Disembarkation

 

I am  not going to post every day, I can’t imagine life inside a micro spiti is going to be that interesting, but one thing you learn very quickly here, is that life can be very unexpected!

The last few days at the hospital carried on, more parallels between this hospital visit and the one fifty years ago. I got to know the two patients who sat opposite me quite well, one I hope to keep in touch with. The Greek patient is almost certainly an unruly fellow, and pops out shopping for cigarettes and food when it suits them. Leaning out the windows and smoking as well, one person was caught, you did not need google translate for that conversion. My return trip to Sifnos was sorted, the idea of getting back to the UK was fraught with road blocks of all imaginable sizes, so we gave up.

Yesterday my dressing was taken off and the leg cleaned and redressed. I tried not to look at it, but I did see it briefly, it looked like a leg of lamb, all that was missing was the Rosemary and tin foil. The iodine has turned the tanned leg even browner. I had my last tube of antibiotics, I am now on the tablets, and I am having to give myself an anti coagulant injection in my stomach every day. Today was an early start, the ferry left at seven, I was picked up at six fifteen. The hospital was quiet, just a few people about. I said goodbye to the nurse who dressed me, with my shorts with a long gash in them to fit over the cage.

In the ambulance was a lady on a stretcher, she going on the ferry too. I had my release papers with me, to let me on the ferry. On the ferry, I was taken up to the passenger deck on a stair lift, to be sat by the cafe. The crew had my details, so knew when I wanted to get off. After Paros, came Serifos, one of friends sent me a photo of the Artemis  from their house, and we had a chat. I think a few of them will come and see me. You can do a day trip to here on the ferries in high season. 

I ordered a coffee, No Bugatsa so I had a cheese pie. The coffee was lovely, first one for over a week! I got talking to a lovely Australian group about my adventures.

It was then back on the stair lift, and then after we had berthed, I was wheeled off to the ambulance where we met the lady on a stretcher again. The same crew who rescued me were there, nice to see them again. We quickly wizzed off to my new house, and I got taken up into it. I hope the lady recovers too. My friends on Sifnos have done an amazing job of finding me places to stay in the busiest time of the year. After a month here, I am in another place for two weeks, by then I hope to be back on Syros having the cage removed. Then I will head back to the UK to get myself fully fit. I have no idea how long that will take. 

My friends here, have worked so hard, I am so grateful to them. Their daily lives are being turned turtle by this experience. I plan to give a donation to the Medical Centre here on Sifnos and some gift to the ward when I go back to Syros.


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