Hospital Life Continues

There is one thing we'll have plenty of in a couple of weeks, and that's blackberries. On my early-morning walks with Alfie around Eaglestone Park, the bramble bushes which grow around the periphery of the park and in large clumps in the middle, the berries are ripening quickly. They will have had ideal growing conditions, enough rain early on in the season and now, bright, sunny days. You can't but notice them or else get caught in the sharp thorns that are on some of the over-hanging branches. Some are in real need of cutting back.

Unfortunately some people don't seem to care for the environment in which they live. The amount of litter I come across is appalling, particularly where it's obvious some youths presumably gather, usually around the benches and in some corners of the park. I have seen Council workmen picking up litter, which could easily have been deposited in the bins which are provided all around the park and along the Redway. If you walk along the Redway which leads towards Milton Keynes Academy (which I haven't done in quite a while because Carol hasn't been working there for well over a year now.) the path is strewn with all manner or litter. Near the Academy gates there is a rather unpleasant pile of cigarette ends. This is where staff members who smoke have to go because the Academy, in line with anti-smoking legislation, they are not allowed to smoke on the premises and if they wish to smoke they have to go outside the school grounds I've often walked past when several people are standing there puffing away. It's just a pity that they don't dispose of their cigarette ends in a more sensible fashion. This is also the case in and around Ashfield Medical Centre. If you park your car in the carpark at the rear of the centre you come across a similar pile of cigarette ends, mostly in the gutter. It may not be just Ashfield staff who go there to smoke, as there are other businesses in the same area, a dentists' surgery as well as Cox and Robinson's chemists, but it's still rather an unsavoury aspect of smoking that remains. No one has thought to provide some sort of receptacle to put these cigarettes in. I don't know whether there is a risk to the environment with a build-up of cigarette ends, feeding into the sewer system, or what is in the filter tips of cigarettes, particularly when they get wet when it rains. Still, it looks very untidy and unpleasant and spoils the look of the place, as it does when you walk past the Academy. It doesn't reflect well on either the Academy or Ashfield Medical Centre, unfortunately. I had a probably innocent idea that most people cared enough for the environment and as a result would not make such a total mess of their surroundings, particularly this generation of children. I imagine, with so much in the media about plastic pollution that they would be more considerate, or am I just being naive? Some walk along eating crisps or sweets or drinking from cans of drink and merely throw the empty can or packet into the bushes or on the ground, expecting someone else to pick it up. How difficult can it be to either put it in a waste bin or take it home with them to put in a bin there?

I arrived on Ward 22 in plenty of time to go with Carol to the ophthalmology department. Carol thought it was at 9.30, but on asking at the reception desk on the ward I was told it was 10.00. Also, I had to make sure that a porter came with a wheelchair to take Carol. I'm beginning to feel as if I'm still working as a Support Worker because this is exactly the same sort of thing I'd have to do for those I cared for. A porter came in good time and we were whisked off out of the ward through the 'secret door' into the corridor which links into the rest of the corridors in the hospital. (Not really secret. It's only accessed by staff. It is long and used, it would appear, as a place to store all manner of things which obviously don't have a home elsewhere in the hospital.)

On arriving in the ophthalmology department, Carol was soon checked in. It wasn't long before she was called in to a darkened room (!) and had to do a test, which I think I had to do when I had my eyes tested at Spec Savers about a year or so ago. You had to sit and put your chin on a special rest and peer into a screen which had a series of lights inside it and I think it was to check your peripheral vision. Carol got a good score. They did each eye separately, putting something over the opposite eye each time, doing left and right eyes.

We had to go back and wait in the waiting area. Carol's wheelchair was next to a chair which had been taken by a man, who did at least move so we could sit together. She was then called in to another room to have drops put in her eyes which made her pupils open and it stung to start with. Then she came out with me to wait again. It was supposed to be around 20 minutes, but as she was 'fast-tracked' through the system so she could return to the ward.

Another test. I'm not sure for what. I think they may have taken a photo of the back of her eyes, but I'm not sure. It was over very quickly.

Waited again in the waiting area. Not as many people as there were the other day we were in this department.

Then Carol was called in to see a doctor. It turns out her eye problems are related to her diabetes. The doctor used another device which looked vaguely similar to something they use when you have your eyes tested. It looked incredibly complex, which, no doubt it was, unless you were trained in it's use. Some sort of medieval torture device. You had to rest your chin on a special chin rest and stare into a light whilst the operator fiddles with a lens and a light is shone into your eyes. This is why they put the special drops in your eyes, to make your pupils dilate. I'm not sure whether a photo was taken. Someone said they might take a photo of the back of Carol's eyes. I think I had this done when I last had my eyes tested. Then the doctor explained. Quite clearly and precisely.  The amount of sugar in her system effects her eyes and it will eventually right itself, thank goodness. I went to ask the reception for a 'porter.' The woman said, 'go to the 'something or other' by the door', or something indistinct. I couldn't make out what she said clearly. What she thought I said was 'water' and not 'porter.' Crazy, really. The basis for a lot of comedy, when there's a mistake with a message or someone hears something different to what was actually spoken. Eventually, a porter did arrive and Carol was whisked back to Ward 22.

