Mitch04

Had my last session with the Monash-Epworth research project last Friday. Don't know what it will prove, as I found little that was worthwhile in it. True, it helped my sleep patterns ( I now average 5.5-6.5 hrs a night as opposed to 4.5-5.5 hrs) and I exercise more. But my results were hardly startling. I enjoyed the therapist, Adam, and found him most engaging. But it was not what I thought it would be. The exercise component was non existent, especially with the person who was meant to do it. In 10 weeks I had no contact with her at all apart from the first assessment and one telephone message. I replied via email and never heard from her again. Jules and I have been working in the garden for the past few days, mainly in an effort to get our minds off Mia and the two little boys. I remain appalled and disgusted by my son in law's actions.

Thanks, Betsy.

Thanks, Sue

Once again I apologise for the following rant..... The spineless son in law continues his callous and cowardly ways. It has been more than a week, and he still can't tell Mia why he is leaving, apart from he wants to be " happy". And he has yet to devise a plan. So Mia, bless her courageous little heart, has chosen to tell the kids this afternoon. Bill has no option but to fall into line. She demanded he take the day off work to join her in devising how and what they are telling the two little boys when they finish school this afternoon. She has many friends, all of whom have ditch the husband. They are standing by her. I hope everything goes well for her. We will be thinking of her in 8 hours time. That's the worst of living out in the country away from Melbourne...

Why do we have children? Why can life be so screwed up? Why can't some men tell the truth? Our son-in-law has walked out on our daughter and her two children barely a month after moving into a new house. The reason? He wants to be happy. Never mind the unhappiness that his cowardly and greedy move has unleashed on her and the 5 and 8 year olds, on my wife and I, our son, our immediate family, his immediate family, and their many friends etc. He wants to find happiness. So long as he is happy, things will be all right. He is delusional. He says his departure will have no affect on the children. He says that his family is not broken. He says the break up of the marriage is no-one's business but his and our daughter's. God, can he not see the trail of devastation his actions have caused? And how this has caused a chain reaction of despair and great sadness among scores of people from immediate family through to friends? I have had my rant. I will return to blogging when I feel more settled. And I apologise.

Congratulations, Heather! Wonderful effort! I have yet to make the top despite 3 attempts. You are an absolute "ripper," :-)

I must NOT go overboard with posting photos....but some are simply too cute not to......such as these tiny bird chicks I found nesting in one of our hedges:

You are welcome anytime!

Here are some photos..... I have no idea if I am permitted to post photos as part of a blog or if I have to post them elsewhere. But this is just to see if I have worked out the way to do it... Someone please tell me Front of cottage. Back of cottage before we began renovating. After the renovation. The garden before. The garden after partial renovation.

Nothing wrong with venting. Sometimes it's good for the soul. And I reckon we stroke survivors deserve the occasional vent!!!!

I have at last worked out how to do photos on this site, and tomorrow I will post some of our cute cottage, its before and after garden, and maybe some shots of the Men's Shed and the Campaspe river. I would have posted some today.....but Jules was getting grumpy about my computer work eating into my helping-in-the-garden time, and there is nothing quite like an enraged wife when she reckons her man is slacking! Our footy team was crushed by the opposition tonight, so that was a disappointment. But when you consider what the team went through midway through the season, they did very well to finish where they did. And next week it's school holidays, and we have daughter Mia and the two little boys coming to stay. Remember.....tomorrow I will have my first photos up on the blog..... Sorry if this blog entry is a trifle dull. Blame it on tonight's football match which our team lost....if "lost" is the right word. Actually, "slaughtered" would have been better :-(.

Thanks, Heather. I'm delighted with yr comment. :-)

I again went to see my sleep man down in Melbourne, but we left early morning and didn't return to Kyneton until 6.30 pm, stopping off to see our son, going to Bunnings at Sunbury, having lunch, taking Jules to have a cut and trim (she's *beep* off with the Kyneton salons) and stopping to see our good friend Sheryl, All in all it was a good day, although we had to go through our son's despair over his car, as some *beep* threw a metal star dropper through the front window so that the vehicle is undrivable. The window has had it, and the car is hardly worth repairing. The passenger side front window has also been smashed, the clutch needs replacing, and several other key parts of the car are shot. It has all made Nick somewhat sour towards the world...,which is really not Nick at all. And there's little we can do to help. It's at moments like this I would like to be able to hand him $20K and tell him to trot out and buy another vehicle. Bunnings was OK, and we purchased 20 metres of wire mesh to nail along the back fence so that creepers can easily grow up it. And my sleep man was fine, although on several points we failed to see eye to eye. He tried dissecting every element of my wood carting in to the lounge room fire each day.....a chore that makes me somewhat fatigued. But it didn't matter how he examined this chore, there was no way it could be simplified! I think he was determined to find a better way, but after an hour of breaking the chore down,....chopping palings with a tomahawk to make kindling (chopping, stooping, carrying the kindling some 20 metres to the lounge room fire), carrying heavy logs 2-3 at a time the same distance into the fire, (stooping, lifting, carrying, putting the logs down again after walking the 20 metres).... .he gave up. Not that I minded. Carting wood indoors does fatigue and tire me, but as I said to this guy, "the activity is good for me, and while it causes fatigue, the more I do it the less fatigued I may eventually become." So he reluctantly agreed. Moochie the dog went crazy when we eventually returned home. And after dinner and a wine or three we watched "The Bachelor" which we both like. I know it's trashy TV, but sometimes a bit of trash goes well with the ABC which we tend to watch 85 percent of the time.

