A Pleasant Saturday

First of all,Friday lunch was a complete success. Margaret's Garlic Prawns were perfect and I had oven baked dory, a local fish. There was a casual, no uniforms, bowls match going on which we enjoyed watching. The standard was pretty ordinary but there were sixteen ends in use playing mixed doubles so that is sixty four elderly people having a fun time.

Friday evening was quiet and we watched a repeat of and early episode of Midsomer Murders on TV. These old UK TV programs feature a lot during the silly summer holiday period. I always remember the plots but to Margaret everything is new. One of the few benefits of dementia.

On Saturday I cleaned out the kitchen cupboards where I found some things only six years out of date which is about time that Margaret's health took it's downhill dive which shows that she was probably a better house keeper than me. Apart from that and general clutter which I threw out they weren't too bad.

Margaret was playing on her computer and by chance actually managed to Skype my brother, A, in the UK. It must have been after midnight there. She had the volume of her computer turned down but called me and after a couple of minutes she had full audio and visual contact. They spoke together for about twenty minutes before A signed off. A was married to Margaret's sister, V, who died in July last year of Alzheimer's and other problems. He was telling Margaret about this but somehow Margaret now believes that he did not know that V had dementia. We were told by Alan about the diagnosis several years ago.

After vacuuming through and dusting I settled down to watch the Pro Tour Bicyle race in South Australia live. It started at 11.30 am and finished just before 3.30 pm. I really enjoyed it as the riders raced through areas of the Adelaide Hills which I cycled for several years as a tourist. It was great to see them racing up Old Willunga Hill which I have climbed on many occasions at about six kliometres an hour they were doing 20 to 25! The Australian World Champion Cadel Evens made a break oon the final climb but was caught and finished fourth. During the race I was using time shifting on our Hard Drive based Video Recorded so that I could pause the action to attend to lunch and Margaret's problems - mainly with the computer.

At one time she actually received a phone call from her friend K in South Australia who said he would phone back later, which he didn't, so he is now in Margaret's bad books again.

Dinner was one of Margaret's and my favourites, fish and chips, from the local Marina fish shop. It is tasty, reasonably priced and somebody else has cooked it.

Another evening was spent watching old UK TV programmes Wild at Heart and Hamish MacBeth followed by new programs of The Bill and Taggert. What could a man want. Margaret went to ed quite happy now I give her two paracetamol with her normal medication.

During the night Margaret had severe pains in her legs and was literally screaming with the pain. I think it was cramp so I gently massaged them and after more paracetamol she went back to sleep. She takes a medically prescribed Magnesium supplement to combat cramp which is caused by her diuretics leaching out minerals from her body and she has just had her Frusimide dose increased.

This morning she appears to be OK.

Later today we are going out visiting for the first time in eighteen months. Some friends of over thirty five years have just moved from a house in Buderim to a Retirement Village. Their old house was on the side of the escarpment overlooking the coast from Caloundra through Maroochydore upto Coolum. These are million dollar views but the house was built on a steep slope and had become too much for M and G to care for. Their new home is on flat land and M says that they have exchanged sea views for kangaroos. We are look forward to seeing them as they were the first people to visit us when we moved to the Sunshine Coast twelve years ago.