Chapter 203 - Just Another Hill

I have difficulty motivating myself to record these notes. Don't know why. There seems less importance about matters now. We have both ticked off another birthday. There is insufficient time to apply to anything; perhaps that's because we have been busy doing whatever. She had been doing a lot of embroidery and quilting, and I digitising & embroidery prior to taking the van south for a "holiday" after attending my high school re-union, almost a non-event after the prior two when the event catered for my years. This time I may as well have mingled at a super market. This time though she was able to attend with me as I only went to the day gatherings, avoided the church service, on the October long weekend. I had decided that I would not coerce her into visiting relatives and friends. She was very uneasy about driving around either of the home towns north & south of the border; the round-abouts bothered her mostly. A drive up-river one day was most stressful for her; the narrow country highway, winding its way up & down hills terrified her. So for a fortnight we sat around the van reading, shopped regularly, bought her a lap top for her birthday. Actually on her birthday we drove down the 4 lane to an art & craft festival at the town where Henry Handel Richardson once lived. We discovered a no-frills fish & chip shop in one of the side streets so celebrated her birthday with large servings that only needed to be wrapped in newspaper to add a touch of nostalgia. For the whole fortnight we had pondered going down south to see the grandchildren; I had resigned myself to going home instead when she decided the day before we were due to leave that she was up to the trip. The drive was good until the western ring road where there was widening of the roadway, which meant narrowing during construction so by the time we reached the far end we were both very frazzled. Then I drove into the wrongly chosen van park, far too compact for us and scraped the van on a white guide post intended to keep slobs like me off their precious grass. We had intended to stay a week but she decided she needed to return north in off-peak conditions so I was given a refund for 2 nights & we departed on the next Sunday morning. However, we had two enjoyable mornings & a whole day & evening with the family; four grandchildren in various stages of coming & going to school, uni & what else. The Friday was a holiday for the local show. On returning to the border town she suggested having the scrape to the van repaired there rather than attend to it after we returned home. That turned out to be a good idea as it only took a few hours one day. In the week following our return home some rellies in town in their van visited each day so our holiday seemed extended further. So now we have returned to normal, although we both seem worn & frayed. She is not moving very well, I am not sleeping well. We have decided that the van will be sold. The confines of the van toilet cause her much stress adjusting her clothing and in attempting to get out of it; holding on for grim death around the doorway and the grab handles which are no longer as convenient as they once were. Interestingly though, the shower, the same size as the toilet room gives her little trouble, & we think that is because the glass panels & door allow her to see beyond & out so it is far less claustrophobic. This trip there was little discomfort & pain from her bed, as there has been in the past. I had put out the awning & annexe at the border so a lot of her time was spent there seated in her director's chair. Yesterday was her appointment to see the dentist I found for her several months ago. After an hour of examination & discussion the dentist (a woman, very competent) decided that she can probably treat her without hospital admission so the next appointment will be at the end of December. Meanwhile, a visit to the X-ray place for a jaw scan because the type available at the dentist's cannot cope with tremors what with things in her mouth. This morning has been the first time in many weeks that we both did a full session of exercise on the Wii. She found the van too constrictive for the Wii this time & in consequence we have both become somewhat lazy. Enough rambling.