Sue, I will try to post several "before" and "after" photos...

Heather, just let me know the time. Can't promise I'll be there because we had already made some commitments for Sat and Sun, but I will try.

I've been exercising 3-4 times since last Monday with a regime that now has me walking at a fast pace for 30 minutes every other day. And I have been getting up each morning at 7.30....a new experience for me!!!!! So far I have survived two weeks. The pulse timer and watch thingy I was given to wear - and which I gave up on after five days - I am back to wearing following a visit to our local gym where (in desperation) I got one of the intructors to show me how to set it. Now it seems to be working fine. But I have given away the steep hill cl;imb and staiur climb for two freasons: (a) both were in reasonably isolated areas, and had I collapsed it could have been ages before anyone found me and (b) I was having difficulty in even doing them. I have now, on the advice of Monash Hospital, switched to 3 days (at least) of fast walking for 30-45 minutes day until I see my contact person on Wednesday of this week. The main problem with the exercise is not the heart rate...it's the knees, which start giving out on me after 30 minutes. My knees have always given me problems, even pre-pstroke. Apart from all this, life continues at the normal rate. Jules is getting very excited as our architect, Ian, has offered to build her a garden summer house at cost as a model for a new enterprise he is considering (building garden summer houses!!). He has arrived at preliminary drawings, and I reckon it will start very soon. Why? Because Ian's partner, Simion is a top frrelance photographer for a plush home-style and garden magazine, and he believes our cottage will be featured in an early summer edition. And the garden summer house would - in addition to our renovations - be a great advert for Ian's skills as a designer. I am painting fencing palings and fixing them just outside our solar powered garage roller door, and Jules, bless her heart, is planting yet more shrubs and greenery - and ripping out sticky weed and arum lillies. Today's weather is idyllic! A balmy and sunny spring day...

OMG! Sounds like a hectic week, Heather!!! I envy you the Mediteranean cruise. Last time I was in the Mediteranean was in 1972, when Jules and I spent about 6 weeks on the islands of Ios, Skiathos and Mykonos (nude beaches on all three....but that's another story!) .

Reading this makes me realise how fortunate I was to have lost the use of my right hand, arm and shoulder, and have ,invited use of my right leg. I can still look after myself without the need for a carer, so Jules can leave me alone for up to a week if she needs to travel to Melbourny to look after the grandchildren. Prolly longer if she wished. I really admire those spouses who act as carers. It can't be an easy task, and at times it must be a tremendous emotional drain. You all deserve a medal!

Too right, Jillza! Great game, and plenty of room for the Crows to improve. I reckon they will really give Hawthorn a run for their money!

I have just re-read my post.....Why oh why does predictive text always change "on" to "in", and when I mean to write "in" it always writes "on"?????

Thanks, Ethyl,

I've got my first appointment and assessment at Sunshine Hospital's Pain and OT Clinic in October 1 at 9.30 am. This follows a referral from my neurologist, Nick Crump. It's a 71 km drive, but I should be able to do it. Anyway, it sounds interesting, and I will be keen to see what they say and suggest. I don't reckon that medical people, despite their knowledge and experience, ever truly know how a stroke survivor feels. You have to have suffered stroke(s) and survived to really understand and know the pain and distress that accompanies stroke.... Doctors, cardiologists, neurologists and the like may say "I know how you feel", but they don't. Not unless they have suffered stroke. Anyhow, am down in Melbourne. Watched the grandchildren in their school concert tonight, and it was a real hoot. Very funny and so cute. Made me really appreciate both of them. In the morning we return to Kyneton. It's Ian's birthday, and we would like to see him during the day, as in the evening we want to watch the AFL match between the Adelaide Crows and the Western Bulldogs at the MCG. And we hope the Crows win! The match between the Perth Eagles and Hawthorn was a let down. The Eagles won easily......much to the distress of the Victorian commentators...

Today was simply a run of the mill day. Nothing exciting. Went to the hospital to have scans on my carotid arteries, but won't get the result until next week. Hopefully all will be OK. After my previous surgical experience that resulted in 3 strokes I hardly want to go under a surgeon's knife again. Got a reply from Glenn Murcutt......well, not actually from the great man but from one of his minions.......and the answer was no. But after I read the explanation I can understand the reasons. So it's back to the drawing board. Anyhow, at least we have the funds to buy an off the hook shed, even if it is ugly. Also had lunch at the Shed. Altogether it was a very booring day, I guess. We are off to Melbourne tomorrow to see the boys' school concert, but we will be home tomorrow night.

Hmm. Got the reply. It's a "no goer". Murcutt works alone, is 80 and has a very sick wife. Can't help us. And I underdstand. Who next??? Frank Gehry??? *LOL*

Hmmmmmmm.........this could be my excuse not to eat greens???? My wife constantly insists I should eat heaps of greens..even kale, which she grows at home, and I loath the stuff *LOL*. I never knew about greens and blood thinners, and will now check with my doctor. Thanks for the info, everyone.