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A week ago my Joe entered a nuclear bunker... at least that’s what he calls it. For those who don’t know, and I was one who didn’t,  a nuclear medicine bone scan shows the effects of injury or disease (such as cancer) or infection on the bones. It starts with an injection and the scan is done three hours later. In that waiting time Joe was warned not to go near children or pregnant women (nothing was said about wives!), to urinate backwards (for a man), to flush the toilet twice after use, and to drink plenty of water. Apparently his insides would light up so the scan could see what was what, or wasn’t as the case may be.

On Friday he went in hospital in readiness for a small operation on Saturday. This was a procedure designed to give the kidney a rest! An overnight stay, they said, but he's still there because the docs are not satisfied that the op was a success. He's in the best place if they're right. We can't fault (not that we've tried) our National Health Service, the doctors and nurses have been on the ball from the start - and rapidly. I hope they're the same with me when I collapse with exhaustion through travelling!

Parking at the hospital is horrendous. I’ve got into the habit of leaving the house a couple of hours early in order to get a parking space when I got there. Visiting times are staggered, some wards have it early, some later, a practice which I believe was instrumented by the parking problem. It’s a massive car park and drivers have to drive up, down and round in an attempt to find a slot. I don’t know what they do if they can’t. There’s no chance of parking outside the complex since, in fairness to local residents, this is prohibited. I now know why there are so many taxis around there. They don’t have to pay merely to drive onto the car park, whereas it costs a fortune for private cars to be left there. Taking into account the price of fuel it probably makes sense to go by taxi.

I have to say I got very tired with the journeys to and from hospital, which happens NOT to be our local one, so it made sense to reorganise not only our lives but the household arrangements too. Therefore, being sensible folk, we have taken on board the fact that help is needed around the house. Mel, I’m sure, will be pleased to hear that. The elderly couple across the road have ‘a lady that does’ so I asked if she would ‘do’ for me. Thankfully she said yes so at least the heaviest housework tasks get done ... and not a back pain to be felt as far as I’m concerned. Her name is Paola and she is half Italian. Before she came I spent time dusting in case it frightened her away. Isn’t that a hoot? It wasn’t just me, though, Joe tidied up his office before she came. I know it’s a standing joke in most families about the big tidy up occurring before the cleaning lady starts work.

Another way of saving time and energy was to order the weekly shopping on line. Now, why I didn’t do that sooner is beyond me. It gives me great satisfaction to be greeted by a polite driver who not only carries the stuff into the house but unpacks it as well. Mind you, there’s a motive there... he wants the bags for recycling.

Has anyone ever grown a lemon tree from seed? Out of curiosity I let a few pips drop into some old compost left over from a dying cactus. I now have these healthy looking young plants (see picture) and I’m wondering what to do with them. Our climate is hardly warm enough for lemon trees. The question is will I have room for them when they grow. I once grew an orange tree and it flowered and bore fruit that was sour as sour could be but it was lovely to look at.  

It’s disappointing that for the first time in years I shall miss the WI Federation’s Annual Council Meeting. It’s a lovely event and it is always good to meet up with all my old friends. When I was in the chair I thoroughly enjoyed it and, like all past chairmen, we like to keep in touch. Oh well, maybe next year!

Some of you may remember me posting an item about our sexy dunnocks, the ones who ‘perform’ on our patio, right by the window. I learn such a lot from watching birds!! Well it’s different this year. I haven’t seen the dunnocks but I have seen this 

The insects were seen on the porch window, and there were two more at the back of the house. Seems to me they do it on windows as a form of education for humans.

To end this post here’s a few more pictures, one of a greedy crow together with a back view showing some abnormal white feathers, and the third is a jay who did nothing to warrant a photograph but who was just there!