The Cult of Ellen

Well, not quite - I've finally uploaded a few photos, though, so I'm putting them under a cut to save bandwidth for those who aren't interested in suchlike.

( This way to the photos! )

In other news (not under a cut so people don't run into the photos if they don't want to, sorry...): my bike is in the bike shop! I took it down Sheffield with me last Wednesday and dropped it off at Decathlon for its free 3-month service, expecting them to adjust the cable tension and leave it at that. Instead, it appears to have some kind of gear problem, which I'm hoping they've either fixed or replaced the gear arm (under warranty) by tomorrow so I can pick it up again. I'm starting to feel as though I have finger-of-death for bikes... Or it could be that they use cheap derailleurs...

I went to my ME course on Friday and learned about Graded Exercise Therapy. Which is how to, when my energy scores are consistent and I'm feeling as though I'm ready to start increasing the amount of, well, anything I'm doing, increase my activity level without causing an increase in my ME symptoms. Of course, since my bike's been in the shop since Wednesday, that's meant I walked home from the train station on Wednesday evening, then back in on Thursday morning and out again, then to my course at Bootham Park Hospital on Friday morning and from there into town and home again, and into town on Saturday. I got the bus home on Saturday afternoon. (I also walked into town and back on Tuesday night to the writing group, but that was because I didn't get ravenlas to get me a lift because he has an ear infection, which is now clearing up nicely.) So today has been spent largely on the sofa doing little more strenuous than knitting and occasionally hanging out another load of washing on the washing line, and I am tired, and my legs are a little wobbly and I'm running just a touch of a temperature. Ho hum, so it goes. I shall go to bed shortly and should be fine in the morning.

Anyway, thanks to the ME course, I have a letter, which I took to the council offices on Friday, and I filled in a form and had my photo taken and as of in a few days time, I should have a free bus pass, enabling me to travel on the local buses and not have to pay the extortionate fares. Awesome! It'll mean I can try walking into town to the station one or two mornings a week and be able to catch the bus back, thus getting a bit more exercise but not tiring myself out. Hurrah!

So, I have handouts. I'll type them up soon and post them here for anyone who's interested. Have a great week, y'all! I'm going to duck back below the parapet again.

Today I've put up 3 more shelves in the kitchen, and two in the hallway. And a curtain rail above the door. I have photos! Also, photos of the clothes I'd like to give away to good homes.

ETA: Good lord I need to clean my camera lens! Those blotches? Not on the clothes! lol

( Cut for lots of photos )

Today's things off the list:

Bought a draught excluder to put on the back of the door over the letterbox.
Called Sue.
Started going through the wardrobe and the boxes in the spare room.
Written another 500 words on that short story.
Knitted several more rows of the shawl for my mum.

Oh, does anyone want to come and see Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan in Waiting for Godot in Newcastle next April?

Would anyone like a bread machine? Or a box of candles? Or a 1950s black and white dress with a shawl collar? Or a long (good-quality) leatherette trench coat? (Both size 12) Or a pair of jeans with rhinestone bits on the sides of the legs (from my twin, not my thing, honest)? Or a size 16 silk summer dress with a boned bodice (unworn, from Debenhams)? Or a book on Feng Shui?

Please say yes...