And so it begins…

Excited. Nervous. Scared. Those feelings you get when you’re waiting for something which has the potential to either crush your hopes or fulfill them. That’s how I felt this week after the wheels were finally set in motion for me to start the assessment process to see if I am eligible for Deep Brain Stimulation…

One size doesn’t fit all

I have been singing in an acapella choir for several years. We sing without sheet music and learn by ear. As we don’t have written music, I learned to listen to the other parts more carefully so I know what’s coming by when I hear the other parts. I don’t know what key we’re singing…

Focusing on hope

For much of last year I found myself really struggling with my Parkinson’s symptoms and side effects of medication. I know my symptoms are worse during stressful situations, but Parkinson’s seemed to spoil even the happy times for me. On several occasions, I had been looking forward to catching up with friends over a meal…

An A to Z look back at the last decade

Acappella choir – I’ve been singing in an acappella choir led by the brilliant Gitika Partington since 2005. So, well over a decade now. The fact that I have been singing for so long says it all. It’s one of my favourite things. Blogging – I posted my first blog in September 2016. I never…

The truth about Parkinson’s progression

I have Parkinson’s and I know that it’s a progressive condition which means that it will get worse over time. But knowing something and experiencing it are two very different things… My Parkinson’s has been relatively stable for the last few years. For that I am very grateful. But my Parkinson’s has now progressed –…

Not yet

I haven’t written in my gratitude journal for a couple of days, and even when I do, my handwriting is often tiny and a completely illegible scrawl. Another of my Parkinson’s symptoms. So I’m not quite putting pen to paper, but shaky fingertip to smartphone to share a few slightly random thoughts on what I…

Look carefully

A lost pair of glasses in a park. They could have so easily been trodden on and broken. But instead there they were hanging on a low tree branch. I assume someone found them and very thoughtfully put them on the branch to keep them safe and hopefully in view in case the owner might…

A blog of two parts: Time capsules… part 2 – medication

Several times each day, I take my Parkinson’s medication. Each one of these tiny capsules gives me a limited amount of time in which my Parkinson’s symptoms are lessened. A friend asked me how I was recently. I replied with my usual completely honest “up and down”. She asked if I had good weeks and…

Resolutions… Not just for new year

I’m not really one for new year’s resolutions. Some time ago, I read an article which suggested that rather than making new year’s resolutions, you choose a word to focus on for the year. I’ve been doing this for a few years – my chosen words have included: gratitude, bold and open. After attending the…

Olive oil, medication and things we take for granted

A few weeks ago I was on holiday on a Greek island with friends. One day we took a beautiful train ride through the mountains and along the coast. One of the stops was an olive oil making factory where we learned about how olive oil is made – from picking the olives right through…