Time Fly 's

 Hello Friends,

First a foremost apologies for the time lapse it has certainly went by very quick since I last posted in  August 2023 .

Life has had its challenges Healthwise a little long covid  was making me a little tired and brought up physical issues , I have great people looking after me and with a few trips to Bristol to my familiar doctors and medical professionals   things have  improved greatly . 

I also got through a very cold and wet Irish winter . My Son started secondary school which is a big step , as I  write he has completed the first year it went so super quick . He now nearing the start of his second year , I am so proud of him , transition from primary education can be hard and he was doing it away from his friends , on his own . It has been a humbling experience seeing how he settled in and made friends and is now in the grove . One very Proud father of a TENNAGER ! 

I am also adapting to filling my time with new challenges , for some mowing the garden maybe something easy to do  for me it was a challenge that I dreaded but took it on . I had a fear of not doing it right . Yes I can hear you giggling but I was taking on perfection in mowing from a 75 year old who developed the skill over years . I was afraid to MESS up . I didn't know one end of a lawn mower to another. My fitness levels also posed a challenge. 

Now I can imagine you thinking why not get a ride on lawn mower or a robot , it is simple those advances in technology are good but the don't promote fitness -  so I am mowing with a traditional push mower. 

Challenge 1  -  how to start the mower on my own and hold the required leavers, bars to keep it running . harder than you think because I have a dodgy grip on one of my hands from my accident and  a steal plated in the other from being  stupid on a night out . Also I am someone who use to be right handed but became  left handed all a result of the Accident. With perseverance  I DID IT , I managed to start the lawn mower by my self and keep it going .

Challenge 2 - now I had the mower started and going the challenge was keeping up with it as I got dragged behind the mower initial. It is designed to propel its self the throttle was on full whack. To my audience Cat and my son they found it hilarious seeing me trying to run after the lawnmower not to mention no straight lines it was dragging me across the lawn  . The whole thing was making me exhausted and I started to think I could not do it , I was getting angry at myself and frustrated something that Cat and even Patrick made look so ease was proving hard . I hate it when that Happens.

Well step in Pj who adapted the lawnmowers starting mechanism and throttle to snail paces I took the lawnmower out and off we went , over time I built up being able to do straight lines at a slow pace but I did it . As I developed in my confidence the speed also stepped up . I still had to ask for help in fueling the lawn mower but it didn't matter be cause I was doing it . 

Challenge 3 the final challenge , being able to fuel the lawnmower on my own  - this is one I am still working on . Now for some this may seem something simple but for me because of the weakness I have in my grip and arm , it is a challenge . We are working on solution  because pouring Petrol into a small hole and steady is what is required . I know I will get there.

Photo take by P.Crouch

I am now taking control of mowing the garden nearly full time that a 0.75acre garden by the way , I grew up in a urban environment very small garden in comparison . I enjoy the mowing of the lawn , it is  also keeping me fit . I doing all of this with my body that was effect by covid and legacy brain injury . It did not happen over night it taken weeks in fact months to get out of my head of it hard , can not do attitude I started with saying I can , I will adapt and I will.

My body is benefitting from it , I am becoming stronger because of it . My fitness levels have improved. I love looking out at the lawns and knowing I did that .

Also the teenager can see that Dad does not give up Bonus !

Huge difference time makes , 

The past few weeks my time as been consumer with the Olympics , wasn't it a great year  . I got to see the Olympics from another countries view too . I was fully supporting Team GB but here in Ireland what was achieved is BIG for a small island with very little funding going to sports , what Team Ireland achieved was huge , and of course the swimming is a big deal . 

We are hoping to go watch some event in the next Olympics in 4 years LA so the saving has commenced. I like to see the football, Swimming, Gymnastics well the truth be told I like to go see as much as humanly possible . 

My friend Colin came to visit , which was great the first of my friends to visits since  I moved here Short visits but much appreciated . 

My parents came for a few days last week . They enjoyed the weather !

We did the tourist route  and enjoyed Irish pub grub.

Mum enjoyed a Guinness at a local pub and made conversation with a young man from the Ukraine, humbling experience as to see mum talking to him about having to come to Ireland due to war , made us think about the Holocaust . 

It makes me angry to see all the wars in the world  because I know too well the impact of war being the Grandson of Holocaust survivor and also  being the grandnephew and cousins to those that where murdered in war. 

We are so lucky to live were we do and that we are raising our son in relative peace , he is exposed to the impact of war but not as so many are world wide , young people with their present and future taken from them . We are lucky . 

Not sure when I will sit down at this keyboard again , this time I am not going to make a promise about how long it will be as in doing so I will be setting myself a deadline . This would be a bit silly based on my past performance.

So I will leave you on the Bright Side of Life  Living 

Dan