Today is a new day!

groatie_queen

I hope you enjoy this poem, written by another inspirational woman who had a different kind of struggle, the issues are similar though!

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.


Maya Angelou

Itsadogslife_2

You truly are an inspiration, and there will be peaks and troughs, its about how you come through them that counts.

I have to say that I was sent a parking ticket by a camera in London to say that I had been caught on camera parked in a loading bay and therefore there was a fine. I was also offered half if I paid quickly. There was also a picture attached of me sat in my car parked in the offending area lol. The reality of it was that I was hanging around because I was about 4 minutes away from the congestion charge finishing and so rather than spend the money on the congestion charge, I ended up being fined. I wrote a letter in (couldn't appeal as I had a bloomin photo of me ) but I said I was lost and I had pulled over to look at a map rather than cause an accident. They wrote back and said that wasn't a good enough excuse but on this occasion as a gesture of goodwill they would write it off.

I would definitely write in, explaining that it was unclear (maybe even take a photo) and the details of your disability badge and they may just have a heart Worth a stamp

chevalier

groatie queen that is a beautiful poem. Thank you for sharing it with us. I too would fight the ticket you never know. I don't what the cost of a stamp is, but I am sure it is less than the fine.

As for your mother.....Oh hell I don't know. I think you have to stick to your guns on this one. Why should DD have to watch the inevitable carping that will happen if you do spend xmas with them. They are like a dog with a bone, they won't leave off no matter what.

I hope that you recover quickly from your fall. And no matter what bad stuff happened this week, let the warmth of that standing ovation sustain you. You are normal (cos if you aren't neither am I lol), and you will soon get back into your stride.
Merry Christmas to you and yours
chev

mum2one

We've been caught out by the loading bay before, only once but bad enough, its complicated half these parking regulations.
If you do go back, look for a sign, and whilst theres double yellow lines on the road, a lot of the councils have started painting yellow lines in the opposiate direction on kerb to the road blocking disabled parking.
In all honestly I reckon there find a 1001 excuses why your have to pay.

Youe being strong over mum, and xmas and regardless of what she says, if you feel that the situation is going to be difficult stick to your guns, its your dds xmas as much as your mums xmas.

Hope you recover soon from the fall, you take care xx

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Thank you one and all. What a great poem. Thank you. Beanie Lou, good on you. My parents were told I would be brain damaged for life when it came to light the vaccine damage which caused my disability and Ive proved many of the docs wrong what they said I would achieve or not as the case may be. Anyway, thank you for all your posts and heres an update...

Ive written to JJB demanding the late payment fee is wavered as my statement details the payment was received on the due date and Ive suggested they train their staff to provide more credible explanations than that the statement contains a misprint!!! I also yesterday had the opportunity to return to where I parked near the theatre to check the loading area I had parked in. Ive duly appealed sending an email and letter together with two photos which show that the two lines in question on the pavement and kerb indicating its a loading bay are over 50% worn away, in fact there are no lines to see on the kerb edge and there are alot of leaves in the area and Im not convinved that there could have been some covering what bits of the lines you can see. Anyway, Ive enclosed the photos, said my bit and will wait and see.

Re my parents I have plans to pop over there on Xmas eve with their card, some home made sausage rolls and mince pies. Will drop them in their porch if they are out, and pop in if they are free and in. Mum sent me a text about dd's birthday which is on the 2nd Jan asking did I have anything planned as its the first day of school. I texted back saying dd's birthday is on the last day of the hols and left it at that for in truth it will be a v simple birthday. Dd wouldlove to see hercousins but they are in Australia. She would love a tea like last year but last year were friends with their children too plus my best friend who is dd's god mum so I would never not invite her and she is the person my mum put the phone down on and has called v rude so a tea like last year without my sis and co is out of bounds. And personally, I dont want to invite family round to the very home they've told me I should sell and effectively shouldn't be in...The carefreeness of being able to be me with family is completely gone.So, it may just be me and dd going into town to have her ears pierced which is my birthday pressie to her and then go out for a meal together. Thats what she has said she would like to do so not yet confirmed, we will waitand see next week..

