Four Cannulas

Hello from my private suite… the one with no view!!

Yes, since I wrote to you last, I have from Wednesday 25^th July to 2^nd August been confined to an infectious cell in the Royal Hospital Derby, with low blood pressure, a bowel infection, a chest infection a spell of hallucinations and Pneumonia… so nothing much to worry about!!

I expect some of you will have spent time in a Hospital and I was doing the same thing (again), sitting in my padded cell on the third floor, looking down on a quadrangle with plants that blended beautifully with the grey flag stones.

But it was with great delight that last Thursday, I stood at the Hospital entrance (again-) facing outwards and with the yell “I’m a celebrity get me out of here” climbed into my daughters Audi convertible, and let the wind blow through my hair as we came home. Even the fumes smelt good, not that there was any problem at the Royal, where I was very well looked after, comfortable and well fed. (A more frequent cup of PG would have been nice, but the shortage of staff meant that their priority was correctly elsewhere.)

As you can see I did make an attempt to write my blog whilst taking the lightly boiled, but it just did not work. When I reread what I had written when I got home, I could see the brain cells were not working that well, so it was “delete” and start again.

Re the heading, for those who have not had the pleasure, a cannula is an intravenous tube fitted to an arm or hand, through which medication can be sent straight to the blood stream. Unfortunately, on 2 occasions they leaked, so I endured four-cannulas during my stay.

When I was in for a Cancer Op in 2016, I did form the Royal Hospital Inmates Bird club, with a starting total of 2 – Feral Pigeon and Pied Wagtail. In 2018, only a Feral Pigeon.

The only Avian links were the variety of chicken on offer, Chicken Tikka Masala, Roast Chicken, Sweet & Sour Fried Chicken, and Chicken Korma, all of which I have to say were excellent and done to a turn (i.e. on a spit)

This was compensation for having no Black Pudding for 8 mornings, let alone no bacon, hash brown, sausage or mushrooms. The one attempt to escape to a cafe,  was when I was taken for a scan. With cash in my gown pocket and ready for a rush to the caff, I was expecting to have the same experience as in a previous year when I made my own way back to my ward. Oh no, things change …off the scanner, on the chair, fast delivery and tipped into my room in the same unceremonious way that Tony tipped Dorothy on the bed after her appendix removal, by just upending the wheelchair, in Men Behaving Badly!

I had 16 cooked meals during my committal, enjoyed 14, and they were good.  

As my visit hopefully now becomes a distant memory, I am reminded of the words of the song about the Green, Green Grass of Home. (Ed:  But our grass is far from green!??) No not the grass, in the verse… “The four grey walls that surround me!!!!!

Just the odd wildlife snippet in the 14 days.

1.     

  1.  News from Chris of Nottingham.   A Mallard with chicks was in her road, and 4 of the youngsters did not realise that the drain cover was not solid and fell through. 2 neighbours carried out a noble lifesaving rescue service for the ducklings and returned them to the frantic parent.

  2.     Michael, my son, found a baby blackbird in his garden near Rutland, and not being a keen birder, although he does recognise Red Kites, sought my help as to what to do. The chick was quietly placed in an adjacent bush, and the presence of 2 adults suggests that it may survive.

33.    Finally, I did have an hour at the wildlife centre at Carsington today, and there was talk about a goodly number of waders and migrants. My hi-lite was to see a Peregrine go through, not apparently on a mission, but quite clearly identifiable.

Hopefully if I can muster some missing energy, it will be back to birding very soon.

Good Birding.