Two old people locked in a corridor

1 Earlier today I visited the White-Haired Old Lady. As always, she was quiet; in fact, she didn't say anything at all. But, from time to time, I sensed that she knew I was there, even if she didn't know who I was. She and I had an hour or more by ourselves in the Garden room. She sat in her chair and, for the most part, she dozed. Meanwhile, I chatted, read the newspaper, ate a sandwich and a couple of scones with jam, and drank a cup of tea. A convivial visit.

1.1 Lilian's stockinged legs caught my eye. They are thinner than they were.
2 When it was time to conclude the visit, I pushed through the doorway into a short corridor; once there I pushed open the next door, passed through, made a way along the corridor to the next door. Alas, to open that door I needed to know the code. And, you'll have guessed, the door behind me could be opened only by the same code. Lilian and I were locked in the corridor.

2.1 Elsie, whose room-door was open, was amiable but was of little help. (Oh, by the way, I could not get a signal on my telephone.) Eventually, I pulled the red-knobbed cord in her bathroom. I wondered if the response would be immediate; it wasn't. Instead, a middle-aged woman opened the locked door. I explained my predicament. She asked me if I was a resident; she wanted to be sure I wasn't a resident. Then one of the staff arrived.

3 The staff member was followed by another; both of them had cared for Lilian, as carers, when Lilian had been living on her own. We chatted amiably. Lilian remained silent.

4 Five or ten minutes ago, I concluded a long conversation with Dorothy Bryanne. She has been told (by a ward sister at ESurrey) that 'He's not going to make it'. I sense, at least for the time being, that his legs are not going to be fit for use. She was asked to choose between his being admitted to a nursing home or his being cared for at home. I gave her a list of questions to ask next time she goes to the hospital.

5 A pleasant lunch with Rosemary Jukes yesterday. It was an opportunity for her to talk about things. And by the end of the lunch she had decided to join us in our divisional meeting at Rowfant on Tuesday and to join a beginners' pilates class in Chequer Mead.

6.1 Read Janice in today's Times. And there's much besides.
6.2 On Monday at 1000 BST be sure to be on the LSE website as the bookings will open for a talk on current political matters by Peter Mandelson.

7 And give futher accounts of the coffee shops and of the Serbo-Croat for .

8 Meanwhile, the new wipers, three of them, and the new bulb have improved the running of the car.

Stayathome