To end a relatively relaxing week, on Friday night my beloved siblings and I popped out to the local cinemax to watch ‘The Hangover’ which was mildly entertaining. Then on Saturday following my early hydrotherapy appointment it was time to support my youngest auntie in the grand final of her club tennis. Grandma was also courtside as spearhead of the cheering squad and trash talking. Thankfully after almost three hours and the sets being tied they won on countback by two games. After years of being supported at my various sporting events it was nice to finally be around especially with the result going the right way.

Since the ball, it has become increasingly obvious that Peter the Puffin (or at least replicas which were available on the night) is going global with a steady stream of photos hitting my inbox on a daily basis. As such, I thoroughly enjoyed putting together a selection for the ’Where is Peter Puffin now?’ segment of the website which is now up and running. We will be updating more regularly in the future as photos flood in. For those who have already contributed on Peter’s behalf, many thanks. Clearly he will have to focus on his linguistic skills in the near future.

On the exercise front, this week I embarked on a fairly hectic regime which includes hydrotherapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, gym work and an electrical stimulation research project run by Sydney University. The research project will involve three separate hours weekly of electrical simulation cycling where large electrodes are placed on my hamstrings, quadriceps, calves and ankles with the currents timed to simulate riding an exercise bike. The main aims are to increase muscle bulk and promote neuropathic recovery (ie strengthening messages to the various muscles) especially as these muscles are still particularly weak. It will be very interesting to see how my body responds over the coming weeks.

As we have recently purchased a new walking frame, my physio and I spent most of our sessions carrying on from where I left off at Moorong a week or so ago. We will continue to tinker with the set up as my frame-based and heavily supported walking continues to improve.

On the home front, I am still adjusting to what is a new environment, however, the home cooking is doing wonders to soften the blow. Being out in society on a more regular basis definitely reinforces how much you miss out on being in a chair but in saying that it also gives you a constant reminder of what you are fighting for every day. Hence the journey continues.

Last but not least, my Committee members were keen to inform you that my video from the ball is now available on Youtube via the following links:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie7VWbUWO7Q

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pi6A3oTVMo

Hope everyone is having a sensational week.