Four days ago it was a doctor day, and I was hoping to be able to discontinue my daily visits to hospital. From that point of view, it was a disappointing day. I had my cannula replaced (it was swelling badly), was told I had five more days of IV antibiotics, was given another seven days of oral antibiotics and had my hand wrapped up like a boxer’s as they have run out of good places to put cannulas. It seems that the antibiotics are quite aggressive as chemicals and the cannulas only last two days on average, before blocking/inflaming/hurting. I have had a couple last for three days and one last for three hours, so I am about average.
Cannula is Latin for “little reed”. This knowledge, unfortunately, seems to make them hurt more.
Peacock
I have had four poems accepted recently, bringing my score for the month to nine submissions, with five acceptances, one rejection and three still waiting for decisions. Things are going quite well in that direction, though I am fast running out of material, as I haven’t been writing much in the last few weeks. I’ve been finding it hard to keep up with some pretence of blogging, so poetry has been beyond me.
So far this year I have had 30 pieces accepted. It soon builds up. However, keeping it in perspective, some of them have only been three lines. It’s not like I’m writing Paradise Lost or The Wasteland. I’ve made 45 submissions and still have five decisions pending, so it’s not too bad. I’ve missed a few submissions because I haven’t been well, so if I work a bit harder I think 100 submissions is within my grasp.
I have recently amused myself by imagining the NHS under a government headed up by Nigel Farage. He’s against “foreigners” and would, I believe, stop letting them in to the UK to work. That would mean the department I was in would lose its cleaner, most of its nurses and all of its doctors. Two receptionists and three nurses (one of whom has a bad attitude) would remain, but are unlikely to keep the department running. Meanwhile, 90% of the patients are not only white British, but are, judging by the accents, Peterborough born and bred.
Red Kite
One of the doctors is from the Gulf and is in his first week in the UK. He loves the NHS, says we are lucky to have it, and is enjoying being here. He also added that he considered our current heatwave to be “winter temperatures”. Sometimes it’s good to see what other people think of us and to count our blessings.
Julia and my sister are going out today. The Nene Valley Railway are running a postal special today and will be demonstrating sorting and picking up/dropping the mail sacks. They won’t, unfortunately, be able to use a steam train as they are suspending steam services until the hot weather stops, having already had several grass fires along the line. They will be catching a train from the local station to connect with Travelling Post Office. I suggested that we should watch Night Mail and learn the poem.
However, we had a cup of tea and watched Person of Interest instead.
We had a positive cloud of Peacocks on the buddleias during the week – well over 40. I’ve been doing butterfly counts but apart from the Peacocks we have had very little about – a few whites, a Red Admiral and a couple of Small Tortoiseshells.
Small Tortoiseshell
Birdwise, we have seen the wren and goldfinches more frequently and had a high count of 7 long-tailed tits one morning. We also had a record number of blue tits when ten immature birds appeared on the feeders. This coincided with a lack of cheeping from the nest that appears to be under the garage roof so we deduce that this is the family that hatched in the nest. We also had a kite down to about fifteen feet over the roof, a buzzard only 100 yards away and a flyover by 16 parakeets.
It’s all happening, but I am just too tired to photograph or appreciate it.
Pictures, I’m afraid, are just general pictures for illustrative purposes.
I certainly wish to second your suggestion concerning the types of people who end up in our parliaments. At least we don’t have a Nigel over here.
The problem with that statement is that it omits the word “yet”. The villages of the world are changing as their idiots gravitate towards politics.
Congratulations on the acceptances, Simon, and I hope the antibiotics and rest of it will be behind you soon.
I love the accounting of what wildlife and flowers you have seen. All good things. I try to focus on the same over here down the rabbit hole. The news is pretty weird these days.
You are correct. If I were to write a political satire about clowns taking over a circus I would still be unable to comer up with anything as comic and as tragic as what has happened to your political system.
I would also have a problem with Elon Musk – Bond Villain or henchman of Jabba the Hutt?
Good luck.
Your life as a pin cushion seems intolerable. Congratulations on your acceptances. We are hooked on Person of Interest, too
I was discharged today, though I have boxes of oral antibiotics to consume in the next week. Four 500mg capsules, four times a day for a week. Not sure if this is because I am cured or because they can’t find anywhere convenient to stick a needle.
A wonderful haul of birds and butterflies. I am glad that your writing is getting a good response from editors. It must be bringing you some cheer in a rather gloomy period.
I would be extremely surprised if Farage uses the NHS often if at all so it is quite probable that he has no idea of what damage his policies would do.
Yes, it is helping me get through things. Even at the best of times it buoys me up. As fro Farage et al, In my Brave New World I would only allow people to stand as MPs if they were currently doing a dull job and earning average wages. The management consultants and merchant bankers have no idea how ordinary people live.
Good idea. I have always felt that people going to university should only be allowed to earn small incomes in later life. This would ensure that people went to University for the right reasons.
That is such a tricky and wide-ranging subject I will have to think deeply before answering. I don’t mind people earning high wages if they are qualified and competent. I think we lost sight of the importance of education years ago. Most of it is just a sausage machine of things that look good on CVs and encourage overseas students to spend money.
Oh, those peacocks! How I wish we had them here. Such beauties. Sounds as though Julia is doing much better. And you are doing a little better? Gosh, what a time you have had. Great news about your poetry submissions. And I’m guessing that as you start feeling better, you’ll go back to writing poetry.
Julia is still getting twinges but much reduced in severity and frequency. I am getting better too and feeling more like writing every day. 🙂 I hope you are all keeping well and the weather is not too extreme.
So very glad to read about your progress. Our new heatpumps are keeping us cool on hot humid days. Grateful to have them.
That’s good to know. It is good to stay comfortable in the heat. I was discharged today – a week with large amounts of oral antibiotics and I should be cured. Fingers crossed.