A Step in the right direction

Well, with encouragement from my Physio yesterday and under the eye of my own personal bodyguard (B), I climbed the stairs today.  That is quite a Huge Step forward for me.  I was able to sit down to my Easel for the first time in 6 weeks. I'm like a greyhound out of it's trap........raring to go.

X Rayted Report

Wayhay !  Just in from the Hospital Clinic.  My  Xray shows excellent progress (Pelvis). The Doc says I can start using my toes on the right foot for balance. This takes alot of pressure off the leg itself as I have been having to carry it for the last 5 weeks. I am moving faster on the crutches because of it. But I've a long way to go yet to reach full recovery. 6 weeks using toe pressure and gradually building up to possibly 50% weight on the leg. Another 3 weeks after that I may be able to put full pressure on it, with crutches. If all that goes well I should be able to discard the sticks.  What happens after that Heaven knows.

Not bad since it's only 5 weeks tonight (23:45) since the3 BIG BANG.

 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled,we shall be saved by his life.  Romans 5:10

The Night I Almost went Home

Monday night 23:40, October19th 2009.
Got to leave work earlier than usual, a wet miserable night in Cork City does not entice too many to stay in town. The Car Park is empty, all Lock up procedures completed and I can hardly credit that I could be home before Midnight. 
What seems like only two minutes later I seem to be somewhere strange.  There are people talking to me through the drivers window, calming voices asking me my name, date of birth, age and where I was coming from and going to.  I knew I was in my car, but for what ever reason I could not figure why I was on Patricks Bridge staring down Patrick St.  It did'nt make any sense. I should have been on Merchants Quay.....what's going on.  I remember becoming aware that I must have been in an accident and thought, "Lord tell me this is a horrible dream!". Another voice, female, calm and caring asked if there was anyone at home. I told the lady (a Garda) that I was concerned for Ber as she would get an awful shock. She told me someone was calling to her. Then the rescue crew started to cut me out. They cut my uniform off as well, No time for modesty here. The Fire Crew put a swivel under my bottom turned me placed be on a board and loaded me on to the ambulance.  A Garda called Michelle assured me Ber would be waiting at the Hospital. It seemed like a minute, but I was being rushed in to A&E and after initial checks, my vital signs seemed to be okay but then there were the scans and a tube inserted into a rather delicate place for a bag for my bladder.  Modesty is definitely gone for a burton.  Morphine drip and oxygen was supplied all night, though I felt I was aware of all that was going on around me.

end of round 1

After a few hours in the recovery room, where a Doctor stayed, observing my state in case there was any problems with the head that might not have shown up.  Eventually I was transferred via the 'Mary Hearney Corridor', to a ward.  I remained there for the most of the day. Finally I was moved up to St.Marys Orthopedic Hospital in Gurranabragher for my recouperation.

1 Week On.

Tuesday 27th Oct.
As is par for the course the lights come on in Block 1 ( the ward) at about 6:30 a.m.. Maragret, one of the Night Nurses adds " it is now over  a week since tbe Accident". Where did that time go? and could the rest of it go just as quick. No definite advancements yet either in my treatment or investigation of the crash. But I 've got my laptop so I can keep myself occupied.

 Wednesday 28th Oct.

After a good nights rest I feel in better form. The X-ray will be done at the end of the week and that will determine whether they can move me out on to a chair sooner. he ceiling is looking nice this morning. It is the only scenery after all.

Friday 30th Oct.

Things are looking up. I got to go for my x-ray today so  had a change of scenery for 30 minutes.  Bliss.  Back in my ward now and the ceiling has not been changed.  Oh well! here we go again.  We'll have to see what Dr. Gul has to say.
No sign of the Gul but the young doctor in residence reckons my ring finger is fractured towards  the tip. More X rays on Monday.

Saurday 31st Oct.

Nothing happening today. The ceiling is looking bright today....the sun is shining outside. I'm being moved to another room this evening. Rose, a nurse that ai bribe with 'sweeties', says she has found me a corner bed in room 18, which holds about 12 beds. It is next to the loo as well for when I am able to shuffle about.

Sunday 1st Nov.

Met my two room mates today. Jerzy, a Polish man who had his arm crushed at work. Nice guy with good english, and Ollie a young dad  (baby boy 3 weeks old) who had his two legs crushed in a road accident a while back and suffers recurring problems with his knees.  They are good company. At least in this room I am facing a window so I see daylight.......good therapy.

Tuesday 3rd.Nov

After a very dissapointng few days where my stomach was out of sorts, the day has begun with a lovely sunny morn.  I hope this is the harbinger of better things today.
I have'nt see the Gul yet this week but I'm praying he will start me sitting out for a while. Mentally and spiriually I feel it would give me the lift I most definitely need at this time.  I've been very weepy, feeling sorry for my self a lot. Oh to know the Grace of God to just look up and unto Him for all my help, health and strength. Visit from Mr. Gul at 16:45, I get to sit out tomorrow. I get Physio over the next 2 1/2  days and all going well I will be sent home sometime Friday.

