Life at the BICC

A number of you have inquired about Isabel's move.

Isabel is currently occupying a room in the acute care part of the BICC while she waits for a longterm care bed to come open.

Isabel has been thrilled to visit friends who live at the BICC; and to host friends and family from Abernethy and Balcarres in her room. She has a large window that opens, and has a longview looking east over grass and the parking lot and all along the south part of town. She can watch the coming and goings of staff and visitors.

Mum has enjoyed daily walks inside or outside with her specialized walker, and looks forward to resuming her bicycling program soon.

She and her powerchair Rufus lll are free to travel throughout the building (all on one floor) and into the beautiful courtyard lined with well-tended perennial flowerbeds. The hallways are wide and Rufus lll has been behaving himself. To our knowledge, Isabel has the only powerchair in the building. (Thank you Wascana!)

The BICC is a facility that is 11 years old and it is just 9 miles from daughters Nancy & Janet's homes. It has 53 "beds"; 9 are acute care; the rest are longterm.

Although Mum's primary community is Abernethy (also 9 miles away), she is familiar with Balcarres and the BICC having visited here many times.

This move really is "coming home".

Two Quotes Worth Mentioning

As Isabel settles into the BICC at Balcarres:

from a therapist on Friday: "Wascana is just not going to be the same without Isabel."

from Isabel on Saturday: "Could I use your cellphone to phone my friends in Abernethy to tell them I am HOME?"

Isabel Walks Out of Wascana

On Friday morning June 17, Isabel walked out of Wascana to the cheers of therapists, friends, and family. She climbed in a family car and began the journey to her new home at Balcarres Integrated Care Centre one hour east of Regina, and within 9 miles of the family farms and Abernethy (her home for nearly 60 years).

Moving home is a dream come true! And happened much sooner than we expected.

On Saturday, she was able to participate in part of the Grade 12 graduation festivities for grandson John. Sixteen names were in her visitors' book by the end of the day.

There is much more to write including Isabel's new contact information!

With gratitude for another miracle!

Spring Blossoms Again

Thursday May 26

Saskatoon (photo to the left) and chokecherry blossoms carried from the Qu'Appelle Valley for Isabel's room; and a lovely drive with Mum through the south of Regina exclaiming each time we saw a flowering tree or shrub or tulip or purple spring thyme. We drove slowly and gawked at the beauty ~ all a little 'stunned' and startled at the intense spring beauty after this long winter and spring that has come so slow. A lovely drive with sun and mixed cloud before the wind and rain set in.

And now, please, some sun for our soaked fields.....and for courtyard trees visible from Isabel's room all still in their early spring green.

The Highland Games

Isabel & family members spent Sunday of "The May Long" (aka as Victoria Day weekend) on the grounds of the University of Regina at the Regina Highland Games. There were several lovely hours of Isabel parked with her portable chair amid the stereo sounds of pipe bands practicing all around her before heading into the competitive circle with a bevy of kilted judges that looked like they had just come down from the Highlands. Isabel wore her Robertson tartan cape amid sun, wind and showers and was filmed by all three local TV stations but we don't think she made it to stardom! A relaxing afternoon for us all.

Spring Blooms

On Friday, Isabel and family members enjoyed their annual outing to the Regina Floral Conservatory. The Conservatory is a beautiful tropical garden with seasonal displays.

Rose, one of the volunteers set up a lovely tea and welcomed us once again as she has for three years. The tulips and daffs are well past, but huge hydrangeas in purples and pinks, and roses and gerber daisies in every colour welcomed us at every turn.

This is the first year that Rufus, Mum's wheelchair, has not accompanied her. Mum can now transfer quite easily from her portable chair to a car so we loaded up her folding portable wheelchair in the trunk ("boot" to our UK friends and family) and off we went. Mum had a front seat view across Regina.

We highly recommend a visit to the Conservatory and are grateful to the many volunteers who create this place of beauty.

Check it out at: http://www.reginafloralconservatory.ca/

March was Horse Month

Horse-y greetings kept rolling in all of March and April ~ and finally, it is time to say THANK YOU for the wonderful variety of horse stories and photos that came through Isabel's door the last two months.

Isabel has enjoyed:

* a story from a 90+ friend about buying his first horse when he was 16 back in the 30s in windy dust SW Saskatchewan

* a photo of Isabel's mother Rhoda and 25 Clydesdales on the Robertson Farm at Bradwell in the 1920s (this photo was sent by Mum's 106 year old friend Ernie from High River)

* Saskatoon Horse Show Programs from the 1940s that highlighted Isabel's Dad Charlie Robertson as Judge and Ringmaster

* stories of her Cousins Drew and David learning to ride at Bradwell in the 1940s.

* Links to newsarticles and video links about musical rides and training for calf roping in Pheasant Creek

* poems and horse cards and stickers and many other stories of learning to ride, fall off, and ride again.

Thanks to everyone who made the effort to send a horse-y greeting over the last two months.

Happy Spring everyone ~ as the water on the prairies continues to move, run-off, sit and seep.