Hello everyone, welcome to podcast number seven.
I'm quite amazed at how many we're getting through here, but I have to admit, this is
very satisfying.
Today I want to talk about some different bits and pieces.
I'm going to talk about some hobbies that I've got.
I know I alluded to them in my poem in the last podcast, whereby one of my hobbies was
taken away from me by the MS, and that hobby was airsoft.
I really, really did enjoy playing airsoft, going out with my friends, running around
the woods and just pretending we were kids.
It was great fun.
It really was fantastic, I'll be honest with you.
Yeah, I mean, even doing that, I was struggling with everything going on, but at that point,
all right, the numb feet and numb legs were a bit of a problem, and I just sort of had
to camp around in places to catch the enemies out, but I was able to manage.
Now I physically couldn't play that if I wanted to.
Don't get me wrong, could I maybe hide in a bush and pick people off from distance?
Yeah, quite probably, but that really isn't for me.
I'm not that kind of person.
I'm not just going to lay down and camp.
So unfortunately, the MS has taken that hobby away from me, which is a real shame because,
as I say, I enjoyed getting out and getting out with my friends.
We had a really good team that we was playing with and enjoying it, having good fun, but
just can't manage it anymore.
Physically can't manage it.
I haven't done for a very, very long time now.
So as I said in that last one, I've replaced that one hobby with three.
The first one and probably the biggest one, and again, if you follow me on any of the
social medias, you probably would have seen this.
I never used to like it, but I'm right into gardening now.
I've been for a short period.
I love nothing more than going out in the garden and even if it's just deadheading,
the flowers that need deadheading or whether they need watering or just generally potting
about out there, it's brilliant.
I really enjoy it.
There's nothing better than going out, having a look at the flowers that we've got out in
the garden, making everything look nice, neat and tidy.
I managed to, before the summer, I managed to dig out a new border in the garden.
Yeah, I suffered for it afterwards.
It hurt for a couple of days, but oh, it was well worth it.
We've put things in there like sunflowers.
I've got a dahliya in there, a conifer tree, a very little one, granted it's a very little
one.
My personal favorite along that border at the moment, got jasmine.
Beautiful.
Really, really nice.
It's growing lovely as well.
Yeah, the flowering on it is absolutely fantastic and it smells beautiful.
It's very satisfying.
Up near our decking area at the back, I managed to put four, what will be, rose bushes in.
I'll be honest with you, it looks lovely.
All right, we're getting to a time of year now where everything's slowing down and the
flowers and the plants are getting to a point where they're sort of getting themselves ready
for the winter.
Yeah, that's fine because over the summer, I tell you what, it's been lovely.
Really nice going out there and having a little look.
As I say, just sort of pottering about and potting new plants and whatever else.
That's been brilliant.
I've got a little section that we did a couple of years ago now where we, I say we because
I had a lot of help at the time, we knew nothing about my issues at all.
We just, it was the numb legs and the bad back and whatever else.
But yeah, I had some brilliant help and we dug out a patio and it's really nice.
On that patio, I've got four planters.
I've got some beautiful flowers in there as well.
Again, I've got a few dahlias in the planters.
One of them is getting really big.
It's lovely, beautiful.
The flowering on it is absolutely stunning.
Yeah, and I'll be honest with you, it's the sort of thing that I actually, when I'm having
a bit of a bad day and I can get out there, I mean, again, the weather's turning a little
bit now.
I mean, going out there in a pouring rain is not the greatest idea, but if the weather's
okay, I can go out, have a little tinker about and do the bits and pieces that need doing.
And it's so relaxing, genuinely really relaxing.
And yeah, it's not always easy.
Do not get me wrong, it's not always easy.
But actually, it's worthwhile.
It's worth the pains and the aches that come after it because of the way it sort of just
cleanses my mind a little bit.
It's very relaxing.
So yeah, I mean, that's the first thing that I've replaced the airsoft with and I'm pleased
I did.
Again, I've got a couple of houseplants as well.
My personal favourite are the houseplants.
It's my nice big yucca.
I'm actually sat right next to that while I'm talking to you and he's getting a bit of
a size on him.
It's nice to look at, I'll be honest with you.
It can be a bit of fun if you try and walk past him.
He can give you a bit of a prick off the bottom of his leaves.
But again, absolutely fantastic.
I'm really, really pleased.
Growing beautifully and again, lovely to look at and very calming and relaxing.
The other thing that I mentioned is something that I used to do quite a number of years
ago.
Don't get me wrong, I was never a brilliant guitarist at all.
It was just tinkering about and again, slightly relaxed me.
And I have every intention of going back to it.
It's not right this instant, but certainly over the next couple of months, maybe just
after Christmas, I've already seen a guitar that are quite fancy.
