Saturday 13 June 2009

My Hols and high drama back home!

So just to finish up the chronicles of my hols..... After a couple of days in Gibraltar, I made my merry way back to our flat via the Costa Bus route - and that started with a ferocious Spanish shouting match between a very tall African passenger and the bus driver. The issue turned out to be that the passenger believed that the bus driver had not given him his correct change - but it sounded like world war three was going to take place at any moment! Huge amounts of high speed shouting, gesticulating and finger pointing....... which ended with the 'Policia' being called.


Spain (our flat is near Malaga) had mixed weather - one very good day (hence the sunburn - see previous post) but lots of high strong winds - which at one point threatened to demolish the sides of a taverna I was sitting in eating my favourite - Prawns Pil-Pil...... yum! Apart from that, lots of sleep, walking and sightseeing - ending in one of my favourite places in Spain - Mijas. A most beautiful place, full of whitewashed houses, and gorgeous leather goods. SOH had given me a gorgeous chunky Labrodite stone bracelet a couple of years ago, and I always fancied a ring to go with it - and there in a shop called Mijas Magic I found it sitting with my name on it waiting to be bought. The place is run by a charming couple called Alan & Jenny Boardman, who made the whole shopping experience great, with nothing too much trouble! Check them out if you're ever there - I absolutely guarantee you won't be able to walk out without buying something.

Alas, like all good things, holidays come to an end and I found myself on the Exeter flight arriving home at about 1 - a little too bumpy for my liking I might add...... and then after a fabulous week's rest - I wasn't home more than about 4 hours and my flipping asthma started playing up!

By about 1a.m I was in serious trouble and poor SOH had to phone for an ambulance. Incredible good fortune meant that my friend Dena was on duty (first responder) and was down the hill to me in about 5 minutes with lots of oxygen and she started to stabilise me, followed in about 20 minutes by an ambulance sent from Plympton. But my asthma didn't want to play this time so I had to have some treatment in the ambulance and a quick overnight stay in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth. Two things about this - firstly it's made me realise how far away we are from things like hospitals (apparently Dena thought that she might have had to call the Air Ambulance out at one stage - gulp!!) and secondly how great the first responder system is.

So I'd like to finish this blog with my most grateful thanks to Dena, Paul the Paramedic and the 2 colleagues who were with him. Also to all the night staff at Derriford who despite me being wheeled in saying 'I'm not stopping' (!) did their very best to calm me, and make my surprise ending to my holiday a lot less traumatic than it might have been.

Onwards and upwards then friends - we are in full swing with the Salcombe Music Festival - last night was good, tonight we're advised going to be even busier!!

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