A Good Friday - Friday 22nd April

Apologies for the lack of blog last week - as it was Ev's birthday last week there was only one thing the blog could be about ~ reflecting on Day 1 (2004) ~ but it was a difficult one, so it's written and filed away, but not published. Maybe one day...

So, that gives us a couple of weeks to catch up on. A couple of days after the last blog, Ev was a "page boy" in the school's version of the Royal Wedding - and walked "down the aisle" - he has a walking stick at school that he can use to balance him on one side, while holding hands with someone else on the other. I only managed to see a video clip, as I was at work (no bank holiday for this version....) but he looked really steady. Many people have since commented how different he looks. Which is partly one of the "problems" that we have - things are happening steadily but gradually (even though it is only 7 weeks today since we got back) and sometimes it is difficult to see the exact scale of progress. So we sometimes need others to tell us how things look to have improved.

Then school broke up for Easter and we have been trying to balance the relaxation that he needs with keeping up with his exercises, and there is still a lot of flying between appointments - which we are doing our best to keep disruption to a minimum but can be "fun" to manage on occasion. Especially when we are triple-booked - so thanks to the temporary baby-sitters who keep coming to our assistance.

Today was actually the first day in a while which we have been able to do something all together and we took a little walk "down the lane"

We are lucky enough to be in the middle of some wonderful countryside and we haven't taken the time enough recently to wander through it. In parts we got Ev out of his chair and he walked, holding our hands, for a good few hundred yards. Every time we said that he could take a rest he wanted to keep going and going. A little slither of his spirit shows through at times like that, but it's that which makes us very proud and hopeful that he will drive himself forward in the weeks, months and years to come. It even seemed easier to get Ev out of his chair and let him look over a gate and into a meadow. It's a bit difficult to explain, but the operation, in fact the whole experience, has opened our horizons as well as Evan's.

So, all Good !