Me in 25 words: Vampire fan, 52, ME 3yrs, divorced, live alone, sacked (NHS). Loved diy, sci-fi conventions (USA), history, seaside. Now music, tv, computer. Write stories for internet.
I was originally from Fulham, London (before it was gentrified), I lived in SE London, Wimbledon and now I live in Surbiton on SW London / Surrey border. As long as I'm near the Thames I'm happy!
I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) which restricts my ability to walk to about 20m (hence powerchair) and severely limits my physical energy and stamina (sometimes I cannot even sit upright). I am confined to barracks almost 24/7 and most weeks the only person I see is the Ocado delivery guy. On days when I don’t feel too unwell I am bored to the power of infinity!
For those who don’t know (I certainly didn’t), ME is a neurological illness that is typified by delayed fatigue, muscle weakness and pain, difficulty standing/sitting upright, numbness, headaches, inability to regulate body heat (freezing feet with body sweats – yuk!), cognitive impairment (poor memory, inability to concentrate, etc), oh, the list goes on! Symptoms vary in severity from person to person and over time. Sometimes the symptoms may go into remission - unfortunately I have been told that is unlikely in my case.
There is no test, or cure, for ME. It is often called ‘Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’ (CFS) but this is misleading since ANY fatigue of over 6 months duration with, as yet, no diagnosed cause is thrown into the bin marked CFS. It is not unusual for a CFS diagnosis to be given to someone who subsequently turns out to have Hep C, Epstein-Barr, Lyme Disease, Clinical Depression, or Lupus, etc.
Before all this ME malarkey hit (after 2 viral infections in quick succession) I was a busy, active person working f/t for the NHS, doing diy at home (complete renovation), writing short stories, visiting sci-fi conventions here and in the States
and on-line dating. 
I had a small menagerie of pets – dog (lovely Staffie/Lurcher X), cats, rats, snake, fish - but since ME I have had to re-home most or not replace them when they died.
I have one elderly cat left, who thinks I bought the electric wheelchair for him to sleep in! I can’t really grumble though, because he showers me with gifts to cheer me up – mostly field mice but occasionally the odd sparrow or baby starling. 
He once bought home a cooked chicken thigh! Bless!I have a wide range of interests, from ancient/family/local history, languages, cryptozoology, real crime, ecological building, diy, crafts, most of them now sadly confined to the internet/tv. Oh, and I’m a Spuffy-shipper too. That’s got you wondering!!!
Good health and good fortune to all.
Cathy
