A Pleasant Visit

Roberto Matta. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

Today began cold, in fact because of cold that I woke up; Richie agreed and immediately closed windows.

This initially helped me go to sleep again, only to wake me up again because it was so cold in bedroom.

Richie put the central heating on, which was quite amazing thing to be doing on 31 August, especially as over a week ago we were having a heat wave.

After Richie came back from taking the dogs round the block he said it was just like October outside, were people wearing coats and scarves.

This afternoon I had a pleasant visit with Anne came around at 14.00, she looked wonderfully relaxed after her holiday in Italy with her son.

It was nice to see her and to see her holiday photos, she and her lovely son, Okhai seemed to be having a wonderful time in a beautiful location.

She brought some delicious filled rolls from the Surinam sandwich shop, hot spicy Tempe for Richie, for herself hot spicy prawns and I had hot spicy saltfish.

The rolls were delicious and even more so with some added hot pepper sauce made with scotch bonnets, the best hot pepper I think.

All too soon Anne had to leave she promised to come back soon which would be very nice as it is good to see people especially friends.

When Richie was about to leave with the dogs to go to the Park we noticed that the thick cloud cover had vanished and had been replaced by beautiful blue skies and sunshine.

October for most of the day and back to being August at 18.00, I don't think it got any warmer because the breeze coming in through the window is quite cool.

I've been enjoying the sunshine and blue skies which has been a really pretty sight to see at the end of the day.

Rising To The Challenge.

The Unthinkable, 1957.

Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

Isn't communication wonderful, after talking to Richie this afternoon and telling him about my worries over the Seetech computer I feel better.

When I told him that I was worried that I would not be able to install new software because there was no CD or DVD drive, he told me it could be done via an external hard disk drive.

That is brilliant news knowing that Richie can install my Dragon voice recognition software without any problems.

I'm so glad that it will be possible for me to carry on using the voice recognition software as I enjoy using it very much.

Apart from the Dragon voice recognition software I can also download Microsoft Office which has an e-mail program as well as Word.

Or I can download Open Office for free this is another application similar to Microsoft Office.

My other option is that we have got Office 2003 which I could use and apparently it is possible to download Outlook Express free from the Internet.

So one worry solved, my other one was the fact that there was no microphone or web cam, but Richie reckons it will not be a problem to install an external one.

That is a really good idea; in the meantime I've also sent an e-mail to RTD Het Dorp to ask whether it is possible for them to install a microphone and webcam as well as an extra USB port.

Now I'm feeling 100 times better about the whole thing, I feel very positive and am determined to rise to the challenge of learning how to use Seetech.

According to Richie the Seetech computer is a fine piece of equipment, I want to seize the moment and make the best of it so that I can keep communicating.

More Waiting.

Roberto Matta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

This morning was different it started earlier, Richie woke me up at 08. 00 because I wanted to be ready well before the Seetech appointment at 11.00.

First of all he massaged my shoulders, then my arms before starting doing exercises to relax my tight muscles.

After that I did more arm exercises, as I can't hold on at all with my right hand and now my left hand is also losing its functionality so I use wrist supports.

Peter, who works for the rehabilitation clinic made the supports, they go around my wrist, they held on by Velcro, they have a hook.

This is attached to the handle over my bed and I can do my stretching exercises then Richie places two handles higher and I do more exercises.

While I do those, Richie is doing my leg exercises, lifting, stretching and then massaging both legs.

After brushing my teeth, taking my baclofen tablets Richie got me out of bed and into the shower.

It felt good to be in the shower so early in the morning, I think this will be our new routine, so we can get the most of the day now summer is coming to an end.

Everything went really well and I was back in bed by 10.00 well before the appointment at 11.00.

At 11.22 Rini, the man from RTD Het Dorp finally arrived, he showed us how the Seetech computer worked.

Disappointingly there was no English dictionary installed, and they had got the wrong German application, not a dictionary, there was also no e-mail program and no Word installed.

When I heard this my first reaction was to say please take it back and first install the English, German dictionaries then it will be useful for me.

If possible also install an e-mail program as well as Word, I was told that Word would not be supplied as the health insurance think WordPad is sufficient.

But if I wanted Word I would have to buy myself Windows Office and if I did, it comes with an e-mail program.

