A selection of photos…..

Thursday, 17 May

Dear friends and family

We are now well into the month of May and again more weeks have passed by than I dear to acknowledge since I last wrote to you all…..  I suppose in some ways it is a good thing that we are now into the fifth month of 2012.   Seven + months have passed by since G first had his stroke and in reality it is quite a long time frame and for him the time has gone slow enough!  I do believe though, he is delighted to be 7 months down the rehab track and continuing to make such amazing progress and to be back doing many of the activities he so enjoyed prior to his health taking a major tumble last October.

So what have we been up to these past few weeks…. many of the OP therapy sessions continue on a regular basis – 2 x physio a week out at Burwood with Vanessa.  Two weeks ago she reassessed G’s balance on given tasks which they have used on two previous occasions, the day he left Burwood and he achieved 21/56, then again at the beginning of April with a mark of 30/56 and then this latest assessment he gained 45/56 which was a significant improvement given what they asked him to do.  George also decided at the beginning of May he no longer required the use of his crutch and so it is now redundant which is another significant milestone.  He has had the odd fall usually on sloping ground which still gives him a few confusing illusions!  In saying that though he has not fallen in the last 10 days which is pretty good considering everything.

Vanessa also carried out another assessment recently on the ability of G’s left hand/arm to do a raft of different movements and once again he has excelled in this area compared with last time.  The outcome is that Vanessa is now concentrating on dexterity and range of movement with the left hand/arm/shoulder… mainly working on  the endurance aspect of what the limb is able to do and for a longer length of time when held at 90 degrees or higher.  Slowly but surely everything is returning to its former state.  Strength on the left side is definitely less than the right but once again over time and with specific exercises this will increase.  Suzie continues to be a great support and takes G out to ‘circuit’ at Burwood every Wednesday afternoon… this is a special time for father and daughter!  The treat for the day  is when Suz stops along Innes Road to buy George an icecream on their way home! Boysenberry one scoop please is the standard order.

We have been making a habit of going swimming once a week and have decided Jelly Park best suits our needs and time frames.  We head over there and do at least 24 lengths walking forwards, backwards, sideways and then a few extra activities tossed in for good measure!  We finish with a sojourn in the spa and then once showered and dressed a coffee at the in-house cafe which make a very good latte and flat white!

The other activity we have made a point of doing these past few weeks is on a Sunday we head out to the Waimak golf course and play 9 holes of golf…. this is another activity where we can see amazing progress from when we first started playing back early in the New Year.  G can now place the tee and ball in the ground prior to teeing off and also is able to pick the tee up after his shot….. up until just recently I was doing both these things for him.  Gone also are the days of me needing to hold him up for each shot…. he is now completely independent and playing 9 holes with relative ease.  His drives are going on average twice as far as they were – perhaps 100 -130 metres and they’re going straight what’s more…. an aspect of his game he is delighted about.  I have just started to take his score and am keeping a record of the improvement over time…. we still have some way to go but hey all in all it’s pretty darn amazing what he is able to achieve. After golf we then head back to mum and dad’s for a late lunch and after that it’s back to town to have a coffee with Suzie at the Commodore Copthorne where she works, every Sunday afternoon, for a much enjoyed coffee.

We have Suzie’s bedroom here at home set up with some gym equipment which G uses on average 4 out of the 5 days of the working week depending on what else he has planned in his busy schedule…. he has the weekends off any hard labour!!  He uses the exercycle most days and does 10 minutes with increased resistance for 3 of the 10 minutes which is helping him with his cardio vascular fitness quite significantly.  As well as the cycle  we do a series of different exercises incorporating dina bands,  the swiss ball and general balancing and strengthening exercises all with the big picture in mind. He’s a great student always prepared and happy to persist with whatever exercise I suggest.

George has been back with the lovely girls at the Van der Veer Institute for the month of May and again in this area we continue to see improvements with his swallow…. what they get George to do now is quite extraordinary and again we feel privileged to be a part of this programme.  He has electrodes placed under his chin which line up with the muscles he uses to swallow and then on a computer screen there appears a square green box which is randomly placed on the screen and when he swallows the peak of his swallow has to be placed in the green box…. when he does this successfully on 3 consecutive occasions the box reduces in size and away he goes again and over time and with each success the box gets smaller and smaller.  He does 100 swallows per visit and at the moment he is sitting on 69% which is again very good for the time frames he has been involved in this procedure.  The point of this whole exercise is that he controls the strength of his swallow and has to time it to coincide with the position of the green square on the screen.  As to how long we will continue to visit the institute no one has said so we will just keep going along every Tuesday and Thursday until they say they can do no more.  On a Thursday our dear friend Ngaire McLernon takes G along for his session and so he now has me as his Tuesday wife and Ngaire as his Thursday wife…. all good fun and once again it highlights the friendly supportive people we have met on this incredible journey we are on.