Re my PPI complaints there is something afoot. The Halifax called me yesterday. Why do they phone and then want to id you ? I said Im not prepared to give out personal info when I don't know they are the Halifax. Well, you can call us back. I said I dont want to be rude but why should I on my phone bill , in my valued time? You have called me. Anyway, the call proceeded and it transpires I owe less on one of my loans as the PPI on it has now been cancelled!!! Time will tell.

So, on that note I had better get on. Ive got pins and needles again, and clearly typing is not helping. Dd is at a friends today while I collect in the last of the books and do a delivery of orders. Tomorrow is baking and a bit of housework and visiting a friend with the goods I would have baked and doing deliveries of orders. Sat is more cooking, a bit of relaxing and then Xmas starts at about 3pm when we visit a friends for the afternoon... If I dont get on here before then to anyone reading I wish you a very Merry Xmas....

taxi73

Merry Christmas to you too

beanielou

Hope you & DD have a really happy Christmas

chevalier

I hope that you are able to navigate christmas without too much stress.

Sad isn't it that I think you will have to navigate anything...I hope you have a lovely time over the holidays with DD if that is what you want. Is she terribly excited about getting her ears pierced? I know I was!

Good luck with 2012 I hope it is YOUR year.

Ooh just read the bit about the PPI being cancelled. Hope that is a good sign
chev

poorbutrich

HI P&F
I am just coming out of lurkdom to wish you and DD a very happy Christmas.
Sorry to hear about your fall - hope you recover quickly. Also sorry to hear about your mother behaving so despicably.

I'd also add my voice to those saying that it would be worth appealing the parking ticket. I believe most traffic wardens have targets to hit so if they think they can get away with it, they'll give you a ticket. I got one last night when I got home after work at midnight in the snow. When the snow melted, it transpired that one of my tyres was on the white line (even though I was in a permit zone which I paid £25 for the privilege for). I fought it and though they said I was in the wrong, they would waive it on this occasion. Worth a try, particularly as you have a blue badge.

Best of luck and again - happy Christmas!
pbr
xxx

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Any advice, opinions welcome. Heard from the Banking Ombuds yesterday. They phoned me re my Home Insurance complaint. Halifax are offering to refund all the premiums Ive paid to date onmy new policy, equates to the region of £138 and revert my insurance to how it was. Then compensate me with £250. So £250 plus £138. The lady caught me in a rush. I was hesitant and said that the Halifax are yet to explain how it was! Im still waiting to hear confirmation as to whether I was paying home insurance premiums from my mortgage as I thought or whether one of the staff from Halifax was right when she said I hadn't been since March 2010 and so if she is right why had no one told me before and why has no one clarified the situation since as I was promised would be the case? So, if they put my insurance back to how it was will there just be an annual premium added to my mortgage thereby increasing my mortgage debt annually or is my mortgage going to increase or even stay the same given Ive also been told they don't decrease mortgages when policies are cancelled that come out of them because the amounts concerned are considered "negligble". I need to know if my mortgage includes a monthly premium as had always been the case and no one has yet confirmed that to me since September. Also, my feeling is that £250 is simply not enough . That equates to less than the min wage an hour for the amount of time wasted dealing with it all. And they would still have the commission from my insurance premium so they are not really parting with v much at all. I want to push for more not least because I think they are still taking me for a fool and trying to "buy" me out without answering the original concerns in the hope they won't have to because my feeling is they don't have a clue themselves. It should all be v straightforward. Ask a question, get an answer, Im still waiting for the answers 5 months on! Im going to telephone the lady at the Ombudsman today, she said she would do some more investigating but I really think I am no further forward in getting to the bottom of the situation at this time.