Soggy

We were up early for J's 9 am wheelchair appointment: I had to get her into the car at eight to allow for the morning traffic, and it takes over two hours to get her up and out of the house, so I reluctantly set me alarm for 5:45. This was my regular getting up time for years when I was teaching and J was picked up by her school taxi just after eight, but I'm now woefully out of practice. 

The outcome made the effort worthwhile: when J received her new moulded seat last June, the back was too high, preventing the headrest from sitting at the correct height to support her head. This is a major issue, as her neck is now very weak and it's imperative that her head is supported to prevent further damage to her neck and spinal cord. We've been struggling and improvising with a range of support systems ever since, while trying to chase up the promised appointment to set alterations in motion. Finally, in November, it was agreed that the manufacturer's rep should be asked to reduce the height of the backrest, and this was the first available appointment with her. It took a while, but proved more straightforward than I had feared, and with the headrest restored to a good position, J immediately sat more comfortably, with her head in mid-line and reasonably supported. She still needs some support to stop her chin from dropping, but it's a big improvement and a huge relief - we've been constantly worried for months about the potential damage being caused by her poor head position. I'm just cross that she's been made to wait so long, 

J's PA arrived shortly after we returned home, giving me the opportunity to enjoy the bright day. I decided the Cherry Gardens path into the valley might be dryer than the last  route I tried, as it sits a little higher, hugging a hedgerow of mature trees and bushes. Initially, it was, but I soon found a lot of water lying in the field. It's higher than the level of the Nailbourne, which runs alongside the row of poplars in the photo, but this flooding is the result of very high groundwater levels, not overflow from the banks. Before long the path was too wet to continue, but I enjoyed the colours and reflections, which formed soft bands of broken colour.