Really the end.

 So I had one last trip on the faithful Petroc.   Giles joined me to take the new owners Ralph and Michelle,  on a familiarisation trip from Cropredy to Banbury

The weather was exceptionally kind to us so I should really say it was a lovely day…..in reality I found it an incredibly sad day.however we are thankful for the 15 great years we have had aboard.   We have been over almost the entire network apart from the middle levels. 

Geoff is safely home in Cornwall and doing better than expected with his mobility.. Onward with the next chapter in our lives.

That’s all folks

The end of the end (more or less)

 Well Geoff is home, doing better than expected although a way to go yet.

As for the good ship Petroc she is sold!

A very sad day for us as we have had 15 great years on her.   She didnt even get as far as the brokers.  A lovely Australian couple came to see her and I think it must have been love at first sight.  

Today is our last day of ownership, although not quite my last day on her.   I have promised to go up at the end of the month and take them on their first trip down from Cropredy to Banbury.  Son Giles is coming with me as I think he fancies a last trip on her.

The beginning of the end

 Geoff eventually had his appointment for nerve conduction rests last Tuesday.   Complete waste of time.   The consultant who did the tests said she couldn’t see any improvement but we all, including Geoff, see a big improvement.  She then went on to say that sometimes this sort of damage can be caused by a prolonged stay in hospital!   Since he was admitted with the problem which started suddenly, also not true. So as I said…..waste of time.

Later that evening when Geoff was safely tucked up I had a call to say a bed had been found for him in Cornwall.   Since the application only went in 2 days previously, that is nothing short of miraculous considering the stories of bed shortages in Cornwall.  The fly in the ointment is that the bed was in Helston, you can’t get a lot further down south than that.  However as bird in the hand so they say😎😎

Helston actually wanted him to take it up the next day but Abingdon said they couldn’t organise transport so quickly so Thursday was agreed.   I went in on Wednesday to sort out all his clothes and belongings and pack into one case which was all the ambulance will take.   On Thursday the transport didn’t turn up until 5.15 as they had had problems on their first trip of the day.  After a very long journey he was eventually tucked up in bed in Helston in a single room ( all new admissions have to start in single room until they prove to be germ free🤣🤣) 

Now starts my job this end……..Petroc has to be sold which is incredibly sad.  So after a weekend recovering from a very hectic and stressful couple of days, I will start the clearing and packing etc etc.   I need to get her professionally cleaned ( I do not have the energy!) and ready to go on the market.  Provisionally Boe and I will be back in Cornwall by about 6/7 March.

We initially thought Geoff would not be able to have visitors as Helston has been closed to visiting for nearly two years.   That all changed yesterday when they started opening up again but in a very limited way.  With luck I should manage to get a couple of one hour slots for friends next week.   They do not anticipate his stay will be very long.  They need to assess his capabilities and then our house to see what his needs are, so he could be home before the end of March.  On the 18th of March (if still there) he will have been in hospital 6 months.   

It’s the start of a new Chapter……we have had 15 years of a great life on the canals with Petroc, just hope we can find a buyer who will get the same enjoyment from her.

Winter on the canal…….The saga continues

There have been some lovely sunny days amongst the cold and wet ones so life is not all bad.

However whilst the hospital has been shut to visitors, Boe and I have both had COVID.   She was ahead of me so has been out of purdah a few days, I was set free today and miraculously the hospital is opening up from tomorrow so I can get in to see Geoff again. Neither of us had it very severely, just like a bad cold although it has left me with a distinct lack of oomph😎😎

Sadly we heard this morning that his already rescheduled hospital appointment for nerve conduction tests has been cancelled as the consultant is off sick!   It has
been rescheduled for 22nd.  Geoff very disappointed.   However his physio has been continuing during the hospital lockdown, although most of the time he was confined to his 4 bed bay.   Big plus today as he was taken outside for the first time for a stroll this afternoon.

Good friends and neighbours are keeping an eye on our house and fortunately there have been no further reports of the roof leaking.   Fingers and toes crossed it stays that way.

