5.30am I was awoken with a start by the radio on my unit blaring out. I managed to turn volume down and went back to sleep for an hour or so.
Was woken later in the morning by the wards main lights being switched on. On this morning when the breakfast trolley came around I had Bran Flakes.
I then went to get freshened up whilst the nurses made my bed. When I returned to the ward spent some time before lunch writing more of this, watching T.V. and doing the old favorite of doing Crossword Puzzles.
After Lunch the Guy in the bed opposite me, asked if I wanted to sit in the Day room for a while. On the other ward they were using it as a storage room, but on this ward it was usable as had chairs, and a T.V. (that just about worked). I stood out on the fire escape for a dew minutes to have a cigarette and just when we found something on T.V. to watch his relatives turned up. He went back to his bed, and I returned to mine, as the picture on the Bedside unit was better than the day room T.V.
About an hour later his relatives left and he asked if we wanted to go back to the day room and I agreed. Sod law was such for me, that once we were settled in to watching the day room T.V., my relatives turned up. It was my mum and my grandad. I returned to my bed (again) and I chatted for a while with my grandad.
He had just returned from a holiday in the South of France with my nan to visit my uncle who lives out there. If I had had the money, I would have gone before. Can't help but wonder if I had gone, whether I would have had to spend time in a French hospital.
Whilst my mum was there, I asked if she would be able to get some money from my bank card for me. Apparently there was a cash machine in the hospital my mum had seen, so didn't take her long to find it. Unfortunately the damn machine charged me £1.75 for the withdrawal. Should have asked her to pop into town to get it. We chatted a little longer, then they had to leave as my grandad had to take my nephew to a birthday party.
When they had gone, I returned to the day room, and me and the other guy from the ward finished watching some movie. I then said that I was off to get myself a card for the bedside unit to watch T.V. and to make Phone calls. The guy said he would join me as he didn't know where the machine was and had to get some cards himself.
Once we had informed the nurses on the ward, we headed down the ward and made a left to the machine. We soon found out that the machine would not accept our back notes. I had heard that there was a machine on the ground floor so suggested we head down there.
The lift we headed to the ground in was the ones that takes the beds. It looked slightly different in there as the 2 times I had used in before, I had been in a bed. As we got into the main corridor, we saw a sign for the machine and also for a the hospital shop. We headed for the shop first to get some change.
The first thing that greeted us was a large sign saying we don't give change for machines. So we made some purchases instead. I got a bottle of Diet Coke and also a "Take a Break" magazine for the puzzles. When we got to the machine the guy got his card, then I tried to get mine. The machine eventually accepted my £5 note and I got a £5 phone card, then I tried for a £10 T.V. card, but it just wouldn't take it. I decided to wait til tomorrow when there would be a PatientLine rep in the hospital. Cards in hand we returned to the ward.
Not long after returning tea was being served. After tea and just as was getting dark outside another of my colleagues turned up, which was a great surprise. He brought me a magazine to read and as had gone to the meal on Friday I had missed he brought in some photos he had taken with his digital camera. He had also printed some photo I had taken on my Nokia 7650 of his desk which we had decorated for his 50th birthday and I had e-mailed to him. He also brought me a PC games magazine for me to read.
We chatted for a while about work, my colleagues, and also about the meal I had missed. He stayed about an hour, but had to go as had not had any tea.
By now was about 8:45pm so I got into bed and spent the next few hours watching T.V. including The Vicar of Dibley and the Fame Academy Final (was only one of whole series I saw) and was glad Alex Parks won. I also spent time whilst watching T.V. writing some of the earlier Blog writings. A short while after the end of Fame Academy I went to bed.
1957: 'Sputnik' satellite blasts into space
A Russian satellite has been launched into space - the first man-made object ever to leave the Earth's atmosphere.