Ok just to explain the title... I'm writing this Blog as a woman with MND, but also as a woman who lives a life.. so you'll get both here the MND perspective and the festival goer persective.
We were supposed to set off at 10:00.. Thursday 27th
I got my night carer to get me up early, at 6:00, to shower and thus have maximum cleanliness for the weekend. I was so excited, I had gone to bed at 2:00...... so was shattered before I started ! But the adrenaline kicked in, and pampered in my Jo Malone I was resting in my riser chair in dressing gown when morning carers arrived at 8:00. I had a small breakfast , dressed and then waited.
10:00o'clock came and I was waiting by the window. My carer was supposed to go but didn't want to leave me.. eventually she had to go at 10:25 to get to her next client and as she went....... the big vehicle arrived.
Richard looked at the actual amount of luggage.. 2 bags ( containing spare clothes but the essentials like: Tena Lady (more later) , and all the bags, tubes, creams, yellow bags and gloves etc,ie all that one with MND (and diagnosed for 19 months needs) also a commode, a standing hoist, mattress for bed , duvet and pillow(never before taken camping before... but this time its different), box of red wine (you aren't allowed glass bottles onto the site).. and no... I didn't take a Teddy !!!
Well it all got loaded, including me in wheelchair.. But no trip is simple.
We first stopped to drop off Jerry dog in Gloucester and Richards bike, he would be going back to stay with his sister in law and be with the doggie..... on to Bromsgrove where cups of tea were provided and we collected Elsa, Anne's daughter who was to be my carer. Elsa is a nurse in ITU and proved to be a wonderful excellent kind caring carer.. but did she blanch when I said, I do have a DNR ( well, you have to, don't you ?!!!)... she works in the heart ITU..... ? Anyway at least she knew the score.
So we get to theGlasto signs for multicoloured gates.
I was certain we needed yellow gate but just before then came the red, which said disabled. It took us 15 mins to do the circuit and get out of the circus of the red gate and back in through the yellow gate.
so now all set for simple drive up ! BUT I forgot to say that though we had a vehicle pass, Richard had no ticket, after all he was going back to cycle and look after Jerry dog... OH Dear.. we were sent from pillar to post, eventually a call to our Eavis contact got us through ! PHEW!!!
By this time I'm so so shattered and so so shaken as the vehicle bounces everyone ,but in a wheel chair you get a double bounce !!!
OH, DID I SAY IT WAS RAINING ... oh dear Glasto weather..... ?????
On site we were welcomed with Oh its your bed ( I had had a hospital bed delivered) . The tent went up... well it must have but I was facing the wrong way so didn't see this happen . I saw increasing rain !
So, like a bride being carried over the threshold, I was eventually let out ( backwards) from the vehicle. ( Sorry to this day don't know what it was except it was largish, grey and rattled!).
The tent was borrowed. It was one of those with semicircle poles and in three sections. One third to sleeping ( two sections), and two thirds to live in... but this area didn't have ground sheet. Anne and Elsa were in one section and my bed poked out from the bed area into the living area.. it was cold.. a first night... What would the health and Safety mob say as we wheeled across the grass in the semi darkness (torch not bright\) with me on standing hoist..... to wake for Friday and the real start of \glasto...
I craved a good nights sleep... but... that was when I found the inexpensive mattress from Argos was inexpensive for a reason... so thin !!
There began a first night of mega discomfort... But a first night looking forward to music and the fantasy that is Glasto...
AND the weather forcast said thatrain would stop at midnight... BUT it stopped at 11:30... an omen ???!!!!
to be continued................
HUG ME , I'VE GOT MND
No comments:
Post a Comment