Growing up!

Just in case you have forgotten what the boy looks like

here is a lovely picture of him.

Today was "hair cut"day,and as the grass is full of burrs

I asked for Midnight's legs to be clipped short .

What a surprise I got when I saw him!

His legs are like skinny chopsticks, 

with huge paws  

at the end.

Look --

He  really is going to be very big 

 when  he reaches his full size.

Now he looks so skinny but he actually weights

21.5 kgs.

His beautiful head is getting larger each day

and his nose can reach further into my bags!.

His favourite trick at present

is to come up behind my chair and push his head 

between my arm and the chair for a scratch.

Look at that face, those eyes 

and that big long nose.

I love him so much, 

he is bringing such joy into my life.

There is nothing more relaxing than going for a run

with your own dog,

that is, until you see a strange dog that wants to play!

This is all Midnight has been doing 

since he arrived home [apart from eating a bit of dinner].

Jess was trying to take pictures for our Christmas cards,

even the reindeer ears didn't wake him up.

Tomorrow we are going to the farmers market, 

I hope all this sleep doesn't make him too energetic, 

I want people to see him at his very best.

Until next time --- hug a puppy every day!!!

An email!!

Yesterday I recieved an email from a friend,

it talks about my "beautiful boy" .

Parts of it were so lovely, that I had to put them on my blog.

 "I read your blog.
I'm glad I did and now I understand the connection between yourself and midnight. I will be honest, sometimes he does "do my head in" and I forget sometimes due to his size that its all new to him and he needs guidance. He's only been in this big curious world for a short time.

I understand now that if we do get on top of his bad habits and persist with him we will eventually get there. Its called patience lol, I suppose thats why your a teacher and I'm not.
He is so adorable. You are doing so remarkably well with him and just reading your blog I understand what he means to you and why your protective over him.
Sometimes I forget that you do have a disability and tonight after reading your blog I put myself into your shoes (slippers) and realised how difficult it is for you too at times, frustrating. 

I also realised how special midnight is for you not only as a service dog but a part of the family too, he has settled in well I think and of course niddle accepts him."

This encouragement is what keeps me going

when I think it is all too hard!

Thankyou!

Could this be the boy we are talking about!!!

Yes, I think it is!!

Until next time ---- Make someone happy!

Great news!

Today I had some great news,

 we have a "PET stock" shop in Ormond,

I have been taking Midnight  there each weekend

to get used to shops,people and animals.

A couple of weeks ago one of the staff told me 

they were thinking of sponsoring Midnight and me 

on our journey towards his  registration as 

an "Assistance dog".

Now it is official!

Here he is in the beautiful new  coat  he was given today, isn't he gorgeous.

I believe one of the dog food companies is also going to help by providing Midnight's food. 

More about that when it starts.

I am always amazed by the generosity of some people.

I can't resist taking pictures of him sleeping

his legs just seem to get longer and longer!

Until next time --- Hug someone you love!

An update

I can not believe it has been nearly a month since I last wrote anything in my blog.

I think it is time to update mine,

and Midnight's progress.

This photo was taken 19/11/2010

Look how long his legs are now, 

they look like fuzzy icy-pole sticks

and go in four different directions

when he runs!!

Every day I write notes on how he is progressing,

some days are good

and some are terrible.

Hopefully I am going to paste in my notes about going to the Bentleigh Festival.

You will see it was a very good day,

I was so proud of him.

Here goes ---

Sunday – Bentleigh Festival!!

The disability ambassador.

Quote -- We have been out and about being ambassadors for disability and service dogs. I think Midnight likes people, we have done both the farmers market and the Bentleigh Festival and he didnt put a nose wrong at either. He charmed my local MP who is a great supporter of disability and I know he will try and help me get Midnight registered, he could not resist the big black eyes and sloppy tongue! We had balloons bursting in our faces, loud music, children grabbing him, adults bumping us both, and even treading on his poor toes, nothing fazed him, we both loved it. Best part was the little boy who is terrified of even the family dogs fed Midnight on his own and they were both so gentle, I wish we had a video of the day, it was so lovely.

