11 January 2012
Last night went fairly smoothly, Carla coming in, to turn me, at 1.00 a.m., 4.00 a.m, and again at 6.00 when she got up. She brought me my tea. just before 7.00 and we resumed our normal routine. It all went fairly smoothly and I was in my study chair, as usual, at about 8.10. From then on the rest of the day when pretty much as usual with Jane ‘the sheep’ attending to my needs. Alice arrived back in Cornwall at 3.00 p.m., Lovely as my carers are, I must say I am happy that she is back. Quite apart from our personal relationship. I feel safer in the house when she’s here.
Two unexpected visitors A man turned up to service the standing hoist which I know will make’ my lovely’ as she is a great one, keeping things well serviced and in this particular case, as we rely s’o heavily on it. Then Peter ‘the garden’ dropped in. Dear Peter is really like one of the family who, despite being a fairly shy person apparently asserts himself with Alice and says he wants to come and see me from time to time, which he does, and yesterday was one of those times..He just wants to reassure himself that I am no worse and we usually chat inconsequentially about cricket, which we both love, and when he has satisfied himself that all is well, he returns to his labours in the garden. I am fortunate to have so many people who appear to be interested in my well-being..
It seems that the funeral in Cornwall went extremely well. It was intentionally kept small and low-key and attended virtually by family but the numbers crept up to include various’ old faithfulls’ from in the village. Quite sensible really. I believe of that all of the grandchildren, made it, except,sadly,the eldest, Willim Garton Jones,for reasons to which I have not been made privy. As Victoria has lost her dining room which has been converted it into a bedroom for herself and Lawrence, they managed to set up a long dining table, in what was granny’s sitting room What more can one say about funerals of one’s loved ones. In the event, so to speak, will be the Memorial Service given in celebration of my dear mother-in-law’s life, sometime in the spring in North Wales, where she lived carried out most of her good work. I would not hesitate to go to the Memorial Service, by Ambulance but as it is too far to go and come back in one day I would have to find somewhere to stay and without my equipment it would eventually be impossible, so sadly I have to rely upon other people’s descriptions as to what went on.
I received e-mail confirmation today from my good friend Julian (Critchlow) that he has kept his word and dictated a block of update work on my book over the Christmas break. Apparently it is being typed as I speak, but just how far he has got and how much left to do. I have yet to find out. I know from Robert (Prof Robert Merkin) that he has gone about as far as he can. So what’s left is all down to Julian.. The great excitement today nearly was the return of ‘my lovely’ and slipping seamlessly into now well established routine.
I received an e-mail today from one of my regular readers who come across some very slippery sheets which helps her MND suffering other than the turnover easily embed. Well, as my regular readers will know I went through this whole process between March and June of last year and in the end made my own from satin cloth. But even these are not entirely satisfactory. I had hoped that my new correspondent had found something that I hadn’t been in the end, I discovered that she was talking about the WendyLette, which were not bad but not entirely suitable. The point that comes out of this is that if all MND sufferers, or probably their carers took the trouble to read backwards into my diary. That’s selecting a point when they think they started to notice more things going wrong with the patient and then assiduously read page after page of this diary. They may well come across matters which I have struggled with and resolved (like the silk sheets). I know it’s a bore, but it would really be worthwhile setting aside the odd hour or 2 to read this account which which unfortunately runs into two or 300 pages about which I hope is worth the effort and will save the patient, or his carer, making the same mistakes as I did.
I should perhaps say although it shouldn’t really be necessary, for, the masculine read and or feminine,. throughout this blog diary. This avoids having to put his/her own equivalent every time.
I can’t remember why I wanted to use today’s diversion except perhaps I’ve had it hanging about a long time but in any event it’s a clever idea, which I would have thought could have been used to great success on the Thames between Westminster Bridge and Greenwich. Click here to see ‘a bus like no others’.