Month: April 2021

Although I was up and about early today I didn’t feel the need to rush. I gently took myself about the house and, equally gently, went about a few chores, which didn’t feel like chores because I wasn’t in a rush. John was up reasonably early too, so we sat and had bacon butties together. It was lush.

I phoned the hospital to see how Mum was doing and they said she’d had a comfortable night. A head scan showed no injury from her fall and there were no bones broken. She was still feeling somewhat confused, but the clinical practitioner I spoke to said constipation and urinary tract issues can also cause a bit of delirium. That’s a new one on me. They had found, however, that Mum was dehydrated and has both issues, so it’s all being treated over the weekend. There was also a plan to do a ‘confusion’ test.

Relieved that Mum was on the mend, and that temporarily, I didn’t have the responsibility of looking after her, I decided it was time to change the sheets on the bed so, bit by bit, I did that and washed and ironed them today. Although I must confess to having got as far as ironing the duvet cover and placing it, folded, on our bed. Poor John had to fit the darned thing as he was up to bed first.

We had great excitement placing a bet or two on the Grand National this afternoon and Michael suggested a sweepstake and a video link while we all watched the race. It was great fun, but chaos. Everyone won a bit of money but I don’t think anyone recouped their original outlay. It didn’t matter though, we weren’t playing for a lot of money and it was a great piece of entertainment. What delighted me the most though, of course, was seeing all three of our sons together, albeit on-screen. And naturally, we girls were delighted that a female jockey won the race…..

I was delighted to see Margaret and Chris at my front door this afternoon, too, with a bar of chocolate in hand. Boy! Did I need that! When you’re feeling fed up, what’s the best thing to do? Eat chocolate of course!!

John and I just drifted through the rest of the day. I suddenly went tired and stopped doing jobs, we sat and watched TV but nothing really interested us. In the end, I watched Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang this afternoon having never seen it before, and then ‘Colette’, a film that was on the other day and which I’d recorded. Really enjoyed both films, but especially Colette – fascinating times she lived in.

The COVID figures are still keeping steady, so we are getting excited that we’ll have a little bit more freedom next week.

• 2,589 people tested positive for the virus today
• 40 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 21 people died in hospitals with the virus on 8 & 9 April
• And it’s Day 13 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 383 since Lockdown 1; Day 389 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless. 

Are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty sort of person? I usually try to have a glass half full, personally. And how do you like your news? The good or the bad first? Now that’s a bit more of a conundrum. However, I prefer to have the good first – it bolsters you up to deal with the bad, doesn’t it? So that’s how the day went today – the good, then the bad – I just hope we don’t get the ugly…..

I popped round to Mum’s first thing to give her the tablet that the carers can’t, and found she was much improved, even if she was still a bit sleepy. She was quite cheerful and happily took her tablets and, when the carer arrived, got dressed and had breakfast no trouble. All very good.

I nipped back home for a shower and was pleased to see that Andrew had texted to say he was on his way home for a garden visit. I was dancing in the aisles, as you can imagine. I was very excited but still in my dressing gown when he arrived. I ran about setting up a warm area for John just inside the patio doors, and a warm area for Andrew just outside the patio doors and then went and dried my hair.

I joined them once I had sorted myself out and, oh, it was just wonderful to be with Andrew. We walked up to the shops together to buy something nice for lunch and then picnicked outside on the patio. John braved the cold as we sat and ate our lunch. It was lovely.

Interspersed with the chat to Andrew, I took a few phone calls regarding the research I am doing for a care home for Mum, so I was up and down like a yo-yo for much of the afternoon and, all too soon, the afternoon was over and Andrew was on his way.

John and I thought we’d have a few minutes thawing out before getting our evening meal ready. The Sutton Sleaths phoned while we were defrosting and we had a lovely chat to them all. William was equally as excited as me at the thought of seeing ‘Uncle Andrew’ and fairly squeaked and giggled with excitement. Not to be outdone, Thomas did lots and lots of grinning too……

Mid-way through the video call, another call came in on my phone. It was one of Mum’s carers. Mum had had a fall and the carer had phoned for the ambulance. I cut the call to the Sutton Sleaths short and hot-footed it round to Mum’s.

