I didn\u2019t have the motivation to write much this month, both in my diary and my emails. I didn\u2019t even feel that giddy anticipation I usually feel when I was writing my Sinterklaas poems. I can\u2019t explain why. <\/p>\n
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\u2019m 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\u2019ll make sure there\u2019s someone else present while we\u2019re using the bathroom. Talking is going well, but only when they\u2019re writing it down. Like every other beginner, by the time they\u2019ve deciphered the fourth letter they\u2019ve already forgotten the first one and, let me tell you, that doesn\u2019t 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 \u201cK-A-T-E,\u201d Floor just looked at me blankly and asked \u201cK ate?\u201d I have plenty of other examples.<\/p>\n
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\u2019ll 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\u2019ve offered Hein a small winter sports holiday with Floor for his birthday. He\u2019d be taking a bus to La Plagne on Thursday evening and be back home on Monday morning. Hein is hesitant, because he\u2019s worried I won\u2019t manage on my own. Strangely enough, I\u2019m confident in my plan. I would like to visit Norway or Sweden next summer, but I don\u2019t know where to start looking for wheelchair-accessible cottages there. <\/p>\n
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\u2019t been too involved in the renovation itself, the builders have their own shack and don\u2019t go inside the house too often. <\/p>\n
What else is new? We did some gift shopping and celebrated Sinterklaas, which was nice, we organised a fun bridge tournament for Hein\u2019s birthday, we went to see a photography exhibition in Amsterdam, we saw the movie Schnitzel Paradise (a banal \u2018multi-culti\u2019 kids movie) and the latest Harry Potter movie, a real treat. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I didn\u2019t have the motivation to write much this month, both in my diary and my emails. I didn\u2019t even feel that giddy anticipation I usually feel when I was writing my Sinterklaas poems. I can\u2019t explain why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[90,82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2005-en","category-diary"],"yoast_head":"\n