Sandwiches and snacks and a very sad banana

This afternoon I had my first lessons on walking with a zimmer frame, a bit like this one 👇:

Mine differs from this in that it has wheels at the front, increasing mobility but also increasing the likelihood of the frame rolling rapidly away from you on a tiled bathroom floor, nearly resulting in twin heart attacks for the user and the accompanying HCA. Yes, speaking from slightly unnerved experience there!

Before that was supper, and I was very glad the lunchtime jacket potato was quite generous as the offering was… a bit pathetic, tbh. Two lukewarm chicken nuggets (clearly the cheapest of the cheap variety), two underfilled triangles of corned beef and (allegedly) pickle sandwich, a packet of crisps, and a yoghurt isn’t much of a supper, even if I was rather pleased to eat a yoghurt that wasn’t strawberry or toffee flavour for a change! (Apricot and mango – very nice, if not quite Muller Thick and Creamy nice.)

To be fair, I was also offered soup (celery and potato – as a lifelong member of the celery haters’ club, I opted to pass) and fruit salad (containing oranges, to which I am call-an-ambulance allergic). The HCA who appeared when I rang my bell to ask for more drinking water seemed surprised when I said I was still hungry, but brought me a few more triangles of sandwich: two tuna mayo, two cheese and the same underwhelming amount of pickle as the corned beef variety.

My plea for any kind of fresh fruit or vegetable resulted in this rather past-its-best banana, but I ate it with enthusiasm because it was the only fresh thing I had had since early this morning. I ended up not hungry, but not really satisfied, and thinking longingly of the vegetable chilli I would have been eating if I was still at St Mary’s. 🙁

I have since learned that the kitchen here is open 24/7 for toast, cereal, cheese and biscuits, and the like: if I can persuade them of the merits of fresh fruit I might in future skip the sad little supper offering entirely and get something from the kitchen later. Or order a pizza from the local Domino’s. That seems pretty appealing rn.

Score: 4/10, and I’m probably being generous.

Agree? Think I’m being too picky and I’ve been spoiled by the St Mary’s kitchen? Or too generous, given that while my care and food are paid for by the NHS, other residents are paying thousands of pounds for this? Comment below! (Or on the Facebook page if you prefer – I read both!)