Back fromLrmmer

well, i m back from lLemer and all i well at de Kikkrt. My nephew Govrt-jabis a big strog lad and the sisters CCarolien and Annemarijn. Areblossoming into visions of lovrlyness. at de kikkert they have new ships of the Randmeer type and they are beautyful.noow I am lying in my bed, wachting Troy and regretting it. Let's be honesr, even Xena, warrior pricess is historically motre. Accurate. and so on to bed.i feally must look at the Troy scenarioin GMT's Chariots of fire. There probably is an article in there.
And so, off to dreamland

Frank

in Lemme r

this morning i overslept and was dragged out of bed by Esrher and Ron to go to Lrmmer to congratulate my brother-in-law Derk on his 60th birthday. all went well with the transfers, which I can all nearly do under mymoen poer. T alk. About the self-propelled Frank! R ight now I am enjoying the views of Friesland in Lemmer. Yesterday there was something interseting on T V. on Arte they had a programmme about the Queens of Pop Music, and I saw alot of Kate. To quote JarJar Binks:" Meeeso happy".
frank

Dreamtime

lately it seens that I am giong through my daysin a dreamlike state

frank

friday evening tV

Friday evenning T.Vh. Was very good indeed. I have noticed something funny: Whenever I am watching T.V. My mind wanders tonthe questiom:"Which game in my collection covers this situation. Example : on BBC 2 there was anabsolutely brilliantvdocumentary on aerial photography on thevWestern Front in W W 1.this is the sort of stuff that is sadly lacking on Dutch television nowadays. In the documentarythere was a sequenceof the repporter taking a flight in a Brisol Fifgter ("Brisfit"to the knowledgable few). In my minf it flashed:Aces High, the game of plane-to-plane combat in WW 1 by Worldwide Wargamers. A great game that really gave you an insight into thenproblems of aerial reconnaissance in1914-1918.then I changed channels toRTLl 5 , Robin Hood, prince of thieves. ,My mind flashed: Cry Havoc, a game of man to man combat in theMiddle Ages. Furthermore, Avalonhill had an interesting mini-game on Robin Hood.
Ccoming Sunday, there is an exammple how not to do historical films.:Troy.the only interesting game I've ever played was a Vae Victis mini-game thtat I played with Rense and won. With regard to the film, the pop group System of a dowbn summed it up perfectly;""You should never have trusted Hollywood"

frank

Matchboxes

I would like to ask all my friends to brin empty matchboxes for counters. Thanks in advance

Frank

ginger

Well, on return from Fysio Rense was here and he had seean cavtscatbthevrear entrance. So we went to check it out and found Gingervthere, being fed by va lady. We were ablevto scratch his head.purrrrr. Then we went to look for a "lapjeskat"(patchwork cat)Rense had seen. We were not able to find it so I had to be content with getting nods from Ginger. Miauw!

A catty Frank

thebthhreeS'

i hsve just awakened and had the rhree S': a shit, a shower and a shave.
To my unbounded joy, yesterday Esther brought my DVD WITH My lrne Farmer videos. the Vae Victis games on the victories of Marshal de Saxe arried as well!The video's for "Libertine" and "pourvu qu'elles soient douces" are wonderful and trigger a renewed interest in the 18 th century..let one note, though: the unifforms in "Pourvu qu' elles soient douces" are wrong. .according to the story they are Brritish infantry anno 1757, but i reme mber from the Funcken books it is the uniform of the French Swiss Guarda (Gardes Suisses) anno 1789.this is the. Uniform they wore when they were massacred by the Paris mob defending the Tuileries. i hope the books by L. Et F. ' s hope thr books by L. Et f. Funcken are next. They are soo good. Now for anotger day of therapy. please excuse me for this nerd-attack (the correct word is nerdgasm).

an 18th century Frank

morning TV

thi s morning Cats 101 was all about kittens. Kittens are SOOO CUUUTE. I feel my serotonin lrvels skyrocketing!
And laater that sfternoon I Must Love Cats was very interesting as well.

frank who has a serotonin overdose...

thi gs are slow

life is going very slow here. i just waited fod more than te. Minutes for sineone to help me with the toilet. Atrocious!