Oh, dear, oh, dear. Mum was lying prone on the floor, full-length. She had clearly face-planted as she fell and, equally clearly, had been there for some time. She was conscious and able to speak to us, but unable to move. She said thought she had been there for hours. The ambulance service told us not to move her as long as she could breath OK. Well, to be honest, it was a bit of a struggle for Mum to breath as her nose was a bit squashed. She managed, however, until the paramedics arrived.

The paramedics checked her over and established that there were no bones broken before they turned her over and sat her up. They confirmed that Mum probably had been lying there for at least two hours given the pooling of fluids into her face. Poor Mum. Poor Mum.

The ambulance took Mum off to Warwick Hospital to be checked over. As I write, I am not sure what they have found, because A&E was very busy and, although Mum had been triaged, no doctor had yet done any assessment or tests. No doubt they’ll manage to review her shortly and decide what to do for the best. I only hope they don’t decide to discharge her late into the night and expect me to go and collect her then…… that would definitely be ugly.

On the day that all the major TV channels dedicated hours and hours of tributes to Prince Philip who passed away this morning, the status regarding the virus is still stable. Thank goodness something is.

• 3,150 people tested positive for the virus today
• 60 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 18 people died in hospitals with the virus on 7 & 8 April
• And it’s Day 12 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 382 since Lockdown 1; Day 387 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless. 

It swirls faster and faster and faster as you get older, doesn’t it? The maelstrom of the ‘untowards’? The time has passed when we could snap the world away in a click of our fingers and have a few minutes restoring the balance. The ‘out of kilter’ moments just seems to keep going now. No even keels to be seen for miles around….

Never mind, it will get better, I am sure. And, in fact, I can hardly complain because, on the way back from a visit to the audiologist to get John’s hearing aids sorted out this morning, all the traffic lights were on green. Can’t be bad, eh? Gotta be thankful for small mercies.

Equally, I am very thankful for all the wonderful people we have in our lives. Those wonderful friends and relatives who are there, come thick or thin, with offers of, ‘Let us know if there’s anything we can do.’ – and knowing that they mean it. Marvellous.

So, in relation to the ‘Mum Saga’, this morning/early afternoon I trawled around the homes that the agency suggested – either chatting to the staff, or undertaking a virtual tour on-line, or even better, undertaking a virtual tour round the home in real time. I think it’s going to be a difficult decision to make, because Mum has always had nice things around her, and I am not keen that she be faced with a clinical atmosphere. We’ll see. The last visit arranged is on Tuesday, so there’s time yet.

I called on Mum first thing and found her in bed fast asleep. She said she felt dozy. Ah…. that’ll be the Pregabalin, I expect. But she seemed much less confused than she was yesterday and talked coherently to me. She even had the ‘nous’ to recognise that she’d already had some pills this morning when the carer tried to give her more. She took a little bit of persuading that these were different and she still needed to take them. But she took them in the end.

The day has been interspersed with visits to Mum, including a ‘tuck-in’ service this evening; responding to emails; scrolling the internet; on-line tours; and prepping food. We had a nice interlude watching William and Thomas roaming around at home, playing, via a video call. It was delightful. I was sorry not have seen Freddie today though – we had had the lawn fertilized the other day, and Steve had advised keeping the children off it for three or four days, so we had to say ‘no’ to a visit. And neither of us felt that we had enough energy for whizzing over to Kenilworth today, either. Maybe tomorrow…..

And that’s about it. A bit of TV this evening and….. wait for it….. not only did John get the ironing board and tackle a bit of the ironing today, but he walked up to the shops, too and he went up two flights of stairs at the audiologists without getting too much out of puff. *Does a little dance* Things must be looking up. And there’ll be good weather to look forward to soon, as well!

