Mr Him Flops Dramatically This Year

Thursday saw me planning a happy day.  Mr Him had booked a day off work and threatened to flop decorate flop. See more on flopping here.  To avoid a hallway of grandiose colour I immediately joined him in a day off work to make sure that I chose the paint. 

He arose from bed, made us tea, stroked the cat then sent out an SOS  by text.  Help! 

Well of course I went to the rescue. I found him immobile having twanged his back.  We got him to bed, applied volterol and I went to get paint.  Now the previous day the boyfriend of Miss 21, the automotive engineer,  spilt coffee on the stairway wall.  What inspiration!  Lets have a dalliance with another dessert theme, if you recollect the Eton Mess utility room. Let's paint the hall a mocha, I thought. 

I arrived home to find Mr Him stuck. Naked and stuck.  Wedged between sitting and lying and half in and half out of bed.  Now you may well think I'd pay someone to stuck him but not when we had flopping to do and I'd chosen the flopping colour, plus he was in agony. Between Mr Him and I we tried to unstuck him.  He was not budging.  The pain was excruciating and potentially a slipped disc.  He insisted I call 999. I was reluctant but after realising he was in spasm I had no choice but to seek advice. 

A paramedic was recommended and  turned up within 10 mins.   Mr Him was coaxed out of unstuck after a cannister and a half of gas and air.  I did ask if they had cannisters for restucking if I needed it one day.  They don't. Did I think he had gone a bit too far to ensure that this Easter the word flopping took his meaning?  Perhaps.I have had a back in spasm in Spain.  I had waves of contractions and can describe it as giving birth through your back.  Mr Him told the paramedic that as an ex army man he knew pain but this had him in tears, literally.

A specialist  was   called by the paramedic and gas and air first response paramedic left. The specialists arrived in a duo in an ambulance.   They brought co-codamol, diazapam and diclofenac I had the impression that this crew were a different service to the emergency ambulance service  as they came under another service name but I'm not sure how it all works and do not know why they didn't arrive in a car like the first chap. Maybe in case they needed to transport to hospital .  Anyway it was decided it was more efficient to treat Mr Him at home as he did need treatment. 

This specialist crew can not only prescribe but have the supplies on board avoiding the need for a home call doctor, they told me.  They examined him thoroughly and left Mr Him with  prescribed medication for a number of days.

On a serious note I had no idea the ambulance service could provide prescription medication.  I am astonished and delighted with how well they sorted out Mr Him and pleased at how well an alternative to hospitalisation has been developed.  We don't hear enough about what the NHS does well. 

On the painting front I put up the first coat of paint and now feel like I'm living in a milk chocolate mousse. Miss 21 did some of the second coat on the landing.  Cutting in at the edges is tomorrow's plan. 

Before, walls of off white

The first strokes of Dulux Soft Maplewood No 5

The stairway mostly flopped in Soft Maplewood