I is also for having being ill again, with an attack starting while we were having a delightful picnic on the terrace at Malvern Theatre in Worcestershire. Between the two acts of the last of the three Henry VI plays (we saw all three in one week), alarm bells were rung, and a lovely paramedic came to my aid, lugging his portable ECG and heavy apparatus, and in an alcove between the door to the cinema and the staircase to the theatre he sat me down, leant over me and undid the buttons of my blouse; as he still couldn’t get all his little stickers in place, he reached round me and undid my bra. Nobody has done that to me for a very long time, I’d quite forgotten the feeling. Pity I wasn’t wearing a dress, or maybe not, because as he was completing the readings the double doors to the cinema opened. The film had ended and I sat in the foyer, partly undressed, with the strains of The Bugle Boy accompanying my disgrace. The floor manageress and an usher played human shield, and the paramedic leaned in bit more.
All the while the ECG was bleeping its disorganised notes until my heart decided that that really wasn’t an acceptable rhythm and showed us how it was done. Another emergency over. The merest hint that a hateful spell in hospital is on the cards and my heart stops playing silly-buggers and behaves itself.
Since then I’ve taken things easy. I’ve been somewhat preoccupied with getting better again and blogging and blog visiting had to take a back seat.
However, gardener and I managed a morning in the garden, with a very long tea break half way through.
Gardener wasn’t himself either, he said his ‘sad’ is back
already.
A robin kept both eyes on us,
in fact, you could say we were under close
inspection.
(ha, inspection, another ‘I’ is for . . . . )
I'm sorry you've been unwell. That's no fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's a robin?
Yes, that’s robin redbreast, who appears on at least fifty percent of English Christmas Cards. Between ow and December his chest is going to become a beacon of carmine.
DeleteYes I am also sorry to hear you had that unfortunate experience. I hope the doctors will be able to sort that problem out for you soon. Sweet robin looking out for you.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's getting to be time to enter the hospital and let the doctor have his way with you... no fun at all! Your robin sure looks a lot different than our American ones. I would never have recognized this guy. :-)
ReplyDeleteAs distasteful as being in a hospital is, getting your heart fixed and your health back is worth it. I have been there and life is so much better. Take care of yourself and don't put things off.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the least bit fair, is it? You, who know so well how to drink deeply of the best life has to offer, should be free to partake without worry. I am glad you are all right. Henry VI, I suspect, has even looked up from his deep abstract meditations to wish you well. (And if he hasn't, I'm going to have a little discussion with him about what's important.) May all be well and may all be well and may all manner of things be well.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry. Poor health is a very sucky beast. And Interfer with the proper enjoyment of life.
ReplyDeleteFriko, relax, imagine whatever you'd like to imagine.
ReplyDeleteThat little robin is a bird I still yearn to see in person. I know our States version quite well, including their beautiful blue eggs, but only know the UK robins from artists' depictions and photographs. I know how our robins are often seen after a rain, as they hope that freshly moistened earth will yield them tasty worms. I've seen this worm hunting reach its final act. For the worm.
Is this meandering comment of mine giving you any sort of relaxation?
Oh, I do hope so. Your description of the loosening of your bra was perfectly written.
Gosh, perhaps I might get ready to click on that publish button now. Best wishes to you Friko. I do hope to see you in the coming autumn.
xo
at least you kept your humor...on him reaching around to undo your bra...ack...take care of yourself..and i am hoping that you are feeling better in the after....
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear of your episode. Glad that you recovered quickly. It is so hot out here that there is no possibility of working in the garden, with or without a long tea break It is also very dry. Have spent the last two days with the water running on one thing or another. I can't remember what I did for I.
ReplyDeleteMuch, much sympathy for your health problems. Empathy and sympathy, both, heavy on the empathy.
ReplyDeleteAnd dreadful that you and Gardener were feeling unwell at the same time. I'm sure your garden is still wonderful, but you would both be irritated (starts with "i") because you couldn't get right at it.
Your robins are SO adorable. Much prettier than our larger North American robins, which I've always loved, but they lack a certain delicacy yours seems to possess.
I'm sure we all enjoyed your skill in describing your encounter with the lovely paramedic. Tastefully done, with a hint of a giggle.
Luv, K
I'm sorry you've had another epsode of your heart playing up....is there anything that can be done to sort this on a permanent basis or are you stuck with havng recurring episodes?
