April 25th 2010

Hello there.
There was panic in the Silverwood household yesterday.

It was so beautiful yesterday morning, where we live at the foot of the Pennines, that the queen was inspired to go round the house, look out at the views and open all the windows. Spring is here, she said. Freshen up the house, she said.

Of course, I followed her round closing them. I’m not paying good money out to the gas people to heat up the garden and fields!

Anyway, as a result of that, later that morning, I was in the bathroom getting washed and I reached out to the rim of the sink searching for the towel when I suddenly experienced a pain on my finger. It was a pain to end all pain. It was a pain that I shall not forget. It was like being stabbed in the finger with a hot needle that had an electric element running through it. I naturally pulled it away and an angry wasp fell off the end of it onto the carpet. I chased it round but soon gave up. The pain on my finger was too severe. I dashed to the cabinet, found some iodine and cotton wool, and dabbed round the area. It didn’t seem to make any difference. I went down stairs and showed the queen my finger. By this time it was red and swelling. I told her about the pain and asked her if she had any ideas about what to do to relieve it. She said we should ring NHS Direct. I said no, it wasn’t serious enough to bother them with, but she rang them anyway, then pushed the phone at me. It was a pleasant enough young woman at the other end. I explained that I had been stung by a wasp and asked if there was any quick way she could tell me how to relieve the pain. She said there were some questions she would have to ask me first. I struggled to find out how I could get relief from the pain, but lost, so I held out my throbbing finger and submitted myself to answering a series of irrelevant questions. I thought that she might come up with the advice when she reached the end of them, but no. She was apparently only a clerk, and she said that a nurse would phone me back in about half an hour. She had gone off the phone before I had chance to say that I might be dead by then. Anyway, to be fair, the nurse rang back about ten minutes later. She asked me another load of questions, many the same as the clerk had asked. Then at last I got the information I had been seeking, which was simply to wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water and then gently rub a piece of ice round the inflamed area. I thanked her and rang off. I washed my hands thoroughly although it was painful. I didn’t have any ice in the fridge, but I did have an unopened bag of frozen peas. I didn’t open them, I just put the affected part of my finger onto the bag. I have to admit it was very soothing. After an hour the pain had almost gone leaving a swollen pink area about as big as a postage stamp. This morning there is no pain at all.
I am most grateful to the NHS.

On somethings entirely different …

I am speaking to the Young Wives Group about ‘Writing your first book,’ at Emmanuel Hall, Huddersfield Road, Barnsley, at 7.30 pm on Wednesday evening next, April 28th. If you want to join in, please come along. Admission is free.

I am still working away at my new book for October or so this year. But my next Angel book out is THE SNUFFBOX MURDERS on June 16th 2010.

Come back soon if you can put up with more ramblings from this old writer.