The cold weather persists and it is bitterly cold when I let Normy into the Garden, just after seven o'clock this morning, armed with his fur coat, he does his duty undeterred and then thaws out by the radiator whilst I make breakfast. We are both having boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast, I am having two giant eggs and Norman just the one, also his toast has been broken up into bite size chunks. The farm fresh eggs have golden yellow yolks and are quite delicious, I suspect Normy would prefer his usual sausage, bacon and black pudding, but he doesn't seem to be complaining. We collect the terriers and arrive on the common just before ten, it is a grey day, but at least the wind has subsided, although it remains cold. For some reason Teddy decides to develop rabbit fever, and runs across Westwood Road in hot pursuit of a bunny, it is the first time he has ever done this and fortunately this is the most quiet road across the common. Norman, Dolly and I cross the road after him and put him back on the lead, after he gets his head stuck in a mesh fence, trying to chase the rabbit into someone's garden. As we approach Black Mill, with Dolly off the lead, occasional flakes of snow drift down from the cloudy sky, so we limit our walk to a loop round Newbegin Pits Woods again, before returning to the car. After returning Dolly and Teddy to Cherry Burton, Norman and I drive home, where I feed him a few biscuits and change his water before changing and driving to the Leisure Centre, arriving a little earlier today, around a quarter past twelve. The pool is quite busy again, but inexplicably the training lane is free, so I grab it and reprise yesterday's 1,600m program, the only variation being a 200m warm down at the end, as I had a little more time. Tomorrow and Thursday, the ladies aqua aerobics will be taking up half the pool, so the chances of finding clear water look slim, and in addition I also have Louis. After tea and a few oaties in the cafe, I drive into Hull and park at Linnaeus again, before making my way to Hull Royal Infirmary to visit Leslie. In a fit of sporting zeal I decide to climb the seven flights of stairs to the ward 70, the geriatric ward, but when I get there someone else is in Leslie's bed. A quick enquiry reveals that he has been moved to the eye hospital, where he is being warehoused, as they have spare capacity? As I leave the ward, a young woman of North American origin, who introduces herself as Leslie's occupational therapist, enquires if I can help fill in some details regarding his physical competence before his accident. I spend ten minutes telling her what I know and she says she will try to see him this afternoon, while I am visiting, but first she has to see another client upstairs. Undeterred, I climb down the seven flights of stairs and walk the quarter mile to the eye hospital, which is on the same site. Leslie, I am told, is in the second bed in the end ward. When I find him he looks much better, his colour has improved and he is sat up in bed, so I congratulate him on being already half way home. The first thing he does is tell me about his incontinence, and while he is doing this, a nurse arrives to take his blood pressure, which is very low 128/60, but his pulse is high at 95. The nurse hearing him talk about incontinence says the doctors think it is the result of a urinary tract infection, which they are treating with antibiotics, and so should resolve itself. This might explain why he was incoherent last week for 24 hours, bladder and kidney infections can sometimes do that. We chat for an hour and he tells me that he is in no hurry to go home, until the infection is cured and the incontinence resolved, he says the care he is receiving is first rate and that he is starting to feel much better. Visiting ends at four, and the Therapist has not yet arrived, but I have to leave or I will be caught up in rush hour traffic and take hours to drive home. I promise to return on Thursday and leave in a much better frame of mind, the old boy has rallied once again. On my way home, I call at Tesco in North Hull and buy kippers for breakfast and take advantage of a 3 for 2 offer on frozen seafood and stock up on mussels, prawns and mixed seafood, as well as a pack of smoked salmon and an assortment of cheeses. I arrive home for five thirty, give Norman his tin of dog food and then finish off the Parmagiana with some crusty baguette and the last remnants of a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. When I check my phone, there is a text from Hanne asking if I will be going to Barbara's talk on the history of the commons, but I decide to listen to the Tigers on the radio instead. Before the match starts, I ring Margaret to report on the progress with her dad and then chat to Felicity for five minutes. The match kicks off at a quarter to eight and Derby County have the best of the first half, but they go in with both sides failing to score. After half time Steve Bruce, the Hull manager, makes a double substitution, Gedo and Proschwitz replacing Simpson and Koren, and Gedo scores with his head after eight seconds! 1:0 to the Tigers. Derby equalise after fifteen minutes and then our other Egyptian El Mohamedy scores the winner with a header. Hull City 2 Derby County 1. To bed a happy tigers fan!
No comments:
Post a Comment