I will be heading home after breakfast today..  Madhyamaka has been a great place for respite: lovely people and great meditation sessions.

The news from home has been good with Maureen being very settled. It will be inuteresting to see how I’m received on my return.

Seeing the progress Dorde has made since my last visit has been heartening and inspiring.  He suffered serious brain damage from falling out of a tree but continues to make progress with his speech impediment and his mobility. His teaching on meditation are as effective as any I have experienced.

Geoff Lynne’s ELO just lifted me after a difficult start to the evening.  Seeing them at Glastonbury helped me to remember some good times in my life at a time when I needed an escape from the difficulties here.

As I was finalising our Sunday evening meal Maureen decided to take exercise in the garden.  She failed to heed my warning that her shoes were in a dangerous state with the sole falling off.  I found her some safer shoes but she refused to change into them.  As I stepped back outside from checking how things were simmering I noticed that the back gate was open.

I hurried into the front drive and watched her from a distance as she ambled down the road.  She then disappeared into the garden of some neighbours who we hardly know.  As I peered through their gate I could see her moving things about in their garden.

I called on Kevin our next door neighbour to help entice her out of the garden.  He stuck to the plan and told her I was looking for her.  When she saw me she wanted to know why I was looking for her ‘as she wasn’t looking for me’.

Maureen played with one of her favourite meals spitting most of it out claiming it was undercooked or cold.  She encouraged me to keep it so she could show her son the kind of rubbish that is being served up here.  Unfortunately, his phone call from Durham came when she was fast asleep.

I had a chat with Jessica from the Home Treatment Team who said she is having a bad day.  As always she offered support in terms of sending someone out if things escalated.  ‘Lynnie’, as Rob my brother in law calls him, was all I needed.  Rob remembers backing him when he was part of the Idle Race as he has backed many more.

Sleeping Beauty is in the land of the nod again now: once again it was a shame she wasn’t able to have contact with a family member at a time when those opportunities are diminishing.

Maureen is feeling out of sorts this morning: concerned about the impact of her fall and feeling dizzy.  Within ten minutes of contacting Clee Medical Centre appointments have been made for later in the day.  I’m hoping I’ll be able to get her there this time and there is no repeat of Friday when Maureen went to ground rather than attend a medical appointment.

When we ran off to the seaside together 16 years ago we had no idea of the quality of services here.  I have recounted on several occasions the quality of support I get as a carer and Maureen positive experiences from all quarters.  Cleethorpes may be out of the way and relatives are a long way off but there is a lot to be said for living in this area.  It would be foolish of us to consider moving from an area which looks after us so well.

Ten days respite is on the way in a week’s time.  When Chloe our regular ‘sitter’ takes  annual leave we will ask the Care Agency not to send a replacement.  This will give us a further opportunity to reclaim our home and lives.  It will also give us a chance to see how we cope under our own steam

It was good to have Chloe back on the scene yesterday and catch up on her latest news: Maureen really enjoys having an opportunity to listen to someone else rather than me. Although yesterday was no different than normal with Maureen asserting that she would sooner be left by herself if I need to pop out for the odd hour.  What she forgets is that the bonus of having Chloe and Gail here is they are great at helping us keep our home in order. They are also well versed in supporting clients with dementia but it is possible that they could learn to be a little more enabling.

We popped over to ‘Tickerty Boo’ in the afternoon to buy some batteries for our digital camera.  Maureen used to enjoy taking photos and I’m hoping to encourage her to become a happy snapper again.  I will need to be patient as her eye sight and apprehension about new technology may well be barriers to this pursuit.

On our way home from our shopping expedition I nudged us in the direction of the lady at number 26 Fairway Court.  I have no idea what her name is but we have chatted to her on a few occasions.   Maureen had a ball in the company of this lovely lady who held her hand as she showed us around her garden. We must have spent half an hour with the residents at number 26 as Bert also came out to chat with Maureen for a short while.  It’s amazing how those who have troubles of their own are so generous with their time.  Bert had recently narrowly avoided a stroke and had to have an operation to disperse a blood clot behind his eye.

Late evening Maureen became very confused once again expecting my eldest daughter Lisa and her family to stay here.  She told me she had spent a long time preparing the spare bedroom for them to sleep in.  When I checked I could see no evidence of her endeavours.

I have been up very early this morning searching for Maureen’s wedding ring.  She told me she had taken it off yesterday and put it in a drawer because it was too loose.  I must have spent a couple of hours this morning looking in the obvious places without any luck: half an hour later I saw her putting it back on her finger having retrieved it from under her pillow where she had left it.  I just wonder if the missing engagement was left in the same place and is now under the bed: we’ll be investigating later

It’s a lovely morning in Cleethorpes and that always gets us off to a positive start on our journey.