Saturday was a very long day, and by the time Isobel was settled for the night it was after midnoght so this entry has been written on Sunday. We rose early and Isobel underwent the weekly task she hates most, taking the Alendronic Acid medication which is part of her anti-osteoporosis treatment. This has to be taken with water only on an empty stomach and followed by keeping a vertical posture of the upper body for at least half and hour before eating or drinking anything else. We then had breakfast at half past seven; afterwards Isobel had a bath. At moment we are still managing baths, sometimes with difficulty, but will probably move within a few weeks to using showers only. We had our usual lunch of French bread, cheese, ham and salad at noon.
After lunch we went to my brother Keith's house to watch the Lions play the Springboks. We went on foot, with me pushing the empty wheelchair and supporting Isobel with the other arm. After about two hundred yards Isobel was hardly able to walk, but refused the wheelchair and struggled on for another hundred and fifty yards although needing much of her body weight supported. Her desire to be independant is understandable but sometimes goes well beyond the limits of common sense. At Keith's house we ate chocolate swiss roll and drank beer - even Isobel had a glass and a half of Bass! We negotiated a split of the homeward transport, Isobel walked the first hundred yards, then we did a quarter of a mile or so in the wheelchair, then Isobel walked the last few yards down our road.
When we arrived home at half past six we had a message from our friend Donna reminding us we were due at a quiz at 7pm - I had completely forgotten this so dinner was a quick microwaved meal. Isobel seemed to enjoy the quiz, although she cannot take much of an active role now. It was good to see two of our old team members, Gill and Steve back on a visit from the Forest of Dean. For some time now we have attributed our comparative lack of success to the loss of Gill and Steve's expertise on music and modern culture (as well as their all round strength) but it did not enable us to win tonight - second by two points. Bearing in mind how long the day had been and that she had been physically active, Isobel was not as tired as might have been expected.

Isobel rose early on Sunday morning, the summer solstice, while I was still fast asleep. Euan was just going to bed at half past four in the morning and was surprised to find his mother trying to make a pot of tea in the kitchen. Euan sat with Isobel for an hour until I awoke, giving her tea and cereal for breakfast. Afterwards she went back to bed to catch up on sleep. Another bath was managed without problems and we had a rather late lunch with Iona who had called round. A lot of ice cream was eaten. After Iona had gone Isobel watched television while I did a bit of gardening for a change. We had a late dinner at about eight o'clock, meat pie, boiled potatoes and peas.