All Work

I must state for the record that I only work part time. I say only with a slight tinge of uneasiness, as its not in my nature to do anything half heartedly. But I tell myself this is my first job since my current incapacity so its wise to be a little bit kind to me ok?! How right that is!!! The one thing nobody told me was that being disabled makes you permanently knackered. For a while I thought it was just me, but no, disability takes your time and makes you very tired. I was sort of thinking of my typical day. I get up at 5am, it takes me about an hour and a half to get ready, and then I get my son up about 6.40. It takes another hour to get him ready. So we all leave the house at 7.45. Drop my son off, and onto Carlisle where I leave my husband, down to Penrith and usually I'm there by about 9.15. Out of the car, into my office. During the day I may have to be in, out, in, out, in, out of the car numerous times. I may have several meetings and if I want a sandwich at lunchtime I have to go into the centre of Penrith. While I'm at work, I cannot go to the loo in my building, or get into the kitchen, so if I want a drink I have to ask someone. I have to go to another building to use the loo. I cannot open the windows and I cannot get into the main room for eating your lunch. Neither can I actually get into the dept I'm supposed work in so I have never even met half my co workers. I also cannot get into many of the meeting rooms either so usually have to go to the Leisure Centre to hold meetings. The advantage of that is at least I get coffee and a nice selection of biscuits. Currently I'm jiggling drafting the Disability Equality Scheme and organising various presentations and consultations. Writing an audit report of Appleby. A supplementary planning document, and re writing the council website. Apart from that I have letters, grants and enquiries to deal with on a day to day basis, phone calls from the public, enquiries about disabled parking, transport, infact disabled anything comes to me. I'm organising the access forum as well. Its no surprise I'm tired and clocking up the hours. I leave about 4.30, collect my son and get home by about 6.15. That's the first time I get a chance to 'sit down'. My husband does his bed time, I feed the dogs, make dinner (by now a sandwich) and collapse. And I do this as a disabled person from a wheelchair where everything you do takes 50% more time and 50% more effort. And I wonder why I'm a bit tired!