However I was eventually persuaded to keep the Seetech computer here so that I could practice every day and would be ready to use it fully once everything is installed.

Rini promised he would return the incorrect German application and ex-change it for a German dictionary, he would also retrieve the English dictionary.

Next week he will let me know when he has got both applications and then he will make an appointment for the week after.

So in two weeks time I should have a Seetech computer setup for me, which it is not at the moment, once again I have to be patient and wait.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Roberto Matta

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

 

It has been a pleasant day today, funnily enough the sunshine got stronger after 18.00 this evening.

Tomorrow at 11.00 somebody from RTD will be here, bringing the Seetech computer with them.

I am very much looking forward to getting this, as my left index finger is not functioning well and sometimes I have to use either my thumb or knuckle.

Neither of which is very efficient and it takes me ages to click on something which is enormously frustrating.

I'm hoping that from tomorrow I will be able to use the computer without any unnecessary stresses.

My plan is to write my blog, as well as e-mails, letters and Word documents using Dragon voice recognition.

I can do all the corrections and the editing using the Seetech software which can be very handy as I am not going to be able to move the cursor much longer.

The Seetech will be handy for surfing the Internet as well as to help me visit other blogs something I'm looking forward to enormously.

I'm going to keep this short as I want to get it published on my blog and then I can relax and enjoy the sunshine outside.

Keeping The Myth Alive.

Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

Today the weather has been pleasant, blue skies with fluffy clouds drifting by, a nice day especially after the torrential rain at the week end.

This afternoon Mathilde, my physiotherapist came by for a session of exercises as well as massage, at the end of which I felt good.

Being able to have the physiotherapist make home visits has been excellent for me; the sessions take away a lot of tension in my arms and shoulders.

Usually I sleep much better on Monday and Thursday night, both days when Mathilde comes here.

Every year our health insurers remove items that we can get without paying anything extra, which is very irritating seeing as we pay a large premium every month.

The other thing that Agis is constantly trying to restrict is how much physiotherapy everybody can have, luckily at the moment I don't have a limit because I have a chronic progressive disease.

It is 10 years ago now, that health insurance became another commodity to make profits on, so we went from a very efficient system to one that puts money first.

Previously premiums every month were very low; something like €30 per month now it is nearly €200 per month which is a hell of an increase.

That's what happens when markets get liberalised, which just means that everything gets deregulated and it becomes a free for all.

I think it is a revolting thought that it is considered acceptable to make money from the health services, such as hospitals.

Hospitals are there to care for people and are not profit-making, something politicians both here in the Netherlands as well as in England keep forgetting.

The other thing they seem to be forgetting is that people's health is of the utmost importance, is not a commodity it is something that is fundamentally important for the health of the country.

On 12th of September there will be new elections here in the Netherlands, I wonder what result this musical chairs will achieve and whether it will have a positive impact on everybody's lives, I doubt it very much.

The only purpose that elections serve is to keep the myth alive, that we live in a free democratic society where all have a say, if only.

Happy Memories.

 Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

Today is another unpredictable day, 1 minute it looks pleasant, the very next there is torrential rain, it is just like April and not like August.                                                         

Global warming is really starting to have an impact now, as all our seasons are turned around, summer in spring and autumn in the summer.

Again I slept really well last night; I even managed to sleep through until midday today, something I have not done in years.

That means that I'm late going to the shower, toilet but no worries as it is nice to have a lazy day on Sunday.

It reminds me of Sundays before I had MS, when I loved a lazy morning, lying in bed, drinking tea smoking joints and talking to Richie.

Pleasant memories of happy days, we had at that time a lovely Staffordshire terrier cross called Daisy.

She liked joining us in the bedroom; she would on command get her bed as well as her blanket, the bed she would put by the radiator and the blanket in bed for her to snuggle under.

Daisy was very clever like that; she also knew how to put her toys away at the end of the day which no other dog we have had since can't do.

Our trio of beautiful dogs, Marleen, Cyril and Tina get on very well together and make a wonderful happy pack.

What is really brilliant is seeing how happy and confident Cyril has become; his confidence has grown tremendously since the beginning of the year.

Finally he has been able to be a dog, something it seems he was not allowed to do in his old home, horrible to think of an active dog like Cyril being deprived of exercise.

