I can't believe we are going into our second week of February! It HAS been a busy time here, but even so....
Things seem to be going okay with the Implant - although it will never be a fast enough process for me. I am still hearing new sounds from time to time - I can make out different birds now (now I need to identify which species they are!) and hearing more sounds around the house, but speech is slow to progress, due to the complex nature of the sound. I can hear the 's' and 'ch' sounds fine, its the other frequencies I'm finding harder - though I think I'm probably hearing more than I realise. I must take more time to practice 'listening' - I've been told that listening books are a way to go.
Why have things been hectic here? Well, we had mum here for the Festive Season but she passed out during a party I had here on 2nd January. She ended up in the local Cottage Hospital whilst I frantically converted the dining room into a bedroom for mum so that she could access everything on the one level. (it was a deep green paint - walls and radiator! - hastily painted magnolia). Sadly mum passed away in her sleep in the early hours of the day she was due to be discharged. Mum IS sorely missed, but I'm glad that she is now free from her failing health and increasing breathlessness of recent months - very frustrating for such an independent woman. She had her first heart attack 25 years ago - and nearly died of multi-organ failure in 2006 - so she was really living on borrowed time. A tough cookie she was! We did have a lovely Christmas and New Year with mum - and I can still picture the look of joy on her face when I could hear the birds for the first time! I do believe that her legacy lives on in the rest of us, with the skills that she taught us, her values, humour and care and concern for others - and will surely be passed on for generations to come. It was a lovely day for the Funeral and I managed to do a Reading - may mum rest in peace.
So its been a roller-coaster of a few months for me - really since packing 6 weeks before moving house, then unpacking before the admission for the CI 10 days after the move, then Christmas and New Year, then mum....I'm looking forward to a quiet 'routine' for a change! I'm not one to sit still though, and have started decorating our new home. My wee girl's room is just about finished - she's gone from being a 'pink' girl to a 'blue' one (in colour - not mood!). My bedroom is next on the list - I'm using the bedroom as a 'tester' - if I like the colour enough I will use the same colour for the living room. Once that is done - it will be time to sort out the acre of garden!
We're really loving our new home though - it's a beautiful part of the country. I really must get taking some photos. I don't even need to venture far to see the wildlife - I have plenty of birds visiting from the usual sparrows and chaffinches, blue, coal and great tits, to siskins, gold finches, a pheasant, dove, and woodpecker. There are also birds of prey in the countryside nearby. I'm looking forward to more bike rides and walks when I get a spare moment!
What amazes me is the resilience of my wee girl - she'll be 7 in April. Either she is just taking everything in her stride - she's has had just as much to cope with the move, new School, me in hospital, Christmas/New Year, then 'granny' - or else she's keeping it all to herself. I do get frustrated that I can't have an 'easy' chat with her - being so dependant on lip-reading and not always getting it right. It has to get easier one day...
So there you have it. Hopefully I'll now have more time to ponder, listen, take life at a more leisurely pace rather than 'crisis management'! Who knows what my next blog will bring...
14 years ago
