Fenland Country Fair 2014

This morning, we went to the Fenland Country Fair at Stow-cum-Quy and the grandchildren from London enjoyed driving around in the small Land Rovers. These are electric and the 6yr old was able to drive his sister (3yrs) twice around the course.  They also enjoyed the other traditional things like the coconut shy and the helter-skelter.

I just wish I didn't feel so exhausted so much of the time!

You can see me in the background making a video.

Anglesey Abbey with grandchildren

This morning we took the "London" grandchildren to Anglesey Abbey,  National Trust . We've been there loads of times, but the children enjoy having races and playing "hide and seek". At the moment, the dahlias are fantastic. This photo is  of the children in the dahlia garden.

This afternoon we went to Moon's toyshop in Newmarket.

Afterwards I was totally exhausted because of my stroke. I get fatigued very quickly right now.

Burwell bike

Our elder grandson on the bike outside our windmill next door

We have got a second-hand bike for our grandsons to use in Burwell. At the moment with the handlebars and seat at their lowest positions our elder grandson can just ride it. I suspect it will be too big for our other grandson this year.

Visits - a puzzle!

This blog has already had more visitors by mid-afternoon than in the whole of yesterday. I have no idea why this should be the case: it seems to defy all logic!

Not a good year so far

Some years are good and others not. So far, this has been a bad year, with lots of friends losing partners or relatives to cancer and other conditions. By now, I was expecting to be fully fit from my brain bleed again, but recovery is taking far longer than I expected.

Let us hope the rest of the year sees an improvement in fortunes. Things can hardly get worse. With luck, I should be allowed to drive again soon. My U3A courses start in October. Slowly, things are getting back to normal.

Stroke update

This is the latest update on my condition:

• Food is all by mouth now and I can eat most foods.Taste seems to be returning to normal.
• Drinks are still problematic.
• I still feel giddy walking, but this is getting better slowly.
• Speaking is monotonic and effortful.
• The MRI scan gave me the all-clear by the neurosurgeon - no more brain ops.
• My stomach is still slightly upset. I suspect this is because of the PEG.
• I feel OK to drive (neurosurgeon thinks I'm OK to drive) but am awaiting response from DVLA.
• I get fatigued very easily.
• All physical work is hard.
• ENT throat exam early Sept  to see why speaking is so hard.
• Physio/gym at Newmarket Leasure Centre continues until Oct 2nd.

Overall, I am still not right, but think driving again will help, as will PEG removal (no date yet for this). Improvements are slow. By now I was hoping to be fully fit.

Surviving Ebola

It appears that the 2 US aid workers who contracted Ebola in West Africa have recovered following experimental treatment in the USA called ZMapp. It West Africa without experimental treatment, nearly half of those infected are likely to die, which is why we all hope it can be contained and beaten.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-28885753 .