Not much happened today. Euan sat with Isobel until after 9am so I could catch up on sleep. The plan had been to go out to the country after lunch but Isobel was tired and lay on her bed listening to the cricket, but soon switched to watching television. Isobel's language was was very variable today. There have been some short periods when she spoke intelligibly but also long periods when she could not convey her meaning. Isobel's balance was possibly a little better than yesterday but still not at all good.

For dinner Isobel had tomato and cheese flan with a few chips, onion rings, carrots, green beans, peas, courgettes and aubergines. She went up bed at about 9pm and watched television while eating chocolate pudding.

A wet bed episode at 6am, rather unexpected as the precautions that had worked for the past couple of days were in place. By half past six Isobel was cleaned up and asleep in the spare room. By the time I had sorted out the washing and tidied the bedroom it was 7am and I went into the living room to have a nap in a chair. Ten minutes later I was woken by the TV at very high volume. Isobel had woken up and decided it was time to start viewing one of her favourite programmes - Heatbeat. This seems to be shown on various channels almost throughout the day, and the wonders of modern technology enable her to see the same episode twice in the same day and a third time the following day. Two hours later (after I had fallen asleep again) Iona came over and helped get her ready for the hospice. Isobel's language was not too bad this morning, but her balance was as bad as it has ever been.

Iona and I got a lot of work done around the house while Isobel was at the hospice. Iona went home at about 2pm. The plan was to take Isobel direct from the hospice to her friend Rosemary's house as it is very close to the hospice. When I picked Isobel up from the hospice she had wet her skirt and we agreed to leave an emergency bag of clothes at the hospice next week. The forty yard walk to the car drained all Isobel's energy and she was in a state of near collapse. However, the reason for this was discovered to be her shoes. She had put on a pair she has not worn for some time and her feet were slipping slightly inside the shoes. She was trying to counter the slipping by adopting an unusual and physically tiring gait. I took her home, she cleaned up and put on fresh clothes and I drove her over to Rosemary's. When Rosemary returned Isobel a couple of hours later she had wet her skirt again; it is not clear why this problem has been so bad today.

Isobel had chicken Kiev, chips, onion rings, brussel sprouts, green beans, sweetcorn and peas for dinner. She slept in a chair in front of the television for a couple of hours, then had apple crumble.

Isobel woke before me this morning and went downstairs. I found her trying to make a cup of coffee. No harm was done but this is potentially dangerous. She had also brought the milk in from the front door step. Isobel's balance was very bad today, she could only manage about two paces without support. Her speech however was again a bit better in the morning although becoming poor in the afternoon and evening.

Isobel bathed and had a relaxing morning until Iona arrived with the missing component for lunch. Afterwards we went to Erith and Belvedere on a quest for fence panels for Iona. Isobel went round the stores in the wheelchair; this took several hours and she seemed to enjoy herself.

Iona left soon after we got home. Isobel had steak pie, boiled potatoes, peas, sweetcorn, carrots, green beans and brussel sprouts for dinner. The vegetable helping was huge and she did not want any other food although I had laid on several chocolate based deserts at Euan's request. Isobel went to bed at about 10pm but watched television for an hour or so.

Isobel was very unsteady on her feet when she woke this morning and found walking more of a challenge than usual all day. Her speech was somewhat better than normal in the morning, although nothing like as good as it had briefly been yesterday. There was no problem getting her to the hospice.

Iona came over at mid-day and after lunch we went round nurseries looking at fence panels for her. We collected Isobel from the hospice where she had a quite day I understand. Iona went home at about 4pm.

Isobel had lasagne for dinner, followed by two helpings of chocolate pudding washed down with half a glass of red wine. Later she had garlic bread and another half glass of wine. During the afternoon and evening it was very difficult to understand what she was talking about. She did not seem too tired although balance continued to be very poor.

