The London Weekend

Well Friday was a long day with a lot of travelling.

I made the long journey to the psychology clinic, got to the town with an hour or so to spare, went to the library to print off some letters and found that I had received an email from the psychology clinic, it read: - please find attached a draft copy of your psychological report, please could you read through it before your session and consider any amendments.
Haha, with an hour to go and 9 pages of letters to print, was I going to read it through and comment on it?
Well, yes, because I worked fast.
Letters were printed, and the report was read.
Then I went and had my cuppa tea and went to see the psychologist.

We ended up spending the whole session discussing the draft report.
The draft was fine in some ways, it was not in any way distressing, but the psychologist had slightly confused his notes and omitted something and I knew that the investigators had said that they would be looking for inconsistencies so I knew that even an innocent mistake could cause a question mark, if they ever even see this report.
The mistake was not in the section that summarizes my mental health and conditions, it was in the information about what has happened to me to leave me suffering trauma.

The report states that my problems stem from a dysfunctional background and Asperger Syndrome and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The psychologist said again that he wants me to have EMDR, and I told him that the church of England had been asked if they would pay for this and are still thinking about it (and will be in 10 years time because that is how they are).

Anyway, he is now writing up the final report, and has asked me to go and see him next week instead of the usual fortnight, and they will defer the cost. He hopes to have the report ready to publish by then.

So I wandered happily off to catch my train, the session had overrun and I managed to hurry up towards the station and dash in and out of the post office to get the letters sent etc, and leaped aboard the train just in time, and off we went.
I was very lucky, I went without my walking stick today but still managed to get a seat on the train.
I sat and read my book happily, and when I changed trains I stopped to get a cuppa and the lovely café lady, who is always really nice, gave me a large cuppa to take away, and so I boarded the next train, got a seat again, read my book and when I went to the guard to get the ticket for the next leg of my journey, he simply extended my current ticket for free so it didn’t cost me any extra.

I arrived at my destination and walked peacefully up the hill towards the green trees and the church, I sat on the steps until my friends arrived, and we went to mass together and then I came home with them.
I was shown around the new house, and we had egg and chips and bread for supper and then some non-alcoholic beer and we giggled and joked as if it was real beer.

Then I had a long thorough bath and washed my hair.
Then I found that the internet wasn’t working and I could not update anything.
And it was bed time.

Their new place doesn’t have a real spare room, so my bed for Friday night was the office floor.

I slept through the night but only lightly, and dreamed a lot. At one point I dreamed we were all living on a building site.

In the morning I was up bright and early with no sleepiness, and I chewed some toast and drank some tea as we got ready and set out early.
We had to make a detour to drop something off, and then off we went, up to Chertsey to collect our friend, and on to London.

We arrived in London with no problems and there was time for a quick cuppa as you are not supposed to have food or cuppas for an hour before you take the sacrement and they are getting more strict on that even for us poor disableds :)
The gardens were getting in a mess, so we guessed that the lovely brother who keeps them must be away, and he is.

anyway, we had mass, and the brother leading asked if anyone knew about gardening :)
So I waved my hand cheerfully, and so did one of the others.

So then it was lunch, the usual delicious bread and soup and plenty of tea.

After lunch I almost immediately set to work on the gardens, and huge piles of weeds and rubbish started to accumulate as I tore through the jungles and replaced them with neat well-watered borders :)
A band of keen helpers joined me but couldn't keep up, and basically every bed got attention and every bed and pot got water, but it nearly killed me.
Only an idiot would do as I did, working at commercial speed after so long off work, working at commercial speed in the full sun and the heat and having recently had physiotherapy.

When the gardens were finished and it was time for the talk and Holy Hour and evening prayer, I was too tired and lay down on the ground behind the car and rested and felt sick.

My friend came and got me for confessions, I felt sad about confessions because my favourite priest, my only priest for confession, left recently and I was perfectly comfortable with him and saying my confession to him, so I had to learn to see the other priest, and it went ok.

Then it was supper time, and we did our prayers and sharing, and supper was chicken and salad and bread, very nice indeed, with plenty of soft drinks (and alcohol for those who wanted it), and some nice cake for pudding.

Then I was tired and went and sat behind the car again.
Then before we left, my the brothers gathered together so that my friend could get photos of me with the brothers, so we got some photos of me with friends and brothers, so I can carry my Catholic family with me when I don't see them for a long time and miss them a lot. :)

Then off we set, first to Chertsey and then onwards, my friend dropped me off eventually for a train and then bus ride back to my sleeping place.

It was 1.30 this morning before I navigated my way through the drunken revellers and tucked down   in my blankets and slept.

I woke at 7am, stiff, aching but feeling fine and well rested, no real pain.

I had my brekky and a good old wash, and here I am.