Friday 6th March
More Arm Movement: Over the past few days I had some improvement with my bad arm. However, the spasticity is still very evident. I actually developed my own exercise of “air push ups”. This meant I tried to push both my arms up in the air several times until my left arm ached or became too stiff to move. Although it felt better, my arm remained robotic in movement and there were pains and strains in my muscles.
Finger Movement: In spite of my left hand finger improvement, it was still not natural when I opened and closed my hand slowly. Honestly, it felt like witnessing a clip of terminator’s stripped back hand going through the strange robotic motions. I still had “pins and needles” throughout the hand, almost like an electric shock and the grip wasn´t any better. However, nothing was going to stop my cooking efforts.
Video Clip: Inspite of some problems in free movement, I just wouldn’t allow the pains and strange sensations restrict me from trying to reach further and grip harder. I wasn’t about to let Colin, family and friends down by giving up at this stage because of any discomfort and limitations. The video demonstrated the improvement with my arm. Before I could only move my arm up and down, however, I wanted to show that I was able do better by moving side to side and across my body. The movements resulted in twinges or tightening of my muscles, but I had to believe that one day the spasticity would eventually go away.
Saturday 7th March
Richard’s Birthday Bash: We were invited with a bunch of old faces to celebrate Richard’s 75th Birthday. The party took over “The Forge Restaurant”, a popular destination for wonderful food and atmosphere in the hills behind Estepona. It was a stunning setting and wonderful to see friends again. We all first met in the social areas, laughed and reminisced about our many memories together. I initially sat at the bar, which was a good place, as I couldn’t move around freely. Most people had to get to the bar to replenish their glasses, which gave me the opportunity to mix with them and catch up on their news.
Eventually we were all ushered into the dining area for our pre-ordered lunch. We were seated with our friends Paul and Kaat, from “Miel Restaurant”, along with a few new faces to us. The afternoon passed by far too quickly, the food was delicious and our table good fun. It was a lovely celebration. Colin and I were pleased that we’d been included to be part of that special day.
Monday 9th March
Last Meeting of “Naughty Girls”: Because of the increased threat of the Corona virus spreading in Europe, Colin became very strict with me. He made certain conditions and made me promise not to sit too closely with the girls and not to greet them with our customary hugs and cheek kisses . In the end I had to agree to “behave” before he consented to take me to meet the lovely ladies at El Paraiso Golf Club.
Social Distancing: It was great to meet up with the girls, but they had new rules in place. No “hand shakes, hugs and kisses” in the club house. For greetings and prize presentations, all the girls exchanged distant waves or fist and elbow bumps! It was strange and unnatural to witness. We broke up into our little groups to mingle more. Some of us slipped off a bit later to join our other halves at “The Granada Bar” for drinks and Indian tapas. Must say that we hadn’t social distanced much then!
Ooooh I had to say my appreciation for my Indonesian golf friend, Anna, for my delicious Indonesian style fried bananas gift (pisang goreng) back at the golf club earlier – they were really delicious.
Thursday 12th March
My Orchid Gifts: I was so lucky with my “get well orchid gifts” from the previous year. I’ve not been known for my “green fingers” and plants usually died if I so much as looked in their direction! Imagine my shock when I spotted new shoots and buds on each plant. I really was so excited and it showed that “Spring” had begun to sprout in my little office area.
Print Deadline for our Magazine: All the artwork was prepared for the March / May issue to send off in time to our printers in Malaga. However, just before we were about to send off for print, Colin and I discussed a delay until after the weekend. We had always kept up to date with all the disturbing news about a possible quarantine in Spain coming. We both agreed that, even if it would be later than our normal deadline, it would be more practical to wait until after the weekend.