An unexpected start to the day when Isobel asked for a bath at 1.15am. After the bath she went back to bed until a quarter past seven. We got off to a quick start then, with tea, breakfast and medication finished before 8am. We needed to get away by about nine for the consultants appointment at Maidstone Hospital, picking up Iona on the way. However Isobel refused to dress, or to be helped to dress, until Euan woke up and talked her round. We left at twenty five past nine and had to rush to the hospital, arriving just in time.

Professor Hawkes' brief was to see if he could think of any other explanation for the gross mismatch between Isobel's encouraging scan results and her seriously deteriorating symptoms. However Isobel did not show any sign of deteriorating symptoms and denied that anything was changing. She spoke with a fluency she has not shown since September 2007, there was no sign of dysphasia, no use of inappropriate words or inability to remember what she was saying. She even discussed the role of individual medications, something that she has consistently claimed not to understand since last year. She demonstrated good muscle power in her hands and arms, although with a very slight right sided weakness. When asked if she had any trouble getting up from seats she said that she did not, and rose briskly from her wheelchair to demonstrate this. Professor Hawkes indicted that he thought she was getting on well for someone in her condition. He confirmed that the incidents observed once by me and once by Euan while Isobel was refusing to take her medication several weeks ago were fits. He did not believe that there was any muscle wasting as a result of long term steroid reliance. Iona and I described how today was very different from Isobel's usual condition, but I believe the professor preferred the evidence of his own eyes today. Professor Hawkes said that he would report back to Dr Sadler but did not consider any further action was required, nor any further appointment needed.

After the meeting, we had tea and snacks in the oncology unit. Five minutes after the meeting Isobel's language was much poorer. We reached the car twenty minutes after leaving the meeting; Isobel was unable to get out of the wheelchair without assistance. We took Isobel directly to the hospice for lunch, she was very unsteady and unable to express herself clearly. Afterwards I drove Iona back to our house, we were both astonished by what had happened. For half an hour Isobel had convincingly portrayed herself as someone with very few problems.

Iona and I collected Isobel from the hospice at 3pm and drove to Iona's house before Isobel and I returned home. Isobel had chili con carne and pasta for dinner. She had another bath and went to bed soon after 9pm. Somehow a chance to find out more about Isobel's condition has been missed today.

We had another wet bed saga at 4am. Isobel woke at various times during the night but refused to go to the toilet as "I don't want to and I don't need to" with inevitable results. She moved into the spare room again afterwards and slept until after seven.

I took Euan to Gravesend in the late morning and Isobel came as well. We collected Iona and her dog on the way back. After lunch we went to Bexley Park Woods for an hour or so. Isobel was very grumpy about being in the wheelchair, although she could not have walked a tiny fraction of the distance we covered. She walked the last fifty yards back to the car and had difficulty with that. We dropped Iona off at her house and then came home. Isobel was tired, her balance was about the same as yesterday but her walking seemed weaker. On the other hand her speech was better than for most of last week. There does not seem to be any pattern to these changes.

After several cups of coffee we went to collect Euan from Gravesend. Isobel had cod in butter sauce, chips, onion rings and a selection of green vegetables for dinner. She washed dinner down with three half glasses of red wine, from a rather nice half bottle of tempranillo left over from Christmas. She rarely drinks alcohol, but enjoyed this. Isobel watched television during the evening, dozing on the sofa and probably sleeping for about two hours in total before going up to bed late, at almost midnight.

It is an important day tomorrow, seeing the neurology consultant. I hope he comes up with some bright idea although I fear he will simple say that Isobel's deterioration is due to cumulative damage.

We had another problem with a wet bed at 6am; afterwards Isobel slept on for a couple of hours in the spare room. She was very tired this morning, but her speech was more comprehensible than yesterday and her balance was just a little better.

After lunch I took Isobel in the wheelchair to my brother's. We ate cake and watched rugby for a couple of hours. Liz brought her home in her car while I pushed the wheelchair.

I am preparing to defrost the freezer next week and had found some forgotten items bought months ago. Isobel was brave enough to try an "All in one microwaveable roast lamb dinner". To our surprise this turned out to be not only edible but very palatable; consisting of some slices of roast lamb; gravy; roast potatoes; peas; carrots and a mini Yorkshire pudding. I am not expecting the same result when I try the "All in one microwaveable full English breakfast". Isobel was very tired and went to bed at just after 10pm.

