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My sister suffers from Fibromyalgia as i have probably told you before. She does have good days and bad days and can usually walk a bit if she has not done too much the few days before. I have her permission to put the following true account up here because it gave me a good giggle.
I wanna tell you a story OR 'It really wasn't my day'!! :-D
This is the story of yesterday's 'happenings'. It all started the night before, when I only got about four hours sleep - actually I didn't feel too bad when I got up at 5.30 having lost all hope of any more sleep, except for not being terribly 'with it' (nothing new there then). My story actually starts before then I suppose. You know when you said 'be careful as it might be dearer if you catch an early train'. Naa, I says, I've checked on the internet and it's the same. Hmmm, well perhaps I should have read it more carefully! You see, I was expecting it to be about £21, so when the ticket office man said £37.50 please, I thought I'd misheard, and said 'Sorry?'. After he'd repeated himself, I said 'oh no, it says £21 on the internet'. 'That's after 9' says he. I was so gob smacked, I paid up, and completely forgot to say I wanted to go on the underground! Now - normally when I go by train and need the platform on the far side, then needing to go over the steps, a nice man escorts me over the track via the ramp to the other side. Goes into office 'Could you let me over the ramp please' I say. 'Nah', he says. 'I'm the only one here, and I've got to deal with a wheelchair'. Walks off muttering 'what do people need to do to get help here?'. Go up the stairs - 'ouch, ouch' my muscles cry. 'Shut up' I reply, trying to ignore them. Twenty minutes later, on my way up to London now, got to thinking and realised the awful truth - I'd now have to queue to get a tube ticket, which would also be more expensive and take up more time! Oh well, never mind, it's not the end of the world says I (to myself you understand). No problems with the journey - quick change at Clapham, and I'm there. Make my way to the ticket office and the queue is five miles long!! (I only exaggerate slightly). Trouble is, I don't know how much it's going to be, or whether I've got enough change, so don't know if I'll be alright using the ticket machine. Decide to risk it. I get talking to two very nice women in the queue in front of me who are on their way from Darset to see Loose Women. They don't have a clue what they're doing either, but are very helpful, and say 'go over to that little shop where they sell drinks and snacks and get two fives for your tennner, and we'll wait here for you. Off I trots - says to man behind counter (smiling sweetly) 'Could you give me two fives for a ten please'. 'No, can't do that the till's shut' says he. 'Oh yes, but you're just about to serve someone so it will be open then, won't it' says I. 'No, can't do that' he says. 'Not allowed. No transaction'. So - giving him my disapproving look (you know the one) I walk off thinking I'll have to queue after all then - must dash and tell those girls. Spots a tiny Boots, dashes in and buys something I don't want for £1.22. 'Haven't you got anything smaller than that?' she asks. 'No', I says (lying through my teeth). Gives me £8 in coins, oh well, at least it's change. Dashes back to the girls where they are now at the machine, trying to work out what to do. All three of us then have a go (can hear the silent sighs of the people in the queue behind us), after finding out it's £5.60 to go two stops and back!! Finally manage it, and say our goodbyes - them off to the cool of the studio, me off to fight the crowd in Oxford Street M&S. Tube is like an oven. Reach the store eventually, but time is running out - I now only have 3/4 of an hour left to shop, and I'm dying for a drink! Ask the doorman - 'where's the cafe please?'. 'Basement' he says, pointing downwards. Arrives in basement - cafe, what cafe?! Asks man behind counter where it is 'First floor'!! Stands outside of lift, gritting my teeth with a smile, determined to carry on in a cheerful fashion. Finds cafe - 'one coffee please'. She bangs the coffee machine, twiddles with this and twiddles with that - nothing works! 'You sit down,' she says, 'and I'll bring it over'. I sit down and proceed to eat my scone, which is now disintegrating into tiny crumbs. Sometime later - along comes the coffee. I now have less than half an hour left in which to shop!! Slurps coffee down, brushes off crumbs, and dashes to the clothes dept. Luckily, find a cardi and a t-shirt I like in the time, and make my way back to the underground. Get off tube, make my way out of the station, and try to figure out what exactly it was my dear friend Marie had told me as to where the restaurant ASK was (you see, I didn't quite understand it in the first place!). Knew the number was 160, but isn't it amazing how many places don't have numbers on these days?! I stop and ask a workman 'Do you know where.......?' 