Change of plans

I was intending to write about the continuing adventures on our Dutch holiday. That will wait till the next one. Instead I will tell of the interruption to our everyday life.

Yesterday was the Fox’s birthday. We decided to go out to a pub we came across last year for a meal. The food had been exceptional last time.

Off we went avoiding the worst of Lancaster rush hour traffic by heading to the M6 & taking the first junction off, south of Lancaster. We turned up the country lane to the pub to discover the hedgerows were white. This is the foothills of the Pennines. We may not have had snow on the sea coast but clearly, just a bit inland & higher up, they had had some.

The door was firmly shut. We feared it was closed for good, so used are we to pubs being open all day these days. I looked at the clock & saw it was not yet 6pm & I remembered they didn’t start serving food until after 6pm. Sure enough, just after 6 the door opened. The Fox went in to check there was a table available. There was. He came speedily back for me with news of a roaring log fire, just the thing for a cold evening like this one.

Soon we were deliberating over a fine menu, finally deciding on a Smoked Mackerel Terrine with puréed beetroot & horseradish, followed by salmon with crushed potatoes & seaweed butter. While we waited for the food to arrive we were brought some bread. It was beautiful. Homemade by the taste of it. I thought it had some rather hard seed on top of the crusty crust. On removing the “seed” I discovered it was in fact part of my tooth. Fortunately I wasn’t in instant pain. The meal was excellent, finished off with an Orange Sponge & ice cream.

Through the night I kept waking up as I lay on that side of my face, the pressure causing pain. Then in the morning I went to clean my teeth – such agony.

Our dentist opens at 8.30am. I was promptly on the phone. It was already engaged. I persevered, re-dialling every few seconds. Finally I got through. They’d already had 4 others with similar problems, so all emergency appointments were gone for today. However, she said she would consult with the dentist as Tuesday would be a long time to wait in pain - Monday is a Bank Holiday. As I was in pain & a regular patient, he agreed to see me if I could come straight down as a couple of patients had arrived yet.

We flew down to the surgery. My tooth has now been re-filled & is feeling fine.

I can’t help feeling very grateful for my dentist. In some areas it can be very difficult to find a NHS dentist these days, let alone one as obliging as this. He’s a Pole. When he first took over the practice it was difficult to understand his English but these days it has improved considerably. He may be a mumbler but he does see you when you need him & continues to work in the NHS. Three cheers for him!