No sooner had we arrived back at the ward than the doctors arrived. I didn't stay as I wanted to go to the shop to buy something for lunch. On my return, Carol told me that, even though her temperature had stabilised, the doctors wanted her to have yet another M.R.I. scan, something that Carol doesn't like particularly. This is so they can access whether whatever it is that is causing the infection has changed since she started on the antibiotics. So it now seems likely that she won't be discharged until at least Monday. It will then be four weeks since she arrived on Ward 1.

I forgot to mention that Carol had the P.I.C.C. line removed from her arm the other morning. When her  12th chemotherapy cycle was completed the nurses weren't sure whether she would have it removed, just in case she needed further chemo. Carol said that the nurse who did one of the scans a few weeks ago was somewhat harsh when she was given some of the dye that was put in her arm trough the line and it hurt and wondered if it wasn't that which started the infection which caused her temperature to soar. Not clear whether that was the case, but she did wonder. Anyway, apparently she caught the line on a piece of thread or something which lead to the line begin to come out, so the nurses decided it would be best to remove it completely. Carol's pleased, because it's difficult to wash, have a bath or shower with it in place, she wasn't supposed to get it wet or the tube bandage which it was covered with to protect it.

When I got home, just before 2 p.m., I decided that Alfie would really appreciate another walk. Well, I say 'walk.' With him it's more a trot around the park with me following. I had left him in the kitchen. He seems to have got used to the idea of me leaving him on his own. I know he doesn't like it much, but he goes in the kitchen willingly. He has water and food left for him and his own bed in the corner.

Stupendous September

It's turning out to be an exceptionally warm September- so far. As I write this, the sun is out. The last few days it's been unseasonably warm, particularly at night. Clammy, rather than merely warm. I think this is what's termed an 'Indian Summer.' But I don't understand where the term comes from. Having now 'Googled' the term, it appears that a so-called Indian Summer should be in October or November. Usually, after we've had a frost. We certainly haven't had any frost.  It's thought to have come from American Indians rather than from the continent of India. But there appears to be no actual known history of the term. 

As a result of the exceptional weather we've had, it would look as if we're in for a bumper harvest of blackberries all along the Redway behind Eaglestone, where I always manage to harvest these berries (see later blog posts.) In a couple of days no doubt I've been out there collecting them.

We were due to have smart meters installed yesterday. We had a letter from our gas and electricity suppliers, Utility Warehouse. I rang as soon as I received the letter. It was going to be free, but when the workmen came yesterday morning it turned out that they wouldn't be able to install the meters because whoever put in the old meters didn't allow enough space in the hole which was drilled between the outside cupboard where the gas meter is and the electric meter which is on the wall just inside and opposite the meter cupboard, so this can't be done safely. We could let our landlord know about this and get him to sort it out (no way am I ringing him. I'd rather not let him get involved as he will use 'a friend' to do the work and no doubt cause more problems in an attempt to cut costs. I think it's best left alone, thinking about it now.)

Being so warm, particularly at night, we have to have to have the windows open. As a result, you can hear all sorts of noises. If a dog barks outside, this often sets our two dogs off barking. Late last night we kept hearing a really odd sound, not unlike a sort of siren. But was it? And where was it? Was it at the prison? Had a prisoner escaped? Or had someone absconded from the Campbell Centre, which is within the hospital grounds, which is just behind us in Eaglestone? It's a so-called 'secure unit' for mental patients. If you walk past, as we often do if we go to the hospital (it's easier to walk through along the Redway, rather than drive there and pay to use the carpark.) you walk quickly past. There's a high fence, chain-link, or what you call it, with lots of closed-circuit television cameras. Anyway, this odd sound was somewhat eerie. Or was it some factory somewhere? Who knows. We certainly couldn't think of anything else during the night. Also, people riding motorbikes along the Redway. They should be doing that as it's for bicycles without engines. I have rung the police about this on several occasions, but by the time they got here the cyclists would be gone. I have seen these people, riding those mini motorbikes. Could be nasty if they ran into a person walking along minding their own business. Probably got no insurance either

Blackberry Picking

This morning I've done my annual blackberry picking expedition, or I suppose I should say ONE of them at least. Walking along the Redway behind our house and collecting a fair amount  in a plastic box and also from the brambles that grow over our back garden fence. Although 'fence' as a description is rather rich, as what purports to be a fence is just a rather wobbly, rickety example which won't last much longer. Of course, expecting our landlord to repair it would be asking too much. We have done our best to shore it up with the odd bit of timber, in an attempt to keep Alfie in. The shed is also in just as poor a state of repair, and Alfie has a habit of going inside it, and then finding himself trapped. Quite amusing when our other dog, Poppy, comes to tell us where he is whenever we can't find him. The door of this shed has been off it's hinges for all the time we've lived here, and really doesn't do much of a job of preventing Alfie from venturing inside and is also propped up with quite an array of bits of timber and flower pots. Alfie has now found an exit from the back of the shed out onto the no-man's land at the back of our garden, and on several occasions I've had to go round to rescue him, which can be  really quite difficult, as the brambles and bushes there are quite thick and make it almost inaccessable. He does know how to get back through the hole at the back of the shed, but I really don't want him to get out on the road.

Blackberries and Dog-Walking

I have been picking the blackberries which we have on the bramble-bushes in our garden. There is a tangled branch along one side of the garden, which you have to negotiate when you are either pegging out clothes on the washing line or collecting laundry from the line once it is dry. These branches are really prickly and the thorns on them are lethal. Having collected all the blackberries which were in the garden, I decided to take a stroll along the Redway behind the house and pick some more. Carol thought it would be a good idea to combine my blackberry-picking excursion with taking both dogs for a walk. This sounded a good idea, but trying to get both dogs suitably equipped with their leads on (and, first of all, discovering where the leads were was a problem, but we managed to find them fairly easily.) was no easy task. The moment Alfie, particularly, realises we're going to take him for a walk, he gets so excited and begins to bark and carry on extremely noisily. Poppy, on the other hand, is not quite so vociferous, but can still get quite worked up. Nevertheless, we managed to get their leads fixed up (Carol has managed to arrange the leads so that both dogs can be walked together on a sort of 'Y' shaped arrangement.) and I was able to take a plastic box to put the picked blackberries in. We got out to the Redway, walking towards the canal, and along the path which runs around the back of the hospital. Before the path got to the main road, Marlborough Street, we crossed over the Redway and back into Eaglestone and let the dogs off their leads in the park. Surprisingly, Milton Keynes has many really attractive places to walk, and Eaglestone Park is rather a pleasant place to walk, particularly with dogs. There are a number of little bridges over running water and streams and wooded areas to walk through. Poppy just potters along enjoying the scenery, occasionally disappearing into people's front gardens for a sniff around, and at one point disappeared under a hedge and we didn't see her for quite a while. Alfie, for a little dog, has enormous amounts of energy. He can run for a long way, and is extremely well behaved, and always comes back to us when he's called. He didn't need much training to walk on a lead and almost always comes to 'heel.' He does, occasionally, get very excited and yaps rather a lot, but I think this is just because he enjoys being out and is allowed to run free. 

I did manage to pick a few blackberries, but not enough to make a blackberry-and-apple pie or maybe a crumble. I have a feeling that most of them have already been picked by other people. It doesn't really surprise me, as it's a free supply of food on most people's doorstep. In most cases, a lot of the inhabitants of Eaglestone have a ready supply of blackberries at this time of year, and have only got to go out of their front door like we have to get quite a good amount to make a really  tasty pie or crumble. I shall go out on my own again tomorrow sometime and pick a few more. Those we have got we put in the freezer and can be used during the winter months. In Morrisons the other Saturday they had blackberries on sale, which seems incredible when you think you can get them free by just going out and looking. It was something like £2 for a really small punnet. (Sorry, I don't think they use traditional punnets any more. These were in those clear plastic boxes so loved by supermarkets.)

We had to put the dogs back on their leads when we walked back through the estate. We got back to the house just in time, as a really heavy rainstorm came in with very black clouds hanging over Milton Keynes virtually as we walked in the front door. Both dogs seemed quite exhausted by their walk, and within half-an-hour of coming home were both asleep on the sofa! Poppy had several bits of twig caught in her coat which we had to pull off! Alfie seemed to avoid the twigs this time, but I remember the first time we took the dogs for a walk when Alfie was still a puppy (I think it was either Stockgrove Park or Salcey Forest, I forget which exactly.) he got really upset by the fact that he was picking up quite a collection of twigs and leaves in his coat as he walked along, and stopped every few yards and sat down to pick them out with his teeth. It really was quite amusing! I don't think he liked them for some reason best known to himself. Alfie can get very stressed about going in the car. It is virtually impossible to have him in the car so that he just sits on the back seat. He will just run all over the place and even try and sit on the lap of the driver, which can be quite dangerous. We have even attempted to have him sitting on my lap while Carol drives. The first time we tried this, we were going to one of our favourite places, Stowe Landscape Gardens near Buckingham. We were driving along the long, straight road which leads to Stowe, when Alfie was sick. We had to stop the car to clear up the mess, but after that we realised that it was going to be very difficult, if not virtually impossible, to take him out in the car, if he was going to continue with this behaviour. I'm not sure whether this is normal behaviour for Yorkshire terriers, but it would be very difficult to drive and have him creating in such a stressed-out fashion. We eventually purchased a cage from a pet shop, which was the right size for him to fit in, and would go in the back of the car. He does make a certain amount of noise, but I think he probably rather likes it and does eventually settle down and go to sleep once we are out on the road. When we stop, it's then he starts his noise. This has rather put us off taking him out with us in the car, which is such a shame, as he does enjoy his walks, but we think we're going to just persevere with him so that he gets used to car journeys.