It's Not How You Say It, It's What You Say That's Important

It seems to me that negative comments and experiences have a deeper impact than positive ones. One of the ideas on the McGuire course for people who stammer is the idea of cancellation, if you have a bad experience you try and do a similar activity but with a positive outcome to override the bad one. However, I think I would need 1000 positive experiences to over ride each bad one.

Recently with my speech therapist we have done some work looking at how my speech affects how I see things. This has made me see that some fairly small negative events from the past are still affecting me today. I was teased by a few kids at school, to this day I am still terrified of talking to teenagers. The teacher in charge of special needs told me that I shouldn't take performing arts GCSE as I would fail it because of my stammer. I took it anyway and got a C, but despite having proved him wrong I still have days when I feel my stammer means I will fail at something. Someone told me people won't want to talk to you because you stammer, I still struggle to start conversations because what if I stammer and the other person then doesn't want to talk to me?

My speech therapist set me the task of finding evidence to support these assumptions. How much evidence did I find to support these assumptions? None, not a thing, I stammered people still talked to me, teenagers didn't tease me, people know that I stammer and still have casual small talk conversations with me and don't run away screaming.

Despite this I still struggle with the thought that my speech has to be perfect and if I let even one stammer get in that will be all anyone will notice. The other week I was leading the intercessions at church, I stammered a little bit not much, but I still sat down thinking that I had messed it up. Then someone came up to me after the service and said thank you, your prayers were really good. To at least one person in that congregation the words that I had said had been more important than the way that I said them.

Sometimes when I speak I will get stuck and stammer, whilst therapy and techniques might help reduce it, it will always be there. However, I need to remember that that is not the defining thing about what I am saying. It is the words that I say that are important and should be listened to, not the way that I say it.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 16: 13/09/15

Managed a good nights sleep despite the noise from the bar. After breakfast headed out to try and find Ascension, the english speaking  anglican church in Munich. First stop was the train station to put our bags in a locker. A train load of migrants ( I use that term because I do not know if they are eccomic migrants or refugees, or most likely a mix.) had just arrived and were been kept on the platform by police. I assume until it was sorted out where they needed to go.

Heading outside to the tram stop, we found the tram wasn't running. Instead we had to take the U bahn to somewhere we could connect with the replacement bus. Once on the bus, I noticed a woman in a smart dress and nice hat who just looked anglican. We got of at the same stop and when we heard her speak to someone in english asked for directions. She was indeed anglican and we chatted to her whilst walking the rest of the way to church. I enjoyed the service, we had some good hymns, and a bishop preaching. Ascension is also doing all it can to help the migrants, many of whom are housed in a nearby army barracks. Over coffee we got chatting with a guy who used to live in Coventry and amn ordanand from Oxford.

After church we went for lunch at the hofbrau beer garden, not the main beer hall in town. After a very plesant lunch we made our way into town and had a drink at Le Clou, where the bar man was looking great in full traditional dress and a fantastic mustache. After that went to Augustiner am Dom before walking to the train station.

At the train station it was very busy, there were migrants looking ready to camp out in the station. We got our bags and then had time for a quick beer. In the bar we got chatting to a bloke who told us all trains had been cancelled and germany was bringing back boarder controls with Austria. From what I saw I would say that the numbers arriving are simply too big for one country, or even for Europe to cope with.  This needs a worldwide solution.

Luckily the S bahn was still running and we could get to the airport. Checked in fine, but at security me, my tablet and the inside of my bags all had to be swipe tested. Luckily I was clear and could continue to the lounge and something to eat.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 15: 12/09/15 Kitzbuhel to Munich

Final breakfast in Kitzbuhel before Rob gave us a lift to the station. The train to Worgl was fine. Then we changed to the train for Kufstein, this weekend is the Rosenheim Herbst fest. The train was packed full of people in dirdnls and lederhosen. When we got to Kufstein, we moved quickly to try and beat the rush for the Munich train and managed to get seats. The train got fuller as we moved towards Rosenheim, but then became much emptier.

Arrived in Munich with no problems. Having seen the news reports of refugees arriving in Munich last week I wasn''t sure what to expect but everything seemed normal. Checked in at euro youth hotel. In our younger days we have stayed in their dorms, but have a double ensuite room this time. The room isn't ready till 2pm so we put our bags in the luggage room and went in search of lunch. Bayern Munich were playing at home so places were busy. We got a table at Augstiner am Platz.

After lunch we went back to the hostel. The room is nicer and larger than I was expecting. It is quite large with a double bed, a single bed, couch, table and chairs. It even has a TV, but not really any English channels. After settling in we went in search of liquid refreshment, the weather been rathr hot, this was not beer. Instead we had a lovely ice cream milkshake. We then went for a walk in the Englischergarten. At one point it was very English as there was a game of cricket being played. We also saw the surfers, yes in Muniuch city centre you can go surfing! There are a couple of points on the river where waves have been made, one for expert and one for beginners. We found an ice cream stand and had an ice cream before heading back for a rest.

