#1604 Saturday 22 July

Today is proceeding according to the dictates of routine.   It's hard to escape the routine.  We have two people who function best in a routine..... so it's extra hard to find a way round the routines.

Today it was drive in the morning and then drive in the afternoon..... sometimes a bath can be swapped for the second drive.  After that, the afternoon is finished by a shopping trip.

Tomorrow the routine starts with pancakes for breakfast.... then a visit to Aunty Maxine..... then the op shop with Oporto..... then home.

#1603 Friday 21 July

The week has flown by.... school is reporting that she is very happy..... and we can certainly see that.  She is a very cheery bubbly girl these days ..... It's a far cry from the anxiety ridden child we had a few years back.  It's 7pm as I write and she is in her room finding new things on YouTube.  This is good for her spelling.... she has to spell out the new things she wants to search for..... just now she got stuck with the 'b' on the end of climb.  She was looking for a particular Wiggles clip and she couldn't get the search to work.  So she came out for help.

We've noticed a behaviour change lately.... in the past she would wake at around 2am and be very noisy.... lately she has begun waking, then going and getting her iPhone.... and taking herself back to bed without the ruckus.

#1602 Tuesday 18 July

We've just arrived home after the trip to hospital so that Kaylia can be fitted for a new brace.  It's quite an event.... she has to lie still for quite a while with the wet plaster round her abdomen.  When it has set, she can move again and she gets cleaned up.

Here she is lying facedown while the back half of the cast is applied. 

After this has set,  she is rolled onto her back and the front half is done.  Then she is extricated and the front and back are joined. 

At this point, we are no longer needed and we go home.  The cast is used to make 'positive' and from that.... the final brace is made. It takes a few weeks till we are called in for a fitting. 

#1601 Monday 17 July

She's so excited! Tomorrow she has school..... AND a trip to the hospital.... all in one day!  When she's like this I sometimes hear a little voice saying "happy feet".... it's her way of expressing her happiness.

We have another Subaru Forester..... the one that I drive needs repairs.... enough that I can replace it for less than the cost of the repairs.  The "new" one is the same age.... less kms... and in better condition.  I'll sell it old one for parts.  I'm currently swapping all the parts around.... the old one had new tyres etc.  I've worn myself out doing all that today.

As we were leaving home this morning we drove out of the drive and found these two a couple of metres away.  We stopped.... and they stayed put.... 

The joey is about the same size as "Guru".... in 1980, I was privileged to look after a young kangaroo who we named Guru.  He would spend most of the evenings curled up inside my sweater and he slept in a sweater hung on the wall beside my bed.  He and my daschund  Sam were devoted to each other..... so much so that when Sam followed me when I drove to town.... Guru would follow Sam!  ..... then I'd get calls to "come and collect your dog and roo!"