Mitch04

I agree with always moving. I walk at least 30 minutes each day, rain or shine, and do a series of daily stretching exercises. I try to walk at least 7,500 steps each day. And I agree with all the comments above. :-) Finally, yes....the brain is an odd-ball organ, and it WILL eventually...but ever so damn slowly....change its mind and start correcting itself or find a new way of doing something.

It's the second to last day of my pain course.....and the class is making and cooking pizzas. What this has to do with my pain confounds me. But I am making one, anyway. Instead of a tomato base, as everyone else is making, I have decided on olive oil and garlic...just to be different. As the pizzas bake in the ovens, the OT is questioning us in our pain.... I tend to be the odd person out, as I am the only stroke survivor doing this "Guinea pig" course. "Guinea pig" course because this is the first one of its kind undertaken by Victoria's Western Health. My pain is unlike that of the others, who have specific ailments, ranging from degenerative spines through to work related injuries. My pain is not so much a physical injury, I reckon, as a psychological one. The stiffness, or spasticity, is ile an insidious creeping ailment that gets worse with each week that passes, and I have no idea as to why. The neurologist simply tells me that after three years the brain started to repair itself, but is doing so in a bad way. But how do I reverse it, and get it back on track? The people here reckon that by bombarding the brain with different exercises and stretching methods, it will eventually reverse. But how bloody long will it take?????

I feel for you, Sarah.

I am about to start week 5 of my intensive exercise and talks about chronic pain, and after four weeks of three days a week for 6 hours each day I am still not sure it is helping greatly. But I must remain positive, and I DO admit the course has increased my motivation to stretch and exercise on a daily basis. I will report more fully next week once I have completed the course, although I will still have to return for assessments on a monthly basis.

Hmmmmm....maybe..... :-)

Thanks, Yvonne and fking for yr comments. Yvonne, the two ex's sound similar...no class, no style, and no nothing....althnough Mia's does have plenty of money which he spends like confetti. But ultimately he will have no happiness and will prolly end up like several of his relatives...a sad and lonely alcoholic. I am tentative about my tentive exercise classes. Melbolurne is a cioty of some 4 million, and doing battle morning and afternoon with its peak hour traffic, and attending three 5-6 hour sessions every Mon, Wed and Fri for five weeks hardly sounds like fun!

Tomorrow we go to Melbourne for a few days. Moochie goes to kennels, and tomorrow night we attend a dinner in the Docklands to raise funds for a Cambodian organisation…The Ponheary Ly Foundation, which works towards increasing access to formal schooling, improving school retention, and strengthening the quality of educational experience for children and youth in northern Cambodia. My brother and his partner represent the organisation in Australia. Then on Sunday we are all having a family luncheon after watching grandson Jack play football. Might even be up in Kyneton at our cottage. Meanwhile, in Kyneton, the Men’s Shed has met with BUPA (a national health and aged care organisation) about jointly building a new Shed….and preliminary talks have gone well. BUPA has the site and $160K, plus a design/project team, builders and maintenance people, while we have up to $100K and a wealth of talented but retired tradesmen. So far everything is looking great. And on May 30 I start my intensive exercise regime. So things are all go for the Mitchells. I’ll report back soonest on how I am going. And I may have some fascinating news about daughter Mia and her boorish ex shortly.

Men's Shed's are a peculiarly Australian thing, and were established firstly in rural areas after a spate of male suicides. They are a male only domain, and aim to help the well-being of men, male physical and mental health, and matters such as cooking and looking after one's self. They are generally large tin sheds that contain a workshop (benches, table saw, band saw, in fact all types of power saws and hand power tools, welding equipment etc) office, lunchroom/meeting room, and toilet facilities. There are now more than 1,000 such shed's around Australia and the Kyneton Men's Shed is the second or third oldest. Sadly, we have to move premises and need land on which to build a new shed. We located an existing shed that been vacant for more than 4 years, but for reasons that escape me it is not available to us, despite its being ideal. A meeting of our local MP, Mayor and shire CEO determined it was not for sale....perhaps because the asking price is $400,000 and we currently have a mere $100,000! Do we fight to it, despite this? Or do we look at other possible vacant land sites? We have a meeting later this afternoon to decide. On other matters, I have a mtg with my OT this mornining, possibly the last before I start my "Guinea pig" three days a week 5 hours a day intensive exercise course for almost 6 weeks. Then Jules and I will drive to one of Australia's largest and best nurseries, Poynton's, as a sop to her for accompanying me to Sunshine Hospital, a round trip of about 150km. And finally, thanks to the three ppl (Asha, Yvonne and 1Canesfan) who commented on my previous post. I do appreciate your comments which, in part, spur me on to continue with this blog.

