Therapy

Its been a little more than 3 months since Martin had his stroke. He was in Mount Gould rehab for 2 months and while he was there I felt secure knowing that he was cared for and was learning to walk and care for himself again from experts. There was a fear that he would be sent home and it would be left to us to get him back to where he was before all of this began. I knew nothing about helping him relearn, so I was scared and overwhelmed. I was told over and over that he would have an early discharge team of OT, PT and a nurse to help him on his journey back, but that didn't help to hold back the fear. I figured he would have a therapist out to the house a couple times a week, and how much work could they actually do in a house so small. I'm very happy to say I was so wrong. He's been home 4 1/2 weeks now. The early discharge team come to the house sometimes three times a day, 5 to 6 days a week. They are Ursula; little and mighty, she can motive you to do anything and before you know it you are walking. Then there is our Irish Emma who is kind and funny and so supportive, she makes even the smallest accomplishments into large ones. Our gentle Emma who is getting Martin to think more like his old self again with her goals, tests and positive words, and she's gotten his hand and arm to move more than it has. And then there is Mo his nurse. She is honest and straight forward and caring. Between them Martin is walking with a cane on his own, walking up the stairs (with me) and is back to sleeping in our bed and getting himself ready for the day with some help and he is able to manage his meds with only having me to check. I couldn't have asked for a better team! Though he has a long way to go, he is doing things he couldn't 3 weeks ago.

Its time to...

Its been 4 weeks since my Martin had his stroke. There have been some improvement, but physically its still slow. He is having trouble keeping his knee locked in place, which is so important for learning to walk again. No movement with his hand and arm. I've not been up to doing anything these last weeks and I'm tired of it. I like DIY and am determined to have the bathroom painted and ready for when he gets home, though it might be a long time before he can walk up the stairs to actually see it or use it. Today I got up early and began sanding in the bathroom. We were working on this room when it all happened. He completed the tiling and I was in the middle of choosing the color for the walls and window frame. It something I want to finish for him and for me. Today I got up early and MADE myself start. I was up by 7am took care of the mundane and then started clearing out the room, fixed my second cup of coffee then plugged in the sander. It might take me a couple of days to get it right, but it feels good to actually DO something. Tomorrow Bob and Barbara are going with me to B&Q for the paint and putty, thank God for friends and family. I'm still reading my - learn to drive in the UK - book!

Life Changers

Sometimes in the everyday, things happen and life as you know it changes forever! About three weeks ago my husband had a stroke. We were sitting, watching TV together when I noticed he looked extremely tired. When I asked if he was ok, he told me in a slurred voice that he was exhausted. I could see from looking at him that his mouth wasn't right. After speaking to him a moment or two, I called the emergence services. Within minutes they were rushing into our home, asking questions and checking him over. Once satisfied, he was brought to Derriford hospital emergency room for tests, scans and medication. He hasn't been home since. I visit him every day and I miss him terribly!

Surprises and such

I'm not very good at surprising people. I can keep a secret ok, but my face breaks out in a grin when I try to tell a lie, even a little fib. My husband on the other hand can keep a straight face when telling a whopper, like, its your turn to get the coffee my love, I got it the last five times. But, has a hard time keeping some secrets. If he has a surprise for me, he usually has to tell me. Its hard for him to buy something for me, even if its a little something, and not give it to me right away. I like this about him. So, I was taken completely off guard this Christmas when I had a BIG surprise and he didn't utter a word. His ability to tell a whopper with a straight face came in handy though.

