I went in to see Isobel at a quarter to five. She was asleep when I arrived but soon surfaced when I begun to manipulate her right arm, which was not as badly swollen as earlier in the week. There is freedom of movement at the shoulder and elbow, and almost free movement at the wrist. The fingers are worse but after ten minutes gentle flexing all except the second finger could be straightened. The second finger remains the main source of pain in the arm but it became looser and I may be able to straighten it fully tomorrow or on Saturday. Her neck is still slightly swollen, freedom of movement is unchanged.

I read some more pages of "I capture the castle" to Isobel; she listened carefully and could discuss what I had just read.

Isobel's speech remains limited, that is to say that she did not talk very much in sentences although she displayed a good vocabulary. In the past week Isobel has not always finished all her food. Sometimes she has finished one course but only partly finished the other, this was not happening a couple of weeks ago. For tea today she had ham salad followed by mandarin oranges and cream, she finished this meal completely. She had a beaker of orange juice with her tea and a little later she finished off a box of chocolates left over from Christmas.

Isobel agreed that the poinsettia should be taken home, it has been on the chest of drawers where it got little natural light and has been shedding leaves continuously. On the other hand, the Guzmannia continues to thrive on the window sill.

I returned to reading Isobel's book to her, we have at last got beyond page 100, progress is slow because we spend a lot of time discussing the plot and the characters actions but I am now trying to make a real effort to press on with it. Isobel ate a huge number of grapes and then a banana. With her evening mug of tea she finished off a bar of orange and cardamon chocolate, she gave me a square and I found it delicious, the cardamon flavour was no more than a hint behind the orange. I think she was beginning to feel tired when I left for home at a quarter past eight.