Walked 5km, a hot day as said above, noises were no problem to him, only me! Walked loose rein all day, too interested in everything to misbehave. Crossed railway via the long ramp, talked to children while waiting for train. Street very crowded, walked close

to chair, did not appear afraid, just interested. Very tired walking home, stopped for a rest under a tree, Midnight fell asleep!!  Went to toilet when we arrived home, slept all afternoon.

It really was an amazing day for both of us.

This is how he slept for the whole afternoon!!

 I love him so much, to be able to go out

with a dog beside me, is freedom!!

Until next time ---- Hug a puppy

Update.

I thought  it was time I did  an update on "puppy training", or perhaps it should be called "granny training"!

Here is Midnight after a hard day 

walking the streets of Glen Eira!!

It's a tough life isn't it?

Notice how big he is getting, 

when he climbs on the bed with me, he takes up more than half of it.

 Newest trick is to lie the length of the bed with his head on the pillow and then very quietly push his feet against the rails, next thing I know, I am squashed against the rails and he is in the middle of the bed.

Here we are out and about in our new harness,

it makes such a difference. He is now attached to my chair by a D ring on the side, no more twisted harness.

I am now looking for sheep skin seat belt covers and they seem to have disappeared from the market.

We are now walking from 2-4 k per day, 

sometimes he is brilliant and we have a great walk, 

other days nothing seems to go right.

Now we have started a daily diary, 

this will be very important when it comes time to try and get him registered.

We have learned one very important skill,

I can now clip his lead onto his collar and he knows that he must walk behind me from the house, 

through the veranda gate, down the path 

and through the very narrow front gate.

He then sits next to the chair 

so I can clip on his wheel chair lead.

I am amazed how quickly he has learned this difficult maneuver,

the path is very narrow.

He also sits beautifully,

reminds me of when I was at school and the teacher would say the person sitting up the straightest 

could go outside first. 

He pushes his little chest out just like the boys did!

We also have sort of mastered "stop",

  "Midnight walk on" and "up the hill".

Our biggest problem at present is dogs!

we don't meet enough of them, so when we do

he goes crazy and doesnot concentrate at all.

Chris, our trainer, says he must go to the dog park,

not with me, because he is too strong for my arm, 

so it will be Jessika walking him, 

and me watching.

Sometimes I get very frustrated,

I am finding it is so much harder 

to do things in my chair -- I cannot reach far, turn quickly,

or even get down on the ground and give him a cuddle'

when he has done something really clever. 

I guess we are both learning.

I think I have written enough for now, 

my boy is sleeping next to my chair waiting for a walk.

I wonder how we will go tonight?

Until next time --- hug a puppy!!

First Hair Cut!

How time flies,

my boy will be five months old on 3rd November.

Yesterday he went for his first "Big boy" hair cut.

Here is the last photo before he went,

Jess put his fringe up in a bundle, 

because he couldn't see!!

We went for a walk before leaving him with Barb,

he was so good. 

We walked all the way to McKinnon, 

past the poodle parlour, a small dog, a stroller,

the chicken shop and a busy coffee shop,

I wish he was this good everyday.

This is what he looks like now!

He is soooooo small again,

but his legs look even longer!

Remember my "tongue fetish",

I could not resist this photo.

He is the prettiest boy around,

even when he is being silly, 

I love him to bits!!!!

Until next time ---- hug a puppy!!

Unbelievable!

I cannot believe what happened on Thursday!

I have been a member of 

Glen Eira's Disability Reference Committee for three years, it is a state government requirement that each council 

must have a DRC.

We have a big problem with parking in our municipality,

so when I was told we were having a  council worker to speak to us about the problems  I was naturally very excited.

I have had many people ask me to see if something could be done to make parking safer 

for people with a disability and the aged.

Unfortunately we got the usual bunk about how wonderful Glen Eira Council is, we meet all the minimum requirements for parking, and actually have a couple of extra spaces!!! 

I ,and many other people rely on hoist buses for transport, they are usually Toyota or Mazda vans with a long wheel base. 