Today has been a fantastic day… we had an appointment with the ENT specialist today, it is 3 months since we last saw Scott and today after an examination of G’s vocal folds and other parts of his anatomy in this area G has been discharged from the department.  Scott is delighted with the progress G has made and believes there is nothing more he can do to assist G in his recovery…. this was the best news we could have expected and Scott believes over time that the vocal folds will continue to strengthen but all in all he gave him the tick of good health in respect to his ENT.

Then this afternoon we went back to see John Veale, the optometrist, who prescribed G his current lenses almost 3 months ago.  Well he also is delighted with the improvement in G’s vision and is confident his sight will continue to improve and ultimately the double vision will disappear over time.  John expects to change G’s lenses in about 3 months time when he again will expect to see further improvement in what the eyes are able to see given what messages they are receiving from the brain.  I tell you it is all so complex however, in a nut shell the outlook is extremely optimistic and so all in all the news today has been fantastic.

Back tracking slightly… we had a great week down in North Otago on Jacqui and Dick’s farm at the end of April.  The weather was glorious which allowed us to spend a lot of time outside enjoying the environment and wonderful views from their home.  Thankfully the dogs were well behaved and the lambs didn’t need too much attention.  We thoroughly enjoyed our day hunting with Clare and George made more pleasurable from the comfort of the Sante Fe.  Clare was delighted we were able to share in their day and to get some idea of what she and George love to do for 4 months of the year.  We also enjoyed our trip to Dunedin to see Jamie and to finally see where he lives and  to get some idea of why he is having such a great time down there.  The photo of he and George was taken the day we visited in the Botanical gardens of the city.

This week coming I am going south for a few days with my golf clubs packed and will spend the time with Jacqui down on the farm and on the golf course.  Dick is coming north and Andrew, G’s brother is coming south and the boys are going to be in charge of the home and George from Wednesday until Friday.  I know they will have a great few days with a few games of golf planned and no doubt a few whiskeys will be drunk in the evenings while they chew the fat and solve the problems of the world!

Well dear friends and family I think I have covered most of what we have been up to in recent times…. thank you to those friends who have called in to spend time with George…. I know he appreciates the company and chatting about all manner of different topics.

Until next time….. I trust this finds you and your families all well and coping with the onset of winter.  Take care and…..

fondest regards to you all

Janne and George xxxxx

PS I’m working on a selection of photos to follow…. watch this space literally I hope they appear!

 

Photos from the last few months…

Hi everyone,

Finally we have assembled a selection of photogenic snaps that we wish to share and give you all an idea of how G is progressing.

Enjoy!

Thursday, 12 April

Hi there dear family and friends

The days turn into weeks before my eyes and before I know it another month has gone by since I last updated this blog…. my apologies for not being a little more consistent with the timings of these updates!

As I refresh and read over the last blog I wrote, our lives continue to track along a similar path as I outlined then, with just a few variations in place.  George continues to make progress albeit too slow, at times, from his perspective however, as I keep reminding him he is doing extremely well considering where he has come from!  Suzie recently showed him photos of his time in ICU and they are a stark reminder of the contrast between then and now…. thank goodness.  Sure there are aspects of what George is presently doing that must and do frustrate him but the pleasing aspect about his rehabilitation is that he does continues to make progress….. the steps are so incrementally small that sometimes it is hard to see the progress on a daily basis.  Often it is friends who have not seen him for a few weeks who are able to reiterate the changes they observe from the previous time they saw him.

We had a very pleasant Easter out with Mum and Dad… the glorious weather was a real bonus and I gather most of the country was bathed in sunshine… so I trust where ever you were that you enjoyed the long weekend and the glorious weather.  G and I played golf on Easter Sunday out at Waimak so we were able to use Dad’s cart…. we ended up playing 9 holes which is a first for the lad… and he had a genuine 4 on a par 3 even if he did tee off from the yellow markers!  It was a pretty impressive milestone which we were both thrilled about.  I’m saying 9 holes after 6 months G, and 18 holes after 12 months!  Ideally he would like it to be sooner but realistically I think my time frames won’t be too far away… if I am proved wrong I’ll be delighted!  The other amazing aspect of G’s golf, this weekend, was that he no longer required me to hold him in the vertical position while he was hitting the golf ball….he is now able to stand on his own two feet, literally which is so fantastic… a significant achievement.

