Springy Chair

I recently treated myself to a SpinaliS chair - like the one on the left, but a limited edition cow print one from Back in Action, long my favourites due to their always having been the lowest price on the web for anything like this.  I needed something to keep me moving on bad days so I didn't seize, and this has done the job exceptionally.  And one of the best bits was how comfy it is back to front when my shoulders need a rest too.

Free Audio Book by Neil Gaiman!!

Fresh from the Harper Collins website, there is this free MP3 version of a Neil Gaiman, one of my favourite authors.  That should give me something to listen to on the way to Eden.

Eden Project accessibility

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Eden project not only does free motorised wheel chair hire, but also lets you take in a carer for free when you book one!  We are off there next week, and I cant wait to see how things are shaping up since last year. I will let you know how I got on, but if you want to book in advance which is well advised, click here for the contact details.  In the meantime, I was also very pleased with the scooter options at The Mall at Cribbs Causeway in Bristol where they gave me a very fast 3 wheeler with a fantastic speed dial that went from tortoise to hare.  Hare was very speedy, hence me terming it ramming speed, and the two boys miss hearing this as Rabbit speed :)

Oscar USB hub

Scrabbling around on the floor is not something I ever wanted to do much of before I got fibromyalgia, but is now an impossibility.  A decent USB hub is therefore an essential in my book, as so much now uses those sockets.  I need to have something on my desk, in easy view, and preferably something that can charge my phone and multitask with other hardware.  Oscar is such a cute way of usefully doing this, and environmentally friendly at the same time, that there was no way I could leave him out.

Voodoo charms

As a neuropathy sufferer, amongst other stuff, I like the idea of having something to get some revenge back on.  Lets face it, it feel like someone is sticking pins (or swords) in me, so a mobile voodoo ninja that can hang from my mobile phone with his/her own pin for me to jab back when the stabbing starts might just brighten my day.  Thanks again to firebox!

Sometimes you just need comfort

So here are two options - the good old squishie cushion is always a good bet, but firebox, always a favourite have come up with something much more cute and flexible - the Zoobies lots of cuddly fun, and they turn into pillows or soft blankets which seem ideal for travelling with at any age if you get aches and pains and need some gentle warmth.

Easy food preparation

The alligator chopper makes very light work of chopping onions (and potatoes, and anything else you might want to chop) You still have to peel them, and preferably chop the larger ones in half, but then just leaning on the very sturdy end pushes the blade easily through the onion cleanly dicing it.  Even better all the parts then can go straight in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.  The only slight drawback is that it makes quite a loud bang, which terrifies our wimp of a dog who then needs a cuddle to recover!

And for the tea drinkers

If you find the kettle too heavy to lift, why not think about investing in a Tefal Quick Cup? As you only have to lift the cup from under the water, it saves all the arm work.  It can splutter a bit, so be careful not to leave your hand too close if you leave the cup on the surface underneath while it fills, but if you get the right size mugs, one press and it fills while you fetch the milk.  You can always top up a bit manually if you prefer your mugs bucket size.  They are available from many sources now, and the price is usually between £50 and £60 n the net.

How hot is your bath?

I cant always feel how hot my bath water is without some weird acrobatics to get a feeling part of me under the tap, so isnt this a great idea?  No more scolding myself or worse still, running a too cold bath and realising too late there isnt any hot water left. from firebox.com at £14.95 it wont break the bank either.

New Feminine Fit range

Spotted on marksandspencer.com a new range? - For those who use their arms more, and therefore get bigger up top than the usual waif and stray, any addition to the already excellent clothes from Bravissimo is fantastic news, and even better they are in the sale right now so this top is only £5

Full Body Massage?

I want this sooo badly, the thought of relaxing after a long day (or even a short one if its been one of those days!) in this sounds great - now if I can only decide where to put it. I dont really need a dining table do I?

Energy Friendly Coffee

I love energy saving devices, and my husband has a great aerobie coffee press that he says makes the best coffee he has ever had, but this isnt very easy to use if you cant push very well.  I was therefore really pleased to find this version which has nice long levers to force the coffee through the filter.  I can almost smell it now....

Switch Sticks

The loudest and proudest walking sticks going have released their latest collection. People dont tend to forget the person with the pink polka dot stick, so it must be time for me to get a new one.

Next step, I have heard there are classes in some places for martial arts using your walking stick - now theres one to frighten the neighbours.

My Baby - Samsung Q1 Ultra

For those of you who have way too much paperwork to carry round, but no strength or space in you bag to carry it, what can you do? - Well my preferred option was a Samsung Q1 Ultra. Its a full Windows Vista PC, but very tiny - the screen is 7". This makes it big enough to clearly see a document on screen and make note on it with the pen, but easily small enough to carry round on most days.

Sadly Vista runs like an asthmatic dog on it, and the Samsung site gets no marks at all for having a really bad flash site, pop up menus and just about every other sin imaginable. However if you take the hard disk shuffling off, its definitely useable for day to day, but not as a main PC running heavy duty applications.

The lack of keyboard doesn't bother me, but if you want this, then look elsewhere. I use the pen mostly, the split thumb keyboard occasionally, and the decidedly bizarre dial keys (an on screen touch keyboard split into two quarter circles extruding from the bottom corners for want of a better description) only to try and remember to turn them back off.

All in all its a great toy, the screen resolution on that size looks stunning, and I am always surrounded by jealous cooing tech guys whenever I put it on the table at meetings.

Other options are the Asus EeePC, and the HTC touch amongst an ever increasing variety of options. For more on the Q1 Ultra, try PC World