Author: Mr A
Location: Milton Keynes, Bradford-on-Tone, London, UK
I write this from my ”Isolation Wing” in the the new house that is rapidly becoming a home. COVID-19 struck me down. How? Well..here’s my side of the story. We were in London again (I think we need shares in Great Western Railway!) for Catherine’s kick off immunotherapy treatment to try and tackle her subglottic stenosis.
I encouraged madam to go clothes shopping, usual uphill battle, and volunteered to travel across London to collect the right size from a different store.
I walked 18kms that day, one of the many pleasures actually of being here, exploring the big city. I most likely caught it somewhere then because two days later I have sore throat, aches and pains and I’m down with the plague.…so it’s Catherine’s fault! 😉
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Anyway, there are definitely worse places to do my time in bed, with my own private ensuite and kitchen! Catherine even ran a fan at my door so my dirty germs wouldn’t pollute the house. Seriously, it’s really important we keep her safe as her airway is already declining since the last op, six weeks ago.
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It wouldn’t feel right without a hospital appointment in the week. I had to cancel mine at Moorfields Private Eye Hospital in London, which was supposed to be today. I could wait another 8 months for my NHS appt (been waiting 4 already), but by then who knows what mess my eyes will be in. There are 30,000 vacancies currently in the National Health Service in the UK. Well, Catherine is certainly getting more than her fair share of those scarce ENT staff!
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Backing up to pre my COVID isolation, I went gadding up to Milton Keynes again, responding to a request for help from daughter number two, whose hubby away again and she is at work. A few school runs and pick ups, a walk in the woods, a lovely birthday meal out with the whole mob for daughter number one. It ticked a lot of boxes.
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The same daughter (Hayley) then brought her two boys down to stay with us a few days later. Apparently, according to the boys, a highlight was going packrafting down the local River Tone (stream at the moment with lack of rain!). A few laughs, a few tears, the usual.
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We continue to kit out the house, with lots of couriers turning up with furniture and bits and pieces. really enjoying the process. Even found ourselves supplier to help us with some modifications, more on those when we get further down the track.
I just feel so good about this place, its rural views, its land size (I’d dig a moat if I could!) and how the house is laid out, with a few minor changes coming up. We know we were so lucky to find it, and really enjoying starting to have friends as well as family come and stay. The house can start to build some memories for us.
My favourite spot is under the old oak tree. Camping chair, bottle of wine, and even joined by local friends three times now! The times they are a changing.
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Fantastic commentry, hope you are both well now, very nice photos hope your eyes come good , we have a great friend 96 who is blind & deaf , the boys set up one of those audio books for him & that keeps him going , he used to be fixit man with probl
Ems when we all went to Seaforth camping just north of Mackay qld, we are just on our
way home went up as far as Atherton , had a. month at Crystal creek, 2 weeks first then another 2 coming back, the longtailed nightjar has vanished, but wrens are there, we fed the white browed robin mealy worms & it got very quiet. Olive sees doc for more chemo& radiation, you wouldnt think anything was wron as shes no different to 5 years ago when i sent her to Brisbane to be checked out, she really needs to go there for her treatment as now im heading for 85 Olive will have to travel to Mackay to have lines cleaned out & Mackay to Clermont road is 300 klms & its like russian rulette on that stretch, miners & drugoos therres always getting killed, quite a few already from Clermont, the carer who took patients over to Mackay was killed bringing a patient back to Clermont a. while ago. Cheers from Bob & Olive , stay well & safe
Thankfully Mark got good news about his eyes, and has a license until he is 70, with another test needed then. Be careful on those crazy roads – sounds terrible. Send our healing vibes to Olive – I hope the chemo does its trick – it’s been a long hard journey for her, hasn’t it? All the best to both of you xx