h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Friday, today, is Keith's birthday,

He came through to the living room, where I sleep, and I wished him a happy birthday.

He sat down in the rocking chair and we have been talking for three hours. Wonderful.

We did have one delightful interruption. A dear little bird came
and sat on the verandah rail and visited us.

It is the very first time that we have had a visit from a tiny bird since we have been here. We both regard it as a very good omen, and we are going to go out and buy a litle home and a feeder and a water-tray. who knows, We might have birds other than seagulls visiting us. Mind you ths seagulls just swoop around us.

What wonderful dreams we talked about. Sadly one of the symptoms of his illness has been that one has "no insight" into it. That is a pretty scary thing. I was totally thrilled the other day when I found a writing of his saying how much he hated the term "mental illness",, I felt that it showed tremendous insight.

And that is what has happened. He now has insight into it, and I truly I believe that whatever one has insight into and accepts, one can conquer. Would that not be the most wonderful gift that he has been given?

We are talking again of a visit to South Africa at Christmas time. How wonderful that would be.

So today 4rd July, 2009 is a new special dawning for us.

With our love,

~Christiane and Keith.
Friday 3rd July,2009
AR 81

Of course the date is Friday 3rd July, 2009
Sorry I put the incorrect date/

It was written from the heart so I do not want to rewrite it.

hope you forgive me, !!

CMEAR81

wonderful moment!

Very dear Strangely strange,

I tried to find you yesterday but was flummoxed with the new format. !!

I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The links you gave me were wonderful. I found out lots, and next Wednesday a potter is coming to have tea with us. I have also made contact with two artists from the local F........Art Coop they call themselves.

Thank you soooooooo much.

Keith is over the moon. It was a wonderful birthday pressie for him.

We are going out to to lunch. I suggested a lovely restaurant but he has chosen the very nice fish and chips place. !!

With affection

Christiane
AR81

I am so pleased for you and K!

If I were a fly on the wall next wednesday I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut

Happy Birthday Keith,

Hope you have a lovely day. and chips


Christiane, have a lovely day too. I do hope the pottery works out for K. It sounds lovely.

It has rained here consistently since the early hours, but at least it is a tiny bit cooler.

Websailor

Happy Birthday to Keith


I hope you both have a wonderful day, Christiane


lil xx

Happy Birthday, Keith. You and I exchanged nods in Hyde Park back in 2002.

Happy birthday Keith

Hello Christiane,

Please send my best wishes for Keith's birthday and I hope that he will have many happy returns.

Oh to see a little bird come to you when you were sitting in the verandah. Does not matter how many times I watch birds flying or hopping around, I never tire of it.

Christiane, I am glad you had a visit from a little bird. I wonder what it was? A little bit of food might bring it back again so you can have a better look. I do hope so, they make such a difference to life.

Hope you both had a good day.

Websailor

Dear Christiane, tell Keith I wish him a wonderful birthday as well! Sorry for only responding now ... I'm quite busy these days and not getting much internet time. I will write more tomorrow!

Alles van die beste,

Willem

Hi, Christiane

You and Keith are lucky to have each other, and to stay in touch.
That means so much in the world we have, where family members too often put up barriers to contact with each other.

As for being labelled with "mental illness," I think the psychiatrists are stil grappling with the terminology. In my area, they're calling it "behavioral illness," which doesn't make a lot of sense to me either.

Whatever it's called, it results in a lot of cruel decisions, particularly by governmental authorities. here in Massachusetts, a lot of mental hospitals were shut down in the 1970s, ostensibly because there was a budget crisis, but also because a lot of then-new drugs were making it possible for patients to improve enough to rejoin society. Alas, if you have someone who has lived with delusions for 30 to 50 years already, that person is still going to be saddled with the thought patterns from those years even if you give him/her a pill that stops the voices he/she has been hearing.

Then someone had a brilliant idea: mental patients are eligible for Medicaid (the state's way of funding indigent people who need nursing care), so a number of them have ended up in nursing homes, funded by medicaid. Thus, the state may have saved money by closing mental hospitals, but it ended up paying a lot for nursing home care.

Sorry about the rant. All of us can only live the lives we've been given, and hope there will be a few kind, caring people who see our good points and help us when we need it most. In turn, we help others as much as we can.

Dear Paul H.,

What a lovely letter , Thank you so much.

You will be "amused" because I have just had a phone call from a social worker asking for an appointment so that the authorities can assess as to whether I am capable of being a carer or not.

I was taken aback, but very quickly realised it was because I had really blown my top at the last Care Review Meeting when I had informed those present that absolutely nothing had been done to make mjy son's life any easier . That if I had not been around he would have been homeless years ago.

I naturally burst into tears, and as a reault the four people present decided that I should be assessed as to my suitability as a carer,

There is an idiom in French

"La defence c'est l'attaque."

Well, fortunately my sense of humour took over. What a way to end a book. To be sent an official to find out if indeed one is actually not also afflicted.........
Perhaps they may lock me up. !!



so hold thumbs for me on Monday aftenoon when the very nice sounding young man will be coming around to give me tests - or whatever,

Life is really strange.

With affection

CME
AlsoRan. 80.

Have you seen that Gnoman has found my first posting in 2001. !¬! Not bad Eh?

Oh, Christiane, what a cheek they have! You give it them with both barrels On second thoughts, cool, calm and collected but firm It seems they don't equate tears with stress but instability.

They should concentrate their efforts on those who clearly cannot, or won't cope.

They should be looking to give you and Keith extra help instead of finding fault!



Websailor

Christiane, I personally would never wish to come between a mother and her offspring. Your meltdown was a sign of how much you cared. The people who will be examining you should be so lucky as to have a mother who would go to bat for them the way you did for Keith.

Dear Websailor and Paul H.,

Thank you both so much. Now you must hold thumbs that I do try and stay cool calm and collected and show them that I still believe that unconditional love can make the difference.

I so appreciate your words. I was really very low as it is difficult, in a new town to find anyone in whom one can confide.

I shall have to include both your affirmations if ever we get to complete our book. !!

with much affection

Christiane and Keith.
alsoran80 and K.

Wishing you Christiane and Keith too of course. I am sure they will see that you are more than capable of caring for Keith, and he for you. After all who else has done it all these years?

Try and relax today and face tomorrow when it comes.

Take care

Websailor

Websailor is right.

No matter what, life comes at you one day at a time, and can only be dealt with day to day.