heathber

Just a little bit 🙂 One hour with the EP this arvo and it would be so easy to collapse in the recliner now. But I need to stay awake until yoga at 6:30 whats the bet tonight's meditation becomes a nap 😜

That all sounds great Kev, yes those so small improvements are easy to miss, without things like a blog. Have fun watching the chicks

Hi Sue, So much of this is outside our control, that can be very disturbing, we are used to feeling that we have control over our own lives but right now even that is not a given. To answer your question my life goes on pretty much as normal. Working from home all week rather than just a couple of days a week. So for me at least this way of working is familiar and easy. I hear that some of the other teams from my office are finding it harder and are pushing to get back to the office environment. No idea when that will happen yet. Even once the government allows it, there will have to be so many changes (things like restricting the number of people in lifts, and how many people can work in a meeting room etc.) My company sent us all "home" 2 weeks before the formal shutdown, so I'm expecting them to be very cautious about letting us come back. Thankfully the hospital rehab has remained open through all this, so I still go there twice a week. My outside hospital exercise has been moved to video wish is okay but not ideal. I hadn't realised how much I was relying on physical assistance until I could no longer have it. I have also taken advantage of the "quiet" time to get my NDIS support application in. I hadn't been bothering but these changes have shown me how much I rely on "outside" help so I want to formalise that. Fingers and toes crossed they don't say no. Outside work and exercise I'm being pretty quiet. reading, playing computer games and watching too much TV. I did spend Saturday with my sister helping her get her "box" room cleaned up a bit and some more of her books onto shelves, and in return she came here yesterday and helped me spring clean my office and get rid of the "junk" that has been getting in my way since the kitchen reno was done just before the crazy hit. take care my friend -Heather

Kev I think there's nothing wrong with getting emotional about that. Its wrong on so many levels. Your garden looks great even if not much is growing yet. I'm going to have to investigate those water walls, my Mum and Dad could use those, they live in a very frost prone area. Good luck with all the extra incidental exercise.

Sounds wonderful Kev. I hope you have someone to assist with after ride grooming and tack care. It's usually the cleanup after an activity that does me in. Some things can't be left for tomorrow.

Oh Will, bugger and it does eventually sink in that you can't do that without paying for it (or so I keep hoping) Although I haven't hit the wall that badly for a while. so maybe I am learning to pace myself. Take care and be kind to yourself. Learning to leave a job half done is a skill.

you do for your neighbours what you hope someone is doing for your parents when you can't be there. We do what we can that's why we are survivors. 💙

As I said to my physio yesterday. We need to obey the spirit of the rules even if we occasionally stretch the letter of them. Glad you took the time to care for your neighbours.

Janelle it is tough when this thing stops us from doing the observances of life that we need in order to keep going. So glad you got to go to the funeral. I do hope that when this is all over you can have a proper family and friends wake. Those left behind need the comfort and memories that sharing grief brings. Funerals are for the people left behind not the dead.

My Mum also calls me her "little girl" which makes us both laugh as I can almost rest my chin on her head, especially as now she is starting to shrink. It doesn't matter how old or tall we get we are still babies when it comes to our mothers. Love to all the mothers out there doing it tough without their hugs. Stay as safe as you can Pam.

That's right Sue, mostly we are OK it's not so hard to live alone. You make a few adjustments and you learn to not sweat the small stuff that isn't done the way you like it when you have to get people in to do the stuff you used to do yourself. Hopefully not too much longer and Trevor will be able to come down.

Oh Sue, If anyone can relate to those feelings it is us. You remember what you used to be able to do and you just go ahead and do it and then you go "Ouch" when it all comes unstuck. It is about risk management and mitigation. Before you start to do something you need to think about the things that can go wrong and then make your plan for what you are going to do if that something does happen. and be prepared. What can you do differently to either avoid the risk completely or what can you do to minimise the damage. Boy scouts did get one thing right 🙂 Be prepared and you should be able to reduce the fear both within yourself and your family. If your plan says no more climbing ladders then how are you going to get those jobs done? Do you make a list and arrange for a handyman to come every couple of months? If you can't walk and carry a heavy bucket any more then use a bag or drag a sack, get creative. are you safer sitting on the ground or kneeling to do your garden work. if you are going to sit or kneel how are you going to get up again? etc.Remember solutions need to be practical not elegant, elegant is a bonus, if the neighbors think you've gone looney that's not your problem. When living on your own there are always jobs that have to be done that have risks attached. One method I have used is the call before and after. I used to do this when cleaning the gutters alone pre stroke. Like logging into the rangers station when going for a hike. You call a friend and explain what you doing and when you expect to be finished. You call them back as soon as you finish the job. If they don't get another call from you before your allocated time they will call in the emergency services. Take care and don't stop living your life. Fear needs to be used as a reminder and motivator not allowed to lock you in a box. Hugs Heather

Yes this stay at home thing is much less of a shock for those of us who've already had to do it once. Fingers crossed the world learns from this. but I'm not very hopeful human beings as a collective are very slow learners.

