Exploring Resilience via Lifes Burning Issues

Author: Mick Morris (Page 35 of 93)

Never like a shag on a rock

20130903-174104.jpg

Where did the time go?

Sometimes it is surprising how fast another month can slip by…. Like it has since the last post.

An update on Samuel

Samuel has continued doing his own thing, having good days and bad days. Some days heavily medicated and some days less medicated.

Surprisingly he has made it through all of winter without a crashing episode of pneumonia, despite no longer having any of the respiratory support of previous years. The staff at Bear Cottage are just like us, shrugging their shoulders and all they can say is…. It’s Samuel.

His tenth birthday was a milestone none of us expected to make, but it was a great (if insanely busy )week last week celebrating Tanja’s 18th, Taylor’s 13th and Samuel’s 10th.

Another short stint at Bear Cottage

Samuel has been at Bear Cottage since Thursday last week to help us wrap up the week with other events. Taylor and I joined Samuel on Sunday afternoon to spend a few days and unwind, while Jo-Ann and Tanja stayed at home to take care of a few other things.

As usual Bear Cottage is great and provides a good break, and an opportunity to snap pictures like the one at the head of this post.

I love the environment around Manly and take the opportunity to walk/run in places around the beaches and headlands that are such a different view to home. With views like this ….

20130903-180118.jpg

A shag on a rock.. Or the beach

Today provided a different sort of exercise though …..

Rather than a run or walk to talk in the scenery I spent 45 minutes doing soft sand and shallow water runs to try and catch a Pied Cormorant (a shag) which had a bundle of fishing line, a hook and a big fishing float wrapped around it’s wing.

Calls to wires and to Manly councils animal services said they knew about the bird but couldn’t do anything!

After 45 minutes, a couple of attempts (failed) and a bite from the Cormorant during one of the attempts, local Manly resident Chris showed up just as the cormorant was about to escape from under the towel during another attempt… And with speed and grace had the towel back over the bird, the bird wrapped up and subdued. We took the bird back to Chris’ place (Chris copped a quick bite in the process) and cut away all of the offending material.

Chris’ partner (sorry I missed her name) called WIRES and let them know that bird had been captured and the line, hook and float removed. At the request of WIRES they then took the bird to a nearby vet, where it is spending the night.

It was a different but fulfilling way to get in today’s exercise.

20130903-181945.jpg Chris, Taylor and I with the Cormorant.

Checking in for check out and check up…

Our seven and a half-year roller-coaster ride since Samuel’s accident has had moments of intense highs and intense lows, but there is one constant throughout the whole time……

20130317-212705.jpg

Jo-ann lives the experience twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with very little down time to help recharge her batteries. I am lucky that I get a change of scenery through going to work, foundation meetings etc etc, but for Jo-ann it is a constant.

I really admire how much Jo-ann has put up with and how she continues to get on with it, no matter how much it hurts her.. and it hurts a LOT ….

She’s been told to check out….

Check out of home that is…

As things have happened for Samuel we have been in regular touch with Bear Cottage and really appreciate their continued help in discussing things with us and it remains a comfort, knowing that they are there to support us and ready to have Samuel and the family back at a moments notice.

In their usual fashion they have made some space available for Samuel and Jo-ann.

Jo-ann and Samuel are checking in…..

bear_cottage_logo

Jo-ann and Samuel are checking into Bear Cottage today to give Jo-ann a few days where she really does not have to focus on the needs of the whole family, can leave most of Samuel’s care to the wonderful staff and really concentrate on unwinding and recharging.

Samuel gets a check up

While Jo-ann unwinds, it is also a good opportunity to have a check up on where Samuel is up to.

We see Samuel day in day out, yes we see changes and we notice things, however the Bear Cottage staff will have a few days to watch him, catch up on what is happening for him and assess where they think he is up to. That will be useful to us the staff will have an update appreciation of Samuel’s condition and be more attuned to him when we make those phone calls saying HELP… what do we do now.

The girls get stuck with Dad.

There has to be worse fates…. (but you’ll have to ask the girls what they might be :-] ) but the girls are stuck at home with Dad so they can continue to go to school… might have to come up with a LONG work list them…

 

 

« Older posts Newer posts »