Puffy MacCloud

Thank you HC but time is not, apparently, an issue and my anticipated timescale for the escape would put it closer to a hobby than a drive for freedom. Variations on the theme of amateur escapologist's teaspoon invited.

Thank you m but I’m not big on grapes so don’t have any to offer you. What I do have is a coffee cupcake that I’d highly recommend and be willing to split with you.

It’s difficult to compile a weather report only from what you can see through a window. More difficult yet if the blind is down. Yet that is my situation today due to the nurses trying, vainly, to reduce insolation and thereby heat build up in the ward. So, judging by what I could tell through the cracks, today was mostly sunny, dry, very warm, calm and a bit clammy. Pretty much at the far end of what I am comfortable with regarding heat. Meanwhile, on the medical side of Ward World, it appears that my pneumothorax isn’t closing up as hoped and the suction machine is failing to cope with the volume of air requiring to be extracted from my chest cavity. The size of the hole in my lung is too big for the surgeons to safely operate to reduce the size of the hole in my lung and the medics will have to figure a way to reduce the size of the hole in my lung before the surgeons can operate to reduce the size etc etc etc. Confused? I am. Must consult Joseph Heller. Latest prognosis is that I’ll be here for weeks yet, which at least is saving me a fortune of fuel costs for home and transport. Anyway, in totally unrelated news, I have received some information that has significantly cheered me up and given me a good reason, in addition to the attractions of the magnificent Kiltie thread, to get well and get out of here in the vaguely foreseeable future. My new persona will be that of an excited escapologist. Anyone got a diamond edged teaspoon?

I wonder why I repeated my last post? No idea. Making up for lost time, maybe. The clouds had breaks in them today and it doesn't feel quite as hot as yesterday so it's less muggy, which is good. Not sure that I'm looking forward to summer if it's to be spent on the ward. However, even though it would suit me, I'm not sure we can write off a whole season when we're only two weeks into a thirteen week term.

Cake of the day here would have been sticky toffee pudding to match the humid, sweaty, airless heat of the day. Light overcast but stayed dry. Cake of the day here would have been sticky toffee pudding to match the humid, sweaty, airless heat of the day. Light overcast but stayed dry.

Be careful of what you wish for. Combined tomfoolery I'd call it. (But thank you all.)

Bugger. Did it again. Bugger. Sorry. Sorry. Dash. Sorry. Bugger. Sorry. Sun's out.

Erm... Well.... This is embarrassing..... I'm still here despite my previous doom mongering and despite spending as much time asleep or unconscious as i did awake and aware, or more, which turned out to be lucky as it meant I had little comprehension of the assembled medical team firing pills into every available orifice and irrigating me with countless intravenous drips. And then I woke up this afternoon feeling actually quite well, lucid and in need of a commode. Why I asked for a kimono is, and will remain, a mystery but it certainly surprised and confused the nursing auxiliary in the room at the time. I'm told that even unconscious I confuse people. The doctors don't quite know why I'm still taking up one of their beds when the smart money said I wouldn't be by now. My daughters don't know why the doctors were so negative when their experience of me is that it would only make me more determined to prove them wrong. And my mother, bless her, who had spent a lot of time just sitting by my bed was surprised and confused when I suddenly awoke and asked her one night, "why is it taking so long?" "Why is what taking so long?" She returned. "Dying," said I, apparently. "Oh, I don't know, " she said. "Well go and find out," I instructed. So off the poor woman went and on arriving at the nurses' station asked the staff nurse on duty, "Why is it taking so long?" "Why is what taking so long?" replied the nurse. "For him to die," quoted mother. She described the nurse's look then as a mix of confusion, distress and fear as she must have wondered whether she was dealing with a nutter, a monster or a nightmare, and taking some time to compose herself and a suitable response came back with "It's kind of what we do here. Putting off death and that. For as long as we can." By the time mother had got back with the answer I had fallen asleep again, so the entire enterprise had been pointless, except, as mother now says, to remind you of how ridiculous life can be at times. Anyway, here I am, sitting in a chair bedside, chatting/catching up with mother, catching up on the kiltie thread and wondering what will happen next. With me, not the kiltie thread, with all due respect. Unfortunately it's the weekend and the doctors won't be back until Monday, so I won't get an answer any time soon. In relation to the kilties, however, I am very sorry to have upset @snowidea and promise not to do that again. Come Monday I'll find out what's happening and, if it's good, I'll let you know. In the meantime I will enjoy the rest of the day. Rain is in the air.