 I'm so glad we took him in January 2011; it has been quite a challenge trying to win his trust, now one year and seven months later we have a lovely dog.

Re-homing dogs is very worthwhile thing to do especially because it means avoiding buying dogs from puppy farms, something we do not agree with. 

Finally the rain has stopped and the weather has improved, at precisely 20.00 this evening the sun came out and the sky is blue now.

Richie is making us a delicious dinner which I am looking forward to, after we have eaten or look for artwork and put this on my blog, happy days.

An Enjoyable Day Despite The Weather.

Roberto Matta
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

Today's weather is such a contrast to how it was last week Saturday, then it was a scorching hot day with temperatures above 35°.

We have had occasional glimpses of tiny bits of blue sky, which quickly changed to thick cloud cover and torrential rain.

Richie told me that when he went out around 11 o'clock this morning it was pleasantly warm outside despite how it looked.

Which was like an April day and not a day in August, I hope that Richie was safe from the downpour of rain inside the Turkish shop where he went to do the shopping.

I'm looking forward to him coming back laden with goodies, hopefully there will be a lovely selection of soft fruits, as well as delicious Turkish soft goats cheese.

Angela brought a couple of tins of hard cod’s roe, which Richie is going to make some delicious Greek taramasalata with, something I like very much.

He says that he will also make some Greek humus and to go with both, there will be roasted vegetables, aubergine, paprika, garlic as well salad and cubes of Tempe, Tofu and Turkish flatbread.

It sounds like a delicious meal I would love to eat it right now; Richie got back from his shopping expedition and managed to avoid the rain which is brilliant.

I was so happy when Richie walked in; it was lovely to see him, as soon as the apartment door opened the dogs went wild with excitement at seeing him again.

They all started running around and playing with their toys to show Richie and me what lovely dogs they are.

Despite the constant pain and discomfort I slept well last night and did not have such a bad time waking up as I usually do.

Now I'm going to stop writing and choose a picture from Roberto Matta, a wonderful surrealist artist from Chile, then I can relax.                                                                              

Observing Life.

Roberto Matta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

Well the brief week of searing summer temperatures of between 30° and 35° seems to come to an end as a thick cloud cover moves back in over Amsterdam.

It's only 19.30 yet it looks and feels much later, I guess we are moving slowly towards longer nights and shorter days.

Sadly the summer we did not really have is coming to an end, when I was mobile I liked time of year very much, especially the lovely sunsets from now until the end of October.

Right now having to be in bed 24/7 everything seems to be blended together, life is something that I observe but that I do not take part in.

Strange to think that especially as I was always very involved wherever I have lived.

It has got so dark already that I have just switched on the lamp next to my bed it is a shame, but that's what happens when it gets to the end of August.

Today is 24^th of August, it is Megan’s birthday in beautiful Devon, she is 19 today, how I wish we could have gone there to celebrate with her and her parents Brian and Angela as well as her friends.

Last night because it was very late again I took a sleeping tablet to make sure that I slept well, it was very effective so much so that it to me ages to wake up properly.

I'm going to keep this short today, as I will do the spell check and then I will look for a picture on the Internet and publish, then my intention is to enjoy the evening my darling Richie.

Optimistic for Change.

 

 Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

It is not easy tor me to use the Dragon voice recognition, because the dogs are delighted at the prospect of going to the Park to play.

Finally just before they went, Richie managed to get me sitting in a good position which I can maintain.

That is a relief because he could not achieve this up to now, every time we thought it was good, I immediately started slumping over to the left once again.

It is wonderful to be sitting comfortably, so that I can write today's post for my blog, much better than when I was sitting badly.

When that happens it is not easy to write or looking for art work on the Internet, post my blog, check my e-mail or doing anything else on my laptop.

As I am a stubborn woman I do carry on regardless but it is difficult as well as frustrating and it takes much longer to do anything.

Having Angela here recently was really lovely, Richie loved having her stay with us as did I, and her visit did us all good.

Since then we've seen only Matilda, my physiotherapist and Milou the wound nurse from the rehabilitation clinic.

Richie and I love each other's company and have always got plenty to discuss, talk about as well as laugh at.

Seeing other people more often would be wonderful, but it seems that is not realistic these days.

Not when so many people we have known here in Amsterdam have moved away, not just to other parts of the Netherlands but also other countries.