Saturday 14th March
Heaven Beach Bar: When we went for a walk with Oscar to one of our old local favourite beach bar haunts, it was shocking to see the transformation. The place had burned down for various reasons of arson and a bad partnership. It was sad to see the last remainder of a once thriving business burned down to a ghost shell of it’s former self. The only evidence that existed was a skeleton of what used to be their beach massage pavilion. The last framework of where we had former happy social memories with friends. It was sad to think those times could never be repeated. I understood there were a few problems behind plans to build it up again, so hopefully it might be resolved in a few years.
Sunday 15th March
Lock Down Implemented and Lunch Cancelled: What a difference a few days made. There were threats for a total lock down in Spain but, like most of us, we had all been in denial until now. Colin had reserved Sunday lunch at “The Dog House” for later that afternoon. We received text messages that morning that everywhere were instructed to close! The threat of “staying at home” had become a strange new reality. I felt really bad for “The Dog House” as they had worked hard in preparation for pre-ordered lunches. Suddenly everything had to be cancelled. This must have been a very similar situation for most bars and restaurants. How awful! The news of a Lock Down was quite surreal. Some of us thought, “are they serious?”, until we all noted that if we broke curfew at midnight we would be under the threat of arrest and hefty fines too!
My Last Morning Walk: Before it became too risky, Colin and I took Oscar out for a final walk by the beach. I was classed high risk category, due to my condition. We took advantage of a little freedom this morning before Lock Down got fully enforced at midnight. We were lucky to live in a fairly secluded area, a short walk to the beach. It felt quite peculiar and strange not to come across a single soul, as we were the only people on the beach. It had sunk in, that I wouldn’t be able to go out for a walk for at least two weeks from today. We understood that under the new curfew, Colin would only be permitted to go out for small walks with our dog and could only shop for essentials or medication, then had to come straight home. It felt odd to be under enforced quarantine, almost like it must have been like during the “black out period” during the UK World War Blitz era. However, we knew that it was necessary to make sure households would be kept safe in self isolation. We hoped that this wouldn’t last too long.
Monday 16th March
Colin’s First Solo Walk with Oscar: This was the first time that Colin went for a walk with Oscar. Although yesterday had not been a problem, this time some police were patrolling close to the beach and stopped Colin. They asked for proof of identity and asked if he lived close by. When Colin showed his papers, the police politely told him the next time he was going to walk the dog that he had to make sure he would be closer to home. The problem was that Colin had been stopped on the public road in the Park Beach complex, which was easier for the patrols to spot any transgressors. The police were pleasant enough and, as they were looking through binoculars somewhere else, they must have been more occupied in looking for someone or something else. Colin was allowed to continue his walk. It was a bit of a shock how this quarantine developed into something more serious and sinister than we all had anticipated.
Publish Deadline Cancelled: It was a hard decision to suspend our business and not proceed with our March / May issue. However, if we had proceeded to print before the weekend, our company would have been liable to pay for the printing of thousands of magazines that wouldn’t have been much use over the following lock down period, as tourism and other businesses were seriously affected and closed like our company.
Wednesday 18th March
Stock Piling!: We read in the news of how people in the UK had been emptying supermarkets and stalls by insane panic buying. Italy had been in Lock Down for a few weeks and the news that Spain had also gone into quarantine set people off into a frenzy to stock up in the UK in case they also had to go into Lock down. The strange thing was that their supermarkets quickly ran out of stocks of toilet paper instead of food! Where was the logic in that?
New Style Supermarket Shopping: Colin went to a local supermarket in the morning. The traffic seemed normal. There wasn’t a queue, he was given surgical gloves and ordered to rub his hands with clinical hand dispensers at the entrance. The staff all had masks on and they had Perspex dividers at the cash out areas to shield them from the shopping public. Apart from being low on some items, they had a decent stock of fresh fruit, veg, bread and things. There was no evidence of mob stock pile shopping like the UK and plenty of rolls of toilet paper! However, it was quieter than normal, it was almost like a normal day out shopping for Colin.
Colin Gone Stir Crazy: After a few days of not allowed to go out socially, Colin suddenly developed a “Cleaning Frenzy” and got out a few items to polish!
