No Covid church dreams last night, just a bit of an anxiety episode in the early hours as I found myself unable to gather my belongings and travel documents as the day of departure had dawned. My brother was in there somewhere as the day morphed into utter disaster; needless to say, I was soon awake and thankful for the resumption of reality!
It was a bright and dry day, no excuse not to walk today. My archiving of memorabilia collected since childhood was coming on nicely and could be put to one side. There were two errands to complete; a trip to the chemist to pick up my routine prescription, and a visit to the Post Office to pay in a cheque. I set off walking, and completed both tasks fairly quickly.
The semicircular Crescent Hotel is due for re-opening in October. At one time, The St. Ann’s Hotel occupied the far portion, The Crescent Hotel the portion nearest the camera. The whole building now accommodates the 2020 revival of The Crescent.
I felt that now was a good opportunity to take pictures of the almost completed Crescent Hotel. The huge wooden hoardings behind which the building works were partially hidden had come down, but the fencing was still there. Any photo opportunities were from The Slopes. “Why not photograph other major Buxton Hotels?” I asked myself. So I did.
I had fun capturing these classic images of Buxton on my ‘phone. Pleased with myself, I set off to walk home the long way, taking more pictures re-route. That was the plan.
Suddenly, while in Spring Gardens, Buxton, now a pedestrianised high street, I suddenly became unwell, and was unable even to remain standing. A passer-by assisted as I slumped slowly onto the pavement, as my body seemed to shut down and fire up again in quick succession. This was far more dramatic than my heart attack in church, three years ago; I thought very briefly, this was it. An ambulance arrived within minutes of one being called. I must pay tribute to all those who came to my assistance. After the most extensive of testing, it was concluded that a dodgy inner ear, tinnitus and a slight eye irregularity contributed to or perhaps even triggered a sudden increase in heart rate which prompted this alarming dizzy turn. To the passers-by, the Ambulance crew, paramedics, and personnel at Stepping Hill Hospital who eventually ascertained I was probably not in a life threatening situation, my unreservedly grateful thanks.
I’m ok now (I think!). Thanks for reading,
David, the early hours of Tuesday morning.
David's Cruise 