Nine Feet Underground

The crypt is very quiet. It's more like ducks actually: serene and calm on the surface but paddling like fury below the water line. This is my first post in a few days because life has become quite difficult. Normally I write lots of irrelevant detail to add local colour and a touch of the mundane, but this post is going to be a bit more direct. It may even become list-like. The story begins on Tuesday at lunchtime.  I went to visit my wife in hospital hoping to see her consultant just to get an understanding of the direction of travel, as I've been concerned she doesn't seem to be getting any better. After masking up etc I went to see her and noticed she was now on 15 litres of oxygen an hour and yet her sats were still in the low to mid-90s. Not long after I got there the doctor asked me to step outside into a room for a chat. Based on my paltry medical knowledge and the evidence of my own eyes, I had a feeling I knew what was coming.   The cold hard facts are that E is...

Apart from work, I also have an outpatient appointment at the hospital this morning during which time I'll need to drop off three bottles of feed for E. Back from hospital, the usual outcomes test-wise, but at least I did have a good conversation with the consultant who performed my operation, which was very useful.  Played a game of bladder bingo and my guess was only 20ml out, despite that, the nurse said she couldn't give me a prize as she didn't have any. Not sure it's worth playing this game. Prior to my appointment I went to drop off some feed bottles for E.  On arrival I got a surprise: apparently E's bay contains/contained someone who was determined to have Covid so they are operating the bay under Covid protocols. I managed to drop off the feed and say a quick 'hello' to E, who was fast asleep, and then after saying goodbye, head off for my appointment.  E remains on oxygen and it's a little worrying that she may be in contact with someone who h...

Friday already!  My weeks are going so fast at the moment, in some ways.  I've come to the conclusion that my perception of time depends on the context: in terms of getting work completed, time seems to fly by, similarly with the approach of Christmas, whereas in terms of the weekend and seeing friends again it seems to pass slowly, until the weekend arrives when time flies by again. Not much to report today other than a surprise call from a District Nurse informing me she's planning to come out and give me my Covid booster jab on Monday, and, naturally, I gladly accept the offer. Work over, I make dinner and son #2 and I watch the most recent 'New World Order', always guaranteed to make us laugh while at the same time stare open-jawed in disbelief at what Frankie Boyle says.  Excellent! The day ends in the usual way, without any orders from Zebedee... The The / 'Uncertain Smile ' / 'Soul Mining'   [[]]

Thursday is the new Friday, at least it is this week as I am on leave tomorrow.  Consequently there are a lot of work things I need to complete or set in train, most importantly my balanced score card for the end of year review/calibration process.   Suffice it to say I got the scorecard done and, as far as I know, all the other things I needed to complete. A successful day at work. Son #1 has had some kind of lurgy all week, so there's a lot of chat today about whether he should come home for his mum's birthday or not tomorrow Thursday means the Idler drinks again and tonight's guest is management expert Charles Handy.  Despite being 89, Charles is still a great speaker and thinker, as his answers to questions from the 'audience' demonstrate. Afterwards the usual suspects, give or take, hang around for a chat, and as always it's lively and fun. Son #2 kindly made dinner while I was enjoying myself, and I eat it while watching more Frankie Boyle. A day with scat...

Another Saturday without going shopping.  Apart from the human contact, I can't say I miss food shopping, though in a strange way I'll be glad to get back to it next weekend. My brain is a bit like Schrodinger's cat in that it can hold two diametrically opposed views on something at the same time. I like it that way.  Today's delivery arrives just after 9 a.m. and I have to rouse son #2 from bed to help bring the heavier items in: I'm signed off work until next Friday and, for various reasons I'll not bore you with, I'm still being cautious as I really don't want to end up having another operation, despite the escape of the general anaesthetic (though oddly today is the first day I've felt completely clear-headed, which is weird because allegedly it should be gone from your system in 48/72 hours?) One bit of good news to start the day: my weight has dropped further and my BMI is finally back below 25 again.  Guess I could do with losing 5 to 8 pounds...