Isobel was very poorly this morning. Her speech was very difficult to understand and her balance was as bad as it has ever been, She said that she felt ill, but could not describe in what way or whether any particular part of the body was involved. We decided not to go early to Maidstone Hospital for the blood test and she did perk up a bit later in the morning. We heard this morning that our friend Denis' sister died a couple of days ago, she had been ill with cancer.

We lunched just after noon and left for Maidstone at about a quarter past one. We parked very close to where the blood tests are done and decided to walk, even though the wheelchair was in the car boot. Isobel had no trouble, apart from being very slow, with the walk in which was a bit less than a hundred yards. The blood test went smoothly but the results will not be available for Monday morning because samples for Phenytoin assay are sent to another hospital and the procedure takes a while. Isobel had trouble after 30 yards on the way back to the car and needed a great deal of support. We came straight back to Iona's and stayed there for a couple of hours.

Isobel had steak pie, boiled potatoes and vegetable surprise for dinner. (The surprise was the huge amount of green beans, peas and carrots served!) Isobel was tired and went to bed early. All symptoms have been very bad today. Today was the 35th anniversary of Anne's death.

The long drawn out saga of the power cuts is drawing to a close. Apparently all consumers had power restored by 6am this morning, although many had a brief interruption during the day when new circuits were attached. Most of the traffic lights came back into use at 10.30am. Later in the day the shopping centre was packed out as if it was Christmas as people caught up on their shopping.

Isobel's speech was fairly poor this morning and her balance and walking were even worse than usual. She went to the hospice on a Thursday for only the second (or maybe third) time. We were slow getting ready but the new scheme for bathing continues to work well - I can manage the exit from the bath single handed in about ten seconds, so much better than the ten minute struggles of a couple of weeks ago.

Iona has dropped a bottle on her toe and broken it again, so today's plan for her to collect Isobel from the hospice had to be changed. I collected Isobel and dropped her off at Iona's for a couple of hours. While Isobel was at the hospice I had several 'phone conversations with Maidstone Hospital, the upshot was that an appointment suddenly became available on Monday with Professor Hawkes (I guess this may be the "MS is possibly an STD" man). Anyway, it was a great relief and we will go there for blood tests tomorrow.

After her usual substantial three course lunch at the hospice, Isobel only had pizza for dinner tonight, turning down all the other planned food except for a bowl of ice cream. She settled in bed just after nine, had her ice cream at about 9,45pm and was asleep by half ten. Tonight her speech has been as poor and confused as it has ever been. Balance was also very poor.

Despite the schedule for power cuts, we seem to be the only part of Bexleyheath enjoying continuous power supplies. The shopping centre was still like a ghost town today, we were told that the Nat West Bank was operating a skeleton service from a table on the pavement. By the end of the afternoon the power seemed to be back on in the centre and I was able to get cash from a hole in the wall and fill up with petrol. However all the houses south of us again had their power turned off a short while ago. Power supplies are supposed to be back to normal some time tomorrow.

Isobel was very tired and slept until half nine this morning. Our friend Jane came round in the morning, she lives north of the Broadway and has only been getting three hour periods of power a couple of times a day - two of her sons have gone to stay with relatives as they can't put up with having no television or Internet. Isobel's speaking this morning was much more lucid, and Jane confirmed it was greatly improved over a couple of weeks ago. A new district nurse called and was, I think, reassured to find the situation was not as desperate as when her colleague last called, she is going to sort out a supply of incontinence pants now that their usage has increased to such large numbers.

Iona came round at lunchtime, bringing her dog to amuse Isobel. I spent another fruitless half hour on the 'phone to Maidstone Hospital; their appointments section seems to have been unstaffed all week. I have agreed with the Oncology Department (who have done their part OK) that if it can't be resolved tomorrow they will kick people at their end. We left Euan in charge of Isobel for a hour while Iona, myself and her dog went over to Sidcup to buy more compost, lawn dressing and vermiculite - I had expected the load I bought a couple of weeks ago would last all summer, but I have at last got more work done in the greenhouse and garden than anticipated. By the end of the afternoon Isobel's speech was as bad as ever, I do not understand why it varies so much. The District nurse reappeared with a pack of incontinence pants - prompt service!

Euan made us spaggetti bolognese for dinner. Afterwards Isobel had apple crumble and ice cream. She went to sleep well after 11pm.

Ten minutes to midnight and power still on...

Today's blog may appear in several parts, as we are still suffering the after effects of Monday lunchtime's attack by a gang of masked men who cut through the gates and fencing around the power cable bridge at Dartford Creek, poured petrol over the four major power cables and set them alight. The explosion and subsequent fire cut off supplies to 100,000 consumers. It is said (not sure if this is true) that the bridge was the only point at which all four supply routes come together. We got power back late afternoon yesterday, but are now supposed to be on a rolling "three hours on, six hours off" schedule and are supposed to loose power in twenty minutes time. We did not loose power the last time this was scheduled today, so I was a bit over confident, but the bungalow at the end of the garden and all other houses down to Bexley village were plunged into darkness ten minutes ago. The problem seems to be that alternative power lines are limited in capacity and cannot serve all consumers at the same time. Most shops are shut, cash points turned off, petrol stations closed and most traffic lights not working. BHS and Marks & Spensers apparently have their own generators, and today Iceland also opened. However I had to drive to the other side of Sidcup to get Isobels incontinence pants yesterday. The situation might be sorted out tomorrow but Thursday seems more likely.

We were late again to the hospice this morning, following another wet bed incident, but Isobel's walking was a little better today. Her speech however has been very poor. Iona had been in school this morning and picked her mother up from the hospice on the way here. I spent half an hour on the phone to Maidstone Hospital without sorting out the neurologist's apppointment.

Isobel specially requested Chicken Kiev for dinner (well, she is descended from the Grand Dukes of Kiev), with boiled potatoes and peas. She was again rather tired and had a fairly early night.

Despite Isobel's late night, she up up bright and early this morning. For about ten minutes her speech could be easily understood, but it then slipped back to normal. We were ready to leave for the hospice at 9.25; but somehow or other actually left at 10.20; these days we can lose an hour without trying. Isobel took her knitting to the hospice, but did not do any, really this is completely beyond her now.

Iona arrived after her training morning at school, and there was shortly afterwards a power cut. I went to the shops to get a waterproof sheet and some saucepans for Iona, but the power cut covered all Bexley and Dartford and beyond; the only shops open were BHS and M & S, they presumably have their own generators. We went off early to collect Isobel from the hospice, but on arriving found they had no power cut. The hospice staff commentated that her balance had been noticeably worse today.

The power was back on when we got home, but had not been fully restored to the shopping centre. Isobel had beefburgers for dinner, followed later by apple crumble. I drove to Sidcup to get a spare pack of pants for tomorrow morning. Isobel went up to bed at about 8pm and watched television for a couple of hours.

The day did not get off to a good start when, at 4am, the bed had to be stripped and washed and Isobel moved into the spare room. I had thought that the incontinence strategies we were using would prevent this happening again, but some new ideas will need to be sorted out on Monday. Isobel then slept on until half past nine.

Iona came over for lunch, then she and Euan went off to Dartford Festival. In the late afternoon I drove Isobel down to Bexley and we went for a short walk in Bexley Park Woods. The paths are broad and smooth and a lot of them are level, so it is a rare chance for Isobel to walk on a natural surface. We parked very close to the entrance to the woods and walked in for about 150 yards, then had a long rest, sitting on a fallen tree trunk. It was very pleasant and there were very few people about. On the way back Isobel began to have difficulty walking after only a few yards and the last hundred yards were very slow and required a lot of support. Soon after we got home Iona appeared with Euan and they reprimanded us for being reckless, going into the woods!

