Well Monica, Ashley and I returned from holidays late last week and I began my rehabilitation routine for 2010. It has been great to have a break from the routine but I discovered that my body needs regular manipulation and movement in order to not rust and be thrown in the scrapheap! By the end of the holiday my shoulders were basically seized up and could barely move.
There were however some great achievements from our holidays from my perspective. It was wonderful to revisit the wonderful holiday home of my parents-in-law who worked for months to modify the home so I could stay and they did an amazing job. In addition to this they worked tirelessly to help me have a break from my regular care routine and be surrounded just by family. The best addition to their home was a custom-designed set of stairs which was about 40 cm deep and 10 cm high a step. This allowed me to walk from the ground level to the upstairs portion of the home almost independently using my sticks. It really was invigorating! In addition to this, with help from my brother-in-law Simon in particular we had regular trips to the beach where I walked on the sand and sat in a camp chair to watch the kids play in the water for hours upon hours. I even had a dip in the water myself on the odd occasion. This was not at all graceful but very pleasant nonetheless. A far cry from the long ocean swims and body surfing that I’m used to but I can’t complain.
The worst part of the holiday and the reason we need some cheering up is my poor wife Monica has come down with a severe case of pneomonia which she contracted just prior to Christmas. The truth is it has been coming on for some time because she has worked so tirelessly since my accident. We are doing whatever we can to help her get back on her feet so please feel free to send your best wishes to her. She is getting better and is certainly through the worst of it but needs to be careful for the next month at least. Trying to tie Monica down is probably the greatest challenge that I have ever had so please help me! If you see her out and about trying to knock off one of the 20 things she puts on her list every day please send her straight home. My mother is down with us at the moment which is fabulous.
On a lighter note please find a video clip below. With close friends of ours who have a daughter the same age we have a competition each year to buy each other the noisiest present. This year was hilarious as we both bought exactly the same thing for each other… a drum kit! Here is Ashley strutting her stuff and I think there is a real future there. Listen in particular for the crescendo!
Keep well,
Mike.