Quick phonecall

Morning world!

Just spoke to David at Jo's house. His mobile phone was turned off. Apparently he is playing a flying game on the Wii and they are waiting for some batteries to charge so he can have a go at the Wii Fit to help his balance.

The doctor should be phoning him this morning with details of the trip to the specialist who will be in Canterbury so less worries over travelling. He is also going to be referred to a speech therapist- but there isn't much wrong with his speech thats not caused by tiredness and fine-motor muscle loss.

David was yawning down the phone at me- they will stay in and wait for the phonecall then toddle down the road for a walk. It must be hard for Jo to see her Dad like this but what choice did we have? Its all so difficult....

I woke up at half past nine to the cat whingeing for breakfast and head-butting me and trying to bite me. So, I fell back asleep and woke up at half past ten and now have one of those weird slept-too-much headaches! Going to try and get something usefel done this morning- might not though ha ha.

Until later!
From Cyprus With Love,
K xxxxxxxxxxxxx

First visit to the doctor

Well, David had his first visit to the GP today and managed to register there. He will be seeing a stroke specialist shortly- should hear in a week to ten days and has to have more scans but it seems like that is routine. So, again, its just wait and see. I'm sure they will check his blood too to make sure that the drugs are doing what they should.

Today was fairly busy at work- 137 plates left the kitchen today. Chef gave us a hand to get everything done- nothing left late which is always a good thing.

I'm in a weird state of in-between-ness at the moment. I don't want to go out in the mornings- but I don't want to stay in. I don't want to come home after work, but I don't want to stay out. I don't want to sleep alone in the big bed- but get too tired not too and over sleep. What to do? I shall have to start getting different routines going- force myself to get up early and do something with my mornings. I will be brave and go out on Friday night- down to the pub to see David East (Keith) and spend some time with friends. Be strong and stay positive!

I worry about Jo having to deal with her dad- she doesn't know what its like yet. David gets so tired, I hope he adjusts to the atmosphere and weather there and starts improving again like he was over here.

I found Sue (fairyhare) and Kyle (Sue's son) and David from the moot on Facebook. *sigh* I miss some people from the Uk so much!

I shall leave it at that for now- will try and get up early tomorrow and get some stuff ready for the post when I get paid- other things earmarked for pay day include a sound card for the computer so I can try and Skype David and save on the phonebills!

Night night world!
With love from Cyprus
K xxxxxxxx

hello my love

Hello my love,

I am missing you so much! I feel so alone and depressed. I want to cry.
I don't know how to fill the forms in. I just don't know. I want to hold
you in my arms.

Well here today, I've been sleeping a lot. My head aches - just been
sleeping and waking up for meals - I had a bath and a shave this
morning - up at 7 am - I don't know what benefits I shall get - all
rather complicated may be the doctor tomorrow will be more helpful.

All the hotels seem to be booked up. Mum wants to come down for a week,
I see them staying somewhere far away. Rosalind wants to come down by
train - it's managing all the suitcases - Mum prefers to come by car.
She will not let me ask your Mum to go get them - it will cost 100
pounds here and back again by car - a lot of money.

My head's adrift - as to what you do with the letter from the Ports
Authority send it to the lawyers. Buggered if I know what it says - all
Greek to me!!

Chat to you later my one and only

David xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Still not me....

Well, its me posting, but I don't feel like me.

Valentino asked why I wasn't speaking to him- as if I haven't told him dozens of times what is going on already. Bloody Cypriots at times! Chef said he doesn't like seeing me like this- I said he just has to give me time to adjust. I'm living on my own and its something I've never done before! Holidays are different- I don't know exactly when David is coming back this time which makes it harder.

Willow was crying earlier- that pitiful little meep that she does at times- doesn't help that I've got no cat food in the flat other than biscuits! She'll just have to be patient- I will go to Papantoniou in the morning and buy one tin until Monday morning when I aim for UKays and the cheap stuff!

I have too much to say and don't feel like sharing when I could be telling David over the phone.

I cleaned 302 this morning and must remember to do my invoices and ask if I can get a new mop bucket for there (the bit where you wring the mop out is cracked and its not so easy to squeeze all the water out anymore) and ask them about the possibility of more double sheets- they have plenty of singles as I discovered today! I brought one load of washing home from there- looks like what the owner was using just before he left so its not too much.

I weighed myself today too in the flat- I'm down to 75 kilos again. Still slightly overweight according to the BMI charts but if I keep losing weight while David is away there will be nothing left of me!

We had a very nice treat today at work- not only pizza for tea (they were testing out a new dough using fresh yeast and no eggs- yummy!) but when we finished and Chef was leaving, he said we could have whatever we wanted to eat- so I had a chocolate mousse tort and a scoop of caramel ice cream! At last, the carrot and not just the stick!

It went easier tonight too- Kumar brought his friend in to be our assistant/ KP for the summer season after Chef asking us yesterday if we knew someone who would give us a hand as the kitchen needs three people all the time. Around 100 main courses today and it didn't feel like it was that busy even though most of it was done in an hour and three quarters. Once Sam (Sanjeev) has learnt the menu, it will be even quicker!

Well, I will leave it at that for now, mind going blank.
To you all, with love from Cyprus..... me xxxx

24 hours Alone

Dearest David

Missing you even more today. I don't feel 'normal'. I wander around thinking about you- Loris gave me another hug today as he could see I didn't want to talk.

I texted you- no reply? I hope you are well, you sounded so tired when we spoke. I am glad you spent the day at my mums recovering from the flight and everything. Apparently, the flights into Gatwick were delayed due to an emergency landing of a flybe flight from Paris to Wales that had to make an emergency landing due to the passenger cabin filling with smoke. No one was hurt though- and one of the runways was shut for 3 hours.

