Well, what do you know? We had a week away. We weren’t too sure it would work, having booked a cottage in Northumberland over a year ago when the Dafter was full of energy. However, we went, it rained all week, we got out every day, we relaxed, and we all really enjoyed having a break! Hooray!
On our way south, we wished Our Son a very happy 20th birthday. Wow! How did that happen? He was born just a month before we came to Scotland, and he came to us at the age of 3 years 10 months. He’s had a very tough time of it in many ways, and is doing so well. It’s not in perfect focus, but I love this picture of his smile. He plays ice hockey and was happy with the present of two secondhand books about hockey players. His sister gave him art paper and coloured pencils, as he also enjoys drawing.
Our Son’s 20th birthday!
It was so great just to relax. I read a few books, amongst them a very interesting one called Endal (by Sandra and Allen Parton). It tells the story of a remarkable assistance dog who helped a disabled veteran to regain his life. Allen Parton’s head injuries caused him to forget his wife and children, and for about 7 years he couldn’t really feel empathy, and was hugely angry and bitter about not being able to go back to work. The arrival of the golden lab Endal helped him to reconnect with his feelings, and he was able to rebuild his relationships with his wife and children. Incredible. It certainly put the challenges we face as carers in perspective!
Reading on holiday
It rained almost all week long, but we had a few moments of sun:
View from the kitchen window of our holiday cottage in Northumberland.
On the last day of our stay, the weather was clear enough to make me admit that Michael had been right all along – you could see the sea from the window! It had been so rainy and misty every time I’d looked, I’d just thought it was mist on the fields.
The Dafter was of course tired (being a sufferer of ME) but we managed to get out every day, and she said the change of scenery did her good. Hooray for the wheelchair!
Have wheelchair, will travel – except not down very muddy bridle paths.
I had not one but two lovely meanders around Alnwick Castle Gardens, and a tour of the outside of the castle, and we also went over to Holy Island – I’ll be posting about those excursions in the next few weeks. It’s good to be home now, even with a rather long list of Things to Do around the house. I haven’t had the courage to go see the church garden yet… our own garden seems to have shot up about a foot and a half in height in just seven days! I hope this finds you all having a great summer, regardless of the weather.
Filed under: ME/CFS, Summer, Travel Tagged: adoption, England, family, Northumberland, summer, Travel
