19th March 2011:

A while since I've been online here, sorry about that. Much to report, and mostly good. Simon is now several weeks into the Springboard programme in Adelaide, and has successfully passed his probation period there, so he can stay with them for up to 3 years. The programme is run mainly by volunteers and involves lots of group sessions. Simon finds some of these a bit humdrum e.g. they often have a session where they pat a balloon across the table to each other! However, this is interspersed with valuable speech therapy and physio. It is a very long journey for him, so we have decided to just go on one day each week. We go to a local sports physio twice per week, and he is making good progress there.

Last week Simon gave his second speech at Flinders University to the Speech Pathology students. He did really well and we received some wonderful feedback from the students. He is going to be a regular guest speaker for them from now on. Next week, Simon, Matthew and I will give a seminar at Flinders Business School, this will be an important milestone, and we hope that it will launch Matthew's research into a new phase.

We have had a great harvest of squash, tomatoes, peppers, and chilis. I am now trying to persuade some carrots and beets to grow. My neighbour, Maria, advises me about the moon-cycles which give an indication of the best times to sow seeds. This may be where I have been going wrong in the past.

My sister, Margaret, set off on a cruise holiday today to Japan!! I hope that they will be safe. They are very good travellers, but even so, when you are stuck on a ship there are not so many options. However, Margaret is the type of person who would wrest control of the ship and turn it around by herself if necessary. I fully expect to see her steaming up the Torrens with a jolly roger at the mast, wearing an eyepatch and shouting "Arrhharrr, Jim lad...."

Our air conditioning is broken, and is going to be horribly expensive to repair. Luckily, we have not had a hot summer and so we have managed without. I will need to repair it because the same system also gives us heating in the winter. Simon needs heating because he is not able to move around enough to keep warm.

We bought a new PC and this is helping Simon a lot. I am trying to set up narrator and want to get some dragon speak software. Anyone used this? Any good? Next week, I will give my first live on-line tutorial - very scary but I want to crack the technique. We still have limitations, because Oz broadband is underdeveloped at best we have ADSL, not even at the speeds we were getting in the UK five years ago. There is a national plan to improve this but it has been contentious and many delays. I am involved in a project to deliver an MBA with a regional/rural focus, and I desperately want to get the online stuff working well. My poor long suffering undergraduate students are the victims of my experiential learning. Don't worry, I will look after them, even if I have to replicate the tutorial physically each week.

Skippy caught a mouse recently. He strutted around the house triumphantly for many days.

We feel blessed to be in this part of the world that is so untroubled. Even other parts of Australia have been terribly damaged this year, and it has been terrifying to watch that happening. I don't know if prayers help, but I keep trying.

Lots of love, Marian

4th February: Start of Springboard programme

Simon began his new rehab programme on Wednesday. We have to travel into the City for this, and here he is having survived the first day. We went into Rundle Mall to pick up his beloved watch - he is showing off the new strap.

Simon goes to the Springboard programme twice a week - a long journey for him, so next week I have booked us into the youth hostel for the night so that he doesn't have to travel so much. We will see how that goes.

The first day at Springboard I was permitted to stay and participate, but they made it fairly clear that this was an exception and after that Simon has to attend on his own. They are a jolly bunch of people, very positive, and I can see him getting on well with them. They did give him a bit of grief about wearing his hat indoors. They wanted to take it and put it in a cloakroom. Simon never lets his hat out of his sight, and he stood his ground. Quite right.

I have been back at work, teaching and dealing with the supplementary assessments. Now it is time to get ready for the new semester. We have a number of new research students starting and they all need a bit of attention, but hopefully the other students will help them to settle in. A lot of them are from overseas and a long way from home.

We managed to find a decent paver 'Dave the Pave', and he spent last week relaying our patio, and the driveway. It had got very wavy which was not great for Simon's safety. He did a great job. He also removed a flower bed and paved over it which has upset Skippy who was accustomed to using this flower bed for his morning constitutional. Each day he goes out, looks at the new pavers and sniffs them, in the hope that somehow his treasured flower-bed will be restored. The first photo shows him stretched out in the middle of what used to be the flower-bed. Note our wheelchair accessible vehicle in the background (it is a monster and I am still learning to drive it).

Many thanks for the birthday cards for both of us. I had some lovely presents, including a luxurious pair of pink Ugg slippers. Reet cosy.

