Back to school for Oliver but not quite for William and other medical dramas

Oliver and William started year 2 on the 21 August.  Unbelievably, this is their third year at the school here in Shanghai, and we are still not used to the August start.  It feels wrong!  I went in with William and Oliver the afternoon before to meet their new teachers.  We are delighted that they are both British- lessens the chance of developing an American accent! 

That first morning back we all had to be prised from our beds to be ready and out of the house by 745.  Even at that time it was pretty hot and we had a rather sweaty walk to school.  

                                 

After picking them up at the end of the first day they both chatted all the way home, buzzing about their day.  William even declared that Miss Wright was his favourite teacher. 

      

However the buzz didn't last too long, as after supper William called out that he had swallowed a marble.  I rushed up to him to discover that he had swallowed a ball bearing from a magnet game.  William, Oliver and I jumped on the bike and went to the doctor round corner who said that she thought it best for us to go to the hospital, so we returned home to wait for Sam to pick us up.  During this time I felt pretty calm and William seemed fine until he turned to me and asked if I thought he was going to die!!

Thankfully Sam soon arrived and we headed off for our first A and E visit in China.  As we drove in to the hospital there were hords of people milling around and coming and going.  It looked like it would be a long wait.  However because of medical insurance we were whisked through to the VIP section.  William was seen and x-rayed immediately and the surgeon saw us within a few minutes.  The ball bearing was clearly in his stomach and having examined another one from the game the doctor was confident that it would do him no harm and should be allowed to pass naturally.

                                 

 In the interests of making some money he said we could admit William to be monitored overnight but it could take about three days to come out.  When we didn't look that keen he said we could all have beds and order takeaways, all on our insurance!  But he also said it would be fine to monitor him at home which is what we decided to do.  

For the following two days I kept William home from school and closely watched over his toilet habits. On Saturday at pretty much exactly 72 hours after swallowing it, the ball bearing reappeared.  

Luckily Sam had taken over monitoring duties by this time.  

                                   

William was delighted to see it again, although disappointed that it had lost its shine.  He and Oliver insisted on it being washed and put it back in the game.  The following day William took it in to school to show the class, along with another one from the game so he could show them how it had changed colour.  His experience fitted in rather nicely with the work they are doing about the human body in science!

Life didn't quite return to normal as a cough Oliver had had got worse.  A visit to the doctor resulted in being told that he had seasonal asthma.  We were given a course of steroid tablets and inhalers.  However, nothing seemed to be working and typically, while Sam was away living it up in the UK at the Goodson wedding, Oliver got worse. We went to a different doctor who, at once, suggested that he had a chest infection.  Blood tests revealed an infection and Oliver was sent for a chest X-ray.  The medical clinic we go to is a private one, however the X-ray was a real eye opener.  Oliver, wasn't tall enough for the X-ray machine so the technician was momentarily thrown until she spotted a two drawer filing cabinet.  Se wheeled it in to the room and with great delight lifted Oliver on to it.  I had Daily Mail headlines flashing through my head when I considered had this been an NHS, let alone private, hospital in the UK!  Oliver was very brave and gave me a little wave from the X-ray room in to the parents area.

It turned out that he had quite a bad chest infection and the doctor decided to give him antibiotic via IV. I talked him through what would happen and he was fine until the nurse failed to get the cannula right the first time.  Then he quietly cried until they got it in to his other arm.  He soon cheered up when the nurse gave him a lolly.  

                               

                                

It took about two and a half hours for the whole drip to go through, during which time Oliver decided he needed a nap. 

                               

 The following day he was allowed to go to school but had to return to the doctor after school for another IV.  Another nurse was on duty and asked me how many people did I think were needed to hold Oliver down while they inserted the cannula!  I told her that as long as she got it right first time he would be fine.  She was fantastic and he even claimed it didn't really hurt!

The doctor diagnosed pneumonia which meant he has been put on antibiotics for ten days and needs to have another X-ray.  In himself he seems fine and is more than happy going to school!

Having not had to really utilise the medical facilities in Shanghai other than for routine appointments, it seems that this is our year for getting the most out of our insurance! 

Dubai - fountains, fish and ninjas.

On this trip home to the UK we tried going via Dubai, firstly because it was cheaper and secondly to help with jet lag.  On the way out we had one night there but decided to have two on the way back, giving us a full day to see a bit of Dubai.  Sam was flying home for work so had a seat in business class which he gave up for me for the London to Dubai leg of our journey.  I had a lovely relaxed flight drinking Verve Clicquot and having delicious food paired with excellent wines.  

     

   

Unfortunately I was only able to make one visit back to the three boys as the seatbelt sign seemed to be on rather a lot and my book was gripping!

In an attempt to combat jet lag we forced ourselves to get up in the morning and head down to breakfast which was pretty much eaten in silence by Sam and Oliver, the non-morning members of the family.

