flowers – Matthew McKinnon's Blog

Positive Care Experience at QEUH: A Patient’s Perspective

QUEEN ELIZABETH UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL GLASGOW – In my last blog, I was telling you something about our holiday to the island of Tiree and our day trip to Loch Katrine, and then finished up by telling you of my hospital experience after having had a stroke. There have been many reports regarding problems at the QEUH since it was opened 10 years ago at a cost of around £575 million pounds, along with negative reports of the NHS in Scotland generally. I thought I would just like to add my ‘tuppence worth’ as a ‘stroke patient’ who last had a stay in hospital approximately 75 years ago!

It was around 3am when I had my stroke, and my wife was quick to dial 999, and the ambulance arrived within 10-15 minutes. A quick assessment and soon I was on my way to QEUH Stroke Unit where I received immediate attention. A few scans later I was given a cocktail of pills and transferred to a ward. The following morning after a visit from two physiotherapists I was moved to the stroke rehabilitation centre.

During my stay there I was impressed by what I observed, and blessed by the empathy and care of the nursing staff, and all the associate professionals along with, caterers, cleaners, and porters. I was truly well looked after, but not “molly coddled” and was encouraged to do for myself, the things I was able to do. The Physio / Occupational Therapy team were excellent, and had access to a well equipped gym and ‘mock up’ kitchen. There was also an arts class, and film night(s) which were great in helping people to take their mind off their current problems. Visitors were allowed and welcomed throughout the day, and some patients were allowed out to walk or in wheelchairs to enjoy the sunny weather. In my mind I was scoring this 10 out of 10!

During my stay, and since coming home I have been blessed with many visitors, including visits from two new great grandsons, but unfortunately don’t have pictures of them all. Here is a selection of smiling faces who came to encourage and pray.

While in hospital I was asked if I would like to take part in some research programmes, so after some discussion signed up for ‘The Pheonix trial’, which sounded really interesting. The study seeks to discover how our genes respond to different medication and if tailoring medicine to each individuals genes could lead to better outcomes, and save money by not providing medicines that are not giving the results intended. You can read more about it here – phoenix.gla.ac.uk

The local Stroke ‘Physio Team’ have also been excellent since I came home, so I have and am, being well cared for.

Well life has slowed down a bit, but we have been enjoying the garden, and some local trips and walks in beautiful weather, since I last blogged, so here are some pics.

In this blog I tell something of the trials and joys of life, and of the many loving and helpful people we meet along life’s journey. Not just family and personal friends, although they all so kindly gathered around to help in a multitude of ways, far beyond the call of duty, but also of so many others, whom until recently I had never met. It was moving to watch the nursing care given to other patients, for example, the 90 year old man being given a shave, and after shave lotion rubbed into his face, and made to feel comfortable. Later to see the equipment that was available to lift him out of bed into a wheel chair, where he was wrapped up for a walk to the hospital garden. Wow! I wonder how things might change for the sick, weak and those feeling emotional and vulnerable, also between doctors and patients, as and when the ‘Assisted Dying’ bill becomes law.

As a Christian, I believe that life is a gift from God, and that he created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, and so love and compassion for others is readily expressed in so many ways within society. But recent bills in the Houses of Parliament regarding the killing of the unborn child and the assisted dying bill I feel strongly opposed to. Surely we need to listen to the pleas for the unborn child, and provide more palliative care for the dying..

So does God care about you? Absolutely! Before Jesus Himself was betrayed, or heard the mob cry ‘away with Him we will not have this man to reign over us‘, before he heard the judge say ‘I find no fault in him‘, but was nonetheless handed over to be crucified, He spoke these words.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6

I came to Jesus as a child, but it is never too late to come. Have you come?

Here is a prayer you could pray – Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that I am a sinner, and believe that your Son the Lord Jesus Christ died for my sins on the cross. I believe that you God raised him from the dead. I now repent of my sin and receive Jesus into my life, and confess Him as my Saviour and Lord. Amen

If you prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God. John the Apostle says – Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. John 1:12, 13.

A song to sing along.

If you have been supporting me in prayer, or have sent a card or message, then a huge thank you, and if you are one of my subscribers again a big thank you for following along life’s road with me.

Wherever you are I trust this finds you well, I’m always glad to hear from you

Matthew

“Rain! Rain! Rain!”

