I'm a real PhD Student at long last!

It has been my ambition for many years, since completing my first degree back in 2000 in fact, to continue my studies to Postgraduate level. I finally achieved that this year with a Pass with Merit for my Masters degree in The History of Britain and the First World War at the University of Wolverhampton. 

My Unconditional Offer

With that under my belt I applied for and was accepted to study for a part-time PhD, also at Wolverhampton, and officially enrolled a week ago.  This is going to keep me occupied for the next six years.

It is funny, but way back in 1978, when I was doing my UCAS application for university, my back up choice, just in case I didn't get the grades to go to my first choice, was Wolverhampton Polytechnic.  Which is, of course, the same institution that I am now attending, if in physical form only a couple of times a year.  I can still remember the day in 1979 that I went for the interview, but not the interview itself - what sticks in my mind much more is that it was the day I bought Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell album!

Unfortunately I failed my A levels in the summer of 1979 (long story) and had to wait until 1998 to start a degree course with the Open University. I used my Radiography Diploma as transferred credit, added some history modules and graduated in 2000 with a First Class BA (Hons) Open Degree. That was enough to get me an offer of a fee waiver for a part-time MPhil at Sheffield University (on Freehold Land Societies in 19th Century Heeley, Sheffield) and a good job with prospects at Sheffield Hallam University (SHU). Sadly I wasn't able to balance work, childcare, living on the Manor in Sheffield (horrible, horrible, horrible) and research so I withdrew from the MPhil after a year.  

I continued to work at SHU until I became ill in 2008/2011. I worked my way up from a lowly envelope stuffer and tea maker to a role in the Registry working on the Student Records system SITS. During my time there I took some other OU modules, things more relevant to my day job, and these I did manage to fit in with working. After I had to finish work, due to my progressively worse ill health, I was able to take a few more history modules to complete another undergraduate degree in 2014! This time it had a subject title, a BA (Hons) in Humantities with History - Upper Second Class. Somewhere along the way I fitted in a PGCE in Life Long Learning (I had hoped to become a part-time IT tutor for the elderly), and although my illnesses meant I only completed three-quarters of the course (all the written work, but not the final full time placement - impossible with my chronic health conditions) I have a nice University Certificate from Huddersfield University (Barnsley Campus) to say I tried.

Other things had come along to interest me in the meantime, I did my first public talk in February 2013 on Researching Barnsley Soldiers in the First World War for the Friends of Barnsley Archives and over thirty others up to the autumn of 2016 at which point sadly I had to call a halt as I had become so ill that I could not guarantee I would be able to turn up to a booking.

You will have noticed that my health has prevented my from continuing or completing a few things in recent years. Since I left work I have been trying to get my (very small) pension released on the grounds that I am unable to work any more - however it seems that studying, even part-time, indicates that I could hold down a 37 hour a week job with similar duties to my role at SHU (there is no chance of that!) and that I will be fit enough to return to work within three years. I have been refused it on two occasions so far, with applications three and six years after I finished work. You would think they would have noticed that I am not getting any better and that I have been unable to work, even part time, since I left SHU. I assume there is no point me trying to apply for it again this year, my nine year anniversary of leaving SHU, as no doubt doing a part-time PhD, working at home for a few hours a day no more than three or four days a week, means that I will be (magically) well enough to go back to full time work again soon. My opinion of the panel doctors who work for the South Yorkshire Pension Fund is very low.

Then there was the volunteer work for Barnsley War Memorials Project (BWMP) and as an official remote volunteer supporting the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War, which fitted in better with my fluctuating health conditions and really got me interested in the huge number of different kinds of memorials there are and how Barnsley has a lot more than anyone who hasn't looked into it (or been to one of my talks) could ever imagine. At the last count there were 805 within the boundaries of Barnsley Borough and another 40 on the borders in villages which had, in the past, been in Barnsley.  This is not including all the memorial benches that have been installed during the Centenary - I lost count of them a couple of years ago! Sadly the above projects officially drew to a close in late 2018 and early 2019.

One of Barnsley's many new Commemorative benches - from the Barnsley Chronicle

In early 2017 I noticed that Postgraduate Loans for Masters degrees had been made available. I have no problem with Student Loans (well, their administration leaves a bit to be desired, but as they are more like a graduate tax than a debt I can't see the problem). The increase in tuition fees had made my fees on my last few modules at the OU dependent on my 'transition' status - in other words because I was an existing student I had the opportunity to finish that second degree at the old prices providing I didn't break my study. However the increase did mean that the fees for a Masters, even with the OU, were way beyond my means as a non-working disabled person in 2014.  The new Postgraduate Student Loans suddenly made it all possible again.

I chose Wolverhampton because I was following Professor Gary Sheffield on Twitter due to my interest in all things First World War. He had written some interesting pieces on the Centenary which had caught my eye. At that time I knew that my PhD subject (maybe after I officially retired) had changed to be about War Memorials as I had accumulated a mountain of information in Barnsley Archives while volunteering for the BWMP which was crying out to be written up. I knew that I didn't know enough about the First World War's other aspects - the dates of battles, the way the army was organised, why we actually went to war in the first place (when I studied the First World War as a small part of my final OU module my lack of general knowledge about it had become obvious) so it seemed a good idea to take a taught Masters course to give me a good background for a PhD and refresh my academic writing skills. 

I was able to start studying in autumn 2017, part-time, with only a few visits to Wolverhampton for Saturday Schools necessary (huge thanks to my OH for taking me to Wolverhampton and making every trip - even the one in the heavy snow - a great adventure for someone normally confined to the four walls of our home). I was part of a great cohort of mainly mature students from varied backgrounds with interests in all kinds of aspects of the First World War and enjoyed lectures from many well known historians. The cherry on the cake was a big conference at Wolverhampton in September 2018 when I met Jay Winter who has written some of the best (in my opinion) books there are on Remembrance. 

Professor Gary Sheffield

Gary Sheffield was my supervisor for my MA dissertation which was on War Memorials (of course) and I am very happy to say that I got a Distinction for that. The trouble was it was only 15,000 words and it barely scraped the surface of what I knew I could write on Barnsley's First World War commemoration and remembrance experiences. 

Gary was unable to accept me as a PhD student, he already had his quota and also thought I needed someone who had a greater experience in my particular topic. However he did promise to write me a glowing reference! His field is much more the military side of the history of the First (and Second) World War including morale and leadership, but he doesn't cover a great deal of cultural history or memory studies.  Gary became the president of the Western Front Association in 2019 (the image on the above is from their website) taking over from Peter Simkins who also lectured on our course.

