Life on 4 wheels and Christmas 2009.

Christmas 2009

A Festive wreath made by the talented Val

Christmas day- was a quiet peaceful, affair and it was a good day to share with with my friends Christian and Jackie. Christian is newly acquainted with a wheelchair. A successful business man running his IT company he has suffered enormously with business and health adversity. This is a testing time for him. The battle is on all fronts. The toughest test is a lonely one and the only person to do it is within. He is a man of courage but even very courageous have dealt with less and withered away.

I had decided that I would be preparing and servicing duck on Christmas day. This we duly started over a day beforehand. I made a a honey butter and orange basting sauce.We salted and seasoned the duck and stuffed it with a sausage sage and onion stuffing. On the day it was roasted for 2.5 hours. For vegetables we used garden fresh carrots and parsnips with butter and rosemary and thyme flavoured olive oil. Similarly for the potatoes, with the skin and par cooked.For greenery we used brussel sprouts fried in bacon pieces with extra butter and fresh black pepper.

Jackie made a delicious baked cheese cake which was enjoyed by all.

A few days before Christmas it started to snow.

With the help of Debbie and Val, Christmas hampers with home-made preserve from my garden , nuts, fresh baked Ginger Biscuits dipped in black chocolate and a tangerine.

The snow remained till boxing day

I have not been bloging for some time now and I see that there are gaps in the journey of my passage through living with an acquired disability. I will attempt to roll back the shutter and let you into the events which passed me by. I have been busy andwhen my mind wrestles with a problem I find it difficult to sit and write. Today I am less distracted by the many problems which have gripped my free mind. So here I am. This account would be incomplete without pictures which, fortunately, for some events I have.

Let me start with a story about my children my girls to be specific. They have been keen drama students for a few years now at a private drama school. They have consistently performed well and starred in a few productions of the drama group. This last production was "The Wizard of Oz" the script was a mix of the Wiz (which starred Michael Jackson) and the original Wizard of Oz. Ruth had an excellent performance in the role of the strawman or scarecrow.Carmen played two roles, the, sassy, jazzy, southern drawling good witch of the south and a singer from the emerald city.

Ruth and Carmen singing

My Children's school results have been fairly good this year Alex is redoing his A level first year with 2 repeat subjects (PE and Maths) and 2 new subjects (Psychology and Business Studies). This course of action, ie staying at Sharnbrook and keeping in the environment of his existing comfort zone, was not my preferred route. I favoured a new environment without the current ruts. I offered that he attend school here in Wellingborough and I would give him a place to work as well as be on hand to assist. At any rate the decision is made and he is seemingly settling down into a more work oriented routine.

Carmen is in her GCSE's . Much loved by all her she gets glowing reports from most. Her favourite subjects are Photography Drama and English Although a good French speaker she is less enthusiastic it and tends to give give it little attention. Her Maths Science and Sociology get good results but she seems to be less keen on them.

Ruth is also popular with teachers and classmates unliike the quiet and slightly shy Alex, the demur and femine Carmen; Ruth is a chatty and out-going character with a ready smile and something to say. All her results are good especially in the sciences and maths.

It has been over a year since I started on the journey to create a new charity called Open Roads. It has at times been very exhausting and very expensive at several levels. One should never set out on a journey without considering the cost. Then you need to be prepared for the unexpected. This journey was no exception. It proved to test every aspect that one is warned about. The most unfortunate was the loss of a founding member, whom I greatly love and admire. I have since stepped into the role of chairman and whilst I have always been an active member of the team, I was happy to play the role of vice chairman. I pleased with our progress we have offices, we have funding till end of March 2010 and in April we commence with a contract to provide services in the county. So you could describe it as a successful year, I consider it to be a year of exceptional success. To check out our preliminary website go to www.openroads.org.uk

The economy and business in general forced me to consider a new line to my business. I developed OncePrint a part of the LCI Ltd business. I have found a way to combine my love for working with pictures with my IT skill. So I can now offer a consultancy in marketing and market research, a service producing marketing materials like banners and flyers and a photo print service. It has been an exceptionally busy period. Next year I would like to spend more time developing my Antarctic picture collection with gallery exhibitions.

My year has been full of events that would have derailed many a resilient warrior but I remain undeterred. Life is never the way you expect it to be and people are seldom what they promise to be. Hope for the best be thankful for what you get and forgive those who let you down.