ReplyDeleteWas robin hoping for a few worms, do you think? Whatever the case I'd rather have his form of surveillance than that of governments.
What a way to end what sounds like a wonderful week. I can only imagine your chagrin and your husband's worry......especially as a fit young man undid your bra! I hope you are able to truly rest and relax. Tea in your beautiful garden should help a great deal.
ReplyDeleteHi Friko - well you turned us into amused spectators ... and I'm sure with some happy memories of our own - I'm so pleased everyone buckled under to protect your modesty, your heart had the decency to say actually I think home is a good idea, where your beloved could be with you, gardener would call and take your mind off things, and little robin would keep you company .. they are amazing little red-breasts .. love them.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased you're feeling easier - have a peaceful weekend .. though Malvern sounds a gorgeous place to have a picnic - and better to have the challenge there than inside the theatre ... happy weekend - Hilary
Do care for yourself, and enjoy the weekend's sweetness - You are precious to us, Friko
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° >
Beautiful robin photos - a very special little garden friend I think. Hope you keep well Friko. x Jo
ReplyDeleteja zo kwetsbaar kan je zijn,maar je kan het wel smakelijk navertellen,gelukkig.
ReplyDeleteHi Friko - As I started into this post, I thought - she is playing with us - perhaps this is a paragraph out of a new novel and she is giving us a taste - very descriptive paragraph with the paramedic doing their job. OK - NOW - are you one of those that will not go to Doctor or are you wise enough to go and have this all checked out. I love the way you write, I enjoy reading what you write and would like to do that for a long time yet. Do get all of this checked out, find a solution and then write about it " I " think this is a splendid idea, Eh. Friko, I do hope you are feeling better. Take Care.
ReplyDeleteWhew! Be careful, Shakespeare can do that to you. Glad you're okay!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI don't know what is wrong with your heart, but I've been in much the same situation. No caffeine...even in tea for me and drinking a lot of water every day... so I don't get dehydrated. .Caffeine is a stimulant that my heart just can't deal with.
Glad you're feeling better.
That sweet robin is cute...
Balisha
"I" had just keyed into your blog when Tom said, "hey, come see the birds", so, put you, reluctantly, on hold for about 15 minutes as we watched all of bird creation bending the flowers for seeds and fighting (yes, fighting) for a turn at the birdbaths. We can see all of this out of living room window, Friko, and all bring delight, though I would love to one day see your robins, which are smaller and bluer than the American robin is. At any rate, what a joy it is to see this little one watching you and gardner - and what a story you tell. Sorry to hear of your episode. Glad you are resting up and that you handle these times with your sense of humor intact.
ReplyDeleteDear Friko, that robin doesn't look like the one here in the Midwest of the United States. Perhaps they're cousins!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to learn that you are having problems with your heart and that you must take life easy as must your husband. It's at times like this, when my body lets me know that I must slow down, that I realize just how vulnerable and mortal we are. And I find myself thinking of each of my body parts and how grateful I am that they have served me so well for these 77 years of my life.
There have been times of illness but somehow the body has found a way to recoup itself and to let me again enjoy walking and gardening and writing and reading and being with friends and yes--seeing films and plays that speak both to my mind and to my heart. So I hope that you are feeling better. Please know that so many of us await your thoughts for your mind is a wonderfully creative part of yourself.
I've been away now from reading and commenting on blogs and posting for several weeks. It's good to come back and to learn that you are still there in England being the person who mulls and muses and recognizes injustice and hits the nail on the head so often when a topic needs exploring. Thank you. Peace.
For a woman whose heart is idiosycratic, you manage a great post. Dianne
ReplyDeleteThinking of you at this moment
ReplyDeleteand will continue sending healthy thoughts.
Please take care...
Hey... buck up...Don't go out in hot weather to hot places. You survived this one, it should give you the confidence to survive.
ReplyDeleteGood trying Adrian.
Sorry to hear you've been unwell - but I couldn't help chuckling over the bra unfastening incident! I think you and gardener will both feel better if you take it easy for a while enjoying long tea breaks and leisurely bird inspections.
ReplyDeleteIndigo. Icicle. Impression. India. Irony. Iodine. Isinglass. Igloo. If. Illinois. Italics.