Eventually, and on his recommendation, Professor Laura Ugolini accepted me as her student. She writes about the more social and domestic aspects of the First World War and is already supervising at least one student who is researching commemoration.  I had met Laura at Wolverhampton when she lectured on our course.

My PhD Student Loan is just enough to pay my fees for the next six years,  and because I am a University of Wolverhampton alumni I get a 20% discount - enough to pay for some more books, much to the OH's relief.

Last week Laura set me my first proper task - a 10,000 word literature review on the historiography of commemoration particularly concerning physical war memorials (leaving remembrance events for another time).  I wrote a first draft yesterday, mainly headers and notes and a list of some of the books and authors that I intend to discuss. That came to over 3,000 words (not counting the bibliography)!  I look forward to honing my research and critical writing skills over the next few years and working towards writing my thesis - 80,000 words sounds like a lot, but once you start outlining themes and chapters it really breaks it down into manageable chunks.  

Just a few of my newer books by the side of my bed

Cross fingers my health becomes no worse and this current pandemic situation is resolved as soon as possible. Research in Archives is out of the question at the moment, but I have lots of books to read. 

Do you see the top one on this pile? That's Laura's book Civvies. It's about  middle class men on the Home Front during the First World War. I thought I should read it as she's going to be looking after me for six years!

 

I am still in touch with many of the people in my MA class and look forward to seeing them all again when we finally have a Graduation ceremony.  Although your guess is as good as mine when that might be!

Thank you to Gary and all his team for the past two years, it was very enjoyable and I learnt a lot. I feel well prepared and ready for the next step.

Wish me luck and thanks for reading this.

Lack of Support for Blue Badge Applications

This is the letter I sent to my MP Stephanie Peacock, the Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis, and the Cudworth councillors Steve Houghton, Joe Hayward and Charlie Wraith today.

Dear Sirs and Ms Peacock,

I have a Blue Badge. It is due for renewal in July. Several years ago, when I was first awarded PIP I was able to get an appointment at Cudworth Library with a helpful lady who photocopied my PIP letters, my proof of Address & ID and my photo. She filled in the form for me and sent it into the proper department.

Yesterday I was in the queue in Cudworth Library. The gentleman in front of me, who was enquiring on behalf of a relative, asked about getting help to renew a Blue Badge. The librarian apologised but said applications had to be done online now. The man explained that he had no computer skills, even if he came into Cudworth to use a library machine he would need help. Then he stormed out saying he would (swear word) pay for parking in future.

I was next, and as this had reminded me that I needed to renew my badge I asked for more information. I was told that their support service had been (or was about to be) taken away from the library. However it might be possible to find someone to help a customer use a computer in the library. I imagine this would have to be an appointment as they have very few staff.

I have computer skills, as you can see. I came home and looked at the online site. https://www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge
The site did not tell you all the documents you needed before you started the process or explain that they needed to be scanned or digital images.

The process could be stopped and saved to continue later.

The Barnsley Council website https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/services/roads-travel-and-parking/blue-badges/  gives no other option but to engage with the .gov.uk site.

Please take note that I am concerned for other Blue Badge holders and potential Blue Badge holders in Cudworth and area as well as myself. I have computer skills but I know that most people my age (57) and older do not.

It took me nearly three quarters of an hour to complete the online process. I had to stop the process to find and photograph my driving licence, I had to stop the process to photograph my PIP letter, I had to get my husband to take a photo of me with his phone and then get it to my computer so I could attach that. I had to use the PIP letter as proof of address as all our utility bills are in my husband's name and anyway they are paperless these days.

This is a long and complicated process for someone with computer skills. Someone who can't even operate a mobile phone has no hope.

It seems the administration will take six to eight weeks ... I am on the limit of that now as my current badge runs out on 19 July. There was no warning about this on either site and I have not received a reminder letter, which was alluded to at the start of the online form.

The Council site says you have to pay £10 in advance and put a number in a box on the form. There is no such box on the online form, so I can only assume this refers to the old paper form.

I tweeted about my concerns last night and got an answer this morning. I was told to ring "the Blue Badge team on 01226 773555, who can provide guidance. For example, they could make an appointment at one of our libraries for assistance with IT."

I rang the number. I was on hold for 31 minutes being #9 in the queue initially. Finally a lady spoke to me. She confirmed that Cudworth Library could no longer give support with Blue Badge Applications and suggested I go to Central Library, Wombwell, Goldthorpe, Mapplewell or Hoyland. I explained that I am disabled, I no longer travel alone, can't manage bus rides by myself, am not allowed to drive, it would mean a long taxi ride with my elderly mum-in-law for support, there and back. She eventually offered to send out a paper form. When pressed she confessed that their paper forms were in limited supply and that when they ran out there would be no more. So if I get one I will post it back for someone else to use! There was no mention of an appointment with someone in Cudworth Library who might be able to help with the IT side of things.

I would like to appeal to you, Stephanie, Dan, Steve, Joe and Charlie, to reinstate support at Cudworth Library for Blue Badge applicants. Facilities to help with scanning documents to digital and taking photos of customers are essential. Help for the elderly and less able with engaging with the complex online form is essential. Prior notice and clear information needs to be given to applicants about what documents they need to apply so they don't need to make multiple trips to the Library. Imagine if I had gone to the Central Library in town, for an appointment, but not know I needed proof of ID and address as well as my PIP letter and photo.

Please take some action on this matter.

Yours
Linda

Linda Hutton
[email address redacted for this post ... contact me via Comments below or via Twitter]
@HuttonCroft
http://barnsleyhistorian.blogspot.co.uk
  
  

PIP Assessment Time

I have a dreaded PIP assessment on Friday this week. I can assure you it will be much less fun than the dreaded 'Dance Off' on Strictly!

My MP Stephanie Peacock has recently spoken about the numbers of decisions on PIP and ESA which are overturned on appeal.  It seems that in Barnsley two-thirds of people initially refused these benefits are granted them after appeal, but this can take fifteen weeks!

Advice on Appeals from the charity Scope

I received a form from the PIP people in the post in June this year. I have been getting the benefit for around two years and it seems it is time for them to check up on me. I rang around trying to find somone to help me fill it in and was lucky enough to get an appointment several weeks later with the Citizens Advice Bureau. In 2015 I received help to fill in the form from Age UK, but it due to cut backs they cannot assist me now as I am only 56 years old. It seems unwise to assume that because I qualified for the benefit in 2015 that my assessment will be plain sailing. I have been reading the supplied leaflet and online advice to make sure I have covered everything.

