Mark is just about to complete his week at the hospice. It has been a good stay and he is being very well cared for. He is now no longer coming out tomorrow, and we are meeting with one of the doctors in the morning to discuss the best way forward.
On Sunday Mark was determined to make it to St Luke's Church so we planned carefully. The children were collected by friends and taken on ahead and then Simon and I went to collect Mark, who had been breakfasted and prepared in time for him to have a rest before all the activity. For Mark it was very hard work going from bed to frame to wheelchair and from wheelchair to frame to car seat and then car seat to frame to wheelchair, even with two of us to support. We sat through the first part of the service and then after about 20 minutes Mark asked to go back - it had all been too much. It was quite tough for all of us to realise that what had once been such an unconsciously easy routine had become an almost impossible undertaking. Happily St Luke's is very good at going to Mark and I know that he is hugely appreciative of his daily visits.
Other family routines rumble on. Naomi took her grade 3 flute exam today and, apart from re-inventing a few scales, feels quite confident. She then performed in a concert tonight in preparation for her school music trip to Paris in a week or so. Martha played in her York Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday (It was cleverly scheduled to start at 7.00pm at a venue by the race-course, just as the races finished and people were tumbling home in varying degrees of sobriety. 'Entertainment' from the ridiculous to the sublime that evening... ) . Joel has been enjoying rebound therapy at school ( trampolining to you and me) and has sports day tomorrow. He is also busily counting down how many sleeps until 'the holiday house with the swimming pool' (24 -eek!!). And Basil chased a cat yesterday which was cheekily lying in our garden. Unfortunately, it was too fat to execute an immediate escape, so Basil now sports an impressive scratch across his eye and, I'm not sure about the cat but it hasn't been back...
P.S For those of you who have been asking about Wind in the Willows, Naomi's performance dates are as follows:
July: 27th 7.00pm
29th 2.30pm
31st 2.30pm
August: 3rd 7.00pm
5th 7.00pm
17th 7.00pm
19th 2.30pm
