The weather is truly autumnal now, bright and dry with temperatures around freezing at night rising to ten centigrade in the afternoon, just what you'd hope for as November arrives. I celebrated the Vigil of All Saints at St Catherine's this morning with a dozen people. Clare, taking advantage of half term holidays, started buying and preparing ingredients for Christmas puddings, four weeks before Stir Up Sunday arrives.
With school, singing and choir commitments on top of present buying and usual routine activities, she's quite busy getting stuff done early to relieve the pressure on the run up to the festive season. I help with some domestic shopping and cooking. This afternoon I walked four miles along the Taff and back to Canton Bridge. It's the furthest I've walked since returning from Montreux, and I am pleased with this, keen to regain summer fitness after much idleness and languishing. Thankfully, coping with inflammation and wound management isn't taking so much out of me now.
I was overjoyed to learn from today's news of a technological breakthrough made by researchers into spinal injuries associated with the University Hospital of Lausanne, which enables paraplegics to learn to walk again. It seems that even when a spinal cord sustains damage that causes paralysis, a weak neural signal is still transmitted along it. An electronic device has now been devised to amplify this signal and relay it to the brain from the other side of the damaged vertebra. It means an injured person with this device attached to them can be taught to walk unsupported. Amazingly, the activity which device usage enables is able to stimulate a measure of regeneration of the spinal cord. It's still at the early stages of development, but a transformational breakthrough that will bring a new kind of hope to paraplegic sufferers. Film footage of a patient doing walking practice was taken on a lakeside footpath, with recognisable views of the Swiss Jura behind. Instant nostalgia for me.
I was overjoyed to learn from today's news of a technological breakthrough made by researchers into spinal injuries associated with the University Hospital of Lausanne, which enables paraplegics to learn to walk again. It seems that even when a spinal cord sustains damage that causes paralysis, a weak neural signal is still transmitted along it. An electronic device has now been devised to amplify this signal and relay it to the brain from the other side of the damaged vertebra. It means an injured person with this device attached to them can be taught to walk unsupported. Amazingly, the activity which device usage enables is able to stimulate a measure of regeneration of the spinal cord. It's still at the early stages of development, but a transformational breakthrough that will bring a new kind of hope to paraplegic sufferers. Film footage of a patient doing walking practice was taken on a lakeside footpath, with recognisable views of the Swiss Jura behind. Instant nostalgia for me.
There was a Parish Hallowe'en Party and bonfire at St Catherine's in the evening, but we didn't go, as being in a crowd with lots of excited children lacks appeal at the moment. Nevertheless, we had a visit from one small group of kids with their parents, out trick or treating. A small dose, just enough seasonal delight to be going on with.
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