After a false start on Wednesday/Thursday, Mum is finally going home today. It turns out that the diagnosis is diverticulitis; the specialist is not recommending any intervention, which is a great relief, not least to Mum. She'll be glad to home in familiar surroundings; I'll see her on Sunday as normal.

In the meantime I've developed a cold which is the last thing I need with Spem looming tomorrow. I spent most of Wednesday in bed; in the morning I went to see the orthopaedic surgeon who looked at the x-rays, poked and probed me and asked lots of questions. He wants to see me in about six weeks when he'll see if things have settled down. So it's a case of wait and see - meanwhile my finger remains numb. Though I must admit that the other symptoms (aching arm, difficulty in getting comfortable in bed, etc) have significantly improved.