In the last year my health and mobility has declined to the point where I don't go into Barnsley by myself except in exceptional circumstances. I haven't driven for years, and in June, following a seizure, was officially told to stop driving by my consultant. The bus ride into town is long and tiring, and everywhere I need to go is a long way from the bus station. I do still manage to get to our local Co-op on a good day leaning on my Sholley. I don't go to the Archives any more, partially because a snub by the Council last year caused me to lose a lot of confidence and as a consequence I have lost touch with fellow researchers.

My mother in law has become my lifeline. Despite being very poorly herself she always comes to my rescue by booking a taxi to get both of us to places. I confess to being scared to get in a taxi by myself, I can't pin point why, but probably connected to my long standing dread of having workmen in the house. Sadly I always assume they are casing the joint for a later burglary. When I lived on the Manor in Sheffield we were burgled, that must be more than twenty two years ago as I remember Persephone was a new kitten at the time. We were very, very poor. All they got was our tiny rented tv and some dvds which they carried away in my first mother in law's borrowed shopping trolley!

We went to see Citizens Advice with my form in July. My m-in-law booked a taxi to pick her up and then me.  She came with me into the interview room and was able to contribute to the form filling by recalling things I had forgotten or had thought were not important enough to mention.  Both she and the CAB man told me several times to stop saying that I worked around a thing or could just about manage, because as that was only applicable on a good day what was I doing the rest of the time?

Yes, on a bad day (like today and yesterday) I stay in bed in my nightclothes all day and eat toast, cheese and crackers and instant porridge. I am too tired to read and writing this post has been taken in short spurts over the last two to three hours. I either sleep a lot, or watch tv, often both at the same time!

At the end of the session in July, which took several hours, the man said he thought I should be getting more PIP.  I don't quite know how to take that, I know I'm worse than I was two years ago, and add on the escalating knee problems and the epilepsy ... I do spend more now on the taxis, and tins of soup and ready meals. I have even arranged a deal with the hairdressers a few yards up the road. They will wash, but not dry, my long hair for £4. Which is good as bending over the sink is getting very difficult. Oh, and I'm not supposed to bath or shower when I'm alone - that's the epilepsy again.

My m-in-law has booked a taxi for this Friday. Cross your fingers for me. That's more than two whole days away, and I am going to worry every second of it.

Some Days I Just Want to Give Up, Is it me or my illness?

From the ME Association's website (http://www.meassociation.org.uk/about/the-symptoms-and-diagnosis-of-mecfs/):
"The predominant symptom of ME/CFS is usually severe fatigue and malaise following mental or physical activity. The full extent of this exhaustion often becomes apparent only 24 to 48 hours after the activity (assuming, of course, the person was not already in a ‘recovery period’ from a previous activity)."

My Rheumatologist says I have ME. On the above definition I would tend to agree. I have had no zing for weeks now, and each time I try too hard to do something I just end up back in bed.

Is this a choice? Yes, I could slowly and painfully dress and wash and go down stairs, but is spending the day on the sofa any better than being in bed? In bed I have a toilet nearby, no stairs; in bed my laptop is placed on an over bed table with room for my wrist rest; in bed I can lie down and stretch out comfortably when I need to stop (our sofa is too short even for me); in bed I am not on view to the world passing by our sitting room windows.

A month ago the Rheumatologist at the Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield (OH has to take the day off work to take me there as the round trip is six hours for me on the bus/train), stated that my symptoms, diagnosed as fibromyalgia at Rotherham over six years ago now, could also be interpreted as ME. I wasn't sure how to take this as just changing the name for my problem wasn't going to help me ... or was it?

I also have Crohn's Disease (controlled by drugs and avoidance of triggering foodstuffs) and I have been asthmatic all my life (fairly well controlled except when I have a chest infection). My joints are not arthritic, but I have instability and pain, excessive exercise causes strong to severe pain in my muscles (last year I pulled a shoulder muscle hanging a net curtain, last week I came close to the same amount of pain after picking green beans). It seems that my recurrent knee problems are caused by an "oblique tear in the lateral meniscus" of my right knee (MRI result reported to me by the physio at Barnsley Hospital,  not by the orthopaedic consultant at the Northern General Hospital who discharged me saying there was nothing he could do). I was a Radiographer in a previous career incarnation, I know exactly what a tear in my cartilage can do!

All of this, plus the resultant loss of my social life (I was pitifully grateful when the OH agreed to me tagging along while he delivered CAMRA Good Beer Guide envelopes to far flung pubs, and yet an afternoon trundling around on various buses and only visiting four pubs worked out fine) have undoubtedly made me prone to depression.  I am the kind of person who hates that word! I won't take drugs for this, I can pull myself out of it. Writing this blog has helped me a lot in the past.

Sadly when I am tired little things seem more important, or take on sinister aspects that probably don't exist. Look, I know this ... I am not totally silly! But sometimes the best I can do is curl up and cry.

In the summer (it was June when the problems began but it is still dragging on) I frequently felt like banging my head on the wall when Barnsley Council's Library and IT department refused to listen to what I was saying. Another of my career incarnations was IT, so again I know what I'm talking about here! They installed 'free' wifi in our local library. We had been promised this since the previous November, it was installed in January,  but we weren't allowed to use it until April ('so everyone gets it at once across the borough'). At first we could connect by asking the ladies on the desk for a log in and password, this worked fine most of the time. We could get the History Group desktop computer, their laptop and our own tablets online during our weekly meetings. Very useful for looking stuff up on Ancestry, Find My Past, the CWGC, all kinds of useful historical resources. Then the system was changed at the beginning of June to a log in requiring a mobile phone. Two problems with this: firstly the phone signal in this part of Cudworth is appalling, in our house you have to stand upstairs in the back bedroom to get a signal; secondly, only one of our members regularly has a mobile phone with her. We submitted a complaint asking for the previous,  functional system to be reinstated.

Further problems became apparent as the weeks progressed. If the lady with the mobile, LL, used her phone to get a code so we could log on the group's computer, she could not then use it to get a code for her own laptop, or her iPad. On some days the signal was so poor LL (who is elderly, as are most of the History Group members) had to walk out into the car park to receive the incoming text with the code. What if it was raining? Snowing? Was this really a sensible thing to ask elderly people to do? The codes only lasted 24 hours meaning we had to repeat this rigmarole every week. Finally, in late August, a technician came out to see us. He agreed we needed a permanent connection for our desktop PC, with a password, yes, but controlled in a similar way to the library's public access machines. He agreed the phone signal in the library was very poor, he had to go out of the building himself to get the log in text. This made the system unsuitable for our location, but other than a signal booster he did not know what to suggest to solve this portion of our problem. Since then the wifi has not been working in the library and we have heard nothing back from the IT man. The library is still displaying posters reading,  'Don't Panic We Have Free WiFi'. No, they don't!

