Just a reminder to those who read this that while there is a lull in the frantic activity which the curveballs of life set in our paths there is an opportunity to visit here and enjoy a few days of R & R. I am not exactly a B & B but I do enjoy a visit from friends and that little interchange of ideas in conversation that reminds us we are all joined to the human race.

I have had a busy couple of weeks. The first week of the school holidays I spent down with Shirley and family. It rained a good deal but we fitted in a lot of activities. I came home and that night picked up a friend from the past, Vicky whose family we were very friendly with when we lived in Narrandera. We have renewed and strengthened our friendship through contact on Facebook. Vicky came up from Deniliquin by train for a winter beachside holiday. She has been on the beach most days, walking, picking up shells, just enjoying the sunshine and the sea air. Yes, we did have sunshine! We went around the junk shops and the antique shops as she and her Mum collect old glass and ceramics and we picked up a few things there. I just dropped her off at the station for her twelve hour trip home. I hope she feels the break away from everyday life has helped her destress and relax and refresh her spirit. We all need that.

I have just hit the "friendship funeral" time of the year. I have been blessed in Ray's stay in the nursing home with the friendship of a few of the other visiting wives and now have two funerals to attend this week. I guess it is inevitable that each journey will end. I will try not to get morbid but to look at each one as a fond farewell of someone whose life has briefly touched mine.

Ray is well, he had a slight accident on Saturday but only a bruised arm to show for it. Mum is also stable and sleeping on and off as usual. I have made the visits brief for the past week with Vicky here but will spend more time with them until the next "break" comes along. Ray likes to spend some time with me just sitting quietly now, I haven't quite got to the time of knitting while I am with him but as conversation fades I will maybe take in the local newspaper to read to him again or find some other activitiy to keep us busy. I'd like to do more with him but I don't think he has the energy or the brainpower now to do much. Those seizures have taken a toll on him.

For now I just have to get through the rest of winter. The respite we have enjoyed with the sunny days is not fooling me into thinking winter is over, I know it will be back soon. The garden needs an update and the potplants could do with some attention and there is all the usual house and yard work to do, so plenty to keep me busy. At least the days are lengthening out slowly now and I feel as if some of the blackness that winter brings with it is lessening. Winter does give me that "locked in" feeling when it is windy and wet.

I have been tired the last few days but I think it is just the extra activity that having a guest in the house brings. It has certainly been nice to wake up in the morning knowing there is someone else in the house to talk to, to do things with, to be a companion and provide conversation and new ideas. I have been quite lonely since Ray has been firstly in hospital and then in care and I know that is the way things are going to be. So a break with some company has given my spirits a lift too. I would like to get a pet, preferrably a cat but wonder if it is time for that now when I seem to have so much else on my mind.

One thing Vicky has inspired me to do is grow more in my garden, she and her Mum have always had a magnificent garden. They live in a semi desert area which can be both hot in summer and cold (frosty) in winter but have managed to create gardens with sheltered spots, sunny spots and microclimates that allow them to grow both temperate and some exotic fruit and vegetables. Both have become almost self-sufficient in providing fruit, vegetable and eggs which they swap with each other and their neighbours. It is food we all need to grow rather than depend on supermarkets to provide it for us. Fresh vegetables particularly are such an important part of our diet. And we don't know how long the foods we buy in the shops have been stored for until they get into the buyers area, do we?

I have certainly altered my diet since Ray has been in care and I am only cooking for myself to include more fruit and vegetables and less meat. I am on a low fat, dairy free diet due to inherited health problems. I never thought I would turn into a fussy eater but prefer to diet restrict rather than to take medication. I have seen what taking medication has done to Ray with every organ lessened in efficiency due to medication so I will remain medication free for as long as I am sensibly able to.

So I will clean, tidy and rearrange the house again and hope another unexpected guest will brighten my life.