Extreme Knitting Redhead: A Blue Sunday

Sunday, June 10, 2007

A Blue Sunday

I've been very good and rested my injury much longer than I would usually. However, I had to get out and run this morning.........but I was soon back home in tears after 5.5 painful miles. The flat bits and downhills were OK but the uphills were so painful. It hurt most when my hip flexor was engaged so it seems as if my old riding injuries are coming back to haunt me again. My groin was very sore indeed and I was quite upset. Thankfully Mike was around to give me a big hug and say all the right things to make me feel better.

Barney wasn't impressed and pulled his tongue out at my sore groin!

I left a message for Mary Massage Lady in the vain hope that she might be able to fit me in before her holiday and she has just phoned to say she's had a cancellation for tomorrow morning. Phew! She will no doubt inflict great pain but I'm hopeful that she'll get to the bottom of the problem.

We spent most of the afternoon in the garden and there were loads of insects buzzing around including a male Banded Demoiselle (Damselfly). It's body was the most amazing irridescent turquoise.

(picture from UKsafari.com)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.