Good news.

Hi everyone,

Sorry there was no post last night.  Truth is I was utterly knackered and slept for about 9 hours straight.

This morning I jotted a few notes for myself with tasks for today, the week and the longer term, and also established a game plan for the day with Little Sister.  I tackled the outdoor tasks - feeding the bull, walking the dog, bringing up firewood - that sort of thing.  Then, I went into the hospital to see mum and help her with the midday meal.

She's doing better than I'd expected.  Her speech is slurred a bit, and her mind does seem a little less sharp than usual.  Little sister's assessment of "like she'd had two glasses of wine on an empty stomach" is pretty well on the money.  She certainly has limitations with her arm and leg, but even that might go better than it appears.  In any case the nursing staff have send her down to rehab this afternoon so they must feel she can benefit from it.  One couldn't say she was exactly in good spirits, but she didn't seem to be in poor spirits either.  She did seem to have retained a degree of humour, and I think the best sign is that she's still as sharp as she used to be, allowing for her situation: I think if she lost her faculties, she'd genuinely despair.  Interestingly, she got especially animated when I showed her a number puzzle that mathematicienne Lily Serna shared on Facebook -

I should add that neither of us could work it out!  Anyway, that was the most animated she'd been, so after I left I went to Officeworks and printed some more of Ms Serna's puzzles in large easy-to-handle photo form to take to her.  Anything that perks her up!

She was getting tired by this point so I departed.  I should say that the hospital is taking very good care of her: the food is of a very good quality, and the nurses and PCAs seem very caring and diligent. It's good to know she's in good hands.

After I left I did a couple of errands in town (haircut and stopped in at the blood bank - they were able to slot me in for a plasma donation this afternoon).  While I was doing that I heard that little sister and dad had stopped in at the hospital too.  I went back out to the farm.

It's hard to get a read on how dad is faring.  When there's big shockwaves he has a tendency to stick to doing his usual this until he's had a chance to digest whatever it is.  I think that's what he's doing now, and so I'm keeping it practical and businesslike: he has enough to think about, and the best thing I can do is make sure he's warm, fed, and not feeling like he has to be Atlas supporting the world on rickety shoulders.

No more for now: it's late and I need some sleep.  Have a great day!