Firecrest

Love your pink hair!

sunnykerr

It's gorgeous.

fluffybunny

I'm glad you're getting better, Sunny, and thanks Norman and Sunny.

My auntie, uncle and second cousin visited me and are staying a couple of nights in a hotel in town. I haven't seen them for a few years, so it was really great to catch up. We had a meal in their hotel on Saturday, then had coffees in a couple of cafes, and my house. Sadly, I wasn't able to go with them to Bridlington (seaside town) yesterday because it took a lot out of me on Saturday, and also my Crohn's and IBS were bad. Obviously not conducive to travelling.

We're hopefully going to York in August, and I have just bought a power chair, which can be taken apart and put in the boot of the car. I have a mobility scooter but have only been out in it once, and it's heavy and not portable. My auntie has a mobility scooter, which she told me she'd be using in Bridlington, and I told her before they set off that next time we'll both have wheels.

sunnykerr

A great visit, then! That must have been so nice.

And you'll see more of them soon. I'm really happy for you.

I'm dreaming of a cruise at the moment. It wouldn't be for many years yet, but I've been doing "research" and there are wildlife sanctuaries in the Caribbean that have you meet some "ambassadors", so sloths, monkeys, dolphins and parrots...

My cousin, with whom I would be going, is a great photographer as well. And I think all these wildlife sanctuaries would be awesome for her...

fluffybunny

Thanks. I still feel sad and bad that I couldn't go to Bridlington with them, but hopefully it will be better next time. I didn't see them again but we e-mailed each other and agreed that it would be better if they only stayed one night next time. They'd already booked the hotel and then told me about it the week before, so I'd been getting nervous about stuff all week.

Oh that sounds amazing! That's great about your cousin too. I love wildlife sanctuaries - they do such awesome, rewarding work with animals.

sunnykerr

I hope you don't feel too bad. I understand that it's a hard place to be in, but you know it might have been worse if you'd gone with then.

It sucks that you've been handed these issues that force you to make decisions like this... but hopefully it'll just make the time you do get to spend together in York (I choose to believe that it will happen) that much sweeter.

I'm a bit desperate for the wildlife sanctuary encounters. I'm trying to dampen my expectations. First of all, I don't even know where we'll go yet, so it's impossible to know if the itinerary we pick will bring us close enough to any sanctuaries.

And, even if they do, these are poor countries. Honduras and Mexico... Obviously, poverty doesn't mean bad intentions... but I don't want to come in with my first-world expectations and be disappointed.

fluffybunny

I'm feeling a bit better about it now. Yes, I think it would have been worse to go with them. At least they use their car to see me and go places. There's no way I could do it on public transport, because of the toilet issue. When I need to go, we can stop at a petrol station, pub or cafe and I can show my card, which states that I have health conditions meaning I need the toilet more. They they have to let me use their loo. I've had to do that a fair few times on my occasional trips over the years!

Yes, I would do some research online first, when you know where you are going, which I'm sure you will do anyway. I don't know much about those countries, but I'm sure whichever you go to will be rewarding.

sunnykerr

I wish my mother would get one of those cards. I'm not sure if they're available here, but they must be.

I think with trips like that, it's important to take things one at a time and not put too much pressure on yourself. It will happen eventually, preferably very soon. But, for your sake, I'd want it to be as relaxed a trip as possible, you know?

Once we've decided on where we're going, there will be lots of research, for sure. Of course, this is a trip we won't be making for about two years. So I will likely be "researching" pointlessly in the meantime.

Oh, well. I do enjoy researching, even if it leads nowhere in the end.

The only thing I know about Central American countries is that, on the whole, they're very poor. Obviously, that's a massive generalization and I would imagine cruise ships make sure you go places that are safe to visit. So I don't want to give the region a bad name. I'm just trying to temper my expectations because it's easy to forget sometimes that my basement apartment is pretty luxurious compared to that part of the world, you know?

fluffybunny

I'm sure you must be able to get them where you are. I still have one from my stoma days (I had two of them), and I was also able to get another one - also free, online.

Yes, I agree about the trips. I just try to think of the valuable time I did have with them on the Saturday.

I agree, it's a good idea to lower your expectations. That way, you could well be pleasantly surprised.


This little guy/girl was in my garden yesterday, eating some tasty slugs, beetles etc. I put special hedgehog food and water out every night for my little spiky friends, and I think he'd had some of the pellets first, before eating the molluscs and insects. It was still daylight - just before 9pm I think, and I got pretty close, and cropped the photo.

Firecrest

Love the adorable hedgehog!

sunnykerr

It is fascinating to see the UK wildlife.

It's so easy to think our countries have some differences but are mostly alike... and then you get wild hedgehogs! So cute.

Firecrest

Same here too!

sunnykerr

Are there wild hedgehogs in the United States?

Firecrest

Not naturally, just in Europe.

fluffybunny

Yes, I feel lucky about our native hedgehogs. I love watching them, and the other night there were two of them. Last night I watched one who was at the hog food and water for a while. There are always little slugs around there too, which is a bonus for them.

Actually there are lots of slugs, insects, worms etc, so even if I don't put food out, there's plenty for my spiky, furry and feathered friends to eat. A wood pigeon was trying to eat a long worm a few days ago, tried several times and then gave up.