winter is coming
First of all Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. I’m watching the Macy’s parade on TV right now. I went out for a walk into the village on Monday and took these photos. They could well have been taken today for we have the same overcast sky and greyness with a hint of winter. It feels as if snow isn’t far away, the heavy skies, a strange stillness. What could I hear on this walk? I stopped to chat to one of the neighbours. I heard windchimes ringing out from someone’s porch. Otherwise it was still and quiet and spooky.

headless chicken impression
I woke up all wrong today- grumpy, fed up, sad. I mooched about the house in my pjs. Talked to a friend on IM.  Then started making a lasagna for dinner.  I’m working the evening shift so I try to be a good housewife and make dinner for me to take into work and some for MLM to heat up later. Anyroad, pans were bubbling – lasagna making is labour and pan intensive work. I hadn’t put my hearing gadgets in, as I was home alone with nothing to listen to.  Then I noticed that my Blackberry was flashing at me. Ooo, thinks I, an email. Oh no! screams I-  a missed appointment.  I was supposed to be at work for a mask fitting thing.  See

more not plugging and playing and on line hearing tests
It all depends on where you start from doesn’t it?  I have been blogging about how much I can hear since my implant but that is compared to what I used to hear.  I don’t want this to be a negative post about the success of my implant at all but I do think that I should put things into perspective.  What I think is good hearing may not be what a hearing person would think of as good. Perhaps by saying that I can hear well I have influenced peoples perception and that they take it at face value and why wouldn’t they after all?  On the other hand nobody wants to hear a moaning Minnie who has a caveat with every “very well thank you” To

it’s not plug and play
A fair few people seem to think that I can hear normally, whatever that is,  maybe like a regular person!  Someone at work this morning said that she was surprised that they still have to email me as “you’ve had your operation”… I have indeed had the surgery,  and am working hard at hearing, listening and understanding, but I don’t hear like that mythical regular person.  I don’t do much as a regular person would, come to think of it. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again.  It  takes time.  Anyway, that’s it.  PS The lack of photos lately is because I have a spanking new shiny l

lucky lucky me – giving thanks
There’s more to it than getting a surgeon to fit it and an audiologist to set it up properly.  It takes time to get used to it, to learn what the sounds mean, for the brain to turn those electronic sounds into real sounds. I’ve been very lucky. I have a great team looking after me, the Cochlear Implant team at Sunnybrook have made it all seem so normal and everyday. Nothing was ever a problem, no question ever a daft question.  I’ve been able to hear most sounds in a normal fashion very quickly. I still have problems with non live music, the electronic sounds become more electronic, high pitches especially. I’m barely at 4 months after activat