The eyes are not too good at the moment, so I am sending a sad song to you. I did send it to some of my friends on Facebook and an email to physical ones, but I thought it worth putting up here.
I had cataract surgery on my right eye on December 13th – which is a story in itself- shall I tell it? Why not.
I had to go the Charing Cross Hopital for the surgery. I was told I would need to have someone with me, and one of our daughters said she could pick me up any time during the day except between 7.00 – 8.00.
They finished the surgery and released me at - - - - yes! Seven-o-clock.
I got on the blower to her spouse who said he would send an Uber (God forbid, what's the world coming to I have to use such a word) and said he (the driver) wouldn't come in for me but if I stood at the front of the hospital he would see me there. I was asked if I was dressed as usual like a pint of Guinness – black jacket white hair – and I said yes.
Now let me interject here – I have hardly any sight left in my left eye. I just see peripherly and nothing down the middle so it's like being in a permanent state of steam over the spectacles.
The other eye had the surgery and I had a piece of plastic pasted to my face and in the dark – which it was outside – I could see nothing.
I walked to the bottom of a kind of fence and then I saw nothing.
I looked back and couldn't figure out where I had come from, and in any case if I had have found the exit I'd used, they would probably have kept me there till 'they' arranged transport.
I went to a wall and it said 'A&E this way' (for the USA readers = ER) and I felt the walls all the way to A&E.
When I got there, I found a uniformed man and I asked him to take me to the front of the place as I couldn't see.
'Okay' he said, and marched off, leaving me standing there.
'Come back' I shouted, 'I can't see at all.'
So we walked to the front of the hospital and he was dithering and wandering about, so I grabbed his arm and said 'let's go.'
When we got there, I could just make out a little place at the front where I had been sitting earlier on, and I called the spouse and he ordered the Uber; 'you'll have to wait outside' he said – 'okay' I said 'tell them I have a Sainsbury bag' – which is bright orange for readers in the USA – and then he said that he'd call me back.
So I went inside the hospital and sat in the seat I could make out just before. The loo was right there so I went in there and came back to the seat, not knowing someone had taken it and, as I lowered myself into it I hear – OYE – I got back up and went to the nearest thing I could see which was the recption desk,
The daughter's spouse (I will not say partner) rang and said to get outside.
This I did but I didn't know which car was which, I just knew the driver was called Mohamed. A few cars stopped to pick other people up and then Mohamed came. Was I relieved and he opened the back door for me, but as I got in my boot caught something near the floor and brought the whole frame of the door down. 'Hang on' he said and came around to mess with it and, eventually fix it.
I said I was sorry I couldn't see and so we set off.
He had the post code on his sat-nav so we chatted – he was from Afghanistan and I told him my brother had worked there for a couple of years and eventually he said 'we're here' – 'oh I can't see' I said and he took me by the arm and led me to our door.
I rang the bell, hoping my wife could hear so she could press the button to let me in but no luck; she doesn't hear too well and needs a hearing aid so after a few goes, Mohamed went back to his car to call the daughter's spouse (still not saying it) and he called my wife and told her I was downstairs in the street.
Just then the door opened and it was the girl who lives in the apartment beneath us. 'Who is this>' I said; she told me I explained and she took me up I mean – what a palava.
So on January 13th the hospital called and cancelled the appoinmet I had for that day, as the doctor I was to meet was ill.
Instead of wasting the day I decided to shoot the video of the sad song.
We did three takes with two cameras, and a close up of the guitar, but I liked 'take one' which I hope you do.
Later I managed to get the song distributed and it's out on all the platforms available – including tik-tok.
If you are one of my friends or Facebook friends or . . . well you know what I mean. Good wishes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXuIEO4wmMk
you may have to copy and paste.
