A better day today, and a relief to have little to report. Isobel's walking and balance was significantly better today. She was able to manage going up and down the stairs on her own about half a dozen times. She did have two minor falls in the bedroom however. Her speech was still variable, but often vague and difficult to understand. She was generally cooperative when we were caring for her today.

Iona came over in the morning. She sorted and reorganised Isobel's clothes while I started to clear the living room. The latter task is a nightmare as lots of stuff was moved here from the bedrooms when we had to accommodate the contents of Euan's flat in Bishops Stortford at the start of the year - by the end of the day I had a carful of rubbish to go to the dump tomorrow and a couple of bags of stuff for the Hospice charity shop. Iona had taken home a carfull of her belongings and a box and bag of Isobel's jewellery with the aim of reorganising it into a single box. While Isobel has been ill we have left a lot of things unchanged since Isobel and I were working full time; now with pressure on the space in the house with two rooms used mainly for Isobel's care we need to clear out objects that have no function.

Isobel had chicken in basil sauce for lunch. For dinner she had chicken kiev, chips, peas and brussel sprouts followed by chocolate pudding. Isobel did not go to bed until after midnight, although she had dozed on the sofa for almost an hour earlier. I realised at midnight that I had still not repaired the leak from the upstairs toilet cistern caused when Isobel crashed into it yesterday, it will have to wait until tommorrow.