Cudos to you who have overcome physical limitations to win out over yourselves. I understand, on a smaller scale, what that can be like.
I have arthritis in various places, but my knees are what give me the most discomfort. Days like today (rainy, damp and overcast) give me a lot of pain, and this is the 4th straight day like this, with more promised for tomorrow.
I have had many friends who have commented, as I hobble in from a parking lot, that I could probably qualify for a special needs parking spot, but I have refused to ask. Instead I have joined a gym and am working hard at shedding some weight and keeping the knees lubricated and moving.
Anyway, my high came yesterday, when my son's football team (ranked second last is their 8 team tier) beat the top ranked team, who were unbeaten until yesterday. That puts them at 3 wins to 2 losses with only one game left in regular season play. The juniors have a short season because they need more time to train in the fall to be ready to take the field, I guess. I don't know how many games there will be in play-offs. I guess it depends on how well they do!

Echos ing about Jane, both she and Gatsby have much to complain about but keep going. Wonderful that you both managed to get out under your own steam.

Gees I feel like Gats, so much to respond to! So firstly, a hearty Aussie "good onya mate" to you Dave, not only because you managed to do the big walk, but because you wanted to in the first place. And also huzzah to you, skunkee, and your son for the underdog victory - I know how satisfying those can be, and I wish you both well for the rest of the season, however long that may last!

Mixed emotions on reading about your experiences with your parents, Gats. Obviously sad that you (and they) had to go through it, but also that little bit of relief and validation when you hear someone else has been through it and survived. Not that I thought I was Enrico Caruso in facing my parents getting old, of course, just that it helps sometimes to be reminded it's part of life.

And again, skunkee, I empathise with and applaud the way you are dealing with your situation. I could be on a disability pension, but just because I am eligible in the eyes of 'the system' doesn't mean I feel I actually need it. Then again I have no problem in using my dad's disabled parking sticker when I'm taking him or the other oldies somewhere, as it really would be impossible without it. Again I guess it comes down to the balance between trully knowing yourself and what you really need, and being able to ask for or accept help when that's what you need. Sigh, and but ultimately !

ing you have to use that sticker when taxiing your dad around, that's why he has it in the first place!
Cudos to the whole lot of us - we refuse to break over what's being thrown at us.
What a wonderful bunch of survivors we are, emphasis on the wonderful!

I just had my high point of the day ! Santa Claus (on a test run, I reckon) stopped by Ohio via Australia and delivered some vegemite!!! I must say, to all of my 'vegemite virgin' friends here and abroad, that we didn't know what we were missing. Granted, the stuff might look a little like thick motor oil after about 5,000 miles but it tastes great! Gatsby is all happy AND now boasts something of a more worldly palate! Yum!

You really MUST have some Marmite Dave, Just give me your details by PM. It is an excellent source of vitamins and a boon for those with beri-beri in WWII.

Ah Mr Gatsby, welcome to the dark side. You do know that Vegemite is among the most addictive substances known to man...what? Well it comes with a Government Warning Label here...wow, I thought those stories of people dressed up as Santa delivering free samples ("just a taste, go on little boy!") were only an urban legend. Well they've got you now, best just to lie back and enjoy it!

Wow, the Santamite man is real...Gees, next you'll be telling me those stories of people posing as lovely generous folk from small British isles sending care packages of Marmite are true too!

Those from the British Isles might also include chocolate!

Wow Gats, if it really is addicting, you're going to have a terrible time fulfilling that sample once it's done!

Skunkee, do you realise how many Australians we have around here? If they all send him a jar he should have enough to feed the entire town!

Can you imagine poor old Gats having to explain a sudden influx of packages containing odd-smelling jars of 'sump oil' to the post office? Let alone Customs. Ooh, let's do it, but Dave, you have to promise to take photos!

It's here! At 9.20am (though booked for an afternoon visit if anyone knows me that well...) the engineers arrived and within the hour I had broadband up and running!

