Sunshine and Snow

Today was heads ‘n tails; good ‘n bad; sunshine and snow. It didn’t seem to know what to do.

I whipped down to the doctor’s surgery first thing, for a blood test, to establish if my tiredness is simply a mental thing or whether there’s anything physical going on. I am not expecting it to be anything physical, but I’ll know next week.

Then, back home, dear Margaret came round and dug my house out for me. How wonderful to have such good friends – and one who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty! For weeks now, I have looked at the fluff in the cat basket and thought, ‘I really must vacuum that out,’ and then done nothing about it. I have seen an empty cup on the side and thought I should pop it in the dishwasher, but left it behind. I’ve noted little spillages on the kitchen floor and thought I should mop up, but just walked over it instead. I have been feeling weary.

We are now spruced up, however, and the kitchen, in particular, is showing a marked improvement. You can actually see the work surfaces; and walk over the floor without a stickiness…… thank you, Margaret.

While Margaret was busy with her mop and bucket, I spent some time looking into future plans for Mum. I think we can no longer accommodate the pretence of ‘independent living’ and we shall have to find a care home for her. She needs someone to be available in the evenings as well as during the day now. We’re waiting for the social services to do a formal assessment, but I think they will confirm what I suspect.

In fact, I am half-expecting the warden at the accommodation she is currently staying in to tell us that the premises no longer suit her requirements….we’ll see.

Late morning, I shot over to the opticians for another review of my infected eye, which has not improved. Despite it being very red and sore, the optician stated that there is no infection in it anymore. He also suggested that if I wanted he could refer me to an ENT specialist but there’s a ‘very long waiting list’. Yep, his spiel did the trick. I retreated and decided I’d consult someone else and get a second opinion. He did suggest some eye drops however, but offered no prescription – which means I have to pay. I wasn’t happy about that. Luck was on my side though, because, rummaging through the chemist’s shop which resides in our utility room (aka John’s stuff), I found the very same eyedrops that John isn’t currently using. So I shall avail myself of them and not waste them. But it does feel like the slippery slope to privatisation, folks……

Mid-morning, Harriet had phoned and wondered if a garden visit would be OK this afternoon. Oh, yes! The sun was shining. “Come about one o’clock,” I suggested, “when the weather is a bit warmer.” However, as we waved Margaret goodbye at lunchtime, the snow began to fall, as did the temperature in the garden. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to be out in the cold in the snow, so I phoned Harriet to discuss the options. She sounded relieved. She had double-booked herself and was just about to discuss plans for the new house with an architect who’d arrived. “Shall we postpone?” I said. Yes, good idea.

We then had a bite to eat before collapsing into the sofa and watched some TV this afternoon, and then drove over to Solihull hospital for John’s infusion. As I was driving back, I took a phone call from the warden at Mum’s flat. Mum wasn’t feeling well. The doctor had been called but it was likely to be a telephone consultation. The warden was going home, so the doctor would be likely to call me. Righty-ho.

The doctor did phone – unfortunately, I didn’t pick up the call. I was outside, battling the elements of wind and snow, to trying to batten down the gazebo before it flew away. By the time I realised I’d missed the call, the surgery was closed…. ah, well, the carers haven’t reported any illness today, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed she will manage overnight. I’ll visit tomorrow.

With the kitchen so sparkly clean, I couldn’t face making it all a mess with cooking our evening meal, so I walked up to the fish ‘n chip shop….. our tea was delicious.

And that’s it. Nothing more to report. It’s been weird and wonderful day today, one way or another. The COVID figures, however, remain stable.

• 2,379 people tested positive for the virus today
• 20 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 6 people died in hospitals with the virus on 4 & 5 April
• And it’s Day 9 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 379 since Lockdown 1; Day 384 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless. Things are going to improve.