I've not blogged for ages, not for lack of caring, but my pc broke and I have to rely on using Marks Laptop which he never gets off from morning until night, and asks me if I want to use it at 10.00pm?....er no!

Anyway he has gone horse racing today so i've got complete use for a bit.

News - Mark has decided that being a self employed painter and decorator is not bringing in enough money so he has taken a job at a company that supplies power tools and he is now the new 'Buyer'. It means that he will be working in Nottingham, about 45 minutes away, but it keeps him off the pc at home haha, and its a regular income that you can plan around.

Serious work has been going on around the house to get me ready for my ofsted inspection so that I can start childminding from home as opposed to being an assistant to a neighbour, so we now have gates and fences and stuff and I am already sick of nearly pulling my arm off trying to open safety locked cupboards and drawers.

Grace went to BCH last Wednesday and generally the trend is moving up on sats and lung function even though her lung function was worse than last time, but her chest sounded relatively clear. Her exhaustion problem remains an issue and Dr W said that he felt because Graces lung damage was so severe it was just using all of her resources all day which made her need for a massive recovery. I was happy with that explanation but as per usual it wasn't enough for Mark, he needs answers to everything and now. Therefore Dr W decided to put her on a booster course of steroids, which in my opinion just makes her a bit fatter and more out of breath. Its supposed to be followed by an increase of 5ml to 10ml every other day. Let me tell you in caused a major divide between Mark and I, he says that Dr W is the expert, which he is, but he likes parents input and I failed to jump in with " I feel that she has been at her best lately and she even has used the trampoline a few times lately" and also the issue with being overweight on steroids cause her to have more of her episodes. So the compromise is that she has the booster course but she is staying on the 5ml,although Dr W doesn't know this yet, and neither does our team at Coventry because I have not heard from them, I left a message with the nurse to say Grace was staying on promixen for another month because I can't get any tobi anywhere at the moment, but I haven't had a reply.

I emailed a local MP last week after receiving a circular through the door entitled 'Your views matters'. I discussed the issue of not being able to get a blue badge as we do not receive higher rate mobility and the parking permit office at the council say we only qualify if we receive it, however,their webpage shows other criteria that Grace fits into which means it is wrong or contradictory.

Bob Ainsworth wrote back to me to say he was waiting to hear from CC Council.

Yesterday a lady from the permit office contacted me, she said that we needed to be receiving the mobility at higher rate, but I mentioned the different criteria on the web page and she went on to ask when we last applied for mobility, it seems it was December 2007, but it has to be (her words not mine) two years since you last applied, before they will consider reviewing it (reviewing something they told us we could not have if we didn't receive mobility) b*ll**it springs to mind!

She went on to say that we could re-apply and they would look at it again,but they work on the same basis as the mobility department, or, we could re-apply for mobility but if they turn us down they can't look at it for another two years, confused? I am, but still we will try, and if we are turned down again I will forward all of this information to Bob Ainsworth to peruse.

Graces DLA has also been lowered to middle rate, but thats not something I am going to go into today, but we have appealed.

As for exercise, I have been going out on the road more than ever, and I have been really enjoying it. I will be out on the road tomorrow morning even though I have joined another gym, I just can't get enough of the open road lately, it must be because of the fresh air and the chance to just think about yourself for a bit.