Lunching out...

Saturday lunch at the restaurant was a dazzling affair, the sun on the lake almost forcing us to draw the blinds. Most enjoyable, pity the next day was so wet.

When two swans came into view I wondered if they would avoid the obstacle in the water

But no, they sailed right over it!

Joe and I still manage to dine out on Saturdays since his hospital visits are confined to weekdays. He had a spell in hospital last week, when a stent was fitted to or in an artery. It was to help blood to flow more freely and keep his heart ticking. Mind you, I think it might have been an excuse to have a week off housework, since he was forbidden to do any. Nor could he drive for a week 

(whisper - I wonder which doctor came up with THAT idea. Couldn't have been a man, surely!).

And the good news is - we are going to have some wonderful Spring weather. 

I'll keep you posted on that.

HOLLY - AND JOE

Christmas certainly lingered in my lounge. It came about because of a habit I’d got into of decorating the place with branches from the garden, the one with the tiny cones that I thought was a Cedar. Last year we had an abundance of holly, some with berries, most without. I picked a few twigs of each and put them in water, using three new vases. The display was quite seasonal. But as you know, nothing lasts, especially cut flowers and leaves. However I was in for a surprise.

Due probably to the warm room and having water to drink, one of the holly cuttings started to show minuscule white balls. Honestly, if I hadn’t stopped to check the water level in the vase I probably would  have missed them. Aha, but once seen there was no going back. I have been watching ever since. Those minute balls got a bit bigger, then tiny white petals began to show. Now there is a tiny – and I DO mean TINY – berry shaped thingy in the middle. Could this be the start of a red berry, I asked myself. When I checked today most of the TINY flower petals had fallen but one had turned into an infinitesimal buff coloured ball.

Time will tell - and so will I if things develop. If you don’t hear any more you’ll know the buff coloured ball came to nothing. 

Pic taken in Oz 

UPDATE ON JOE

I haven’t updated you on Joe’s medical condition so I’ll do that now. A couple of days after getting the good news that the chemotherapy was a success he developed something else. It was a shock to find him quite poorly one morning when he’d done so well with all his treatments. It only took a few hours, during which he was examined (thoroughly) by a paramedic and later by a doctor, to find out that he had a suspect heart problem. By this time he was feeling better and in any case the medics didn’t think hospital admission was urgent. However, it took just two days for an appointment to come from the hospital.

And we have people here who moan about our health service!

So where are we now? After a scan and a consultation it was decided to perform an Angiogram which revealed that one of the arteries leading to the heart was rather tight, which slowed the blood flow. It was decided to insert a stent to relieve the situation and he will have that done pretty soon... that is if a consultation with the oncology consultant and others allows it. He gets quite tired and breathless now but that should be sorted after the stent op.

When all that is cleared up maybe his hernia will be sorted!!!

Honestly for a once perfectly fit man Joe has become plagued with different health situations and yet he continues to be optimistic and cheerful. He even jokes about his condition. Next time you have a drink in your hands, do raise your glass to my Joe ‘cause he deserves it. 

LATEST REPORT

Okay, after a few scary moments and an emergency hospital admission, Joe has had the operation to widen the neck of his bladder. And guess what … he can now pee like a man should and has said goodbye to the catheter. Fingers crossed this is a permanent situation. Although he gets a bit fed up at times he doesn’t seem to mind the nephrostomy bag now he’s got used to it, and let’s face it those catheters did get in the way of normal life and movement.

I have to say that the UK’s National Health Service reacts to all emergencies in the most efficient manner. I was kept fully informed of developments by phone. For instance the emergency situation resulted in him being transferred from Good Hope Hospital to Heartlands Hospital (a ride of about 20 to 25 minutes on a good day) and then to be returned the next morning in time for the operation. That was to take place in the Day Care Centre, which closes at eight o’clock at night. Consequently they had to find him a bed on which to recover and if that didn’t transpire he would go back to Heartlands. Fortunately the Bed Manager did find a bed so I was able to go and see him at the hospital nearest to home. I had so many phone calls I was on Christian name terms with folk at both hospitals!

There was one little bit of humour that’s worth relating.

When one nurse couldn’t insert a catheter she called for an ‘expert’ to do the job. The ‘expert’ was a middle aged black nurse who had a sense of humour as well as being highly efficient. She introduced herself to Joe. Leaning in close she said ‘My name is Vilma, V-i-l-m-a. I tell you that because you and I are going to get very personal so you need to know who I am.’

Joe is home now and looking much happier and I know he joins me in thanking you all for your love and good wishes. 

I am so very sorry....

I am so very sorry

That you’re feeling rather ill

I wonder, yes I wonder

Did you forget to take a pill

You need a dose of TLC

Now you’ve taken to your bed

The formula is guaranteed  

To ease a pounding head

Also you will find enclosed

An additional provision

A hug that I created

To beget a fast remission

I fashioned it with sympathy

Coloured with affection

Adding reassurance

To fight off the infection

I took a crumb of wisdom

To include inside the mixture

To make it known that hereon in

Your cold is not a fixture

So hurry now and get well soon

Your buddy’s very troubled.

It feels as if you’ve gone astray

And missing you has doubled 

If only it was a mere cold that takes Joe away. Yes, he is in hospital again and with everything so upside down I can't get in the blogging mood. An operation is imminent to try and widen the neck of the bladder ... fingers crossed that it works. 

I shall continue to trawl my favourite blogs and will write something as soon as I feel in the mood.

Love you all xx

Taking a Cab

Because of the difficulty with parking in the hospital car park I tried using taxis to and from the hospital. However, after three days I gave up and drove there in my own car. It is fine for the odd visit but using a cab more than once is very expensive. It was an eye opener though. £12 for one person from home to hospital, and £12 on the return journey, which made £24 per day. Admittedly there was no parking fee but I still considered it to be on the high side. So I went back to driving there in my own car. I couldn’t have used much fuel (diesel driving being quite economical) and the charge for parking was just under £5. I have worked out the best place to park as well…. right at the back, yet nearer to the actual hospital building, there are always a few spaces.

One thing I noticed whilst taking the cab was that all drivers are foreign,

Asian mostly. Quite a few had to rely on satnavs to get to my destination, which I found quite irritating. Who wants to listen to someone telling you which road you’re on, or when to turn right or left whilst reposing in the comfort of a taxi cab. To be fare though, I can understand the satnav whereas I often couldn’t decipher the driver’s pigeon English.

All the cabs had what appeared to be mobile phones on the dashboard. Of course they were not phones as such, just a way of recording fares etc, and which needed constant attention whilst driving. I saw one man happily pressing buttons with one hand while the other hand was operating the steering wheel. Dangerous or what? We have laws here that ban the use of phones in cars … not that many take any notice … but there doesn’t seem to be a law about taxi drivers feeding information into their gadgets whilst driving.

I was quite happy to get back to driving my own car. Lesson learned… only use a cab in an emergency.

I have a several days break from hospital visits. Joe is home until the end of the month when a ‘procedure’ will take place. At this stage we’re not sure what the consultant intends to do but I guess we’ll soon find out. I still think he deserves a medal especially after the last rather testing experience.