• 3,030 people tested positive for the virus today
• 53 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 11 people died in hospitals with the virus on 6 & 7 April
• And it’s Day 11 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 381 since Lockdown 1; Day 386 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless. 

One way and another it’s been a day of sorting Mum out. I was just lazing in bed this morning, trying to improve the weariness I have been feeling recently, when the phone rang and it was the warden at Mum’s flat. Mum was still not feeling well, so could I go over? The doctor had been called…..

I went over after I’d eaten breakfast and after I’d phoned the doctor on my own behalf, having had a second opinion on my eye infection (my own, that is) and he agreed to give me an antibiotic for the both the sinusitis and the eye infection. Fingers crossed it sorts it out.

When I got to Mum’s she was clearly unwell but it’s a bit of a puzzle as to what exactly might be wrong with her. However, I thought it might be a urine infection as she was complaining of backache and she seems more confused than normal.

I popped down to speak to the warden, to establish what she had told the doctor. She had told him that Mum’s situation merited a home visit. Right. OK. And, apparently, Mum had been wandering the corridors of the flats last night, knocking on doors. Two different neighbours tried to help her, but she couldn’t remember which flat she lived in – nor could she remember the number of the flat either. They finally managed to usher her into her own flat and asked her if this one was hers. She wasn’t sure. She didn’t recognise her belongings. Fortunately, they must have recognised her from photos because they got her into her nightie and tucked her into bed. But, really, you can’t expect other residents in their eighties to be doing that sort of thing, can you?

I went back to Mum’s flat to try and make her comfortable. I had not long been there when the warden came down, phone in hand. It was the doctor on a telephone consultation. Ha! So much for a home visit then. We spent fifteen minutes on the phone talking through Mum’s symptoms, with the doctor carefully describing to me what he was discounting and why. It felt like he was covering his back just in case……

One of Mum’s symptoms is the shakes. She is not cold, but she is wobbling her arms and legs around uncontrollably. The doctor deemed that this was to do with anxiety. Hmmm…… well, maybe it is, but I’ve never seen Mum do anything like that before. Reluctantly, he agreed that I should take a urine sample down to the surgery for them to check. We’ll wait and see. If it’s not that, then heaven knows what’s going on……

Anyway, pills were prescribed and there we are. Over to you, Anne. I had to leave Mum while I sorted out lunch for John and me, and to take John over to Solihull for his final infusion. I shot to the pharmacy to grab the medication that had been prescribed, and then nipped back into Solihull to collect the ol’ man. “I’ll drop you at home,” I said, apologetically, “While I go to get some petrol and drop Mum’s drugs in to her.”

Mum was miserable when I got there this evening and, in the end, I decided to put her to bed at that point. She was still complaining of backache and then a bit of a headache. I promised to go back later on to check on her.

Earlier on in the day, I had contacted an agency that helps you look for care homes. Grateful thanks to Anita for the suggestion – it’s certainly taken the legwork out of the choosing. I shall have a jolly good peruse of them tomorrow and then make a choice as to which might be best. Certainly, Mum needs more care than we can give her at present.

Poor John has had to take a back seat all day, but he hasn’t been feeling too bad. Although I must confess I did hear a loud exclamation of frustration from him this evening…..oh, dear.

We decided to abandon ship on our beloved quiz tonight as we were overwhelmed with things to fit in before bed-time. Never mind, there’s always next week, isn’t there? Well, I hope so anyway!

There was one positive in amongst everything today and that was a surprise visit from Janet and Brian, bringing Diamond Wedding Anniversary cake for us. What a surprise and how thoughtful. Lovely.

‘Scuse me while I nip back to Mum’s now, but here are the COVID figures:

• 2,763 people tested positive for the virus today
• 45 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 11 people died in hospitals with the virus on 5 & 6 April
• And it’s Day 10 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 380 since Lockdown 1; Day 385 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless. I really do think things are going to improve – although they might get worse first…. fingers crossed that they don’t.

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.

