I didn’t have the motivation to write much this month, both in my diary and my emails. I didn’t even feel that giddy anticipation I usually feel when I was writing my Sinterklaas poems. I can’t explain why.
Saying goodbye and training
This month was one of goodbyes and training. The new carers were not very good at operating the patient lift, so I put all of my energy into creating a new emergency schedule in case anything went wrong. I’m still adjusting, but things are getting better. The biggest obstacle is learning to trust my carers, but after one slip-up, that whole process is back to square one. Until then, I’ll make sure there’s someone else present while we’re using the bathroom. Talking is going well, but only when they’re writing it down. Like every other beginner, by the time they’ve deciphered the fourth letter they’ve already forgotten the first one and, let me tell you, that doesn’t work one bit. But even experts like Floor slip up sometimes. For instance, I wanted her to put a CD by Kate Malua on my wishlist, but after spelling “K-A-T-E,” Floor just looked at me blankly and asked “K ate?” I have plenty of other examples.
Standing up is becoming increasingly difficult, which in turn is making getting from my chair to the toilet or shower more arduous. I only ever try it without using a patient lift when Hein is helping me. When Hein pulls too hard on my clothes, I’ll sink to my knees to. It makes me nervous to go on holiday again. We have found a short-term solution, though. Ward has a winter sports holiday planned in his spring break and I’ve offered Hein a small winter sports holiday with Floor for his birthday. He’d be taking a bus to La Plagne on Thursday evening and be back home on Monday morning. Hein is hesitant, because he’s worried I won’t manage on my own. Strangely enough, I’m confident in my plan. I would like to visit Norway or Sweden next summer, but I don’t know where to start looking for wheelchair-accessible cottages there.
Roof renovation
They started working on the roof around the 20th, supposedly because the weather would be good then. Two days after the builders started, the roof was laid completely bare, with only a tarp covering the house. Of course, it was then when the biggest storm the country had seen in ages broke. The tarp came loose and the house was flooded with rain. Bucketsful of water. I haven’t been too involved in the renovation itself, the builders have their own shack and don’t go inside the house too often.
What else?
What else is new? We did some gift shopping and celebrated Sinterklaas, which was nice, we organised a fun bridge tournament for Hein’s birthday, we went to see a photography exhibition in Amsterdam, we saw the movie Schnitzel Paradise (a banal ‘multi-culti’ kids movie) and the latest Harry Potter movie, a real treat.