Thank you to Lizzy for inviting me to the National Theatre to see their production of Under Milk Wood, ‘ starring’ Michael Sheen.
It was really. really something else.

The completely Welsh’ness of it means it’s a special experience for anyone that grew up / lives there. The Welsh are definitely a unique race, with a version of English that is really special. Dylan Thomas immortalised that flavour in this play, and for me the whole experience was very nostalgic – having not lived in Wales for more than 30 years.

I don’t know what the English make of this play, but evidently enough to stage it in their National theatre!
The cast was almost exclusively over 65, which in itself has to be very rare, but was lovely. ‘ Old ‘ people get written off far too quickly, and this highlighted why that’s certainly the wrong thing to do.

Thanks Lizzy ! Xx

When you’re in a wheelchair and therefore obliged to only go up vertically via lifts, you get a more obvious sense of ‘ vertical ascent/descent ‘ than you might otherwise if you can just use your legs ( I think ).
I’m only really writing this because I’ve just ( probably for the 300th time ) caught the lift from the Jubilee line up to the District Line … which as a ‘ normal’ you’d probably not even appreciate is a bloody long way up.
Fair play to all those responsible for digging these bloody great tunnels so far below ground level, and what’s more making them wheelchair accessible!

I went to Smithfield Market today.
I read about a few things that perhaps they wanna bring back…..?!

😳

To say I got wet yesterday would be an understatement.
After a visit to Buckingham Palace no less, like you do, and seeing the 33 acres (!!) of the Queen’s central London back garden ( who’d have thought it was that big, AND had a lake in it ?! … the rains came down.
Lizzy went home by train ( with delays apparently ) and I thought I’d get a Tube.
Well blimey, the whole network must have flooded, because I only got a few stops and had to get off. Thankfully it was at Earl’s Court and there was a lift. I don’t think they really give any consideration to people caught underground in wheelchairs to be honest… but anyway..

I then had to get back through totally gridlocked London by wheelchair. Tbh I think I was probably the fastest moving thing on the roads, given everything else wasn’t moving much, but I got ABSOLUTELY DRENCHED. And I mean completely. I don’t think it would be possible to be any more wet. My coat proved ineffective, as my shirt underneath was as though it had just been pulled out of the bath.
Having got home and with no Carer there, it’s virtually impossible for me to dry. Well I can’t get up, off the soaking seat I’m on. I can’t change my trousers or anything like that.
I turned on a powerful fan heater and there I stayed, being careful my insensate legs didn’t catch fire. Hours later I was fairly ( only ) dry.
If I hadn’t been disastrously metal over fixed, I’d probably cope… but now I can’t. If no one is available to help me, then I have to just stay soaked until they arrive…which is what I had to do.
This blinking weather… ?! Never seen rain like that in London, that’s for sure.

Climate change is a very visible reality.

I spent the day with Lizzy on Friday. We were looking around the South Bank area, and it was a fun day to be sure.

Come going home time, I thought I’d Tri all the way back ( but actually realised I needed to catch a Tube as I didn’t have enough juice left ) so I made my way via Buck Palace and Hyde Park Corner etc… and at that Corner, whilst waiting for the crossing lights to change green, there was a fella on a bicycle, smoking a spliff btw, who uttered these immortal words…

‘ Man, that wheelchair thing is so fucking cool. I’ve seen some mad shit, and I’ve seen some cool shit… but that thing is so fucking mad cool…’

I just laughed and said thank you! 😂

I went to the British Museum yesterday. Aside from their lifts not being that fit for purpose – either too small, or inoperable by the wheelchair user without the help of another – it was great.
After having watched The Dig on Netflix, I wanted to see the Sutton Hoo treasure… found just as Britain went to war against Germany ( WW2 ).
The hoard was found within a big mound in a field in Sussex, within which was the remains of a whole ( Viking looking but ) Anglo Saxon ship …

What’s amazing is just how intricate the gold and jewellery is, in terms of design. They weren’t exactly savages back then, evidently.

The top image is a belt buckle. The gold alone would sell for £17,000 now.
That’s an expensive way to keep your britches up…