Slow….Sloe….

It’s been like walking through treacle all day. Not sure why, but there you are. Might be an over-reaction to having enjoyed myself so much yesterday, do you think?

Anyway, I decided, first thing, to get in touch with the doctor again to see if he could help me sort out the problem with my eye. Well, you have to laugh, don’t you? No refusal to look into the eye situation this time, but diagnosis by photograph and he prescribed some eye drops. The very same eye drops that John has in amongst his particular medical arsenal. Let’s hope they do the trick.

It was a pottering about morning, in which I firmly announced to John that I was going to go for a walk. I had started thinking about the walk at 8.30 this morning, and by 11.30 I had finally set off. I’d spoken to social services about Mum and they had ‘made a note’, then hung on the line for someone to answer the phone at Warwick Hospital for at least twenty minutes and still no reply, before I actually walked out of the door. Embarrassingly, the warden of Mum’s flats phoned to find out what had happened to Mum while I was on another call. John answered the phone, and I cringed as I realised that I had not yet put a call through to them. Ah, well, they know now, anyway.

Finally, I left John watching a programme on TV and departed the house, stepping out into the wonderful sunshine. I nipped into Tesco to drop some batteries into the re-cycling and noticed a lady go in before me without a mask. I was quickly in and out of the shop and didn’t feel I could say anything, but I wondered if this is what’s to come with the lifting of the lockdown. Oh, Lordy, we’ll back into the realms of more lockdown in no time at all if people don’t follow the safety measures, I think.

The walk was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed it, taking my time through Katherine’s Wood and admiring the soft clouds of blackthorn everywhere. Looks like it’s going to be a good year for sloe berries, if the blossom is anything to go by.

Once I was home, I thought I’d watch a little bit of Bargain Hunt and the news before grabbing a bite to eat. John was still watching his programme – which he had thought was the last episode, only to find it wasn’t, so he had to keep watching…… As I sat down, I didn’t think I was particularly tired, but a couple of hours later, I woke up and wondered where the heck the time had gone!

No matter, I’d have some late lunch before popping into Kenilworth to take my boots for repair. I was waiting for Andrew to call in on his way back to Cambridge, so texted him to find out when he’d arrive. Oops, ah…… oh…..sorry, he’d forgotten he was going to call in, and he was nearly all the way to Cambridge, by the time he got my message. I was disappointed. I know I’d seen him for a few hours this weekend and was thrilled to have done so, but I wanted more…. perhaps I was being greedy.

I did, in the end, manage to get through to the ward where Mum is staying. “The doctors are just having a chat about your Mum. I’ll ask the consultant to call back when they’ve finished. Is that OK?” Oh, yes, of course. But then I went up to the chemist’s to get my prescription, didn’t I? The phone call came in just as I was standing in the shop waiting. I had to nip out and stand round the corner to try and hold a conversation – not easy when cars are whizzing past. However, the upshot was that Mum is fit to be discharged.

I thought that the medics would be happy to discharge Mum today, but I am concerned about her falling again in her flat. I mentioned this to the consultant who agreed that they’d keep on doing what they were doing for the time being. I am hoping that the care home I am going to look at tomorrow might just be suitable, and we can arrange discharge into the care home rather than back to the flat. Fingers crossed, people!

The news today is full of people partying in the streets and queuing all along the pavements for the clothes shops – primarily Primark, by the looks of it – and downing pints in pub gardens, despite the cold weather. We’ve been let out of jail!!! Let’s hope we keep our sensible heads.

• 3,568 people tested positive for the virus today
• 13 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 9 people died in hospitals with the virus on 10 & 11 April
• And it’s Day 15 since the lifting of Lockdown 3 and Day 1 of our new, limited freedoms; Day 385 since Lockdown 1; Day 391 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless.