Rolling On

The days are slowly but noticably becoming shorter. It's dark now at 6.00am (daylight saving time) when we get up on Lib's work days. School's back, the roads are busier in the morning with teachers in cars leaving for work at far off schools and kids walking to catch school busses.
I finished splitting the tree for next winter's wood last weekend, Feb 3+4, a few days past my target of Jan 31, but close. It's a job I dread but always enjoy when I get into and find a rhythm. I leave it out in the sun for two or three months before coming back and barrowing it into the wood shed, by then hopefully dry enough to burn well.
Also by April's end the honey season should be over and all my tools can be cleared out of the woodshed and and put back into the toolshed, which has been my honey house since November. The honey flow has continued, the messmate now in full flower and yielding a steady flow of honey. I've been at it here and there, taking off a box or two when I have time and extracting, and straining and 'tinning off', just keeping up with it.
Lyle is now in Salisbury House Aged Care Facility, finally making it there last Monday Feb 5 after not being well enough for the previous two weeks to leave hospital. He was five weeks in Casey and in his words it was a soul destroying experience. Last week, on Thursday, he spat the dummy and refused his medication, saying that he had no reason to live and wanted to die now. I went down to see him and after about 30 minutes of difficult conversation during which he was so argumentative and emphatic, everything I said was wrong, he asked me if the kiosk was open. He asked could I get him a bag of 'Smith's' crinkle cut chips which I did and he nibbled away at them slowly, his demeanour improving by the minute. He was nearly finished them when Virginia the social worker came in to try and talk him around and between her and I, he'd agreed to hang in there for another three days and try to get to Salisbury House. It was the taste of the chips, the salt, and the cup of tea which followed that perked him up more than anything.
So far so so good at Salisbury. Lib says he's depressed in the evenings ( Meredith visited Monday night) because he tires easily and is flat as a tack in the morning, saying he doesn't want to get up and wants to be with the Lord, but he comes good with a clean up, dressing, and breakfast, and going to the lounge room in a chair. He's eating well and Lib takes him some 'Smith's' crisps and he loves his grapes and is asking questions about the coming football season. We just hope his last days can be as comfortable and pleasant as possible in a cheerful environment amongst people who care for him. He was not having that at Casey hospital, which had an atmosphere similar to a morgue, I would say, and nurses with plastic faces who seemed to be never near.
I have to ring the solicitor this afternoon to discuss Gord's court case which is this Friday. It will be wonderful to have that in the past. Tomorrow I'm taking Elvie to Salisbury House to finalize a lot of paperwork we've had to do. All the forms have been filled out, it's mainly just signatures now required, Lyle's, Elvie's, the DON's. There's always paperwork to do.
I'll be glad when this week's over. Time rolls on, thank goodness!