This is a photo from our evening with Blake - the singing group. This is one of the members of the group signing Claire's wheelchair. We had a lovely evening. More forever memories to be stored up for a rainy day! Thank you ladies.

Yesterdays physio appointment went well. She was amazed that my arm had gone down so well - it is now called my skinny arm. In places it had shrunk more than 4 cms. We have agreed that I will wear my sleeve just when I am out and about with my arm down most of the day. When I am able to rest it I will try and keep it up - mmmm easier said than done! I only have to go back to her if it starts to swell significantly again. In the mean time I have to watch it carefully for signs of cellulitis and go straight to a Dr if that happens. My blood test was speedy and successful. I had the same lovely phlebotimist as last time. She is very gentle and uses the tiniest of needles and slowly withdraws the blood. It takes a while but it is so much less painful. The surgeon was very happy with my arm and hopes not to see me again! If he does it will be to make another fistula as my kidneys would be failing or to have a transplant - neither do I want to happen! I will need to have a scan of my other arm to make sure that we have a plan for another fistula if ever I need one. So that will involve another hospital visit. I have had so many visits in the last 2 months which I had expected to be free of hospitals - oh well never mind. I had to park up near the uni yesterday and walk down to the hospital and then the whole length of the hospital for my appointment and then back again. It is the furthest I have walked for a very long time. It was good to remind myself that at one time I couldn't even walk half the length of the hospital and had to have a wheelchair. How times have changed. I am so grateful for my new energy levels.

Today is a quiet day. I am sitting in my bed and typing and there is no one else around. Paul has gone to London with work and Debz and Ben are at school. It is very quiet and peaceful. Again I am remembering those days when I couldn't cope with being n my own and the silence was deafening. I am so thankful for so much recovery. Yesterday I was listening to the debate about sleeping tablets and addiction on the radio. It made me so grateful that I had been able to give up my sleeping tablets so easily 2 years ago. I remember how anxious I was to give them up and I would never take them again. Thankfully I sleep quite well now but I am only too aware of how awful it is not to be able to sleep but also how horrible it is to be dependent on anything.

Goodness - a lot of waffle today. You can tell i am on my own!! I will be off now to start my day. Some planning for tomorrow - Ben's birthday. He will be 17 - I can't believe that he is so grown up. His performance part of his AS music exam was yesterday and he feels it went well. It has been a joy to hear him singing the songs. He has been asked to sing a solo in his schools combined concert with Abbey School. I will really look forward to that. More forever memories - hurrah! Life is so full of joy.