I have to make the bed before I keel over- I washed the sheets and my work jackets.

I had a great morning with Alex, was so good to catch up. Took her onto the boat and there was a letter stuck to the back window from the Cyprus Ports Authority- its all in Greek. What do I do? Its dated the 2nd July- strange that Geoff didn't mention it. Do I just pass it onto the lawyers? I don't want to go near the harbour master at the moment- tempted to email them from you and say that if they don't communicate in English they will pay for the translation or we will just keep ignoring them.

Its cooler here tonight and I can feel my eyelids dropping. I have to clean 302 tomorrow- but will be home after that so will try and ring you wherever you are.

Sleep well hunny.

From Cyprus With Love

Kathryn xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Home Alone Night One

Hi David

By the time you read this... well, no doubt it will be late/ early morning. Its quarter to two am and I am thinking of bed already. I walked home from the bus through the old town with my MP3 player plugged firmly into my ears.

It was busy at work from when I arrived. Everything went to pot- ran out of stuff, orders went out late, what can we do? I asked for help from Ludo (Brasserie Chef) and later got told off by Kumar for doing so- he doesn't care that the orders take 45 minutes to leave the kitchen. Well, sorry! But I do care.!

I spoke to Panayiotis, the Food and Beverage Manager- if I am still missing you really badly, he will give me a couple of days off to fly over and see you. Its tempting but too expensive. Damned summer holidays!

Willow is whingeing away- running around and wailing. She's got food, I think that she's wondering where you are. I'm wondering that too- somewhere over Central Europe would be my guess- half way to England by now. *sigh*

There was a nice breeze outside- but its from the wrong direction for us to get in the flat. Never mind. I shall take the fan to bed in a short while and see about getting some sleep. I hope you manage to sleep on the plane.

I am trying to check out your flight on flightstats.com and just noticed that google has another logo. I can't find how to get the picture to show you, its got dragons. I think the glass of wine I am drinking has gone to my head too much- I haven't eaten all night since that slice of pizza for lunch.

Flightstats is telling me that your flight has not yet departed, I hope you aren't still stuck at the airport! I am sure you would have rung by now....
Your number is not available- I am sure you are somewhere in the air fast asleep. Dream of me sweetheart :)

I have to go to bed now- my eyes close despite trying to stay awake, despite waiting to hear from you. I will set my alarm for tomorrow as Alexandra is coming to Pafos! No doubt I will be up early, you know I don't like sleeping here alone too much. I will write more in around 6 hours or so- and text you when you land safely.

Until then, my love
From Cyprus, With Love
K xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Introductions

Hi.

I'm Kathryn and this is my blog. I'm 33 and living in Cyprus with my partner David who is 61.

On the 27th May our lives changed. David suffered a stroke.

I was at work and it was busy. I noticed I had a missed call from David- he'd rung me just after 9pm and it was around twenty minutes later when I managed to check the phone. Strange. He never rings me at work- he texts.

I rang him back.

And the phone rang and rang and rang.

Even more strange, he always answers a text straight away as the phone is next to him.

I leave the kitchen and head somewhere so I can hear.

He answers the phone with the words I will never forget.

I have had a stroke he says. He sounds weak, very faint, doesn't seem to be making much sense.

I nearly drop the phone in panic, heading back to the kitchen, trying to talk to David and get him to keep talking to me, calling out for help, I don't think I'm making enough sense but the pub manager hears me and other cooks appear. I have to write our address down so that ambulance can be called in Greek to make it faster, I end up with a glass of water sitting in the Executive Chefs office, not caring about the tears running down my face, trying to get David to keep talking to me as I need him to be there so the ambulance can get in. I need a phone, I have no credit.

I hear the words taxi and lift float around as I beg David to keep talking to me, where are you, what happened, keep talking, keep talking.

Charles the pub manager appears and says that I have a lift home with Zenia who is heading back to Paphos, I run into my kitchen and Andrea the pasta chef is trying to make something from my menu, I notice the orders and I don't care, I grab a few things and run downstairs for my bag. I can barely remember coming back upstairs but I am back in the pub and then I'm all of a sudden heading home.

And our friend calls me. She had given me a lift to work that day and David had shown her Aphrodite's Rocks. She went back to our flat after some something and David managed to let her in. She got him dressed and stayed there and then the ambulance arrived.

Worrying in the car I directed my lift to our road, just as the ambulance was turning to come out. I run after it, car horns must have stopped it, I hammer on the back doors, thats my husband in there, let me in let me in.

He's lying on the stretcher, not able to smile, I see a look of something in his eyes. Worry? Love? I'm not sure, I'm just glad he's there, he's still in there.

It seems to take forever to get to the hospital, they must have gone the longest way possible through town. David gets wired to the ECG, his pulse is around 67. I'm trying to keep him awake, I need to know when this happened, need to know that he can hear that I am with him.

We arrive at the hospital and David gets wheeled in. Not to a room, to a curtained off corner. They take his blood pressure. 120/70. He hasn't had a stroke they tell me. Not possible. His blood pressure is not high enough. They don't seem to notice his face drooping on the left side, his lack of movement, the attempts he is making to tell them of the pain is his in with a bad headache. He can't speak clearly and I have to leave the department. Relatives not allowed inside. I wander in and out, in and out. He gets taken for a CT scan. Nothing shows.

Eventually he gets taken upstairs to Medical. I ask when visiting hours are. They tell me I can stay the night so I make sure David is as comfortable as can be, tell the staff that he broke his back years ago and his legs might twitch and then get a lift home. I can't remember coming back to the flat but I knew I did. I emptied out my work bag, tipped a few things in it- a blanket for me, maybe a change of clothes and wash kit and head for the moped and back to the hospital.

To be continued......