Always look on the bright side - or count your blessings

Today has been a particularly good one. For one thing it's suited me being a tad cooler. I don't want the summer to end too soon. It would be nice to have a sunny holiday.

At the moment my lift is receiving its six-monthly health check from Ashley, our regular lift engineer and emergency doctor. He is such an expert even in Pollock lifts which aren’t his stock in trade. What's more, he's a lovely guy. These regular services are one of the benefits that I receive because of my incapacity.

 

Our old Yeti

Earlier in the day we drove to our nearest Volkswagen dealer as the time is coming to change my Motability vehicle. Sadly the fashionable Skoda Yeti is no longer being produced and so I’ve done my research and decided a Touran – which is a bit bigger - is my best bet. VWs have a delay in their production, I gather, as they’re working on their emissions…. So it looks as though we’ll have to wait for a few months to take delivery. But Motability are good and should allow us to keep our Yeti until the Touran is ready. The Motability scheme which provides cars, insurance, servicing etc using the mobility component of your PIP (Personal Independence Payment, the replacement of the old Disability Living Allowance) is great – as long as you receive it. However it’s far from a foregone conclusion, these days, that if you’re disabled you’ll be allowed it. A very helpful and efficient chap called Kit steered us through the process of ordering.

Then before that I had an appointment with the podiatrist. These happen every six weeks, and I have them free on the NHS after I almost pulled a nail off a toe with my rollator a couple of years ago. I never quite know who I’ll see as our local surgery is part of an area podiatry service. But today a new rather skilled podiatrist called Lottie dealt with me. My toenails are not a pleasant phenomenon, but she soon had them sorted out. I hope she treats me again.

As we returned home for lunch and considered how much help we received, we reflected that although having MND was not a choice we’d ever ever make, I am really well provided for and have a lot to be grateful for. To cap today off, Pete and Jane, two of our best friends will be coming round tonight to have supper.

Above all and beneath it all, of course, is Jane. I read this sentence while waiting for the podiatrist: “Caring for a loved one is among the most selfless acts that can be imagined.” Yes, spot on. I’m a lucky man.