First question was, is the new baby born yet, everyone keen to know. There’s a plan and upset that the birth can’t be at home.
Remark on the circular nature of life. My sister in law tells us her Dad has been dead for more than half her life. Much longer for us with my Mum. She talks about her own birth experience how Miss Smith told her it wasn’t hurting, a somewhat different experience to hers. We get to talking about epidurals how it worked for one of us but not two of us. Makes me reflect on my birthing experiences, so thankful I could be at home. Good job one of the siblings went to hospital or the baby wouldn’t be here. I found it helpful to think about surges rather than the more painful word contraction but that was just me. I felt safer at home. I found in the end my body just did it’s thing anyway, turns out I could trust it after all, I knew the risks, wasn’t still a baby myself. Had everything they could give me with the first, nothing with the last. Each so very different perhaps. Continuity of care made a huge difference to me, not everyone has that. I had someone offering me pain relief, perhaps that helped too and knowing what to expect.
It’s the Colne Match next weekend. (link if you want more info http://www.colnesmack.co.uk/) and we talk about the petition, that any interested party can sign https://www.change.org/p/morgan-marine-stop-the-morgan-marine-development-in-brightlingsea , you need to scroll down to get to the link for the planning application, there’s information about why people are objecting.
Apparently the mail is held up with covid. We talk about workers rights and how it makes sense for workers to be protected by mitigation measures.
We talk about stroking the chickens and how they’ll be ready for the pot by the time some of us get to see them. We talk about travel and my siblings hold me to account over going to Devon and I reiterate we followed all the mitigation measures, avoiding crowds. Came home without infecting or being infected. Someone we know not so lucky. Makes me think of that crowded pub and the tiny windows and how some people weren’t wearing face coverings.
Something about an arranged marriage but I miss the joke, not quite hearing what was said the conversation moved on. They talk about how 91% of covid infections are under 50 where they are and how the inlaws didn’t suffer too badly with symptoms but they’d been double jabbed. One of the younger ones had only had one vaccination and they were quite poorly. One day out of isolation then off to film in Malta.
Our uncle was in Malta during the war a few days different and he would have died on a steamer there. As he was he was laid up with a broken leg. Rested his leg in a bush and all the ants crawled up it! Not the best plan in a cast. I Nursed a child once who dropped a 10p coin down theirs, didn’t mention it to their parents and it was imbedded into their arm by the time the cast came to be removed. That was pretty stinky. When one of us broke theirs we didn’t realise, came home on the train and went to A&E next day because they thought it looked a bit wonky after all. Come to think of it that same thing happened to a friend of ours. Interesting when you think about that disconnection from body. Dave’s yoga class were on the beach today.
Our cases 1,030 in Tendring, I’m told. They talk about how inevitable it is they we will all get it and I correct this misinformation reiterate how to prevent the spread. Go off on a rant about vaccine equity, how vaccine isn’t the only measure. One of us can’t get the jab, there is no availability. We talk about risk and how this changes and can be managed, how that’s a hard message to sell. And wonder if that really is the case. They all want to know who funds the studies. Meanwhile I wonder about the teacher with their classroom only two years old and no windows or ventilation, why would you build a classroom like that? Guess we’ll be expecting the usual coughs and colds when they go back. Wondering why we casually accept all the flu deaths each year.
There’s a stump of an old olive tree. They want it out. It’s in the way but it’s growing anyway, regardless of what they want. They need someone with anger issues they laugh.
Then we listened to the story of how someone was dealing with a tree using a circular saw and how it bounced off and they grabbed it with their other hand, they were already balancing on the roof anyway. Best get a professional.
Memories of an accident recounted. I just remember how the person driving to hospital searched for a parking space while the finger was held in place with the first thing to hand, an old oily rag. (A clean, pressed tea towel would have been better but I guess you use the tools at hand). The person who was injured remembered the unwanted sympathy, just get on with the job. I remember Mums shock and how she just wanted to be with him, how we all rushed to be there as soon as we could, how I couldn’t concentrate at school until I knew he was all right.
My sister in law told us how she’s learnt to know that if my brother says he isn’t feeling well it means he needs to get to the hospital. They laugh at how the worst thing is sympathy. Makes me recall the lack of much sympathy and how it was always our fault. We heard the story of how during the first heart attack she stopped at the red light when the road was clear, how she didn’t realise he was having a heart attack, how they’d had two weeks of arguing the toss. The second time she knew better and got the ambulance, conceding that although they had to wait they would at least get healthcare on the way. (Here’s a link if you want to know more https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-attack/women-and-heart-attacks)
I remember walking to the shop to run an errand. I stubbed my toe on a paving slab, it bled and bled and I was frightened. My brother happened to spot me on his way home and he carried me home as I was sat on the ground. Mum sat me on the draining board while she attended to my injury and told me off for not wearing shoes. I don’t ever remember going to A&E in the whole of my childhood. She just cleaned and dressed it and that was that. I always had great chunks out of my elbows or knees, just part of childhood back then. I remember once ruining one of my school blouses, all blood and holes in the sleeve. I’d fallen over in the playground, they had a gravel that was particularly slippery I seem to remember. There didn’t seem much concern for children back then. (Is it different now? https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/)
They debated the pros and cons of healthcare staff having the mandatory vaccine. How in the Navy there was no such thing as consent or school for that matter. At least some things change for the better.
They reminisce about the huge needles and lining up for the thick blunt needle, more like a screwdriver in those days. It wasn’t much fun back then. How it left a bruise, different now, you hardly notice the needle so slight and since HIV it’s all individualised.
We talk about exemption certificates, how you can’t mandate until everyone has the chance at it. Talk about a winery where it’s mandatory because they had a cluster. One of us can’t get the second vaccination, there is no availability. They mention booster jabs but want to know who is funding the study.
It’s warm and we met with the cousins on the beach, adding to the collection of sharks teeth. Last day before they go back to school. They are nervous and some parents are excited, some less so.
