Having Della's Plaster removed in the afternoon after I had a mad dash to Birmingham Airport for a meeting with George McRobbie of Fountain Forestry. Without a change of government policy or economic climate, forestry will remain in recession with virtually no planting being done the NCC continue to designate SSSI's throughout the Highlands.
Della felt a bit strange and vulnerable after the plaster was removed but had her first bath in the evening with the dry and dead skin on her leg soothed with cream
Both Diana and I had a very poor night and we reckoned it was worry and anticipation over the prospect of Della losing her plaster today. I also had to wake early as I was due to drive to Birmingham Airport for a meeting with George McRobbie of Fountain Forestry. If that was not enough, I then was restless thinking about my life up to the age of eleven in Tottenham, London N17 and trying to remember all the names and facts which could form the basis of an autobiography. I was a wonder that I slept at all!
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I left The Hayling View at 7.30am with plenty of time to spare which was just as well as I spent the first half hour driving in exactly the wrong direction. The traffic was good and I arrived at the airport at 9.30am and had time for a pot of tea in the terminal building and was still early at the Novotel reception for 10.00am. George was delayed on his flight from Birmingham and so we sat there and chatted over coffee from 10.20 until noon when I had to leave. It was a useful meeting in exchanging information and views about the prospects for forestry in the Highlands. Without a change of government policy or economic climate, forestry will remain in recession. Virtually no planting is being done as the NCC continue to designate SSSI's throughout the Highlands; even in the areas of preferred forestry development which was against the spirit of the Caithness Land Use Strategy.
It seems that Fountain are going to come to a deal with Alan Brooks to continue as a self-employed ranger and that I can negotiate a supplementary game-keeping role for him to overlay this. The journey back was fast, arriving at 1.30pm with just fifteen minutes for lunch before leaving with Diana and Della for the hospital. We were there all afternoon as first she went to see the Christmas Decorations and nurses in Holly Ward and then kept her appointment in Mr Vaughan-Lane's clinic. They got her X-rayed, removed her plaster and then an examination led to the decision that she could manage without a replacement plaster provided that she was good and used her crutches for three weeks without putting weight on the leg.
Della felt a bit strange and vulnerable after the plaster was removed but we had some refreshments in the hospital as she sat on a wheelchair before we came home. She had her first bath this evening and had the dry and dead skin on her leg soothed with cream before playing the "Lemmings" computer game on the Archimedes to perfection. Today was mild after a night of rain and I only had time for my journal this evening as I spent as much time as possible keeping my eye on Della.