I pushed for an event for the History Group around CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) commemoration and a national project called #LivingMemory. One of our members made a plan of 17 WW1 burials in our local churchyard and created a leaflet with explanations of the CWGC and biographies of the servicemen.  Twenty two people, more than half not members of the History Group, turned up on the day and we had a nice walk around the churchyard.  People said they had learned things they didn't know before, it was very successful. Sadly the local newspaper had reported the event the week before as a service for 41 men who had lost their lives at the Somme. This angered the local priest who asked who was holding a service in his church? The report after the event only appeared in the paper two weeks later following a phone call by our secretary (LL again) to the local reporter. The resultant article did not mention the CWGC or LivingMemory. I am told we can't control the press, but surely after providing a description of the event, a copy of the leaflet, and afterwards a report and five fully captioned photos, I was within my rights to expect an accurate account?

My 22 year old cat died on Tuesday. She had been ill for a while, in fact I frequently blamed her for my disturbed sleep. But I am sensible, she was old, it was time. We gave her peace and dignity at the end. That is more than my father got when he died of cancer five years ago!

Last week a friend emailed me because she felt she had been slighted by another mutual aquaintance, in print, in public. Well, poor judgement and very poor scholarship had been shown I admit, but no personal insult had been directly given. It was much more upsetting to me that a member of the clergy (aren't they meant to be above petty squabbles?) remarked on Sunday that he would have refused to accept a new war memorial to140 fallen First World War servicemen if he'd known it would cause friction. I hope this was a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the events. Remembering our Fallen, wounded and traumatised servicemen has become very important to me, replacing active CAMRA involvement to a great extent.

Last night I got very indignant about a perceived slight to our Project to Remember these servicemen. I am hoping that today's email will bring an apology or at least a reasonable explanation about why the Barnsley War Memorials Project (not just me, all our volunteers) were not invited to the 'official opening' of Barnsley Museum's 'Stories of the Somme' exhibition. I was told, back in August, just before the actual opening on 24th of that month) that the official event would not be until September so that people who might be away could attend. That seemed reasonable.  I was told, then and yesterday afternoon, that it would be an event for the new Barnsley Museums & Heritage Trust. Again, yes I understand that people who donate cash have to be thanked. What I cannot understand is how a voluntary organisation which happily GAVE vital information to the museum, saving them days of work, worked with them for weeks to ensure the information was accurate, who support the work of the museum and especially the Archives, were not sent just one token invitation to the event? Photos published last night on Twitter show relatives of soldiers featured in the exhibition at the event, they show bored, tired school children not listening to MP Dan Jarvis' speech at the event. The Mayor and our Barnsley Poet Laureate both seemed under the impression it was an actual OPENING (I've been twice and had a good look around since the exhibition opened to the public on 24th August!). The BWMP have been invited to similar events in the past, why could we not attend (without paying) yesterday!?

Am I being silly to let things like this, like the death of my cat, like my disillusionment with my fellow researchers and the established church, like my frustration with our local Council and Museum organisation, like my sadness that I can't attend CAMRA events unless they are suitable for my restrictions, am I being silly to be upset? Or is this all part and parcel of my reduced ability to cope, caused by my illness?

Maybe you can tell me.

Re-occurrence of a lifelong knee problem not helping my mobility!

At approximately 7am on Friday morning I turned over in bed and my knee popped out of joint.  This post is by way of recording that fact and is also a musing upon why this should have started happening to me again so frequently.

A diagram of the knee joint (from webmd.boots.com)

Since I was a small child my knees and ankles have been very unstable.  I can clearly remember sitting cross legged, as children do so easily, and my knees popping in and out. The image in the background is the living room of first house I ever knew, in West Rainton, County Durham, so this memory dates back to me being less than seven years old, as we moved to Staffordshire after that.  

I seemed to have had continually have 'sprained' ankles and knees, I became very good at applying beautiful herringbone patterned support bandages to my ankles.  Probably due to my asthma in the summer - we now know I was allergic to grass and tree pollen - and my bronchitis in the winter I didn't 'play out' much, but I can remember sitting with both ankles strapped up jealously listening to everyone else on our street playing some loud game.  

1960's Marmite advert (from Twitter)

My childhood was dogged with asthma attacks and discovering more and more about my allergies.  On being told I was allergic to eggs my mum had the idea of writing to various manufacturers to ask what was in their products, we still have a file of the letters they wrote in reply.  Marmite, for example, refused to tell us what their 'secret ingredient' was - these were the days long before compulsory ingredient lists on foods. I am able to eat Marmite quite happily these days, so whatever it was that used to make my skin itchy and shorten my breathing back in the early 1960s must have been removed from their ingredient list at some point.

I can't clearly remember a serious knee incident until I was at secondary school.  I was playing netball ... I was quite hopeless at this game being so much shorter than the other girls in my year.  I turned and stretched for the ball and my knee just crunched.  My memories are a bit vague for the next few hours, but the thing that sticks in my mind is that by the time my mum had got me, lying on the back seat of her little Mini and in huge amounts of pain, to the local hospital in Stafford about nine miles away, my knee had apparently put itself back in place and the doctors could find nothing wrong.  I think this incident has coloured the way I handle all subsequent incidents of my knee problems.

A very scary looking dust mite (from Wikipedia)

I continued to have joint problems throughout my time at secondary school - try limping from class to class on two sprained ankles!  But to be honest they were overshadowed by my asthma.  At some point the doctors had discovered I was allergic to house dust and dust mites, which meant that all my bedding had to be replaced.  No more feather pillows, no wool blankets and no candlewick bedspread.  This was in the very early days of duvets, but I think that is what my parents had to buy for me as it was the only non-fluffy bedding available.  I also had to get rid of anything in my bedroom that would become dusty, or that would prevent easy dusting (with a damp duster to keep down the dust).  I still have a shoebox full of Whimsies, little collectible Wade ornaments of pets and zoo animals, that I had to pack away because they would just have made dusting my bookshelves far too fiddly a job.  They are all in their original boxes - maybe they'll be worth something one day!

After we moved north and I left home to live in first Doncaster and then Sheffield my asthma continued to be a problem until one memorable winter, probably 1983, when I was admitted to the Northern General hospital after an asthma attack that had frightened my new flat mates to the extent that they called an ambulance.  The follow up appointments led to me being prescribed a drug that I still take which controls my asthma wonderfully.  Thank goodness!  

