Wow! What a week. Firstly, since my BBC breakfast appearance and more importantly the blog on the DLA consultation. General feedback from the ‘one month before heartbreak’ blogswarm has been positive. It received coverage on the following links, as only a starter and taster:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/18/disabled-protesters-one-month-before-heartbreak
http://www.goodaccessguide.co.uk/news/info.php?refnum=544
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/latest-news/1285-protests-against-benefits-cuts
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/service-user-voice/2011/01/disabled-people-and-service-users-will-be-heard-we-will-be-listened-to-ombh.html#more
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/01/17/does-the-broken-of-britain-campaign-need-celebrity-support/
Thanks to Emma (TweetHandle: @funkyfairy22) for providing this information. Also Kaliya (TweetHandle: @Bendygirl) was on Talk Radio Europe speaking about Broken of Britain and the great campaign http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/2011/01/benefit-claimants-fight-back.html. Lets hope the government have taken note of this and reconsider their policy decisions around DLA next month, and indeed on disability issues generally!
Since my post on this, I spent a great weekend back with my Cambridgeshire peeps. My sister turned 22 the week before so we had dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant followed by a few vodkas in the local. Saturday I had my car warning light checked by the Peterborough Kia dealer, and a former primary school friend – small world hey. All was ok, seems my controls were confusing the Kia computer system. So I headed to the shops with my Christmas money, knowing I’d thrown a load of old clothes away and generally deserved to treat myself J bought a load of new work/smart evening wear and a fatty bum bum burger king.
Due to a mate from primary school leaving for China there was a leaving do in Cambridge. Since my time living in the sticks, they now have accessible buses. So along with my best mate Billy and my PA we headed off for a night on the Cambridge tiles, something I couldn’t do so easily before. I must have seen 5 of the 15 lads from my primary school class. Followed by 2 mates I have known since birth, as our parents worked together and finally the beautiful cashier from the Nationwide bank (who transferred the money when I bought my London flat over 3 years ago). One snag was my PA is 20, one of the bars the 25 strong party were going to was 21’s and over. The bouncers refused my PA entry, putting everyone in an awkward situation. So we all left and protested by giving our money to a more inclusive establishment across the way. What a loser bouncer! We grabbed the last bus at 11.30 to save expensive taxis and grabbed one more drink in St.Ives. Here I then bumped into a mate born 2 days after me (I’m 3rd September, the 5th), who’s family were friends with mine ever since, and who was in my form at secondary school. The local Ivo school wasn’t accessible so I took the wheely bus to Impington, where he happened to also attend. What a small world, weird but great night, and an apparent episode of ‘this is your life’ with Michael Aspel, if you remember that?
I am really enjoying work at the moment with lots of interesting projects, challenges, meetings and tasks to do. Tuesday I had my ‘working at home’ day (usually a Wednesday to keep my health up), because of my annual consultants appointment at Addenbrookes. This did mean I had to drive and didn’t get the full benefits of working from home, but it was a good job done. She was happy with my sleep study results, using the cough assist and other things I have done to protect my health. She was gobsmacked at how much I do and said many people with less ‘challenges’ are doing far less. Was nice to hear and showed me when I am tired, it’s not a bad thing, and I should slow down when my body tells me. Still, I have too much ambition and dreams to sit still for long.
Thursday I had a few meetings in Brighton at a Scope service doing amazing things http://www.scope.org.uk/services/sharon-collins-resource-centre?style=hide#content. It was a 2 hour drive. I interviewed 3 Scope customers, a parent and the manager. The customers and parents’ input assists me to illustrate the great work the charity I work for do. When I pass on general information about all of Scope’s services, it needs to enable the fundraising teams to explain how the donated money improves disabled peoples lives. Talking to the manager it helped me to look at the reasons why he runs the service, the costs associated and the benefits to his customers of doing so. I have a lot to write up from my Dictaphone now, I can tell you. Was a great day though, topped off with fish and chips with my PA at the seafront too.
Understandably, I am absolutely shattered now. Slept till lunchtime, watched Soccer Saturday and am stocking up on healthy food and rest. Fingers crossed I will be rested up enough by Monday to go again. Am in Worcester Tuesday for work and hoping to go to Les Miserable later in the week after work. Hope you are all well!