Wednesday 4th Nov

Sat out for the first time since my accident. Legs weak as I was advised. Will wait for the Physio to get me operating on crutches. Used a walking aid to travel about 7-9ft. and had to lie down. However, nature can be a handy encourager at times......(Loo Time)
and after the first visit, with the help of 2 nurses, I was able to make the visit twice more by myself.  I can tell you I was quite happy with myself. Maybe the Friday release is possible.

Friday 6th Nov.
Major dissapointment today.  Having gotten splints for my two fingers, both broken on the top joint, and having seemingly negotiated my set of crutches in a successful manner, I am informed that the X Ray Dept. was closed today. This means that as they require a final one to be certain of leaving me home...... I'm stuck here in bed No.8 for the weekend. Yuch!

Saturday 7th. Nov.

Outside it is dull, wet and miserable.  At least being in hospital I am dull, dry and miserable. There is normally something positive in a day.  That 'dry' bit was it.

Sunday 8th. Nov.

Outside is bright and cheery. Staff feel more confident that I'll be out tomorrow. I hope so. Like the song from 'Les Miserables' goes....." One more day..."

Berlin Day 2       Thursday

Okay, after enjoying a beautiful day on Wednesday, our hearts sank this morning as we looked out of our 18th floor window and saw........Rain !.  But being the positive types we donned our jackets and Ber packed her Fashion Accessory a.k.a. The Brolly. Boy did it rain!, we had to content ourselves with the possibility of a day of window shopping. It actually seemed to be getting heavier the further Downtown we went. We went towards Friedrichstrasse, which is one of the main shopping streets on the East side and which was one of the crossing areas from East to West when such crossings were allowed. We dodged the drops to make our way to Checkpoint Charlie and discovered that the Holocaust memorial was very near to that.

As we surveyed a myriad of sculpted blocks here, the rain stopped and the sun began to show.  We went around a corner from this and discovered remnants of  'the Wall'. In between snacks we made our way to the Brandenberg Gate and along the Strasse des 17Juni, on either side of this broad and beautiful road was the Tiergarten.

A Vast Green Belt. We eventually arrived at Charlotteburg, the heart of the West side.  I don't think we realised how far we had walked, though our feet did. We used day 2 of our Discover Berlin Bus passes to do an evacuation to Alexanderplatz and our Hotel room. 

What a day.

Berlin Day 1 Wednesday 7th

Day 1

Our first full day in Berlin was an eye opener.  Firstly we realised that the train station was less than a hundred yards from the Park Inn Hotel where we were staying. On our arrival the previous night we took a taxi from the Airport which set us back 40 euro. The train fair was 2.80 each.  Something to bear in mind for the next time.  Wednesday morning was spent on a city bus tour which took us through from East - West Berlin and lasting 2 hrs it gave us a fair idea of the City and its most important aspects. Temperatures were touching the low 20's so it was very pleasent indeed. Again one was struck by the pure vastness of the place and the enormity of its amenities. Very iser friendly.  Wide Boulevards edged by large Autumnal Parks.  We were falling in love with the place already.....and we barely looked at shops.  WOW !

Berlin

Art Rant

      

                                                    What makes me MAD.

When it comes to Art I can truly say there is much, in which I take pleasure.  Be it the skill of the hand or the intelligence of colour and atmosphere applied to the work I can stand back and appreciate true Art.  What I absolutely HATE is the tendency of some artists to give an in depth appreciation of their Artistic style and influence and actually exhaust the limits of ones credulity with a language normally accredited to University Lecturers.  I was reminded of this while reading an Art Magazine recently.  This poor boy was responding to the question, "What are you currently working on and what gave rise to this work?"

His answer was thus: "My practice is a continual process that constantly evolves and transforms.  I see the work as all being part of a greater ' whole'. ( I'm getting lost already).  Recently, my interest in texture and form has enabled my work to develop into three dimensions. Current works are exploring questions thrown up by this transformation in relation to the concerns that are at the core of my work. ( Yawwwn ) These new questions relate to form, space and the relationship with the audience.

If this young man were to be honest and having seen a sample of his' work ' in the mag. he'd have been better saying, " Look ! I went on a bender for a weekend, threw up all over the floor, woke up next morning and said Hey ! that looks good !".

My own Art Philosophy is this: I love nature. If I see something in a scene which makes me gasp, I attempt to capture it on canvas.  That's it !.      I prefer Realism as against Abstract, though some Abstract can be excellent. But Artists should restrict their Abstractions to their Paint works and leave it out of their self assessments.