Well, we were promised cold weather and we definitely got it. A little flurry of snow to remind us not to ‘cast a clout’, but the skies were blue for most of the day. Not that I saw much of them today, really. You might say that I stayed in bed for much of the morning, and then ‘rested my eyes’ this afternoon. I had a lazy day. But I definitely appreciated the sunshine.

John was up and bringing me a cup of tea this morning. This prompted me to ask him how he was feeling after our thorough investigation of the contents of the brandy bottle last night. “Fine.” he said, “I’m absolutely fine.” Well, I suppose he’s had years of practice. I, on the other hand, found that paracetamol was on the menu for breakfast.

Neither of us have done anything very much at all, and I literally swanned about in my dressing gown for most of the day, prompting William to ask me if I was poorly when he video-called. No, I wasn’t feeling poorly by then, but just hadn’t bothered to get proper clothes on. It is Easter Monday, after all, and a day of ‘whatever takes your fancy’, I think.

This afternoon the nurse came to administer John’s drugs, and my fears of the cannula playing up were unfounded. The infusion went through without a hitch. What a relief.

“What are we doing for tea?” John asked as it got to about half past five. Hunter’s chicken had been my plan. “I’ll do it,” said he. Wow. Things are looking up. Of course, John does like to be creative in every part of his life and cooking is no exception. Hunter’s chicken sounded boring to him, so he made up a recipe of his own, which involved mustard and ginger, Jerusalem artichokes and other roasted vegetables. It was delicious. I was rather pleased he had done the cooking. Nice to have a break.

This evening I watched TV while John inspected the back of his eyelids. All that cooking had worn him out, bless him. And so passes another day in which John wonders out loud what it’s all for? I don’t know, I said. I wasn’t in the mood for a philosophical conversation today….. maybe tomorrow.

The murmurings from the Downing Street briefing were positive today, and the COVID figures are still giving us hope that we will be able to lift restrictions a little bit soon.

• 2,762 people tested positive for the virus today
• 26 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 8 people died in hospitals with the virus on 3 & 4 April
• And it’s Day 8of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 378 since Lockdown 1; Day 383 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. Keep up the good work. God bless.

Life seems so wonderful, doesn’t it, when you don’t look too closely? Or when it’s written down, like I do in a blog, and it’s seemingly mundane? And it looks like you are coping when you make a joke of it?

Well, there you are. Life ain’t that easy folks. And this has just been highlighted to me when I had a bit of a spat with my brother (who resides in Oz, don’t ya know), on a WhatsApp call. The spat ranged across a variety of things, but included the fact that I should leave Mum to it. ‘Scuse me? Really?

I don’t think he meant it how I took it. He was feeling raw, because he’s having a difficult time himself just now. And I get it. It is so hard to deal with the practical things as well as the emotional stuff when you are endeavouring to cope with a partner’s illness. By ‘eck! It’s tough!

What struck me, though, was the fact that those very difficult things, and those ‘near-death‘ experiences, are somehow sanitised when you write them down on a blog. Life experiences are distanced somehow. And the conversation with Graham highlighted this in spades. No-one, just having read my blog, can have any real comprehension of the depths to which we have plumbed in the last fifteen years.

Ah, well.

Anyway….. it was Easter Day today. Alleluia! It’s a day of hope. And I hope that things will improve for us; I hope that John feels better; I hope that our kids get what they are dreaming of; I hope that Gail gets better; that my Mum doesn’t suffer in her ageing; that friends, and their families, live in peace and harmony….. and so on. God bless us all.

Our day was taken up with more medical stuff and visiting family and friends. John’s infusion actually happened at the appointed time and, beauty of beauties, the drug for tomorrow was delivered and is safely stowed in the fridge.

I had planned to ‘go to church’ this morning but I fell back asleep after the alarm went off, so missed the service being live-streamed. Not yet caught up but hope to do so soon…. I finally managed to drop Easter cards and Easter Eggs off to the various destinations this afternoon. Phew.

I was delighted that the Easter Bunny visited us this morning……in the guise of dear Margaret. I was puzzled as to why this very posh car was pulling up and stopping in front of my house…… well, what do you know? It’s Margaret with a handful of Easter eggs. Thank you very much!