'Yes, says he', 'it's down the end of the road there by The House of Fraser'. 'Thanks' says I (more than a little wearily). Trudges down what seems like a very long road to H of F - nothing. Rings friend Marie who I can hardly hear 'cos of the traffic. Crosses over road, and trudges back in other direction - nothing. Getting desperate now - walk into a betting shop (never been in one in my life before!). About eight men all turn their heads to look at this strange, very hot (as in heat!), weary looking female, who asks loudly (good projection you see!) 'Does anybody know where ASK is?'. Manager says 'I think it's down by the H of F, that's the only one I know'!! I try very hard to control my trembling bottom lip, smile, and giving my thanks exit his shop. At this point - a miracle!! Little angel Marie comes over from the station, and we walk to the restaurant which is just over the road from the station!!! Thankfully, I walk inside and am confronted by a spiral staircase with 300,000 steps (well, that's what it felt like!!). The meal was lovely - the company great; show brilliant - the day was saved - ? After spending some time with Norma, and being treated to a very nice coffee and piece of carrot cake, I make my way, absolutely shattered by now, to the train. Knew that there were only four coaches I should get in out of the 12 - asks a guard 'which coach do I get in for Fareham?'. 'That one' he says. Gets in, sinks thankfully into a seat, and waits for off. Five minutes after leaving the station, over the tannoy 'if you need........ Fareham, you need the front four coaches'. Oh dear, and there's me in coach 12!! You can't get the staff, can you. I'm not the only one, so I follow this girl, and we eventually seek out carriage no 4, where there are no seats whatsoever, and I stand for what seems like an eternity, finally collapsing after about 15 minutes into a vacated one. Now - normally knowing I would be getting out on the platform where you need to use the steps, I would collar the guard about an hour before arriving in Fareham and he would ring ahead, and a very nice man would take me over the ramp. You're ahead of me here, aren't you?! Absolutely right - no guard appears! Arrives in Fareham, gets off train, and - almost on hands and knees now, I crawl up the steps, and sinking into a taxi gasp '***** **** please'.
I have never been so pleased to get home!!!
So there you have it - my day in a nutshell! Just slightly tired today! :-)
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Can't you just imagine the man in the ticket office?? But I did like her tenacity, she had gone up to see Billy Liar but was determined to get her 'shop' in as well. You can tell she's my sister, T is convinced I can walk in one door of a shop and out the other and manage to buy something en route!!
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Lolol Ann......... I don't know what he's talking about.... do you? ;¬))
I love Billy Liar.... we did it with the AM Dram club I belonged to in Germany.... we did rather well in the competition, and my make-up got a special mention, lol.... I was the make-up girl, and loved it all...... but never got to see the entire play right the way through!! Same with all the others... we had 3 productions a year plus Panto, and every unit had an Am Dram club....
Lovely times!
Did she enjoy it? As ;long as she did, it was worth the *long crawl* home!
Love
Daff xxxxx
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Ann, all I can say is Good on her! I did a lot of walking when we were in Liverpool for the meet, which wasn't too bad as I wasn't having to stand and cook etc - I got taken out to eat while we were there from the Friday to the Monday, even tho a couple of times it was only the McDonalds over the road from the hotel lol But I had had a very busy time before we left so wasn't as withit as I could have been and we were disturbed during the night at the hotel too, by noisy guests there.
It's very easy when you have fibro fog to get things wrong so understandable that your sister didn't get the right tickets, maybe if she has to do this again she should write down all she has to do and tick it off as she goes, even if only in her mind, i.e. tube ticket etc.
Anyway glad she enjoyed herself, I bet she had to rest the following day, I do if I have overdone things!
Sounds like me with the shopping lol
Lizxx
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