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.