Yep. Some days are diamonds, and I had one yesterday. We were down in Melbourne and leaving for Hedgerow Cottage, Kyneton, and I chose to go to Dan Murphy to buy some wine. Purchased 8 bottles of red, white and rose, all under $12 and came out with a bill for $64! Drove back to daughter Mia's house where we stayed for 3 days (Mia was in Singapore for a conference) to collect Jules and Moochie, our dog. And Jules announced she wanted to go to a bakery in North Melbourne! So after packing the car and sorting out our destination on my iPad, we set out for Queensbury Road and Beatrix, the bakery. OMG! And what a wonderful boutique bakery. What amazing food. And what amazing staff! We shared a baguette stuffed with chicken fried in a yummy Japanese sauce and called a GoGo, and for dessert we shared a potato brioche doughnut and a large slice of strawberry sponge cake. And we washed all that down with coffees....some of the best coffees we have ever had. Then we returned to Hedgerow Cottage, arriving on a chilly but sunny afternoon. After unpacking the car we opened one of the bottles I had purchased....a French rose, and sipped it as we ate a variety of cheeses, cold meats, pickles and savoury biscuits. Yum. And we ended the night watching the fabulous footy match between the Richmond Tigers and the Sydney Swans.....won by the Tigers by one point....kicked after the final siren! Yep. Some days are likediamonds.

Jules and I have just returned from Melbourne and are settling down in front of a blazing fire while it rains cats and dogs. The trip down to see the children - for Mother's Day yesterday, Sunday May 8 - was not a great success. We got down to Melbourne on the Saturday, and Mia asked me if I could take the two grandkids, Jack and Gus, to the shopping mall, help them buy a card each for she and Jules, and try to instill in them the need for respect and understanding. It all harks back to her ex and his family, who have never communicated, never acknowledged birthdays or special days, and have a me, me, me mentality. I was somewhat successful, and as well as the cards we purchased some small gifts to give each mother. Come Suday, and they did at least give the gifts, and showed some understanding of what Mother's Day is/was.....and at least showed a little respect. But it was short lived. I worry about Mia and the lonely life she seems to be leading, and what a burden it must be to have two wild 7 and 9 year old boys and no partner to help bring them up. And I think what a total *beep* the ex is, and what an absolute c--t he is. My son, Nick, who suffers from depression, was typically angry and short tempered, and didn't wish a happy Mothers Day to Jules....and neither did Mia. But we all caught the train into the city and had a latest lunch at the Arbory, which is adjacent to Flinders street station and the Yarra river. But the underlying feelings were ones of sadness, anger and happiness, depending on what we were discussing/talking about. Of course, all this doesn't do much to assist my condition. Some weeks ago, I answered a series of questions prior to being accepted into this intensive exercise program, and my psychologist has interpreted my answers as indicating that I am at the extreme level of stress. Personally, I have disagreed with her, but mayhaps there is a grain of truth in it. Mia's separation has been stressful, I guess, and maybe I have not clearly understood how it has affected all those involved, including myself. Things came to a head when we arrived home....Mia had to lie down, Nick muttered about never coming over to her place again because all she did was play with her phone while the two boys played with their handheld tablets. So the 48 hours was a mixture of highs, lows, sadness and soul searching. Anyhow, I am rambling. I have a doctors appointment in 45 minutes and will get results of my blood and urine tests.....maybe I will report back when I return at around 5 pm. The cholesterol count was ok....4.7. The urine test was not great and I must drink more water.

Thanks for your wonderful words, Sassy!

Thanks, Sue and Elizabeth. I'll try to be more regular. And, Elizabeth, I have to use a left handed spinner knob. Its a condition of my licence.

It has been ages since I last blogged, and to tell the truth I haven't had the heart to write anything. But two regulars in here both emailed me today and urged me to make another entry. The last time I blogged - if I recall correctly - my delusional son in law had left my daughter and her two young sons 2 weeks after the family had moved into another home, which had a whopping mortgage. It transpired about 10 days ago that he had taken up with his equally delusional 37 yo girl friend (who has a young daughter and a live-in mother) and she has discovered that she is pregnant......by accident! What this has to do with stroke board heaven only knows, but it helps me if I let off a little steam about the ex and his slutty little gold digger. On to other things.....at the end of this month I start a one month to five weeks intensive exercise course that will run to three 5-hour sessions a week. I'm looking forward to it. And I'm not looking forward to it. But it has been specially designed to help ease my incessant pain and spasticity. I have had interviews and lengthy discussions in preparation for the course with an OT, physio and psychologist. The only drawback is that I have a 80km 90-minute drive in peak hour traffic in both directionsj, and I will most prolly have to do it alone. I generally don't drive further than 5-10km these days due to my partial paralysis in my right side and the other effects of my three strokes. Anyhow, it's good to blog again, albeit briefly, and I shall try to make my entries more regular....

