Books waiting to be read...

My kindle is always either in my handbag or on my bedside table, and it's been used almost daily since I bought it around three years ago. While I love my kindle and credit it for getting me over an extended reading slump, I've missed reading "real books". One of my main reasons for purchasing a kindle was to reduce the amount of books that were taking up space that I didn't really have.

But late last year I gave my living room a complete makeover and I now have more than enough space for lots of lovely books. (I won't go too mad though!)

So for 2015 I've decided to cut down on downloading e-books and pick up some books that have either been purchased by me and have sat gathering dust (literally), books that have been bought for me or books that I've borrowed from friends.

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
I've borrowed this book from my friend John. I've probably had it for around six months and have stopped and started reading it a couple of times so I really should finish it so I can give it back to him! John did a really good sell on why I should read this, and as you can see from the condition it's one of his all-time favourites. Apparently he reads it at least twice a year, every year, and I'm really curious as to whether I'll love it as much.

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge
This book was a Christmas present from my friend Helen. A quick scan of the back cover tells me that it's a bit of a crime-thriller, which isn't my usual genre (I'm normally a fan of non-fiction, chick lit and YA) but it sounds as though it will be an intriguing read and it'll do me good to read something a bit different.

Bonkers by Jennifer Saunders
This book was also a present, this time from my friend Lou. I can't think of Jennifer Saunders without thinking of her TV partner-in-crime Dawn French, and her book "Dear Fatty" made me laugh out loud several times. I love autobiographies and am sure that this will be a great read.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I'm probably one of the last people on the planet to read this (and I haven't seen the movie yet either, because I'm one of those people who likes to read the book first!). I'm going to read this one soon because its annoying me that I haven't yet got around to picking it up.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
This YA book originally popped up as recommendation on Amazon and I ended up spotting it in a local charity shop for £1.50. The best part was getting home and finding a note amongst the pages from the previous owner/reader. What a fab idea!

The honesty of this really made me smile. I'm going to put little reviews in books that I take to the charity shop from now on!

Have you read any of these books? I'd love to know what you thought if you have. I'm always open to book recommendations too, so feel free to comment if you've read something that you think I'd like!

Wise Words Wednesday...

Source

Disability Diaries - AFO's 101: Are you standing comfortably?

Comfort - initial thoughts
Putting your feet and legs into rigid plastic cases, no matter how pretty the design is or how well padded they are, is never going to be an entirely pleasurable experience.

You're probably going to have your feet placed in a different position to your usual, and the nature of AFO's will mean that you will have to learn how to walk in a slightly different way. It's all very strange and not something that is easy to explain unless you've worn AFO's yourself.

The orthotics team at my hospital are fantastic and check everything over and over to ensure that my AFO's are as comfortable as possible but like me, you'll probably find that your AFO's will rub, dig in or leave red marks at first, because they're new to your legs and it's all a bit of an alien experience.

You will probably be asked to attend a further orthotics appointment a few weeks after you receive your AFO's so that they can be checked again and adjusted if necessary. I had to have them lowered at the top of my calfs because they were too tall and pinched the back of my knees when I climbed stairs or sat down. I was also given Velcro strips to stop the knee pads from dropping down and bruising my shins.

You also need to remember that AFO's may be pretty heavy, which makes walking a bit more of a challenge. My AFO's weigh almost 1kg apiece (and I can tell), so I suppose you could say that I'm walking whilst wearing leg weights!

Comfort - now
At the moment my AFO's are pretty painful because I've lost a lot of weight since they were made. Despite wearing long socks and leggings, I can't fasten the Velcro straps tight enough to stop my legs from slipping, and they're very loose on my ankles even though I had additional padding added at hospital a few weeks ago. Because my AFO's are heavy, the momentum of walking means that they're rubbing a fair bit which causes blisters. Not pleasant, but I'm having new AFO's made (I can't wait to get rid of the blue colour!) so these problems will soon be a thing of the past.