I can remember problems with my ankles and knees throughout that period, but nothing that couldn't be sorted by a support bandage and a few days with my foot up.  It was years later that a doctor, surprised by an odd movement in my left ankle, sent me to see a consultant at the Hallamshire.  I was subjected to a stress x-ray of the ankle - not recommended!  Basically the doctor, wearing a natty lead jacket, pulls on your foot while the radiographer takes the picture.  Very painful!  
 

Walls Viennetta Ice Cream!

Unfortunately despite recommending an operation to stabilise my very weak ankle when they opened me up they discovered that very little could be done. Apparently the bottom of my fibula (the thinner of the two bones in your lower leg and the one which forms the outer side of the hinge joint of your ankle) looks like a Viennetta (ah ha! now you understand the picture!), with layers of bone chips interspersed with flexible tissue.  So nothing for them to screw a metal plate to then ...

The consultant theorised that all my joints are very weak and over flexible.  He even demonstrated on my other ankle while I was still under the anaesthetic (a spinal block, as I'd asked if I could stay awake and given my asthma they were very glad to do that) by bending it almost to 90 degrees. *Shudder*  One possible cause of this is the high doses of steroids I was given as a child to help with my asthma.  

So you win some and you lose some.  

I can only imagine that my joint problems are becoming more frequent now because my general health is deteriorating and my muscle tone, never wonderful, is now much, much less due to days and days of not being able to get out of the house.  Maybe the yoga I started a few weeks ago will help.
 
My friends will be happy to hear that at around 1am this morning - I was lying quite still in bed - there was an audible crunch and my knee now appears to be realigned correctly, unfortunately the strain of the last two days means that the pain is still there and I now have it supported in the hopes of preventing it from popping out of joint again while the muscles heal.  I will be hobbling around for a few days yet, being very careful when sitting and turning.  But, hey, that's no different to usual is it?

If you got this far, thanks for reading.  And thanks to the OH for being very patient with me this weekend and apologies to my mum for not being able to visit.  We will catch up!

Making Adjustments to Cope with Disabilities - Compromise and False Vanity

I looked back at my calendar a few days ago and realised that I have been more unwell than usual since the end of March.  The last time I can say I was well was when we visited my daughter and her partner in Leicester for a weekend and I managed a pub crawl and a bit of shopping and everything seemed OK.  But by the end of the following week I was seriously doubting that I could make a friend's wedding.

Part of the map on the Leicester Real Ale Trail leaflet (Leicester CAMRA)

What happened?  Well, I suppose the pub crawl might have been a bit much ... we travelled into Leicester city centre in the car, my daughter drove (she is soooo grown up now! A car and a job!) as she was happy to defer her drinking until later in the day.  In the first pub we found a Leicester CAMRA Ale Trail map on which the OH and I planned the rest of the afternoon's crawl.  In all the OH and GB, my daughter's fiancé visited about eight pubs, my daughter and I opted out of the middle section of the crawl to pop into WH Smith and Argos and a few other places.  We were in town for about five or six hours, but that did include lunch and and a later snack in Wetherspoons.  I don't think I walked very far as the pubs I missed out were the furthest flung ones, I usually had the OH or my daughter to lean on and I didn't drink more than a couple of pints as I had soft drinks in several pubs - all part of the modern compromise for me.

I don't remember being tired the following day, but I did fall asleep in the car as the OH was driving back to Barnsley, which is normal for me.

The during following week I had some upsetting news which probably affected me more than other people involved as I seem to take everything to heart much more these days.  I think the isolation of working from home doesn't help, as apart from having a moan via Facebook and on this blog it is difficult to share my problems.

Dancing - Black and White!

Then on the Saturday was my old friend BH's wedding.  I spent the morning in bed resting up as I really didn't want to miss this special event, another part of my planning to cope with expected exertions.  The photo above, from Facebook, shows the effect a couple of glasses of white wine had on me.  I am not the one in white!  Needless to say I was absolutely exhausted the following day.  I had a wonderful time, saw some old friends and wish BH and his bride all the best for the future. x

Usually it only takes a couple of days to recover from a bout of exercise like this, but looking at the calendar again I can see that the following weekend we visited my mum and I can remember being too tired to do anything.  We usually manage a bit of gardening or heavy cleaning for my mum, but that weekend I think the best I managed was some online faffing to do with my mum's bills and banking.

Logo from 2015 CAMRA members' weekend

The next great adventure was the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Members' Weekend and AGM in Nottingham.  As a friend of ours was standing for the National Executive we had even more reasons to attend than usual.  The OH and I used to attend the whole weekend, booking a hotel from the Friday afternoon through to Sunday, but in recent years we have either not attended or have just gone for one day.  When the Members' Weekend was held in Sheffield in 2011 the OH and I were on the organising committee along with members of the Sheffield and Rotherham branches, so you can see we are very dedicated CAMRA members, not just to the drinking of real ale but to the aims of the campaign too.  I have been a CAMRA member for over 20 years and the OH even longer.  However as part of my compromise with my disabilities I had to step down from my role at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) two years ago and I haven't managed to help out at a Barnsley Beer Festival for longer than an hour or so for the past few years. 

That day out in Nottingham was very long, the AGM part of the weekend starts at 9.30am on the Saturday so we had to get an early train from Barnsley.  We didn't stay late in Nottingham afterwards, leaving not long after the business finished, but even so it took hours to get home as a change of train in Sheffield was required that we hadn't needed to do on the way out.  Of course I stayed in bed the next day, but I can't have been too poorly as I still managed to make the Cudworth History Group and the Archives the following week.

Hock Cellar Visitors' Centre at Fullers Brewery (from Travels With Beer)

Then there was the GBBF Bar Managers' Meeting in the Hock Cellar at Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick, London.  It turned out to be the weekend of the London Marathon so getting a cheap hotel room in the area was impossible.  The OH and I ended up staying in Borehamwood for two nights, where the Travelodge plus parking and two all zones day tickets for London trains and buses on the Saturday still cost less than the cheapest room we could find in the city centre.  I had volunteered to take the minutes at this meeting, which used to be one of the jobs I did regularly as part of my GBBF commitment, as the regular minute taker was on holiday and as the OH had to be there anyway it meant I could travel with him.  Having the hotel meant that we could take our time over the journey and we didn't have to travel to and from London on one day, something I used to be able to do.  Fortunately as the minute taker I am allowed to claim travelling expenses which did cover one night's stay, the other night the OH and I added on ourselves to make the journey even easier for me.  Another compromise.  

