Well it has been an interesting day so far. Last night, after Meg had been put to bed, I received a couple of emails both from friends and not very welcome news from either. My friend from Hampshire is having a very stressful time with his wife requiring yet another emergency admission to the local hospital and it appears that her symptoms are getting worse rather than better. I sent off a quick reply indicating I would respond further to his news but that may well have to wait until later on tonight. Then another friend from our De Montfort university days wrote to us to give us a lot of her family news and that relating to her husband was not particularly good. So I have written to them both suggesting that we might set up a lunch date some time quite soon. As our friends are in London and we are evidently here in the Midlands, the logistics of setting up a lunch date might prove slightly difficult. But after conversation with some of our coffee bar friends from Waitrose I have made the following suggestions to our friends. Rather than catching a local train to Birmingham New Street (BNS) then, on occasions, we have gone to Birmingham International which cuts quite a lot of time off the journey. But our friend suggested that instead of bending ‘left’ at the end of the M42 we bend ‘right’ and go to Warwick Parkway. Although this is a little further, 5-10 miles is not much on a motorway and we get free parking as well. I have suggested to our friends that we make our way to Marylebone Station on the very picturesque Marylebone line and then I wondered if, between us, we could find a restaurant within suitable walking (wheelchair-pushing) distance of the station. I am sure this might be possible so I am relying that between us, our friends and I can organise something with our two somewhat disabled partners so that we can exchange all of our news with each other over a lengthy lunch. This morning, though, we only had one carer instead of the anticipated two. I always try to establish a relationship with the carers and generally find a topic of conversation in which we can both contribute. Asking about families is a good opening gambit but I was somewhat amazed when the carer I got this morning said that she had 11 children in total. Five were from a previous relationship, four came along with the new partner and the other two that had produced as a couple. That makes for a football team of children, the vast majority of whom turned out to be girls. The carer and I got things sorted out between us and then Meg and I breakfasted and prepared to see our usual Saturday morning friends. We saw our regular two, the one-time chorister and the ex-hiker and we enjoyed our normal chatter with each other. Then it was a case of getting home and making sure that we had our lunch fully prepared and eaten before the first of the Rugby matches this afternoon. We made a sort of chicken-with-roasted-vegetables type of lunch which proved to be both tasty and satisfying. Then we watched the Ireland vs. Wales match which proved to be as one sided a match as everybody had anticipated that it could be. Then just before the big match of the afternoon, which was Scotland vs. England at Murrayfield, whilst my back was turned for an instant, Meg had a fall which occasioned a cut to her nose, a nosebleed and a carpet which required to be cleaned. But I think there was no lasting damage as I made Meg comfortable and encouraged her to have a rest so that her body could recover from the inevitable discomfort following a fall. I am pretty sure that there is no longer term damage but if Meg has any symptoms following a good night’s sleep then I will have to take her down to the local hospital for a check over. I am fairly confident that after some medication and a good night’s sleep in a warm bed that Meg will be OK in the morning. Nonetheless, I wrote to the specialist nurse detailing the incident as she seems to have the facility to get incidents like this recorded on Meg’s medical notes which is something I have not managed to do for myself. In the second match of the afternoon,Scotland got the better of the contest but the game as a whole seemed to be error prone on both sides. But I must say that what I saw of the match with the other traumas of the afternoon, Scotland were worthy winners of the match.
he scandal to hit the Sunday newspapers tomorrow is the suspension of the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson, a bully boy (ex miner, representing a red wall seat) who at one time was one of the deputy chairman of the Tory party. he had accused the mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn, of being beholden to the Muslim community and actually gave vent to the opinion that ‘He has actually given our capital city away to his mates.’ The Conservative chief whip told him to apologise for such blatantly anti-Islamic sentiments and Lee Anderson refused – whereupon, the whip was suspended from him which means that he de facto no longer a ‘Tory’ MP but will be faced to sit on the cross benches, or well away from other Tories.
© Mike Hart [2024]