Isobel had curry for dinner (chicken makhani, chicken jalfrezi, onion bhaji, nan bread and rice). Afterwards she had another large helping of strawberries, cream and ice cream. Although she had seemed tired after our walk and had dozed a little while sitting on the sofa, she did not go to bed until almost midnight.

This morning Isobel's dysphasia had suddenly improved and for the first hour she was able to convey her meaning with some ease. This gradually deteriorated over the rest of the morning and by early afternoon was almost as bad as last night. This is the first time there has been a sudden improvement in her speech.

Iona came over lunchtime and sat with her mother for most of the afternoon. For dinner Isobel had chili con carne with baked potato. In the evening I drove her to Bexley; we went for a walk alongside the River Shuttle. We left the wheelchair in the car, available for emergencies, and followed an oval route on flat grass. The aim was to see how far she could manage on a good, level, surface with no time pressure and as many stops as she wanted. Isobel managed about 250 yards, but was very slow and needed a lot of support for the final hundred yards.

When we got home Isobel had another huge helping of strawberries, cream and ice cream. She went to bed at about half ten.

Isobel slept until 9.30am and was slow to get going in the morning. Euan sat with her for part of the later morning.

Iona dropped in after school finished and stayed for a couple of hours. The neurologist's appointment is not resolved; at 3.45pm I was promised a call back but it did not come. Afterwards I took Isobel out for a walk. She managed about 150 yards, the final 50 yards being very slow but she could probably have gone a little further if a torrential downpour had not started. We used the wheelchair for the return trip home.

Isobel had baked potato with cheese for supper, followed by a huge helping of strawberries with cream and ice cream. She felt tired all day and went up to bed early. During the late afternoon and evening her dysphasia was very bad and it was difficult to understand what she was talking about.

Isobel breakfasted soon after 7am on crumpets and we were ready in plenty of time for a trip to Maidstone Hospital for a routine clearance of Isobel's ears. Isobel tried at first to suggest we walk the 300 yards or so across the hospital to the ENT department, but as we only had a quarter of an hour before her 10am appointment accepted that she needed to use the wheelchair. Modest amounts of wax were removed from each ear.

We tried to sort out the doubt over the appointment with the consultant neurologist without success. Having been told we needed to wait for his secretary to return from leave, it turns out she plays no part in the appointment system! All the secretary could do is to confirm no appointment had yet been made - which we already knew. The computer system was down at the time and we were not able to chase up the section that is apparently responsible for appointments. Before we left the hospital Isobel had tea, chicken tikka sandwich and an iced bun.

We were home in time for a late lunch and Iona came over afterwards. Euan and Iona took Isobel for a walk down the road and brought her back in the wheelchair - two trips in the wheelchair in one day must be progress. Isobel had cheese and bacon flan, chips, peas, sweetcorn, carrots and cauliflower for dinner. Isobel went to bed at 10pm.

The plans for today were to have included a trip out into Kent, but two incidents scuppered these plans before the night was finished. Firstly I tripped over and jammed my left thumb into the wall while jarring my right foot, so today I have a swollen hand and immobile thumb - not broken but just a joint capsule injury of the type I used to get when playing rugby. My right foot has had no working ligament sheath for thirty years and reacted by swelling up and becoming very painful; and my left foot reacted to the greater load put on it by becoming very painful where I broke my fifth metatarsal several years ago. Secondly, we had an accident that required the bed to be stripped down in the middle of the night. While this was being done, Isobel picked up a cup of coffee and spilt it equally over the bed and the white bedroom carpet. It did not take me and Euan too long to clean Isobel up and settle her in the spare room, but it took me over an hour to sort out the bed, bedding and carpet. With two hours sleep in bed and three hours dozing in a chair, I wrote today off.

Iona came round lunchtime and did the shopping with Euan. Isobel was very tired and slept late in the morning and dozed on and off for much of the day. She ate blackberry and apple pie in the afternoon and had flan, potatoes and beans for her evening meal. During the evening Isobel's dysphasia was worse than usual and it was difficult to make out what she was talking about. All in all, not a good day.