Love to all,

Marian x

January 13th: Simon's big trip to the City

It was Simon's birthday yesterday. After unwrapping presents, we headed off to the City for our first overnight stay in a swish hotel, the Crown Plaza in Adelaide. We went to the cinema and watched "The King's Speech"; Simon was able to relate to the subject of that story and we both felt inspired by it. We had a good day out. It is challenging to stay away from home even in the best hotel, but we learned a lot and will know more the next time.

I am amazed by Simon's courage and his ability to engage people even with limited communication. I found him in a record shop this morning, he had the owner turning over his entire collection looking for rare R&B material; we spent thirty minutes in a cafe and the owner exchanged personal email addresses with him because he wants to talk more about further education; everywhere we go, people love Simon. I think they always did, but he didn't feel it. Now he does, and he appreciates all of your good wishes. Thank you so much for all of the video messages on facebook (and thanks to the genius Asher). We were in tears. It was so good to see you all.

I am teaching tomorrow, a postgrad course on Negotiations. Am tempted to go in with a single powerpoint slide stating: "Split the difference", but I have to make it last three days so must make it more complicated... In truth, I have some fiendish stuff lined up for them and my assessment plan is entirely reflective (Tom, you taught me well and we love you).

Love Marian x

January 3rd: Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all, let us hope that 2011 will bring more luck and one or two changes of government. We have worried about you all struggling with the snow and ice in Europe. I remember it happened last around 1985, Elm Grove was like a black ski-slope for weeks. However, the following year was excellent for gardening because all the pests had been weakened.

We are having a coolish summer which is the result of La Nina. Some days we are boiling in 35 degree heat and then it switches to 18 degrees. The cricketers are baking one minute and rained off the next. The Ashes series is in the final test stage now and it is very nerve-wracking. Ponting has gone out injured. The English bowlers look very menacing especially with the sticky wickets which seem to suit their style.

Simon is on a break between rehab programmes and we have been managing by ourselves using a local physio. He is making good progress and I can see a time when he will walk again. Tomorrow we are going into Adelaide in our new wagon - this is actually a very old Ford Falcon that will take the powered wheelchair in the back. Simon has to sit in the front seat. It is a tricky operation and so we are doing a practice run tomorrow with the help of my nieces. Next week we will try the run by ourselves. We have booked into a nice hotel for Simon's birthday and plan a good shopping trip (many CDs to buy). I start teaching again on Jan 14th which seems all too soon.

For Christmas, I got a pasta maker. This is brilliant. The first attempt was a bit messy, flour everywhere, and it took both of us (me feeding the machine and Simon cranking the roller), but it was fun, and really delicious. The quantities are a problem, 100gm of flour to one egg, but this feeds at least four people. How to arrive at half an egg is the difficulty. We have masses of tomatoes and courgettes, so heaps of tasty sauce.

Simon has a new home-brew beer kit which is bubbling away in the music room. He plans to invent his own flavoured beer and serve it up to the neighbours from a bar in our garage along with plates of pasta - Simon's Trattatoria!

Skippy has recently been menaced by flocks of cockatoos in the morning. Big white birds that screech for a living. This morning he fled indoors and hid for several hours. Simon is more worried that the cockies will eat our tomatoes but I think they are more interested in the peach crop nextdoor.

Sorry that we didn't get Christmas cards out to everyone this year. We do think about you all and hope that you will stay in touch.

Much Love, Marian x

December 7th 2010

I think it is just a year since Simon came home from the hospital. People say that time flies. This time it is the opposite. We have struggled through every day. Pleased to say that it has been worth it. All of the things that I was warned about: falls, injuries, bedsores, infections, depression, pain. These have happened. Simon has dealt with all of it, and he is coming through like a real trooper. Some of you knew he would and we thank you for your encouragement.

We finished with the BIRCH team last week, and have to wait to begin with Spingboard in the city in January. In the meantime I have hired a private physio for Simon and she has been fantastic. She has been working on Simon's arm where everyone else had ignored it. I asked him to put his arm out and move a cup yesterday - with massive effort, and mainly from the shoulder he managed to move the cup. This is priceless. Some of you may remember the post where I reported that Simon had asked for his arm to be amputated.

