Mundane life

So, it was back to more normal life for the rest of the week. The heavens chose to open when I had to visit my nice 'special needs' dentist on Wednesday afternoon. Sadly he found a loose filling which had to be replaced in case it came out and got inhaled, when I was asleep for example; happily it was where a nerve had been removed a long time ago, and so he could do it without an injection. Which he did very efficiently. We haven't mastered getting on and off the chair yet. It's a bit of a cumbersome dance with me between the dental nurse, Alison, the dentist, John, and Jane. The scariest moment is when I'm perched on the very edge of the slippery surface unable to bend my legs under me! One forgets how infrequently health professionals come across MND patients. I heard an estimate recently that a GP might have only one in their entire career. Anyway I safely landed in the wheelchair, and this time it was sunny getting into the car.

In the evening it was trip down memory lane for me as we'd been invited by our friends, the Masseys, to their new house to meet Melekson and Hildah who run the New Life Trust in Lamu, Kenya, looking after street children often affected by HIV/Aids. Over 40 years ago (!!) I spent a year teaching in Kenya, in one of those rather arrogant GAP years, as I now feel, from which I'm sure I gained much more than the students to whom I taught East African history, British constitution, as well as English literature. 

That was on the side of Mount Kenya, not on the coast like Lamu; but it was good having a reminder of that year, as well hearing about Melekson and Hildah's work.  

Thursday was another MNDA Branch meeting this time with the S Bucks branch. It was a warm spring-like day; so we took a picnic and found a corner in Moreton village with a red kite circling and a couple of house martins. Then it was on to Thame for the meeting, which was about legal matters such as lasting powers of attorney and wills. It was given by a solicitor who specialises in situations like mine, and I must say she knew her stuff and inspired confidence sufficiently for me to consider consulting her. Here's fellow MND member, David, who was one of a handful of friends we knew there. He's working to complete his MA.

Finally on Friday I followed  up an email from Simon Cox, marketing supremo at Monarch the publishers, about the book launch. As you may well have discovered from the Facebook page, we've now fixed the date to be nearer publication day. So it's Saturday 10th July from 2 pm. It's at Cornerstone Café, in Grove (http://www.cornerstonegrove.org.uk/). And you, dear readers, are very welcome to join us.