Five Days.

So much has happened in 5 short days, I had my wisdom tooth out 4 days before Christ mas, that was on Monday, nothing else really mattered to me but Tuesday when I knew it would be out and all over. I dreaded it, then also on the same Monday I found out my Cousin too was having a tooth out, unlike me, they were in a lot of pain with a very swollen face. I was in no pain and my face was not swollen.

I saw a bit of the news, all those 900 lorries, stuck in the jam unable to go to Europe. Then I heard they needed a quick COVID-19 test but the vehicles with the testing kits could not get through, because of the 900 plus lorries. I saw the clip on the news when one of the drivers said, “I have £300.000 worth of meat in my lorry going bad,” How awful. I heard the lorry drivers at first were offered bottled water and a cereal bar! No loos. I’d also heard of a driver who had not eaten for 3 days!!! No one could imagine such chaos. I’m in a group on Facebook and a lady in the group lives in that part of the world, she went with her Husband to bring food to them but she said, “It was a drop in the ocean.” She also said, “Others I saw, took pizza.” It saw on my local news, that a minority group travelled far to go there with the meals they had made for them. But what goes in, must come out, and lack of loos, that was a problem too. It’s good to be prepared, but no one saw this coming. Even families with children going abroad were caught up in the huge, ‘lorry park.’ Many missed Christ mas, as they were still held up there. I tried to imagine what I would have done if I was stuck there, for I have many flasks of various sizes, huge ones that keep hot for 24 hours and fashion ones that keep hot for 45 minutes. If I was travelling for the day, I’d have had the boiling water in the huge flask and then I would put the tea bag or coffee into the cup with the milk and sugar, thus keeping the water hotter for longer. But it certainly would not have kept hot for 3 days! I always have food with me when I go on a long journey, like bacon sandwiches, cake, crisp, pop and biscuits. I’ve always for years and years had hand sanitizers and baby wipes, the wipes I’d have used for the loo department, and find a Tesco bag or two, but I wouldn’t have had enough baby wipes for 3 days, and storage of the Tesco bags, I would not have had enough bags. But how would I make do, after 24 hours or 48 hours, or longer? It’s heart-breaking to think many had not even eaten in 3 days! What an awful experience. I haven’t seen the news at all today, so I don’t know if they have been moved on from their hellish place. Their 2020 experience would have been worse than ours.

My other Cousin sent a text message to us all, “Hi all, I have coronavirus, mild symptoms, I will be off for 10 days.” I was shocked, I don’t see her as she lives many miles away from me and have not seen her this year, but we send funny texts about once a week to each other. I asked her, “What are your mild symptoms?” She replied, “Runny nose, sneezing, slight cough and a fever the next day,” I thought to myself, flipping heck, if that was last year, it would have been called the flu. Yesterday, Christ mas Day, she was home alone, breakfast and dinner was taken to her, she’s from a huge family and she is one of the fantastic cooks in the family, so to be all alone yesterday, would have been terrible. I said to her, when she told me, “Thank goodness for Social Media, for we are never alone, with that.” I asked Chloe today, “When is your ten days up?” She said, “Today, but I feel terrible,” I said, “Do NOT go back until you are fighting fit.” She replied, “I won’t a colleague who has had it, has told me, ‘Not to come back until you are well.’” Both are Nurses.

Then a lovely person at work whose Nana was very ill in hospital and quite old. They put her on a ward where everyone there had COVID-19 and she caught it! I texted this lovely person yesterday, Christ mas Day to ask how she was, and was told, “She died yesterday.” I was Very sorry to hear. Who will care about this Nana put on a COVID-19 ward? For Stephen, 2020 has been an awful year for someone SO young.

My Brother Eric, who has mental health problems, he has been in 3 different hospitals in 4 days! First, he thought he had a bad heart, then he was very confused and finally on Christ mas night 11.30pm I got a phone call to say, “He can’t walk.” But he can walk! I said, to the Company who he pays his weekly panic alarm bill carried around his neck, “He was discharged from the mental health hospital, he has had mental health all his adult life, why discharge him when he is this old? All he needs instead of an ambulance, is for a Mental Health Nurse to sit with him for 30 minutes every 3 months or even every 6 months, to say the right words to him, reassuring him and reviewing his many medication, and he will be fine, save all the ambulances that have gone to his flat this week.” The company that contacts him when he presses the alarm around his neck, the lady said to me, “We can’t do that, can you, speak to the hospital that discharged him?” I said, “They won’t listen to me, I’m nobody, they will always say, “He has to be referred by a Doctor.” Eric rang me at 12.45pm today to say, “I’ve missed dinner,” I said, “Well get yourself something from your kitchen,” He said, “Did you pay for my meal?” I said, “Yes, I did,” Eric said, “Well it hasn’t arrived,” I replied, “That was for yesterday, Christ mas Day, did you eat it?” Eric replied, “Sort of,” Eric said, “The Carer hasn’t been over today,” I said, “Well you can make yourself a sandwich?” He said, “I can’t, can you come over and make it?” I said, “No, I’m going to work, I’m not driving over 6 miles to your flat to make you a sandwich.” I carried on, “You won’t starve, you have plenty of food in your flat,” Finally he said, “I will make myself some cereal, and I will see you on Wednesday?” I said, “Yes have some cereal, and I will come over and see you on Wednesday, I’ll do your shopping and laundry.”

My Daughter’s friend who is very close to her 3 cats, one of them took ill and collapsed, 2 weeks ago had to be put down due to a tumour, the same day, she was devastated, but her second cat on Christ mas Eve, also collapsed and that poor pet had to be put down too, now the eldest cat is the only one left!

I booked my car in for it’s MOT, it failed, but with the MOT it cost £215, my battery was flat, but it’s not far from my garage, as I’d stopped the AA as no Craft fairs this year, so don’t need break down cover, they came and took my car to their garage and it was as right as rain. Well on Christ mas day, I went to move my car to outside my home, but it wouldn’t start! The battery is flat again. I’ve asked my lovely neighbour, “Will you look at it for me and connect it to your car, sometime next week as I’m off?” He said, “I will.”    

A lot has happened in 5 days!