Deception

The surgeon’s visit dashed hopes that HH might be discharged from hospital today, but who knows - maybe tomorrow? Anyway, we spent a little time in the garden, this time, without having to lug the stand with the serum round with us. I was thrilled to see a medium-sized bird with a bright scarlet head and chest going back and forth between the trees behind the garden and a window with feeders. I didn’t manage to get a photo, but just to know there are still a few birds like that in Copacabana made me happy.
 
Ronaldo (handyman) came again to watch the final of the European cup with HH and give me some time off for a rest. However, I went for a walk first along the front and saw this band of kids getting a tremendous rhythm and sound out of paint tins, plastic barrels and so on. They didn’t look at all happy, though, and the severe-looking lady directing them kept them hard at it. I was then totally taken in by a Ronaldinho Gaúcho (footballer) lookalike. Believing he was the real deal, there to raise funds for the children, I got him to send a recorded message to our nephew and great nephews, which had said nephew over the moon. I then got some maps for a tourist kiosk and asked him to sign them for the grandchildren and was feeling incredibly pleased with myself – until nephew sent a picture of the real Ronaldo, alongside his lookalike and asked if I was sure I had the right one. The conclusion that I didn’t thoroughly deflated both of our balloons. And thinking that I was contributing to the children and their band, I had given ‘Ronaldo’ a fair bit of money – what’s the betting that it all went into his own pocket?
 
By now, there was only time to collect a few belongings from home before rushing back to relieve our Ronaldo.  HH is getting thoroughly ffed up with his continued confinement, and no wonder.