Oscar’s Birthday: It was Oscar’s first Birthday! I just couldn’t believe how much he had grown from the little puppy that I was able to hold in my arms, to almost 4 times the size! He’s been so naughty over the past year but also adorable. Even though I never considered a dog as a pet before, I grew so emotionally attached to him. God knows why? His affectionate heavy running jumps at me were pretty unnerving as I always ended in an unsightly heap on the floor! Well, he had blustered into our lives and I’ve had plenty of bruises and scratches as “badges of honour”. I had grown to love my naughty “Therapy Dog”.
Bank Standing Orders: We noticed that our bank account had been drained with mortgage, business loans, tax and utility payments. So much for government aid during lock down! It was an increasing worry that we had to survive without any income from our suspended business and live on Colin’s monthly pension and my disability allowance. We soon realised that our account could dwindle into negative status if this quarantine was to last months or a year! The were quite helpful via emails, phone and advised us on a solution to help us as our account continued to be drained. We worried because, although we had a reasonably good record with the bank, our ages and status could count against us. We had to wait for their decision in a week or so, after they had a look into our records and tax situation. It was very scary as all of a sudden our home, business and lifestyle had come under threat because of this lock down.
Friday 20th March
Shopping All Masked Up: Colin sensibly asked me for a scarf to wear over his face when he went shopping in the morning. If the staff had to wear them, then it was practical for him to do the same. I loaned him one, which I reckoned could have started a new fashion trend! At least he hadn’t been arrested for looking like a bank robber! Again, there were no major crowds and the supermarket had been well stocked again. However, Colin was surprised at the amount of shoppers without masks on.
Colin Gone Nuts!!: Yes he had been cleaning, dusting and polishing, but then he suddenly decided to tackle the declutter of our cupboards. Lord help me – if I hadn’t moved, he would have feather dustered me next!!
Restricted Exercising: I missed my walks around the Park Beach complex since quarantine had been enforced. Colin had developed a daily habit of walking Oscar to the beach by a small pathway, away from public roads. This proved successful as he hadn’t bumped into any police patrols. Also it turned into his new daily health regime. This time, he kept Oscar off the beach because the new rules had barred people on beaches.
Although I still detested my cycling machine, I had no choice but to use it. Some days I cycled for 15 minutes, which meant about 3 kms. Although I had to be honest, I had missed out some days. However, on some other days, as I felt guilty and also nagged by Colin, I managed 3 x 15 minutes sessions in a day, which meant 9 kms. I admit my cycling exercises were a bit erratic but I was pleased that I ended with surprising results. My buttocks had gone from fairly shapeless to a great deal firmer! No saggy bum!!
I managed to maintain my arm and finger exercises and also walked up and down the stairs several times. It still annoyed me that I wasn’t able to bend my bad leg enough to reach the step above. My left leg still kicked out. More leg exercises on that loathed bike I guess!
Monday 23rd March
Sad News about Joe: I had mentioned in February that Joe had been admitted to hospital because of a serious stroke. Unfortunately since then, due to several seizures, he had to be put into an induced coma and ventilator. We were so sad to find out that Joe had lost his battle and passed away earlier today. He was another vibrant personality in our gang who will be sorely missed. Because of the isolation rules, the regulars of “The Dog House” each took selfie photos of toasting Joe to send to his loved ones abroad to see how appreciated he was by our crowd.
UK in Lock Down: The UK went into Lock Down. About time! They held back for so long, so I hoped that it wasn’t too late. While we were under a strict quarantine, the tourists stranded over here in Spain had illegally gathered. Some silly female tourist decided to defy curfew and thought it would be OK to go for a swim in a hotel pool. It took a Spanish policeman to jump in the pool to arrest her! The rules had forbidden any socialising and all hotels had to isolate their guests until a time for Spain to repatriate their guests back to their countries. I worried about my family in the UK, especially as we read the news about mass gatherings for the Cheltenham Horse Festival from 10th to 13th March, Stereophonics Concert and football matches” etc. I was really relieved when the UK decided to join us in quarantine. It had to be best to opt for safety than regret. My other concern was also for the USA because of Chuck and family. I hoped that they would soon follow suit. At least I had some regular updates from Chuck and Susan via emails, calls or whatsapp messages, which eased my mind about their safety.
