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2008 - September 17th - Wednesday

TRIP TO CROYDE BAY TO MEET KATHY AND RALPH

Wednesday morning got off to a bad start when JH realised that she had, on Saturday last, left her coat behind at the School for the Deaf in Exeter - in which the Devon Branch of the SRP had held their meeting {as the usual venue, the Mormon Church, was unexpectedly not available}.  So JH phoned a couple of Branch Officers to enquire after her coat, but Heather was out, and Peter seemed to have moved!  JH telephone the Skinners apartment’s land line number before she set out to the Station in the hopes of speaking to Ralph – because JH thought that Ralph had less ‘highs and lows’ than his wife and would honestly say if he thought it would be best if JH did not come - but Kathy answered and told JH that Ralph was in the shower!  Anyway, Kathy sounded much brighter and had ‘taken on board’ that JH would arrive after they had had their lunch. {JH said that she might run some errands in any case; however, it transpired that, as she could not find out were her coat was to be found, she could not collect it and, obviously, there would be no time available!}


 

JH set out just after 9.30am in order to catch the 1025 train to Exeter St David’s: fortunately this train arrived promptly and so JH was able to scramble over the footbridge [together with a young lady with a very large case which she thought she had insufficient time to take up and down in the lifts] to the appropriate platform - in the 6-minute interchange ‘allowed’ according to the timetable - to catch the 1127 departure to Barnstaple.  The rolling stock was rather antique, and the train was rather packed - so JH squeezed next to a fellow traveller, who happily squeezed up to the window: on retrospect it might have been wiser for JH to sit on the seat of her wheelie, but she would have had less opportunities for people-watching. 

When we arrived at Barnstaple, JH was very gratified to discover that the enterprising NDRUG member, who had been selling snacks from a trailer of some sort, had now opened his Café in the ground floor of the Station Master’s house - www.stationmasterscafe.co.uk – after protracted, difficult negotiations with the ‘powers that be’.  Alison, who is a young lady with some problems with mobility and dexterity - but with no problems whatsoever with customer relations due to her friendly smile - introduced herself to JH at the counter, and then she called out to Mike to come and say ‘Hello’ to a fellow NDRUGist: Mike remembered JH attending the AGM last October but leaving early to catch a train back to Exeter in time to get a connection to Plymouth.  Mike was of the opinion that JH had ‘hours’ of time {50mins actually} before catching the bus to Croyde Bay and so rapidly cooked JH a standard all-day breakfast which was delicious and very good value.  JH left the station in time to walk over Barnstaple Bridge to the Bus Station but, having been pointed to the correct bus stop by one driver, she was able to wave at the other correct bus driver who had just turned his vehicle round in the car park {the alteration to the lay-out of the Station Forecourt having been completed, since Ralph’s car had been collided with by the lady motorist in 2006}.  Clutching her national bus pass - for free travel between 9.30am and 11.00pm – JH was conveyed to the Bus Station, from where she caught the 308 Stagecoach bus to Croyde Bay at 1320, having collected two North Devon Bus Timetables – one for herself, and one for the Skinners as requested.

JH was dropped off the bus only about 100yds from the entrance to the apartment blocks but she could not quite remember which ‘front door’ she had gone through, when she had been there with the Skinners in September 2006.  Anyway, Ralph caught sight of the red sweatshirt and found his visitor.  JH had misunderstood Kathy to say they were in the ‘Georgian’ apartment, whereas this should read ‘Georgeham’ which is the name of the bus’s final destination, and where it turns round and comes back.  Ralph called out to Kathy to tell her that ‘their guest had arrived’ and Ralph and JH had a brief recap about Kathy’s trip to see a doctor on the Monday morning; JH said that she had been most concerned about Kathy’s ‘negative’ tale of being so ‘out of sorts’ with everyone and everything (when JH had spoken to Kathy on the phone about 2/52 ago) and JH was even sadder about Kathy arriving at Croyde Bay and succumbing to D&V again.  In any event, Ralph and Kathy had managed to ‘stick it out’ – although as Ralph had said to JH, he would have been prepared to turn round and go back home again as soon as they had arrived.  But – as ever – Kathy just managed to mine the depths of her usual resourcefulness, although she still felt SO WEAK all the time. 
 
Kathy declined to kiss JH but just gave the latter a hug, as K was mindful that she had still not completed her course of metronidazole for her bug.  Kathy had, apparently, spoken to a local Doctor on the phone on Sunday evening, during which conversation K told the Doctor, that her donor had told her to drink water in gulps and not just sip at it, but the Doctor had told K that a sip at a time was quite adequate; JH had not realised that Kathy had been vomiting such a lot of what appeared to be just green bile-stained fluid; furthermore JH did not recollect – during her encouraging exhortations in the past to Kathy to DRINK – using the word ‘gulp’!  Ralph had only had to take Kathy to the surgery – which he remembered noticing on their inward journey – as far as Braunton to see the Doctor on the Monday morning.

