Get well soon!

[gamba]

salymap,

Although I did wish you well fairly recently, it's quite apparent your need for hospital treatment is requiring a longer period than you at first considered. We could have had some interesting ' chats ' if it had been possible to arrange the same hospital to ' fix ' our problems. I'm having to spend a full day each few weeks receiving several pints of blood, which, alas, seems to be doing little good. I have also made things much worse a few days ago by searching for a special light bulb with an odd screw base in total darkness in the understairs cupboard. Suddenly, my right leg made some weird ' crunching ' noises & collapsed. I almost fainted with the pain. Doctor called, off to hospital for x-rays. I had already had a hip - joint replacement which didn't help ! End of next day before I'm informed. No breakage. Great pain. Just wait & see what happens, was their answer ! My greatest hope is that you'll find access to your favourite music whilst away from home. This is so terribly important. I can assure you hospital staff will do all they can to provide you with all available facilities at such a time. You'll be surprised at how accommodating they can be.

Anyway, you're much missed & by so many, here's hoping you'll be 'lighting - up ' these pages again in the VERY ! near future.

yours, gamba

[Mary Chambers]

Salymap -

I hope the idea of spending Christmas in hospital isn't too awful. I suspect it could be quite good fun, even though obviously it's not ideal for anybody. We will all be thinking of you and hoping you are hearing some good music (not too much Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer). There's so much beautiful music with Christmas connections.

You're probably going to hear everyone's experience of hospital Christmas. When I was nine years old I had been in hospital for some time following an emergency mastoiditis operation. Hospitals were tough in those days, as you probably remember. Visiting was very limited even for children, but at Christmas everything became quite jolly. I was getting better by then and so could enjoy it. I was allowed home just for Christmas Day, but I was in hospital for the carols, the entertainment by the doctors, and the presents from the tree. Mine was a needle case - hard to imagine anything less suitable for me, but I treasured it for years. The doctors' entertainment involved a mock operation with strings of sausages emerging from the patient. Being nine years old, I though that immensely funny.

The other experience, not quite so directly personal, was when my nephew was born very prematurely one Christmas Eve. He was very small, and both his life and his mother's were in the balance, but the nurses provided him with a suitably sized Christmas stocking! Both are fine now, almost 30 years later.

I do hope that you will be able to go home soon, saly, and that you aren't feeling too depressed about it all. It's such a nuisance when something physical gets in the way of one's life!

[marthe]

The trans-Atlantic elf is wishing saly all the best from us in Newport, RI where we've had a taste of winter and are now about to have a bit of spring with much warmer temps tomorrow. 31 years ago today, my lovely daughter Elizabeth was born. Back then, they kept mums and babies in hospital a bit longer than they do now. Lizzy was a bit jaundiced and we had to stay a bit longer so she could spend time "under the lights" to bring her bilirubin count down. We very nearly spent Christmas in hospital but were released just in time to spend the 25th at home. I hope your nearest and dearest bring you lovely Christmas treats. Thinking of you and all the best, marthe

[Beef Oven!]

The trans-Atlantic elf is wishing saly all the best from us in Newport, RI where we've had a taste of winter and are now about to have a bit of spring with much warmer temps tomorrow. 31 years ago today, my lovely daughter Elizabeth was born. Back then, they kept mums and babies in hospital a bit longer than they do now. Lizzy was a bit jaundiced and we had to stay a bit longer so she could spend time "under the lights" to bring her bilirubin count down. We very nearly spent Christmas in hospital but were released just in time to spend the 25th at home. I hope your nearest and dearest bring you lovely Christmas treats. Thinking of you and all the best, marthe

And Happy birthday to Elizabeth!

[marthe]

Thank you Beef oven.

[eighthobstruction]

Hope you are getting better Salymap and gamba....

