Somebody’s fishing around in my eyeball

After a busy day, which included a brown-bag lunch at Volans with SustainAbility co-founder Julia Hailes and several people from SustainAbility, I headed across to King Edward VII’s Hospital for my first cataract operation. It’s said that this is the world’s oldest operation, having originated in India and been brought back to the West by Alexander the Great.  Whoever I need to thank, thank you – given that failing eyesight is a pretty depressing experience.  Elaine came to keep me company and we spent some four or five hours going through the rituals, even though the surgery itself took only 15-20 minutes.  Looked after a wonderful nurse from Zimbabwe, who was about to fly back to the country for 5 weeks: we talked about the cholera epidemic there and the terrible state of the country.  Later, when I had recovered from the sedative and anesthetic, Elaine and I took a taxi home, getting out by Barnes Pond – and when I looked up the street lamps and incoming aircraft lights were surrounded by 180-degree coronas of brilliant sparkly lights.

Julia shoots the office   Sam, Julia and Charmian