In Scutari Florence Nightingale Attends to a Patient
by William Hatherell (1855-1928)
The last ten days have been rather frustrating. I had taken leave to finish my dissertation and came down with a rather nasty chest infection the day after. I was able to soldier on somewhat and while I was feeling rather grim, I managed to make some progress each day.
I was prescribed antibiotics, new shiny antibiotics, that I proved to be allergic to - now to give them their due my chest problems cleared quickly, but were soon replaced with a sweating, shivering and generally unpleasent state of being where it was unwise to stray too far from a bathroom. The cure took rather more out of me than the disease - I'm down about four pounds I think, perhaps a trifle more.
I am, God be thanked, back on my feet - but I am lamentably short of time in which to finish my dissertation. There will be plenty of hard pounding over the next two weeks in order to put things in order.
I did divert myself a little while bedridden, reading a great deal of Saki, which I thoroughly enjoyed and preparing a unit of John Cunningham's Sikh Akali for the forces of the Rajah of Kaala-Akhaati. These were based and undercoated very quickly and passed on to a friend of mine who does a spot of painting on the side, along with the first compoo of the Rajah's European trained regulars.
I hope that you feel back up to snuff in no time . . . ie, really really soon, sir.
ReplyDelete-- Jeff
Glad to hear you are moving forward healthwise. My daughters get annoyed when I refer to their two guinea pigs as Sredni and Vashtar and hail them as such in the garden. One hopes the neighbours might raise a smile or two...
ReplyDeleteAlan
Conrad Kinch,
ReplyDeleteI hope that you feel much better soon.
All the best,
Bob
Chest problems... hmmm.. maybe it's time to give up on the ready rubbed, old shag... :o))
ReplyDeleteGentlemen, thank you very much for your concern - I am back in action and as fit today as I ever was.
ReplyDeleteTradgardmastre - Well done, you've managed to reduce me to tears of laughter. I have visions of you bedecked with feathers and covered in face paint carrying to guinea pigs aloft to a near constant chorus of "Daaaaaad, you're so embarrassing".
Stephen - I am shocked, nay horrified that you would suggest such a filthy thing. I shall defend my frugal pleasures to the last!
Anyway, my medical man reckons that the one smoke a week I allow myself is probably less injurious to my health than the fact that I regularly cycle in inner city traffic.
Good to hear you're feeling better! A spot of Saki (of the literary kind) never hurts. Best wishes on the dissertation and the house!
ReplyDeleteCourage, mon brave.
ReplyDelete