My way of getting fresh air

Boe likes it slightly more active!

She has been rather put off however.  Soon after that picture was taken she was dive bombed by a swan which threw her off her board and into the canal.   She had only been bragging to me earlier that she had never fallen off!

COVID

 caught at last!

Not such a good start to 2022 after all. Geoff has now tested positive. He is a little under the weather but nothing drastic. We hope that having had 2 jabs and a booster wall keep it that way. The worst thing for him is being moved into isolation which he does not like - On the plus side they have managed to rebook his nerve conduction tests for 3rd February.

Because of the visiting embargo Boe and I haven't been near for several days so don't have to isolate.

Roll on 2023!

Happy New Year

Brrrh🥶🥶🥶

It is a little chilly on board the good ship at the moment.  However extra clothes, extra bed coverings and hot water bottles seem to solve it most of the time. We just have to make sure the water tank on Petroc is kept topped up as they turn the water off on the pontoons if a frost is forecast.

Christmas was different to other years but good. Time with Giles and family followed by time in London

With Emma and family.. Geoff was not forgotten. and one or more of us visited every day. He was moved to a single ward the week before as they said he had to be in isolation before and after his PET scan. We have no idea why, afterwards we could understand as he was pumped full of something radioactive. Mind you we didn't see any glowing on return.🤣🤣

We all thought it was lovely as he had his own loo and a small kitchen area with a fridge and microwave etc. Although he was not capable of using any of this himself, it allowed us to take him in nice snacks over Christmas and keep things fresh. We even took him a portion of Christmas pudding. Not that the hospital were lacking in that department but their pudding appeared to be non- alcoholic. He also had his own tv. The big problem for him was feeling lonely and missing people toing and froing on his 4 bed bay.

So he was moved back after Christmas to his bed by the window.

A week ago he lost the big walker that was on loan and on which he had made great strides (not literally)it was needed for someone else. He was initially very downcast but they brought forward the transition to a smaller triangular gadget and he has adjusted well. However his daily walks down the corridor with it have now come to a grinding halt, as on Tuesday someone in his bay has just tested positive yet again

All in lockdown again until 25th we are told. Apparently the cutting of quarantine time does not apply in

Hospitals and its 14 days. We are now awaiting news of how this will affect his appointment for nerve conduction tests at the John Radcliffe on 20th.

Happy Christmas

 LIFE continues aboard the good ship Petroc.  Boe and I are managing remarkably well considering. When we feel somewhat chilly I remind myself that once upon a time we lived without central heating and one did have to think twice before getting out of bed on a cold morning The answer then, as now, is more clothes🤣🤣

Meanwhile life continues for Geoffrey in Abingdon. He is still making progress but it's very slow going.. He now has his own wheelchair and a very fancy new walker which has made a huge difference. His appointment for the awaited PET scan has been scheduled for 29th December and he has an appointment with neurology on 20th January.. What, if anything, either of these will tell us is debatable.

I have tried, unsuccessfully, to find a suitable abode in this area to which he could be discharged safely, albeit with a care package. I even enlisted SSAFA but to no avail. Ever if we could afford the exorbitant rents, we need somewhere suitable for someone with mobility issues. Petroc will never be that!

There are rumblings from the hospital in Abingdon that we should be considering the next stage. As far as we can see that will have to be our annexe in Cornwall. Realistically it will have to be via a similar community style hospital down there, whilst our home is assessed for his needs. We are hoping to stay up here as long as possible. He has almost daily physiotherapy which is making such a difference. In addition the family are within striking distance which makes such a help with visiting.

We are also hoping that there are no more patients testing COVID positive before Christmas as all visiting will be cancelled yet again. The last two episodes proved to be false positives so we lost visiting unnecessarily.

The bright spot of yesterday was seeing the new film of West side story. Boe and I already had tickets booked for the matinee in the Abbey cinema in Abingdon.. . Lovely independent cinema and we had 2 swivel comfy chairs around a table for our drinks. We can thoroughly recommend the film and the cinema.