I fell  the day I moved in…  I lay for 18 hours on my back, couldn’t get up…I was starting to hallucinate….

The maintenance guy came to clear my shower drain in my bathroom. He knocked the door and was able to get help. In hospital they found I had DVT in my leg so I had to wait 6 months for that to clear first.

This flat is much better. I thought it was brilliant… with a wheelchair it’s so much bigger than the other one. It’s the same money.. and still classified as a single-person’s flat. It has wider corridors and rails  – which are not in all the flats.

The door is a wee bit tight for the wheelchair,  when I open the door to get out it slams shut a bit too quickly for me but I’ve got used to it now.  The shape of the doors is a bit awkward there.. turning in to go the bedroom there…it’s too tight a corner.

The kitchen is wheelchair accessible you can move all the cupboards underneath so you bring your chair right in. The bathroom is fitted out with pull cords, and I have a wrist alarm as well, that links to a call centre.

I’ve started baking shortbread. It’s a very simple recipe. ..very crumbly….. My mother used to make it and I used to make it at home.  I hadn’t done it for a while.  I did it when I lived upstairs but the old cooker was so bad it never turned out right. On the brand new cooker it works pretty well. I’m going to try and make scones next.  I used Paul Holywood’s recipe for the shortbread, I got it on the internet…. works out lovely.

I’ve independence here.

They organise things we go once to a month to the museum. We have a day out. We do crafts and stuff like that ….. Breakfast one day a week…. afternoon tea. You don’t have to join in if you don’t want to.   

This place is dead at the weekend … we’re trying to think up thing to start up at the weekend. I’m one of the more active ones in here.

Maintenance?… that’s all covered. The girl upstairs left her tap running one night… the water started to come through my ceiling. They came within 2 days and fixed it.

Obviously I have to be careful. I wouldn’t have carpets down, they would catch on the wheels. I re-arranged it to suit myself with the wheelchair. I have it reasonably set-up now. I use the trolleys to move things around at night time.

When I was ill I couldn’t move and had to be hoisted out of bed…The equipment was supplied by the health service. I did need a lot of help. Since my operation things have improved drastically. I had 4 crushed vertebrae on my spine.

I have carers and a cleaner who comes in once a week. It was 4 times a day its now 2 times a day now I am more active. I have dropped the lunchtime and tea time one. They just come in to get me dressed and washed. I’m getting stronger and stronger every day.

I get up in the morning..  I have a hospital bed… they come in and wash me on the bed and then I stand up and get my clothes on. The girls make me my breakfast. Then they bring me in here and that’s basically me for the rest of the day –   unless I go out with some friends, maybe have lunch.

Everyone has their own tastes. This wouldn’t suit everyone.

The people here tend to be older. I would be one of the younger ones in here and their tastes are different from mine. I would be more utilitarian, they would be more fancy than me…..But everyone to their own taste.

I got that this year. I like that size. I like big TV’s. 65”. Ultra-definition TV 4K…… You want to see the size of the box it came in…..

TV, DVD player Broadband, lap top, Mobile phone, tablet, smart watch…. It’s syncs to the phone.  I have internet on the TV. I Skype  friends in Spain and America. My cousin lives in San Francisco and I skype him.

After mum died I was a bit down and my cousin said why don’t you come out. So I went out for 5 weeks. Had a great time. I Skype him about once a month. Other friends regularly too. Skype’s great.

I’m hoping to get the car back by the end of the year.

I’m going to see the Doctor the end of next week. I had to give the car up when I was in the hospital. No use it just sitting there.

I’m going for a Ford Be-Max .. the doors are wider. There’s no pillar in the middle….  It gives you the freedom to get out and about.