london1952 | Recently.............. (Reply)

Well, it's the start of the second Bank Holiday of May, and it's pouring with rain, cold (a measly 7 degrees!) and there's a robin in the bird-bath......... is it REALLY May ? I went out food-shopping this morning in the wet but I'm not stepping out again today if I can help it ! The first Bank Holiday of the month the lovely Ricardo (aka

bazanges) was here for the weekend and it really did feel like Spring.................. especially with having some lovely gelati at Amorino in Soho

followed immediately by a second sitting at Gelupo (round the corner)

........this was after Franco and I had a pre-booked visit to the wonderful "this year's must-see" exhibition "Life and Death - Pompeii and Herculaneum", whilst Ricardo "cruised" the mummies (and goodness knows what/who else!) ..................... and looked for ~~his~~ some marbles (the Elgin ones !!)

May has been a "hospital month" for my mother..... I was with her the last weekend in April, and in spite of some breathing issues early in the mornings we managed to get out and about (with the sun showing its face now and then) and enjoy the daffodils in the countryside etc. Towards the end of the following week, however, her health deteriorated and she ended up in hospital for almost two weeks. The good thing to come out of it was that she was taken to the hospital that has a very good cardiac department, and that they found her heart-failure is what is really at the bottom of her breathing and lung problems. It appears that if she'd not made it there at that time she was so ill she may not be still "with us". I made a one day visit which cheered her up a bit. She was then home over last weekend and doing quite well but had a relapse, so has been in a second hospital until yesterday..... we're hoping it's all a bit more settled now. As a side issue, they have some concerns regarding some "lumps", so next week it's back for some more tests and a biopsy, but only for the day. Luckily she has had some excellent doctors and nurses (with the inevitable odd exceptions). I have a regular weekend visit booked in the middle of June, so hopefully we may be able to get out a bit.

I also gave my first guided tour at the Garden Museum recently........... "could do better" I put on my own report card.... but at least I know what I should do next time !! There were some lovely flowers left over from "an event" to cheer me up.....