Ab inmpatient patient
Frank, eho uz wIting in his wheelchair.

cats

so far I have no success in befriending Ginger, the red cat. i can only conclude I don't s pea kca very welll

Frank

i have just returned from Fysio where I have been standing for a whole five minutes

frank

captain, there be cats here

outside Kalorama there is a big rrd wild cat. i am trying to befriend it. I cannot get enough of cats...


frank

yestteLast weekend

THE WEEKEND WAS VERY GOOD, On Sunday, Marhieu, Walter and Rense showed up and we had a ver funny game of Star Munchkin. rarely had so much fun! O OB sunday Evening there wasTop Gear obBBC 2. what a bu ch of funny guys .They got thr job of of knocking down six houses. There was a professsional wrecking crew and the TG Guys could choose from the "BigBoys Toys" of the British Army. So tRichard Hammond turned up in a Gazelle helicoptwr, James May in a Combat Engineer Tractor. the ream got nowhere.I still remember James May' painful outcry:"Oi, Jeremy, i've acratched my tabk (can I gwr a new onr?). i have waited for years forto hear somebody say that!
on Monday Esther collected me to go toAmsterdam. my brother in law Mike Anderson celebrated his 50th birthdaywith a dinner for family and friends. WE HAD DINNER AT RESTAURANT magazzino. the food was good, although the place was noisy. it was so great to see everyone again! my smallest nephews Sef and Bram were there as well. the lovable little rascals. sef is becoming quite a charmer.I realise I am very fond of the kids. Sef is becokming quite good at soccer.
when We returned I realised that I hsd been. Out of bed for seven. Hours iand in that time I had done no less than twelve transfers. The Flying Frankinin strikes again!

Tuesday morning, there was Cats101 on Tv. a lovely way to wake up....

a slightly tired Frank

banand good

First th bad news:Yesterday I heard that Amy Winehouse hS cied So sad.The good thing was, yesterday evening there was a documentaey aboit the Boxwr rising (China, 1&00) on arte Bloody good stuff, although they did not mention a djtch and Nijmegen connection. One of its victims, the catholic bishop Hamer, was born in Nijmegen. Today he is rememberedby a statue, s plaque in the wall of the house wherehe lived, and a chinese looking universiry building. on a strange note: after the rising th Dutch government sent marines to Beijungto guard the Dutch embassy. these wre thrn mounted on local ponies. "The Horse Marines of beijing"have become part of the history of the Dutch Marines.
excuse me this nerd moment. ARTE is sooo much better tha any Dutch TV

frank

esfher and Ro

ezthsr Bd Her husband Ronwere here .Ron iz a xoctor and revalidation-specialist. hHe was very impressed with my transfers and that gave me moremotivatiob.

thank you Esther and Ron

frank

shocking news

wha t horrible shocking news from Norway! i wonder who or what is behind it.

frank

yvonJaspers on the dole

During the pastdays I have been bombardedby ads from the KRO. Tisisone of the worst members of the " emo- mafia" on Dutch public TV.
Their content:If they do not get more members the'll have to stop making programmeslike The Reunion andF"Farmer seeks wife (better known as PEASANT SEEKS CUNNY".
Therefore I would like toask everyone not to give in to this emo-blackmail.let's put Yvon Jaspers on the dole!

frank
Hurrah, kittens on BBC 2!

i ha e mustreurned f from snother roundbof standing and cycling. Urrah!

fFrank (who has to take a dump now)

i am now watching a programme abou Japanese bows anarcheryonsrte. sa? aRTE rocks! tonifht there is an item in Madonna.

greeti gs

frank

a nuice surprise

at the beginning of nyesterday evening I was swichtinhg channels on T V when Iigot a ni e surprisr. oOn artethry hsd a special about my favourite singer, that paragon of beauuty.
i mean of cousebone other thanthe incompsrable KTe Bush. Seeing that triggered another bout of nostalgua. i remembered being msdly in love and seeing her perform in Carré in Amsterdam in 1979. no, I will nor forgetvthat and to this day have retained a hgreat fondnesss for her. as the saying goes:"Old love doesn' rust".
right now, I am out of bed and I have jiust had a shower. Nowur' s breakfasr time


frank

vierdaagse

i have just returned from watcging the ierdaagse do through B erg en Dal. It wasinspiring to see it LL AGAIN. . I ALSO SAW SOME old mates from my ealking dYs, like Chris van Uffelen and his Canadian friend Jerry. It was soninspiring to see it all again! as I was wearing my Four Days Marches Cross, it was the object of great respect( and a little jralousy! at the end of the afternoon it egan ro rain on my parade. bummer!
now I am. Ack in my room, workingbob some new stuff.


frank

i have just woke anddressed. i am lookingdorward to see rghe March!


frank

yesterday, at Fysio, I did some cycling. i look forward to more and more standing as well.

