The other January

We have had some amazing, positive news in the past week. Six days ago we started to see the first signs of some improvements in Rob's condition, as though he was "waking up" and starting to respond to us. By Tuesday this week I even had a semblance of a back and forth "chat" during my visit, with Rod responding with understanding and using familiar phrases. The same day he passed his "swallow test" and is now able to gradually resume eating solid food and drinking fluids. It is amazing, unexpected and wonderful progress he is making. We all have fingers crossed it continues! His improvement coincided with him being in strict Covid quarantine so we had to wear full hospital grade PPE to visit him over the past 5 days - but absolutely worth it to see the very start of this amazing progress. His Covid isolation ended late yesterday - more good news.

Alongside our concerns about Rod we have been lucky to have some lovely distractions that this month brings .......

.... watching Abi and Sam competing at Jump Club at Equestrian Park on the old Yarralumla Woolshed road.

 ..... and enjoying some school holiday cooking fun with Abi at our place. It only seems like yesterday when she used to like sitting on the bench to do the stirring!

This was the best Rocky Road ever (made for Joshy's birthday dinner).

After all that cooking we took Abi to lunch at Kan Sushi (just off London Circuit). I think this is Abi's equivalent of the thumbs up sign.

A very special person's birthday - worth celebrating!

Our city does a nice job of celebrating the January long weekend (with its troublesome date for celebrating Australia Day) with Night Markets set up around the lake and a special light show highlighting a bit of Australiana. It's a short walk for us down to the edge of the lake to watch this quite spectacular drone show, staged over the 3 nights of the long weekend. 

The lights are directed at the south side of the lake so our view from the north is of the rear of every image (but never mind).

We've had more time at Freshford with Abi too just to keep us sane and at peace with the world while there is so much other worry about other things.

Joshy captured this wonderful picture of Abi and Sammy in the Freshford paddocks about 10 days ago. It is such a special place for Abi and Sammy (and us) to have fun and learn together.

We laughed at the motley crew of kangaroos who camped out in the arena and refused to move during Abi's riding lesson this week. It was a very hot day and they were enjoying the shade and the soft sand to lie on I think.

A beautiful very Canberra bush landscape, all around us at Freshford.........

January

Our year has started with some terrible news. Claire rang us in Bali - as fireworks were heralding the New Year - to tell us that Rod had been badly injured in a very serious fall earlier in the day and was in the ICU in a grave condition!!

It took us another day and a half to get back to Canberra from Bali and see him in the ICU. ... so badly injured and in such a bad way. 

It's been 23 days now since the accident. Rod spent 16 days in the ICU before being moved to the Neuro Trauma ward 6 days ago. In addition to his brain bleeds, fractured sphenoid bone (right side, behind the eye and below the front part of the brain) and broken right wrist, Rod suffered a stroke on day 6 which caused more deterioration. Rod has been in a state of  "delirium" all this time and is on a feeding tube. The delirium and immobility are causing other complications too - congestion in the lungs and blood clots in the lungs and legs. The doctors are saying his responsiveness has improved this week and we are seeing tiny occasional improvements too. No one can say what the future holds for this gentle, clever, loving man and for those of us who love and care for him. We have been advised it is a "watch and wait" situation.

This is my own favourite picture of Rod, taken in March 2016 - at beautiful Rosedale - at one of the Lebang's fabulous lobster lunches, happy being together with his beautiful Maxie, among dear friends - and this friendly magpie.

.... and on the happy day he and Maxie were married, 57 years ago on the 23rd November 1967. 

I can't stop thinking about how Maxie would have felt knowing this has happened to Rod.

Claire has been at Rod's side most of the time he has been in the ICU and now in the Trauma Ward. He responds to her voice and touch whenever he is "awake", and she has been a tower of strength dealing with the uncertainty, confusion and grief - all the while dealing with complex medical issues and the kind of decision making that no one wants to be presented with. She really has been a superhero.

There have been some VERY hard days in the last three weeks, so much grief and worry, but we have had some moments of joy to treasure too. Davey arrived from London 10 days after the accident, when things were probably at their lowest point. He stayed 5 days and managed to cheer us all up despite his own shock and grief at seeing his dear Dad like this. Ollie and Angus got back from Japan a few days after Davey arrived too, making family strong again and better able to withstand this.

All these family pics look happy and carefree - but they're not. We're so happy we can be together and find strength and joy from being together at a time like this - supporting each other - but no one is feeling carefree despite those photo smiles.

Claire and Davey together again at the Torrens shops - maybe for the first time in 25 years or so??

Ros and Pete came up from Geelong for 3 nights last weekend..... more family moments to treasure around time spent with Rod and all the watching, waiting and worrying. We all felt better for being together.

Another unexpected joyous moment happened last Friday night when Ros, Pete Rob and I were able to see Angus perform with his band at a new live music venue in Civic - the Dissent Cafe and Bar. Body Shirt opened the night's line up and they were truly amazing! 

I took this shot of Angus smokin' up the drums from outside the venue. The Dissent Bar stage has a window backdrop.

and dear (tall) Ollie got this shot for me ........

Rod is so proud of his beautiful, smart and clever grandkids - and he means so much to them. Both Ollie and Angus and their superhero Mum Claire are so well set up to lead any kind of life they set their hearts to, as are Davey and Cath, Ivy and Eddie in London.  Rod, their Dad and Papa, is watching over them all!