As kids we used to say a childish rhyme ‘Rain Rain go to Spain and don’t come back to me again‘. There are many derivations to the words in that nursery rhyme, which evidently has its origin back in the 17th century! I don’t know about ‘going to Spain‘, but February was one of the wettest months here in the UK, and there were many times when we just wished the rain would stop. It also continued into the month of March, but I guess that is all part of what it means to live with a maritime climate!

All of that besides, we did manage to get out and about as best we could, mostly to local parks, but two places we reached a bit further afield were Stirling Castle in Stirlingshire and Culzean Castle in Ayrshire. In the winter and early Spring all these places can be enjoyed more easily in what is normally a much quieter season, so here are some photographs.

First our visit to Stirling and the Bannockburn Battlefield and Memorial, where on this site in 1314 a battle raged between the Scottish and English armies. The site is beautifully maintained by the National Trust for Scotland, and surrounded by some stunning countryside.

Inside the National Memorial building the battle is dramatically displayed by means of some very clever modern technology and sound effects. Arrows fired at you whizz over your head and when you turn-around soldiers are falling on the screen behind you! There is also a battle room where you are talked through the twists and turns of the battle. It’s all very well presented and is well worth a visit. Here are a few photographs.

Then on the 2nd March we made a trip to Culzean Castle on the Ayrshire coastline, one of our favourite places. It was nice to see the snowdrops and daffodils flourishing, and even some of the rhododendrons were in flower! Photographs below:

Certainly all that rain makes everything very green and as we approach Easter it is lovely to see the grass growing and flowers again appearing in our garden, and also in the local parks. Seedlings are growing well in the greenhouse within a couple of propagators. This week the clocks Spring forward so we will soon be enjoying an extra hour of light in the evenings, Hurrah! Here’s a few more photos:

I often wonder when I plant these dead looking bulbs in the Autumn, or see what looks like dead bushes and trees bursting into life, why anyone could possibly conclude that all this came about from nothing, and just by chance, baffles me. In my garden and greenhouse I often feel compelled to pause and thank God for His amazing work of creation.

There is a Bible verse that seems to well encapsulate these thoughts, it reads:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20

God’s eternal power and divine nature are however more clearly seen in his Son Jesus Christ, the God Man, who Himself said ‘He that has seen me has seen the Father’. So if you want to know what God is like, marvel not just at nature but look to JESUS and His story recorded in the Scriptures!

At Easter we see demonstrated in the clearest possible terms various aspects of GOD’s divine nature, His Love and Grace, His Holiness and His Justice. His Love shown when Jesus on the eve of the feast of Passover, (Exdous 12:1-13.) shows Himself to be the sacrificial Lamb slain for us, by dying in our place and stead and for our sin, and here the Christian Communion service is inaugurated.

And again His Grace, which we don’t deserve is seen as he offers us forgiveness, on the basis that He took the punishment for our sin, Someone has said Grace and Justice kiss each other at the cross. How amazing is that, surely the greatest story ever told.

Isaiah the prophet (740-680 B.C.) so vividly describes the death of Jesus in Chapter 53 of His book. (its a must read if you have never read it) all these years before it took place including the phrase “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”. John the Baptist at the beginning of the Jesus ministry just after Jesus’ baptism declares “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”! Far too many other references to mention here.

I don’t know about you, but for me it is the most profound thought that has ever occupied my mind, expressed with such pathos and truth by the Apostle Paul “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” How profound is that?

At Easter especially, but throughout the year we sing this hymn which I find encouraging and challenging, why not find a quiet place, to sit and contemplate and enjoy!

I hope the weather is kind to you wherever you are this Easter, and that you have a great time, but never forget how much God loves you, and the price He was willing to pay that you might become His child.

I’ve been a Christian for many years, if you would like to talk please get in touch.

Matthew

My photographic Review of 2021

Another year of travel restrictions due to Covid has resulted in us spending almost all of the year at home, so most of the photographs this year have been taken locally or on ‘day trips’ from Glasgow. However as we look back on 2021 it’s amazing to remember all the interesting places we visited, some for the very first time, and the joy and peace we had in doing that. So here’s a picture or two per month!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Reflection: This year started with some optimism as vaccines were being rolled out, and the slogan ‘we will beat this together’ sounded more plausible, but then along came the variants!

