Newcastle

Today has been pretty cruisy. I had a bit of a sleep in, minded Janelles kids for a bit, then headed in to see the doctor. I was showing the doctor photos of my breast blister off my phone, but there were photos from a dinner I had with my cousin Anthony and his girlfriend Erin at the Terrace Restaurant, right in the middle of my gorey wound photos. Fortunately he saw the funny side of it! The nurse told me I was doing a good job with my blisters and the older one especially is looking very good. The others show no sigh of infection, but I've been put on a second course of antibiotics in case. Manageable, but a drama I didn't need on this trip. I have also found my dressings of my feet aren't laking so bad since I read the packet and put the dressings on the right way!

Love this room!

One of the first thing I noticed about this house when I arrived yesterday was the bathroom. I love it! It's kind of rustic, but with the blue paint it looks really fresh and modern. I really want a free standing bath, but I think it would be a bit of a logistical nightmare....


I forgot to mention Craig (I hope I've remembered that correctly)  yesterday. I stopped off at Young to get my subway, and there was a man there fixing trailers. He offered to help me, but when I said I was ok, he went back to what he was doing. When I went to leave, he came over again and we had a nice chat. I was thinking as I left how some people might find it an inconvenience or waste of time, but I find it is these experiences that make for an interesting trip. Its not just the places you go. The people you meet are such a big part of the experience. I gave his the address for my blog, so hopefully he gets to read this.

Diesel

I was in the kitchen today, being watched by the dogs Diesel and Lexie (english masstif cross neopolitian). I turned around are moved towards the door and Diesel started back peddling! It was so funny, this massive dog was so scared of my chair!



I realized something this morning talking to my sister Ellie. I have made a big deal the last 4+ years about still being the same person, and that I can still do all these things I used to be able to do. It was recently brought to my attentin that one of my own siblings didnt understand that I use a hot water bottle because my body can't maintain a regular temperature by itself, not that I was soft and couldn't be bothered to dress myself properly. On this track of thought, it occured to me that when I mentioned to Ellie in passing about my having a cold, she probably didn't realize exactly what that meant. For me, a simple cold can be a major pain. Because of my paralysis, I have reduced muscle capacity in my abs and diaphram, making coughing difficult. I often have to physically push my stomache to assist myself to cough properly to clear my lungs. It makes coughing rather awkward while I'm driving....
 I did say something to her about it, but even as I did, I felt like I was making a big deal out of nothing. I've created this problem for myself where my brothers and sister treat me the same as before, which I love them for, but it does mean when I do need help, sometimes they just see me being lazy because , well, I did say I could do it myself!!

I have included a photo of my newcastle family for you all...

Katherine, Beau, Ruby, Janelle, Leon, Stephen, Anika, Demiah.