Getting better

First the good news. The hospital trip yesterday went well. I’ve now been dismissed from radiology. My skin is in excellent condition. So now it’s back to the surgeon. An appointment to see him is due for mid-May.  I find myself wondering if it isn’t going to be timed for just after my May visit to oncology & my next dose of bisphosphonates. We’ll find out soon enough. Meanwhile I can relax a bit in the knowledge that nothing more will happen until May.

As for the Fox, after that dreadful Friday, he seems to be on the mend. He’s still not eating well as he feels nauseous all the time & his appetite has disappeared. Nonetheless he did manage to eat all of his small portion of (poached) egg on chips with baked beans.

So much for the health update.

On a totally different subject, yesterday I listened to “50 Things That Made the Modern Economy” on Radio 4. The thing being discussed yesterday was the lightbulb. It had never occurred to me what a revolution the lightbulb must have made to society. Factories could work through the night, shops have their shelves refilled. Even simple things like moving goods from one place to another are more feasible with lightbulbs. Just go out into the open countryside at night & try driving without headlights & you’ll soon see the point. Work essentially had to stop when night fell. Certainly if you wanted to work in safety unless you were rich enough to afford a vast number of candles.

This short programme had resonance for me after our recent experience of being without electricity last week. Even reading was difficult by two candlelight. I hate to think what it would have been like trying to handle knives, dangerous machinery etc. Even moving around the house was dangerous taking a candle. We used a torch with a lightbulb.

Sometimes these short programmes make you appreciate how fortunate we are to live in an affluent country like England at this point in history.