A Change of Scene.

We arrived down by the Clarence River at sunset.This is the view from Trace and Jen's new jetty.It is so lovely to be here...but we feel a bit guilty leaving Dulcie behind.

Depressing Day in Room J.

Lillian was fed up today.One of the student nurses had told her she was being discharged today but it was a mistake.She was all ready to just walk out anyway...."'I'll stay though..." She resigned herself to her lot. She has been in there nearly 1o weeks she says and she still doesn't know what is wrong with her.She is worried they are keeping her in there for experiments."I don't think they are keeping you here for that," we said.Celia is leaving though. At first she told us it was on Saturday but tonight we found out that it is next Wednesday. She is not going home. She is being taken somewhere else. We said we would try and find out where then we could pop in and see her there.We went over to Centrelink this afternoon to try and get me registered as a carer. Bojan took our details and asked us to take a seat. About 1o minutes later he called us up to his desk."Have you any identification? A passport?"I didn't....there was nothing he could do...he apologised for not checking sooner if we had identification. He gave us a number to ring at home.I rang it when we got back."Please can you give us your registration number?" said the automated voice.I didn't have one so stayed quiet."Please can we have your registration number and if you don't have one say 'I don't have one.'""I don't have one.""It sounded like you said you don't have one....if this is correct say yes.""Yes.""Your registration number can be found on all documentation sent from Centrelink, please say your your registration number or if you don't have one say 'I don't have one'""I don't have one.""It sounded like you said you don't have one, if this is correct say yes.""Yes" . I said through gritted teeth!"Please can you tell us something about why you are calling today.""Um......er........I want to talk to someone about ....er....being a carer.""Could you please say a little more about why you are ringing today for example 'I am enquiring about pensions', 'I have a disability'"(You will have if I get hold of you!!!!!!!!...I thought.)"I want to register as a carer.""Thank you, please hold. Your call will be answered by our next available assistant. Please be advised that your call may be recorded for training purposes. We are currently receiving a high number of calls and the current waiting time is more than 25 minutes......"I slammed the phone down in disgust.When I had calmed down....I accepted that I needed to ring them so I had to go through the whole rigmarole again and yes, we did indeed wait for more than 25 minutes, listening to Handel's Water Music until we got a very helpful chap who took my name, address, date of birth and said he would send out some forms for me to fill in.Did he ask for any identification?.....like a passport?........did he *$%£!We are escaping tomorrow.We are going down to stay with Trace and Jen at Ashby on the banks of the Clarence River.It will be soooooo nice to get away and have a change of scene.

Blood Moon.

The bet.

We were sat with Lillian and Maureen at lunch.When it was over Maureen moaned,"Oh, this is torture! I just want to go back to my bed.""Do you want a bet?" Asked Lillian."What?" Said Maureen."I bet I can get you back in bed in five minutes," said Lillian."Oh no, they'll leave me here. They never come when you want them.""How much do you bet?" Asked Lillian."A dollar," said Maureen."Nurse!" Shouted Lillian.Paulita came over."Maureen wants to go back to the room to bed," said Lillian."I'm just sorting Celia out but I will be back in a minute," said Paulita."You owe me a dollar," said Lillian, triumphant."...but you won't be able to go to bed," continued Paulita, "because you have Physio in half an hour.""Shit!" said Lillian."You won a dollar, Maureen!" said Will.

'Alright Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my Physio!'

