One Busy Fortnight

It has been a big fortnight, bigger than most. 
Dustin and Grace have announced their engagement and they have already celebrated with a small group of close relatives and members of the upcoming wedding party.  I suppose I had expected it but with there has  been so many other issues creating havoc in our lives to consider and sort out.

At the Engagement Lunch

Merv had a fall in the kitchen yesterday.  Fortunately he did not hurt himself.  This comes on top of the ongoing swallowing problems.  The BBC (Provale Cup) is cumbersome and difficult to transport especially when going out for lunch etc.  Our speech pathologist came up with 'Safe Straws' from the US which provide a regulated amount of fluid which prevents choking.  I found a local distributor in Willeton WA, therefore saving on extra costs.  In theory the safe straw sounds like a sure bet, but in reality a whole range of problems surface. The straw attached to the plastic part which delivers the regulated fluid does not allow fluids with additives (chocolate milk, tea, beer etc) to move smoothly up the straw when sucked.  I came up with the idea of using the tubing in Merv's sipper bottle (the sports type).  The tubing is wider and solved this problem, except it is not flexible.   The speechie suggested aquarium tubing which is flexible.  This sounds fantastic until I visited the pet shop only to find the tubing was not wide enough!  I am now on a mission to source a wider tubing and have a range of stores which might deliver.  The journey begins tomorrow.  In the mean time I am also arranging Merv's 60th birthday next week.  More on the various celebrations to come. Over four days there will be four cakes and four celebrations.   Hopefully next week wont be quite so busy.  Oh! the garden needs weeding, the windows need washing, the list goes on.....

Merv using the Safe Straw