Known of but

not what I'd call a friend.

Imagine my surprise this afternoon to receive a phone-call from Cow Ark. Now, in case you think you are being had on, there is such a place. It is to the NE of Lancs in the county formerly known as the West Riding. It's in an area known as the Forest of Bowland, definitely rural and isolated.

M phoned, I do not want to sound cynical, but her husband had gone out and I got the impression she wanted someone to talk at. She lives where the views are 'stunning', but it is oh so isolated. Her husband Derek drives to the village of Slaidburn for the newspaper (nearest newsagents). 

A few years ago (2010), the villages round about got snowed in for over three weeks, they even made the national news.

The nearest place of any note is Browsholme Hall which is an impressive building (manor house) inhabited by generations of the Parker family since 1507 when the house was built..

Grid Reference: SD682451

© Copyright Hugh Chevallier and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Even the Gatehouse is impressive.

 © Copyright Jimmy Hill and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Harking back and looking forward

24th Nov 2014 - emergency op
4th Dec 2014 - discharged home
5th Dec 2014 - visit by District nurse and staples removed
11th Dec 2014 - discharged by District nurse service

22nd Jan 2015
Not having heard anything from the hospital, I decided to see my GP. Had to wait a week, but appt day was today. 

Now I know there was an Appendicular abscess that had formed and needed removal. I am apparently 'progressing well', and GP stressed how big the operation was...

It is okay to feel weary and to rest.
Take things easy, look after yourself, especially diet and mobility.
Not to worry if I sleep during the day.
Have some paracetamol if/when needed. 

Just been 'chatting' with friend in Australia who's in a similar situation. She's got some advantages tho'. Age is on her side, she's quite a few years younger, and they did keyhole surgery. 

Onward to Feb. 10th and my appt at the hospital. for a check-up.

The calendar is filling up with appts once more. D has a pre-op appt. 10 days after me, and at a more accessible hospital.

Icy conditions

January is living up to its reputation of being a cold month. Fortunately, we've only had hailstones, whereas other places at higher altitude have had snow. The charity fun run had to be postponed as conditions were too treacherous under foot and is being rescheduled.

Reading a friend's blog post stirred memories of childhood and junior school in particular. Living in a hilly town on the lower slopes of the Pennines, wintry weather was great fun for children. 

Rather than picking our way carefully, we used to try to slide as far as possible. There were always 'home-made' slides in the playground. It was great fun, kept us occupied and warm from the exertion.

Doubtless, today's youngsters would be discouraged from such exuberant behaviour, as the 'risk assessors' would have a fit at such an idea, let alone if put into practice. 

At the weekend I ordered another sack of sunflower seed hearts (wild bird food), all 25kg of it. The way our local budgies are feeding, it won't take too long before we need to order more. We have an upright pole holding two feeders and another two hanging from lower branches of the old pear tree. They are at opposite sides of the garden.The pole is next to a large fuchsia shrub, Even tho' it is deciduous, the birds are attracted to it. There are several pairs of blackbirds round and about, including one individual with splashes of white on it, almost as tho' someone had been flicking paint.

I'm becoming impatient, wanting to make more progress with recuperation, but I need to bide my time. No news from the hospital, so am off to see the GP, I have some niggles I need to discuss. Also, I'm keen to start driving again, being chauffeured is okay, but I want my independence. 

Mulling things over

I ought to be grateful the GP sent me to hospital for my emergency op. If I'd known earlier, maybe I could have had the op sooner. Never mind, it is over and progress is being made very slowly. 

I am grateful to one member of the tutorial group who got in touch with some brief yet useful notes from the Dec. tutorial. Frustratingly, it is the overwhelming tiredness that really 'gets to me', especially as I then have great difficulty sleeping at night. My DAB radio has become my friend helping me while away the hours and help me drift off to sleep. Being chauffeured by D is fine, but not for any great distance. I have my passenger seat with the back angled backwards so the seatbelt comes across my waist. Winter roads being what they are potholes are a nuisance, so are the many humps put to slow down traffic. They make for an unpleasant experience.

I must continue to be patient and ought at some time to ring the Broker about how long the insurance company recommends I abstain from driving. Apparently just now my vehicle insurance is null and void. I need to have recovered sufficiently to perform an emergency stop without difficulty.

On a brighter note, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the number of tasks that can be accomplished without going anywhere. Hooray for being able to do tasks online.