We are still attending 2 x physio sessions out at Burwood plus the circuit on a Wednesday afternoon.  We have the opportunity of going out to the hydropool at Burwood which we did for the first time last week…. G requires someone to be with him in the pool but he finds the water great and the resistance adds another dimension to his movements.  The pool sessions are in addition to the physio sessions we attend on a Monday and Friday…. we could be out at Burwood 5 days a week if we wanted to be!  I am hoping we will use Jelly Park on at least one occasion during the week which saves us a trip across town as this facility is only 3 minutes from home.

The ‘swallow’ sessions have been put on hold for the month of April… the girls are on holiday and it was deemed a good idea for G to have a break anyway and so we are not scheduled to go back until the beginning of May… it will be interesting to see the improvement, hopefully, over this time out.

We have had quite a social time with two weddings in the past month or so, one in Taupo and another in Auckland and next week we fly to Auckland again for yet another wedding.  We are becoming quite the seasoned travellers and have it down to a fine art now!  The weddings have been such happy occasions and we have rekindled old friendships with friends from our time spent in both the Wairarapa and Pukekohe, where we lived when we were first married, all those years ago!

When we return from Auckland we are heading down to our friends Jacqui and Dick Watson’s to mind the farm for them while they travel to Melbourne to welcome their first grandchild into the family.  Actually when I say ‘mind the farm’, we will be feeding Dick’s dogs, giving them a daily run and perhaps moving the odd mob of lambs…. so it’s not going to be too difficult! We are expecting to catch up with Clare and George who are hunting (hounds) in the area, that week, and who have suggested we may like to follow the hunt one day from the comfort of the Sante Fe which sounds acceptable.  Then on the Friday of that week we are planning on travelling to Dunedin to see our dear Jamie, who is taking part in the Selwyn V’s Knox college athletic’s day.  He decided to stay in Dunedin for the Easter break which indicates he is having a wonderful time with his new-found friends and didn’t feel the need to come home and visit his parents!  I contemplated putting some pressure on him to travel north but we both decided he is more than capable of making his own plans without the interference of ma and pa!

We have really appreciated catching up with friends and family who have had the time to pop in and say hi….. we have very much enjoyed the opportunity of catching up with you all… thank you for taking the time to visit.  We extend a warm invitation to one and all to touch base and come by if you are in the area.

On that note I will sign out and send this on its way into cyber space…. well and truly overdue, I’m sorry.  I trust this finds you and yours in good heart and until next time…. take care and much love to one and all.

Janne and George

xxxx

 

Friday, 9 March 2012

Dear family and friends

Oh my goodness…… four weeks have now passed since George returned home as a permanent resident to number 25 Chepstow Ave!  I know he is extremely happy to be at home and it is great to have him here after four + months of him being hospitalised.  I also realise it is over a month since I last wrote on this blog…. I am sorry about that and will try to put George’s latest news and progress online as quickly as I can!

So what have we been up to these past few weeks….. time has certainly flown as we settle into new routines and manage the different demands placed upon us both. I would like to think that from George’s perspective home is like a 5* hotel with a maid who looks after his every whim 24/7!  No, that is not completely fair or in fact true….. however, I am pleased not to have any other commitments outside of the home which therefore allows me to devote as much time and energy to George as he needs.  Gradually he is developing more independence and slowly but surely he is regaining his balance although the ataxia still presents as the most major hurdle he is yet to conquer!  To help him with this aspect of his rehab we attend two 1 on 1 physio sessions out at Burwood, on a Monday and Friday morning, which is excellent.  Jane, his physio is working hard towards George’s goal of walking unaided asap which will then allow him to stand on the tee and hit a golf ball….. this remains George’s number 1 gaol!  Wednesday afternoons we go back out to Burwood for George to take part in a ‘circuit’ also organised by the physio department.  This is our third week attending and already we can see the improvement in the execution of the various exercises and the extension of time spent at each station.