frank

i in the morning sm watching Four Days Msarches TV on TV Gelderland. watching it I get quite nostalgic and i wish Iwas walking. Oh,well" perhapsnext year. i know how the walkers are feeeling an suffering at times. i wishI could walk the four Dayays again!


frank

wheelchair bad,inton

i have juzt returned fromwheelch air badminton with balloons. Thisis. Aninane pastime I spendvwith ab lot ofolderladies and gents.lThere is mittle to no conversation possivle. we will see how it goes next week

frank

awelcomevisit

yesterday Esther arrived and deposited a big plastic boxon my legs.Inoticed somepurring and twopiercing grreneyes looking at me. yes, little MukMuk had arrived. Th next hour I was feeling thepatter of cat's feet as he walked allover me, watched as he curled ip and fell asleep on my feet and dtroked and scratched his littlr head. In return, hr came and gave little nudges with his hesd. then it was time to go home again, regrettably. But after that visit I fslept straightaway, a good illustration oof how relsxing cats can be. bye, MukMuk, until the next time!

A mentlly purring Frabk

Monday 1 pm

Zzzzz... zzzzz....zzzzz...

Hi Frank,

It looks like you are sleeping in the middle of the day. Did you sneak off to the summer festivals last night? The nurse tells me you've had a very busy morning so I'd better leave.

I see your computer and books have arrived. Your room is beginning to look like a cosy little corner of your own.

I will try to reach you the next few days but the Nijmegen marches may complicate getting to Beek.

See you soon!

- Rense

i have just pooped. fysio was interesting; I. Stood between two horizontal bars and prctised a little bit of cycling. yay! i am looking forwRd to more of the same tomorrow

frank

maneuvring

i find it very hard to maneuver and change direction in my wheelchair

frank

mondayReminisces

yesterday I hsd a nice TV evening. . first off, TopGear in BBC2.It was hilarion, and especially the team's attempts to convert sports cars into trains and run them.It was folloqed by the ever interesting Coast, this time about Sweden's Baltic coast.tThey had an item there about the wreck of the Vasa. Fascinating.I really must go and see it myselfone of these days.. then I will have seen all sailing warships still in existence. i have already visited HMS vuctory andUSSS Constitution. programmes like Coast you would not get on Dutch TvV.Afterwards there was an interesting item onArte about Tsingtau,ImperialGermany's model colony in China (at least, untilWW 1).
i confess to being an unrepentantBBC and Arte addict.This morning i wokr wit cats on AnimalPlanet.delightfull!!

i confess to being an unrepent ant BBC and arte addict.Let's see what's on tonight. sometging interesting I guess.It reminded me of somethijng else.Playing a game yesterday reminded me how the games helped my education. Ot only did they promote an interest in history, they also gthaught geography whilst playing. not always useful geography. tTo this day I do not knw where inFrance the town of Grancelles is which I found onPanzer Leader maps. it also is a great social environment.what more could I want.Less strange tables.This reminds ne of the stragest table I everfound in a boardgame. inthe S.PI. Classic thp"John Cartwr, warlord of Mars, there is the weirdest table ever. You see, the plot is that the beautiful Martian princesses always managed get kidnapped by lovestruck villais, so theHeroes havw to set off in pursuit. when the heroes get close the villain can try to perform an " unspeakable act"for which he gets to throw a die on thr " unspea kable act table". mind you, not everyrhing can go the villaun'.s way, because on possuble result is:"Woman kills villain with hidden dagger( allwomen have hidden daggers).Personal note: NOW THEY TELL ME! i just sp ent the night in a feverish imagination, wondering just wWHERE these women hide their daggers. i could make a few suggestions, but they would never pass rhe censor.(Chorus fromthe left:"bad Frank! naughty Frank! no playing John Carter for a shile!) you can find my review of this gameboth on the Casus Belli andDucosim websites.

A verey happy remibiscing Frank

first impressions

well, this afternoon Niek van Diepen and Mathieu de Hingh were here and we started to play When Lions Sailed. THIS IS A GAME BY Joe Miranda for Strategy &Tactics magazine
it is a four plyer game about Europen Expansion inthe 17 th Century.The first thing we noted "it's all about the money!" Everything costs money, which is scarcw, so collect those Treasury Fleets and get them to the home ports, guys! as an example it not only costs money to outfit your ships and raise and maintain your regiments, but also to mmove them.The Dutch player has an advantage here as he begins with a full treasury. as I played the SPaniard I hsd a great deal of work and did not get very far..
this is aninteressting game that I muust play more often.

greetings from gaming Frank
olé!