That's life I guess, people tend to move around and these days often it's not choice but it’s a necessity because of work.

It is a shame that capitalism is the system that is used, because it means that the only purpose of our lives is to work to keep this system in place.

Under capitalism nobody can really live in the way they want to because everything has to do with making money, that is the abiding rationale of this system.

Not humanity, we can't be that people we want to be, because we have to serve this system at all costs.

We all need so much more I think, we need to spend more time with our families and friends doing things together for our communities.

I hoped for change in my lifetime but sadly that does not seem to be happening yet, although there are signs that things are changing.

I am optimistic that people will opt for a better more people and not profit orientated society which allows everyone to flourish.

Realistic Optimism.

Roberto Matta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta.

Today the hot weather has been replaced by much cooler weather, which makes it more bearable for me.

Before I went to sleep last night I was thinking about how strange it is to feel my body becoming gradually more paralysed.

What I find difficult to handle is all the pain that goes with it, why does it have to be painful, isn't it enough that my limbs do not function.

Ever since I could no longer walk at all in April 2007, I could not understand why my legs hurt so much when they could no longer do anything.

Thinking about it I realised that people who are deaf are often plagued by horrible noises in ears.

The other thing I heard was that amputees still feel their missing limbs, which must be odd feeling your leg after it has been amputated.

I'm sure many people would agree with me that it is rotten, to experience such discomfort and pain once one becomes severely handicapped.

it is strange that this happens, I wish that I did not have to feel pain in my legs all the way up to my midriff.

Now that my arms are losing functionality, I am experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort in my arms too.

My arms get cramped up tightly, this happens spontaneously as well as any time that I laugh, yawn, cough, sneeze, then it hurts a lot until the tension eases again.

When I wake up in the morning that is the first thing that happens as soon as I am conscious, and it takes quite a while for the arms to feel better again.

Being an severely handicapped as I am now, it feels like I am daily witnessing my constant steady decline which will result in my death I think in the near future.

I hope it isn't for some time yet as I would like to live a bit longer, in 2010 when I had survived two years in bed with a pressure sore and could sit in my wheelchair again it made me feel quite different about being alive.

Because of this wonderful development I was no longer depressed, pessimistic and feeling like I did not have long to live, I wanted to live for at least another five years.

Since my arms had deteriorated so rapidly from the beginning of this year I'm having to reassess my situation.

I still want to live as long as possible but realistically I feel it may not be as long as I want,I am going to I'm going to have to be realistically optimistic.

Optimistic Anticipation.

 

Roberto Matta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

  

This morning was not my favourite, because Milou, the wound nurse from the rehabilitation clinic was coming round to look at the progress of the wound healing.

Milou is a lovely young woman; very competent at her job, despite that I get very nervous before a visit just like I did when Ton used to visit before he retired.

It is really quite funny how anxious I get before these visits, but I think it is quite understandable it is not very pleasant needing someone to examine my bottom.

I have total confidence in the staff from the rehabilitation clinic, but I am really looking forward to this wound healing so I don't have to see them every two weeks.

Today Milou informed us that the wound was smaller than when she saw it two weeks ago, this is very encouraging news.

She did not say when she thought it would be closed up however Milou did seem very optimistic.

I think I will try to be optimistic too even if it is hard to do especially because I've been in bed now since 23rd of February this year.

Wednesday next week I will be getting the Seetech computer which will arrive in the nick of time because my hands are not functioning well.

Today I've had to resort to using my thumb to move the cursor as well as opening and shutting applications.

Considering that four years ago I thought my hand function was not going to last for much longer, I've done very well in being able to type all this time.

However in the last year I was only able to write short pieces for my blog every day, this was frustrating but it was the best I could do.

Hopefully I will be able to learn quickly how to use Seetech, my plan is to alternate between Dragon's speech recognition and Seetech.

This was a suggestion of Matilda my physiotherapist, who thought that I would prefer to use voice recognition to write my pieces and Seetech to correct with.

As well has surf the net, answer my mails, read the newspapers and many other things that will be much easier for me to do.

I'm looking forward to getting the new equipment next week, although I'm also worried whether I will be able to learn how to use the new equipment as quickly as I want to.

A Pleasant Distraction.

Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

This afternoon Matilda my physiotherapist mentioned that it was cooler outside than it was in here despite the air conditioning being on.

When Richie leaned out of the window to check, he discovered that she was correct and indeed it was cooler outside than inside.

It was nice to turn the air conditioning off after four days of having it switched on in the doorway of the bedroom.

Most of the hot air generated by the air conditioning unit is removed by the extractor fan which is on in the toilet, some escapes into the hall.

Because we cannot install it properly so that the hot air goes outside, it becomes extremely hot in the hall which comes into the bedroom as well.

So I am not only warmer because I'm further from the air conditioning unit, I am also feeling the hot air.

Right now I am leaning dramatically to the left as if I were surfing, a pleasant fantasy maybe, sadly the reality is uncomfortable.

When Richie is back from the Park with the dogs I will call him immediately to correct how I am sitting, luckily I can still use my voice recognition.

There is something quite amusing about writing today’s piece almost lying down, despite all the problems I've managed to write it.

Coping With Being Severely Handicapped.

 Luis Cruz Azaceta; American; born in Cuba 1942-, 

Man Looking For A Hole, 1987

Last night it was extremely humid so I took a sleeping tablet to help me sleep, this worked well and I slept until 10.00 this morning.

Today has been an even hotter day, which has made it almost impossible for Richie to get me in a good sitting position that I can maintain.

So far, this strategy is not working; right now I'm sitting corkscrewed with my left shoulder at a strange and uncomfortable angle.

My only solution is to call Richie again and hope that he can assist me in finding a better position.

What constantly amazes me is how long I keep going when I'm sitting in an incredibly strange and uncomfortable position.

Despite that I keep going on much longer than I ever thought possible, but then again I never thought I would end up like this.

Practically totally paralysed, in constant discomfort and pain, in capable of doing anything much.

My left index finger and thumb are still functioning so I can just about type a few words, but no more because I use voice recognition.

The only thing I really need my index finger for is to move the cursor behind a word I want to delete.

In the past I've often wondered how handicapped people are able to cope with their lives when they have such difficulties.

Now I don't need to wonder anymore because I'm experiencing it myself on a daily basis.

There is no need to speculate now; all I need to do is get on with my life as best I can.

Often like today it comes extremely difficult, and quite painful I find inhaling some THC relaxes me and allows me to carry on.

Right now Richie is cooking something delicious for our evening meal, my plan is to finish this, search on the Internet for a picture and post this on my blog and enjoy evening with my darling Richie.

Keeping Cool On A Hot Day.

 

Carlos Alfonzo, Afraid of Clowns, 1986

Cuban artist, 1950- 1991

Today has been a real hot day; the temperature is well over 30° which has left me feeling dreadful.

Being hoisted out of bed was not easy for Richie as I was extremely floppy due to the heat.

Because it was so hot we did not need any heating in the bathroom, which I usually need to stop me cramping up once I've been showered.

It was so hot today this did not happen which was excellent, Richie solution was to put one radiator on in the front room with towels on it.

After a shower we have noticed it is best for me to have warm towels on me which also helps stop me getting painful spasms and cramps.

The heat caused me to constantly hang on one side or the other in the shower chair, this made Richie’s task more difficult.

Every 5 minutes he had to alter my position, at times it must have looked more like wrestling rather than washing me.

Putting henna in my hair was not a good idea today, as it would have meant me sitting even longer in the shower chair which did not seem a good idea.

Not in this heat and with me sitting so badly, it was unpleasant for me and for Richie.

Getting me dressed was difficult, sadly Richie could not get my favourite sleeveless Trinidad shirt on me, so I'm wearing another favourite.

One good thing is that Richie has got the mobile air-conditioning unit to work well and I'm sitting comfortably in a cool room which is making my life pleasant.

Being Positive Helps Me Cope.

Roberto Matta.            

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

Summer seems to have briefly returned to the Netherlands, during the day today it was very warm, it felt like it was 26° .

The temperature is set to go up to 30° over the weekend, which I'm not looking forward to at all.

Now at the end of the afternoon the wind is getting up and I'm beginning to wonder whether we will be getting the rain storms that England is having.

I'm dreading this weekend and maybe a whole week of temperatures of 30° at least we have the option of using a mobile air-conditioning unit.