Thankfully the latest Omicron variant is reported to be less severe than those that have gone before, so we pray that this downward trend will continue in 2022. A visit to Glasgow city centre just before Christmas told its own story. Gone was the sound of laughter and the bustling Christmas market in George Square. No ‘big wheel’, ‘flying chairs’, ‘helter skelter’or ice rink, fun and joviality had given way to just a few families with kids who had come to see the lights and the nativity scene, plus some folks handing out food and drink to the poor and homeless.

But hold on a minute, is ‘families with kids who had come to see the lights and the nativity scene, plus some folks handing out food and drink to the poor and homeless‘ more in keeping with the Christmas story, than a ‘lets eat and drink and be merry‘ lifestyle, especially in the current circumstances? The British Prime Minister caused outrage recently when it was disclosed that last winter some government departments were partying while people were self isolating and others mourning the loss of family and friends to Covid 19.

This Christmas I was caused to stop and think again about the reason for Christmas, which this new carol, so beautfully sung, challenges us to do. Take a minute to listen!

I hope you enjoy the photographs, and like me are challenged by the new carol.

Hope to see you again in the New Year. Every blessing to you and yours.

Matthew

‘Garden’ please come in!

I was given a new arrow shaped notice by some of the family that simply says ‘Garden‘. So all that pass by are being encouraged to have a look. So no pressure, but we’d best keep the bit nearest the gate looking tidy 🙂

This year I tried growing different varieties of fruit and vegetables in the greenhouse with varying amount of success. Cucumbers, and tomatoes, in spite of early misgivings, have all produced a very good crop, tomatoes in fact a bumper crop. The coloured peppers have been ok, but the fruit has been a bit on the small side. Potatoes and carrots grown in bags and bucket have been fun to grow and I think the results were amazing. Cropped 100 potatoes from the ten sown, and the carrots yielded 22 from the bucket and plant pot. (See the video below)

After a promising start and much care and attention my bags of strawberries produced an abundance of leaves and shoots but only a handful of small strawberries. So what did I do wrong? Perhaps they were fed too much with a strawberry fertiliser bought online? Help please. My two small gooseberry bushes produced their first fruit this year, but not enough to make jam. The rhubarb also produced its first decent crop this year enough for some rhubarb crumble on a couple of occasions. The apple tree is looking good, but too early yet to pick them.

In my last garden report I was able to show you some of the flowers that were enjoyed earlier in the year, so here are some pics of those that have appeared since.

Now here’s the wee video on Carrots – ‘From Seed to Freezer‘

Reflections

Today I spent time again in the garden and greenhouse. But yes, today has also been a day of deep reflection. As I sit here writing this blog infact, thoughts that I had earlier, have come flooding back, causing me to stop and ponder. After breakfast I was reading from a magazine a short report regarding life in the country of Northern Macedonia. I consider myself quite well versed in geography, but I knew little or nothing of this relatively new country in the Balklands, which was previously part of Yugoslavia. So that kept me busy for a while doing some research, looking at pictures of its people and countryside online and reading of the diversity of its people and its economic poverty. It is evidently amongst the poorest nations in the world, where people have suffered so much in my lifetime.

Then like everyone else we were confronted again on our tv screens by the chaotic scenes at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. The sense of fear and desperation was palpable in people’s voices and faces, as thousands make every effort to flee from the threat posed by the Taliban, after they so easily over-ran the country.

We have been recalling the promises made by Western Nations just a short 20 years ago, saying that we would never abandon the Afghan people. They must ring hollow in the ears of the Afghan people now.

We often say that the world now is a global village, but how helpless we feel in these situations to do anything which we feel would make a difference.

I was recounting that Jesus was in Israel at the time of the Roman occupation and oppression. There is the lovely story in Matthew’s account of his life, where it says ‘Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’ What an apt expression of people in Afghanistan and in so many parts of our world today, ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’

Last night our Church was praying especially for the situation in Afghanistan, and for all those ‘harrassed and helpless’, perhaps in the near future we can help be the answer to our own prayers. Meantine the message of Jesus’ love and compassion continues to be beamed around the world. His death and resurrection make fulness of life to all who will come to him a reality.

How blessed to have a garden, and to live in a country that has known peace for the last 75+ years.

I trust your garden has flourished in 2021.

Matthew

Early Summer in the Garden and Greenhouse

It was a very cold Spring here in Scotland, but in early May the weather started warming up at last. Here is an update on the garden and greenhouse –

Daffodils were a bit of a disappointment this year as a spell of frost and snow arrived just as the flowers were about to open, but amazingly some did survive, and the tulips coming on a bit later more than compensated as they seemed to go and on!