magzines

what have we here in the way.ofmagazines? first of all, Libelle and Vriendin. After broqsing through those I really enjoy my Vae Victis and Ancient Warfarre copies. they are sooo muchmore interestig.

a bookwormy Frank who is going to resume reading Christopher D uffy' by Force of Arms, the second volume of gis study ofthe Austrian ARmy intheSeven Years War. i can recommrnd Christopher Duffy's books to anyone

bookwormy Frank

watching TV

i am esawake now, and watching cats on Abimal planet.It reminds meof how much a cat-person I am. i am really looking fotward to seeing little MukMuk soon. Ron Matthews of X Para aent me a nice article.it is something to think about next time you get steamed about a parking ticket. .apparently in Aldershot they founfd an unattended car in a lay-by by rhe side of the road. not wanting to t ake any risks, the Army blew it up!Interesting...

greetings for now

frank

nrespapers and magazinesI

i am dissatisfied. All we have here by way of papers is rhe toe rag no decent person bothers with. i of course meanDe Telegraaf, known asThe Teleshit.as far as magazines go there is not decent one among the. i am so glad withthe rNRc oni-pad and good stuff like BBC History and Vae Victis! rock on!


frank

a good daay

today I had a good day. esther came wiyh a bookcase an quite a few of my favoritebbooks, plu a flatscreen TV and a blue-ray player. i do not yrt have the hang of it, bu I am getting here.
tThis afternoon I spent a lot of time with Rense reminiscing on all the games we plyed. That was very, very good and a lotbo fun. it also mademe want to play even more.

frank

Awake

well, everybody i have awakened. Thank you all for the massive iutpouring of support yesterday.It was a shit day(andi nrver did get to see theparade inPaeison tv). bu then, I saw the real thing in 2989 an bloody impressive it was. the French really do know how to have a parade. we can learn something from them.

today i want to work on some stuff for the Casus Belli Nieuwsbrief. it is log overdue.
greetings
frank who needs to get back to work or Marleen will not. Be happy!

I HAVE JUST finished talkinng to the Fysiiotherapist and I have been iformed that my left armand legprobably never will get better again. this is a heavy blow and I do not know how to takke it.Everything seems so pointless now. perhaps there will be little improvements but nothing major. as of now, I am dead qeight to everybody around me.I honestly do not know what to do next, as there is no way to pick up my life again...

frank

More frust

Since pooping intio the bedpsn I have waited for45 minuyes for the staff tonhelp me. i wonder whaypt is keeping them.The latest Kaloram gossip? When I press the button for sssistance a nurse shows upand, checking I hve not died in the meantime, goes off again muttering something abot teling somebodybelse who should deal withthe situation. i am getting pissed off about this and wish teE? v.V. Was hete so I could inform her of the situation. This is soooo degrading!And do not tell me I am too impatient as a result of my stroke. i know, but that does not make the waiting betterA very frustrated Frank

Di sappointmlent

Thismorningi awoe ad othing hadhappenedLet me explaineverey eveving as I go to sleep i hop thatin the mor,Ning mycontrol ove rmy left side has imprve. no joy! I feel like tHe Bride in Kill bill, vol. 1:" Wriggle your bi g toe!" and of cours n nothing happens. This is all highly frustratin, to say the least.

frank who hqas just finished breakfastt

Viisits

This afteroontomy great joy IWas visited by both my oldfriend Mathieu andn my therapist, Terene Manchestertrr. We had a good coversation about my situation and there is nothing mfor meexcept to wait.until OctoberI will remain at Kalorama in Beek, ortocall it "Kaloroldiitz "Iwould relally ike to escape, but under my own strength I can not even get out of bed, let alone leave the building. as you c can imagine, this ishighy frustrating!I would dearly like to get back to work agaain, bu for the forseeable future it is not going to happenIin closing, a final tip for you:Tomorow itis the14 th of Juy, France's national day. i wil try to watch the big parade on theChampsElysees on Tv 5, i recommend you do likewise. for sheer spectacle, there is little like it in the world.

greetings
Frank

How to impress...?