Adelaide Oval .... scene of a big victory by the BBL Adelaide Strikers! The Blue Lake, Mount Gambier Second Valley, South Australia. Grandson Gus fishing on Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia

Thanks so much for your comments, Sue. :-)

The New Year has started pretty well for myself and Jules. And it has certainly started well for daughter Mia, who is throwing herself into life with tremendous enthusiasm since being dumped by her pathetic husband, Bill, because he found her "too intelligent" for him, and disliked her "bullying". How a 6'6" bloke can be bullied by a 5'2" girl is beyond me, but even more staggering is that he has the gall to admit it!!!. We spent 2 weeks in South Australia, with 1 night in Adelaide, 6 nights at Carrickalinmga, 4 nights in Adelaide, 1 night in Robe and 2 nights in Port Fairy. The weather alternated between being good to fair, and a highlight was attending the BBL match at Adelaide Oval and seeing the Strikers win. Back in Kytneton, life is settling down to normal. The shed saga continues, but we have a new member who knows about BCAs (Building Classifications of Australia) and he reckoins the local Shire is trying to dud us by insisting the shed be fully lined and insulated. So with him on our side, we are about to do battle with Council. As shed chair, I am starting to prepare for our first AGM (in early March) by drafting our first annual report. Our daughter is in Adelaide attending her first Herbalife national conference and is full of the product and the people attending it, who she describes as the most motivated and posaitive she has ever met. And her move into Air B'n'B has also proven successful with four takers so far, all of whom have given her a great wrap! This is a link to her site: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/8961316?guests=6&s=KJZbIum1 My health remains so-so. The stiffness does not decrease, no matter how much I exercise, but i have an appointment with a physio at Western Health, Sunbury, Friday week. I'm hoping this may assist in alleviating my growing stiffness and spasticity..... Finally, Jules and I were taken out to lunch last Thursaday by an old friend and his wife, and we had an absolutely super time. Great food, wonderful wines, and most enjoyable company. So much so that I almost broke the bank by buying an expensive "sticky" wine and cake to have as afters when the four of us returned home at around 4.30pm! But it was worth it! Hedgerow Cottage survived our absence over the first two weeks of January, with the garden looking great. And my tomato plants appear to be doing well. I will show some pics when the tomatoes are ready for picking.

It has been ages since I last blogged. Bu I have not died and I am alive and pretty well . Promise to bring you all up to date next week.... :gleam: .

Been some time since my last post...lnd for that I apologise. Christmas Day was quiet but good. Mia. Nick and grandsons Jack and Angus stayed Christmas Eve and eventually went to bc at around 10 pm. We also had fi e locals come for Christmas drinks, and they departed about 9.30 pm. All in all it was a pleasant lead-in to Christmas. The grandsons woke at about 6.00 am, and oohed and ahhhed at their presents utilities the rest of us woke at around 7.00 am. Lunch was delicious....good squid, oysters, prawns and baked ham accompanied by two salads. Then at about 5 pm the delusional ex husband arrived to collect the kids. Jules got him alone and told him what she thought of him, and then I did the same....but all we received in reply were grunts. He has no answer to our questions, and has no idea of what Jules and I would call "communication" ....but none of his family have ever communicated anyway. As they say...the apple never falls far from the tree. Today is Boxing Day...and I gave been watching the Test from the MCG and the start of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The body doesn't improve,but at least I am weathering the occasional storms it creates. We leave for Carrickalinga on Dec 29, following Mia, Nick and the two grandchildren, who depart on Dec 28.

I reckons the "plastic" age is spelling the death knell of Christmas cards. And maybe even the one page "what we have been doing for the past 12 months" Christmas letters. My wife and I never sent one of the letters until we received one from old friends and it was about the 9th or 10th we have read on an annual basis. The letters always extolled the virtues of their highly successful children, described in great detail their latest overseas holiday (always at least a month in some hotspot that my wife and I could never have afforded, flying first class of course) and the numerous society functions they had attended or held. We could never have held a candle to their magnificent and expensive 12 months (one could have built a modest project home with the money they spent on their o/s holidays). But eventually I had had enough. We had built an ultra modern minimalist new home around our remodelled swimming pool and I determined to fight back! I wrote an amazing and wondrous letter in reply. It referred not only to the new home, but a voyage I had done solo up the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia, the trip Jules and daughter Mia had done to New York (including 3 nights in Las Vegas followed by 5 nights of "mopping up" shopping in Los Angeles), and exaggerated references to social events and the winning of new and plush cashed-up clients for my business. It worked. We never received another of of their outlandish and extravagant Christmas letters. And, into the bargain, they continued on as friends! I received another one pager recently, but it was a delight, and informed us of what the writer and his family had done during the previous 12 months in a pleasantly down to earth fashion. And the letter actually arrived by post......an amazing fact in today's electronic society! For the past 7-8 years we have given up on sending cards as we have become swamped by e-cards sent, naturally enough" by email! So these days I have succumbed to the majority....and send the occasional e-card. But old fashion "snail mail" cards still have benefits. Today I have posted 20 on behalf of the Kyneton Men's Shed. They are what I call "brown nosing" cards, thanking organizations for helping the Shed during the past year, and sent in the hope that we might continue to benefit through their continued help. I will post more tomorrow. Running out of energy...l

