Brother's visit

Tomorrow, my brother and his wife are driving up from Devon to stay a few days. They are good company and it is always good to have them come to stay.

It gives my wife a chance to have a glass of wine with company. I have not been allowed alcohol of any kind since my stroke last September. Can't say I've missed it. but I wish I was fully fit again.

UK weather

Today has been an odd day weather-wise. This morning we had thunder storms and torrential rain, whereas now we have bright, June evening sunshine, the sort of evening that makes you glad to be alive. I am about to go for my evening walk "around the block" about 400m. I do this twice a day to help my stroke recovery.

This afternoon I also managed to go to/from the Post Office and Chemist. which is further. In days gone by these walks would have been trivial. Not at present!

I have some new medicines for my sickness but it is too early to tell if this is more effective.

Remembering the Germans too on D-Day

At our old house we saw "Herman the German" walking his little dog past our house most days. Herman came to the UK after the war as a PoW. This reminds me that many German soldiers were just like us and were more interested in their homes and families than Hitler.

We must not harbour hatred of any men or women whatever their colour or creed - inside they are the same as us - and we would do well to remember this, especially today on the anniversary of D-Day. Hitler was mad and bad but most of his countrymen were, and are, the same as us. Many "good" Germans died in fear on D-Day.

Now is the time for peace and reconciliation. Let such wars never happen again.

Fed up

It was Jan 3rd 2014 that I was discharged from hospital and I have now been home for longer than I was in hospital. To be honest I am getting fed up with not getting better sooner. I must be improving. My feeding is better. But I am frustrated that I still feel sick every waking moment and wobbly whenever moving. Drinking drinks seems no better than when first discharged and in recent months progress has been extremely slow. I just want to be better.

Doctor and stroke

I mentioned all my current stroke symptoms to my doctor today and he seems convinced my giddiness/balance issues will go with time. He has prescribed some new medicine for my sickness feelings. We'll see. I have another MRI scan booked June 30th.at Addenbrookes in Cambridge.

Typos and errors

Whenever I write my blogs or emails, I find I have to make corrections to what I type. I am wondering if this is my keyboard skills (or lack of them) or an artifact of my stroke: am I more prone to making errors than before? Also, it takes me a while to even notice the errors, such as two full stops or key words missing.

Please accept my apologies for any uncorrected errors.

D-day celebrations

The TV is full of D-Day anniversary celebrations from the Normandy beaches It is 70 years since it happened.  It must have been a day filled with unbelievable fear, on a level I cannot begin to imagine, with the fear of being shot at any moment.

My stroke has left me more emotional than before: the thought of these brave men moved me to tears, as did thinking of my dear dad flying Lancasters in Bomber Command. In his lifetime I never once told him how brave he was, one of my greatest regrets.  I do so hope their efforts were not in vane. We have had 70 years of peace in Europe, just about, with a few exceptions.

I do not have bad feelings towards the German people. Mankind has a nasty side and it could so easily been the other way around. We have all to work towards peace and reconciliation.  The EC has a good side by helping to keep the peace.

I must stop bursting into tears.