Happy

My dad loves penguins, genuinely adores them. 

Over the years, many a birthday card, fluffy toy, pairs of socks and a few hats have come his way featuring the beloved bird.

So when he turned 70 last year, there was no question about what we'd be buying him.

Our local zoo offers the chance to get up close and personal with (coincidentally) 70 black and white waddlers of the Humboldt variety.

And, despite Covid, we managed to get the feeding experience in.

It was a genuine joy to see dad (the perfect penguin parent himself) among his favourite creatures.

Couldn't be happier.

:: Happy by Pharrell Williams

Into the great wide open

It was my daughter's last week at primary school this week.

It's been very emotional - not least because she's left in such peculiar times.

Covid has meant no goodbye disco, leavers show or summer fair.

It has also stopped the little rituals of writing on each others' shirts, group photos* and hugs in the playground.

She's absolutely loved her experience at primary and we've had a fair few tears.

As parents we're quite wobbly too and utterly bewildered by how quickly the time has gone and how much she has grown.

Neither of us are really ready for her to move out of the safety and familiarity of primary and into the vast unknown world of secondary.

But life is about change and movement. The chances of standing still are remote - and it's something we all need to learn how to deal with.

Logically as adults we know this, but it doesn't make it any easier (or any less tearful) when primary school comes to an end.

We've got the summer hols to enjoy now and to prepare for the next step and all the differences it will bring.

In a world that has become increasingly unrecognisable, an ability to change and adapt is going to be more important than ever.

:: Into the great wide open by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

*Although we did manage some class bubble shots outside the school gates. All in their Leavers 2020 hoodies. *Blubs unbecomingly*

Connection

It's a visceral experience this week. And by that I mean:

(1) visceral, adjective (emotional, literary) - based on deep feeling and emotional reactions rather than on reason or thought

and

(2) visceral, adjective (medical, specialised) -  relating to the large organs inside the body, including the heart, stomach, lungs and intestines.

The emotional first. When we're told: "You have Multiple Sclerosis," it's like a metaphorical punch in the guts. And how we react to it, whether with shock, relief, anger or sadness, is primal.

As we progress through the relapses, the failed treatments and the endless medical appointments, we find our own ways of coping, we develop our own beliefs.

And as long as these aren't blocking out offers of help or stopping us listening to* medical advice, then that is fine - we know ourselves better than our well-meaning colleagues or once-a-year consultants.

When I relapsed on Avonex and took the decision to change medication, I looked all the available medical evidence about the alternatives on offer; but picked one based purely on a dream I'd had. Not scientific, not rational but purely and utterly emotional.

We're asked to do 'what feels right' quite a lot with MS, but there's no actual yardstick for this. Trusting our gut instinct is something we have to learn how to do.

And while we're on the subject of guts, this time the literal anatomical ones, new research has been unveiled indicating a link between gut bacteria and MS.

A team from the US has published a paper outlining how the gut-brain connection might work and their findings have implications for many neurological conditions.

I can't pretend to understand much of this, but it seems that while previous research has shown that bacteria in the gut may cause inflammation in the brain, this is the first study to report on how the cells involved in this particularly damaging inflammation work and how they might be controlled.

As with all GROUNDBREAKING MS NEWS!! a lot more needs to be done before it gets to treatment stage, but the potentials for deeper understanding of the pathways are there.

So whether emotional durability or scientific breakthroughs, it appears that having MS is a lot to do with having guts.

:: Connection by Elastica

*if not always taking. It is, after all, your choice.

Nothing but love

We went to a gig this week!

It deserves the exclamation mark because it’s a rare occurrence these days.

I used to go to quite a few during my university years, and when I worked on the paper we used to be sent free tickets so we could write reviews.

This resulted in some quite unexpected evenings out watching bands that you wouldn’t even pull out of Woollies bargain bin.

My friends are also all frighteningly musical and write and play their own stuff so I’m surrounded by talented people – both amazing and depressing for the tune-free lump that I am.

This week’s gig was with James (the band, not the Bond) and hubby and I went with friends and had a perfectly lovely time.

James were as good as ever and the whole thing was massively, massively uplifting.

The audience was mainly made up of people older than us (always a joy when you hit your 40s) who looked like they were having the time of their lives.

There really is nothing better than looking around at a gig and seeing the entire audience arms aloft, faces smiling, singing as one.

In the emotional armoury of life, music is an extraordinarily powerful weapon.

:: Nothing but love by James