A breath of fresh air

This is England. Having a picnic on a village green, in front of a pond complete with ducks, geese (and a few mice) was a lovely, and somewhat unexpected treat this weekend. Only a week ago, I schlepped to Glasgow and back, an exhausting if rewarding Saturday - the contrast struck me this afternoon. I am so glad that my present work tends not to involve long distance travel. Whilst Swiss Cottage has, at times, felt like the other end of the earth, the reality is that sitting on planes and trains is less than usual in my ordinary routine which does not often take me into airport lounges. Thank goodness. Walking through Terminal 5 late on Saturday night I realised how disorientating airports are. One could be forgiven for having no clue as to the time of day, or the local climate, whilst in an environment that for me, felt utterly alien. The glitz of Duty Free, and the overpriced food franchises lack appeal, but it is the air conditioning and vast expanse of artificially lit hall that I would find most challenging were this mode of travel a more regular feature of my itinerary. A delicious picnic later, and I have renewed gratitude for my work, and where I do it.

"It is not easy to walk alone in the country without musing upon something."

Charles Dickens

"I roamed the countryside searching for answers

to things I did not understand."

Leonardo da Vinci

Comments

Table. Apple. Penny.

Whilst there were several places I might have been that morning, I wouldn't have been anywhere else. The practitioner from the Memory Service arrived promptly. I liked her instantly. Mum was nervous. I think I was a little, too. It's been a difficult year. "It's Friday, it's the fourteenth of December and I'm at home..." No problems there. CAMCOG, or the Cambridge Cognitive Examination is a thorough assessment tool used to assess the extent of extent of dementia, and to assess the level of cognitive impairment. The standardised measure assesses orientation, language, memory, praxis, attention, abstract thinking, perception and calculation. "Table. Apple. Penny." Three everyday items that were introduced at one point, and then referred to again later on. Again, Mum was able to recall each. I am reminded that the...

Glass half full? Glass half empty? Or perhaps the glass is broken

I am, constitutionally, a glass half empty gal. I will always first acknowledge what I don't have, what I have lost, and what it is that I am seeking. I tend to overlook my strengths, concentrating only on those bits of me that are underdeveloped or weak. I refer to myself as a realist, but in doing so compliment myself and insult those who genuinely are simply realistic. My modus operandi is to identify what's not working and acknowledge this before seeing more clearly what functions perfectly well. This has its place: I edit others' written work pretty well. My fastidious attention to detail serves me, and the author. Accuracy counts, for me and I have an excellent memory. I can remember a great many of my sessions with clients verbatim. Even this asset is something I can, and do, diminish the true value of, by concentrating on 'I should have said...' or 'why didn't.... occur to me during the session?' Earlier this we...

Pausing in the sunshine

And so, chemo is over. My best friend's diary has been chocker... Line cleans, blood tests, scans and 18 weekly doses of the gruelling treatment itself. Summer seems at last to have arrived and with it, we hope, some time, peace and space. She is, we acknowledged over a rather yummy luncheon served to us beneath the beautiful canopy of creepers and climbers at Petersham Nurseries, an inspiration. A small group of us gathered to celebrate her forthcoming marriage. The sun's rays joined the warmth we all have for this very special woman. Warmth and, in my case at least, pride. It is the greatest privilege to call this woman my best friend. She continues to epitomise my understanding of grace. Our bodies are fragile things. Our minds are frailer still. In her composure and wisdom, she possesses an outlook I can only aspire to adopt. From you, dear Charlotte, I learn and I learn and I learn. The ...

The Reward is the Journey

Search This Blog