Been to a Christening today - I love happy family events. Amazingly, we found out that the neighbours (at least one of whom doesn’t like me) were having their son christened not only on the same day, and at the same time…but also at the same church! The weather was lovely, the service was brief but nice (or nice because it was brief), the buffet was tasty and the company was good. Also, the baby, my half-cousin, was very relaxed and well-behaved.

My niece was kind enough to look after my dogs. I don’t leave them alone, as I’d hate to think of them fretting or being noisy and upsetting the neighbours. However, hubby’s just been out and said neighbours are out back, celebrating (naturally). This set two of my dogs off barking, as they aren’t used to noise - apparently, neighbour lady told her partner to tell my hubby to stop my effing dogs barking, as the baby was sleeping! My ‘effing dogs’ do bark on occasion, but something has to set them off. If they do bark outside, I bring them in immediately, do as not to disturb people. I am very offended that someone could suggest my dogs are a nuisance, as I am very considerate of other people. Hubby says they are just put out that I complained about their music and that I shouldn’t take everything so personally. But I do. My home is both my haven and, at times, my prison, so I want to feel comfortable here and don’t need additional ill-feeling. Am I over-reacting? Or, am I missing out on some Grade A material for another book?

I am definitely in the mood to write, but have too many obstacles at the moment. Counselling is drawing to a close, so there is much to do…and not much time to do it in. Also, things are picking up with regard to our Charity Event. We have some great ideas and some fantastic prizes to offer. I hope that I have something more concrete to tell you soon (though anyone on my Twitter or Facebook lists will know a lot of what’s going on). I am also hoping that the website re-design will go ahead soon. I have been remiss and not given my web-designer anything to work from, so will have to rectify that next week.

Finally, I am CRB checked, so have my first assignment as a bona-fide volunteer with TimeBank. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.

This was a very self-indulgent post, but if I can’t have a moan on my own website, where can I moan? Oh yes, Facebook and Twitter!

So, it’s ME/CFS Awareness Day today. Were you aware? I’m disappointed to say that I have seen nothing in the media today about ME (or CFS, the now preferred term for the condition). Surely the entire point of having an Awareness Day is to raise the profile of the condition among people who don’t know about it. Sufferers are well-aware already. Everyday is ME Awareness Day for us, and our families/friends.

It’s ironic that that day seems to be invisible, as that’s how many people discribe the illness: an invisible disability. Look at my gallery, for example: do I look ill to you? No? Yet, some days it is hard just to get out of bed. Some days it is hard to hold a conversation. Some days are just plain hard. However, some hours are fun. Even knowing that you will ‘pay’ for those hours, they are still worth while. Our lives are one long balancing act: balancing rest and activity; balancing rest and too much rest; balancing need for company and need for solitude; trying to be ‘normal’ while trying to get people to recognise that we don’t feel ‘normal’.

A difficult thing to take is the misconception that ME/CFS tiredness is like being tired. It is not. It is an, often overwhelming, physical and mental fatigue that will not be helped by a nap, pulling ourselves together, or getting some exercise/fresh air. It can be exacerbated by activity, but is not necessarily in proportion to that activity. It is unpredictable, making it difficult to make plans, and making it difficult to socialise (although the internet has been a Godsend in this respect). There are other physical symptoms that sufferers experience to a lesser or greater degree - perhaps this is one of the reasons why we are so disheartened when people describe ME/CFS as a mental illness or liken it to depression. Whose mental state would not be affected if their normal way of life was snatched from them? Anger, frustration and sadness is not the same as depression; depression is a different, and common, condition, which some sufferers do experience.

That’s the way I view the condition, and if you want to chat about it, feel free to join our Facebook group.