Bartimaeus

 On Sunday we were pleased to briefly host Margaret and Roland. Shane cooked so I had an easy time of it and they brightened our day with their enthusiasm, warmth and flowers!

On Monday, Shane had a straightforward pre op appointment, followed by a cycle ride home from Livingston, the long way round, having arranged to meet his companion from the train an hour after his one. His timing was perfect and his plan to ride off medical stress worked brilliantly. I had a long wait to hear how it had gone and once again he had a chance to share his news with another woman first. 

I had my own jaunt by going to see my sister in Dundee (well on the outskirts but let’s not quibble) and Spring in Scotland continues to bring a surprise weather change every 5 minutes. It looked a lovely bright day on Tuesday and we can see the sea from her house so a beach walk to go shopping sounded ideal route to the part of town where we could get some jobs ticked off. Of course once out we found the walk was into the wind with the sand blowing towards us and the skies were now grey. Still it was exercise away from the road and we  managed to achieve all we had set out to do, among other things we collected more LFTs – having been a doctor she refers to these as liver function tests, probably a lot less pleasant – no longer available at the chemists but the library. Now that is an excellent community service. We averted future frustration by getting vacuum cleaner bags, where we picked up other tips on what might have caused it to misbehave apart from the full dust bag. We picked up pastries for her husband, who has a sweet tooth from her preferred supermarket bakery counter. As we were selecting them, we lucked out by seeing freshly baked rolls arrive and that made our lunch decision easier.

It started to rain so we jumped on a bus back to her house and found the sun had come out again so we were able to enjoy a lovely outdoor lunch after all and it wasn’t just the rolls that were warm. Hasty LFTs done (required for a hospital visit) and we went to hop on the bus again, pastries in hand. He made short work of an apricot custard slice and we got to keep a pain au raisin for later. The sun was out again outside and I thought how the patient was not just missing company and his home, but also Spring itself, especially as he is a keen gardener.

So the next day, along with photos of family and holidays, we took in ones we had just taken that morning in his garden (as soon as the heavy rain had stopped).

He seemed to really enjoy them, whether more or less than the apricot slice I cannot tell. He also asks enthuiastically about our boat travels and wants to know our plans and admire the whole escapade. Pleasure can be great even when in a difficult situation and small things can make a big difference. It was a pleasure for me to see him stronger and his mood brighter and I realised it isn’t just the patient who benefits from a hospital visit.

We enjoy our bus journey, sitting on the top deck and spotting other beautiful gardens, historic sights and modern architecture, conversation stimulated by seeing a restaurant or scene once visited.

After a hasty delicious meal, thanks to the weekly visit of a fish van and an excellent recipe looked out by my sister, I had to head off to the station, into the wind again. My sister is a great sea and sun lover. She can’t wait for summer to come. In the waiting room at Dundee station, I find she has chosen her home well, if unwittingly, when I spot this poster.

I share this with her in an email on the train to let her know the journey is going well. I don’t share the other poster which reminded me of the first since the answer to a quiz question in the paper that morning was Boris Karloff.

Nae sae bonnie, Dundee