Unfortunately they do not fit into a normal "dis.parking" spot

which are usually situated behind the shopping centres.  

Even if we find two spaces, 

we have to unload into the road, 

as you can imagine this is incredibly dangerous.

When I asked if council could do anything the problem, 

I was told NO, you are registered as a bus so -----

USE THE BUS STOPS!!!!!

This is what would happen --

1: Carer stops at the bus stop, lowers the ramp.

2: Public bus pulls up behind, cant fit in because my "bus" is taking up most of the space.

3: Carer unloads me [takes about 5 mins]

Public Bus still waiting!

4:Carer now has 2 choices, she can either walk me half a block up the middle of a major road to find a cut , so she can leave me unattended on the foot path.

OR 

she can leave me on the road [at the bus stop] and go and find a place to park the bus.

Public Bus still waiting!

5: Carer walks me down the centre of the road for half a block, looking for a cut so I can get on to the foot path!

Public Bus is now running 10 minutes late!!!

And remember --

We have to go through it all again 

to get me back in the bus!

This is Glen Eira Council's solution, and they keep saying they are very disability friendly!!!!

Do I have ANOTHER fight on my hands?

Until next time -- Keep Happy

A surprise!!

 In case you haven't noticed,I have a great regard for Yooralla,

they support around 30,000 people in Victoria,

who live with a disability.

Gradually over the years I have used more and more of their services and now I feel that I am part of Yooralla.

This year, when asked if I would help with publicity 

I agreed.

I am sure that surprised a lot of people!

For the last few years I have been happy 

to give talks to people about living with my disability,

but I have always refused to have my picture taken.

I think it probably has something to do with being labeled as "the poor old crock in the wheel chair".

At last I don't care what people say,

I know I am not a poor old thing!

That is what all this preamble is leading up to!!!

I was asked if my picture could be taken and used in 

the Yooralla Annual Report, 

"probably as part of a collage about people who use Yooralla services."

This is what I saw when I opened the envelope!

I am on the FRONT COVER!

Yooralla has  a 65 year old grandmother 

as their cover girl.

What a positive image, 

usually disability is represented by a lovely 

little disabled child. 

Yes, it pulls at the heart strings,

but it is negative 

and portrays us as "poor" people. 

We are not, we have to be strong

to fight discrimination and ignorance.

How I wish we were always portrayed 

in a positive light.

News papers are the worst, 

as I have said many times ,

I may be stuck in my bed, 

but I am not confined to a wheel chair!!

        Incidentally, I am amazed at the comments I have had about, - how good it is to see some one 

obviously enjoying life!!!  Ha!

Until next time  ----  wear a happy Hat!

PS: I am trying to get used to the new 

colour of Yooralla !

More musings!

   Two special things happened to me today,

 whenI returned to my art group, after two weeks absence.

As I was wandering down the passage , 

the receptionist came hurrying from her office, gave me a hug and told me how much she had missed me and my smile.

          The second special thing happened during art, 

one of the ladies asked if she could have a photo of mine, when I said yes, she also, put her arms around me, 

and gave  me a big hug, 

it made me feel very happy.

This sort of spontaneous affection is becoming very rare these days. 

No longer can a teacher comfort a small child  by picking them up or giving them a quick cuddle, 

it is not professional and can be misconstrued! 

Thank goodness I am no longer teaching, I would not last a week!!

It is the same with disability,

the people who look after me are not supposed 

to hold my hand if I am distressed, 

or rub my my arm if I am in pain. 

Its called "professional ethics" and "boundaries" but I think the world has gone crazy.

I know there are bad people in the world, 

but these heartless rules are not going to stop them.

All it does is take away love and compassion

and leave suspicion and indifference.

Hopefully the first and last thing we feel in this life is the touch of love, 

 why must it not be all the time?

Until next time -- Show someone you love them!!

A Fairy Tale!

Once upon a time, there was a magic garden, 

where plants grew all over the ground.

they received a great deal of love and attention

 and grew and grew.

At the end of Autumn a pumpkin was harvested, 

it was beautiful.