I toddled over to Mum’s this afternoon to deliver an Easter Egg or two, only to find she wasn’t well again. Oh, dear. What to do? I offered paracetamol, tea and sympathy which seemed to do the trick. I suggested that if she felt unwell she might like to lie on the bed. She considered this for a nano-second and seemed to reject the idea. However, the carer found her lying in bed this evening. Something stuck, obvs….

This evening, we had the traditional lamb dinner and then, tipsy on wine, decided to go for an aperitif or two. This resulted in us playing lots of seventies music to which we sang or danced… and then came the phone call with Gail and Graham – and said spat. Oh, dear, must have had too much to drink…..

Just to keep you posted on the COVID front, we are as follows….

• 2,297 people tested positive for the virus today
• 10 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 8 people died in hospitals with the virus on 1 & 2 April
• And it’s Day 7 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 377 since Lockdown 1; Day 382 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone, and God bless.

“What are your plans for the day?” John wondered, as we awoke this morning. “Hmmmm…. I’ll have to consult my list.” I replied. He was scornful. “You and your lists.” he said. I felt I had to justify myself and started on a long spiel as to why I needed a list, ending up saying, lamely, “…….. and, you know, I might forget….”

So I consulted my list which consisted of: ‘make lots of phone calls to agencies about Mum’. Well, obviously, I couldn’t do that, it being Easter weekend an’ all. Next, it told me to do some running about the village to deliver the Easter cards I’d carefully written. I could do that, and so I set about thinking of the route I’d take. I also planned to shoot over to the Kenilworth Sleaths to take Easter Eggs. “Do you fancy cutting my hair?” John wondered next. “Ah…OK.” I replied, quickly re-calculating my day.

I just had time to deliver a couple of cards to people living a stone’s throw from us before I did John’s hair. Then Michael phoned and wondered what we were doing this afternoon. Was a garden visit on the cards? He didn’t have to ask twice. Most definitely, please come for a garden visit – and you can help me put the gazebo up! I can do my deliveries later – perhaps across tea-time.

The Sutton Sleaths duly arrived and William found that the Easter Bunny had also arrived – a little bit early at our house, but he wasn’t to notice and he hunted round the garden to fill his basket full of eggs. We had a lovely afternoon – quiet and gentle. Peering into the pond, playing in the sandpit, chatting softly, and dandling baby Thomas on our knees. Marvellous.

The nurse arrived mid-afternoon to give John his infusion. She struggled to feed anything through the cannula. She said it was blocked and needed to be replaced, and promptly sent for someone else to come and fit another one. Two hours later they were both still here, however, having failed to get any access to any vein anywhere in John’s arms. Black and blue the boy is – black and blue.

The solution to the problem? Phone for the paramedics to come and put a cannula in. They’ll be here within 4 hours. Oh… OK. We waved goodbye to the Sutton Sleaths in the middle of this little bit of excitement, and then we waved goodbye to the nurses too, and sat down to wait.

I started thinking about food. I realised that we didn’t have any sweet potato, which I was planning to cook, so I nipped up to the shops to get some. On my way, the phone rang. It was one of the ladies at Michael Blanning. Mum wasn’t feeling great. Oh, crikey! I explained that we were waiting for paramedics to arrive so I couldn’t immediately shoot over to Mum’s. “Sit her in her chair, please and put her feet up. The carer will be there shortly.” I hoped for the best.

I cooked our evening meal and we were still waiting for the paramedics. I was also still waiting, with trepidation, for a phone call from Mum’s carer. I hadn’t yet delivered all my Easter cards, nor taken the Easter Eggs over to Paul’s. Never mind, there’s still time…..

By 9 o’clock this evening the paramedics still hadn’t arrived, but neither had I had a phone call from Mum’s. I checked the app. She seemed to have recovered and was OK. We had, however, taken a phone call from the ambulance station to say they were sorry that the paramedics were delayed.