And I'll have a look for some amps and I'm just going to tinker about again.
Because again, it was something way back in the day that I used to do and I enjoyed it.
I found it very relaxing.
And at the moment, doing the relaxing stuff is kind of what I need.
It's nice to do the little bits and pieces that can just take your mind off the negative
aspect.
Because let's be fair, we can't pretend that having MS is anything but negative.
But if I can try and limit the negativity, which believe me, I'm trying really hard to
do and I've got a lot of good help to do so.
Again, it's very, very helpful.
And if it means I've got to deafen the family while I'm getting the guitar out and playing
a few tunes, well, absolutely that's what's going to happen.
I'll accept the tellings off for being so loud.
I might get some headphones, some proper ones so that I don't deafen them too much.
But we'll see on that one.
And thirdly, it's what I'm doing now.
As I said in the poem, the pod, podcast didn't really fit with a poem to be fair.
But this podcasting, absolutely fantastic.
Sitting here and just talking, talking about the things that's going on in my head, things
that I'm going through, the issues that I'm dealing with, and hoping that the things I'm
talking about can resonate with other people.
And maybe, just maybe make other people think, actually, I want to talk about what I've got
going on.
Or, okay, this guy's talking about this stuff.
I totally understand where he's coming from.
I'm not the only one, because at the end of the day, this can be quite lonely.
And talking to people that are not going through it, they don't always understand some of the
things that we are going through, because it's all internal.
All of the aches, the pains, all of that sort of stuff, it's all internal.
And if you're having a good day, and your mobility is okay, I'm not going to say brilliant,
but if your mobility is okay, some people can sort of lose sight of the fact that you
are struggling, and that you do have issues.
Well, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not happening.
So for me, those three things that I've put into my life to try and help me out, I'll
be honest with you, I can't ask for anything better.
And again, I've said it before, I'm very, very lucky with family and friends.
I've always got people there for me, and I've always got people that are not afraid to have
a laugh and a joke, which is brilliant.
Because as I've said, I am a laughing and jokey kind of person.
That's never going to change.
I'm always going to be who I am, and I'm always going to be proud of who I am.
As everyone should, no matter what you're going through, you should always be proud
of who you are, no matter what.
So those are the three things that I've put there I'm happy with.
And I'm just wondering, how about yourselves?
Is there the sort of things that you like to do?
Again, cross over onto my social media platforms if you want to.
I'll say it again.
It's mics underscore ms underscore journey, and that is the same for YouTube as it is
for Instagram and also TikTok.
Come over.
Come and tell me the sort of things that you're into, the sort of things that you're doing
to keep yourself ticking over.
Because in all fairness, talking to each other, it's the sort of thing that can help.
It's the sort of thing that can make you realise you're not on your own with this.
Because you're not.
Plenty of people out there that would be more than happy to have conversations with you,
there's just always ways of expressing everything that's going on.
Now I'll be honest with you, there's many, many things that actually I'm considering
also taking up as hobbies.
Poem I wrote, I'll be honest with you, personally I'm really proud of it.
I enjoyed writing it.
So I'm debating whether to start doing that sort of thing as well.
Because it was fun.
I really did enjoy it.
The same as I said in the last one, Lisa, she made that suggestion for us to do that
sprite challenge.
That was brilliant.
I really did enjoy it.
So what we'll probably do is do a few more of those sort of things on her TikTok, maybe
mine as well.
Again, I'm always looking for new things to do to enjoy and to keep life fun.
So yeah, I mean that really, that's the sort of things that I'm doing in my life.
On top of working, I work four days on and four days off, which is brilliant.
And yeah, that really is all I wanted to say today.
As I say, I've got the sponsored walk coming up on Saturday.
And that really is something I can't wait to get to Saturday and go and do it.
I'll be completely fair to you.
On top of the fact that we're supporting the charity in that manner, actually to go and
be around other people that are going through similar issues and hopefully have conversations
with them.
And just sort of, because it's the one thing I've not really done too much in terms of
face to face conversations with people, but actually I'd like to.
So I can't wait.
If you're listening to me and you are down at that sponsored walk in London, if you see
me, please come up, introduce yourself.
It'd be my pleasure to have a conversation and yeah, introduce myself to you.
And that really is all I can say for today.
Again, the fact that I'm seeing so many different countries in my downloads, I'm literally gobsmacked.
I really am.
I'm seeing downloads come from all over Europe.
I'm seeing downloads come from the United States, from Canada.
I've got downloads coming from Africa.
Genuinely, each and every one of you downloading, you are making me really proud.
And I thank you for it.
You all have a great day and I am very much looking forward to talking to you again soon
and letting you know how the sponsored walk goes.
Have a good day.
Bye bye.