There haven't been any storms recently, nor has it snowed and no heatwaves have been felt locally. Barring those absent extremes I can't offer much in the way of weather reporting due to un unfortunate downturn in my medical condition that has seen me concentrating on the internal rather than the external. On Monday I was supposed to have my case review in the hope of being recommended for surgery. Instead, I spent the day in resuscitation connected to many things that went 'beep'. Or 'beep beep'. By teatime they decided that my 'good' lung had gone down with pneumonia, the pneumothorax in my 'bad' lung wasn't getting any better, and I had sepsis. I wasn't feeling very well at all, which I realise isn't uncommon in hospital, but it is for me because I usually just feel breathless to some degree. Then the consultant came in, clearly unhappy about being disturbed from dinner, reviewed the notes, listened to my chest, and said to me, "I want us to consider DNR." So we did. I am now DNR. And Do Not Escalate. I am on intravenous antibiotics and saline along with a concoction of drugs that half fill a measuring cup and still, dear kiltie friends, it appears that I may not be leaving here with body and spirit intact. Which is a jaffa cakeser. And my place of death will go down as Paisley. Bloody Paisley! People will think I was a drugs dealer or gun runner or mill lands pimp. On the positive side I am compiling notes for my daughters to follow when the time comes, which could be soon. I am aware that @mardatha is currently without a weather station so I am getting someone to get in touch through this very vehicle to obtain delivery information for Diablo, yes I know, sorry, and sent my kit to her when the time comes. I wish her the very best. I recommend a strict approach dear lady. So, best wishes friends and good luck for the future. I have thoroughly enjoyed your company, but in the spirit of leaving while you're still having fun, Goodbye.

There was a bit of rain at lunchtime, before that was overcast, afterwards was broken cloud and sunshine with rising temperature to high teens, breezy throughout. Had my eleventy hundredth x-ray this evening. I now glow in the dark. Even the nurse said I'm looking brighter now.

The wind, which had been blowing a hoolie for most of last week, finally calmed down on Saturday, just to restart on Sunday as a stiff breeze that continues today. Cloud cover always present, sometimes with a chink of sunshine through it. Not today though. Temperature in the low teens today having been warmer yesterday. All in all falling somewhat short of a summer soon to come sort of feeling. Today I've had a CT Scan and an x-ray. Something is afoot. Apart from a foot, obviously.

Is this becoming a novel? Are you really Hairy du Maurier? Still windy.

Trace went off with Dave. Windy here.

Lots of big, white puff clouds about but this afternoon still managed to feel mostly sunny, although clouds are filling in now. Temperature just into the low teens and a stiff breeze from the southwest complete the feel. Rain was forecast but never arrived here in Paisley.

On Friday I was mostly entertaining the crash team. Today It was the rain. I prefer entertaining the rain. Especially when it's been so long since the last time. Full days worth too. The grass will be growing like crazy.

For those of my kiltie colleagues in the west of the central belt who may have been concerned by the recent sonic boom, earth tremor and small mushroom cloud over Paisley, can I just say that the laxatives have finally worked and it was nothing to to with Madavlir Putin. However, citizens are advised to remain indoors until we cobble together something that sounds unmistakably like an 'all clear'. Any other long, rasping and loud sounds should be treated with extreme caution. Once the mushroom cloud clears it should be nice enough out. Temps in low to mid teens, light breeze from southwest, dry and almost bright to be the way of things. I thank you for your attent.... hang on a minute.....

Everyone glares at me all the time. I probably just didn't notice.

This new hospital that I'm in has a familiar old problem. Covid outbreak. I lost my side room to one of the first casualties and ended up in a room of six, three of whom have since caught it and been wheeched away to the covid colony. Twelve total now on the ward are infected. I however have taken precautions. The weather here remains warm but a breeze is helping to reduce the humidity and the clouds have finally broken after three days of solid overcast. I think it rained last night.

The hospital I'm in now is in Paisley at 88 metres a.s.l. I've survived the sorting pen long enough to merit a side room and this has a west-facing window, which I thought, being west-facing, would provide me with a beautiful sunset, forgetting that, being Paisley, some blighter has pinched it. Today was mostly cloudy, warmish in the mid-teens, breezy from the east-northeast and dry.

It rained yesterday, which was very unusual for April. Today is a new day in a new hospital with a new pneumothorax and a new chest drain that took two hours last night to install. I am absolutely shattered. And I am next to a South facing window that is basically a wall of heat and humidity with an overcast background. Not a fan.

Spent yesterday in hospital but out today and now back at the farm although confined to bed. It was a bright, sunny day with hardly any cloud, no rain, little breeze and temperature in the high teens. This has got to be one of the driest months on record locally.

Fabulous start for the day with a sunny blue sky and frosty white ground. Minimum temperature of -1⁰C, no breeze to speak of, sunny throughout the day but remained chilly with the temperature barely into double figures.

It was another lovely day here, eventually, having started off a bit overcast but clearing throughout the day until nice and clear with sunshine by mid-afternoon. Light but steady northeasterly breeze continued to blow all day as it has for most of the past week. Not a sign of rain again. No idea what the temperature was as I’m confined to bed again. I know that I have a temperature though and so does my infected wound from the chest drain thing. I’ve asked for a GP appointment. How they must be laughing…..

Today started 7/8 overcast but brightened to 1/8 overcast this evening with the breeze staying light from around the east-northeast and the temperature rising to 12⁰C in the mid-afternoon. So cooler and not as sunny as the gorgeous days of the last week but still a very decent day really, unless you’re churlish, like what I am.

The temperature stayed at 15C in the sunshine but dropped a couple of degrees or so in the shade, which increased as the clouds build up through the afternoon. Much cloudier now. Barbecue was nice though and makes Spring this year seem very benevolent. So far...