Yesterday I spent the  afternoon with my client Michael Barclay and his family as he was interviewed by the national press as part of the Motor Insurer’s Bureau ‘Stay Insured’ campaign. Please follow the BBC link to find out more….

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8272302.stm

Welcome to the latest edition of Spinal Column providing valuable updates as to the latest developments in the North West Spinal Cord Injured Community and Regional Centre.

Steve Cronin the Chairman of the SIA Merseyside group deserves all the plaudits for pulling together this fine publication.

Simply Click on the attached link….

Spinal Column newsletter issue 2

It is never too early to start children thinking about representing England at rugby I have been told…….especially when you have a Welsh grandmother keen to have him playing for ‘the Land of my Fathers’ when he grows up!

I know I am biased but this is one cute little fellow, is he not?!

So far so good with Arthur. He sleeps  and feeds well. The fact that I am a paraplegic really has not presented any problems so far. Indeed the only area in which I have been unable to give Lucy a hand is on the breastfeeding front due to natural biological restrictions! This works out well, of course, as I am able to sleep most of the night and wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed for work  in the law firm the next morning.

In fact, being a wheelchair user has been a positive advantage when trying to calm him down when he is agitated – I merely roll around with him on my lap and Arthur thinks he is in his pram and nods off!

I am delighted to annouce that Arthur Barron Fletcher arrived at 7pm on 25th May weighing in at 7 lbs 10 ounces. “Both Mother and baby doing well”!

With Lucy now 7 days overdue to give birth to our first child the reality of the situation has dawned on us both! We are tremedously excited about the forthcoming arrival and about this step into the unknown. The little bedroom is now called the nursery, the pram is purchased, nappies are in stock and sleep has been stockpiled. BRING IT ON!

2 weeks and 5 days to go until the estimated time of Delivery for our first child. Lucy has been off work for a week and preparations are in full swing.

I photo I took yesterday of a sunflower in my front garden – how can you not smile when looking at one of these happy plants?!

The vegetable patch has finally started producing crops – and then some!

I attach photos and you will see the bumper harvest I appear to be in for in this my first year of growing. I say ‘my first year of growing’ my father in law, Brian ‘the Duke’ Roberts has retired from dentistry this year and has spent serious time firstly building a patch with raised beds which I can tend from my wheelchair and secondly planting a vast array of potatoes, leeks, carrots , beans, onions, beetroot and sprouts.

If I decide the law is not for me after all these years at least I can become the first paraplegic organic veg farmer in Southport!

This weekend marked the completion of the construction of the raised bed for my first vegetable patch. I shall attach photos however the beauty of the bed is that it has been built much higher than the standard to enable me to have easier access to the soil for planting, sowing, digging etc. My father-in-law tackled the project of building the bed with vigour as one of his first tasks after retirement, however he underestimated the amount of top soil required and the resulting hard physical excercise  filling the raised bed!