I have been on the same medications for around 5 years. Though the cholesterol medication changed to a slightly higher dose 6 months ago. I take Lyrica (300mg in the morning and 150mg at night before bed), Coveram (30mg), Coplavix (75mg) and Rosuvastatin (40mg). I will question the dr when next I see him.

Christmas is almost here. And we are looking forward to having Mia, Nicholas, Jack and Angus here for several days, all arriving on Yuletide eve and staying for 2-3 days. My specialty is doing a baked leg of ham, and I have been doing this for the past 30 years or so....so I have been examining hams wherever I can to get the best buy. We are having, apart from my baked ham, a cold Christmas lunch of seafood. But before that, and for brekky, we will devour Christmas Eggs....and here is the recipe for this brilliant dish...Although why they are called Christmas Eggs escapes me because I could gobble them up greedily every day of the week. Ingredients 1 egg per person. Slices of ham. 1 slice of bread per person. Seeded mustard. Parmesan cheese. Method Heat oven to around 180C. Seperate the eggs, keeping the yokes separate but whipping all the whites in a bowl. Toast the bread. Grate the cheese. Spread the toast lightly with butter and mustard. Place ham on the buttered and mustarded toast, and then mound the toast with the whipped whites, creating a hollow in the top. Drop a yoke into each hollow, and then sprinkle the egg and yoke with grated cheese. Place all the serves on an oven tray in a moderate oven and bake until the peaks of egg white are turning a golden yellow. Remove and serve. YUM! Apart from looking forward to Christmas, life has been quiet. Had a good meeting at the Kyneton Men's Shed yesterday and organised a committee to oversee the construction of the new shed, and sorted out our Christmas luncheon. I am going to try crowd funding via the Internet to get our final $20,000 dollars to add to our existing $100,000. Going to offer a personalised Honorary Membership certificate to everyone who gives $25, together with an invitation to attend 4 sausage sizzles a year. I reckon this could have novelty appeal to people all over the world, and is worth a try. Meanwhile, Jules has been clipping our box plants, of which there are around 200! Now, about 150 are forming hedges, so only the rest are individuals. She has been hankering for Japanse topiary shears costing around $130, and has been making do with el cheapo versions coating about $25....but little does she realise than I have a set of the Japanese ones hidden in my wardrobe and I'll present them to her Christmas Day. Just a pity that she has to use the old clippers to topiary the boxes before Christmas! So....after Christmas here at Hedgerow Cottage, we will all head for South Australia for a couple of weeks for a beach holiday.....although our's might also involve several days at Port Fairy. My health remains so so. It is all very well to say "use it or lose it". But I am finding that even if I use it regularly that I am losing it. I exercise by walking each day for 30 minutes, help to the best of my ability with gardening (fetching and carrying) and do my share of the household chores (vacuuming, sweeping, cooking etc). Yet nothing really seems to work? Suggestions, anyone? I apologise in advance for any predictive text errors..... :-)

We are down in Melbourne again. Yes. Melbourne is becoming our second home as Jules and I provide support for our daughter following the departure of her delusional and narcissistic husband from the recently purchased family home. Not that Mia needs our support. She is showing great courage and determination in everything that she is doing, and in fact appears much happier without the idiot. Jules and Mia have gone to stay overnight in Mia's on-site caravan at Ocean Grove so she can tidy it ready for people who have rented it over Christmas. And our son Nick is coming to stay and we are having a boys night by going to eat out at the Chadstone food trucks. There are about 10 trucks offering a variety of food at the Chadstone Shopping Centre. And maybe Nick will help me buy a cell phone. Yes, I had succumbed to the electronic age. Pre stroke a cell phone was part of me. Post stroke I have never used one apart from maybe half a dozen times in the past 6 years. And the sausager rolls? I have made around 100 sausage rolls today as we are going to a family Christmas party on Sunday and need to take some food. And I am famous for my sausage rolls. :-)

Tks, Sue....though some days it is easier said than done.