Day Hospital - and more

Yesterday Day Hospital day came round again. The gaps between visits seem long now that I go only once a week.

Off we went in quite a rush. Sat down, jacket taken away to be hung up and tea and biscuit arrived. As I was at the beginning of the row I got a choice of Rich Tea, digestive of Chocolate Chip biscuits.

Of course I chose the chocolate chip one.

It is the small pleasures of life that can mean so much.......

Immediately I had finished the physiotherapist arrived and took me through to the gym. I walked without my stick and she walked behind me and watched. When we got to the gym she said that we would have to do some work on my walking as my gait is poor. The best way to describe it is to say that it is rather like skaters who move the right leg ahead and to the right then the left leg ahead and to the left. Not a pretty sight when you walk.

Then it was off to the exercises doing ever more each week and always introducing something new. The session yesterday was 2 hours long - a lot of hard work.

Then back to have lunch; green pea soup then chocolate pudding and vanilla sauce. Now I had tried the pudding on its own before and found it rather dry so I ordered the vanilla sauce with some dubiety and my fears were correct. The vanilla sauce was just custard (from custard powder) with some vanilla flavouring added. Revolting.

Immediately after lunch I was grabbed by the occupational therapist to join a group. We started playing a memory game where cards with pictures on them are laid face down on the table and you pick up 2 cards, turn them over and see if they are a "pair", if not you turn them back face down and return them to their original position.

This proceeds with everyone taking two cards in turn.

It is very difficult to find a pair at the beginning as you keep turning up a new picture, but as the game proceeds it becomes easier.

In the end I won with 6 pairs and the next lady came second with 5 pairs so it was a close run thing.

We had our tea and cake (baked by the men this week) and a crumpet with butter, then I mentioned that the game had reminded me of Pelmanism, where you put a number of different items on a tray, give everyone a certain time to look at them then cover them with a cloth and the players all have to write down as many items as they can remember. This game can be made as hard or as easy as you like depending on the number of items and the time allowed to see them.

Then finally we played a card game called Sevens just to fill in time till the afternoon was finished.

Back to my seat. You may remember that last week I said I thought I had made a bit of a hit with one of the gentlemen.

Well, this week I was very disappointed not to see him; I looked among the men in the morning, at lunch time and in the afternoon, but he was not there.

Perhaps he had finished coming on a Tuesday?

Just at that point who should come over but my new friend to say he had been looking for me too but had been whisked away to different departments all day. This is starting to look promising. It may surprise you, but in such matters I am usually very shy but here I am determined not to be. He seems like a nice man and I would like the opportunity to get to know him a bit better. No, don't be silly folks, I am not thinking wedding bells and white dresses(don't be seriously silly!), but it would be really good to have a friend to accompany me to go places - even just for lunch at Dobbies or, better still, dinner somewhere...............

Anyway, this time for the first time in my life really, I am going to do the gentle pursuing.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Not sure that the Day Hospital was supposed to be a dating agency.