In the evening we got the U bahn out to Rotkreuz Platz and went for a meal. The beerhall was getting into the mood for Oktoberfest, with pretzels and blue and white ribbons hanging from the ceiling. Aftert dinner we headed back into town and a beer at Augustiner am Dom, where one of the bar staff actually recognised us. After that headed back to the hotel, where the bar was very full and noisy, so showing our age we gave it a miss.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 14: 11/09/15 Kitzbuhel

Had a lie in to start with this morning, then decided to walk out the lake. Had a walk around the lake and then turned of to go up through the woods to Steuerberg. Here there is a  very  nice restraunt where we had lunch.  As we were having lunch, some classic cars arrived, including one very old looking one. Walked back down to the lake through the woods and headed back to Kktzbuhel, stopping for coffee and cake on the way.

Once back attempted to sort out the packing. I am sure everything fitted in better on the way out. Packing nearly finished we checked the skis and topped up the edge waxing, ready for when we come back in winter.

We then went to Flannigans and had a few drinks whilst watching the end of the crickett, where England beat Australia again. Went to Huberbrau for dinner. I tried the blood sausage grostel for the first time and very tasty it was too. Finished the evening at glockenspiel and Sigi's.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 13: 10/09/15 Kitzbuhel

Repeated the run I did on Monday but only managed to improvre my time slightly. After breakfast went to the ski club to renew our  membership. We the headed up to the horn. The lifts were quite busy and there were quite a lot of people on the walk down through the alpine flower garden. It became less busy once we got past the Alpenhaus, where the car park was very full. We continued down the mountain and in the quiet alpine meadows we could see and hear lots of crickets. I am sure they would be willing to give the Australian cricket team some advice on cricketing skills.

Stopped for lunch at the Adlerhutte. I ordered smoked trout thinking it would be a some slices of fish on a plate with the salad. I forgot this was Austria.There was a token  bit of salad that came on the plate with the fish, by which I mean a whole fish. The rest of the salad had a plate to it self.After lunch we got the lift the rest of the way back down and I went to do some shopping. I wish england still had CandA I got myself a new hooded top.

In the evening we went to Sigi's and Flannigans, where Chipper was winding Andrew up about being old.Went to Huberbrau for dinner, where we met a nice german couple. We finished the evening in Glockenspiel.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 12: 09/09/15

Had lazy start to the day with a lie in. After breakfast we got the bus  to Brixen and went up the mountain to Filzamsee. Among with the cows saw some pigs on the mountain for the first time. Walked round the lake and watched Neptune raise from it's depths. We then continued on to Hochsoll.Surprisingly, as I thought school had started it still seems to be full of kids. There was also a small display of old tractors, and a tractor made of straw bales. Walked up the hill to Salvenmoos for lunch and a look at their goats, one of whom had a very impressive set of horns.

After lunch we walked back dowm through the Hexenwasser, stopping for the odd play and to visit the treehouse. My inner child is alive and well. We then caught the gondola up to the top. On the way up experinced a sudden stop, but arrived at the top safely. We then caught the gondola down the other side. Relaxed in the sunshine of the garden at the roundell.   Wallked the long way round to the traim station to see if there had been any changes, there hasn't been a lot the bullet is still empty.

Went to Glockenspiel for a pre dinner drink and then to the Eggerwirt for a posh meal out with wine. My dinner had an autumnal taste to it with pumpkin soup, venison snitzchel in mushroom sauce and apple strudel. After dinner we finished the night of in Flannigans and Sigi's.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness

Day 11: 8/9/15 Andrew's Birthday

Decided to challenage myself this morning and went for a run up the mountain. This quickly turned into more running than walking. Got to just above the start of the finish schuss of the Hannenkamm race when I ran out of way markers, so decided to start heading day. Salvaged some pride by running the downhill bit and a loop of the park on the way back.

After breakfast we set of to walk along the valley to the Fleckalm bahn. We walked past Schwarzsee, the black lake, so called because of the mud in it, which is meant to be very beneficial. The ducks certainly looked happy and healthy. There seemed to be a lot of cyclists about tha we kept having to dodge.

Took the Fleckham bahn lift up to the top. At the top there was quite a crowd of people enjoying the view. There was also a spinning wheel which would tell you how long it would take to walk for various places. Headed along the path back towards Hannekamm and stoped at Hannenkamm Sturbel for lunch. Andrew got a slice of cake with a candle in it to celebrate his birthday. Got the lift down and had a rest.

The evening started out at O' Flannigans, with some free beers. We then headed to Sigi's where the birthday drink was in a smaller glass and not so nice tasting. Feeling hungry we went to Zinkrug, where Andrew had his favourite dinner of pizza. Finished the night of at the glockenspiel.

from my LiveJournal, Jane Williams - The Wombling World of Madness