The meeting was great, lots of old friends whom I hadn't seen for a long time.  I didn't have ANY beer as I was taking the minutes and I missed the buffet as I had to visit the ladies and by the time I got back the gannets had had the lot!  Fortunately the OH and I had planned for this and had the makings of some emergency sandwiches at hand.  I was quite upset at the time as the meeting had gone on for four hours and I was really, really tired. I knew I would be unable to promise to do that job ever again. Afterwards we walked along the river bank back to Hammersmith via a couple of pubs.  I wasn't even the slowest walker that afternoon as one of the other chaps in attendance was just recovering from a badly broken leg so he was keeping a nice steady pace, just right for me leaning on the OH or my friends.  Another friend even carried my laptop bag for me.  I will say this for my CAMRA friends, they do their best to look after me!  I wish I could do more, but I can't.  Sorry.

A generic image of a South Yorkshire
Concessionary Travel Pass

That trip must have been almost the final straw as I can see from my calendar that I didn't manage to make the Archives the following week, April 30th, and I haven't been since.  However that was the same week the whole thing about my bus pass blew up, as I blogged on here previously.  I know that upset me dreadfully and it carried on for weeks.  

I did eventually get a letter of support from my hospital consultant (my GP surgery had refused point blank to write one) and a proper printed letter from the Council saying that I am fully entitled to a pass, but as yet I haven't had the energy to get back to the bus station to hand these in to try to get a full pass in exchange for the short term one I was grudgingly granted by the man on the desk there.

Then we went to Wales ... see my previous post about being tired affecting our holiday. 

The side of the Trinity Church showing the stone course between the windows

We have been back from Wales for just over two weeks.  I haven't managed to visit the Archives or the Cudworth History Group, although I was able give a talk I was booked for at the Holy Trinity United Reformed Church on Farrar Street in Barnsley last Wednesday thanks to the chair of the group cleverly arranging a lift for me from door to door by a lady who lives near to me.  Well done and thank you so much for that, I would have hated to have let you down.  That had the exciting side benefit of me spotting a new war memorial on the stone course on the side of the church hall as my lift pulled away after the meeting.  

My problems for the past two weeks have been mainly tiredness, with abdominal pain caused by my Crohn's disease on several memorable days along with the usual frequent trips to the smallest room.  This means that I have been eating mainly 'white' food, bread, crackers, pasta, soup, chicken breast and low fat cream cheese. I have also been suffering increasing joint pain, depending on what I have done the day before.  So a day spent planting out some tomatoes and weeding a patch of garden, sitting down and shuffling along as I worked along the bed, resulted in painful shoulders and knees.  A couple of hours of walking around Barnsley leaning on the OH after a visit to our solicitors resulted in aching and swollen ankles and knees.  The same thing happened during our trip to Wales after our day out in Caernarfon. I can only imagine this is a side effect of the poor nutrition and general inactivity due to the tiredness.  
 

Sholley shopping trolley

Unfortunately even a trip to the Co-op about 150 yards from our house is now very difficult.  When the helpful lady from AgeUK came last week to assist me in filling out my PIP (Personal Independence Payment) claim form we worked out that on a bad day I can only get around the house leaning on things.  On a medium day I can get to the newsagent or library where the Cudworth History Meeting is held if I lean or sit on walls along the way, and on a good day I can get to the Co-op, again with leaning and resting several times.  For any longer walking activity, such as a walk around town or trip to ASDA, I need the OH to lean on or a supermarket shopping trolley.  The result of any kind of prolonged walking activity is one or more days in bed afterwards recovering.

This realisation has led to me ordering a domestic shopping trolley, see photo on the left.  I did manage to find one on ebay that was nearly new, saving quite a lot of money.  I will be able to lean on this when I go to the Co-op in future.  Friends on Facebook responded to my rather negative post, in which I suggested that I now knew I was beyond saving as I had had to resort to a trolley, by sensibly noting that I was being ecologically friendly by saving petrol by walking to the shop (not that I dare drive alone these days, too easily distracted I'm afraid), and that it was false vanity to worry about pushing a trolley.  They are so sensible ... I do really like the support I get from everyone on Facebook.  Thank you. x

Other typical adjustments that I have made include leaving the dishes to soak in warm sudsy water for half an hour before washing up so I only have to stand at the sink for 10 minutes.  Preparing vegetables for tea in short bursts, chopping an onion and pepper at lunch time, then peeling the carrots later.  This means I have everything ready for just putting in the pan at the right moment, in the best tv chef style!  Or on a medium day doing a baked thing, it was baked squash last week and I've done baked potatoes a few times recently.  When all else fails we have a chest freezer with ready meals, usually picked up when they are half price or reduced or from the local Fulton's discount freezer store.  I really enjoy cooking, but it's that false vanity thing again, sometimes I have to accept that I will be offering the OH a frozen Quorn cottage pie instead of a pan full of veg or a nice homemade lasagne.

Today's worry is that my wrists hurt so much I am having trouble typing.  This suggests a problem with the height of my overbed laptop table and the position of my laptop in relation to me ... I raised the height of my table when we got a new mattress a couple of weeks ago, but now I think I have 'settled' in and the table is too high.  I will do some adjustments and see if things improve.  

Gone are the days when a post like this took just an hour to put together, I think I have been at this one for about four hours and am only just reaching the end, another compromise, doing work like this in chunks so I don't get too tired and lots of proof reading to avoid silly careless mistakes.  Ah, well, thanks for reading.  Comments and suggestions about other ways to cope with this tiredness welcome.

Benllech Break marred by Mid and Post Holiday Tiredness

We have been back from our holiday in Wale for a week now and I have been out of the house twice.  I was poorly and stressed various things before we went and although some of them have resolved themselves there always seems to be something else going on. I do apologise to the OH and our two mums whom we took away on holiday.  I just wasn't up to it, I'm sorry.
 

View from Beach Cottage, Benllech

The view from the window of our holiday cottage was lovely.  When it was clear we could see all the way to Llandudno - that's the sticky out bit on the left in the far distance in the photo above.  The sun shone more than it rained although it was quite windy all week.  

We managed a trip to Caenarfon on the local buses so that the OH could drink beer, we did two pubs, the Wetherspoons, the Tafarn Y Porth (Gate Inn) and a CAMRA recommended pub, the Black Boy Inn, which was very picturesque, although it had a limited beer choice on the day we were there.

Unfortunately after this trip I was so tired I had to retreat to my bed in the cottage for a day and a half.  I just slept ...  The OH did lots of walking and posted pictures from his walks on Facebook most days including pics of muddy boots and closed pubs (closed because it was early in the morning not closed, closed.)

We also had an afternoon out in Bangor on the last day, the mums both like charity shops, and there were plenty of them in both towns.  Sadly Wales seemed a bit run down.  Just behind our little house was a boarded up hotel, the staff in the local shops and pubs told the OH that it had been empty for about 10 years and was going to be auctioned off soon.  On the main road in the village was another empty pub/hotel, which looks fine and in business on Google maps so it can't have been closed for long.  
 