Tuesday and Thursday mornings are spent at the Brain Research Foundation.  This has been a fascinating journey with three delightful 4th year speech and language students taking George and his ‘swallowing issues’ under their collective wings.  They are under the tutelage of Maggie Lee Huckerbee, this amazing American woman who is the ‘swallow’ guru recognised for her work both nationally and internationally.  I know we are very fortunate to be involved with Maggie Lee and are extremely appreciative of the work the girls are doing to help G’s swallow improve.  I will try briefly to explain the process to date.  Our initial meetings were information gathering as such with George undergoing certain tests to establish just what is happening when he swallows….. he had a nasal tube inserted with sensors placed strategically along the way which allowed the girls to monitor the muscles used during a swallow and to analyse this over say 15 swallows.  We could see G’s swallows on the computer screen with  a red, blue and black line indicating what the different muscles were doing during each phase of a swallow.  It has been determined that it is the final part of G’s swallow which is causing him the most grief with the muscle at the top of his oesophagus not opening adequately to allow the food to pass through on its way to his stomach… So now he has to do a series of exercises 3 x’s a day which directly help the muscles in question.  The sessions with the girls involve the nasal tube being inserted and then George has to dry swallow and try to get the muscle in question to stay open for as long as possible to allow the food to pass uninterrupted.  It appears that the visualisation of what he needs to do helps with the reality and so he is making great progress here.  It is like everything else, the muscles involved have to relearn their role and over time this will indeed happen and hopefully G will be back eating and drinking as he was prior to him becoming unwell.  The equipment G has access to is the only one of its kind in the country – hence why I say we are very fortunate to be involved in all of this.  The therapy sessions will continue for as long as it takes for G’s swallow to return to pre event status!

On a Wednesday morning Annette, the OP speech and language therapist visits George in our home which is wonderful.  Annette also has George doing a series of exercises to improve the tone and variety of pitch in his voice.  George also has to relearn the art of breathing and talking at the same time… something at the moment which is not happening naturally.  This is another part of the brain stem which has been impaired and George hopefully will relearn how to multi task in this area.  Crickey we perhaps don’t realise just how many functions we perform without realising the delicate nature of where all these complex instructions come from.  It is so easy to take them for granted until something goes awry.

We have had several visits to John Veale, a specialist neuro ophthalmologist who has determined  the best lenses for George’s glasses to reduce his double vision.  We were both expecting an ‘epiphany’ once G got these amazing glasses however, that has not quite been the case….. over time though as G gets used to them his vision should improve and the double vision hopefully will reduce.  We saw Dr Ken Tarr yesterday whose area of expertise is the health of the eye rather than what the eye can actually see.  I suppose I was a little disappointed with his diagnosis when he told us that G’s eyes have significant impairments especially when he looks up and with his peripheral vision.  This may improve over time – Ken mentioned years rather than months as a realistic forecast! He went on to say that there is no interventions for these impairments and that they are an outcome from the damage done to the brain stem at the time of the initial injury and we have to hope the pathways over time will be rekindled!  Thankfully G can see straight ahead and down and that is fantastic if you think about it from a golfers perspective so long as he hits the ball straight!

Most of our appointments are in the morning which suit our lifestyle best… we come home late morning, have lunch and then George has his ‘after lunch’ siesta which can last for up to 3 hours depending on what he might like to watch on the TV.  He’s really enjoying the SA V NZ cricket test being played presently in Dunedin,  He has a carer, Raylene,  who comes in the late afternoon, 5 x’s a week to shower him… it took three weeks to get the time finally sorted and  the afternoons are good for us and it is working well.

In my last blog I mentioned Airini, George’s mum was not at all well and sadly she passed away on 14 February.  The following weekend we travelled north to attend her funeral which was a happy and sad occasion for many reasons – there were some wonderful stories told and lots of reminiscing of her and Jim’s life on the farm recalled by family and friends.

So as you can see we are not sitting idly at home waiting for something to happen…. the weeks fly by and generally speaking we are managing very well.  Our days are dotted with friends popping in for a cuppa or something stronger depending on the hour of the day.  So if you are in town and have a spare half hour do give us a ring and if we are ‘at home’ we would love to see you.  Overall I feel George continues to make great progress and he remains motivated to work on those areas that need improvement.  We have loads of laughs along the way and a few sombre moments as well but most of the time our glasses are half full.

We trust this finds you all well and we will look forward to hearing from you when you have the time to touch base.

Take care and our fondest regards to you all,

Janne and George xxxx

Wednesday, 7 February

Dear family and friends

Quite some time has lapsed since I was last in touch with you all….. the days turn into weeks before I know it so here I am again some two + weeks later with another update on George’s progress.

