Taking some time….

I love the unexpected when it’s nice. And I have had ‘nice unexpected’ today.

Just sat in bed, waiting for the water to boil in the ‘Teasmade’ (although it’s not a Teasmade, it’s a Breville ‘hot water boiler’) when the phone rang. It was the carer at Mum’s. It transpired that Mum didn’t want to take her tablets this morning because there was one extra, making seven in total. She asked me to speak to Mum. I had no hope that Mum would hear me, let alone understand me, but she did. “You need the extra tablet, Mum, to stop you feeling poorly like you were yesterday.” I explained. “You mean I’ve got to take seven tablets?” Yes, please Mum. So she accepted that and that was that. I mean, that was nicely unexpected – Mum acquiescing like that.

Not long after, the phone rang again. Surprise, surprise! It was Graham on the other end, phoning our little WhatsApp group the ‘Chapman Sleaths’. He got two for the price of one, with John on the other end of the phone in his hospital bed and me in my bedroom bed. Having read the blog, he thought he’d give us a ring to see what was what and cheer us up a bit. Lovely long chat we had – just over an hour – before he was getting tired after having spent the day playing (and winning) a bowls match. I think the group phone call is a first for us and I hope we can do it again. Another ‘nice unexpected’.

Afterwards, I thought I’d get up and get on. No plans to do anything today so perhaps I might relax. I took my book with me downstairs and put it on the breakfast bar, next to my breakfast. Well, that was it then, I was glued to the book all morning, still sat at the breakfast bar.

I had just torn myself away from reading and was doing a little tidy-up when Margaret and Chris called in and we had a lovely doorstep natter. She had brought me a gorgeous little writers’ notebook which I shall be using immediately. It’s got sections for ideas and notes and collections of things and all sorts. Marvellous. Wow – another nice unexpected.

This afternoon, I opted to go out for a walk. And it was amazing weather with the sun shining for all its worth. The birds, too, were singing their little hearts out and the sheep bleating in the fields, so it made for a very good backdrop to the walk in the countryside, beyond ‘The Yellow Brick Road’. Loved it.

John, Andrew and I were all looking forward to the rugby this afternoon. Regrettably, we were all disappointed. The Ireland v Italy match was a bit of a whitewash, and the England vs Wales match…..well, what can I say? The referee made some very odd decisions – not in England’s favour, and we lost. Very disappointing. I think we were all spitting feathers after the match. I mean, fair play, we don’t mind being beaten by a better team, but to have poor decisions by the ref deciding the game is a bit much.

John and I had a video call this evening, but he is very fed up and we were struggling to find things to talk about, let alone to cheer him up. No doctors came round today and, when John asked the sister whether anyone would come to see him, she said that the doctors were ‘busy with patients who were poorly‘. Of course, we know what that means, but it doesn’t help to know that you are not a priority and feel like you are languishing, forgotten at the bottom of the pile. The throw-away comment by the doctor yesterday of ‘we might try and get you home at the weekend’ has obviously been overlooked, and now such an event is unlikely to happen. It’s very distressing when you’re on your tod looking at four walls, and can’t even see the sunshine or the sky from your room. I shall phone the ward tomorrow to see if there’s any movement on anything.

So, all in all, no ‘Ragdale at home’ as such, but a much better day for me, but not so much for John. Prayers still welcome.

• 7,434 people tested positive for the virus today
• 290 people died in the community with the virus in the last 24 hours
• 129 people died in hospitals on 25 & 26 February
• Lockdown 3 – Day 52; Lockdown 1 – Day 340; and self-imposed Lockdown 1 – Day 348

Take care everyone. God bless.