Well.... go to a rehabilitation clinic in a wheelchair, with a bladder and feeding tube, being transferred with a lift, almost sleeping all day, and then return six weeks later sitting upright in a normal wheelchair, being brought in a normal car, making transfers almost alone, eating and peeing normally. All the nurses of Kalorama were impressed by the improvement Frank made over the last six weeks. And so are we! you've done a hell of a job bro!!! we're very proud of you.
Now time has come to wait for a single room on the rehab dept. of Kalorama (he is in a double room right now), where Frank has a rehab indication for another three month. And after that another time of waiting will come to make a transfer to the Kalorama dependance "de Veste" in our neighborhood.
For now, anyone who wants to visit Frank, can find him in Kalorama, dept. Kastanjedal. His room is next to the living room (don't know the number), halfway on the leftside of the hallway.
He can be reached on his cellphone, 06-48853891.
Phonecalls or live questions for the nursing staff (for whatever questions you have) are preferred between 10.00 AM and 17.00 PM. visitors can come all day.
that's it for now folks.
g'night Esther

ps Frank is blogging like if his life is at steak and he checks very often whether there are comments. The easiest way to leave a comment is to click the profile "anoniem" than posting isn't so diffucult. I know Frank would appreciate it greatly if you react to his blogging.

staffprobs

II C 't say much good a out the nursing dtaff here.iwhen something happens to yoy they rea t as effectively as the FrechGhq in the 1940 caompaign. Ethey're always out of the loop! That means, if I press thrhelp button I can wait for 20to30minutes before somebody comes. And takrss a look at my situatuon. that is all they do,, then. i wonder what is occupying them:thelatest copy of prve, something Opprah or Dr.Fail wereon about on TV.itmust be ,ike this with people who try to tellll me something when I am reading. i must keeo that in mind

an umpatient Fra k

Pastries. yum!

as a sweet ar fou o' clockthere were twowhipped cream pastries("slagroomsoesjes" in dutch).They were lovely and went don well!

Frank

I have eaten

i have eaten.It was the usual"mixmeuk" , tasteless mosly mshed potatoes, peas abnd meat. Ins few moments I am forced to leave my bed, Merde!They want to tembugger.me and tire me out.I do not like that.

frank

i. Have arrived

i have arrived baci at lKalorama. All is normal.
frank

well, I am alldressed up and ready to go.I am curious to see what awaits me in Beek. more of the same thervapy, i'd guess, but that c an't hurt.I will let you all kno as soon as I am over.

an waiting Frank

Last notes

i am slowly turning in. By his time tomorrow i will be gone to Kalorama. Thank you all for your support.

greet ings

frank

Pooping

i just finished going to the toilrt. I van altready wipe my own bum! baby is making progress!

A satisfied Frank

Last day

Hi prople, today is my last day of training atSMK. tomorrow I'll move back to Kalorama. By this time I am moving. I woykd like to thank everybody who dpsupported me so outstandingly during my stay here. In particular my sweet siaters.i'm d relly like toinvitre the three of you for dinner onr time soon as a thank you for your caring.
I am curious to see how Kalorama will be.one thing, I willl not be going back to eating ""mic-meuk"!Give mr good, solid food I can chew on!in ckosing a raised paw to little MukMuk and all othwe cats out there. They may not know it, but thet're lovellly!

An anticipating Feank

Kom

dear. Friends
i heard that some of you wnt to come by onTuesday morning.Badide.On that morning I move vack to Kalorama at10.00hours.
Thiafternoon I plYed a game of Arnhem Across six bridges with Niek van Diepen, and thjngs did not go too well, weare thibnking o playing a game of"When Lions sailed"nsxt sunday at Kakorama, so angbody who'd like to join is hereby gratefully invited!I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

frabk awaiting his movement orders.

Since I can't post pictures or urls in a response, this will have to go into a regular post:

I have added some lolcats for you that I find quite amusing, but since I don't want to fill this blog with them (most readers are here for the Frank, not the kitties), I'll put them in urls. I hope that works on the IPad?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

- Rense

I amdreaming of little MumMuk

I am awakenow and have just had a swwer a shave and breakfasr, Now thoughts go to cats, and especially tolittle MukMuk,SSSSSSas fsr as I am concerned, hr wins big inthe stakwa dor the vutest cat.I can't wait to see the little rscal again.er also is a big part of my life, so I hop he takes care.

Frank

Back from sitting

Weilll, I am back from the sitting group dnd been fed and watered.Here comes the weekend!Sitting group is complrte WOMBAT (wASTE OF MONEY, BRAINS AND TIME).iAM WATCHING A LOT OF ANIMAL tv abou catsI amsuch aSON!!


Purrr


Frank

Sitting group

I am going fot the final sitting group of this week. Yay!

Frank

Bast

Just thid morning I was watching s programme about cars on discovery, Just bfore fslling asluup yesterday my thoughts strayed to littlrMukMuk, th small blck cat that owns my sister Esther. I ca't wait to see the little rascal aDGAIN. cIRS ARE GREAT TO HELP ONR COPE WITH THE SIRUATION AND REDUCE STRESS. I justblooked up the wikipedia page about Bastet, the Ancirnt Egyptian cat goddess. Now it is tine for lolcats ang Fysio again!

