This was the last full day away for Della as she toured the quiet hospital on her wheelchair. I had taken Debbie to her horse-riding and shared hospital duties with Diana and The Laws so that I could rest, and Di could prepare a bedroom for Della’s homecoming. The struggle between Serbs and Croats in Yugoslavia continues unabated.
I had slept in until nearly 9.00am this morning and felt quite groggy with this intoxication of caught-up sleep and rest. It was Debbie that woke me, worried about her horse-racing, as Diana had already gone to the hospital to see Della. Debbie had grilled a couple of crumpets for me, and I accepted one of them and then got washed and dressed before taking her to Staughton. I then came back and fried myself a full English Breakfast and packed away the dishes afterwards into the dishwasher.
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Time to tend the rest of my chores, before I set off for Holly Ward to relieve Diana for the rest of the morning. Della was much brighter this morning, walking around with her crutches and also using her wheel-chair to good effect. The ward had been almost deserted this weekend in direct contrast to the situation during the week. Della played with the computer there for a while and then we went downstairs with her wheelchair, and I drank a shandy in the cafeteria as she read a "Turtles" comic that she had bought. I stayed until the Laws arrived at 2.00pm when I came home to make a sandwich lunch for myself as Diana was busy getting Della's room ready for her return.
I helped her carry Della's bed downstairs to complete the Red Room for her and then, after finding a televised soccer match rather boring yet feeling tired, I returned to Holly to let Diana carry on working at home. Di took over for the evening and, like last night, I just sat and recharged my batteries by watching the television and updating my journal. This whole business has taken a lot out of me, and I reckon I would have aged five years by the time it is all over. Debbie is as perky as ever and quite unaffected by the drama but might not have been so had it not been for the trouble, we took with her on that night of the accident and the next day.
The news is still of Yugoslavia but, for all I care, the Serbs and Croats are beyond my influence and redemption with the animosity they have for each other. I can only think that the news is so full of concern for them because so many Western holidays have been taken there in the past. Somebody has said that there has only been one day since the end of the Second World War that there has been a peace with no nation fighting no nation and even that assertion is dubious! The weather is milder which is nice, but my cold has yet to come to an end.