The course

I'm in the midst of making some meatballs for dinner. Unfortunately I forgot to ask the Fox to get the minced lamb out of the freezer last night with the result it is only just softening now. Still, if I've not got them ready before, I can always get them done this afternoon. I've got to do something with my carer while the Fox does his course. Maybe she would appreciate a change from the norm & help make meatballs. It might constitute quite an adventure for her. She doesn't strike me as a person of wide interests, hardly any apart from her family.

The Fox is a bit undecided about his course. He is threatening to abandon it. The real problems seem to be a) 3 hour sessions are too long, & b) all the other carers seem to be coping with people with dementia & therefore have different needs. Today is supposed to be a more practical session dealing with such matters as lifting. One of the Fox's great worries is how to get me off the floor if I fall. He can't just get me on my knees as that is just too painful for me. He's hoping for a solution.

If this week is another disappointment he's contemplating abandoning the whole thing. It would liberate us to contemplate that weekend away before the winter sets in & the weather turns bad.

One thing the course does seem to have done is to make him realise for the first time that caring is more than just an extension of his husbandly role & his loving. He's also come to appreciate that compared to many people we are very lucky. We have always spent a lot of time together, sharing interests, preferring each other's company to other people's. I am still in a state to show my appreciation of his efforts & give him some feedback. I can still cooperate when he tries to lift me, rather than fight him or just be a dead weight. We can still get out & have a laugh. I can still do some things for myself (though I admit I sometimes do more than I should which is a cause of much anxiety for him). Life could be a lot worse.