June - is this really summer?

I have decided that I am just going to write ‘stroke/rehab highlights' not my everyday goings on, are you bothered about those, you just want to know how and what I’m doing & trying with my stroke rehab !

Nice long Jubilee weekend ahead. Ed’s school finished early at 1pm because of the Dovers Hill Olimpicks. I went to visit my befriendee in Broadwell he’s doing well since his week in respite care in Gloucester, and his partner looked well too, I was with them chatting for a couple of hours.

Diamond Jubilee weekend and an early start for Nik and I to go over to Dan’s for a session, I went on the treadmill for 45 mins and then some Vibrogym work on my legs. Nik went on the new crossX bike and did all tracks/trails, we weighed ourselves I’ve lost almost another stone and so has Nik. We came home and took Matt and Ed to Scuttlebrook Wake where they both spent the afternoon. Andy and Kath called in to see us on the way back from Cher’s with Ed’s birthday card and present

Sunday was an awful day, it rained most of the day and we stayed inside for most of it watching the Royal Boat pageant on the Thames through London,’veggin out’ and not eating very much.

Monday we went up to the Jubilee celebrations going on near the shop in the village, the weather was a lot better today. The Jubilee concert outside Buckingham Palace was fantastic, there was a picnic/bbq on in the park in Blockley, Ed went over and met his mates, the concert was on, on a big screen and then they had fantastic fireworks which were just over the back of the house so we had a great view. Great day, & a lovely weekend.

Tuesday was the more formal events in London a thanksgiving service, lunch followed by carriage procession, we went to the Great Western for a champagne breakfast which was lovely we didn’t need to eat anything for the rest of the day.

Ed did some revision. I went to younger stroke group meeting in Cheltenham in the evening, it was good Tony did his Jubilant Stories as part of his role as convenor with Barnwood Trust.

Ed and I went over to Dan for a session and re-shoot of the video/ for the alter G with Charlotte, not a proper session however I did 20 minutes on the treadmill then sit to stand and some arm stretches on the elastics, stepping on and off squidgy cushion. Another rainy day, awful ‘summer’ weather.

w/c 11^th

Had my BP checked and all OK. Ed started his Year 10 GCSE’s or mocks we used to call them! Last session of community physio with Sandra looked at arm exercises, she told me about a former patient who had a Thera - trainer she wants to give away to another stroke survivor to use called her said I’ll go look at it.

Nik and I went over to see Dan, who wasn’t there, and was a tad disappointing, it was Dave, so did usual agility ladder work, some Vibro on my foot/leg, Nik did half hour on alter g. Dan from DM Orthotics was there to fit on my lycra arm sleeve, quite tight a bit like an evening glove.

Ed left school on Friday to do his bronze D of E expedition overnight to Symonds Yat, they got soaked and the teachers had to bring them in as the weather was so bad! We called in to see the lady with the Thera trainer and brought it home!

Nik did a 7 mile run training for his marathon, Ed and I cooked for Father’s Day, it was lovely, he did his own Eton Mess. I rang my Dad.

w/c 18^th

This week I am mostly doing Connect volunteer work!

I met my Connect younger stroke survivor in Moreton for a coffee, to see how he’s doing, where he’s up to with things.

I met with a new Connect stroke person today in Cheltenham, he is a fellow scally, quite entertaining as I couldn’t get up his stairs to talk he has a lift and we couldn’t find the remote! So I had to shout upstairs to talk to him. Afterwards I went on to Dan’s for a session, I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, sit to stand and stand to sit, and some Balance Master work.

Connect meeting in Cheltenham, we picked up Mikey in Winchcombe on the way, good meeting with some light hearted banter and discussions, called in at the hospital on the way home to see Julie and Andi but they weren’t there, said bye to some of the girls, as the stroke ward closes on 26^th.

Got my haircut and coloured on Friday, Ed was off school. Later in the day Nik & Ed drove up to Manchester to see Bruuuuuce Springsteen, they got great spots close to the stage and had a great evening after queuing for hours in the rain.

I went to see my Connect chap in Broadwell, he’s doing really, really well with his sit to stand and car transfers, they’d had a good day in the sun on Wednesday and he slept a bit whilst I was there.

Saturday was a bit of a chill day, as the boys didn’t get back ‘til 3am, we nipped to Cheltenham to do some shopping then to the hospital saw Andi who gave me some flowers to say thanks for my help with Connect work, saw Emma & said bye to some of the others.

Sunday and the boys did their marathon training, it rained a lot!

w/c 25^th

A lazy week this week, compared to last, did mostly crm stuff, long day on Wednesday drove to J R at Oxford to see neuro chap from OCE just as a check-up before going on holiday next week, he upped my Gabapentin as he agreed that the botox hadn’t worked too well.

Another visit to my scally chap in Cheltenham, followed by an hour with Dan and I did 40 minutes on the treadmill.

The rest of our week we were pretty much getting all stuff ready for our holiday – 10 days in Barbados with Charles and Ed.