Purpletigron

Both considerably better than might have been expected!

Flooger still on fluids, but blood sugar is stabilizing again - we might be starting to understand the problem there. Other numbers now less scary, too.

Mater very pleased to see me & I have set up her bedside phone system so I can ring her from now on :-)

Now to flop out and recuperate myself!

I hope all your difficult situations can take some kind of turn for the better too ... here's to restful and happy weekends as far as possible for all.

So, are the BBC going to be showing the complete run of Sarah Jane Adventures over the summer, whilst Dr Who is 'on hiatus'? And if not, why not? ;-)

Live continues to be the paradoxical mix of emotions - our Flooger seems bright and perky, despite being on numerous medications (two 'serious' ones, various 'digestive palliatives' that any octogenarian human might need).

Mater is bed-ridden in yet another hospital - same saga, admitted after falling, injuries minor but underlying conditions the kicker. We are drafting a letter to try to blast the health professionals into a new, more helpful mode.

Although I slightly strained a muscle in my back doing aikido this week & got soundly whacked on my right little finger by a very good friend in class this morning, I'm generally very happy with how my training is progressing :-))) I'm booked for Summer School & looking at logistics for a train trip to France next year to accompany my Sensei on a teaching trip.

We've bought our tickets for the most local folk festival later in the summer, too.

Work is work - I love my job, but they wouldn't call it 'work' if it wasn't sometime challenging :-)

And stuff like that!

Flooger decidely more comfortable after 24 hours of treatment ... need to keep on with these improvements, though.

Nearly time for Pizza Express trip with Mater :-)

... at updating, sorry.

I'm training again in aikido, which keeps me busy & healthily tired some of the time. But my fitness is still very iffy, so lots of cycling needed too ...

Mater is out of hospital but has to learn to walk again (now making progress with a zimmer frame) & find a new long-term living arrangement. So you can guess that's busy for me too ...

The Flooger is remarkably cheerful given near-death experience earlier in the year (don't like to think how many of the 9 lives now burned) - but still struggling to maintain weight in the face of unstable diabetes & complications.

Trying to get back into the swing of work, after 3+ months of treading water due to persistent colds, being busy for Mater, 10 days of leave etc. Just about caught up on the backlog of routine stuff, need to start doing non-routine stuff!!

Garden developing well. Thanks to heroic support from D, my compost bins are finally near how they should be - moved, rebuilt, dug out, re-layered etc. But we've not had any rain for nigh on a month which in April is a serious problem. Bought another bucket today ...

I forgot that Diwali is New Year too - it falls on Fri 5 Nov 2010, corresponding with the new moon :-)

Mater should be discharged from hospital home to her own flat on Monday now, hopefully to a comprehensive transitional care package which will help her get metaphorically as well as physically back on her feet.

Mater took a tumble on Tuesday, and is only slowly recovering. It's not entirely clear which of her symptoms are cause and which effect at this point. But nothing broken this time at least.

Sunday is the climax of a big piece of paid work for me - anyone in the UK who can watch the Great North Run on Sunday might catch a glimpse of why (no, I don't run :-)

The summer is definitely drawing to a close, and I'm looking forward to going again to tend the trees I've been helping to plant over the last 3 springtimes.

My new year's resolution is definitely going to be to spend more time outside and around trees ... something about 'nobody ever said on their deathbed, I wish I had spent more time stuck indoors'.

Long time, no etc. Hope all's well chez vous?

Some new things with me & co.: Mater is starting to recover some ground in her convalescence after her 2 months in hospital last winter - we've been doing gentle yoga together once a week since June, for example. The Boofy Flooger is now 17, still doing OK with daily kidney & diabetes medications. I've submitted my Permaculture Portfolio, hopefully presenting for accreditation in the Diploma of Applied Permaculture Design in early September. D & G are working hard, doing OK. We're harvesting from the garden: poppyseeds, blackberries, onions, garlic, runner beans - with pears, carlin peas, kale & one apple to come - & almost time for the Garden Great Autumnal Renewal, with lots of groundwork, tidying, planting out & preparations.

Today, we're celebrating Mater's birthday & mine with a family trip to eat at Wagamama's & watch Jackie Chan's Karate Kid at the Torchwood centre :-)

Have also seen all of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, which was generally very impressive but culminating in the finale last night ( Spoilery stuff )

Mater and I met at yoga today, for the first time since she was hospitalized in November. She did the entire 1.5 hour 'Gentle' class, and said she wants to do yoga again next Monday. This makes me happy!

Our Flooger has also reached 17 years of age in reasonable comfort ... twice-daily medication for diabetes and kidney disease seem to be keeping the Boof!er feeling boofy. Wong! continues to adore Boof!

Productive day at work, with seemingly some real progress, and certainly, some impressed noises from my managers.

I had two hours of lieu time this afternoon, taken as gardening leave: we're now filling the new flower beds at the Yoga Ashram with soil :-)

The Flooger! has been rather off his food since starting on his kidney disease medication last week, which was very worrying. However, today his appetite seems to have suddenly returned. Given that he seemed unable to smell the strongest 'appetizing food enhancer spray' the other day, I'm wondering if he's had a cold?

N's birthday present as finally arrived, and is much appreciated: a lemon tree to grow in their polytunnel - it even arrived with a lemon ready to eat. I will get to see it on Tuesday 6 April ... train workers willing ...

D's home and we had 'rapid dinner' centred on a new kind of Fairtrade cashew nut veggie burgers (worth the risk as all the monkeys here love cashews), and they've been voted 'definitely worth buying again' (Goodlife brand).

I'm definitely feeling fitter than I have since ... well, last time I visited N, back in September, before I got 'gastric flu'. So I've been doing more ... so I'm more tired. _Yawn_ ... very nearly time for bed.

Going to see Mater tomorrow - hopefully, for a potter about, and watching Billy Elliot the movie, which is one of the many aspects of modern culture that have thusfar passed me by. Then, more ashram gardening.

I've just had a proper chat to the Duty Social Worker (and have their mobile phone number too, not just a switchboard that is always engaged ... bwa-ha-ha)

I've explained how Mater slipped through all the gaps in their systems. I've explained that Mater isn't suddenly in full health just because she's been in hospital, and discharged home again.

We're getting the Direct Payments resumed, 5+ weeks late. We're getting a care re-assessment done too.

At last!