In contrast to the past few weeks, Isobel slept late today until I woke her with tea and breakfast at twenty past eight. Iona arrived soon after nine and we washed and dressed her and delivered her to the hospice at 10am. The Tuesday session is the original one that Isobel began attending and she knows the other patients well, she says that she enjoys the Tuesday sessions better than other days.

Isobel's walking and balance today was poor. When I collected her from the hospice at 3pm it took a long time to cover about forty yards to the car, she still will not use the wheelchair.

We had a few problems in the late afternoon and Euan had some messy cleaning up to do. Isobel had Chicken Kiev, chips and peas for evening meal, having had apple crumble an hour earlier as she was hungry. She was awake until about a quarter past eleven, later than usual.

Isobel was up early today and Iona came over to help get her ready for the hospice - we actually got to the hospice a couple of minutes early for a change. They did not get round to painting the dough models made last week but Isobel won another bingo prize. Iona and I got some of the backlog of everyday matters cleared while Isobel was at the hospice. Iona collected her at 3pm as I was busy enjoying myself washing the kitchen floor. The hospice staff commented that she seemed tired.

I tried to chase up the neurologist appointment at Maidstone Hospital but found out that the consultants secretary is away until Thursday, rather than returning today as I had expected. I do feel at the moment that none of us fully understands what is happening to Isobel and this does not make planning easy. Isobel said that she had a slight headache first thing this morning but did not need painkillers for it, it had gone soon after breakfast.

Isobel had steak pie, boiled potatoes and peas for her evening meal. After we had watched University Challenge, Isobel went upstairs to lie down while watching television and soon fell asleep, this happens a lot now.

After a leisurely morning, Isobel came with me while I gave Euan a lift to Gravesend. We did not see Iona today as she was suffering from a tummy bug. We had lunch and watched the German Grand Prix before Dallas and Mike arrived from Milton Keynes. We all went down to Hall Place where Isobel enjoyed a cream tea. We went into the gardens afterwards but Isobel could only manage to walk about a hundred yards to the nearest bench. She still prefers to make a big effort to walk herself, rather than being pushed in a wheelchair.

Dallas and Mike stayed for about an hour after we went home. Isobel had a large curry for her evening meal. Afterwards she was tired and went to lie on the bed at about nine o'clock.

Today was a quiet day, nothing much happened.

Isobel had woken just after seven, but went back to sleep for an hour. We sat and talked for a couple of hours until Euan appeared and he looked after Isobel while I went to the shops. After lunch Iona came over, Isobel went back to bed to watch a film. Iona went home soon after six and Isobel had fish, chips and beans for dinner. Isobel slept on the sofa for about an hour, then she had apple and blackberry pie and watched television for an hour before going to bed. Isobel's balance was no better or worse, she seemed more tired.

Friday did not get of to a good start as Isobel had a worrying fall at about 3am when she got up to go to the toilet. I was actually awake at the time as I had bad asthma and a splitting headache. Isobel said she did not need any help and pushed herself away from the bed rather too firmly with her right hand, then tried to regain balance with a very firm push of her left hand on the television shelf, this just accelerated her into the wall next to the door at high speed. She hit the wall with her left shoulder, bouncing back into the room and landing face down on the carpet. Her head just brushed the edge of the open door as she landed - a couple of inches further forward and it could have been very nasty indeed. It all happened so quickly I only had time to swing my legs onto the floor before Isobel hit it a couple of feet from me. Although her balance has been very poor recently, falls are very rare. Luckily no real harm was done. The crash as Isobel fell woke Euan up and he helped settle her down afterwards.

After the excitement of the night we both had a lie in and lounged around for most of the morning. In the late morning I drove Isobel over to Iona's, then Iona took us and her dog to Stone Park. Isobel walked about two hundred yards, slowly and with some difficulty, to a seat, then Iona and I took it in turns to try and tire the dog out. The return two hundred yards to the car was very slow indeed and Isobel required most of her weight supported for the final part. I can understand why she is keen to try and walk, but she can do only short distances and needs help with balance all the time she is out of doors. Once again today Isobel had not wanted the wheelchair used as backup. The invitation came for her brother's wedding on the last day of October, but I doubt it will be possible for Isobel to go to Cornwall (and that is assuming her condition does not deteriorate in the next three months).

