2010 in Pictures

                                               
 2010
February
My first trip abroad.
Berlin via Amsterdam.

Thank you Hullah Tours

                                                       
April 3rd
I was humbled to receive a specially minted Knaresborough Maundy Coin to celebrate the 800th giving of the first coins in 1210 by King John in Knaresborough.
My citation was for "Services to Knaresborough Players and the Frazer Theatre including spearheadingPhase 1 of the development of the project, and continued fund raising"

October 10th
                                                                          Celebrating our eldest son's wedding.                                                 

                                                                          A perfect week-end

New Years Eve

Celebrating the New Year with a 1920's party.



Birthdays and Christmas

Birthdays at our house fall in late Autumn. The year that this happened, my father would be 91 and my husband 60.

I had planned a party for the 60th, but this was cancelled. My family came home for the week-end for low key celebrations. What a change - no partying!!!

My father had moved into a residential home during the spring and this meant that he was now well cared for. I had visited him every 2/3 weeks at "our house" prior to this move. It didn't stop me feeling as though I should see him more often, but I now couldn't drive and relied heavily on my husband.
Week-ends for us was a catch up of things that were left during the week and to prepare for the following week.
So we didn't get across as often as I would have wanted or liked.

We asked our family to make alternate arrangements for Christmas which they duly did. It felt peculiar not to have anyone around but it was the first and only time that this occurred.

My husband and I travelled to the residential home to spend time AND Christmas lunch with my father, sister and her husband. A complete but very welcome change for us.

Adjustments to be made

The first few months continued to be one of development .

Eventually, I could manage the noise levels in M & S and the like, but could not manage crowds and people walking in front and around me.

Our families live across the Pennines, some 50 miles away and this was a journey of winding roads. We didn't get across as often as we would have liked, but when we did I found that I couldn't manage this journey, one that we had done countless times over the previous 21 years.
The twisty roads and the car headlights all seemed to affect my head and so we had to take the straight road, the M62!! Was there no end to what was affected?

A very good friend  invited me to her evening wedding reception which would be "a grand affair", sadly we declined as at that time I couldn't face the crowds and noise.

Eventually, after persevering, I found that I could travel upwards on an escalator, downwards came much later.

The only shower that I could safely manage was in the loft, so we re-fitted our house bathroom to incorporate a shower cubicle.

Steps at the back of the house proved challenging and so these too have been altered.

Minor and major adjustments were made to allow me to live an ordinary life.

Initial Weeks at Home

My physio at hospital began on 24th September 2009.
This is still  "work in progress" and the physio, to me, seemed to be systematically opening up muscles to get them working again. I would do work at home in between to try and keep the momentum going.

My teeth had also been affected as had my taste. I had two visits to the dentist to make sure that all was in order. Thankfully no problems were identified, but even now I am careful to chose from a menu wisely, instead of having what I perhaps would really like.

I  had regular checks with my G.P. for the first two or three months. This also served as the re-assurance that I sought.

My husband and family would take me to places for a change of scenery. We firstly tried Marks and Spencer's in Harrogate. Lunchtimes there seemed to be very busy as well as being a creche for new mums. I found the noise suffocating and asked to leave. Stores seemed so busy and overpowering and I couldn't handle this, mmm this had been the norm previously.

Eventually, it was time for me to be alone at home. (Family returned home and husband now back at work.) My husband would oversee my washing and dressing and leave a sandwich for my lunch and everything to hand.  Friends would call around and I also had all their phone numbers. We tried to cover for every eventuality.
Simple things like re-positioning the kettle made a huge difference.

The routine that was now the daily norm was vastly different. We would plan meals and my husband would try and prepare tea - courtesy of the slow-cooker. He seemed to accept all of this as the norm: uncomplaining and just accepted his new roles.

I have recently heard a stroke described as a punctuation mark in life - yes - a full stop. Perhaps that is too harsh, maybe it's more of a comma, but for a very long pause.