We all sat and chatted during which Ralph and JH got through two cups of tea and biscuits, and Kathy had her one afternoon cup of tea and biscuits.  Kathy was still going through ‘upsets’ with Margaret, who – being Kathy’s senior by 13 years – always had to have the worst tale to tell about her various infirmities, coping with the problems of unexpected ‘incontinence’ – and the rest.  Kathy had been particularly upset when she had been told by several members of her family ‘not to get too used to that wheelchair’, when she had briefly visited the family picnic in Greenwich Park in July 2007 {which was barely 6/52 since the transplant, and which JH had not attended}.  Kathy said that using a wheelchair was not only because of her musculoskeletal aches and pains, but also because she needed to ‘retrain’ her bladder to hold urine which she had not produced for two years prior to her transplant; she had progressed from large incontinence pads, to smaller pads, to even smaller pads, and had had very few embarrassing accidents.  JH understands that it would of course be much easier to remain continent whilst seated in a wheelchair, rather than have the anxiety of the influence of gravity making one feel one ‘must go’ when standing up and walking about. 

JH did mention that, when she had met Pic and Bill around Christmas Time 2007, that they had expressed concerns about the Skinners perhaps losing their ‘get up and go (JH could put this better!)’, and the Bill Hipseys had expressed some concern about Kathy, in particular, not being able to keep her weight down.  Ralph found JH’s report about what was said between Pic, Bill and JH, rather upsetting as he felt it implied that Kathy was ‘putting it on’; JH was dismayed - that what she had said to the Skinners gave this impression (and JH should have known better than adding to their weariness at this time): JH felt sure that the perceived ‘lack of understanding’ between the various members of the family with regards to Kathy and Ralph’s coping abilities between themselves, should rather be taken as an encouragement rather than a ‘put down’.  {JH had the awful recollection of Dickens’s Mrs Dombey senior saying to her daughter-in-law, who had puerperal sepsis, that she was not ‘. . . making an effort’ totally inappropriately; and JH then had a dreadful, cold frisson . . . about Kathy not making an effort, when Kathy already felt low enough in spirits.}  JH has been known to say – of her relationship with her own sister, Ann, that ‘we are on a different wavelength together’; JH also thinks that the same epithet could describe the relationship between Mummy and Auntie Gert – not to mention other Finnies and Hipseys.  Is that how life is between sisters!?   Enough, Endlich!

JH had brought her bathing costume but the sea was so far out one needed a telescope to view the surf!  In any event, it felt quite chilly in places where the low cloud lingered, although some hardy persons were bathing - but some of the surfers were dressed in wet suits.  Ralph did point out the Life Guard’s flag to me which was, I think, at half-mast.  JH was offered the opportunity to swim in the Complex’s indoor pool and was shown around the pool in which a number of young persons were enjoying themselves but, by then, JH had lost the energy to undress and re-dress and there was insufficient time.   

We all walked over to the Holiday Park a few hundred yards across the road, where there were a small complex of stores, amusement arcades, and of course a pub where the Skinners and JH had some refreshment: JH had hot chocolate, Kathy had a fruit juice – as she was still prohibited from having anything alcoholic – and Ralph had the beer.  Ralph had to go in search of Kathy’s pills as she forgot to bring them with her; also the wheels of JH’s wheelie had been squeaking dreadfully, so Ralph had got some very superior engine oil out of his boot, oiled the wheelie’s wheels with great success, and returned not only with pills but also a small bottle of oil for future remedial purposes.  What Service!
 
Ralph and JH walked to the bus stop leaving Kathy to sit and relax: as we walked to the stop, the impertinent sparrow which had already regaled us with his unmusical song from the hedge by the bus bay, was still in loud voice and no longer had to compete with a squeaky wheelie.  JH caught the 1745 bus back to Barnstaple Bus Station: on her walk back to the Railway Station she got caught up in the madding crowds attending the Fair at the Leisure Centre; JH bought a portion of chips for her tea; she also politely asked at the Leisure Centre if she could use their ‘facilities’ – having asked one of the many Policemen ‘controlling’ the madding crowds as to the whereabouts of the nearest public convenience (those at the Bus Station being shut, and those at the Railway Station shutting at about 5.00pm).  Barnstaple does not have a toilet available for those persons carrying a RADAR key, or any other Public Conveniences open at this time of the evening.  In any event the gentleman (controlling the madding crowds) at the entrance to the Leisure Centre was courtesy itself and explained to JH that the cleanliness of the Ladies might not be up to standard in view of the madding crowds using them.  JH caught the 1915 train back to Exeter St David’s Station, caught a mainline train from Exeter to Plymouth which reached Plymouth in time to catch a bus home by 10.30pm – what, no stories to tell of fires by the railway line, breakdowns, etc, to cause the customary delays?  But JH got lots more people-watching done in spite of the hitch-free journey home.



 
 
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