From the time I was first diagnosed, I was determined not to look too far ahead and to do lots of travelling and spending time with family and not put things off. Living for the moment is how I get through, but some sensible plans for the future are also important. Talk about the future stuff like we did and then you can put it away and focus on here and now.

The only thing that really matters is spending time with grandchildren and knowing that they know they are loved. Memories of time spent remain strong even 60+ years, thinking about precious time spent with my Nanna.

I have been spending time with my granddaughters recently one on one. It has been lovely getting to interact with each of them as individuals. Hopefully, we are building memories for both of us.

This post was inspired by a Carpenters song "Love me for what I am". It is about acceptance of who we are as a person and how important that is for me.

I think we all potentially have the ability to be competitive. I know I can be. But, in thinking about who is the main person I compete against, I realised that person is actually me!

today is the 5th anniversary of my son's passing. I wanted to acknowledge that, he is never far from my thoughts, but the loss is always more keenly felt on this day, the day we lost him.

OMG. I have just listened to this with my headphones on and it sounded terrible! Then suddenly thought to try it through my speakers and it was much improved!

Perhaps if Parkies wasn't messing with my brain, I might have thought of that sooner!

See below:

"This has been a challenge in editing, with interference on playback. It is an example of the learning curve for someone with Parkinson's doing something so new to them at age 64. I have edited as well as I can, but it is of course not perfect. However, the content was good and I didn't want to lose what I had said and done. Hopefully, it will still be a good listen..."

For those of us who have had a number of difficulties in our lives, it is good to remember some of those tougher times. To remember that we got through them and now we will face this interloper - Parkinson's - and face him head on and our resilience will get us through.

Sometimes what people see in us, can be difficult to accept as it may differ greatly from our own view of who we are. I identify with the concept of 'Imposter Syndrome' as I have never felt completely confident in what I do. I felt that I externally projected an image of a confident person when in truth I am at times very lacking in confidence.

It has struck me today how much our earlier lives can influence how we think and feel even 60+ years later...