One year (plus) on...

Hard to believe, but this is the first blog in 1 year, 2 months.
Where has all that time gone?

Be that as it may, I am now at the start of my (I hope ) post op recovery from my 2nd bunion operation. I have 2 more days of almost total non weight-bearing to get through and then will have the 2nd redressing - i.e. the bandage completely off if it follows the same course as last year's. I have been very good - hardly walking most of the time, though very tempted to do more. I borrowed a pair of crutches. I have not relied on them , but when the foot gets very uncomfortable, I have been able to stay off it more. I am determined to do my utmost to avoid the tearing round the stitches that happened before. Quite whether I will succeed is another matter, but I feel positive - it has swollen up less than the other one so far and I am ready to bathe/smother the foot with cream etc etc to avoid the tearing..... More on that in the days to come.

Family, neighbours,friends and colleagues have sent mesasges etc which has been nice and my Significant Other has been good this time with meal preparations etc. especially in view of the fact that there has been an auction during the time and he has had a virus from which he is just really emerging today after 5 days feeling rough.Thank you H !

The wireless internet connection has worked as well - last year there was a running battle and stream of engineers from BT as I couldn't even get a normal connection and I really could not have borne that again.

One way or another I have filled the time, reading, knitting, radio - minimal televsion as it is so dire. I have also been reading every day for half an hour in French as they claim that that is a good way to improve speaking skills in another language.
I will need to get to my GP, probably a week or so after the re-dressing, once we see how it goes, to discuss a return to work date.

The weather has been pretty okay - no real cold - and a few quite nice days which makes the situation much easier to bear. In any case I am so fortunate that I will be back to mobility sooner or later - this is a temporary situation thank goodness - it does make you appreciate how hard it must be for solitatary disabled or elderly people.

Nadia from next door gave me a few pansies yesterday which was sweet of her. She has only been back in her house alone for a week or so and must be feeling very strange without Michael (her lovely husband who recently died), but she has 3 children with families who she sees a lot of, plus all her pupils/colleagues from the piano teaching. We 'borrowed' her gardener to have a blitz on our front garden the other day - so at least that looks reasonably presentable. The back needs some work, but I just have to go with the flow and think of it as a wild garden! I suppose the local bees will enjoy the clover and go back to work on the South London honey I sometimes buy! Well I hope it is local - I just heard a programme on r4 about 'honey laundering' - rather alarming , but it did also throw up a fact of interest to me:- one of my father's few spoken enthusiasms was for bee-keeping (I quite understand it) and they mentioned that one of the major honey blenders and suppliers is based in Wallingford, Oxon, not a million miles from where my father came from and in fact where one of my ancestors was mayor!

Another bit of news today - having written a little note on Stella's facebook wall yesterday, I found an email from her today with attached pics of her, me, Gill, Coralie and Trina from our meeting in July! Quite nice and a lovely memory. It is interesting how easily we pick up a relaxed and completely open friendship again after all these years. Boarding school does bond you so closely. Stella had been there 2 years before I joined the RBS already - she must only have been 9!

I shall post again in less than one year's time, dear reader. See you then