I went in to see Isobel at 5pm. She was asleep when I arrived. She had only eaten part of her porridge for breakfast but had also had a pot of balanced supplement. She had finished one course and partly finished the other for lunch.

Deciding to alter the usual pattern I woke her fairly easily and gave her a beaker of blackcurrant squash to drink before tea. This was finished easily, before tea arrived at twenty past five. Isobel ate the first course, fish and tomatoes, fairly briskly but was tired by the end of it. She took a considerable time to drink three quarters of a beaker of tea - she did not finish it as she was falling asleep. A bowl of jelly and cream appeared as dessert, I sent this back as jelly is forbidden owing to the risk of melting to an uncontrollable liquid within the mouth; it was replaced by yogurt but eating this was postponed until later.

I let Isobel sleep on until just before seven o'clock. It took a little time to fully wake her. It took her a long time to eat the yogurt although she speeded up towards the end. We talked for a bit and for the first time in several days she gave yes or no responses to some questions, although the words were very slurred. I was pleased that she indicated satisfaction at the Mothers Day card I had selected on her behalf to send to her mother. I must admit that the loss of two way conversation for several days has been very depressing. Isobel was only able to answer a few questions and after just listened to me with no response. She fell soundly asleep just before eight o'clock. I sat with her for a while, gradually lowering the bed to a nearly flat position - this cannot be done quickly now as there is a risk of recently consumed food or drink being vomited back. I left at half past eight.

Yesterday the usual road home was closed by "a terrible accident" that had taken place a few minutes earlier; about a mile of road was still closed tonight as the crash, in which a car driver died when he hit a lorry, had destroyed a length of road surface.