some good weather at last.

had some nice weather for a few days. made the most of it when builders allowed/turned up.

Joan's progress is painfully slow. That said she should make some strides forward now they have finally listened and changed her blood pressure tablets from a double dose in the morning to one morning and afternoon. They are hoping to send her home in a few weeks. The Quantock hills are very beautiful but when you drive over them twice a day, everyday, they start to lose their appeal.

Turning our living room into a hospital ward. Also having a summerhouse built for some living space for me.

I was on the radio a couple of weeks back. They were talking about how to get woman to come forward in rape cases. Should they keep their identities secret even if their case fails. I had actually rang on an associated topic but gave them my thoughts.

What I rang about was a comment a senior police officer had made after yet another high profile individual had been acquitted. This man was a Deputy Speaker in our House of Commons. He is also gay. A number of complaints were made against him. He was subject to the usual vilification in the press and lost his job. All before he was tried. Back to the senior policeman. In his comments after the case he said it was right to bring it even if some of the witnesses hadn't realised they had been abused at the time the offences occured. Did that meant they did a trawl of the man's former lovers and convinced some that they had been abused? A bit disturbing that. On the day of the verdict the politition received lots of messages of support, some, it turned out, were from some of his accusors.

Oh. My comments on the other thing. There is a statute of a blindfolded woman on top of a building in London. She holds a set of scales in one hand. They are level.

Pics from recent walks.

me once

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he is in it now

we went to Gold Corner after topping off to brief one of my brothers on Joan's progress. Movement is slowly coming back into her left hand and leg.

we went for a walk for forty mins. I knew I have a busy day ahead with Mick the builder and hospital visit. Not that Mick has turned up.

We had our walk and were returning to the little swing gate into the carpark when Pluto decided he hadn't had enough. It took nearly an hour for me to get him to come back. He may have to go. I can do without this extra stress.

and the waters lay over the land

I haven't been feeling much like writing recently but just felt the need today.

The waters are slowly receding. I live on a hill so was spared the worst. There are still some villages only accesable by specialist vehicles. The people living there have lived through a nightmare for three months or more. Now they have to start returning to whatever there is left of their properties. The blame game has been going on for a couple of months now. The experts justify on the blackboards how dredging isn't the cure. It isn't, after twenty years of not doing it. Had they been doing it these last twenty years the impact of the weather would have been reduced.

Joan is making steady progress. Can waggle a thumb now. Not much you might say but we see it as a great step forward. It should be two to three months before they contemplate sending her home. But because of Government austerity measures they will try to send her home earlier.

Pluto and I still take at least one walk each day. He is going through a disobedience stage. He's twenty months old which is probably the rebellious teenager stage of his life. Ran off in the field we were walking in yesterday morning. I tried to coax him back for a while. Then I left him and went back to my car and had a coffee I had bought from the snack van. he still wouldn't come back so i had a little nap. I then went back into the field and dropped some smelly dog treats in an Hanzle and Gretel trail. He followed them, munching. He was so intent he didn't notice they led to my feet. Captured. Stern words were had.

Some pics.

a move for Joan.

Joan was moved yesterday to a more specialised unit for stroke patients. there has been a slight improvement in her condition but it will be many months before she is fit to come home.

Pluto is staying with my eldest daughter for a few days to give me a break. He is having a great time. I have to pick him up this afternoon on my way to the hospital, in a small town called Williton.

The saga of my new Patio and door continues. it started in the first week of Dec and is still going on. The Scalpings and membrain were delivered yesterday. they have been laid and spread respectively. I received a half promise that all the work will be finished by the end of next week or the week after. I'm not holding my breath.

The waters still lay on the land around here. I have missed the flooding but did lose the fence between myself and a neighbour.

A bit wet

It was cold, wet and windy. But we ventured out. Not for long it's true.

Joan had another small bleed at the weekend. We think it was because a consultant from the Stroke Unit breezed in on Friday whilst she was in the middle of her evening meal. Gave her a cursory examination and pronounced that she was a suitable candidate for moving into another unit further away from home. She was very worried about this. We think the extra stress may have caused a mini-stroke. The consultant is off sick at the moment. I hope to speak to him one day soon.

A slow progress

Not a lot of change in Joan's condition. Or maybe it is because I see her everyday and it would take something major to register with me. All the medics seem pleased with her progress.

Pluto is well. Not had the results from the Vet's yet but the spot has disappeared. So looks like he is cured.

Large areas where I live are under water. Years of neglect of the drainage system. Trying to justify the current position by computer modelling. For hundreds of years the water levels were managed by keeping drainage ditches cleared and rivers dredged. Then, thirty years ago, somebody decided they no longer needed doing.

Fortunately I live 72 feet above sea level so hopefully the waters won't rise this high. If they do half the country if not the world will be flooded. More rain forecast for at least the next two weeks.