So this is Christmas

Well I know the New Year is nearly here because Maria has had her 16th birthday. She was overjoyed with her Electric Violin in fact ecstatic would be more the word. No I am not going to go on about what it was like when she was born although I do remember it well. I just can't believe she is that old, "what a gal"
So we are in the twilight time before the New Year, I feel very unlike New Year this time, I am still hurting in my neck but I did get a phone call from Margaret the Surgeon's secretary apologising for not ringng me back when she should have done but not matter it was nice that she did ring up she had no reason to do so and I would not have thought it remiss with all that goes on over Christmas. Anyway the main thing is that the new date for the operation in the 16th 8.00 at the hospital "same procedure as Last Year" ( The 90th Birthday party- Dinner for One-Freddie Frinton). I can't say I am not miffed but if I can just get it over and done with and get back to good health I will be very happy. I would give up all if the Isreali bombardment would cease, yes I know that HAMAS are still firing rockets and there is no excuse for that, where is the Politial leader with some gumption to go and do something, get the sides talking in a meaningful way get supplies into the country and stop the attacks there are always those who will use the situation for their own ends but lets not dwell on or give them air for their voices lets just stop the rot and while we are at it, lets do soething about Mugabe, how can he sleep at night and he a Catholic, what a joke. It seems to me that all the screams and cries to a higher being are to no avail, the only ones that can help are fellow humans beings and I must say we are sadly lacking. I was asked yesterday if the UK was a Christian country anymore? I stopped whilst I asked myself if it was ever but then I came down on the side of the nays (as they say in the US).We are multifaith as well as multicultural and yet even those who do not keep the faith still work within the teents of Christianity. We need a new world order based on respect for fellow humans without a cry to a higher order, we have tried this religion stuff for too long and as any pollster will tell you we have been found sadly lacking. If you want to believe in a "god" then that's fine but don't instill or judge othrs by your beliefs maybe then we can get on with making sense of the wolrd and maybe the world will not lack the politicsal will to change things. All this philosophy and not yet January, roll on the New Year resolutions!

Christmas Trauma

Now you think I am going to tell you about the operation again well no I am not. The trauma refers to the boxes that we put out in the garden whilst the extension to the garage was being done. Well we (the girls) decided that we would get the back room sorted for Christmas and it was then that we (the girls) uncovered the inability of the tarpaulin to keep out the rain and yes the plastic boxes placed there in July were infact full of water. Not your ordinary water of course but the stench mold ridden smelly green coloured type of water that has been festering since the first Summer rains began and added to when the Autumn rains and first Winter snows appeared. Now the rooms are full of water stained photographic remnants of our lives, what a catastrophe! In the middle of all this , we also need to get the Christmas tree up.We usually have this done by now but well we haven't managed that yet and I am not the person that can really help. We did actually get the dishwasher plug working though, Bodil pointing out that the first electriacian, yes the one that was paid and never came back had at least put a switch on the wall so once that was turned on the plug would worked and guess what it did right again! We do have the cooker hood installed and it works and is really strong, a little out of line but hey! It's up and working :)
We just need to get the front room sorted and put the Christmas decorations up and go shopping and then go Christmas shopping and all that. In the great scheme of things what is happening to us is miniscule. What is happening around the world makes what is happening to us fae into insignificance wars, starvation, cruellty, abuse, killing suffering and mostly in the name of some God or other. Well it is strange after being brought up a Catholic and served as an alter boy, worked in a Catholic School, been a lay preacher and the whole nine yards, I can no longer subcribe to the pretence. Instituional religion is not for me, infact no religion is for me. They are all the same founded on a need to have belonging and an answer to what ever lies or comes after or what ever started the whole thing in the past. To this end when asked what religion I was at the hospital i answered none. The first time in my life I have done this as I thought that I could not in all honesty answer Christian or Catholic when I did not hold with any of it. I am not saying I am becoming a Humanist I am just saying that I really no longer believe that there is a God (still using Capital letter) maybe it is a mid life crisis thing but as I look at life, I honestly can't think that any "caring god" could stand by and watch what is going on in his name whatever persuation. The girls still like the festivities and I am loath to spoil that but by the same token they should accept my stance on the existance of god. "Happy Christmas" as we tend to say in the West.

Post Op Trauma

The day finally came, I was at the hospital for 7.45 nil by mouth and ready to go. The guy I had met a couple of weeks before was in sombre mood but looking forward to the day if you can understand that. Anyway he was called about 8.15 which raised my expectations that I would soon be done as well. I was called to have the pre op swabs and talking to and felt ready for lift off, the doctor said I was to go back to the waiting room and wait for a bed to be available.My expectations were high. The doctor came and led me to another room the ward where I was given a bed and sat along with 4 others. Bodil eventually succumbed to shopping and left for lunch with Louise. I waited and then read my book, I read my book and I waited. I listened to the grumblings of the other patients who had been in the ward as long as I had. I ascertained that the guy across from me was third on the list under my surgeon, I was 4th. My expectations went through the roof when he was called to go down for his operation.I worked out I would be next and working on the fact that the operation took 2 hours I would at last be down by 16.00 OK.calm down relax stay calm in 4 hours all would be over and the recovery could begin. By 16.00 there was a quite which had descended over the nurses station no more offers of sandwiches and coffee followed by the apology as I ws nil by mouth. The sister came into the ward and explained to my only remaining colleague in pain that his operation would to go ahead as there were trauma patients needed the theatres. Naturally the guy pleaded that he too was an emergency and that he too needed the operation, to be fair he could walk out of the hospital admittedly with a limp but still he could walk out so no chance of a reprieve. I was in with a chance, no little conversation for me so I had escaped the guillotine so to speak. STill it was 16.15 a quick calculation meant that I would go down at 16.30 and be on the recovery ward by 19.00 Hmmm! This calculation did not compute, no matter how good my surgeon was he wouldn't work until that time.Bodil who had now returned via the recovery ward concurred and we sat and waited for the enevitable and yes at 16.30 Nurse enevitable turned up apologising but there were emergencies which had to take preference.I totally agreed arrrrrgggggh!
ALl my plans up the spout no chance of being done the next day or indeed Monday so when would I be called back? I was told to ring the secretary and get a date. I did that on Friday and was not telephoned back on Monday I rang and had to wait until lunch time before being told that I would be called again for the operation on the 16th January 2009 a whole month almost. As you can imagine I am not the best pleased, I accept that emergencies take preference but now am worried that I willbe usurped by them when I next go. And the fact I will have to psyche myself up again for the op. The dates fitted in so well with all my plans to get back to work and to fit in my MA studies but now I willhave to re jig what I need to do. Anyway, I just need to focus on the 16th and let time take its course. I suppose I can look forward to Christmas now!