It’s nice to see the rhododendrons and clematis in flower again, without too much effort from me, and also the shrubs and bushes bursting into life, not to mention the apple tree and lilac, which shout out to you ‘summer has come’! I’m afraid I haven’t done too much this year in the way of planting ‘annuals’, but I have however planted from seed some french marigolds, sunflowers, tom thumbs, coleus and cornflower, and some begonia corms.

The greenhouse is doing fairly well, and this year I’m trying to grow quite a few different fruits and vegetables. Cucumber ‘F1 Socrates’ is proving to be fantastic, the cucumbers are smaller in size but delicious in taste and are cropping very well. Tomatoes are Tigerella, Shirley F1 and Ferline F1. The latter is one I’m trying for the first time, it seems to be struggling a bit, but it may come away yet. There is a variety of peppers, three bags of potatoes, one bucket of carrots (Autumn King 2) and two bags of strawberries, and lots of ‘tom-thumb’ lettuce. So between cutting the grass and keeping everything in trim its enough to keep me busy. Here are some photographs of progress so far.

Reflections

With the wonders of camera, computer and the www, I have been able to show you the best of my garden and greenhouse. What I haven’t shown you are the plants some slugs have eaten, the parts of paths that need weeding, or my Spring plant pots that have yet to be emptied and cleaned. In a small garden it is difficult to find a spot to hide them away 🙂 I guess if you are a gardiner you are in much the same boat!

Got me thinking, ‘social media’ is a bit like that, we (including me) tend to emphasise the positives and try and bypass the negatives. The ‘about me’ section on Facebook usually paints a glowing picture of the person we would like others to believe that we are, and seldom do you find folks telling you how they have messed up! But of course we all do at times.

I’m reading a book this month entitled ‘Gentle and Lowly‘ by Dane Ortlund, concerning Jesus Christ he says, ‘in the four gospels accounts given to us in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John there are 89 chapters of text, but there is only one place where Jesus describes his heart. (The heart in biblical terms is the centre of who we are, what defines and directs us) So what will this man Jesus, who claimed to be the Son of God say? He says, ‘I am gentle and lowly in heart’. Ortlund goes on to say ‘The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger, but open arms’!

You can read the full words of Jesus in Matthew 11 v 28-30. Jesus said – “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Now there is an open invitation, but folks are so loathe to come.

So I’m thinking, what two words would you or I use to truly define ourselves on social media? Mmmm, let me get back to you on that …..

Happy gardening!

Matthew

How Green Grows our Garden

How does YOUR garden grow?

Well ours started with great promise in the Spring, but like most years it has had it successes and disappointments as the year has progressed. Never-the-less it always gives us great pleasure, and overall is looking very pleasing to the eye. Of course it also gives you a sore back and shoulders at times 🙂

First of this years tomatoes – picked 18 July

I was a bit late in getting started in the greenhouse this year, as I was trying to cut down on the heating costs. For my tomatoes I tried using some more expensive seeds that I had stored from last year, when they were a great success. They seemed to grow well initially but are currently looking not so good. It may be down to the watering system that I am re-using, which I had tried once before without a great amount of success. It supposedly allows the plants to draw water when / and what, they need, but I wonder if it draws too much water in the colder days and not enough when the plants are growing? I would appreciate comments from fellow gardeners.

I have also grown flowers for planting out. Nothing too exotic – Antirrhinums, Cosmos, Aubrietta, Narsturtiums, sun flower and geraniums, and as always had more seedlings than I knew what to do with!

One of the borders next to the hedge I’ve covered with cloth and stone chips, and re-arranged it with flower pots. I always felt that my plants there did not do too well because of the hedge, but I also am trying to reduce my garden maintenance now that I’m an octogeranian!

A special success was the planting out an acer tree, which had been in a pot for years, and I had to cut the root to get it out of the pot. I did not give it much chance of success, but amazingly it seems to be thriving now that it has been set free.

I trust your garden is giving you pleasure too, and if you don’t have one there are plenty of wonderfull gardens around to enjoy. We recently visited Kellie Castle Garden in Fife – wonderful!

Today I received ‘J Parkers Autumn’ catalogue encouraging me to plan for Spring! HaHa, oh well it is good to keep planning ahead!

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.“

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