Lovely Summer

I found this blog post sitting in the saved box, where I had forgotten all about it, so I thought I would post it before it was forgotten or lost altogether



Apart from my chest and memory problems etc, we had a lovely summer, although most of this was through staying at our static caravan in Barnard Castle where the air is much cleaner that at home

I find it relaxing here and most of the people around the town are very friendly.

During this time I enjoyed lots of short walks around the town and River side, where there is so much to see.

                                      The old castle walls

                                                  Galgate

                                                  Looking up the River Tees

                                    Looking down towards the main shops and market place


One day we went on the Settle to Carlisle railway which has only recently opened again after the landslide

We also went on a coach tip to see the Great Yorkshire show at Harrogate. This day was very hot, and I got tired very quickly, so I never took any photographs

This was a lovely day as it reminded my of the local County Shows we used to go to as children, however I don't think that they were on this scale

I used to be a Special Constable with Durham Police force before I got married, and worked at many of these events


On another day we went to Wolsingham show in the Wear Valley.
Here we saw lots of farming equipment and animals, along with Alpacas which was a novelty.

There were a lot of old machinery and cars on display to which brought back many memories

Good day all round

Today has been a lot more positive than expected.

We had to go to a funeral first thing,  after which we got the express bus to Newcastle and had my phone checked in the Virgin mobile shop.

We were told all was well, and my balance was alright. So after all of the worrying I had not lost my data,  it was the way my brain had been interpreting the data application.

But it was all explained to us both, so that my wife could keep me straight.
Having said that, my wife is not well up with technology and struggles herself at times, but we muddle through as best we can

The staff there seemed to be more focused on the public, and when I explained my illness problems, the young man seemed to step up a gear

I can commend the Virgin Mobile staff in Newcastle for being so kind and supportive

After this we went for a curry, before doing some shopping, and then got the express back home again

It seems that after last week's total hell, I have turned the corner, and most things are fitting into place again

I confess that I was terrified at the way things were going last week,  but I am more positive now

What an awful week

I have enjoyed my holidays resting In  Barnard castle, but this last week  the wheels really came off

Everything has gone totally wrong, because I have been unable to work things out, or remember what I had just been told

I know that I have been very agitated,  but did not really take on board everything else, like the change in mood and personality which my wife said she noticed.

I confess that I don't understand these changes, and don't always realise things like this when they happen

This was on top of asking the same questions over and over again without knowing about it, and also forgetting my medication, all of which is distressing

This morning I tried to put my porridge into the fridge, then went into the, living room with the milk, which should have gone in to the fridge.
This has happened a few times in the past

On Monday I changed my mobile phone contract to virgin mobile,  after   months of problems with 3 mobile
Then after getting home things came off the rails, and I lost a lot of my data, due to not being able to get my head into gear.

Virgin  had changed my contacts onto my new phone,  but my apps were still on my old phone and I could not work out how to swap them over.

In years gone by,  this would have been very easy to swap things over, now it's becoming frightening

Then on Thursday my new phone died, so I had to take it back to the shop again where they checked it and then changed it.

I realised that I was losing control of my technology side of things, and this hit me hard, because I have been battling to hang onto it.

I could not blame virgin for my phone  problems, but I knew my brain was not working  things out clearly as in the past, but I need to keep trying.

I think it's all down to my eyesight and brain not working together as you would expect. We all take this for granted until it all stops working as it's supposed to do.

When you lose the ability to work and plan things out, as you have done for years, it starts to become a nightmare.

I think this is the reality of the nightmare of living with Lewy Body Dementia, and everything that goes with this horrible illness

I guess this has all been building up gradually over the summer, because I had problems trying  to think clearly and writing things down, so things like the blog have not happened.

There have been days when I wondered if I was in the real world, or if it's all been down to my brain playing tricks.

Mobility scotters

Pedestrians are not always protected these days even on public footpaths, because of cyclists and disabled scooter's.