I haven't been home in awhile, since 2007 actually. And, Christmas was only a few days away.I had this small hope down deep that Brandon, my son, would make a trip here. The reason was, he wanted to fly up for our birthdays this year, but work was too hectic, so I thought, maybe for Christmas. I've always spent christmas with my family in the past, that's been hard living so far away, and I've missed them. I'd been on the phone with him a couple of times helping him pick out gifts, I'd talked to Cliff and Kath too, and I'd talked to Sue, but its not like being with them. But anyway, on December 22 Brandon calls me about a gift for Martin, he says he is going to mail them even if they are late. We talk for awhile, then hang up. I almost cried then because I knew he wasn't going to fly here for Christmas, it was only a couple of days away and he hadn't mentioned a word about it. I tell myself that its ok, I'll see everyone in the spring and I move on. Next day my brother calls, then my sister in-law calls (she's like a sister), then Cliff calls again. I didn't think anything was up yet, I just enjoyed the phone calls. During my last call with Cliff I hear Martin come home from work. I turned to tell him hello and show him that I'm on the phone, and I'd give him his kisses after the call, when I saw my son standing there! I couldn't believe my eyes for a few. You know the feeling of wondering if your eyes are playing tricks on you? I wondered, for just a couple of seconds I wondered. I dropped that phone, hugged my son and cried my eyes out! I had two whole weeks with him and was going to enjoy every moment!


Brandon after a good night's sleep

Christmas morning

Breakfast on Boxing Day

On the Barbican

Brandon and me at Dartmouth

Us at Haybrook Bay at the Plymouth Sound

The English Channel at Dartmouth Castle

Catching the train for a day in London before heading home again.

More pictures from Brandon's visit

Space is an expensive commodity

Last year we bought a new mattress and since then we have been looking for a new bed. So, today, Martin and I went shopping. What we wanted was a second hand one that would match our wardrobe and fit in our room. Today we decided to check prices at Devon Pine, which is where our wardrobe came from, then over to Buyology to compare. Once we got to Devon Pine we were lost. There is so much to choose from and its all so beautiful. The beds, wardrobes, chests, bookshelves, nightstands, everything! We didn't even get to Buyology, though I love going there, you can always find something to buy. Here's a picture of the bed we picked out here and the wardrobe we have here . The picture of the bed is much darker than the one we chose, ours has a clear varnish over natural pine. We were lucky enough to also find two "under the bed" drawers on sale too. Earlier we picked up a night stand that matches wonderfully. It'll all be delivered in a week, then we'll find out if there is room to move.

Our bedroom is pretty small, we have a bed, night stand and a wardrobed in it. We have enough space in our bedroom to get into bed, open the doors of the wardrobe or the drawers of the nightstand, not all three at the same time. I can imagine the acrobats I'll go through to get clothes out of our "under the bed drawers". Very cozy! If I was a designer of furniture, I would only design items that were also storage containers. The kitchen table would have drawers and a hidden compartment in the base and Chairs would have storage under the seat. I would design corner and half tables to fit easier in small rooms and tables that have shelves, pretty lazy-susans and tiered shelves to sit on tables or hang on the wall, slender bookshelves and pretty storage boxes to go above wardrobes. I'd also make it easier to move furniture around when needed. Space is such a premium here!

England is a small island with over 50 million people. To give you an idea of the ratio of people to land, the land mass of England is 50,352 sq mi which is slightly smaller than the state of Louisiana which is 51,840 sq mi. The population in Louisiana pre-Hurricane Katrina is 4,468,976 (post Katrina is 4,410,796 a 1.3% drop). In Louisiana, you have plenty of land to spread out. Sometimes you find a house right smack in the middle of acres of land and the average house size in the USA is 2,349 square feet. In England, the average new house is 815 sq ft. Martin's home is larger than that, but not by a whole heck of a lot. Most homes are terraced, which means there are three or more two storied houses connected. There are bungalows, which means its a single storied home with yard on all sides (non-attached) and semi-detached, which are two houses attached, usually two storied.

Hmmmm, that word "adjustments" comes to mind again. You think about all these things before you move everything you own across the ocean. You remember that you aren't 20 anymore, that you're somewhat spoiled when it comes to space and that you have an actual driveway on your property. Then you shove it all to the back of your mind and replace it with thoughts of the wonderful man you're in love with. I believe "adjustments" could just possibly mean "love" if you look it up in the Webster's dictionary.


This is me walking toward Martin's house which is the second one in this row of terraced houses.

Summer at last

Summer in England is wonderful, so far. No humidity to speak of, its June and the temperature today is 64 degrees F and there is a steady cool breeze. The sun is bright and the sky is filled with puffy white clouds. Not a lot to complain about. What a difference from New Orleans where its hot, humid and the temps are in the 90's.

