pool. 

Bye for now!

Other pictures of me being lucky:

Remember me?

It's getting hot in here...

Probably not because it has been well over a month since my last post. What have I been doing that has prevented me from blogging? Well, I have been trying to sort out my flat and get it ready to move in. There is still an issue with security and a lack of fences but once this is resolved (hopefully soon), I’ll be able to fly the nest. I also visited most car dealerships in St. Albans and the surrounding area to try and find a more suitable vehicle for the Carony Classic. Finally, I have just got back from a delightful two weeks in Cyprus and as you can imagine, writing was not on the top of my ‘to do’ list.

That being said, I did take my keyboard out there but decided against doing any work because relaxing in the sun around the pool was far more appealing than using my brain. I knew that being near the equator, Cyprus would be hot and humid but the weather was even better than I was expecting. Not a single cloud could be seen during our 14 day, which certainly made a change from our rather wet experience in Italy last year. Also, there was an occasional breeze to make sure that no one was uncomfortably hot. It goes without saying that the torrential rain and colder temperatures in the past few days have come as a massive shock to the system.

Weather aside, I’m also missing the pool enormously. I say this every year but I must go swimming regularly now I’m home. Being in the water gives my legs that freedom they so badly crave. Although I still find them difficult to control, I can move my joints and kick them; something I obviously cannot do in my wheelchair. I used to be scared rigid of the water but now I will happily go in safe in the knowledge that a couple of flotation aids will stop me from drowning. I just need to keep my mouth shut; an art I struggle with unless I’m around women.

The villa itself was great too, as there were hoists this time which made transfers a lot easier and less hassle. The basement was a fully accessible self-contained flat with a kitchen and lounge so really, my brother and I did not need to go upstairs. It also came with a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle so when we did go out for a meal in the evening, I could just be pushed in the back. However, I did miss riding shotgun in my Carony Classic. The chair is way more comfortable than my bog standard manual but I’m glad I did not take the £4, 000 chair because part of the NHS one was broken on the return flight.

Anyway, if you are looking a relaxing break in the sun and one or two of your party are disabled, I’d highly recommend Villa Carpe Diem in southern Cyprus, about half an hour from Larnaca Airport.

Don’t worry; you won’t have to wait as long as last time for my next blog post. I’ll be back on Wednesday because writing a new entry every day is pretty unrealistic and would be a promise I’d probably break. I’m going to aim to do three a week like Russell Brand (I used to find him a bit like Thrush but now I think he speaks sense and is quite funny like myself) does on The Trews.

Bye for now!