Gulls, Gannets, and Daily Activities for the Arthritis Sufferer

If you’re one of those arthritis sufferers whose condition gets worse with cold or dampness in the air, it’s better that you try to keep your body temperature at a comfortable level at all times. Remember that this is important in warm weather also, as an air conditioner can create nasty, unwanted draughts.

Many folk prefer loose clothes with elastic waists instead of zippers or buttons. Sweatsuits, leg warmers, and knee socks are very popular—I have an elasticated knee sock that I use for my left knee, after applying pain relief cream, and I find that it helps me greatly. For people like me, an extra layer seems to definitely help the painful joints. I’ve seen some folks who’ve cut the feet off socks, and used them as a sort of warm tube on the elbows or knees. Others make use of cloth bands, similar to those worn by tennis players, to hold warmth in their wrists.

There are some everyday tasks that can be difficult for the able bodied, never mind those with arthritis. A favourite moan seems to be those confounded medicine bottles that come with those supposedly childproof lids—goodness me, my four year old granddaughter can open them, but I cannot. Sort of defeats the purpose, I think. I get someone to open it for me, then transfer the contents to a bottle that can be opened easily. A pair of scissors is a must have tool for those plastic food packages and sealed bags. Those cans with ring tops that you have to pull back are on the increase, and if you don’t fancy the idea of dying through thirst or starvation, then you probably have to resort to your electric can opener. When I’m away from the house, and need to open that type of tin, I usually carry something such as a small screwdriver to prise the tab upwards, then wrap the edge of a cloth or towel round my finger in order to pull it.

Talking of being away from home, I’ll digress at this juncture. I was somewhere today that I've never visited, although it's only about 150 miles from my home—a couple of islands south of where I stay A friend takes his van there on business 3 times a week, and suggested that I take a spin with him. It was a lovely, crisp winter's morning when we left and boarded the ferry that was to take us there.--the sun still hadn't risen, and indeed, we were halfway across the short channel before it made an appearance. The channel is dotted with hundreds of reefs, seen and unseen, depending on the state of the tides, so the skipper has to mostly depend on navigation buoys that have been placed there, in order to negotiate a safe passage. There was hardly a ripple on the sea, with gannets, guillemots, and gulls diving for their breakfasts, and the odd seal popping up to have a look at us humans, no doubt wondering why we needed any form of transport to cross a stretch of water in the first place. I really enjoyed it apart from the fact that we weren't allowed to stay on the car deck—as there was no lift, we had to go up two sets of steps to an upper deck, which was easy enough for me to climb, but to descend with my arthritis knee pain was quite a different matter. If it hadn't been for a helping hand from my mate, I reckon that I would have needed to be airlifted off. I was told that it was in the interests of safety, but I really couldn't take that on board--if the boat was going to sink, we'd all have been in the drink anyway. I’m of the opinion that in this 21st century, all of us have a right to easy access to facilities on public transport whatever our disabilities.