After a short walk to the metro and a quick journey we arrived at the Dubai Mall.  

                               

All of us were impressed by the sheer size of it.  Sam and I quickly snapped out of our mall gazing when we heard Oliver shout 'Cool, William, look at that Ninja'.  We realised that the boys had never seen anyone in a burka before and gave them a quick lesson on Dubai culture!  

The morning was spent looking around the excellent aquarium and lunch was eaten watching the fountain display. 

                                  

       

                                   

                                 

  

 A trip up the Burj Kelifa had been intended until we read that, although it is the world's tallest building, it's observation deck is 22 metres lower than the Bottle opener in Shanghai. 

                                  

                                  

 Having made that saving I had a quick look in the gold souk but couldn't find anything I liked.

Our afternoon was spent by the hotel pool swimming and relaxing and eating pizza for supper.  It was lovely to sit outside and enjoy the very different Dubai heat and the lack of mozzies.  

                                  

                                  

Gadding about Guildford

After the wedding we collected the boys from Sue and Suresh where it sounded like they had had a fab time.  We then spent a day at John and Jo's before they headed off to Canada.  Oliver and William enjoyed seeing the cows and riding in the tractor.

       

       

     

       

       

    

After heading back we chilled out for the weekend in Guildford before Sam headed to Essex and work for the week.

Mum, Dad and I took the boys to a local National Trust property, Clandon House.  In the grounds is a Maori Meeting house which was purchased for £50 by the Earl of Onslow in the 19th Century and shipped from New Zealand to Guildford. When we were in New Zealand in February we went to visit the village it comes from.  

         

       

                                       

       

We also spent time going out for coffee, going up Guildford Castle (an annual pilgrimage for the boys!) and playing in the garden. 

        

 Mum and I also enjoyed a few g and ts looking at the view.

        

      

Sam and I met up with friends for dinner in London one night and I spent a day with the Magee women at Godstone Farm.  

        

        

At the end of the week I headed to Essex to meet up with Jess and Louise and meet their new arrivals and Sam came back to Guildford with us.

On the Saturday we spent a lovely afternoon and evening at the Rowlands where we were joined by Tim and Sian.  We drank champagne to celebrate their engagement and clearly took our eye off the ball with the children.  

       

They all dressed up, went a bit 'Lord of the Flies' and locked Tim and Sian in the playhouse and then undressed and went on the trampoline! 

      

      

The Sunday was spent with Zoe, John and Chloe seeing their new house and trying out their new local which was rather good both for food and children.

     

The evening was spent with Beth and Scott and the girls seeing their new house and chasing foxes round the garden!

For William and Oliver's birthday Ellie and Dan had offered to take them to the Natural History Museum to the dinosaur exhibition.  Oliver and William had also expressed a desire to go on the London Eye.  Early on the Monday morning we headed up to London on the train and managed a trip on the eye without too much of a queue.  

       

This was followed by lunch and a trip to the museum which the boys and all of us thoroughly enjoyed.  

      

     

      

      

The mechanical dinosaurs were fantastic and very realistic.  

       

That evening William and Oliver fulfilled a dream.  In my parents garden is a playhouse and last year my mother told the boys that they could sleep out in it the following year.  Oliver, William and Sam headed off down the garden and set up camp for the night in the house.  They all slept well but were disappointed not to see the foxes.  

       

                                    

Our last day was spent buying last minute bits, including school shoes, and packing.  The last evening was spent eating fish and chips with Mum and Dad and sharing a few glasses of wine with Janet and Sue.  But the holiday wasn't quite over as we were looking forward to a couple of nights in Dubai on the way home. 

Mr and Mrs Thompson

                                       

    

The main reason for our trip back to the UK this summer was to attend the wedding of my cousin, Amanda, and her lovely fiancé Matt.  The night before the wedding was spent catching up with the Smiths, Smiths and Jarmans in Guildford where we were told the exciting news that Anna and Antony are expecting a baby in February!!  

      

The morning of the wedding was lovely and relaxed apart from the fact that Sam and Dan needed to go and buy shoes and Ant a belt as they had all forgotten these key items of clothing!  

Eventually everyone was dressed and ready to go and we headed to the venue.  Getting there was a little tricky as the taxi driver, despite being given the address well in advance, told us he wasn't quite sure where to go.  As we got nearer he informed us that he had two sat nav units and a printed map but didn't want to use any while he was driving!  We managed to direct him and arrived with time to drink some Pimms!

      

                                     

      

The ceremony was lovely and a few tears were shed and of course the bride looked stunning.  It was lovely to spend time catching up with my extended family and to meet Matt's family and Amanda and Matt's friends.  The food was fab and the speeches excellent especially Matt's and Allan's.  

                                    

        

         

         

         

After a few champagnes and wines we hit the dance floor and I managed to get a fair few requests in with the DJ!  

        

It was a fantastic wedding and a great start to married life for Mr and Mrs Thompson.