If only we had regular windows which we could stand the unit under and dangle the tube out of the window, and the bedroom would be cool.

Because of our floor-to-ceiling windows we can't do this, which means that the unit does not work in an optimal way.

Unless the electric fan is on next to me I do not get all the benefits of having an air-conditioning unit, as I only seem to get hot air not cool air.

That is because the air conditioning unit cannot be placed in the bedroom, so it is in the doorway of the bedroom.

Which means that Richie gets the benefit of cool air, but because I am at the other end of the room I don’t get that and feel warm.

On 31 July at an appointment with Andre, from an air-conditioning company came to see where to install our air-conditioning.

Since 31 July I've not heard another word from Andre so I will be sending him an e-mail asking for an update.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to get a positive response to my e-mail, that would be wonderful and who knows maybe it will happen.

Living For Today.

 

Robertbo Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

Yesterday was a horrible afternoon for both Richie as well as myself, I'm glad I don't feel more, otherwise it would have been very uncomfortable for me.

Luckily it had a good conclusion, however it has made us both extremely apprehensive about the next catheter change in one months time.

For the moment I'm trying to put it of my mind, which only seems to work in a limited way.

The weather is getting warmer today and according to Matilda, my physiotherapist it will be 30° over the weekend.

What is amazing is the fact that it's already 16^th of August and I'm still in bed patiently waiting for this old pressure wound scar to finally heal.

We've been waiting now since 23^rd of February for it to be healed up, so far it looks good, sadly without the kind of progress that we want.

It is really difficult for me to remain patient, positive and optimistic, I do my best, but I am finding that this new long period in bed is getting me down.

Not surprising I guess, I would have to be superhuman to cope with this incarceration in my bedroom for so long.

Hearing Richie tell me that was a spot of blood in my leggings on 23 February was a horrible shock.

When he told me he was sure it would be healed in two or three weeks, I just knew it would take longer.

However I did not think it would take this long, I thought I would be out of my bed well before Jaya’s visit on 3^rd of May.

When that didn't happen I was optimistic that it would happen before Angela came to visit us on the 9 of August, but that didn't happen either.

Now I've given up hoping that the wound would be healed before visits from friends.

What I need to do is put it right out of my mind and not think about when the wound will heal.

My best plan now is once again concentrate on the here and now and not on what might be, I can only live for today and forget about tomorrow.

What A Relief.

 
 Roberto Matta.      
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta  
 

Today Richie had to change my catheter, we both expected it to go well just like it had done last time.

The last time I was extremely apprehensive when I tentatively asked if Richie had taken the catheter out, he answered yes and the new one is already in.

What a relief that was, it was wonderful and I guess we both were optimistic that today would be as simple as in July.

This time we were wrong and it took ages, I think we were in the bathroom for at least 2 1/2 hours before I called our doctor.

Within 10 minutes Dagmar was here, even she could not get the catheter inserted.

Richie said it is difficult removing it, apparently the area around the catheter seemed a bit inflamed, he could get the catheter into the stoma but no further.

The whole situation was starting to look hopeless I thought, and just as I wondered what the possible solution could be, Dagmar came up with a possible solution.

She made a telephone call to the local chemist and found out that they had a smaller catheter which she could go and get.

Dagmar duly went to get the catheter and on her return Richie inserted it into my bladder without any problems.

We were all extremely relieved when it was all over and especially me, hopefully next time it will be much easier again.

Enjoying The Moment.

Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

Amazingly I did not cry yesterday after Angela left to go to England, I did cry a little bit, while she was still here.

That was when we were talking about her going home, and I was telling her that it won't be easy for me to say goodbye to her.

We both agreed that it was not necessary to cry, so I wiped my eyes saying that was enough, never thinking that it would really be the end of my tears.

So glad I did not cry after she went, it does not mean I'm not sad because I am, now that Angela has gone home.

It was such a wonderful visit, which we all want to happen again soon, whenever Angela can get away.

It was so good to see her, visits with her are always too short, that’s quite simply how it is.

Especially with good friends like Angela is, with them every visit is much too short, they can never be enough time to say everything you want to say.

I guess its all back to enjoying the moment and making the best of everything available, which I'm glad that I do.

A Brilliant Visit.

