almost an update of sorts

milk - can't live without it

new iPad :)

new ball, a proper one. So far only nearly broke nose once...

tween years - go away mum.

finally...a wheelchair (there are ups and downs to this)

this is what the cat thinks of current Greek crisis....

Another One Bites the Dust

So, last night, there I was somewhat hopefully drying an mp3 player with the hairdryer. Yes, well, that didn't work. Dimitri had rather nonchalantly dropped it into the (full of water) bathtub as he passed by. I was not so nonchalant as I said "well that's the last one your getting" (10th?, 11th?). Dimitri frowned and pulled a sad face. This morning he was positively cross when, after his request, I said it was broken. Luckily he was assuaged with a croissant.


Last Friday when I met up with Kristina, she had mentioned getting a waterproof case for the iPad(?), I guess should have been paying more attention. Although it's not the first mp3 player that's met with a watery end (and at least it wasn't the toilet), I was starting to think we had passed that stage. So it goes.


This may be of interest to some, there are now keyguards for the iPad, specific to some AAC programs, you can find the info at Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs.


This morning when I got up I nearly fell over sideways. I've reached that age where you need to sit for a minute after waking before attempting anything more daring. I also woke up with books about UFOs merrily buzzing away in my head, which is probably meaningless to most people, but possibly means I need to go and fight of my mid-life crisis with a big stick.  So it goes.

March Hares.

I took this photo on Tuesday (I think?), Dimitri was home from school. The weather had become cold and snowy over the weekend, and on Monday, (which was a bank holiday "Clean Monday" the beginning of lent) the school secretary called us to ask how the weather was where we were and if Dimitri would be going to school on Tuesday. As the brief snow flurries in Athens weren't much to talk about, not much problem for us, but it also turned out his teacher had headed out of Athens for the break and was stuck, somewhere...So Tuesday (and Wednesday) Dimitri stayed home and watched the snow flurries with fascination. We briefly tried checking out the snowflakes from the street, but Dimitri wrinkled up his nose and closed his eyes tight shut so we quickly turned back home Fascinating from the window was fine enough. Dimitri was positioned at the living room window, the cat at the kitchen window, both watching. I watched them watching.


The night before the winds had been extremely strong, and the noise from the awnings around the balcony kept us all awake pretty much all night long. In the morning Christos ventured out and rolled them all up (a bit closing the barn door after the horse has bolted I might say). They are hardly ever rolled up. Partly because we are lazy and partly because I prefer the half light. It softens the world and creates warm shadows were I feel more...at home. The harsh bright sun that is currently beaming in reveals all the dusty corners, cracks, smudges on the walls, carpets fraying at the edges. In the bright light of day you can see where things are starting to fall apart.


I'm still listening to Husker Du, when Dimitri allows me to take the REM CD out of the  player that is (Shiny Happy People is his favourite). I saw both Husker Du and Rem in Liverpool (not at the same time), 25 years ago. I had to double check the figure, it didn't seem quite right. It's almost as shocking as hearing a teenager refer to 1980's clothing as "vintage".


Whatever. March seems like a good month for listening to loud music and  "jumping vertically for seemingly no reason"

I'm in the Mood For

Husker Du





Not that I'm feeling pissed off or anything.

This video is in Greek but I think you get the idea from watching the first minute. The rest is bullshit "reportage" talking to people from KEPEP Lechaina and the current health minister. Blah blah blah. Nothing of note will come of this latest "revelation" (google KEPEP Lechaina, it's been in the news repeatedly for years but nothing changes).
KEPEP - Centre for Child Care....
The centre is for children with "severe/profound intellectual disability and or multiple disabilities"
77 people - 70 adults 7 children (oldest 43)
The adults arrived as children.
30 people have died since it started working in 1988.


13 nursing staff ,4 therapists.
1 speech therapist
1 physical therapist
2 occupational therapist


The people are restrained to "protect them from themselves". blah blah blah blah blah.
The health minister has given an order to allow reporters in to all the institutions in Greece. Well done. I'm sure that will help.
And he is sending 5 extra nursing staff (should have sent by now that is), and another 3 in the "close" future.
His words, the problematic situation will improve, but not be solved.
Elli Stai, our intrepid reported refers to the people repeatedly as "plasmata" i.e. creatures.


A volunteer physical therapists from the UK spoke to one news paper, the Google translate is not great but if you have the stomach for it you can read it here


Some people are now saying how they believe it's wrong for the Greek Government to give money towards the Special Olympics which will be hosted in Athens this year whilst this situation continues in KEPEP Lechaina. I don't think the money has anything to do with it, the same people were restrained in there beds whilst money was spent on the Olympics the Para Olympics and countless other projects which we could all survive without. Why pick on people who wish to take part in the Special Olympics.  I object to the government using the Special Olympics to give itself an image of "sensitivity" towards people with intellectual disability which is clearly doesn't possess. And it's not just this particular government, all the parties are the same. They just use Lechaina as ammunition to bicker amongst themselves.


On this subject, see you same time same place next year.

Technical Error

My latest blog post is, due to a fuzzy head, over at The Artistic Chicken

In the meantime, heres some music

Eleven

Oh!! Here we are again, another Birthday!!! Dimitri had more motivation today to wake up as I cunningly used his birthday present as bait. The pictures are a little blurry, it was 5.40 in the morning after all.(present - a Buzz Lightyear which I had panned to get Dimitri for Christmas - better late than never)


It's now 7am, it was around 7am when Dimitri finally made an appearance 11 years ago, 24hrs after my waters broke, a week after his due date (Dimitri takes after me maybe - better late than never). 


I have to say, I'm not one of those women who found the whole labour/giving birth experience wonderful. It didn't help that I vomited on a midwife (never give me anesthetic by gas, I'm warning you) and the doctor was obnoxious. He said I wasn't pushing hard enough because I been given too much drugs....


After about 23hrs of contractions - starting, stopping, being restarted artificially, he said if the baby wasn't out in the next hour or so I would be having a c-section. Before this moment though, it was decided to be worth trying turning Dimitri's head so he was in a better position (crown of head first instead of forehead). He was turned, and there you go, one push and he was out! Not pushing hard enough my ass. 


Dimitri was flopped on to my belly where he didn't move or cry, was taken away, and given back a few of minutes later with the unsettling comment "he didn't need oxygen, he started breathing by himself" (the umbilical cord had been round his neck). The Doctor, still busy doing stitches or whatever, handed to the midwife the instrument he had, minutes before been using to cut a rather sensitive area of my body, with the comment "take these to be sharpened, there blunt".... 


Birth stories. 


But that was just the beginning of the story, the best parts come later.