Frank

Back from activitieshi guys,I an back from actiVities and what did I do there? Nothing much:I blogged a little( see my last post), checked out lolcTs and read some old Casus Belli newsletters. They remin interesting, especially the 'Quasi's! To explainthose are funny and someti es ztoid remarks made in the courze of a game 3xample:In a recent game of ' History of thd world my Romans conquered Scotland. The culinary implication became clear immediately when I said:"And now we get Pizza Haggis! i honestly do not know if something likr it exists, but the thought wasenough to haveus all in stitches!rule the CB newsletter!

A somewhat tired Frank

Thursday morning

There was not much to do.I was awakened by nurse Eveline Peters, who has to be the sweetest in the S.M.K. Now I am typing thison a computer in "activities therapy". I am curious to see what will come next. This morning there was a program on TLC wit video's about America's cutest cats. I thought the makers had rather plundered the archives of www. lolcats.com.They have such nice stuff there! Watch it, if you can...
Signing oo for now.



Frank

Beep Beep Beep.... INTRUDER ALLERT!

Slowly is the recovery, but once his mind is set on something nothing can stop Frank (the Tank). For not so long ago Frank was asking "where is the URL of my blog, can I read it?" but now it's hardly possible to stay up to date with the stream of messages, Frank blogging in Twitter style! I feel like an intruder to write a message again.

Today I came in, Frank "glued" to the monitor, no newspaper with me to get his attention. No need to bring a 'local newspaper' when you have the whole of the internet at your fingertips. But to no avail when the connection is not up to it all the time. (Just think how manny messages from Frank there will be IF the connection is always up. ;-)

I suggested a walk and Frank called the nurses, nature calls. And then something interesting happend. All the time it was said that for a transfer from bed to chair or the other way around it was "the BAD side first". But now the nurse was sticking the weelchair in a position for "the GOOD side first". And with little help Frank was transfering himself into his chair. CLOINK (And I picked up my yaw, still in one piece, from the floor). Off they went to the toilet, leaving me behind with Jane of the The Daily Mirror, which is pleasant in a way.

And before I was finished with Jane (can you ever?) Frank was back, asking for the walk. And off we went. It was the usual route, through the main coridor to the "rondeel", the local restaurant and the nice outdoors and protected sitting area with it. It was late and no entertainment, except for a que of alternative road signs. One particular sign was interesting, proving the progress Frank makes.


Yes, this is Frank at the sign "You are here". But when you start looking for him he will be gone, following the sign at his back, a "dead end street" sight without the notion of the dead end. (A tell tale for the future?) Just look at the grin at his face and you'll know what I mean.

After this detour we wend back to his room. We did the transfer to his bed ourself. (that is Frank with my assistance, no nurses around). It was not as smooth as "the professionals" (I too tip my hat for the nurses.) Time to rest, it was already late. Time for me to cycle home.

On the way out I informed the nurses that we made the transfer to bed. Which got me the reply "Sir, you should have called us!" Tomorrow when I come in I expect all kinds of bells and wistles to go off. INTRUDER ALLERT, this man is transfering our patients!

I-pad returns

Today Esther brought back the I-pad, complete withsevreal scans of Osprey books taken from my external harddisk. oh, joy! Now i can read again!
Grateful Frank

Sitting group

Well, I am off tp "sitting groupïn a few minutes. Thatis rather boring but neccessary

tHE SLEEPER AWAKES

Hello everyone,
after a good night'sleep i awoke thi morning and after breakfasr=t went straight to Fysio. Progress report:there was not much to report on, sadly. for lunch I had a meatrol ("kroket"),.This afternoon I am mostly resting apart from sitting p grououp at 15.30. Butone thing stands out for me:I do not want to give this up, so I'lll continue following the example of the Para's ansay FIDO(that means:"Just say"Fuck it!"and drive on).I certainly intebd to do so.

Greetings

frank

Theladies, part 2

Today I bought NationalGeographic magazine because it had an article abot the search fothe grave of Cleopatra. she reminded me of my three sisters.growing up with them was not always easy, but now I look athem with great fondness. They have grace,charm and wit it is such fun to have them around.
Today at Fysio I excercised my transfers and standing again.itwent O.K but not spectacularly so. I still have much ground to cover and I will continue tomorrow.
I must at this point dof my hat tothe nursrs, who worktirelessly(which could be a problrm when you have a flat and are looking for a new tire!)but they are utterly gracious, saeet and charming as well. What more coukd i wish for more?In a few moments I will turn in and it will be time for Frankie--bye-bye!
Until tomorrow, my friends

Frank

Back fromthe psuch.