It is good to push your limits but don't try to push them every day. My physio tells me if it significantly affects your movement the next day ( e,g. limping) and can therefore create bad movement habits it should be avoided. Make a haste a little more slowly my friend. It takes us a lot longer to build good movement patterns and stamina than other people. I'm not saying don't test yourself occasionally but always be prepared for there to be a rest day or 2 after a challenge day. Well done!

Hang in there Sue, it will get better, We are managing to keep this thing pretty contained so far. You should setup scheduled weekly video chats with Trevor and Alice, It's not the same as a visit but its better than nothing. Its easy to do with WhatsApp or Zoom on your mobile phones. It makes you feel a lot less alone. My great niece is now 8 months old and she almost demands her good night story reading with either her grandmother or aunt via video. The other night when she was driving her mother nuts we setup a 4 way video chat just to distract her. She loves seeing the faces in the phone. I too live in hopes of a vaccine, but they never did manage to make one for SARS, so I'm crossing my fingers that with the whole world trying there'll be a break through. I hope that you have and are using a mobile personal alarm pendant. this is the one my Mum has https://nationalhealth.com.au/personal-alarm-pendant/ If you are feeling really alone let me know and we'll can setup a phone chat.

It's not so hard to switch over Tracy, you just have to remember the driver stays in the middle of the road. Although the first few left hand turns when you are used to right hand drive and switch to left are a challenge. The main place where you get caught is getting into the car. You walk up to the wrong door.

Sounds like you are making good progress Kev. So nice you were able to help your neighbours with the water. Treadmill is very good for re balancing gait. Squats are also a good body weight exercise that strengthens glutes for walking and other daily tasks. Also climbing and descending stairs if you have access to some. Keep on keeping on my friend

We got this Sue! Stay safe and fingers crossed, whenever I can spare them, that the glitch after surgery was just a temporary setback.

Absolutely Tracy, baby steps and a little bit at time will eat the elephant. Do the jobs in little bits as you feel up to it and remember those little jobs and bits of jobs still add up to a whole job and a healthier you. Cook real food, eat healthy stuff (fruit and veg as much as possible), do some light exercise ( e.g. dust and vaccuum) keep a positive mind and know we will get through this.

One of those situations where fake it til you make it applies. We are all scared and a bit anxious but that means we need to create a new routine and get on with it. Serenity prayer certainly applies, let go of what you can't control, be positive and healthy otherwise. My office went to lockdown 3 weeks ago now, before the government restrictions meant we had to. So we are all full time work from home except for a handful of people who are dealing with logistics and physical product. So far my hospital therapy continues as normal other than 20 questions on arrival and extra hand washing/sanitising on arrival and departure. Our Doctors are doing tele-health appointments where ever possible. My gym and yoga have gone to virtual/video based at home. I have just got back from an appointment with my physio, who is also still able to see patients, and he has given me some extra pointers and equipment for home exercise. as well as reminding me that while working from home long term like this I need to get up and go outside to have a proper walk every day. I guess what I'm saying is take care of yourself, stay away from others as much as possible and where you have to be in physical contact with other people and the places they have been act sensibly. This thing is scary but it doesn't have to be the end of the world either. Watch your self talk, get your vaccine as soon as you can and in the meantime live a healthy life, and keep a positive mindset. (( HUGS )) -Heather

Take care of yourself and know it will get better. WE love them and they love us back and trust us to do the best for them. It can be hard sometimes but you did good and she knew.

Oh dear I am so sorry for both of you but it is the right thing to do. Watching her suffer will be worse than losing her. MEGA HUGS

I'm working from home. The cat is enjoying the company she doesn't usually get. Non essential businesses have all been told to close for next 3 weeks, although a disturbing number are ignoring it. I am still going to outpatient physiotherapy at the hospital, but my private exercise classes are now to be done at home via video chat. First of those is tonight. We are all on a learning curve.

Oh Janelle 😞 sending hugs and hoping the meds are able to help. We went through something similar about 30 years back when a beloved cat got a fungal infection under the skin of his face. At the time my nieces and nephews where very little and that fungus could have spread to them and caused brain damage so there was a Big family meeting about whether we tried to treat him or made the hard decision. We ended up deciding to try the treatment which was horrendously expensive, and accept the risk to us. He had been my brothers cat (my brother had died in a car crash) and we just couldn't do it. Thankfully in that instance it all worked out and he got better and none of us got sick and he went on to live another 10 years. I do hope your ivy has a similar outcome. If the worst happens do not blame yourself for her passing or your grief. She is family too.

HI Kev, work on creating a routine for yourself it will help. and Yoga can continue. Ask your instructor to send you some YouTube links for flows you should be able to do by yourself. My instructor does this for me when I'm going to be away. My gym has started live streaming classes for members who can't/don't want to come into the studio at the moment. They are also offering equipment library service if people want to borrow things they don't usually have at home. it would be worth asking your gym. Glad to hear that the headiness is decreasing even if only slowly