Della’s moods change from complete happiness and serenity at best to black depression at times, but she ended up playing well with Debbie
Della’s moods change from complete happiness and serenity at best to black depression at times, but she ended up playing well with Debbie

Della comes home from hospital after a fuss over the loan of a wheelchair and she settles in and we stopped at the Happy Eater at Croxton and had a late lunch, and we were pleased to see Della eating well again.

Della’s moods change from complete happiness and serenity at best to black depression at times, but she ended up playing well with Debbie. Diana was very tired and went to bed whilst I sat up reading in the lounge until Della had gone to sleep.

We approached today with a great deal of trepidation and with little indication of what to expect. Diana was first up and made morning drinks for Debbie and I and then I got ready as I had to give Debbie a lift to the bus stop as Di had gone to the hospital. Although Della was upset last night at being left by Diana, she had slept well and was quite happy this morning. I completed some small aspects of work and then made my own way to the hospital, meeting the duo in the cafeteria before I went for my own appointment to the "fitting area" for the technician to take some measurements for making surgical insoles.

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I went and sat there with them after my short appointment, and we discussed how to get Della a wheelchair that would be acceptable to her. Back up to Holly Ward where Della started to fret mainly at the arrangements being made for her to leave but also at us not being able to find a wheelchair with wheel-rings for self-propulsion. In the end, I persuaded the Cambridge Red Cross branch to loan us one and, once all of the goodbyes were said and Della had a chance to take photographs of the nurses, we loaded her up into the Range Rover and set off for Cambridge. It seems that the branches are organised on a strictly area basis and they are not keen about lending appliances outside these.

For this reason, we needed a conspiracy with the lady volunteer to use Della's Grandparents' address in Bar Hill for the loan on the basis that "she would be visiting them and needed it". All rather nonsensical but we got there in the end! By this time of mid-afternoon, we were all getting very hungry and so we stopped at the Happy Eater at Croxton and had a late lunch, and we were pleased to see Della eating well. Her moods change from complete happiness and serenity at best to black depression at times which we are told are symptoms of her confinement in the immobilising plaster and poor Debbie was on the receiving end of these when she got home from school.

First, she seemed welcome and then Della wanted to be alone with Di and poor Debbie and I had to leave the room and, to make matters worse, when Debbie was reluctant to go, I smacked her! Later all was sweetness and light again and Debbie and Della spent a couple of happy hours playing together in the playroom and red room with Monopoly the final game that had to be interrupted for bedtime. Diana was very tired and went to bed whilst I sat up reading in the lounge until Della had gone to sleep.