Home again.....

Some things don't change, do they...here I am at home again, sitting in my coat while I write on a keyboard which is no longer familiar to me. The "y" and the "z" are back in the right places, but my fingers or brain don't remember that any more. And all the puncuation marks are in different places too, so it feels strange and very unfamiliar.

And the white stuff is falling here too, only here it is not settling, and the sun comes and goes, and all that is familiar is the cold. Only the cold here is accompanied by wind which freezes the bones.

The trip home was relatively uncomplicated. It still meant getting up at 4.30am to start the bus / train(s) / plane trip back, and believe me, I am a wreck by the end of it all. I walked miles. Miles, I tell you. Jean, bless her, was there waiting for me, and she brought me home, and we had time to catch up on all the news.

And today I am having a quiet day. I was up all night with cramp in my leg, and this morning popped in to see the nurse to make sure there was nothing like blood clots there to complicate life. For the first time, they saw me having a really bad day. I was too tired to even attempt bright and cheerful and optimistic. Absolutely the opposite, in fact. She and the doctor sent me home to rest, after watching my leg pulse for a while. It looked hilarious. Or would have if I had been in the mood. A residue of the cramp, apparently. It looked as though it had things living under the skin. Aliens.

And I did not mention my clumsiness, did I.... I knocked over my coffee late on Monday night. All over my camera, which went crazy. Opened and shut and wouldn't operate or switch off. Marge and I dried it out as best we could, and then left it on the shelf over the radiator for the night. It closed so I could pack it, but I have yet to see if it is usable. My beloved camera. Groan.

Leaving is always hard for me. But stuff has to be done, and some things can't be done from there. Like hospital appointments, meetings etc.

Oh.... the car. I got in and started it to see if it would go, and it did. And so I went for a short drive. I got to the end of the road, braked, and it sounded if the whole thing was about to blow up. Clanking and grinding and decidely unhealthy sounds. I got out to check the wheels had not fallen off or developed punctures. Nothing. So I drove very slowly home again, without touching the brakes. And called The Man Who Fixes My Car. He laughed and said he had had dozens of calls re the same thing in recent weeks. Rust build up on the discs when cars are not driven in this dreadful weather. The cure is to drive it. Right. So I am the one with the noisy car, although it is sounding slightly less alarming already. I could do without all this, let me tell you.

No more mountains outside the window. But the spring bulbs are coming up all over the garden. I planted hundreds. There is a lot out there which needs to be chopped back too. Dead bits from last year. No more germlish, although I couldn't remember some english words after only using German ones. It took a while. No more lots of things.......

So today I am very very tired, and a little sad too. And I can sit on the couch and wallow, because that is allowed. Tomorrow is time enough for other stuff.

But I will be back there again very soon.