I was supposed to be home and on Tuesday. Instead I ended up in the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow in agony. Problem solved and a couple of nights in hospital and I was released late yesterday afternoon after a wait for most of the day for my medication.
On Monday I rang CALMAC to tell them that I would not be on the sailing on Tuesday evening and could I move to the Thursday evening sailing. No more room until the 2 August. WHAT? If one lives on Lewis one cannot get back home for 7 days!
The implications of that could be colossal for lots of people. It could be a serious problem for me because I have commitments as well as no clean clothes nor enough of my medication (the cancer medication is not generally available on prescription nor in any pharmacy) nor of my 'external plumbing' stuff. Why did I chose this occasion to break the habit of a lifetime and travel light?
Apart from that a hotel or other accommodation in Scotland in the middle of the holidays is impossible or prohibitive anyway.
My son is away on the mainland but I do have friends and neighbours who will look after watering the vegetables in the polycarb and garden, the birds and so on.
What if I had a job to go to? As it is I have missed a funeral, medical appointments and a civic reception at which a friend of nearly half a century is to be awarded the Freedom of The Western Isles. In the greater scheme of things none of that matters.
What matters to me as I write this is at lunchtime on Thursday 27 July is that I just want to be home!
I'm about to drive up to Ullapool and try and get on the Freight ferry at 3am tomorrow.
Please wish me luck.
