This part 4 will be the final post regarding our journey, moving back from Germany to The Netherlands. It has been a roller-coaster in all areas of our life, and it isn’t over yet…
April 2023
Because we still had the intention to turn our sunroom (serre/garden-room) into a large kitchen, and that could take up at least 6 months of renovating, I asked my husband to take down two cabinets in the current kitchen. It is a narrow room and by removing those, the space would feel a bit larger. A normally easy task, resulted in renovating a large part of that kitchen space. By now, the electrical dangerous drama’s we discover in each room does no longer surprise us. To find a rotten beam above the ceiling, it was yet another downer…
Move over the photo’s to read the caption. Click the photo’s to view the whole picture.
The weather, however, is pretty good during this month and I started to prepare an area of our plot dedicated to the vegetable garden. The aviary, no longer with birds (since they don’t belong in captivity), keeps out our dogs and wild birds. Sunshine, rain, and bees can visit easily.
Move over the photo’s to read the caption. Click the photo’s to view the whole picture.
May 2023
Shortly after this loss, my husband had to travel for work. When he got back, we decided to take down the night cage for birds, since it was not cleaned at the time we got the key to our house and it started to smell increasingly. It also attracted mice and other creatures.
While my hubby cleaned the most of the rubbish and dirt, I was busy in another section of the garden. Suddenly, he yelled ‘sweetie, can you come?’… The way he yelled, I immediately knew something went wrong. A long story short: a beam fell on his head, while breaking down the shed-like cage. Since he hadn’t lost consciousness, was not dizzy or nauseous, and no headache, we decided to take a break and cool the bump on his head.
It happened on a Saturday, beginning of May. The rest of that weekend my hubby did some less heavier chores (energy- wise). On Monday, he said he didn’t feel like himself, a checkup by the GP; there was no reason to worry. So, the next day my husband drove to his office across the border. Something he needs to do, due to ridiculous tax rules. Anyways, at noon he called me to find out via Google what seeing colorful spots could mean.
During that phone call, I heard him fall from his chair. No response, no picking up his business phone. It resulted in me driving like a maniac to his office, taking him to a hospital. During the intake at the emergency desk, he got an epileptic like seizure and his blood-pressure raised dangerously high.
That day, I almost lost my soulmate.
June/July/August 2023
After five days in the hospital, a week taking it slow, all seemed relatively OK. My husband was allowed to start working again and slowly pick up his normal rhythm. Several weeks and tests later, no lasting brain damage to be found. No side effects from the severe seizure. No epilepsy. His blood pressure still too high to go on without medication.
A few other tests done and a possible life threatening issue has been found. It appeared to be something missed at birth / early childhood and thus my hubby was born with this problem. If that wasn’t the case, I seriously would believe a curse has been put on us. In case it is missed, problems will start occurring between age forty and fifty.
Thanks to the accident early May, this issue has been catched. More details I am not willing to share, or is still unknown. We will have to wait till the end of November to learn if, and what, can be done. I tell you, I am exhausted. The overwhelming emotions of fear due to the uncertainty (and yes, I tried to get an earlier appointment, without success) and the constant downers in and around our house.
It is nothing compared to what my husband must be going through.
We still live in our house on our beautiful plot. However, most of our plans changed. The new kitchen build has to wait. We did repair our swimming pool (of course there was a leak) instead of building an ecological swimming pond. More on that in another post.
Our main focus now, of course, is on my husband’s health; balancing his energy until the end of November. Trying to distract ourselves with work (my husband), volunteering online (me) and caring for our Danja (dog). Formula I, Netflix and YouTube are welcome distractions too. If we have the energy, we do some smaller repairs in and around the house and garden.
The future
Not knowing what the future holds, well nobody knows, however, this was of course truly not foreseen and it is thus very scary. At the same time, we are very aware of the importance of the now. I need to take care of myself too, to be able to stay strong for my soulmate. Hence, I decided to create this update and pick up blogging again. It is one of the activities I’ve always enjoyed a lot and I miss writing. Even more, I miss Connecting globally. The stats showed me, you Beautiful Souls kept visiting my virtual world during my absence. Thank you for the continuous support!
Looking forward to Connect again!
PS. A bump on the head due to an accident can result in concussion. It can also result in an (epileptic) seizure a few days later, even months or years later. Just so you know. The current health issue of my husband is unrelated!
8 Responses
What a rollercoaster it has been (and still is). Fingers crossed for your hubby! Hugs XX
ThanX, dear Anuk (much easier to remember, your shortened name : -) ) Hugs, XxX
You’ve found the time and so nice to see you again. But, please, don’t ever forget… it’s your time! spend it well and spend it on things that give you strenght, energy (so don’t ever feel obliged).
Sending you lots of love and you both are in my thoughts
Thanks for the continuous support and kind words, dear Helena. XxX
Wow, Patty – what a frightening time! Hope your husband is in the clear in November.
As for renovating, something unexpected always extends the time, so take it in your stride and don’t stress too much as it works out eventually.
Hope you’re OK under the circumstances. x
Thanks, dear Nilla. Day by day at the moment ; -) Appreciate you visiting my virtual home again. Stay safe traveling, while enjoying it too! XxX
Thinking of you and your hubby, Patty. I hope you can find some peaceful moments in the next few weeks.
Thanks a ton, dear Sean. Much appreciated! XxX