ReplyDeleteAll I could think was, well of course the bra has to be undone... oh, yeah, normal people wouldn't assume that.
I'd have been in big trouble after the crisis because I wouldn't have been able to rehook my bra without taking it off--LOL! After I tore a rotor cuff I have to hook it in the front and spin it around to get the darn things on so I would have made quite a spectacle at the play--LOL!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it was the hot weather and all those people in the crowd. Seriously--how terrifying! I am glad they took good and quick care of you and that you have been taking it easy since then. Love your little inspector. :)
Oh, sorry to to hear about that episode. sounds as if your hear responded well to the intimate treatment! Hope your heart settles down. I for 'into the garden'; sounds like a place of respite for you.
ReplyDeleteCardiac problems are so scary! I'm glad you are on the mend once more and looking back at the incident with your wonderful sense of humor (loved the comment about the undoing of your bra! So true! I can't remember the last time either!) My thoughts are with you, Friko, and I hope you are feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a special place to feel unwell ! Fortunately you got help quickly. I had to laugh about your bra adventure, although the situation wasn't really for laughter !
ReplyDeleteEver since I heard about the state of the British hospitals, I can understand that nobody wants to go in there ! You still have these enormous wards with up to 15 people only separated by a curtain ! we had that in Belgium in the last century and only until the 50th ! Today there are no more then 4 beds in a hospital and even that is rare, all hospitals have now rooms with only 2 beds with TV, shower and toilet ! That's why we probably pay more taxes then you do !
I'm glad modesty was maintained . Good , too , that a trip to hospital could be avoided ... though the NHS isn't usually quite so Scutari-like as Gattina imagines .
ReplyDeleteTea in your garden with your old collaborator and a robin sounds much nicer .
Feel better soon !
Terrifying!!! And pleased that even throughout the ordeal a little 'frisson' of pleasure, albeit dry, occurred. I hope the medicos can sort out what is going on soon. Christine
ReplyDeleteOh, no -- I'm so sorry you've had to deal with this -- and at the theatre no less. I hate it when my theatre is interrupted and I'm sure you do, too! Especially if you were enjoying the show. Mostly, I'm rather worried. Apart from the actual incident (i), which sounds like they were quite prepared for, I just don't like to see you under the weather in any way. I hope that red robin is keeping quite the sharp eye on you -- and gardener, too. You take care.
ReplyDeleteThe gift that will carry you through is your determination and your humor. No one can write it like you! And really, doesn't that help? I hope so.
Sending big healing hugs your way, jeanie
Lovely shots of the robin!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of your ill health. Take care of yourself.
Oh dear. This post made me laugh out loud. I just read your description of the paramedic unfastening your bra to my husband who smiled a little, but then, he's never had the experience of having his bra unfastened by anyone!
ReplyDeleteSorry you and Gardener have been under the weather - here's hoping better days are ahead.
Oh dear, I'm so sorry you've been unwell. Nothing like a visit from the paramedics to put things in perspective. I know -- we had to call 911 (our version of 999) twice for my husband last summer. So I'm glad to hear that you are getting well and feeling better. xoxox
ReplyDeleteIdentity, imagination, inspiration, Innisfree (Isle of Innisfree), … are my favorite words starting with “i” which instantly appeared on my mind. Sorry to hear about the incident at the theater and cardiovascular problem but you seem to be on better condition, Friko, please take care of yourself. Once in a while, it happens when we have to be resigned to our fate, remember it both somewhat bitterly and fondly later in life. The most important is how to live positive with the disease. My physician father often told me that certain diseases, pains and aches with the age can’t be avoided. People can live long in peace with periodical medical checkups, self-management, and medication if necessary, like a cracked tea cup lasts long and graceful when treated with care. Have happy summer days ahead.
ReplyDeleteYoko
Ah Friko, glad you avoided another trek to the hospital but an attack in public, bra undoing not withstanding, seems a bit dicey.
ReplyDeleteTry B for box and write about it...
Please take care of yourself...
ReplyDeleteOh, dear -- so sorry you haven't been well. But you had me giggling at your response to the undoing of the bra.
ReplyDeleteSorry you had another spell with your heart. No fun.
ReplyDeleteBut your post sure was!
=)
Taking it easy sounds liker a very good idea. Dsorry about the latest attack and glad it was short-lived this time. Take care.
ReplyDelete