I have more day light hours now to work in the garden as it doesn't get dark until 10 pm, my favorite part of summer in England. In the back I've finished building my wall, one section of the garden is tiered, one trellised arch is up, the cherry tree is planted, and my fruit bushes/vines are down. In the tiered walled section I've planted tomatoes, bell pepper, leek and spinach. I have lots more room so when Martin puts up our trellis at the front end I will put in the rest of the spinach, more bell pepper, green onion (spring onion), a row of basil and broccoli.

In the front yard, 1/2 of (what I call) death valley has been dug and the zucchini (courgette) and butternut squash is planted.


We picked up 4 stone trench style planters that need a good cleaning and a coat of paint. We've also managed to find a good amount of top soil. The soil is compliments of Colin and Sarah who are making some changes in their rear garden as well. Thanks loads Colin and Sarah!

I have so many projects going for this summer that I need to keep a running list what I want to get done and in what order. I'm trying to stay on a schedule, even if its a loose one. Since I'm not going home until May of 2009 I have time to dig in.

I'm posting the picture of my pine cabinet that I refinished a couple of months ago along with a couple of shots of my wall I'm so proud of.


On a sunny spring morning the front garden with blue bells, purple and white osteospernums, purple alpine, and red and yellow primulas. Martin's fuschia is just starting to leaf out.




Refinished pine cabinet

Terraced vegetable and herb patch; tomatoes, bell peppers, leek, spinach and thyme.
My "proper" stone wall, first section of terracing, red rose.


Charlie

Our new/old display cabinet

Last year Martin and I spent a couple of days in Cornwall with friends, Mike and Ann. Cornwall is absolutely beautiful. With its rolling hills, steep slopes, cliffs and enough rain to keep it green. There are pretty stone walls in the neighborhoods with flowers growing out of them and wild onion on the side of the roads. Its also the home of the Cornish pasty, one of my favorite foods here, Tintagle and Boscastle. Tintagle is reputedly where King Aurthur was conceived even though the ruins dating is not consistent. But they have recently found ruins which date back to an earlier time. The village of Boscastle had a horrible flood in 2004. I was in England at the time visiting Martin and remember it well. The village is small and everyone flooded. I watched on BBC as the Vicar tried to be there for everyone, coordinating the rescues and the rebuilding. Prince Charles is Duke of Cornwall and I watched as he arrived too. In 2006, when I moved here, it was important for me to visit there. I wanted to see their progress after the flood. It gave me hope to see this bustling village post flooding, having just lived through Katrina. I love to listen to the Cornish speak, they have a wonderful accent, but it makes you want to ask "huh?" before they've finished a sentence. And they believe that once you've driven over the border into Cornwall, you've left England. Its very close to where we live, right over the River Tamar from Plymouth. Its a joy being there, it always seems to be warmer and the sky bluer.

While there, Anne gave us a pretty pine wall cabinet with glass shelves and doors. It was a little scratched up and needed a good cleaning since it had been stored, but over all in very good shape. Its quite pretty too. I got to work taking it apart a couple of months back so that I could refinish it once the weather was warmer and dryer. The glass shelves were stuck in the storage position and were extremely difficult to take out. In the end one shelf had to be broken in order to get the remaining ones out. Still, there are 6 shelves left, each with a 2.5 to 3 inch space for displaying things. With the one shelf missing I will have one space with 5 to 6 inches for tall items, I consider this is a plus.

This past Saturday the weather was perfect for outside work. My plan was to sand the whole piece that weekend. By Saturday tea time I was able to sand off the finish on the shelf itself and most of one door. I put everything away with hopes of finishing up the following day. As is with the English weather, on Sunday it snowed. Today its haling, again no outside working. Maybe this coming weekend I'll have better luck. The forecast is for sunny in the morning, rain in the afternoon and night. Still, I got a good bit completed. It looks nice in the raw, pine always looks good without stain. So I'm thinking that I will put on a few coats of varnish and call it finished. It'll match our pine wardrobe since it has no stain either. I picked up a packet of fine sanding paper and I'm hoping its fine enough to use between coats of varnish for an extra smooth finish. I can't wait until its completed then I can put it up on our sitting room wall. My mother-in-law can't wait until its finished too, then she can get it out of her living room!

gi