Simon has started to listen to some talking books that Dave sent a while ago. They are all set in Brighton so he has been reminiscing about all of his old haunts. I wonder if any of the old haunts are still going? We know things have been very bad in the UK and hope that the good pubs have survived. At least the Bugle.

We were so sad to hear about Mike Barber. I can only smile when I think of him. I hope he goes to heaven.

Then we heard about Gerry, and we just know that you guys are looking after Trish. We send our love and our prayers.

Marian xx

1st November: Simon's first lecture

Simon gave his first public lecture since his stroke today. He spoke in front of around 40 speech pathology students at Flinders University on the subject of 'Living with Dysphasia'. You can see him pictured here with his speech pathologist, Kate Elliott, who has helped him to get this far. It was a wonderful speech, and the students gave him a sustained round of applause. Simon aims to write this up for a good journal. I am so proud of him.

There are quite long spaces between blogs now because our lives are so busy. Simon is about to graduate from the BIRCH programme at the end of November. Next he will start with the Springboard programme in the City, and we are looking forward to this next stage.

The powered wheelchair has gone back for some adaptations and to be covered in 'racing vinyl'. Then it will be his for keeps. It has been great for Simon to get around by himself. He can manage trips up to the village by himself, and is getting ready to go further afield. Jeremy, from the Royal Society for the Blind, is going to come back a couple of times to try out new routes, and maybe try access to various forms of public transport into the City.

We have opened talks with UniSA about return to work plans. They have moved Simon's School to Mawson Lakes (four hour round trip from McLaren Vale) so we need to have serious discussions about that. Simon will be in the City at least once per week for his Springboard programme, so I am hoping that UniSA can arrange office space for him at a convenient place in Adelaide.

Meanwhile, I have been working my socks off. So much marking I must be a markswoman by now. Only a few more weeks and I will be able to take a break; need one. I long to sit under a tree and read a good book from start to finish. I still read a lot, but in snatches. Most recently, I read 'The Winter of Frankie Machine" by Don Winslow (this was good), also Damian McDonald "Luck in the Greater West" which might have been less confusing had I known anything about the suburbs of Sydney. My favourite recently was Willy Vlautin "The Motel Life" of which the last two lines are "I hoped. Because hope, it's better than having nothing at all." For all you Hammers fans.....

There are snakes about in the Vale just now - waking up looking for a bite to eat. Skippy is on full alert. Luckily, there is quite a large population of frogs nearby (amphibians, you understand) and the snakes should get a good feed on those. There was a brown snake spotted in the garden of the house opposite us. By the time news of this reached us it was reputed to be 4 inches thick and eight feet long. A bit like those giant spiders that chase English tourists through the botanic park every year.....

Love Marian x

4th October: Marathon Backgammon

We had a lovely long weekend. I can't remember the reason for this week's public holiday (Queen's birthday maybe? Gaud bless her) but am very grateful for the day's rest. We had Blake visiting Friday/Saturday, he is the wonderful guy that loaned us his Grandad's wheelchair. We were so inspired by Blake; he is four years on from a massive brain injury. Now at Uni, he is developing into a very special man.
Saturday was taken up by the Australian Rules footie final (replay after an unprecedented draw the previous Saturday). Simon and I were pulling for St Kilda. This is a bit like supporting West Ham, and you might guess the result. Thrashed by around 60 points. They were robbed!
In the beautiful spring weather, Simon and I are living in the back yard. We spent Sunday playing backgammon. The last time we played, I could beat him so easily that I would let him win occasionally. This time he walloped me 6-Nil ! Always a bad loser, I insisted on playing on until nearly dusk, eventually prevailing at 7-6. But in truth, you cannot imagine how delighted I was at being beaten hands down in that first session. Our man is back.
We have been testing Simon's new power chair for the last ten days. He is great at driving - really accurate. My efforts at driving it leave large dents in the wall. The chair does need some further adaptation and will need to go back for modification, but we are nearly there. I have had my spanners out and made some elementary improvements.
We completed another paper this week. This was the write-up from Simon's keynote in 2009. Simon is making progress with the powerpoint that he is going to present to the speech pathology studens at Flinders.
Many congratulations to Stephen Pantlin and his wife on the birth of their little one. We hope that you enjoy every precious moment.
Tonight, my thoughts are with Sucheta. I am sending you an electronic hug, my friend, and next time I see you I will smother you with a real one.

Much love, Marian xx