Achille has moved easily into the No 1 under 18 year old in my life! Easy going, a laugh, fit and incredibly helpful to me, I am definitely wishing he wasn’t going back to Belgium next week.

As it happens I’m going to Paris at the same time so I’ll see him on my birthday too, along with his parents and my girlfriend. Nope, we aren’t all in the same room or anything…

I said to Pierre, his Dad, that he is such a brilliant kid that perhaps he’s actually MY son.

With typical Belgian-Welsh axis humour, he said  – well I was actually thinking about you when I was ‘ making ‘ him… Ha! Well that explains it then…

So helpful this week, I now actually have a table that flips up from against the wall – definitely good for Wheelchair accessibility when flipped out of the way – I now have blinds in all bedrooms ( Moby measured and installed ) another outside socket ( Vitaly ), a proper mirror up, Alexa operated lights, Wheelchairs in a parking basement area, Ikea storage units inside, wooden storage units outside, outside lights on walls ( though not wired in yet, all my pictures on the walls now, and all my stuff out of moving in boxes and into places that I can access. Progress!

Wednesday was an interesting day – I was invited into a local police station to give my perspective on something. Three hours in the cop shop was very amusing, actually. No stranger to the darker side of life, I’m not fazed by things like that at all. Rather I’m fascinated by it. Middle class’ness tends towards the dull, rather than the dangerous, and anyone that knows me well will know which way I lean by choice.

Accosted by a older Asian lady, there, within 5 Minutes, she assumed that I too was there because I’d lost my dog? Eventually having to ask her to sshhhhh , I then talked to an Irishman who was there to get his kids out. ‘ They’re only 13 and 15 and are good boys – never been in trouble before ( read – never actually been caught red handed before ).  He was very interested in the value of my wheelchair ( read I’ll nick that if you get out of it to go for a pee )

My legal aid Solicitor was most impressed by my steering backwards through narrow doorways, using 2 small Mirrors – get me – you get better at this stuff when you have no other options – and old buildings don’t have accessible corridors and doorways. A laugh, especially for a solicitor (!) she was an international triathlete, and we got on ever so well. The matter I was there for was dealt with easily, and I left to Tri back with my adopted son to see the lovely Cherie, on 2 crutches, moving slowly ( but moving nonetheless – good girl! )

Then I sped through London to Kensington Palace, to the outside Luna cinema screening of Victoria and Abdul, with Pia. What a beautiful film and story – so thought provoking and a must see, I’d say. As always we had a great time, and home by midnight ( ish ) via the night bus that stops right outside my door ( almost ) now. If Pia only had a Triride we could race home …. just a thought.

Today has been blimmin full on already, and about to go to an all night party in Vauxhall, by train and iBot, so gotta go!

Write up to follow.

Its my new son’s 18th tomorrow so I’ll save a bit of myself for his party that I’ve arranged tomorrow- well he’s a great lad and is a long way from home, so I’ve done my best at short notice…

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