Keith Wigdor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Keith_Wigdor 

15.10 this afternoon Angela left after being here for four lovely days, it was a wonderful visit.

Delightful to have her here with us, I love her sarcastic dry humour and the fact huge boost as well as Richie.

Brilliant for us to have had such a good friend like Angela staying with us, and we were not the only ones who enjoyed her visit.

The dogs liked her a lot, Marleen remembered her from 2008 and Tina was delighted to meet as was Cyril will immediately fell in love with Angela.

Since she left the dogs have been extremely quiet, luckily this time they don't seem to hold us personally responsible for Angela leaving.

Today's post is going to be short so that I can enjoy the relaxed atmosphere with Richie that this visit has created and talk and laugh some more.

Enjoy The Evening

Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta

Saturday was another lovely day spent with Angela; we had fun talking and laughing, especially about our time at Hillcroft College from 1991 to 1992.

Funny to think that that is already 21 years ago, it's amazing how time flies by, I could hardly believe it was so long ago now and yet it doesn't feel so long.

A bottle of prosecco tastes even better when shared with friends, one bottle was opened on Friday afternoon when Anja was here.

Angela and I finished it yesterday afternoon, she opened the second bottle in the early evening, it was fun drinking it together with her.

Richie cooked a delicious meal; he made tofu and spinach curry, cucumber raita, lentil dhal, basmati rice and spicy poppadoms.

We had a wonderful evening the three of us, and just like the previous nights we did not say good night until gone 02.00.

It was a great evening spent laughing and having a great time enjoying each others company.

Sad to think Angela will be already be leaving us tomorrow afternoon at 15.00 to fly back to England.

That is tomorrow today is still Sunday and she's still here so we can enjoy the rest of the day laughing even more and enjoying each other's company.

So nice to see friends, every time somebody stays with us we enjoy it because it is really lovely to have other people around to talk with.

These visits made me realise quite how isolated we are, sometimes the only person we see here is my lovely physiotherapist Matilda.

I guess that's life, we are all involved with our own lives and that makes it difficult to find time.

Life is like that, all we can do is make the best of it, I'm so glad I've realised that is the best strategy for me and for us.

As soon as I've found a picture and posted this piece I'm going to enjoy the evening with Angela and my darling Richie.

Wonderful Days.

Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta     

I can't believe there is already Saturday; it has been such good fun to have Angela staying here.

Last night we were up much too late again, I don't regret it at all; these last few days have been wonderful.

Excellent to have Angela visiting us, it is giving us and as well as the dogs a tremendous boost.

I'm going to keep the posts short until Monday so that I can enjoy Angela's visit.

Once I found a picture I shall publish and get on with talking, laughing and drinking prosecco with Angela.

The Joy Of Having A Good Friend To Stay.

Roberto Matta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

It was really wonderful on Thursday seeing Angela again after four years; we started talking like we always do.

As always it didn't matter how long it had been since we last saw each other, it was just lovely to see her.

With good friends it does not matter when you last saw them, because when you see each other you just click again.

It's nice to see such a good friend like Angela, on Thursday we talked for hours Richie joined us and before we knew what happened it was 02.00.

On Friday afternoon Anja came over to visit, it was delightful to have her join us and it was nice to see Anja and Angela greet each other.

We ever really lovely afternoon and after Anja had gone home we had a lovely evening, Richie made a delicious stir-fry.

Then we had a pleasant time laughing and talking again until much too late but that is the joy of having a good friend to visit.

Fun With A Good Friend..

 

Roberto Matta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Matta 

Today is a very exciting day, a very good friend Angela will be arriving at around 17.00 this afternoon.

Richie is also looking forward very much to see in her, as I am too, can't believe 18.00 and not too long after she would be back in Devon, England.

However I'm not really think about that, instead I shall concentrate on this afternoon.

My plan is to write my posts every day, maybe not as much as I normally write, I will be wanting to write about how the visit is going with our lovely friend Angela.

Richie is cleaning and making our apartment look lovely for our visitor’s arrival later this afternoon.

It will be amusing to see how the dogs react to Angela; I am sure it will go very well especially because she has had dogs herself and knows how to handle them.

Well I've just had a lovely physiotherapy session with my delightful physiotherapist Mathilde, now I am feeling relaxed and looking forward to having some fun with Richie and our good friend Angela.

There