Hello, I hope everyone's doing as best as they can do currently. It's nice to be talking
to you again and welcome to podcast number 15, episode 15, we really are motoring on.
Today I'm going to talk a little bit differently today. I'm going to try and shy a little bit
away from my issues because I want to talk about a couple of things. Yesterday we had
a bit of a family day and in the week I had my meeting with work to discuss the health
and safety implications of my diagnosis. So yeah, that's what I'm going to be discussing
today. Just very quickly floating it out there as well. I made a decision to start a second
podcast because doing what I did in the last one and put a little idea out there for what
I thought about England's chances in the World Cup. I am a sports fan so I'm starting
a sports podcast. I'm not going to discuss that really on here apart from letting you
know that I'm going to give it a go because actually I'm really enjoying podcasting.
I thoroughly enjoy it. There we go. Right, OK. So yesterday, bit of a family day. Really
enjoyed it, I'll be honest with you. Had my Nan and Grandad come over. It was their wedding
anniversary yesterday. Within the last week or so they've both had their birthdays as
well. So yeah, we invited them over. I say they do come over quite a bit. We had my mum
and my younger brother come over. Obviously same as always, there was ourselves, my dad
and my brother. Yeah, it was really quite a good day. They all come over about midday-ish.
We put on a bit of buffet food for lunch which was really quite enjoyable, I'll be honest
I don't mind a bit of buffet. A ham roll or a bit of corned beef, that sort of stuff.
We thoroughly enjoyed it, I'll be honest with you. Dinner wise, later in the day, we
did some sausage and chips. We also did some pizza for those that wanted it. I had a pizza
with jalapenos on. I always used to be able to eat jalapenos easily. I tell you what,
these ones blew my socks off. They really, really had some about them. I thoroughly enjoyed
it though. It was nice. Really did enjoy it. So it was lovely to see Nan and Grandad. They
brought Sheba, the dog with them. She's a lovely little dog, I say little, she's not
little, but lovely dog she is. I don't quite understand why, but when she comes here and
she wants to go to the toilet, she only seems to go to the toilet if I take her. Does that
just make me the pee and poop human? Not quite sure, but it's a bit of a tagline to have
I suppose, just being pee and poop human. But bless her, she's a lovely dog, really
nice, gets on brilliantly with the kids. She just lays about having a snooze. During the
course of the day lots of laughs being had. We put some pictures up on the TV, showed
everyone the type of houses that we're looking at. I've mentioned previously about the potential
for us all to do a big cross country move so we can go down to the south coast. So yeah,
we showed some houses that we're looking at and it was thoroughly enjoyable. It really
was quite nice. During the course of the day, towards the back end of the day, I don't
understand why I did it, but I mentioned to my dad about going to get the old video player.
Big mistake that was, big mistake. Big was naturally, he went and got it. Some of the
old videos, lots of old videos, 30 plus years these tapes are. Holidays to North Wales and
all sorts, really good. But obviously me 30 plus years ago, a little bit on the embarrassing
side I'm going to be totally honest. Yeah, I mean some of these videos I'm probably
about five years old and I was a tiny little thing, I really was. When I'm watching these
videos I'm walking across a swimming pool in North Wales, in the butlins in North Wales.
I decided to slip over and smash my head on the side of the pool. Tears everywhere. Yeah,
I'll be honest with you, it was quite entertaining to watch. And my dad and my brother decided
to think it was really entertaining to actually video some of the footage of me when I was
at our old house many many years ago. Again I'm talking 30 plus years ago, I was only
very little at the time. Me and some sunglasses in a vest top, my PJ bottoms just running
round the living room. It was a video from me mum's birthday, I couldn't tell you what
birthday it was. Jokes aside, probably about her 50th. I am kidding, I am kidding. Mum
if you're listening I'm only joking. But yeah, I mean it was kind of cute and yeah
that's found its way onto Facebook. Me dad decided to film it, he's pinned it over to
me brother. Needless to say, in terms of banter Richard thought there's nothing better than
getting that on Facebook so there it is, it's out there for the world to see. Yeah it was
quite amusing, I can't lie. Very very cute. Yeah me cute. That doesn't make sense. Two
words that really don't pin together very well but I suppose when you're that age, yeah
you know, cute is acceptable. But yeah no honestly it was such a good day, it was really
nice, it was great to see me name a grandad. It's nice to have me mum and me little bro
over. Fully enjoyed it, really did enjoy it. I do enjoy proper family days and that's why
I sort of wanted to talk about this a little bit today rather than constantly sort of talking
about the bad stuff that's going on because again I've got to be totally honest I'm really
struggling at the minute in quite a big way but I want to focus on positives as well.
