The Korpes File Series – Short Stories: Vol 1 by J. I. Rogers Some Day I’ll Fly Away by Linda Dutton Broken Ties (Realms of the Mist, #2) by Jude Itakali Natural Selection (Dawn of Humanity #3) by Jacqui Murray
I can mostly talk okay now which is good! However, there is much to do.
Each day I choose to write three sentences with two words, using ‘Multiple Sentences Formulation’ and I do three different things.
I start to write carefully. It’s not easy.
I write on the laptop and then I listen to it.
Then I write it again, and I ask lovely husband, Cliff, to make sure that it’s right.
This takes a lot of time. You see, I can’t get the right word every time yet. Sometimes it could take more than five minutes! Even though I get frustrating. But it’s worth it.
I pop a little line here and there in WordPress. Also, once a week, I have been doing ‘Three Things Challenge’ on Wednesday with the wonderful Di at pensitivity101.
Spring has sprung in the West Coast (in the south hemisphere) and floral buds are springing up. The festive season is fast approaching and the villages and little towns are so abundant in beautiful wild flowers. 🌺🌼🌸
I like to read as much as I can. This is quite difficult still, although it’s much better. And how exciting when my lovely friend, Robbie, posted a few days ago, her ‘Roberta Writes’ for my book, Spirit of Shell Man – even though I can’t read properly yet!
Finally, a little bit of numbers. Did you know that I have aways been a demon Scrabble person? This really helps and it’s such fun, with my great friend, Laurette, each Saturday morning. We have scored each time almost 500, and last week we got to 501! She also put a nice photo with me and my cat, Luna.
This is how it starting. Back from the void… ‘Coming Back’
And now, what can I see?
At the very start, it sees that the brain doesn’t recognise in my head properly at all.
Only listening.
Another few weeks. A little talking.
I look at my right hand. I need to write.
I move the pencil and the hand, and I look at my eyes..
This is how it works. (Sort of).
“Your eyes work, but the letters on the page have turned into squiggles. They make no sense. Now meet Howard Engel, a writer of detective stories, who has this condition, but amazingly, has found a way to trick his brain to almost read again.”
Something else
Much later, I find another writer. He had a ‘problem’ similarly to mine.
I am not quite right yet. My legs and arms and everything are good, although walking around is still a little odd. There is a little bit in my sight and I can’t see well on the right, but it is getting smaller.
My writing is getting so much better. Reading is still a bit difficult and talking is the same. Sometimes it is perfect but other times it disappears. Oh well.
So much has changed in my haemorrhage stroke, but at least I’m getting better. Slowly (very slowly) does it.
Now I get the gist of things in reading and writing. Before I would copy and paste on Word on my laptop were I can Read Aloud on Review. It’s not great but it’s all right. Of course, your clever people who read aloud on WordPress are fun. I can read pretty well now too and I can pop a little reply here and there.
Meanwhile, I will enjoy the Tour de France for three weeks. Just as I watched last year, although I could hardly speak at all then, and now I’m so much better, though there are quite a few of bumps in the way as I talk. It will get there, I’m sure.
And we love to walk on over the beach, right by the ocean, near Cape Town – the best therapy, I know. Apart from all your excellent posts from WordPress.
Well, it’s been a strange time starting on the 19th June 2022. When, out of the blue, a haemorrhage stroke landed at my door. The next I knew, my brain has scrambled. Not great.
It’s taken many months, but I am on the mend.
However, now physically I’m brilliant. I am stronger and fitter (and beautifully thinner too). I am still improving my reading, writing and speaking, but still more time is required. It is so strange but it will be all right again.
Thank you very much, my friends from WordPress – so many who giving me support. Most of all, Cliff, my wonderful man, keeping me safe and sound. He is my soulmate.
And now you’ve seen me around and eventually I’ll be back properly.
To mark this day, International Women’s Day, I’m posting a poem which I wrote in 2020. I wanted to remind us that wherever we may be in the world, we have a bond of common experience. I’ve found it when travelling in parts of rural Greece and Spain and, when I moved to South Africa and met women from more diverse cultures and with very different life experiences, this connection came even more sharply into focus for me. It’s called ‘Sisters’.
growing up on distant continents without a common tongue lives so seemingly different rich north, poor south experiences diametrically opposed
and yet
sharing corresponding smiles weeping mutual sorrows our hearts are touched by the same love and loss
because, in the end we are all sisters under the skin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another reason I’m posting today is to draw attention to the release of After Rain Skies by Michelle Ayon Navajas (Michnavs – Poetry by Mich to us here on WP). It’s a is a collection of true and inspiring stories of abuse and violence in prose and poetry, which I know has taken Mich some time to bring herself to write, given that it deals with complex and deeply emotional issues. Mich is donating a portion of her royalty fee to the Perak Women for Women Society, an NGO that helps and supports victims of abuse and violence, and with which Mich has become closely involved.
Making preparations for the coming festivities, modest though they are again this year, I gaze out of my kitchen window. Carols from Cambridge are playing in the next room as I chop and stir. Craning up at the wide blue African sky, I think of all the friends I’ve made across the globe. The storytellers, the poets and the bloggers who through their words, thoughts and dreams make my world all the richer every day.
warm wind blows while thoughts from abroad embrace me
Be happy, be safe, and let us look to a better future for the world, my writing friends!
A big thank you to everyone who fished me out and dragged me dripping from your spam folders this week, frequently clutching a pile of repeated comments. Dusted down and dried out, you kindly unspammed my messages, and now 🤞 normal service has been resumed.
I’m not sure if those ‘Happiness Engineers’ had a hand in it. They didn’t say. But anyway, I’m happily back to making my usual round of visits, reading and commenting on your wonderful words 😊
luna's on line 