Well, I have almost been out of hospital for 3 weeks without any recurrance of infection. A couple tried but were beaten down by antibiotics. So, I have managed to enjoy visits to Betty's, town and a fun filled weekend in York with my brothers. I am on a continuous low dosage of antibiotics so this, I hope, is doing the trick.


And so, on with new and exciting things on the horizon! This coming Thursday I travel to Glasgow to hear a performance of music written by composer Malcolm Lindsay and in response to some of my poems. This is a first for me and all very exciting. I also hope to be well enough to do a reading at the Solas Festival. This is a new arts festival running from 25th - 27th June in Wiston, Biggar, South West Scotland.

Naomi has gone Up the Yellow Brick Road and Over the Rainbow and loved every second of it. If you also heard distant shrieks of joy last Saturday it is because she eventually got her letter confirming that she has a part in the Theatre Royal summer production of Wind In The Willows... and so has her best friend. Martha and Joel are both well, with Martha spending most of her time drawing and Joel spending most of every evening running barefoot in the garden and singing/yelling the few tunes he knows at full volume. The neighbours haven't moved ... yet.



The biggest development is that Mary is taking a few months off work. We are both very unsure about what the next few months will bring us, but as I have deteriorated at a gradual pace this last year, we both felt that having time together is going to be the best way of facing it. She also just has too much on her plate. Both the schools she works for have been very supportive and so this has made the decision easier as she completed her final day today- a day of mixed emotions.

Thanks, again, for visiting the blog and for the ongoing support which has taken many forms. We never take it for granted. I am now going to go and take it easy in an effort to stay infection free and out of hospital. Will let you know if it works...

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There's no place like home...

Apologies for the blog silence, but as you may have guessed 'no news is good news' and Mark is finally home. Everyone was finally in agreement that Wednesday would be release day so I went along after work at 4.00pm as planned. However, Pharmacy love to play their game of suspense, and so, with other family member commitments looming, I left and returned later in the evening when summoned. We finally arrived home at about 7.30pm.

Mark is pleased to be home, although initially felt a little vulnerable having become used to a constant team of very attentive nurses at his behest (one a little too attentive, it has to be said - and not in a good way...!) It is reassuring to know that, at least in the short term, the various specialists from the ward are only a phone call away.

Mark is taking things very easy, having been in bed for a fortnight, and many tasks require a fair bit of energy and planning for him. Various mysterious looking gadgets for putting on socks, levering yourself out of cars etc. appeared upon his release, although having them all to hand at any one time would require a robust rucksack. I am trying to relearn the new combination of daily pills and am trying not to become a neurotic re- checker/counter. We are sitting in our newly landscaped garden now which is a sourse of great relaxation and satisfaction. (This was not something I did in my spare time- we had a man in)

Life continues for everyone in a normal ish fashion. Martha has just taken GCSE mocks with generally pleasing results, and is continuing to probably spend a disproportionate amount of time drawing and playing the piano. Naomi is heavily into rehearsals for The Wizard of Oz, taking place at The Theatre Royal in 3 weeks. (Hence blog title - it's inescapable for us- In addition to countless rehearsals we have munchkin, Ozian and flying monkey constumes trailing up the bannister and 'Search for Dorothy' compulsory viewing at the weekend.) Joel is still happy at school and is very settled with the Saturday afternoon trips to Nick and Pat, an absolute lifeline to us. I have just returned to pottery today - a welcome refuge providing creativity and frequent hilarity, if not glorious objects d'art.

The Poppleton cooks are still providing us with great and regular meals and there is party of 20 from the village all turning out to see Naomi in the show. We also feel very supported in so many other countless ways, so blog readers, Thank You All.

One more day...

We were full of anticipation for Mark's release today as we were told by the doctor yesterday that he would be out. So much so that I took a day off work in order to be on hand at the appropriate time - (always very approximate). However, I think there was a case of 'too many cooks' as the consultant today said that he needed to have 24 hours off of the intra-venous antibiotics before coming home- and he was still hooked up this morning.

Disappointing, but his care is pretty faultless, so one more evening watching a few more episodes of The Sweeney will be manageable for him. The revised plan is for me to collect him after work at 4.00pm tomorrow, pharmacy permitting...

He is doing pretty well and is infection free, although is still lacking in energy and spends much of the day lying down. He does manage to walk short distances to the shower etc. so hopefully he will be able to potter happily at home and muster enough energy to throw cushions at Basil when the postman comes.


"But they said it was today...."