Hi,everybody!
I ambacfromthepsyvh,and a most interesting talk we had.currently i am reading the historical commentary toIan Weir's game T"urkenktieg, abut the Austro-Russo-Turkisn War from1735-9.asI know next tonothing about this condlict, it is fascinatint stuff indeed.thisafternoon I haveFysio and generallykeeping busy (surfing the net , wand so dorth .
Greetings
A relaxws Frank

This morning

ThiThismorning at Ergo i learnt to take off and put on my t-shirt. And I stood some more.the next message is fo the members of the GHS.those Gummi meeples for Carcassonne are really nice. i shared them with my rgotheraopist, who has the game,and she was really impressed. Next step,the psychologidt! Whilst waitng for that, i currentlenkoy a glass of apple juice.w,e have a new channelon ouroniouTV, TLC,which i thiink means;"The LadiesChannel.it is all emo- tv,which I abhor.but they alsoruninteresresting programmesnon dogs and cats.it reminds me I am very ,uch a cat-person.whenI was small, we had cats, and it was ,y duty to give them milk in the morning.there usnothing better than feeling a heavy purring ballof fur on your lap or on your belly.seriously, cats are cool and I inderstand why ancientEgyptians venersted thrm.here we miss a department cat.later on, I hope toreportonthe rest of the therapy.
Sig ing off for now
Acontented (andmentally purring) Frank

Here I go again

I did not tell all iI did today. both at fysioand at Ergo i was able to stand on my left leg! Hurrah!!at ERGO I WAS LEANUNG MY RIGHT HAND ON A TABLE AND PUSHING MY BODY UP, Aand at Fyssmio I was standing betweentwo horizontal barsbut I amso happy at this! Tomorrow Ii Willcontinue trying this.
Tired frank

back from Ergo

Hi guys
I am back from Wego, and interesting it was. Qe practised transfers and I stood some more leabubg on a table with my right hand. If things contiue this way soon I'll be able to do transfers without any help. For now that is just a pipe dream, but I am working onit and shouldn'tbe too impatienr. My i-pad still cannot make contact with the server. Oh, bugger!! Time for dinner, almost.

greetings

Freank

Back from fysio

Hi everyonr,
I have just returned from fydio where I practised dtanding on my left leg. It went well. so O am satisfied. Due to ythe fact that my i-pad cannot make connection to the server (drat!!) I am typing this on the computer in the living room. Ergo-yherapy is next. Lrt's see what that will bring.

Greetings
A temporaeily i-pad less Frank

Qakker

After long nightsleeping, Ihave awakened. I also seem to have a cold, snif, snif, i am curious to see what the coming week will bring. I will find out in due timr. The nurseshere in the S MK keep treating me very well;they even help me to get on the toilet when neccessary. I am impressed with them.

Signing off
A syill somewhat sleepy Frznk

H.h. Right now, i am watching "horribleHistories", a kid's show about history onBBC One.It is brilliant and i really recommend it!

Victory!

Today I was able to visit .Casus belli again, thabjpks tothe help of Esther who picked me up at SMK an delivered me back.it was great to see the wholegang again and evenplay a game ofMunchkin!though I did not win(Marleen wonp) i still had agreat day out. On return I took Esther to "Het Rondeel" and we had dinner.that was the least I could do un appreciation. Seeing the old gang was great;it really gave me a boost for the coming week. If any Casus Belli members read this:"Thank you, guys, you are great.it was very enjoyable to be with you again."
Enough for now.

Frank

The ladies and O.VT.

This morning I was awakened by the dulcet voice of one of the nurses inquiring wether I wanted to take shower. . WhenI said yes she wheeled me into the showee, stripped me an showered me.at this point Imust express my great admiration for the nurses here. Thy are all very competent , kind abd very sqeet into the bargaing.getting showered was a great luxury!
Currently I am listening to Radio1the programme called O.V.T. It is all about history and very interesring. U listen in whenever I can..theynearly always have something interesting to tell, in conparison to their equivalent on T.V the insipid "Andrere Tijden".
Getting back to the subject of the ladies, I must think of my long-suffeeing sisters and rheir.attemptsto "civilise" me. Alas, all in vain,i tend to remain firm in m y infirmities.
WielLenders the director of the Liberation Museum, once referred to me in jest as the mudeum's"Pentagob"i thensaid"yes, that is correct;I have a hifgly develoed military ibdustrial conplex(frabk for shame! Don't you remember thr difference between "to havw" ab"to be"?) lately hr evebcalled me a "saxant", giving mr the idea if putting up nptices at the library door readibg::"WARNiNG, SAVANT sAUVAGE. Do not feeed, enter at your own risk.
It is not always easy having such areputation, it hasto be maintained. Currently I am reading David Lawday's biography of Talleyrand.what a delight that man wasi cannot imimgine any sisters ever wanting to " civilise"him. Insteas it probably was the otger way around. What a cultured gentleman he was! It must have been a delight to attend one of his salonsand just talk to him and his harem...
Well, friends, I have blathered on enough for now. Time to get back to bed.till tomorrow, qhen therapy will resume.
See you thrn!
Frank