Finally, they arrived at about half-past nine. And they were successful in their mission to cannulate. It’s amazing what a bowl of warm water can do to tease out a vein. Next part of the jigsaw, then: phone the District Nurses to come out and administer the medication – which takes an hour to infuse. The nurses arrived at 10.30, and were satisfied that the cannula was operative. Whoop! Whoop! The paramedics left.

What a relief. We had had visions of having to go to the hospital to get sorted, if this plan hadn’t worked. Fingers crossed that the cannula will stay in situ for tomorrow and Monday…..

And so, just before midnight – with the infusion infused, the nurses have left. Aaaaand breathe…… I think can now remove that axe that seems to have lodged itself between my shoulder blades…….. not sure John has yet, though, poor man. It’s tough.

Deliveries? Shall I run and do them now? No, said Monika, the District Nurse, as she left the premises. You need sleep. Eight hours is what you need……. hmmm, deliveries then – maybe tomorrow? Yes, maybe tomorrow.

Just for the record, and ‘I’ve started, so I’ll finish…’ here are today’s COVID stats.

• 3,423 people tested positive for the virus today
• 10 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 13 people died in hospitals with the virus on 1 & 2 April
• And it’s Day 6 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 376 since Lockdown 1; Day 381 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Meanwhile, the clock hands have moved smoothly over the hour and we’re now into Easter Day. Alleluia! Happy Easter everyone!

Take care and God bless.

Today was a day for doin’ nothin’. We had nowhere to go and nothing really to do. I mean, I know there are always jobs to do, but I was mentally set up for a day off thank you very much, given that the Community Nurse was going to come here instead of us having to charge about the country to some hospital or other.

And so we just meandered about really. John spent some time on his poker and a bit of TV, while I did a bit of poking about in cupboards to see what I might be able throw away. I had come away from Paul’s yesterday with a proper realisation that we ought not to leave it much longer before we have a real clear-out, or the kids’ll be lumbered with such a lot of work when we snuff it. The only trouble was that the cupboard I started poking about in was full of their stuff…. and they were really very little help. When I texted them as to whether I should ‘keep’ or ‘chuck’ the stuff, I got some non-committal answers and then they started messing about, making jokes…… made me laugh though, even if I still don’t know what to do with half the stuff.

And so a short blog today with not a lot to tell. The nurse did arrive this afternoon, just as John was getting anxious as to whether anyone would turn up, and the whole process took just as long as it does at the hospital. John was hooked up to the infusion hung from a coat-hanger, hooked onto the drinks cabinet, there being no formal equipment available to get the height on the bag of fluid. He sat and fiddled about with a jigsaw that I’d taken possession of recently and so the time passed relatively pleasantly.

Being trapped and strapped for a couple of hours doesn’t make for feeling good though, and John was a bit down in the dumps after the nurse had left. I was also feeling blue, having rummaged through the children’s teenage years via their possessions in the cupboard, and I’d reminisced, looking into the now ever-receding past. A past I loved and have no regrets over, but wish I could experience all over again.

Just as the blues threatened to overtake us, William phoned. That cheered us up. Whatever story he has to tell, it’s always interesting and we always get a tour of one room or another, or the garden, or something. His little voice, Thomas’ smiling face and Michael’s direct gaze, which asks us without words if we’re OK, broke the bad spell that had settled on us and the evening wasn’t such a wistful time as we thought it might be. I watched trash on TV and John honed his poker skills. Then he went to bed and I dozed off on the sofa…..

With regard to the general situation we find ourselves in, I am still pleased to report that the COVID figures remain stable, and the experts are still hopeful the dreaded lurgy will be contained if we continue to follow the guidance offered. So, this is the latest:

• 3,402 people tested positive for the virus today
• 52 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 24 people died in hospitals with the virus on 30 & 31 March
• And it’s Day 5 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 375 since Lockdown 1; Day 380 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Today may be the blackest day in the Christian calendar, but it ain’t over yet…….Easter is on its way!!

Take care everyone. God bless.