We went back to Iona's for a late lunch and stayed until half five. After dinner Isobel went up to bed at about half eight and was asleep by half nine. I do think she is starting to sleep more in the early part of the night. Isobel's balance remains very poor.

Another relaxing day, thank goodness. After the non stop problems of last week the three of us - myself, Iona and Euan are grateful the pressure is off most of the time.

Isobel rose early, tried to make herself a drink and dropped a bottle of milk which broke. That is two mugs and a milk bottle this week. The cat had been sick in the kitchen so it was a bit of a mess. After breakfast, Isobel decided she was not going to the hospice today. Attendance is optional and I gather there is less entertainment on Thursdays. Iona came over in the morning and left after lunch at about 2pm.

I took Isobel over to Donna's at half two. Although it is only a couple of hundred yards she cannot walk it any more and refused to use the wheelchair, so I ended up driving over. While Isobel was at Donna's I continued attempts to find out what is happening regarding the neurologist's appointment at Maidstone hospital. In all it took over an hour on about seven different extensions to ascertain that no appointment has yet been made and the consultant's secretary is away until Monday. The next free appointment is on the 14th of September so a bit of arm twisting will be needed next week. After collecting Isobel's steroid prescription it was a quarter to five before I got to Donna's, where Isobel had been drinking tea and eating fondant fancies. We came home about a quarter to six.

Isobel had chili con carne and pasta for tea. She went upstairs to watch television before nine o'clock and had a bowl of ice cream about an hour and a half later, falling asleep soon afterwards.

Another relaxed day.
After bathing Isobel sat around watching television, more relaxed and talking more clearly than for some time. Getting out of the bath is not a problem when Isobel co-operates by not kicking out with her legs; lifting her onto a perching stool as the first step can be fairly easily accomplished by one person. This contrasts with times when legs are kicked out horizontally, then it becomes very difficult for two people to lift her out, as the effort required is a lot more than 100% of her weight as the horizontal force also has to be overcome. Iona popped in briefly on her way to Howletts Zoo with Jon.

The District Nurse called at mid-day and we were able to confirm that the extreme problems of the previous week had been largely resolved. The next step is the meeting with a consultant neurologist at Maidstone Hospital who will try to come up with an explanation for the deterioration in Isobel's symptoms over the past two months. Isobel's balance was poor again today; it is difficult to judge how much it has improved since last week - not as much as we had hoped.

After lunch Pat Ball (Chris' mum) called round and stayed for a couple of hours chatting, eating cake and drinking coffee.

For dinner Isobel had a huge beef casserole, it was not a surprise that she did not want any more food later. Iona called in for half an hour or so to tell us what a good time she had at the zoo. Isobel went up to bed soon after nine and fell asleep. She does seem to be more tired than a few weeks ago. It seems as if her sleeping is getting back to a regular pattern, which certainly makes life easier for the rest of us.

Today was the first day for sometime that could be described as relaxed.

Breakfast and getting ready for the hospice went smoothly. Isobel had steak for lunch.
When I picked Isobel up from the hospice we went straight over to Iona's where I left her chatting to Iona and playing with her dog. She had chicken arabatiatta for dinner and I picked her up at seven.

We sat around drinking coffee and eating biscuits for an hour, then she went up to watch television in bed, falling asleep while I was re-potting in the greenhouse.

Isobel seemed happier today, and hardly lost her temper at all. Her speech is very difficult to follow at times, but today for a change she worked at trying to express herself in different ways in order to help us grope our way towards understanding. Isobels balance remains poor, but she did walk about a hundred and fifty yards on the way to Iona's house.

Not a bad day. Isobel made a prompt start, Iona came over to help get her ready for the hospice. She apparently had a good time at the hospice. After the normal substantial lunch she joined in with dough modelling and produced a model of....a pork pie!