[Anna]

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through Ward Three
Not a creature was stirring, except the Fairy atop the Tree;
The stockings were hung by the beds with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
And Fairy saw Salymap, nestled all snug in her bed;
And put visions of sugar-plums dancing in her head,
And snowflakes, and sprouts, Christmas pudding, ivy and holly ......
Saly, you may not feel too good – But ‘tis the Season to be Jolly!

Best wishes saly, hoping your hospital Christmas will be as enjoyable as can be – you are much missed, hoping St. Nicholas finds his way to you! I know, if we could, you would have many gifts

(with sincere apologies to Clement Clarke Moore of course!)

[marthe]

Anna, if I may, I'd like to add my good wishes to Clement C. Moore's (lived in Newport, RI!). Dear saly, you have many friends on both sides of "the Pond" who are wishing you a Happy Christmas replete with comforts...and some joy as well. All the best, marthe

[amateur51]

What-ho Salymap! I hope you're snuggled up in your hozzie bed, doing as you're told by the physio () and getting better by the day. As you can see from all the messages, we miss you a lot & can't wait for the day when you're back amongst us ... so get a wriggle on as your coz in Oz would say! No dozing through Her Majesty's speech on Christmas Day either

[gamba]

Hope you are getting better Salymap and gamba....

Thank you, it's good to be remembered !

[Stillhomewardbound]

Salymap,

What rotten luck to be away from home over Christmas. You are in our thoughts.

My small offering for you is a John Betjeman poem that I heard read by the actor Robert Powell at a Carol Service in the aid of the Mildmay Hospital at St.Botolph Without Aldgate.

I'm sure I must have heard it before but it seemed unfamiliar and came fresh to me. In any event, it's as relevant today as when it first appeared over sixty-five years previously.

In the meantime, we look forward to your return in the new year!

Christmas greetings,

Stephen / SHB



Advent 1955 by John Betjeman

The Advent wind begins to stir
With sea-like sounds in our Scotch fir,
It's dark at breakfast, dark at tea,
And in between we only see
Clouds hurrying across the sky
And rain-wet roads the wind blows dry
And branches bending to the gale
Against great skies all silver pale
The world seems travelling into space,
And travelling at a faster pace
Than in the leisured summer weather
When we and it sit out together,
For now we feel the world spin round
On some momentous journey bound -
Journey to what? to whom? to where?
The Advent bells call out 'Prepare,
Your world is journeying to the birth
Of God made Man for us on earth.'

And how, in fact, do we prepare
The great day that waits us there -
For the twenty-fifth day of December,
The birth of Christ? For some it means
An interchange of hunting scenes
On coloured cards, And I remember
Last year I sent out twenty yards,
Laid end to end, of Christmas cards
To people that I scarcely know -
They'd sent a card to me, and so
I had to send one back. Oh dear!
Is this a form of Christmas cheer?
Or is it, which is less surprising,
My pride gone in for advertising?
The only cards that really count
Are that extremely small amount
From real friends who keep in touch
And are not rich but love us much
Some ways indeed are very odd
By which we hail the birth of God.

We raise the price of things in shops,
We give plain boxes fancy tops
And lines which traders cannot sell
Thus parcell'd go extremely well
We dole out bribes we call a present
To those to whom we must be pleasant
For business reasons. Our defence is
These bribes are charged against expenses
And bring relief in Income Tax
Enough of these unworthy cracks!
'The time draws near the birth of Christ'.
A present that cannot be priced
Given two thousand years ago
Yet if God had not given so
He still would be a distant stranger
And not the Baby in the manger.mm

[EdgeleyRob]

Best wishes Saly and Gamba.

[doversoul1]

Best wishes from me, too salymap, and do look after yourself carefully, gamba.

[mangerton]

I hope things are improving for you, salymap, and I look forward to reading your posts again.

Best wishes to you, and to gamba.

[teamsaint]

Best wishes Saly and Gamba.

can't say fairer than that.
Hope Christmas brings some cheer for you both, Salymap and Gamba.