Winter Blues

Hi everyone! Thanks Ginger for hosting another Blog Extravaganza!!
I have taken time off writing these past ten days, because the dreaded Winter cycle of coughs and colds has begun in earnest.
Down here in the Southern hemisphere, the days are short and the nights are brisk. Thankfully we don't get real COLD weather. I am not complaining, but... it's the viruses that make Winter dismal.
My grand daughter caught a cold. Because she has chronic lung disease (from prematurity) she spent ten nights in hospital) It's to be expected, except that being a premmie baby she has not been into a shopping centre or anywhere she might risk catching anything.
Her Mum takes care to keep her as isolated as possible, while trying to give her interaction with other babies and give herself a chance to meet other mums.
To her credit, the baby is now nine months old and till the other day had not had even a sniffle. (When I say nine months, she would be six months old later this week, if she had arrived on time and not 100 days early)
Despite ten days in hospital, she is thriving, smiling and a total delight. It's just so hard wanting to protect her and knowing that it is virtually impossible to prevent her catching another cold another day.
Still... While in hospital the writer in me was hard at work noticing how intriguing the environment becomes. Once through those automatic glass doors, the world changes. Another eye opener that impacted on the writer within the grandma, was seeing a tiny six month old baby left to cope with her hospital stay without her mum. For whatever reason kept the mum away, the tragedy of hearing the little girl whimper so often broke my heart. The nursing staff did all they could for her as time and numbers allowed. Once she was well enough the would whisk her out of her cot and into a pram. She spent her 'wake' time sharing the nurses station among the hustle of activity there.
Today she is allowed home, but her mum hasn't come for her.
Imagine the character she will become. She will survive.
This hasn't been really been about writing, but we write about life and dear oh dear, I have seen another side of life I would rather stayed deep in imagination. I write Fantasy, but I could not imagine the depth of despair I have witnessed this last week.
Thanks Ginger for giving me a chance to post on your blog. I apologise for being so OFF TOPIC but I appreciate the chance to share what has moved me so deeply.
Take care all.