You know negatives are always going to be there, this condition it only seems to want
to go one way but me personally there's only one way I want to go and that's up. So yeah
I'll be honest with you I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday, great time and look forward to
us all doing it again. Now in terms of work, as I said previously I won't discuss too much
about my work in terms of where I work and whatever else but I have to say I had my health
and safety meeting after my diagnosis, that was in the week, absolutely brilliant. I can
only say my work are being fantastic with me, they really are. They're doing everything
they can possibly do to help and it was very much an official meeting, obviously I had
my boss sat there, my direct line manager and somebody from the head office, the human
resources department was on zoom call and basically they just let me talk, they let
me explain about the diagnosis, how it's come about, how I'm feeling, how I'm coping
and everything else. And yeah I mean part of my job sometimes I have to go up on the
roof of the shopping centre, that I'm no longer allowed to do which I have to be honest,
bless Elisa has been telling me, my wife she's been telling me for a long time, stop
going up on the roof, stop trying to be brave, stop trying to be Mr I can do everything,
put your health first. So now I've also had it from work, I can't go up on the roof for
my own safety because there's a ladder to climb up to get up there. So yeah that's
now got to stop, I will no longer be climbing up onto the roof, real shame because in the
summer it's beautiful up there but there you go, that's one of those things. But yeah
I'll be honest with you it was a very good meeting and I appreciate the fact they just
sort of left it to me to discuss. It's been made clear if I'm having a bit of a bad day,
just literally do whatever my body's telling me to do. If I'm struggling with being able
to move around and whatever else, I can sit in the office, there's bits and pieces that
need doing in there, it's not a problem at all. So yeah sit in the office, do what needs
to be done there and yeah just basically listen to my body. In terms of occupational health,
my work have asked if it would be okay for occupational health through the company to
get in touch and see if there's any other support that I can be given. Naturally the
answer's yes, again I don't mind what happens as long as it's very much there to help me
and help everyone else. So yeah I mean I gratefully accept a conversation with occupational health
and see if there's any more support that can be given to make things go as comfortably
as possible while I'm at work. Yeah I mean it's very much been that case. As I've said
it just now, my work have been brilliant, they really have and I'm very very lucky
in that respect. But yeah no as far as that goes, that really is where we are with it.
So my work are doing everything they can to try and support me and keep me being able
to do my job. Because let's be honest with you, at times it's not necessarily easy to
do so. So having that support is very much appreciated. But yeah I mean that's pretty
much all I can really say about that. In terms of my general health, what I have noticed
over the last few days, cognitively, it's been really quite difficult. I must admit,
it's not been easy, it really hasn't been easy at all. I've been forgetting real basic
stuff. I mean I put a pair of keys in my pocket the other day and I had two mobile phones
in the same pocket. I forgot where I put the keys, I couldn't even feel them. I couldn't
feel the keys were there. I was scraping around everywhere to try and find them and eventually
it was a case of trying to pull my phone out to sort of ring to see if they were at home
and actually the keys come up with my phone and these are not just a single key, they're
a big bunch. But yeah, I mean again, absolutely fine. I got that sorted, not an issue. This
morning I can only explain it as brain fog because actually I'm forgetting real basic
stuff. I mean I'll sort of go out, put something down and literally within a couple of seconds
I've forgot where I've put it. Which is quite strange but hopefully that passes relatively
soon because it's making things a little bit difficult, I've got to be honest. Again,
I mean even sort of sat here now, obviously I've write down these days everything that
I'm going to talk about on the podcast and even though I've got things sat in front of
me to say, actually I'm sort of looking at it, I'm seeing what I need to say and because
a couple of seconds have passed, actually I've forgotten again so I'm having to look
and sort of refresh my mind as to what it is I need to say. But again, I'm hoping that
it's going to pass itself on in the next little while, a few hours, a couple of days maybe,
fingers crossed. If not I think I'll just be a walking notice board. But yeah, I mean
that's where we are. Today I wanted to be a bit different, I wanted to talk about the
positivity of yesterday because I did thoroughly enjoy it, the family thoroughly enjoyed it.
And yeah, as I say I'm going to sit here very soon and record my podcast for my sports,
that's going to be on a new channel and let's see how that goes. But yeah, again I'm going
to say it, I really do appreciate all of you listening, I really do, more than you realise,
I'll be quite honest, a lot more than you realise. I hope you all have as good a week
as you can possibly have and I very much look forward to speaking to you again in a week's
time. You have a good one, I'll speak to you soon. Bye bye.