Hello to all

I have been off line for a while and want to explain what has happened in my 
life over the last month and a half.

I'm back at the flat after more than 5 weeks away. I had a week's planned 
holiday in the Cape to celebrate my grandfather's 81th birthday on Feb 17. I 
stayed with a second cousin and it was so-o wonderful. The family treated me 
so well and we had a good time. I was also able to see my father. He's 
balancing better in the wheelchair, tries to walk short distances, able to 
eat with a spoon and can say my name now - for the first time since the 
stroke. I was also touched when he saw me get up and moved his feet so I 
could walk between his chair and the coffee table. It's still a long road 
back to full recovery attending the physical, water and speech therapy, but 
there's progress and hope. My mother is about the same and finds it hard to 
deal with the reality. I wasn't the only one visiting their house that day 
so there weren't any private conversations.

I couldn't come back to the flat and had to stay with a friend for more than 
4 weeks. We had heavy rain in my absense. The roof leaks, therefore the 
ceiling caved in and the electricity and wiring isn't up to standard.

Now that I'm at the flat I have more than 4000 emails to sort through. I am 
still trying to catch up on email as the cellphone service was so slow in 
the area where my friend lives. I kept being disconnected and nothing would 
download for me.

My guide dog Cayla's not adjusting all that well to the route we have to 
walk. She also wakes me several times during the night - to do a business 
outside. She's taking antibiotics for an intestinal virus. She's very lively 
and gets bored very easily indoors. She loved the stay on my friend's farm 
and played outside most of the time. I'm a bit concerned that she might have 
been placed out too young and don't know how she'll shape up. She'll be 2 in 
June.  The guide dog school will send a trainer to work with us again.

The owners of the flat where I live aren't believers and treat me less than 
desirable. They always find excuses why the roof can't be properly fixed or 
replaced. I pray for a new place to live which will be safe and fit into my 
small budget.

Now I apologise for this lengthy message and would appreciate your prayers 
for my situation.

Thanks for reading
Coco