Purple Moose toy

The OH and his mum discovered a nice little bar, The Beachcomber Bar and Grill.  Despite the name the front part is a proper bar and you don't have to eat there to enjoy a few nice real ales.  I managed to make it there on the last evening as I appeared to have got my zing back after two days of rest, but unfortunately the Purple Moose beer (one of my favourites from beer festivals in Cardiff) had run out so I was just tormented by the fluffy toy moose on the shelf behind the bar and the Purple Moose beer mats while I drank some keg mild instead.  There were a couple of real ales on, don't misunderstand me, and a real cider for the OH's mum, but I like my beer dark and on the malty side and the ones available weren't to my taste.

The journey both too and from Wales was horrendous.  Traffic jams on the motorways and all the way though Tintwhistle (which we had expected) held us up for an hour and a half on the way there and an hour on the way home.  

I always try to break our journeys with a stop at a Wetherspoons pub as they provide cheap, good quality food, and toilet facilities.  We did the Thomas Telford in Ellesmere Port on the way out, chosen for ease of on street parking more than anything else but it did turn out to be a nice large open pub with some raised areas more dedicated to dining than drinking which we found very comfortable.  The service was good and the toilets were clean and on the ground floor level, what more could we want?

On the way back, as we'd had to vacate the cottage by 10am we visited Chester, which was nice, but expensive.  The OH was browsing with the mums in a charity shop until he spotted the prices - £10 for a t-shirt! Shocking. Chester has two Wetherspoons pubs, but both were a long walk from the shopping centre car park I had chosen as being the easiest to find.  It turned out they within a few yards of each other on adjacent streets.  Not good planning Wetherspoons!  We went in the the one that was NOT the Lloyds No.1 (as that brand often have loud music and are targeted at younger people) but I regretted our choice quite quickly.  I suppose it was Friday lunchtime so it was going to be busy but it was full, noisy, and the service was slow.  The mums had to queue for the disabled toilet as the ordinary ones were up three flights of stairs.  As we spent over 3 hours in Chester the car park cost us £10.  We could have stayed for 24hrs for that but we'd seen enough expensive jewellery shops and fancy clothes shops.  Yes, very nice for some people, but not somewhere, despite the history, that I'd choose to go for a weekend break. 

When we got home I managed to make tea, unpack the bags and put the washing on before I collapsed.  And a week later I'm still collapsed.  I do keep trying to get up out of bed, but only manage a few hours, making the OH's tea usually.  I didn't even go to Barnsley Archives this week, that's the third week in a row I've missed now, they'll be thinking I've forgotten them.  The OH has taken me out twice shopping, if I have him or a trolley to lean on then I can manage an hour or so of slow doddering.

Warehouse 13 box set

At least the brain fog seems to have cleared today, I am managing to type legibly for the first time in days.  I have watched three series of Warehouse 13 on DVD (thanks to my daughter for lending me these) in the past week as that's been about all I have been able to manage.

Cross fingers that I'll be better tomorrow or the next day as I'd like to do a newsletter for the Barnsley War Memorials Project this week.  I haven't missed a month yet since I started them last May although one or two have been a bit late.  I do enjoy putting them together and don't see it as a chore.  They are one of the few ways we really keep in contact with other interested people out there, I just wish we could afford to print some out for putting in libraries and other public places as it is I send them out as .pdf files and you can download all the back issues from the link above.

Thanks for reading and I hope normal service will be resumed shortly!

 

Renewing my Disabled aka Concessionary Bus Pass (or not?)

After writing this I submitted it to 'Blogging Against Disablism Day' - it was serendipitous, I hadn't realised it was today (1 May 2015) but something nice had to happen today to balance all the bad ****. There is also a Facebook page with lots of links to other people's posts.  Please read. 

Renewing my Disabled aka Concessionary Bus Pass (or not?)

South Yorkshire Concessionary Bus Pass

Over the past few days I have been trying to arrange for the renewal of my disabled bus pass.  I have had this pass for 5 years.  I got it because my GP wrote a simple letter explaining that I have Crohn's Disease, Fibromyalgia and Asthma and have difficulty walking very far.  You would think it would be simple to get it renewed.  Well it is not.  Be warned, if you have a pass and it runs out in the next 6 weeks or so, start the process of getting it renewed now.  Mine expires on 10 May 2015.  I have NO HOPE of getting a new one before it expires now.


So far this week I have phoned Travel South Yorkshire, who told me to phone Barnsley Council.  I need a 'letter of eligibility' from the Council before the Transport people can renew the pass.  The Council will only issue the 'letter of eligibility' if I have 8 points from the Personal Independence Payment (the new Disablitity Living Allowance) or a letter from my doctor.  

On Wednesday I posted on Facebook (which I find very supportive when I'm down):
"A title for a very ranty blog post that I'm not going to write, "How it took me four hours on the phone to get an appointment to renew my disabled bus pass". Honest truth - from 9.30am to 15.30 this afternoon (with a two hour break for a talk at Cudworth Fire Station) I've spoken to the SYPTE, the Council, my Drs, CAB, the Northern General Hospital and the DWP." 

Obviously I've changed my mind on writing a blog post since then! Sometimes writing it all down helps me.  You never know ...

As I say above, I phoned my doctor's surgery (twice) as instructed by the Council to try to get a letter. Apparently the surgery have been told NOT to write letters for anyone.  Despite that I made an appointment to see a GP.  I was willing, and had the OH's agreement, to pay for a private letter, similar to the one I got (eventually) for my Open University exams.  However, after struggling onto a bus to Monk Bretton (I am having a really bad week after a trip to London last weekend), the doctor I saw absolutely refused to write a letter of any kind. 

On my return home this morning I posted on Facebook again:
"My GP has just refused to write even a private letter supporting the renewal of my disabled bus pass. She stated that the Barnsley PCT had told all the doctors not to write letters any more. I just looked up Barnsley PCT - we haven't had one since 2013. Has anyone else had this problem? Any ideas on how I can get my pass renewed? I have requested a letter from my consultant and from the DWP - I am in receipt of NI credits as a valid claimant of ESA - I get no money though as they means test and poor [OH's name here] is meant to keep me. I don't know what I'll do if I can't get to the Archives once a week ... it was my only real outing."

Various friends responded that I should try CAB (done once but will try again) or the local social services and try applying for PIP anyway and appealing when I get turned down.  

I spent 23 minutes on the phone to the DWP applying for PIP.  They will send me a form (Facebook friends advised that I should get CAB to help me fill it in) and also send me for an assessment.  