I've got 1mb, 20 times the previous speed, and it's almost a third of the price the dial-up with extra line cost me with (apparently) no download limits. The posts come up almost instantly now (I just tested it on the service provider's site) and programs download in a few minutes- the one I lost recently took over 2 hours but failed as the dial-up cut off every 2 hours and sometimes downloads would drop off if interrupted. The same one just took me under 7 minutes!
If you think I was on a lot before... plus I can now keep my webcam running all day, (if anyone likes looking at bookshelves most of the time), and I even have a little disco light show going on on the cable modem which has an array of flashing lights, which always appealed to me for some weird reason. I know it's only the same as the one I always had in the corner of the screen, but this will look even better in the dark! Just a small bonus!

Update, I thought the modem had gone on a work to rule- about 8 hours from connection it crashed and the faultline said the power was down and they needed to send an engineer on Saturday. Expecting not a lot I turned it on some time later and (for now) it's working again! It was actually when I tried to post this it stopped and I wasn't expecting to share the good news till the weekend...

I know the feeling Satguru . Very exciting when I got broadband. Not sure I can share your enthusiasm for the row of little lights though!. I cannot imagine what life was like before this wonder.

Congratulations on your new acquisition!

A slight lowlight - Dad's not been a bit well since about Monday, the side effects have started to kick in. The specialists, and my parents, have agreed that chemo isn't the right treatment for Dad, so they are seeing the specialist on Monday, to see if it is radium theraphy or no treatment. But somehow, we are going to get through this

Very sorry to hear that Jane, but you will, as you say, get through it, especially if the combined thoughts and prayers of a bunch of trivia nuts can help!

Actually I'm having a great time with the family history at the moment, as the 1851 UK Census has just been released online and that was (one of) the points where I was really stuck. I'm bizarrely thrilled to have found my ggreat-aunt married a Librarian, and that in 1901 they were living on the premises of Fulham Library! Not so thrilled to have learned that my ggreat-grandmother 'probably' drowned after falling into the Clyde Canal in Glasgow. It sounds more likely she actually jumped - it was about 4am...I'm still trying to find possible inquest notes

Chin up Jane, the right attitude (which yuou seem to have) makes all the difference.

Ing, that's too bad about your great-grandmother.

I hope you have success in trying to find those inquest papers, Ing. In having to research anything around or before 1900 here in the states, it's common to find one of two scenarios: either the notes are well written and very complete during 'normal' times...and during years of particular upheaval, like the American gold rush, civil war or western expansion when people were constantly on the move, it's almost impossible to find a decent courthouse record. Sometimes the clerk might decide to head for the goldfields or join the army -leaving the vital statistics to fend for themselves. I have seen this sort of notation in more than one record book, followed by blank pages!

Well Mum and Dad went to see the specialist again today. There is only one other option with the chemo, and it doesn't sound one bit pleasent really, but we have two weeks to decide what the next step is, whether Dad wants this treatment or not. So a slight lowlight, but tomorrow is another day. At least, at the moment, Dad is on no tablets or treatment at all, to let his body recover.

Hope today is not only another day, but a good day, JaneM.

Oh, and thanks kt (I thought I replied to your message ages ago, oops!). The best record-keepers I've found so far are the Scots, so I might actually have some luck!

Well it sorted started as a high then plummeted to the depths!

At long last I finally had my CT scan this morning, so that was a high. I would then need to make arrangements to travel to England to see the urologist there. THEN I received a letter in the post from another doctor enclosing a request form for a CT scan, the one I just had this morning. He then wants to see me in a week to read the report (he won't actually see the films) and he will then contact the urologist in England - we are talking weeks and weeks here. This is getting very silly. While they are messing about I am off work and only receiving half pay. At the end of the day they might decide to do nothing.

I have fired off a couple of emails to England and will wait to hear from them. In the meantime I see my doctor tomorrow who will need to decide if I can return to work.

The fun never ends, does it Sue?

Good luck with the e-mails...maybe you can finally light a fire under somebody and get something done about this situation.

Ditto, Sue. I can't imagine the frustration you must be feeling - but take heart, you've got a phone call from a bunch of drunken Aussie yahoos to look forward to!

Thinking of you Sue, sometimes hospital appointments can get you down. But we're all rooting for you