Week 7 Two Storms in a Row

 

Week 7 

Dudley and Eunice.

Eunice did more damage, including 4 people dead by falling trees...we're just under the "110", in the dark red below. Windstoten = wind gusts

I'm gathering my thoughts on Saturday night as I have booked a Diesel Motor Course for tomorrow.

We had the storms to worry about since Thursday afternoon, so we stocked up on firewood and food and snuggled in...

(Funny how the more immediate things take one's mind off invasions, gas prices and voter suppression, for example).

Janny's Mum fell over on the cycling path (whilst walking) on Thursday morning - she broke her wrist and has a hairline fracture in her ankle - we hired a 4-legged walking stick from the "Hulpmiddelen Shop" - help items for handicapped and/or aged people ( I was able to have a good look around and think how lucky I am - fingers crossed).

I'm doing the cooking for three now and Janny is on hand to get Rennie into and out of bed in the evenings and mornings - again lucky that we built their apartment on the back of our house for just this very reason. A couple of Janny's sisters also come during the day to help out.

Walking

Made it to every day for a year...I did miss a few before 0900hrs (they get the most points!)

Boeke and I were able to go for our early morning walk on Saturday - the trees were already bare of leaves but the conifers took a bit of a beating - losing small branches that left a greenish tinge to the walking paths.

This one is an oak tree - behind our place - excellent firewood if we can get it home - Janny will ring the forestry guys on Monday - we don't dare just go and pinch it!

On Saturday morning, I had a call from one of our residents - her heating unit wasn't working.

Quite often they just need extra water, but this was something more serious , so we had to call the emergency maintenance service to get it fixed. They're good like that...

Whilst I was working on that, Janny took Boeke for a walk in the back yard - and found a sheet of roofing had blown off Daniel's apartment! We had thought that we had escaped any damage - as we're fairly protected behind the trees.

Luckily, the sheet was not badly out of shape, so I could get it back up again...with Janny giving instructions helping and taking photos ;-)... and we were expecting an uneventful Saturday...

First 2 weeks in March - the boat goes into the shed for painting - only next week to get all the paint and other stuff ready. My "volunteer" is coming to help again - Luckily, he enjoys it.

One of our clients really is quite handy. 

In the beginning he told me that he had been in hospital for the first 5 years of his life and didn't go to school until he was 8. He has simply taught himself to do so many things over the years. He can't work in the normal workforce for a variety of reasons, but we are more than happy to have him around here - always doing repairs or making things or helping others. He has a heart of gold - and his own ways...

Anyway, one of our other clients is in a wheelchair and the housing corporation was supposed to be finding her a single storey apartment - but they said they would "install a stair lift instead".

I'm still not sure if this is the best solution, but it is being done as soon as next week, so it provides instant relief - and they can think about another place with a bit of time to do it properly rather than just quickly.

She spoke to our handyman and said that she feels locked inside her house as it doesn't have a ramp for her wheelchair. Unbeknownst to us, he went around to her house and measured up - and just started welding up a ramp (out of old bedframes) and then asked me to help him deliver and install it...

I think she'll just be using her walking frame, rather than the wheelchair. I any case, she can't go far but at least she can get "out" if she wants to.