This is a significant week in our lives as on Friday, 10 February George is being discharged from the Unit and he will be coming home as a permanent resident, almost 4 months on from when he first became unwell.  This is an exciting milestone in many ways however, I will be honest and say it is not without some trepidation on my part. I am confident though, we will work through the challenges that lie ahead and endeavour to find humour and enjoyment in our daily activities as we continue to build on the wonderful start G has had with his rehabilitation out at the Unit.  I will miss the wonderful staff at the Unit who have made a huge difference and contribution to our lives and helped us to adjust and accept what has happened to George.

George has an amazing attitude to what has happened to him….. and not once has he thrown his toys out of the cot.  He was talking to one of the doctors in the Unit just yesterday and said “Well Sandy, it’s not what happens to you in life it’s how you deal with it…. there is nothing gained by me asking why me, poor me….. I just have to get on and deal with my situation and make the most of it as the bottom line is I could be dead”.  Dear G…. and that pretty much sums it up.

So now we are driving the show re his rehab and how we spend our time….. the idea is on Sunday evenings G and I will sit down and plan the week ahead… this will involve any Out Patient therapy sessions – these will continue out at Burwood for the foreseeable future, playing golf, going to the movies, exercises here at home, coffee outings, cards, games, swimming, yoga + any other activities we can think of that G may enjoy. How this will pan out I am not exactly sure….. however, we will over time, develop a routine which we are both happy with and initially I know there will need to be flexibility in the system as we find out what works best for us.

I would like to invite any of you to come and spend some time with G, should you have an hour or so to spare.  It may be just sitting talking, playing a game of cards or reading the paper.  I know we will both appreciate the input from friends and family coming into our lives.  Do contact me so we can schedule a visit.

George is now eating 100% orally and so last Friday they removed the ‘peg’ which was another box we were happy to tick off.  So we now have dear George pretty much back to pre event status…. he does have a few war wounds but thankfully no more tubes.  I see the ‘peg’ being removed as the last major step towards allowing him now to focus on  getting his strength back and putting on the 15kgs he lost as a consequence of his stroke. On a lighter note I would have to say he is doing very well re his weight gain as it would seem he is making up for lost time with the quantity of food he is able to put away!

G’s balance and coordination continue to improve and he is now walking with just the aid of an elbow crutch and the support of one person! He still uses the 4 x wheel frame when he is tired or has to go longer distances! This will be the next box to get ticked – when he is able to walk without supervision or an aid….. we are still some way off from this but over the next few months I am confident G will eventually walk unaided. He said to me the other day that he won’t be happy until he is able to stand on the tee with out help and hit a golf ball! We may have to pop the cork on a bottle of champagne when this occurs!

Talking of golf we have ventured out again…. the weekend before last our close friends Dick and Jacqui Watson were up and we went out to Waimak for a few holes.  G is now able to hold his driver with two hands which is an improvement on when he and I had our first hit at new year.  He and Dick played three holes before the weather turned nasty and it was too cold for G to continue so they headed back to Mum and Dad’s for an early cup of tea/wine.  Jacqui and I finished the 9 and then joined them at home for lunch. As G’s strength returns he will be able to hit the ball further and play for longer….. for those of you who know George, his competitive spirit is alive and well and therefore he is determined to get back playing the game he so loves as quickly as possible.

Talking of competitive spirit and how in my last post I had thought/hoped G’s competitive spirit may have been diluted as a consequence of his illness especially when it came to cards…. ah know as he predicted he did go on and win our game of 500! I am sure over the winter months I will have many more opportunities to try to get my name on the board!

Sadly G’s mother, Airini is not at all well and has only days, possibly weeks left with us… she has been a wonderful matriarch to her family but has slowly declined in health and spirit since her dear James passed away 6+ years ago.  We enjoyed joining her and the rest of the family to help celebrate her 80th birthday at the end of 2010.  I have very fond memories of our time spent at Arapapa and sharing our lives with Jim and Airini at that time – they were a huge support to us and we had so much fun together.

Well dear friends and family…. I have enjoyed sharing our journey with you these past four months…I have found writing this blog to be therapeutic in a strange way.  I am hoping to find the time to continue writing it…. I may even be able to get G to contribute himself!  By the way he finally got to enjoy lamb shanks a couple of weekends back…. he was like a kid in a candy store!  However, if a few weeks pass by and you have not heard from me perhaps give us a call or email….. we will look forward to hearing from you.  Don’t forget if you want to come and spend some time with G then do contact us.

