Flippin drama on the roads.. but again someone is looking after me. Not long after exiting the very busy A4, my Triride had a major mechanical failure and stopped dead, with its brakes on.
Well that’s me buggered then. Had it happened 5 minutes earlier, I’d probably have been crushed in a pile up.

I looked pleadingly at a few passers by, tried to book a wheelchair taxi ( unavailable ) and then a Spanish lady said she’d give me a push so far. Then a gentleman said he’d help for a bit.
Then I called JD and Marky Bee. Mr 🐝 was half an hour away and volunteered his assistance when All of a sudden my buddy Roy cycled by. Roy was one of the Toulon 12 to very nearly see my death.. and yesterday was able to help me ( with his lad Marcus ) into his car, whilst loading my chair and triride into the back.

Rescued and delivered to Brentford by Roy.. thank you so much buddy. And helped by several in total.
Angels do walk amongst us.

Now I’m swept back 5 years. Old wheelchair and first ever Triride on it. Seems ever so slow by comparison, but it works. Glad I didn’t sell it!

As it is I think the breakdown may have been a big one, requiring a new machine. That’s the plan. Buy a new one, get the old one fixed, and sell it. I’ve had it ages and this was always going to happen one day.
More expense of course, as usual.

Additional thanks to Toby for repair of my hoist, and to Sue for my birthday lunch, for Nina for our time together, and to her lovely little girl for the non stop messing around and laughing.
Having a child in my home is a lovely feeling. I lost my own as little girls and I won’t ever get that back.

I’ve been reading a book about the effects of divorce and parents on the children. It’s sobering. As my ex wife effectively deprived them of their dad ( me ) any harmful emotional effects are down to her choices. Perhaps in time she’ll come to see and regret that, but I doubt it somehow. She doesn’t do ‘ being wrong about anything’ ever.

Back to my Guardian Angels 👼 – thank you!
❤️

Hey thanks to Rob and B’linder for coming to stay, and making me drink wine.. pre my birthday ( that’s today ) , and to Rob for working out why my lights kept tripping off. The blinking expensive water fountain! Maybe not with that water resistant electric bits? Not great if you’re a fountain

Emotional day yesterday making ( changing ) my Will. Well we should all do it in the first place and then probably adjust it on occasion, you know add/ remove stuff and people to reflect significant changes. It’s not easy though, ‘ officially addressing stuff legally’ to do with inheritance.
When you are married and live in an orthodox family, it’s straightforward, even to die intestate isn’t exactly risky, but when unmarried with kids that refuse to talk to you for years , it’s not so obvious what to do with what may suddenly become ‘available’.
Anyway it’s done now.

Let’s face it I could get crushed on a road any day. I mean so could most people.. but it’s more likely in a speeding wheelchair without any real protection and from which I can’t just jump off.

I obviously need to get married again… and start over, and get another bite of the cherry.
Stranger things have happened.

Looking forward to to seeing my parents later!
Not seen them actually ON my birthday since I was 18 I think?
Weird, but almost certainly true.

Also saw my little brother, Stu yesterday. Surprise visit as he passed through Brentford! Looking fitter than he has for 20 years, I have to say. Very fine short hairy legs sticking out of his shorts too. Male grooming is alive and well in Wales ( just look for a leg hair in the Welsh rugby team ) but has clearly not arrived in Griffithstown, near Pontypool. A lama would be proud of those legs.
Anyway fantastic to see little Bro Stu

Things going well with Nina. Nice to wake on my birthday to her face ( albeit via WhatsApp Video ) That’s not to say it’s better than waking to Gina’s face … but you know what I mean.

My youngest got what she needed to go to Bristol Uni too, yesterday, I heard I hope she has a fun 3 years. I still find it very strange, even after all this time, not having any involvement other than financial. 🤷🤦‍♂️. With Lily there was some communication for a while and even occasionally gratitude for financial assistance but it wasn’t ‘ formal’ because my ex wife absolutely refuses to engage in any way at all, making co parenting an impossibility.
Post Court there’s a formal arrangement in place.
The plus is that she can’t spin any more that I don’t give to my kids. Derrrrr maybe speak to me about what I’m sending; it would undoubtedly save duplication for a start?! Stubbornness like bomb proof concrete tho, that one.

Anyway! Should be a good day regardless.
Rainy of course but that’s not exactly a drama.

Nina has been here these last few days.
I actually met her in Fiji quite a long time ago.

Who’d have thought we’d get together..?

God works in mysterious ways indeed!

Brentford Vs Spurs tomorrow as well.
Their talisman, old Harry Kane is off to play for the Germans, so that’ll help us a bit.

Hoping for a win obviously!

So having badly judged the capacity of the scooter battery plus the spare scooter battery, plus the third scooter battery that didn’t work at all, the fella in the wheelchair was faced with Nina and her daughter having 6 miles to go with no power. …

So with one hand steering and the other ( poor bloody ) arm pulling a scooter carrying 2 females for 6 miles through west london rush hour traffic, we got home.
Well that’ll teach me then. My left arm feels about a foot longer now, not to mention a bit fatigued.

Like I said , that’ll teach me.

Amazingly the wheelchair factor stops motorists swearing at me continually for doing something I really shouldn’t be doing, in the traffic for 45 minutes.

Life in the slow lane? Moi? Nah.

Home safe n sound!

❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿♿️

My lovely friend Paul Fuller – known to me as Blind Paul / BlindDawg Paul, who had fought and held at bay cancer for 15 years or so ( as well as becoming progressively and almost completely blind ) .. was finally defeated today by the inevitable.

Mercifully ( to me ) death came indecently quickly. I saw him in hospital just a week ago and he was ‘ well ‘ all things considered.

He went home the day after, having been declared well enough, but then returned to hospital only to die just a few days later.
I got my last text message from him 3 days ago, it being as usual intelligent and thoughtful.

Now he’s gone.

Only the Good die young.
Never more true.

RIP BlindDawg. You’ll be in the Wing Fitting Room as I type, up there in Heavenly Host training. You were always a shoe in for the wings.
❤️

You’re not allowed to take pictures in Court..

I was there against my ex wife.

Here’s a ‘ recreation ‘