Isobel had a relaxing evening and seemed not so tired as for the last few days. Her balance still remains very poor however.

Isobel's balance is still poor, it makes walking just a few yards a slow and difficult task. Hopefully it will start to improve as the steroids take effect over the next couple of days.

After a leisurely morning and lunch, Iona took Isobel to her house so that I could work in the greenhouse. It is a measure of how difficult things have been in the past few months that this was the start of season clean up of the greenhouse, usually done in March.

I picked Isobel up at about 7pm and she had a small dinner as soon as we got home. Within a few minutes of finishing her meal Isobel was hungry again, but a cup of coffee and half a dozen "Hobnobs" satisfied her. It will be interesting to see how her appetite changes as the steroids take effect. Increased appetite can be caused by the steroids or by the glucose demand of a growing tumour. As her appetite decreased when she stopped taking the steroids this suggests tumour growth is not responsible for the increased appetite, which is encouraging.

Saturday was a fairly good day. Isobel was tired and her balance was still poor but she took her medicine again and the balance should start improving soon. She was a bit happier today.
I took Isobel to Iona's in the morning and they watched a film. I joined them for lunch and afterwards we watched the rugby, Isobel drank a can of beer during the match. We went home as soon as the rugby finished and Isobel relaxed for the rest of the day. She had a small meal in the evening and it is noticeable that for the past few days her appetite has not been as large as in the previous couple of months when she would eat substantial amounts after her evening meal.

This morning Isobel's balance was significantly worse, even compared to yesterday. However, this morning she agreed to resume taking her medication and a full days batch (apart from Calcium supplement) was taken at about 9am.

Isobel went over to Iona's for lunch, they had pizza and doughballs while I made a trip to the dump with a boot full of Iona's rubbish.

We came home at half past one and John Greenhalf (the ed-psych who used to work closely with Isobel at Hook Lane School) called in at 2pm for the usual walnut cake and coffee. Euan prepared bacon sandwiches for dinner for Isobel and she finished off the walnut cake for supper; not exactly a balanced diet for the day, but what Isobel fancied. The evening was filled with 'phone calls from family and friends.

Isobel almost agreed to resume taking her medicine today but baulked at the last minute.
Iona came over and helped get her ready for the hospice. At the hospice she had liver and bacon for lunch, one of her favorite meals. She was reported as being more relaxed, but speech was largely incomprehensible in general conversations although she could indicate positive or negative answers to questions.
Isobel's balance has been noticeably worse today, but there has been no sign of fits.
After collection from the hospice at 3pm we went to Iona's where I left Isobel watching a film. Iona brought her back at about 7pm and she had Tagliatella Bolognese for dinner, after wards relaxing in bed watching television before falling asleep early. There is no doubt she has been much more tired this week.

Wednesday was another difficult day, but at least Isobel did not show any dramatic effect from a continued refusal to take any medicine.

The level of anti-fitting drug must be very low now, but no dramatic fits have occurred. Today not even minor ones were seen. Perhaps this suggests that the damage done in 2007 and early 2008 would not have caused serious fits? This would be very lucky considering the size of the tumour before surgery.

The withdrawal of dexamethasone (steroid) must now be taking effect but the result is difficult to judge. Today Isobel's speech was noticeably better at times. Balance was marginally worse.

Today there was no problem breakfasting; washing and dressing. On the way to Maidstone Hospital we stopped at Iona's for a few minutes. At Maidstone we had trouble parking close to the Oncology Unit, this was very unusual. Isobel would not use the wheelchair we had brought in the boot of the car and the walk of about two hundred and fifty yards took a long time. We had a wait of about fifteen minutes during which we drank coffee. Isobel decided to walk back to the car by the same route and not to take advantage of seats on the way for resting. The walk took about twenty minutes and by the end Isobel was barely able to move even with a lot of support.

We returned to Iona's for a very late lunch and reached home about 4pm. Isobel had chicken arabiatta followed by apple crumble for dinner. In between courses, Louisa dropped in for a quick visit. Isobel relaxed in the evening and watched television.