Trying out the Scooter

I knew that going out for my birthday would end up making everything else worse and today hopefully will see the worst of it over being the 48 hour mark.  I am not only dealing with a lot of pain but with the cooler weather I am spending most of my time warming up bits that hurt so much because they feel cold.  Every morning after I have been up for a while, my feet turn into ice blocks and I have to sit for ages with them on a foot warmer but the tops stay cold.  Once they are warmed up which takes at least half an hour I've had to head back to bed to get properly warm but I have to guard against my top half, exluding neck glands, overheating so that I feel faint.  I have problems in the shower too with some bits needing hot water an other bits over reacting to it.  I am aching all the time and my back and knees need extra warmth to help with that too.  It is making me feel very miserable and there is no point going out or doing anything until that is sorted.  You know me, it takes me long enough to wake up anyway so mornings are slow.  I pick up as the day goes on after dosing up with pain killers but the pain is still too much for me. 

I got up for the day again at about midday and really wanted to use the scooter just to get used to it, before it looked like rain again but I was cutting it a bit fine.  I had missed the morning with a bit of sun around.  It rained all day non-stop yesterday and I hibernated and realised at the end of the day that the rest of SE Queenlsand went to vote but not me.  I didn't even know the date - I just knew they were coming.  Talk about out of touch!

At least I don't have to get dressed up too much just to sit on the scooter and I don't have to worry about loose fitting clothes falling down so I went as I was.  I wanted to check out the footpath on the main road with a view to getting to the local shops.  Until that point I have to ride on the road.  The grass was too bumpy.  I ride on the opposite side like a pedestrian is supposed to facing the oncoming traffic.  A few cars went by which I slowed down for.  I was appalled at the state of the footpath.  It was way worse than the road and some of the inclines were downright scary as you crossed the side road down and then up again. I ended up back on one of the side roads and headed for the park at the end of the street where you stay when you come up for a holiday.  I thought perhaps it would help me avoid the main road and the footpath and be a safer route to the shops.  It was very bumpy going up the raised bits on the edge of the path where it joins the road even worse than my own driveway and you do get shaken around a bit.  Probably enough to put my stupid back out since I can do that just tossing and turning while asleep in bed.  My back is already bad right now causing horrible migraine-like headaches but I am already loaded up with opiates so I can't take any more.  It's no worse than before the ride.

I decided not to go through the park past the five way junction of the paths because it was looking very dull and even spookier in there.  So I arrived back home just as a few spits of rain started.  I still have not been able to clear out a space for the scooter in the garage and it is a job to turn it around in there but going out for a ride on a day I feel so horrible was proof to me that I can get out of the house without using too much energy just to get some fresh air and I am glad for that alone.  I used to go for mini walks - just around the block but to do that now is like asking for more pain and flu-like illness.  So...the scooter has served a purpose even though I did not make it to the local shops which was the weather's fault more than anything.  I really am disgusted with the footpaths though.  I am sure they are much better on the coastal walk pathway and hopefully on the other side of the shopping centre too.  I was told by a scooter shop that there is a lady who rides her scooter from around Military Jetty to Stockland shopping centre once a week, every week so it must be doable.  I'd like to get to Jan's place down town for my first long trip on it because then I have the option to recharge before coming home because I do not really know how long the batteries (2) will last being second-hand.  The service report called them "serviceable" and I do not know what that means.  Are they servicing me - the user - or does it mean they are not dead but they could be serviced to improve them?????  Anyway with that 20 minute jaunt, the battery needle had not moved (except going up the path inclines).

Showers are going to be around for a few days yet so I won't be doing any longer trips for a while.  I  have not been motion sick/dizzy when moving around at home this week so I cannot test out that aspect of it.  I remember the Go-Go scooter I tried out felt terrible that day but being a passenger in a car would be the same.  I often complained when S was driving around roundabouts.  Made me want to vomit.

I did get a phonecall from B for my birthday by the way - oh I told you already????  I don't think I told you that he has that spotty rash again.  Remember he had it for months last time?  But, I also found out that St's cat has had kittens (much to Cohen's delight) and that they have fleas again.  I would not mind betting he is allergic to flea bites but the last rash he had did not look nearly as big as hives.  More like measles.  I told B to do something about it but I guess there will be arguments over who has to spend the money on flea treatment.  He has not heard back from JB HiFi so he is no longer holding hope for that.  He tells me that you cannot even phone employers like that nowdays.  All applications are done online.  Same with Coles, Woolies, Bunnings etc and they do not provide information for individual stores.  Everything is centralized.

Was very glad to hear about Mum's wisdom teeth surgery and recovery going so well.  It continues to amaze me that she handles things so well at her age while I am falling apart and suffering way too much at such a young age in comparison - or even an old age for that matter.  Life has been pretty cruel to me and I don't think it is my fault like some would like to suggest.