The criteria for 8 points of PIP mobility is that I am able to walk 20 metres but not 50 metres, safely, repeatedly and in a reasonable time, to an acceptable standard.  I think it all depends who measures this.  On a good day I can walk to the local Co-op which is about 160 metres, although I have trouble going much further, on a bad day I can't even get out of bed to make the OH his tea. 

My next Facebook post was: 
"Citizens Advice (in South Wales) won't make me an appointment (in Barnsley) until I have the PIP form in my hand. They put me onto Age UK (in Devon) who gave me the number for Age UK in Barnsley. Well, I think I could have managed that myself if I'd had any hope it would work. Basically no-one can understand WHY my GP refuses to write a letter stating my disabilities. I have not worked since 2009 ... I have had a genuine claim for ESA allowed since January 2010. All I want is a bus pass. I'm not asking for actual money. Just the ability to get out and see more than these four walls occasionally ... and to support the local Archives who are having their hours cut because people don't visit them enough."


I was by this time crying and very upset.  I haven't been well this week and this is not helping. I believe the government's changes to the way they give money (or benefits in kind) to disabled people is the reason behind the intransigence of my GP to write a letter.  And of course the reduction in distance you can walk has been well discussed online in the past two years.  It just hadn't affected me so far.  Well, now it has.  And it hurts.

The letter that I asked for on Wednesday from the DWP has arrived today, but it doesn't even mention ESA, it just says I have a Credits Claim dating back to January 2010.  The possibility of a letter from my consultant is my last hope ...

AgeUK logo

The Age UK people in Barnsley are willing to send someone out to me to help me fill in the PIP form when it comes, which is at least better than CAB who would have wanted me to go to Wellington House - which is about 0.3 of a mile from the bus station, nearly 500 metres.

In the meantime I'll just sit here and try to be calm ...

Not a Moment to Myself These Days!

*space bar on my laptop is sticking, so apologies for any run together words!*

Since August I have been so busy with work for the Barnsley War Memorials Project, and happily so well (relatively), that I haven't had a moment to myself to write a blog post.  
This blog began two years ago as a way of talking to the larger world about my problems and my ambitions.  Well, one of my ambitions is over - I have now finished at the Open University as their fees are ridiculous.  I achieved another degree, not that I really wanted or needed it, I would rather have just had the option to continue dipping in and out of the OU modules as it suited me for the rest of my life.  I am still disabled ... well that wasn't going to change whatever the government think, but apart from my knees (and that's a story in itself) and a tendency to frequent visits to the toilet when I'm tired and worn out, I'm mostly coping with that OK now.  I have a hobby that keeps me busy, at home, on the computer and with once a week trips to Barnsley Archives to meet a friend for a change of scenery and the occasional glass of Pinot Grigio.
I still have no income, unless you count £35 a month from the talks I give, although I see that more as expenses for the travel, books, photocopies and sheer time it takes me to put a talk together.  Apparently, according to Barnsley Museum's new guidelines I am a business though, so they currently can't display my leaflets, leaving me with few outlets to advertise my willingness to give talks!  Circular or what?

S70 4HX on Right Move

We still haven't sold the other house, the OH spends so much time at work, or at the other house or just busy with CAMRA stuff that I am beginning to feel unmarried ... we are just about to change estate agents for the second time.  In three years only one couple has been to visit the house and they were friends of the OH.  It's a nice house, 3 bedrooms, sitting room with Adam style fireplace and sliding doors to balcony, proper shower and a bath, modern oak doored kitchen (built in oven, ceramic hob) adjoining dining room with built in floor to ceiling bookshelves, deceptively spacious (the photo really doesn't do it justice), and it's got a garage which is an unusual thing so close to a town centre.  Only 15 minutes walk from Barnsley Railway Station, shops, pubs and takeaways nearby, nice compact low maintenance mature garden, with strawberries, gooseberries, blackberries and tayberries!  

Ok, advert over!

So how come I've got time to write a blog post today?  Well, firstly I'm still in bed.  After the busy week I've just had my knees have decided to quit!  I dislocated my left knee twice in three weeks recently and it took much longer to go back into place the second time.  As I result I've been walking with a stick for a while.  Of course limping puts extra stain on the other leg and after three talks, a book launch and the usual trip to the Archives this week they have now told me they want a rest.  Secondly, due to the three talks mentioned above now having occurred I am having a little breather before I get back to work creating web pages for the Barnsley War Memorials Project (mostly war memorial gravestones) and researching the soldiers on my own chosen war memorials, St Lukes, Worsborough Common and St John's Barebones.  

My St John's Community on Lives of the First World War

I have been creating communities on Lives of the First World War - I do find this quite soothing, the satisfaction of finding the soldiers and flagging them up as "Remembered" and attaching them to a Community so other people can see who belongs with who.  LFFW got off to a rocky start as far as I could see, unless you were already an experienced family or military historian the original interface was very daunting.  However a recent change, adding the Timeline view, has fixes a lot of the problems with making the site easy to understand, I think.  There are a lot more prompts to help casual visitors add stories and images and the chronological layout as you add more and more information encourages you and makes the soldier's story easy to follow. 



Part of James A Warden's Timeline

*I have just had to swap to Internet Explorer to edit this post as Firefox was doing all kinds of odd things - it might have been my fault - I tried to paste a picture directly into the post - silly me!*

As a beta tester, and for allowing IWM to use my Communities in their publicity and as a 12 month subscriber to Find My Past I have collected over two year's free managerial access to LFWW.  This allows me to create and manage Communities, search and view premium content and that's about it really.  Given that anyone can add an external link to another pay per view site or add documentary evidence of any other kind to prove the facts about the soldiers to only real benefit to paying (if you already have a subscription to Ancestry or the Genealogist say) is the ability to make Communities.  So pay £6 for a month, do it quick and then don't pay again unless you find you need to add a lot more people to your community I suggest.

If I can set up Communities for the other volunteers of the Barnsley War Memorials Project, or in the case of the new Worsbrough Dale book, based on existing publications, then non-subscribers will be able to find their relatives more easily based on which area the man came from ... that's my plan. 

So I have a Community for Cudworth and one for Worsborough Common and one for Monk Bretton for example.  I just keep linking the men in, the fallen and the survivors, whenever one comes to my attention.

I really need to send a couple of emails today as well, but I'm prevaricating about that - shouldn't do really.  And a book might turn up in the Amazon Locker in our local Co-op later today, and I need to buy a Chronicle - which reminds me that I'm weeks behind on taking the cuttings from the Chron.  And I'm booked for a talk in December which I haven't really thought about yet.  Oh drat ... too much stuff. 

Better go and do something useful. 
Bye!