But  I like many other people, think the laws need to be changed to take on the number of people using bicycles and  mobility scooters on public footpaths

I get annoyed when cyclists ride along public footpaths, these days in total disregard to pedestrians.

I was told last year that its illegal to ride a bicycle on a footpath if you don't have a bell, to fitted to warn others using  the footpath, but many simply ignore this law.
What is more, if you try to say something to these people you get a mouthful of abuse.

However I do think that disability scooters need to have bells or horns fitted when used on public footpaths

During the last few days I have seen two mobility scotters travelling  along busy footpaths, dodging other people walking along looking in shops.

I think this sort of thing is now getting worse because these  scooters can travel at high speeds, and when you have problems with stability,  these things are very dangerous, as they don't give you much of a chance to get out of the way.

A few Years ago I wrote to Durham county council about these mobility scooters and was told it was up to the Government to do something.

So I wrote to the "Government department mentioned" and was told that it was up to local government to control these things.

So does anyone care, especially when people are being run over and injured by high speed scotters on footpaths.  The problem with these things is that many of the users are not insured for accidents

I think that they should be regulated, especially on footpaths and even some users agree, because they get fed up of abuse from pedestrians.

I understand that some able bodied people use them, to save them walking everywhere which seems rather odd, especially in this day and age when we hear about people being unhealthy or obese

As one disabled person said the other day, you can always tell if someone really needs these things,  because they usually have walking sticks or cruutches strapped on behind the seat

I have no objection to people using them, but I honestly think they need regulating, and they should be insured for any accidents they cause.

Rough period

Since my last chest infection, I have struggled to get on with life the way I was used to doing.

I don't  understand these changes, which are harder to cope with.

Although I understand that there is depression in both Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's, which I understand are very similar, I have never really  quite understood it.

Like everyone else I get a little down at times, but I think this week I hit the bottom and found it difficult, to get clear of it.

When this happens I usually go for a long walk, or as far as I can walk these days, which is not far compared to years ago when I could walk 15 - 20 miles a day.

These days I  am lucky it I can manage 3- 4 miles with my hip and chest problems, but I know that it's exercise

When you struggle to cope with stress and agitation, as I have found recently it's difficult to get on with a normal  life.

Trying to find the right words when talking to people, can be a hazard times, something  which many people don't understand, but I guess that's life and we have to find ways of coping with it.

I have at times found myself staring into the distance unable to think clearly, and this can't be good.

Sometimes it feels as if I have hit a brick wall, because I can't think what I want to say, even to my wife, and that is very hard.

It's not that I don't want to talk, the words just don't come to my brain

However I have noticed some days when my brain has not been connected to my mouth, as the wrong things come out, or come out in the wrong order  and that's embarrassing.

I spent an odd day on my own at our caravan, and coped quite well, because I knew where everything was, so just pottered around relaxing  and enjoying walks around Barnard Castle which is lovely.

The only problems came at meal times when I had to work hard to plan things out.

I guess the reason I like this area, is because of its gorgeous countryside and everyone speaks even if you don't know them at all

While I don't always cope well on my own, I find the caravan to be relaxing because it's smaller than our house and I know where most things are.

As well as that, the air is a lot cleaner in Barnard Castle, than it is around home so it helps my breathing problems.

I guess some of my problems could be due to lack of sleep.

Although I can drift off during the day when my eyelids get too heavy to stay open,  which is an odd feeling, then wake up after half an hour or an hour feeling totally refreshed

I confess that I have never had this feeling until recently,  where you feel as if your eyelids are being pulled down and even fighting it can be a waste of time.

During the night is totally different, due to the bad dreams and nightmares, and waking up with a cramp in my right leg and foot.

I have never suffered from cramps like this before, but they can be frustrating.

So I suppose a few good nights sleep may well help, if I am lucky

However after this week I have a vague idea about what depression is, and it's something that I need to watch, because I don't want it to get worse or so bad that I can't handle it.