Midway through the Easter break and Will goes into work for the day to do some planning!I made courgette and brie soup.I went to the hospital alone at lunchtime and found Lillian, Celia and Dulcie all sat round the same table with Wendi, Will' s sister.When lunch arrived Dulcie only had a dessert and ice cream on her tray because she had not filled in the meal slip properly.Luckily I had brought some fennel and potato soup that I had  made last week and frozen, for my lunch, so went to heat it up in the microwave for Dulcie while she ate her dessert.While I was heating it up Wendi collared one of the orderlies and got them to go fetch Dulcie the meal she would have ordered.Dulcie ate some soup and then her ice cream before finally tucking into fish in a dill sauce.Lillian called to Maureen on the next table,"Eat your dinner, Maureen." It amused me because Lillian never eats hers.The doctors were doing their rounds, well, the main doctor and his student minions. He suddenly appeared at our table and asked Celia how she was. He asked what her dessert was..."It looks like cheesecake," he said....."and what are you eating?" He  was talking to me. I was a bit surprised and soup almost dribbled down the side of my mouth....like Celia.Did he think I was a patient?"It's fennel and potato soup," I said, then added " I made it myself......at home." Hmpff, that should put him right!Slowly everyone drifted off back to their rooms. Celia was due to go to speech therapy and Lillian was down for Group Physio but Dulcie had nothing on the board for the afternoon.Wendy, another one, who used to be her blue care assistant had visited that morning and brought her a lottery scratch card. She asked me to go and get it and we sat and scratched away to see if she won $100,000.....She didn't....but she did win another free scratch card. There was a slight problem in that the card had been bought in New South Wales and so would have to be taken back there to get a new card.We finally went back to the room ourselves. Lillian was sat by her bed and Celia by hers, in her wheel chair. Maureen was tucked up in bed on her side, with her hands clasped underneath her chin as if she was enraptured, with her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her face. Dulcie had just settled onto her bed when the piano playing started."Oh, God!" said Celia.Lillian rolled her eyes.I started conducting and Dulcie joined in and soon Lillian and Celia, with one arm, were conducting too. After a while, I grabbed a white tissue and started to wave it out of the doorway in surrender as the 'talker' played 'Do Re Mi'. Lillian and Maureen were laughing. The 'talker' couldn't see me because she had her back to us.One of the orderlies came in."Who was that waving the white flag?"I owned up to it....sheepishly. "We surrender," I said.She told Lillian she was off to Physio soon. Lillian asked if she could go by wheelchair today. The orderly went to ask.The' talker' played 'Somewhere over the rainbow.'The orderly came back. Lillian was to use her walker as she had had a good rest over the weekend. Lillian was aghast."I've never asked before. You would think just once that I would be allowed to, wouldn't you." She looked glum.'Blue Spanish Eyes,'............played the 'talker'."Come on!" said Celia."Be patient Celia! I'm coming in a minute!" The orderly said.A nurse came in."Sorry Maureen, you have to get up. You have to go to Physio." Poor Maureen was utterly bemused.The nurse whipped the curtain round her bed.'Don't cry for me Argentina' ....played the' talker'.Dulcie and I sat there taking it all in....it was like watching a silent movie....but with talking...crossed with a Benny Hill sketch.The curtain around Maureen's bed kept fluttering with movement behind it, while Maureen grunted and groaned and occasionally cried out and Lillian winced at every noise that she made.Then a Physiotherapist arrived to take Lillian and she asked again if she could go by wheelchair....happily she got her wish. Celia was wheeled out as Dulcie and I waved her goodbye, and finally Maureen's curtain flew back to reveal Maureen completely changed in a new outfit and hair brushed sitting in her wheelchair and then off she went too.Dulcie and I waved and Maureen waved back....her bingo wings wobbling heavily.Dulcie and I were alone and the music had stopped. It was very quiet."I wonder why you are not going to Physio today?" I said."I don't know, but I don't want to," said Dulcie.  "What have we got to eat?""There's two pieces of chocolate drizzle cake," I said.We sat and ate them.The Physiotherapist appeared."Is she going to Physio?" I asked.She was, for about half an hour. She should have gone earlier but the doctors rounds had delayed it.Dulcie was slowly eating her cake."I know," said the Physiotherapist to me, " perhaps you could wheel her down when she has finished eating and you could see what the gym is like." She left.Dulcie ate her cake slowly."How long am I going for?""She said about 30 minutes." I said."Oh, I suppose that's not too bad. Could you pass me some water please?"She has never drunk a cup of water so slowly. When she had finished she handed me the cup with a flourish as if to say:'Alright Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my Physio!'I wheeled her down to the other end of the building and into the room they call the gym.Lillian was there and Maureen and lots of other patients arranged around a long pair of parallel bars....like in a ballet class."Oh, Jo, wants you to do some sort of test," said one of the other physiotherapists and wheeled Dulcie back out into the corridor.We waited in the corridor for Jo.Work in the gym had started I went and had a peep. All the patients were stood up and holding the bars and had to march on the spot. I did not peep for too long.The next exercise seemed to be getting up out of a chair and sitting back down, and up again....."Once more Maureen" said the Physio."Oh, you're joking!" moaned Maureen."I'm not. I don't joke," said the Physio.Jo came for Dulcie and I headed off home.I only just got back and Will texted. He was ready to be picked up.Back at the house I made some more biscuits and then it was time to head back to the hospital again.I gave Nina another tin of biscuits. The recipe that she'd asked for was tucked in side."I'm not sharing these," she said conspiratorially, "I'm taking them home."Dulcie was on her way out for tea when we met her. She had filled her meal slip in correctly for tea and ate everything again.We went back to the room.Celia got excited when Coronation St came on her TV."Oh, which channel is it on?" asked Lillian, "Could you find it for me?" She asked handing me her remote.I gave them all a biscuit."Here's a home made biscuit Maureen," I said."Oh, thank you," she said."You don't have to eat it if you don't want to."She ate it all up....even Lillian....as we were leaving Lillian said,"Hey, that biscuit was lovely, really lovely.....I mean it."Dulcie was smiling...as if she was saying 'I taught him everything he knows!'