It's been 2-3 days since I last blogged, so better late than never.

Friday Jules and I drove from home to Melbourne (1 hr 15 min and about 90km) so I could hav my first real mtg with a bloke from the Monash Epworth Research division which is doing a study into ppl with brain injury like yours truly, and it revolves around two areas: sleep and fatigue.

I saw the bloke concerned with sleep, and as I have a dreadful sleep pattern (most nights I get 3-5 hours of interrupted zeds) I was a natural. We discussed the whys and my goals, and arrived at possible reasons for my poor sleep:

..Active mind.

..I go to sleep with my radio on (ear plugs).

..I have on average one wee trip.

..Maybe a lack of proper exercise.

..The unknown effect of my 3 strokes.

..My habit of generally falling asleep in front of TV most nights for 30-60 minutes, and this recharging my batteries so that I remain awake or Ng after Jules has gone to sleep.

So.....can't do much about the active mind and the effect of strokes. But I can play a role in the others, so I have resolved:

..Not to use my radio ear plugs when I go to bed.

..To have my medication earlier at night, and not to drink too much water when I take them (currently I have the medication around 11 pm followed by a full glass of water). Hopefully this will prevent the toilet trips.

..To examine my exercise regime and to formulate a more effective one following my appointment with the Monash-Epworth phys ed examiner.

..To instruct Jules to poke me in the ribs each time I nod off in front of TV, and maybe try afternoon naps to see if they help stop my habit each night.

It all sounds so simple. But when Adam, the researcher, drew an image/diagram showing my poor sleep habits as a central circle, with each of the 6 potential reasons as to why my sleep habits are so poor as smaller circles radiating from the central circle I wondered why it was that I had been so stupid as to not see the "WHY" myself!!!!!!!

Anyhow, I am seeing Adam in about a fortnight, and between now and then I am keeping a sleep diary to track whether my sleeping is getting better, remaining the same, or getting worse.

I have set several goals:

..To try to achieve 6-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night.

..To stop falling asleep in front of TV each night.

..To no longer use the radio and ear plugs.

Now I have to also have to undergo a stress test with the phys ed researcher and try to end (well, at least lower) the degree to which fatigue affects my every day life. The physical fatigue is a whole lot worse than the mental fatigue, which doesn't affect me anywhere near as much.

Apart from all the above, life continues as per usual. The Kyneton Farmers' Market was today, so Jules and I went, with Jules buying three trees and some grasses. We subsequently went to the supermarket and purchased food as Jules wants tandoori lamb cutlets for dinner.

I've lit the fire as it is again cold, and our next door neighbour has been in as she returned from Bali this morning. She was lucky, as Australian operators Virgin and Jetstar cancelled their flights due to volcanic material in the atmosphere....but the operator she chose - Garuda, the Indonesian airline, flies through anything no matter the danger!!!!

And last night our football team, the Adelaide Crows, won its match against higher rated Richmond....so the team is back in the top eight again.