I Used to Have Dark Hair: After so many weeks without a decent haircut or dye, I noticed that my grey roots had grown too long. I made a joke of it to friends by wearing a silver white wig for emphasis. Colin and I had debated that, since the hair salons had been closed, we would cut each other’s hair. Not sure that I should have been ready to agree, so I decided that he would be the first guinea pig.
Thursday 26th March
Speech Problem: It seemed my speech still hadn’t improved much. That or it was Colin’s hearing. He came out of the shower and as we discussed the topic of me trying to do more things around the house. When I replied, he stood up straight, towel around his waist and looked rather indignant when he said, “what do you mean show you my w**ly?”. Silly man! I had said, “I would show willing”! We had a bit of a giggle about it after. No matter how funny it had been, I later felt irritated that my speech still was not right.
Dog with a Sweet Tooth: Colin fell asleep after devouring most of his sweet packet. However, naughty Oscar, saw his chance to pinch the rest of the packet from the coffee table and hid around the back of the house to finish it off! He must have known he had been naughty when he sheepishly rested his head on my knee waiting to be fed later. What an innocent face!
Corona Virus Quarantine Extention: There was an increase in the number of virus deaths and signs of stricter rules throughout Europe. We all had hoped that our curfew would be relaxed by the end of the month but we had notices that the quarantine was extended. Looked like Colin would have to overcome his “stir-craziness” for much longer!
Please view next page 30 at link “Change in Condition & in Quaratine”,: https://www.rebootinglinda.com/30-april-fool-changes-in-my-condition-and-life-in-quarantine/
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You have really been through a lot as explained in this blog. Having sick friends and losing some isn’t easy. Would loved to have seen a picture of the policeman jumping in the hotel pool and arresting the lady. Now you are limited in socializing and walking Oscar, the rest will just take time and hopefully this virus problem will end soon. What is Colin’s next project going to be “sterilizing your house”, well he has to do something to stay away from boredom.
Hi – Thanks for your comments. It was really strange from being a very social couple to being quarantined, however, the strict rules had been for our benefit as the pandemic spread throughout the world – was very disturbing when worried about family and friends. It was a shame a number of tourists thought that the curfews were not to applicable to them by gathering in drinking places, that should have been closed – which received fines and ordered to shut down. As for that woman in the pool – there is a video clip on the internet that you can search for. Not sure if it’s still available but worth a try. No more walking outside had been strange. Also the isolation – I had to keep myself occupied to prevent boredom setting in. However, Colin’s activities kept me amused. What ever project he set his mind on, I made sure that I never sat too still in one place in case he thought that I needed polishing! Take care LINDA xxx
I am so proud of you Linda. Looking at your journey over the year makes me realise how determined a lady you have been and your attitude has been inspiringly positive. I think your blog will be of great benefit to people who have experienced a stroke and need to gain confidence in themselves and nurture their bodies carefully back to health. Some things you just can’t put a price on and I’m sure other folk will benefit greatly from you sharing your experience in such detail and with such good humour and a positive spirit. Well done to you! An inspiration to us all! X
Aaaaawwwww – thank you so much for your lovely comments. I’m only doing what anyone else would have done in my place. I’m not perfect but have tried to deal with my condition the best that I could. My problem is that my stroke and brain bleed had been so severe that the doctors were convinced that I wouldn’t come out of my coma. I’m lucky that I did wake but my recovery is taking longer than a normal stroke, which takes around 6 -7 months! I have learnt to be patient and accept my limitations until my body lets me do better 🙂 One day at a time but in the meantime it’s important to have a laugh, even though I’ve had tears of feeling sorry for myself at times. Take care and hope you get to Spain soon xxx