Ongoing life sometimes gets me down. The medical blahs occupied most of this week . There were some lighter moments as we had a trip to a bigger shopping centre after picking up the ultrasound results on Thursday and on Friday when Ray went to Scallywags I went out to lunch with a dozen people from our old church. It was good to catch up all their news and gossip and even though only half of us were there we each had some news of the others. I am still not feeling at home in our new parish but at least don't feel quite as alienated as I used to, mostly thanks to the other women who are part of the Craft group we attend on Tuesdays. Working together as part of a group does build a bond.

All the changes in life take some getting used to, even those full of excitement and happiness, like weddings and the birth of a new child. When changes occur there are bouts of grief along the way until what is new and different becomes the accepted norm. I guess all of life is about our ability to make adjustments and settle into new situations and not just the stroke recovery journey.

Our son rang last night to ask if he could bring himself and two kids over for morning tea as his wife had a hairdressing appointment and thought this would be an ideal time for him to visit his parents. It think he came over with some reluctance, he wasn't sure this was his idea of fun anymore. But No 2 son had to go to a hardware store so it was decided that Granma would take the kids to the park and the "boys", Ray and his two sons, would go to the hardware store. Well, this doesn't happen very often so it sounded like a good idea.

Must have seemed like a good idea to everyone but Alex who cried at the top of his lungs all the way to the park. But Granma walked around and around the park while his sister swung and played with a couple of kids who were there with their Dad. Then Sally, a little girl Tori used to play with in her last year before school came down to the park and so we stayed there for an hour and a half. Alex finally gave in and slept the last half hour or so. It was his first time sleeping under the play equipment with the noise of happy kids voices all around him.

We prepared a quick lunch for the returning family members including Tori's Mum who now has a shorter , fuller hair style, her first change since Alex was born ten weeks ago. I thought it made her look much younger and more vibrant. Or maybe that was because she was sitting relaxing in the beauty shop while Granma , Tori and Alex went to the park?. And although Ray decided not to go into the hardware store but sit in the car and read his book he too had done something he rarely does, have some time alone with his sons.

When Alex is much older and we walk down to the local park Tori and I will say to him:"Alex, we have been bringing you here since you were ten weeks old". So what we have been doing today is building new memories for us all.