My little town'. Cleethorpes

 

Photos of Cleethorpes taken by Jayne 

 

Me and the Fridge (Living with MS)

Me and the Fridge (Living with MS)

Dragging the fridge along the floor was hard. A few years ago it was bought from Argos; a White Larder Fridge weighing in at 360lbs. One careful owner but with little value now. Like everything, buy cheap today and give it away tomorrow! I tried to rock the damn thing from side to side trying to avoid the screeching sound it made when dragged but it was too damn heavy! It's not a wailing sound it make exactly but it does hurt the ears. There was already some damage underneath and I lost some parts as well. Nuts, bolts, screws, trim, whatever. Just as well it was for the scrap heap. Not me! I couldn't disguise it, it was a knackering experience. Perhaps I needed someone to help me out but I could find no one. I felt like it was a workout with little to show for it. There I was consumed with this mass and I still had some distance to go. An invisible foe. Damn! I ripped the carpet slightly but nothing was going to stop me now.  I couldn't pretend it wasn't there. Hello everybody let me introduce you to my other half, the fridge! Have you met the fridge before? I've known the fridge too long and was getting tired of it. I sometime felt people knew the fridge rather than me. Well not quite true really! Maybe we should take a break somewhere! I felt like taking a hammer to it but I couldn't beat it. It's not really a love, hate relationship, more like a hate, hate relationship. Maybe I should be more understanding and forgiving. I guess there's many of us with a spare fridge in our lives but we don't have the choice! Why me is not an option! Of course there's no choice so be fit if you can and train up for the duration and be prepared for the long road ahead. Anyway in the meantime I had to negotiate getting this around a tight corner and time isn't on my side. I met someone else with a fridge just passing the time of day. I think he was trying to sell his. There's not much second hand value so like most of us we simply try and scrap them. You sometime see them advertised, you know one careful owner, etc. If  you go to the local tip you see them in a variety of makes, styles and sizes. Fridges I mean! Take your pick!

 

Thank God I was on the level anyway. No stairs to negotiate. The bin area wasn't too far away so hopefully it shouldn't take too long to get there. Phew! Onto the next stage. Maybe I should organise a fridge party to meet more like-minded people. Bring a bottle and I will supply the food. I could expand it to include freezers as well. I was still pushing hard as ever with 20 minutes gone and 10 metres covered, Wow what a day! The excitement is just too much! Of course once I've crossed the line and delivered the fridge I will need to do it again. It's kind of invisible really! No sweat but I will be back tomorrow. Tomorrow will be different! Like to vary it a bit. Maybe a walk to the pub! I know when I'm done I should sleep well though, I usually do! Who needs physio when you've got a fridge in your life? I think it's difficult to sell anything whether it's 6 months old or 6 years. The second-hand market is not good! I've sold other stuff before but it's a hassle!

Stuart Riley

Level 72 upwards (The Shard)

The spire levels above. The Shard in London was opened to the public in 2012. Over 1 million people have viewed the building with its 3 restaurants and 5 star hotel. The vertical city is the highest in Western Europe providing some breathtaking views of the city and beyond.

See original blog (www.sturiley.blogspot.co.uk).

Cleethorpes photographs (top page) taken by Jayne Riley.