The pumpkin was stored in a lovely airy cupboard until spring,

then it was cut and steamed to make mash.

The magic pumpkin tasted wonderful.

Now the seeds will be saved 

and the whole cycle will begin again.

MAGIC!

Until next time -- Keep Happy!

Musings!

I have just spent the last ten days in bed.Because my head and chest felt so awful, I could not even use my computer.   All I could do was think, 

something you do a lot of when disabled.

My thoughts eventually got around to the Internet. 

Now that Gabe and Indi are staying with us,

"band width" has become more of an issue.

Last month I noticed a sudden large leap in usage, 

for no genuine reason.

It appears that some one had been 

stealing our band width!!

A while ago I read an article about people driving around  using other people's Internet connections, 

evidently it is a great "game"!

Yesterday, we came across a "scam" on a real estate site.

Someone was advertising a lovely little apartment for rent, at a very reasonable price.

Everything seemed legitimate 

until I read the reply we received, when we made enquiries,
-- there were small grammatical errors that set off warning bells.

When my daughter "Googled" the address,

we found the  flat was also advertised with a
well known estate agents,
for a much larger price!!!
The first advertisement was definitely fraudulent
 and cleverly done.
On Monday, we will contact the authorities [don't know who] and see what happens!!

That was called a "scam", and the free use of my band width was a "game".

I call them THEFT,

and the people that perpetrate these crimes THIEVES.

Funny how values appear to have changed, 

I guess I must be getting 

OLD!!

Until next time --- Keep Safe!

Hot off the Press!!

I just had to post these two pictures,

Jess has just taken them.

Midnight really is huge, how on earth will we fit in the bed  when he is six months old!!!

This is Jess's favourite picture, obviously she is talking about Midnight not me!

I hate having a head cold.

Still -- Keep Happy!!

A Fetish!!!

People have fetishes about many things --feet, hair, ears.

I definately have a fetish about tongues!

I have a lousy cold, 

yesterday, Jazz came over to cheer me up, 

the sun was shining, so she and Jess, took photos of my baby.

He has one of those long, slurpy, drippy tongues that big dogs often have, as Jazz soon found out

 Its hidden away in there, just wait.

 Getting bigger!

 and bigger!

 and BIGGER!!

But then again,

look at those eyes, how could anyone resist them.

You know what is the best thing about Midnight,

he is all mine.

Nacho will always be "my special girl", but she loves her mum the most, as it should be.

Midnight will one day, be able to sleep with me and walk by my side where ever I go, 

what more could I want.

Until next time ---- Keep Happy!

A new addition to the family!

Can you see what is in the picture above?

Not Nacho, not the potting mix,

the little black hairy thing!

Its my new puppy, he is only 13 weeks old.

have a look at him.

Isn't he enormous!

His name is Midnight, for obvious reasons

and he is a large Standard Poodle.

I was expecting to take him for his first visit to the vet,

riding on my tray, but I think he will be walking.

This is a picture of him when he first arrived, Jess bought him the green toy, it is now his absolute favourite,

I hear it squeaking in the middle of the night.

This is us on our first solo outing, 

he is so intelligent that it is easy to forget he is only a baby.

He is learning to walk by my side without me touching his lead. I am finding this very difficult because I am scared of running over his paws.

Everyone keeps telling me that he will learn very quickly, but that does not make it any easier for me.

He wears a red body harness instead of a collar, this makes it easier for him to walk next to the wheel chair, and will not damage his neck.

Look at that face and those eyes!

Now look at the next picture,

 another set of beautiful eyes.

Now I am going to have to train him, 

it will be a interesting experience for both of us.

I have no idea how to do it in a chair.

Fortunately big poodles are very placid dogs,

I have already noticed how calm  and gentle he is.

I am very relieved that he and Nacho get along, she is definitely the boss [because she is a girl],

but he is happy and so is she!

I guess it is early days yet, so we shall see.

At present, they are both lying on the floor near my chair, chewing on a puppy bone, 

now if they would always be like that,

life would be soooo easy.

Until next time --- Happy Days!