Hello! …so you got this far… well done!

We all have stories in our lifes, here’s a few of mine to share with you…

Well I hope you relise by now my name is Martin, my Father was Polish, my Mother was British, I live in the UK, near London. I was born at a bag of sugar size 2lb 2ozs (1kg)..! Now I’m much bigger… at 6’0″/1.8m, 176lbs/80kg, well built, shaved head and brown eyes as deep as my soul! I have never smoked, my lovely Mother died from a smoking related disease, she was the most beautiful Mother I could have asked for.

As for drinking alcohol, well life makes me smile without it, I enjoy Cola, juices, lemon, cold milk and water… 🙂 I eat in a healthy manner, well 7 out of 10 for healthy! I look after my body as well as I can… it is VERY special to me as you will find out.

I feel I have been given an amazing life, it’s so very rich and as colourful as a rainbow.

At 18 I had a accident in a swimming pool, it’s an easy thing to do (looking back a really silly thing) … I was diving in, I saw someone in front of me, I kinda twisted in the air then hit my head on the bottom, this broke my spinal cord (a typical C5/6, complete break). I’m often asked will there be a cure for spinal injury? Look at these 2 websites as they are up to date: UK and a USA one… and this one is hot of the web… a BBC article. As a result of breaking my spinal cord I was in hospital for over 2 years, I had some 14 cardiac arrests, the list goes on… it’s just amazing what the body can take! It was a rough time for my Mum, Dad and friends.

My accident has left me with limited movement from my chest down, I am not a sick person, just a person with a disability. Everyone has disabilities if you think about it, no one is perfect!

Since my accident “time” has made me a much stronger person, not only in the understanding of people, but about life to. Yes, life is very special, I really do enjoy life to the full, every day is new with the challenge it brings. I have learnt not to judge people on their looks, these are just skin deep… aren’t they? I judge people on their heart, their soul, these are the most important parts of anyone, remember that. I’m told I have much common sense, mentally very strong and self-confident, a very gentle man, with a GREAT deal of patience and understanding… my carers have taught me too! I will try anything once… hey twice if I like it 🙂

Don’t look at my accident in a negative way. Learn from it, learn as everyone has around me, it has made them wiser and stronger, it has given them depth in their life and mine too.

Understand it has made me who I am, in fact I was asked only recently: “If I could go back in time before my accident, would I change anything?” and you know what… I don’t think I would not change anything… life is what you make it, whoever you are.

I have a great support network of carers I can call upon, some work 2-3 days a month.. others 1-2 days a week, it’s a flexible set-up. From time to time vacancies come up for a Personal Assistant / Support Worker / Care Giver / Live in Carer / Social Services carer / Care Assistant / Care worker / Home Carer… in Essex, near London, in South-East England, in the UK (all these descriptions are great for those search engines…). Anyway call the job what you want, have a look all about it here.

I’m often asked “What do you do Martin?” yes it was me that founded the carp fishing bait company SBS (Specialist Bait Supplies) in 1981, then sold it in 1999. Now I have an absolute passion for all things to do with architecture, all types of design and all green issues around them.

My interests are many and varied: meeting people, having fun, my few close friends, kites, swimming… I was underwater diving with BSAC at 17. I enjoy the countryside, traveling, trucks… I travelled all over Europe from 1975-78… as far as Baghdad in Iraq in a Scania truck, photography… looking and imagining all types of photographs, I enjoy fishing and yummy days out in the summer, music, I have a few mp3s, well actually quite alot..! all easy listening stuff… no heavy metal or that rap! Talking the day to day gossip, Koi (a colourful fish, up to 40″, part of the carp family in Japan, I think Koi means carp in Japanese), oh I love my iMac, I’ve used them over 20 years… they are so personal, so so cool. I actually enjoy shopping, open markets on sunny days… Spitalfields and Borough are my favourites.

Cooking and eating different types of food (deliaonline.com and BBCGoodFood.com my favorite recipe sites!) I have recently fallen in love with fresh seafood, this was my first attempt at Paella..! The recipe can be found here, then we decided to go Italian… the Pizza was too hot… but oh so yummy..! Cod fish finger and HP sauce sandwiches, home cooked fish in batter, salted peanuts and raisins, crispy roast potatoes, rare roast beef, fresh crunchy salads, mixed shellfish, eggs and soldiers… ohhhhh yum yum!

I started listing a few eating places and as times gone on there’s a few more than a few… so all these have been personally tested by moi!

» OK the best ever Kebabs I’ve eaten anywhere are found here at the Crystal Charcoal Grill… it has a place (20-25 seats) where you can sit down and eat and it’s a take away, I keep on returning here whenever I find an excuse!

» Chinese food I adore… the best Chinese I’ve eaten… and that’s a few! One of the best is here… Wong Kei.

» Ok it’s no secret I like to eat fish and chips, expensive is not always best I’ve found! The most yummy fish and chips I’ve eaten are to be found here in London, near Waterloo: Masters Superfish. I have eaten here many times and every visit was a real treat (except one when they were trying a new chef … so I was told!), the fish was this big…… and the chips were oh so yummy!

Oh here are a few interesting articles… YES on food!

The UK’s Top Fish and Chip shops

Oh yes we all like Fairy Cakes … Mmmmmmmm

WOW… all this food talk has made me very very hungry… I’m supposed to be be on a little diet too!! 🙂

Over time I’ve found a fascination in Kites…

Kites are so cool…they are wild in the air, going as far as the cord will allow them… up there where the wind can either make them fly or tear them apart… free of any worries of everyday life, something like life in a way. I’m dreaming again, must be this cold milk I’m drinking! Anyway, kites are sooooo relaxing, fun and special to me, wondering, hoping it flies. Hey… have YOU ever made a kite??!!

There’s a few pictures here taken over the past 5 years! OK OK… calm down, due to all those requests, yes sit down first… a NEW picture of me in bed! Ok, ok… there’s more… me in the bath… with bubbles and the last of me by my HOT TUB!

My dislikes…we all have them don’t we! Let me think… Limpy greens, soggy brussel sprouts, loud people, milk left in the warm, melted Kit-Kats… that itch where you can’t scratch on your own, the cold, red kidney beans, eeekkkkkkk… fish bones, egg shell, deep puddles, wasps, rats, uncontrollable children in supermarkets… people that step out in front of me… then I have to run over them!

Oh I was told about this site recently: Rainymoods, it is just great to close your eyes and relax too… if you are in a quite place don’t turn the volume up too much!

Yes, we are all different, we all have stories to share…what is yours?

Smiles n’sunshine blown your way…!

🙂
Martin

PS. Life would be so much more enjoyable if everything was as fun as my Apple iMac and as reliable as my Permobil…!

PPS. If you are looking for Answers on many topics around disability.. take a look here…

Last…. PPS Thingy Bob. If you suffer from blocked catheters this is the story and recipe I put together about blocked catheters and Citric/Lemon drinks may really help you… as it has me.