Beautiful Hokkaido countryside!

And...as I was taking this photograph, Dear Son's phone in the car was ringing...and it was the care home...

Okaasan had coughed up blood after lunch.

The care home doctor had examined her. But wasn't sure. And wanted a Doc at a bigger hospital to check. So they'd called an ambulance and hoped she was on her way to a hospital in the south of the city.

U-turn and back to the city we'd left 90 mins before on a day out to see flowers and countryside. Back across the mountains, past our picnic lunch spot we'd left 30 mins earlier...

Back to the city. No call yet from the care home/social worker/hospital.

We called the care home hospital...and found that Okaasan was STILL in the ambulance sitting outside! The ambulance was calling round all the city hospitals, but they were all refusing to take a patient from a care home which has Covid cases!! Even a 91 year old who had coughed up blood.

We went home to wait further news. Okaasan was ok enough to be taken back into the care home and put to bed in her room.

I did some gardening. He watched TV.

Then...again. The care home Doc had called round the city hospitals - and found one willing to take in Okaasan, so another ambulance was called and this time she was on her way to a big facility way in the north of the city.

Back into the car. More driving. 45 mins later we are at the ER of the hospital.

Allowed to MEET Okaasan! In the ER room. Haven't seen her for 3 months. I guess the staff thought it would reassure an old lady with dementia and no conversation, to see a family member.

She was sleepy and sweet. Tiny on the big hospital cot.

They did a stomach camera...Dear Son filled out documents, we got a bag of her clothes. Sent away again. Back in the car across the city. Knackered.

On the way home came the Doctor's call: nothing apparently wrong with her stomach. BUT....in using the stomach camera they had scratched the lining of the stomach wall a bit...so now there WAS bleeding from there. Best to keep her in for a few days so they could check it was healing.

Was the after lunch blood from her nose? Just a nosebleed?

All of THIS for just a nose bleed? Surely the care home staff/doctor can recognize a nose bleed?

All a mystery. We hope to get her back to the care home within a few days. Because hospital won't be good for her. Unfamiliar people and routines. Staff don't have time for her. Poor Okaasan...it must be confusing. But why? Sudden bleeding doesn't sound good.

It was lovely to see her. Now again we can't. Maybe on the day she transfers back to the care home we can meet briefly curbside.

And in other news: Sapporo City has JUST started reservations for Covid vaccines for the Over 75s. News is full of tales about confused seniors trying to use the website, or busy telephone lines. Daily new infection numbers are over 500.

Oh...and the Tokyo Olympics rolls ever closer. Feeling negative about it in Japan. State of Emergency active for Tokyo and with other regions.

Summer 2021....what a strange world.