Here at the SMK they have such lovey biological applejuice. It is pure ambrosia!
Frank

I foget

I completely forgot tht today is the anniversary of the battle of Dettingen(1745)between theFrebch and thr British. The latter won. See my article on the war of the AustrianSuccession Casuhs Belli Nieuwsbrief number two of lst year.


Frank

Notes from the captain's sickbed.

It turns out I am too impatient to work the i-pad well. Oh well. Like the psychoologist concluded, obviously my intecllectual capacities have been impaired and if you believe that, Rense, I have this road bridge over the Waal forsale no, I wo'nt gift-wrap it! I just have to wait and see what next week will bring, isn't it exciting? These days, i fondly remember the Airfix days of my life. oh, the excitement when a new catalogue came out! that coulfd fire my imagination for days. I learnt wargaming from Donald Featherstone's book, which contained three sets of rules: one for ancients, one for horse- and musket and one for WW II. I had hours of fun with it and it gave my agression a safe way out not too mention the boardgames with their intricate rulesets that demanded hours of study. Luckily, I found the guys at Ducosim and they helped me. Later on I helped found my own club in Nijmegen Casus Belli. There I have been able to help (read: corrupt) other innocent into wargaming. Oh, the thrills of victories; the agonies of defeat! But it has been worth it. The little cardboard time machines have given me wonderdful insights, not too mention amusements. It is better than watching television for a similar amount of time. And even now, it helps me recover by forcing me to use my brain( what is left of it). So I will do my best to go on gaming.. Starting tomorrow, I'll go back to Casus Belli. Let the dice fly high!
Yours aye
Frank

A little comment of his sister
Frank works the Ipad great considering that he just has it for one day. So, even Frank must practise a little, but it will be all right.
Esther

Some progress update

Yesterday Frank, (accompanied by me), had a conversation with his neuropsychologist. This profession has the skills to look as close as possible into someone's neuro cognitive functioning, i.e. looking inside the brain in a way normal mortals can't. The conclusion of the neuropsychogical evaluation Frank had, is that his intellectual functioning in no doubt has been compromised by the stroke. Hadn't we figured this out already?????
The most obvious impairments are what they call mental inertia (traagheid). You notice that sometimes when you ask him something and it takes quite some time to answer. The psychologist explained that it sometimes takes more time for Frank to process information and form a reaction also. So one of the advice that was given is: give him time, don't hurry him. That explaines why he can be so tired, everything costs him energy.
Another point to consider is the trouble Frank experiences with switching between tasks. So keep that in mind, you help him by giving clou's and signs such as, "in about 5 minutes we're going to....." So he can prepare himself.
the most prominent observation is that Frank still suffers from hemi-inattention. you all saw the consequence of that in former blogs edited by Frank. It means that he tends to ignore the left side. you can help him by giving clues of markers to which he can return (for instance by reading, return to the white leftside kantlijn, than you know you're at the beginning of the line). I think this is important to realize and consider when you're going to play wargames.
Frank has a report with all kinds of advices from the psychologist, it's very informative, so perhaps if you're interested and Frank is okay with it you can ask to read it.

But enough about al this, the most important news of today:

THE IPAD HAS ARRIVED, FRANK IS THRILLED BY IT!!!!!

and this afternoon we (the physiotherapist and I) practised the transfer from wheelchair to car and vice versa, which was also very succesful. So Frank is going to visit the club after all coming sunday!!!
isn't that wonderful news!!
bye Esther

Ipad is binnen

Hey, guys, the ipad arrived and i am very impressed thank you all very much. I can now blog in bed. Yesterday i was foolish enough to watch help, my man has a hobby. Another poor man was to be broken of his hobby. It reminded me when my mother tried to break me, back in the airfifx stage of my youth. She failed completely and I am proud of that! Wargames rule, yours.

Frank