Last time I wrote a blog I was still hopping around on a foot and a half, now I am back to walking on both feet and wearing some nicer shoes. Unfortunately the new skin blistered and now I have a whole other problem, sometimes you can't get anything right. I am just fillng in summer with some gardening, and extra tasks, this week it was attacking the cobwebs and just general tidying up. I don't feel a compulsion to do a lot, I am finally learning to pace myself., just maybe I am getting older and wiser at last....hmm. Besides it is still humid so easy to get tired.

We have had a few mild and sunny days, it has been really nice weather, heading for a scorcher next week but that is the Aussie summer for you and somehow it all forms the weather patterns we accept as being normal for this time of the year. The summer comes with the usual work, watering the gardens, pulling out grass along the picket fence at the top side of the house, working on the shrubs. Today I went to WAGS ( the stroke recovery group) and overheard one of the caregivers saying she had been to a seminar on roses and you have to feed them every six weeks and water them weekly, no wonder mine look like bean stalks and don't flower. Repeat : I must do better, I must do better.

Sadly one of our long term attenders, who used to be our photographer was resigning today, age, stroke damage and scoliosis has made sitting for long periods of time in hard chairs impossible and so he is curtailing his activities, he is only a year older than me so it is sad. We had three new couples join today, it is always the first meeting of the year that connects new members referred by their physio or their neurologist. We welcome all comers and it is good to have some younger ones come into the group. Anther young woman said she stroked three weeks after giving birth and she and her Mum were there. The baby is eleven months old now and Mum has moved in permanently to take care of her and the baby

I went to lunch with some of the group afterwards and spoke to a couple of the new people. I always like to hear the stories and feel that sometimes my listening to them helps in some way. One man seems stuck at the landslide caused by his strokes eight years ago. As sadly some do he lost his business, his wife and his family. Naturally he is bitter. I hate what happens to people through no fault of their own. Life is tough for some people isn't it? Another was telling me how far he had come since the strokes three years ago and said he had a feeling that things were turning around for him now. Such a contrast of emotions from the two survivors.

Another two funeral week coming up. People ask me if funerals make me sad, on the whole they don't, for me death is just the end of life. Neither of the people who's funeral I a going to are close relatives so I am only attending as a courtesy to the families, it is part of what I do in the church. I think of it as another form of pastoral care. But this is also Messy Church week so that is tomorrow afternoon and as usual will be a lot of noisy and boisterous fun with lots of kids and young parents enjoying the craft work and games. Me too for that matter as I have honorary Granny status with some of the kids. I love it, it lifts my spirits.

I was laughing today about Ray's cake addiction and telling another newbie survivor new to the WAGS group how the Scallywags used to pass what was left of the cake from their lunches down to Ray causing the fuss in the middle of the night after, with his diabetes out of control and other issues. It is good now that I can look back at that and laugh and it is not a serious issue any more, just another Ray and Sue story to tell. I guess that is true of all of the happenings now, the sting has gone out of them and they are just part of the way things were. For those reading this I want to say: enjoy life as you go along and you will always have happy memories to look back on. It is not easy to do, but it is worth it.