Week 185-6 ” Enjoying a meal & shopping”

Here we are back again – survived the Christmas and New Year. Jill and I have been away at Chris and Nicole’s for a week while the painter moved in and completed the toilet, shower and passage. We went while the weather got hotter and I had hoped that it would be a bit cooler in Doreen.

Nicole had organised that we go to Northland for lunch and to give Jill a chance to do some shopping. We used the wheel chair and even though Jill was not that happy being in the chair it gave us the chance to do something we had not done for about five years. We had lunch in the food court and then proceeded to spend money. I believe Jill actually enjoyed being out. On the way home we had a look at a Balinese Hut which Chris was thinking of putting in the back yard.

The next morning they had decided to precede with the hut but to do the garden first – a couple of hours digging and we went off in search of a rotary hoe. We drove to Whittlesea and hired a trailer and rotary hoe. A few hours later the area was ready for the next stage. They had decided on a dry creek bed and some tropical type plants. While Chris and Nicole went off to pick out the rocks and Plants I laid out the creek bed in preparation for the top soil, weed mat, rocks and plants.

We actually moved about 3 meters of top soil and then 1 met of small river stones and then .75 metre of larger stones and rocks. We sat back and admired our handy work and Chris suddenly remembered the power that we had discussed earlier. We had to move some of the creek bed and weed mat so we could dig a trench 600ml deep and about 5 meters long as well as going under a path. Temperature at 38C and we gave up and decided to get up early next morning. Well by lunch time the trench was completed, the orange electrical conduit with a draw wire inside was buried. Within a couple of hours we were back admiring our handy work.

Friday we decided to go shopping again, this time to Doncaster shopping centre. Another meal in a food court and a few hours of looking at clothes for Jill. She accepted the wheel chair and we were able to move through the centre with ease , into Susan-greys, Myer, up escalators and lifts . It was great to hear Jill tell Chris how much she enjoyed it.

We rested on Saturday and headed home to check our newly painted area. Jessie met us at the front door, probably expecting Lorna who had been looking after her. We have had a quiet week; I picked up Jake from the kennels on Monday. Jill had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday with a follow up next week.

While surfing the net I found a new pillow  for people that use CPAP masks. The web site is www.contourliving.com  I purchased it through an Australian company called Badbacks. With out telling Jill I ordered it and within two days we had it . It is just called CPAP Pillow. It is supposed to improve PAP ease of use, sleep comfort, neck support and spine alignment and reduce mask leakage, pressure on mask and face as well as mask discomfort. Jill tried it on Friday night and to my suprise she accepted and thought it was great. I have also ordered new silicone mask and insert as the old ones have started to deteriorate. Saturday was the second night and it really helps.

Jill’s legs have continued to get worse. I have just heard a cry from the bed room and as she was getting into bed her leg gave way and she had collapsed onto the floor. In tears we were able to get back onto the bed and eventually into it. March the 4th seems a long way off, for Jill’s sake I wish it was tomorrow.

It’s almost midnight so I will finish this early tomorrow morning.

See you on the net in a couple of weeks.