Take care and fondest regards

George, Janne, Clare, Suzie and Jamie P xxxx

Sunday, 22 January

Dear family and friends

Surprise, surprise….. it is Sunday and I am updating the blog! George has remained at the Unit this weekend so the staff can keep an eye on his general well being especially the problems I touched on in my last post. Thankfully the week just gone has seen a vast improvement in George’s overall medical health, in particular his urological and bowel functions which is a major step forward. We need to remain vigilant in these areas so G doesn’t have a relapse of the infections which have plagued him on and off since this whole saga began. With each day that passes though, I believe he is getting stronger and therefore has more energy and over time his immunity will improve and hopefully we can keep any ‘nasties’ at bay!

Now George is up and about more through out the day he has been given puzzles to help exercise his mind and as we both love puzzles many a pleasant hour has been spent completing these.  We are doing are the wasgij ones which have an element of surprise in them which keeps the interest keen!  When the OT heard George was a avid card player he was given a pack and yesterday we had a very entertaining afternoon playing two handed 500….. I had wondered whether G’s competitive spirit may have been diluted as a consequence of his illness but that is certainly not the case…. it is alive and well! At the moment I think the score, after 6 or so hands, is him on -30 and me on 0…. and he has prophesised that I will not win… how dare he be so presumptuous.  Watch this space, I’ll let you know the outcome should there be one!

His mobility continues to improve daily…. with him now walking with the aid of a low frame around the ward to most of his therapy sessions and to the bathroom. He still requires the  assistance of someone to accompany him just so he doesn’t get to big a lean on but all in all he is doing remarkably well.  The whole emphasis with his therapy sessions is to give G the tools/practice which will allow him to be independent once he comes home…. we are  not quite there yet but once again with each day that passes he is continually accumulating the necessary skills….. practice, practice, practice is the mantra!

I think it would be fair to say that meal times are the highlight of G’s day…. now that he is swallowing reasonably well and again this is improving with practice.  He has a technique he is encouraged to use while eating and most of the time he does do this however, when there is a lapse in his concentration or he takes too big a mouthful we can and do have the odd coughing session. Once again though this is all part of the rehab and I’m sure it won’t be long before he can enjoy the much yearned for lamb shank!  Jamie and I took him down to the cafe at the hospital on Friday and we all enjoyed our coffees – double shot latte’s are now a regular treat in G’s day!

I have to keep reminding myself of where G has come from and what he is now able to do and I am constantly delighted with the progress he continues to make.  Fatigue is still a major factor that needs consideration throughout his day but he is developing strategies to 1. identify the signs of when he is tiring and 2. doing something about it as in taking time out for a rest.  I believe from what I have read and heard from others that this fatigue will be an ongoing aspect of his life for the foreseeable future.  I’m sure though we will manage it and just programme rests into his day as and when he needs them.

I forgot to mention in my last post that at New Year G decided he wanted to head out and give his beloved sport of golf a shot…. so off we went out to Waimak. My Dad, as in Allan, has a cart which we were able to use, thankfully, and so there we were with a pair of crutchers, G with his eye patch on and myself as a significant prop in assisting G to hit the golf ball.  It was a very entertaining afternoon but the main purpose of our day out was achieved – George hit a golf ball not once but at least 12 times and he only had one air shot which considering all things was pretty remarkable. On the tee he used his driver and only his right arm and then nearer the green he was able to use both hands with his pitching and chipping.  For all his shots I stood behind him to keep him in the vertical position while trying to avoid the back swing…..thankfully I was quite safe!  I played 3 holes and G part of 2 which he was delighted about, so a very successful outing was had.  Once G comes home I can see us heading out to Waimak during the week for a hit and like in the other areas of G’s rehab, with practice he will get better and better as time goes by. I know he spends a lot of time thinking about golf and can’t wait to get back out there with his mates to play the game he so loves.

Well dear friends and family I will sign out now.  I trust this finds you all well and slowly getting in to the new year with work and other commitments.  Do keep in touch and if you are in town and would like to pop in and see G then just let me know your plans and I will give you the green light so long as he is free and adequately energised for visitors.

I still have the 4 x rugby 7′s tickets available so please spread the word to family and friends.  The price is $760 for 4 tickets for the 2 days. If anyone needs more details then email or ring me on 03 3518548/021906541.

Take care with fond regards to you all

Janne, Clare, Suzie and Jamie P