For all of you who have been praying, my heartfelt thanks but please don't stop! I need all your prayers to keep me afloat. Ray and I are going away on Tuesday to Cairns and I still have so many things to sort out, Ray's medications, our clothes and other needs to be packed and now another MAJOR problem..

Today I minded my three local grandkids while their parents went to look at a house they are interested in buying as they are really growing out of theirs. Ray and I gave up a couple of other things to do it but I figured they don't ask often so I like to oblige if I can. Wow, was Alex, usually the happy sunbeam, miserable today! It could be teething or a cold coming on or something unknown as yet but he mainly cried and threw tantrums. He kept telling me he was a big boy but didn't act it.

The other two were reasonable. Tori is going through one of those "trying to do my best" stages, probably the influence of her cub leaders and so she was "trying to be a good example, Granma". Actually she is a good girl mostly. I had her one day a week from six months old until she started school so we are good buddies. Which is why she is sleeping over here tonight, it is always a pleasure to have her here. And she will come to church wih us in the morning and join whoever is in Sunday school. I don't know if I am teaching or not, no phone call so far.

In the middle of the parents coming back to collect the two little boys and us all sitting down together and having a catch up the phone rings and it is the nursing home - Mum has had a fall! How? I asked. Seems she got up and went for a walk pushing her over the bed table/trolley as a walker, bumped into some furniture and down she went. No damage they said but we need you to come in and talk about some options.

I warned them this would happen. For the past eight years she has walked round and round the inside walking track of her Dementia lodge, round and round and round. We did sixteen rounds one day without her even catching her breath, for 90 she was fabulously fit. So she falls and breaks her hip and all the specialists say this is the end and she will not walk again - oh yeah? The nursing home physiotherapy aides had her up walking with a high arm walker yesterday. Today her brain kicked in and off she went by herself - no stopping her now, pushing her trolley instead.

So I finally got to see the person in charge of her section about 3pm while Trev, who had been away most of the day, watched Ray and Tori. And it is the same old rubbish: "we can't watch her around the clock, we have others to see to, we are short staffed" etc. They would like my permission to restrain her. Well no, I am not giving my permission, this is supposed to be a safe place remember? It was the nursing home's choice to take her, knowing she has dementia etc and put her in the general section NOT the dementia section so now they want to restrain her? No, no, no.

Keeping in mind I can't get a review over the weekend as all the staff who need to form a judgement are off, and she will be up and about tomorrow I didn't know what to suggest. In the end I suggested letting her sleep where she is and sending her to the dementia section through the day until something else can be worked out. No sense in taking no action and then having her break the other hip. They don't want to be accountable but they surely will get to be if something happens to her under their care. We paid a large bond for her to be in continuing care so we get what we pay for.

I knew she would walk again, she is a tough little person, my little bright eyes, but I just didn't know she would do it so soon. And this afternoon as MY reward she said my name. Looked me in the eye and said: "Sue" as clear as a bell. First time in about two years. Wow.