Cousin Janet married Brian, 60 years ago, on this day. Janet sent me these photos of me as her bridesmaid…..regrettably, I haven’t been able to fish out my own photos of them on their day, so can’t treat you to those.

But, it was April 1st – and it doesn’t look cold, does it? But it does make me feel old…..I was 8 and a half years old in these photos. Heavens.

Anyway, this morning, I popped round to visit them on their wedding anniversary and was very excited to be sharing this momentous day with them – even if it was only for a few minutes and socially-distanced. It was so lovely to see them and congratulate them on achieving a Diamond Wedding Anniversary milestone! And, as I walked up the path, their son, Peter, noticed me and recognised that I was the bridesmaid, even though we think he was a child and it was a very long time ago since he last saw me. Clearly, I haven’t aged a bit…… Oi! Stop laughing at the back!

While I was visiting, I had left John at the dentist’s surgery to have his broken tooth dealt with. It was a bitterly cold morning and he wasn’t in the dentist’s chair as long as we thought he might be, so he had to wait outside in the cold for a good quarter of an hour while I whizzed back to collect him. The poor man was frozen! Well…… if you will cast a clout afore May is out and wear your light coat on a cold day, what can you expect? Bless him – we’d neither of us thought of essential outerwear this morning before we set off. Brrrrr!

After the trip to the dentist, we drove the short distance to Paul’s new house to have a look round. They haven’t moved in yet, so it was a safe viewing. We were wowed by what we saw. It is such a lovely Edwardian house and I think they will be very happy there. It has three storeys to it, but I am delighted to report that John made it up to the very top of the house and back down again without feeling too out of breath.

We agreed that this was exactly the sort of house we’d have loved to own years ago if we’d had the money – and we are not jealous at all. In revelling in its loveliness, however, we were reminded of how quickly the years pass and how you can’t go back in time – felt old all over again for the second time today. Can’t wait until restrictions are over and we’re allowed to go and stay, though.

Once we were home, we grabbed a bite to eat, and then it was the trip across to Solihull Hospital for John’s daily infusion. While John was being attended to, I chose to do nothing very much. I am still tired, so I wrote a few Easter cards and posted them before starting to read a new book that had come in the post this afternoon.

When I collected John a bit later on, he had good news to tell (mind you, it’s all relative, isn’t it?). The infusions would be administered by the community team over the Easter weekend and so we could stay at home!! Also, the treatment will finish on Wednesday. Yippee!! Not as bad as we originally thought.

This evening, I had a lovely Zoom chat to my dearest friends from college – ‘Old Salts’, so named, because we were at Saltley College. And, do you know, every time we meet up, I feel blessed all over again – they are a delight. I thank the Lord for such wonderful, wonderful friends and fifty years of their friendship. Feeling my age again…… We were missing two of our number though, this evening. Sue D was busy with her granddaughter who has come to stay – how very exciting – but we are yet to hear what held Lizzie up. Nothing untoward, we hope. Both girls were missed.

And how quickly the days pass. I had intended to join in with the prayers this week on-line, with it being Holy Week, but have not quite had the right schedule here at home to be tied to a specific time. I’ve had to do a bit of DIY prayer instead but I baulked at the washing of feet today…..

Finally, I popped round to Mum’s to ‘tuck her in’ tonight. She was feeling very miserable and a little unwell – and had given the carer the run-around at tea-time. The carer had had to phone me a couple of times to be sure she was doing the right thing. In the end, I suggested she offer Mum some paracetamol and I’d see how she was when I got there. She soon cheered up when she saw me and I managed to cajole her out of her misery and into bed. Fingers crossed, folks.

I am still monitoring the COVID figures – to quote a phrase: “I’ve started, so I’ll finish….” and see that they are still steady. I am watching them like a hawk and checking the experts’ opinions to establish whether the figures look stable and so far, so good.

• 4,479 people tested positive for the virus today
• 51 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 25 people died in hospitals with the virus on 30 & 31 March
• And it’s Day 4 of the lifting of Lockdown 3; Day 374 since Lockdown 1; Day 379 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless.