Things were off to a good start for 2012. I managed to get out with the walking club, at the beginning of the month. On a rather raw day, and led by David, we started off at Baddesly Clinton, stopping for lunch at the picnic benches near Packwood House. It was cold and the air was damp, but my new wide-mouthed flask (Christmas present from A) full of venison and veg soup (watered down and chopped up remains of a casserole) was very welcome. It was purely that, unknown to me, I was coming down with a cold, that I found the second half of the walk rather a struggle, and unusually for me, was relieved to get back to the car park. Once home, the sneezing started, soon to be followed by the coughing. As Mike is best kept away from infections, I did my best to keep out of his way as much as possible from then on. I haven't quite thrown it off, as I still feel quite groggy and snuffly, but the worst of it is over and, thankfully, this time hasn't got any worse than a head cold. 
Once I felt fit enough to brave the outdoors, I made a quick visit to the allotments, to plant the last of my garlic, inspect progress and to collect the last of the leeks, a few parsnips, and to pinch a bit of Eric's parsley. Boula, my neighbouring plotholder, seems to have a field of garlic, and her coriander (self-seeded) appears to be just as prolific. Haven't seen her since before Christmas, so is she here, on her plot at Hampton Court, or in Thailand. I always look forward to her cheery 'hello' as she arrives on her bike, to work hard for an hour or so. We have a short chat, catch up on things, then get on with our jobs. There are still quite a few flowers around on the plots. These marigolds, under my little apple tree, were a real splash of sunshine. I noticed that the chrysanths that I'd planted alongside the path, were sprouting new growth. Do I leave them, or should I remove the plants? I was so disappointed to find that all the chrysanths I had ordered from Sarah Raven were infected with chrysanthemum rust, and that included the cuttings I had taken from the original plants. Looking around, there don't appear to be any other plotholders growing chrysanths very close to mine, so maybe I should risk leaving them and treating the infection (although I will probably move them to another area of the plot).
Once I felt fit enough to brave the outdoors, I made a quick visit to the allotments, to plant the last of my garlic, inspect progress and to collect the last of the leeks, a few parsnips, and to pinch a bit of Eric's parsley. Boula, my neighbouring plotholder, seems to have a field of garlic, and her coriander (self-seeded) appears to be just as prolific. Haven't seen her since before Christmas, so is she here, on her plot at Hampton Court, or in Thailand. I always look forward to her cheery 'hello' as she arrives on her bike, to work hard for an hour or so. We have a short chat, catch up on things, then get on with our jobs. There are still quite a few flowers around on the plots. These marigolds, under my little apple tree, were a real splash of sunshine. I noticed that the chrysanths that I'd planted alongside the path, were sprouting new growth. Do I leave them, or should I remove the plants? I was so disappointed to find that all the chrysanths I had ordered from Sarah Raven were infected with chrysanthemum rust, and that included the cuttings I had taken from the original plants. Looking around, there don't appear to be any other plotholders growing chrysanths very close to mine, so maybe I should risk leaving them and treating the infection (although I will probably move them to another area of the plot).I've been keeping my eye on the snowdrops down the garden, too. They are on their way up, with little white buds making their appearance, as are the hellebore flower buds. Something to look forward to. Our 'Donation' camellia is covered in fat buds, with some already showing a bit of pink.
All seemed to be going so well. But not for long! I had slept in (unusual for me) on Saturday morning, and thinking Mike was having a nightmare due to his violent movements and the strange sounds, I turned over to realise he was actually having a fit. After a second or two to try to take in what was happening I was straight away on the phone, dialling 999, and explaining the situtation, whilst taking all the necessary precautions for his safety, and eventually getting him into the recovery position, before the ambulance arrived to take him to Good Hope, where we arrived about 9.30am. I'd managed to ring son R, who met up with us at the hospital, and stayed with us nearly all day. From the phone call onwards, I can only praise everyone concerned, and in particular all the doctors and nurses at the hospital, who could not be faulted in their treatment. Fortunately, Mike made a good recovery, and after about 12 hours at the hospital, it was decided to send him home. R brought us back, before calling in at his house, to pick up a tray of hot dinner for me, as I hadn't eaten much all day. Much appreciated - thanks to my d-in-law. Mike is now 'back to normal' as far as I can tell, but aching all over and suffering with a stiff back, probably due to the muscle spasms during the fit.
Yesterday we attended the QE for his already planned brain scan. I had contacted the hospital in advance to inform the necessary people about the fit, and we were met by the specialist clinical nurse from the neurosurgery department, who sat with A (back from Taiwan the day before) and me and listened to my account, and was very kind and reassuring to us. Mike will be returning (as planned) on Wednesday for the results of his scan and, hopefully, some explanation as to why he had the tonic clonic (grand mal) fit. We will be back on Friday for a body scan at the Oncology clinic, and return for the results next week. At the moment I am loathe to leave Mike for any length of time. I hang about upstairs, dusting things I never usually bother with, rearranging bedding, tidying shelves (rarely done) whilst he is in the shower. I sneaked off to the hairdressers yesterday, leaving strict instructions that he must ring my friend every half hour, and
came back to find him perfectly OK. Looking out of the 
window at the beautiful, bright and frosty day, I left him for another short spell, for a walk around the perimeter of the field opposite our house, calling him from my mobile, mid-way, knowing that I could be straight back over the field in case of an emergency. But all was OK again. I've included a couple of frosty photos, taken during my walk. Once we've seen the neurosurgeon I might back off a bit, but at the moment I am taking lots of precautions to make sure he is safe.
came back to find him perfectly OK. Looking out of the 
window at the beautiful, bright and frosty day, I left him for another short spell, for a walk around the perimeter of the field opposite our house, calling him from my mobile, mid-way, knowing that I could be straight back over the field in case of an emergency. But all was OK again. I've included a couple of frosty photos, taken during my walk. Once we've seen the neurosurgeon I might back off a bit, but at the moment I am taking lots of precautions to make sure he is safe. And to finish on a lighter note - here are some paperwhites, in flower (they have been, for ages) in our conservatory, filling it with a beautiful perfume.
Your leeks and parsnip are looking good, Chris - although my leeks aren't up to scratch, I'm chuffed that I have edible sprouts on the plot this year!
ReplyDeleteGlad the medical profession is doing such a good job, Chris. Hope all goes well at the QE today.