Sunday 19 February 2012

Soulmates

On February 14 Caroline  and I donned fine clothes and headed for a local classy restaurant to celebrate Valentine's Day and our 24th wedding anniversary. We suspended our temporary ban on flowers and I had a nice arrangement made by local Best of Buds Floral complete with chocolates and champagne. We had a fine evening complete with flaming Sambuca prawns, which we have since reproduced at home, fire extinguisher at hand.

I am back on a strengthening path again after my bout with Croup which continues to linger a bit. I have been disappointed that my recovery trajectory has not been a straight line, but instead stutters along in fits and starts. Nonetheless, I am told that I am on a good path, and my blood counts continue to be strong, so I have learned to accept it. The cards, prayers and emails keep giving me a boost, and I am grateful.

Our 13 year old family cat Rupert has developed diabetes. I had little patience for him before, but when he got into a routine of drinking and peeing every 2 hours, I realized that we had more in common than I had previously thought. He is now on insulin and we keep each other company in the day. He is a good role model for loafing around.

Our daughter Zoe is visiting from Kelowna for reading break, providing that youthful exuberance to the household. Jason is still studying in Montreal and we will be seeing him in the spring. For now we have long animated Skype calls that include Rupert pawing at the screen.


Sunday 5 February 2012

February Update

It has now been 6 weeks since I was discharged from hospital and time to update the Recovery Blog. I am impatient to return to my normal activities and have hit a plateau. I am now recovering from a bout of Croup, a coughy, wheezy cold usually affecting infants. When one is operating at 50% and then loses 10 or 20% it sucks, but that is behind me.


photos courtesy of Kathie Edwards
Earlier, Caroline and I had a wonderful time at the January Blues event at Belle's with over 90 people including local doctors and their  partners, and some new faces, too. The organizers (Connie, Liz, Kathie, Lisa, Jennifer, and others) did a terrific job of bringing people together and continuing to build that strong sense of community and support that has long been part of S.Surrey/White Rock.

Also briefly attended the retirement sendoff for Michael McBryde, a visionary in Seniors and Residential Care, who will be sorely missed.

I had to miss the Ride to Survive "spin and inspire" day because of my cold,  but we continue to support each other in the journey to overcome adversity. As the weather improves, hope to get outside on the bike  more.

Current reading is the biography of Steve Jobs, that quirky genius that changed the way we interact with our world. People ask how I otherwise pass my time these days: "Some days I sit and think, and other days I just sit".