Today is a public holiday in Germany and, like many other things in Germany, public holidays are different from those in Ireland.

Germans are slow but organised. Irish are movers but anarchic.

Remember when Corpus Christi was moved to a Sunday in Ireland? And Ascension Thursday has long been moved to a Sunday too. Public holidays are, no matter what, on a Monday – and they’re still called ‘bank’ holidays!

Germans know that labour day is on the 01 May, Ascension Thursday is on a Thursday, so is Corpus Christi, and the third of October is the Day of German Unity. There are no ‘bank’ holidays and public holidays are taken when they ought to, not just when they fall on (or a moved to) a Sunday or a Monday.

Even Google is celebrating the Day of German Unity today!

What the Germans celebrate today is the realisation of their dream to be one nation. They picked today, the third of October, because on this day in 1990 the unification of Germany was formally completed.

Of course, we all know that the wall had come down the previous year, on 09 November. That day was, in a way, more significant. Curiously, 09 November is important in German history for other reasons too: it’s the day of the declaration of the first German Republic in 1918, and the defeat of Hitler’s first coup in 1923.

I remember one story from the days following the (re-) unification in my mother’s village in Bavaria, very close to the border. Many East Germans came into her village and collected 50 German marks as Welcome Money, given to each East German when they came to see the West for the first time. Some smart capitalist parked his truck in the centre of the village and sold ‘runners’ (sport shoes) off the back of his truck for 49.99 – and made a killing. It was, in a way, a taste of things to come…

Anyways – I have some news from Schönland tonight: the OTs today brought in ‘new’ MOTOMed Viva (remember the MOTOMed? – the big one broke about four months ago). It’s much smaller, neater than the one Pádraig had used before and it’s not pushed over his bed. Instead, he uses it when he sits in his wheelchair – much more natural, I think, almost like in a real bicycle. It’s great to have this going again, it makes such a difference to his exercise regime, to his circulation, and his well-being. He really needs all the movement he can get.

The other bit of news is that a really nice and helpful nurse today helped us to wash his hair – the second time in a week. Mightn’t sound much to you, but it’s almost unheard of in our circumstances. The plan is to wash it about 3 times a week. The amazing thing is that it didn’t take more than 10 minutes to wash it. We brought him into the bath room, set up the basin and used the bathroom shower head for washing. Brilliant. It must make such a huge huge difference to him.

This is the last night before the blog awards tomorrow in Ireland. It’s thanks to you that this blog got three nominations in three different categories and managed to became a finalist in all of these three categories.

Whatever will happen tomorrow night, it won’t be about winning. It’ll be about being there, where Pádraig was some year ago, so enthusiastic, so nervous, so full of hope that he might win with his regular blog and podcast ‘An Saol’.

Whatever will happen tomorrow night, An Saol will be his legacy and will change the way that care for persons with Acquired Brain Injury in Ireland is organised. An Saol will demonstrate that looking after those who most need our help is not a matter of return on investment.

Whatever will happen tomorrow night, it’ll be For Pádraig.