Progress report on Mae and our house

First, let me fill you in about Mae's progress. She has been home in Canberra just over a week, since last Monday night. Every day there is progress in her physical recovery. She is moving more easily, managing her pain and medications (with lots of support from Nick), taking care of her own stoma, doing her injections and still coping with her catheter. She takes walks and eats well. The community nurses have been coming every day to do her dressings and the wound is healing well now that the staples are gone. I organised an electric recliner chair from ACT Health, which has helped a lot.

 But emotionally, the road is a lot harder. She is quite traumatised, as you would expect. She has her bad days and her somewhat better days. Phone calls and visits from friends still feel a bit too hard. Still, there is progress. Nick tells me she has managed to read a book today, and there is a plan to go to the Bus Depot markets on Sunday. She and David and Nick have been playing Scrabble. Mae is new to Scrabble, but shows an aptitude that must surely be genetic. Wins against David on occasions and as we all know, he takes no prisoners and has uncanny luck with the letters. Made a pact with the Scrabble gods years ago, they own his soul.

We have been staying with our friends Marg and Keir, whose daughter Alison sent over the family recipe chocolate cake in the form of a huge cupcake for Mae. Since the stoma dieticians are encouraging all kinds of energy dense foods, chocolate cake is just the thing. Thanks, Ali, you did good. You can move on up to wedding cakes now. 

On Sunday, David and I left Canberra and drove north, stopping for breakfast here (below) on the Federal Highway near Collector, this gorgeous cafe (Grandma's Little Bakery) has 270 degree views over the district, makes its own breads and pastries and has a great little dining room, each table with a quirky bit of old kitchenalia as decoration. In the grounds, a chapel and this beautiful little gazebo, with a backdrop of olive groves.

Stopped in Sydney for minestrone and home made bread with Peter and Elaine, and now we are back in Hallidays Point. Today, we started the process of moving out of our rented place.  Our wonderful new neighbours Jenny and Tim will kindly accommodate our few bits and pieces from the rental place but basically over the next few weeks we will go back to Canberra and continue to live out of suitcases, as we have done for many weeks now. Tonight and for the next few days while we get rid of the rental place we are staying with dear friends Robyn and Chris. The new house is steaming along. Nearly finished.  Handover is planned for the end of August, so long as there isn't too much more rain. Bit of groundwork yet to do and presently the place sits in the middle of a quagmire. Today, we went to Bunnings and bought gumboots. No other way to reach the front door!

 This is the guest bathroom. Do you like the bath?

 This is your shower.

Dave the electrician stands on the island bench to fit the lights above it. I did not hear the granite cracking. Whew.

The tiles on the floor are being protected by plastic.

This is the ensuite bathroom. Two basins.  No more squabbling at teeth-cleaning time.

This shot shows the extent of the mud on the northern side. The pergola is going up. Today we chose some carpet for the bedrooms. I am starting to think it may actually be a house one day.