Perfect affair

We had a trip to the marina yesterday rescuing essential items for home ( and having Sunday lunch cooked for us ) . The more I see of Barton marina the more I like it . The marina residents are friendly (most boaters are ) and the staff are equally so. The weather was brilliant and the transfer of our goodies and foodstuffs to the car went well. It was only when we were leaving I felt the urge to hug and kiss Tardis Two at the end of a warm and wonderful 6 month love affair, and all above board as Lynne had been there throughout. What more could you want ?  I have not made so many sacrifices over so many years to achieve this love affair to have it shortened  so much or stopped entirely. A further day hanging around waiting for a spare hospital bed to become available plus a doctor's appointment to check on my leg. All exciting stuff.

My leg passed it's examination with flying colours and should not have any affect on my planned operation (no infection) . It is certainly less painfull. 

Sunny day again so I'm hoping I don't miss good cruising weather whilst suffering hospital food. I apologise in advance for my blogs suddenly ceasing but I do not wish to inflict the daily routines of an intensive care ward on you, but rest assured, blogs will resume once I'm home again although I can give no indication of timescale at this point. Keep checking.

Life's crossroads

Supposedly there are crossroads in every life giving the opportunity of reflecting on life's past decisions.

It appears I may have reached a crossroads, deep into my journey. Due to my clinical depression and the search for reasons I have had ample reflection time previously so nothing new is likely to arise.

Recent studies have revealed anti-depressants interfere with blood sugar levels in diabetics, so I was wrong to blame the anti-fit drugs, sorry guys.

It is strange how things change quickly. We had planned cruising for a few more weeks in October, then basing the boat in a marina, but fortunately the latter has already been done and by the time we are ready to cruise next spring I should be fully fit. No fits, no dodgy leg. A few days hospital rest will also benefit my leg. Funny how everything , however grim, has a plus side.

When I had lymphoma over twenty years ago I had a very young daughter to get me through it and I'm sure she will do the same all these years later but no-one is going to dump her into my arms on my hospital bed this time ! Thanks to all the family and close friends for their support, particularly to Lynne.

I suspect Tardis Two and our new lifestyle will be used as the light at the end of yet another tunnel but I fully intend to use it.

Sat nav mystery

We drove to Chester following sat-nav directions on A roads the whole way. No problem. Following a full days baby sitting we returned home,again following the same sat-nav directions. Motorways the whole way. Both trips took exactly the same time, but why the different routes? Strange but true. We did not ask for a solely motorway or non-motorway route. Had my bullet wound re-dressed this morning but walking is still not easy On a brighter note (I think) the Nottingham hospital phoned to book me in for an operation next Wedneday. My latest scan has indicated some changes in my tumour which they want to investigate asap.
The short notice is something of a blessing as it cuts down worrying time. Also my time recovering in bed will assist my wounded leg. The glass half full/ half empty syndrome.

Billy J Kramer

Foggy day so far but the sun is struggling to make an appearance. It's dustbin day today but all those months away on the boat have broken the habit of putting the bins out. Lynne remembered half way through a romantic interlude and rushed downstairs in her dressing gown to ensure our recycled rubbish reaches India or China as scheduled. Who said romance is dead? It never happens in a Mills and Boon novel. After all the attention it received my leg is a lot better today, thankfully. Lynne is going to move Tardis Two to her winter moorings before we disappear to Chester for baby-sitting duties tonight. Chester is a lovely city, having managed to combine all the modern facilities and shops  with  historic features, including a city wall and cobbled streets. The Billy j Kramer hit " do you want to know a secret " has stuck in my head since the weekend, which is odd as I hated it at the time it topped the charts. To put you out of your misery his backing group were called the dakotas.

Multi-apps

Warm and cloudy today. Very busy schedule in this order  :Doctors leg check, hospital x ray, dentist filling, Nurse leg dressing but the evening remains free. The X-ray results take a week to reach my doctor, which is tough luck if it is broken as I suspect it is. The dentist replaced my "crunchy moment" filling so I have a full set of knashers again and all my own. Unfortuneately the continuing leg saga will restrict our boat movements for the immediate future.

We have been booked for grandchildren-sitting duties in Chester later this week but we'll drive rather than return by boat due to time restrictions . 2 hrs by car versus 3 days by boat equals no contest.

The leg remains painful  but otherwise I am OK, no fits or side effects,all good news.

Surprise, Surprise

Sunday 22nd was a brilliant day, the sun and very warm weather made a return for Lynne's birthday and all the hard work put into organising a special day reached fruition with satisfying great success ( and relief).The plan by our youngest daughter was for all our children, plus partners and 5 granddaughters to arrive on the boat ( out of the blue, so to speak) and then have a birthday meal/ celebrations at the Dragon pub in Willington. Sounds simple until you consider the distances various family members live away and the young ages of the grandchildren. The cunning plan concocted by our youngest daughter was for all to overnight in our house and us to be on the boat, thus making sufficient bed space for them all and the opportunity for a spectacular surprise on birthday morning. Her problems were the difficulties of getting the family together for a weekend several hundred miles away from home and organising the meal and a joint present from them all. My problems were keeping it secret from Lynne, organising the house for visitors and persuading Lynne to vacate it for the weekend for no logical reason. simple.
Literally at the last moment a request was made to borrow our blow-up mattress. A frantic search of the house, sheds and loft revealed it must be somewhere on the boat, 50 minutes away. I had to convince Lynne one of our neighbours needed it and she very kindly offered to drive to the marina and back, bearing in mind she had already driven to London and back for her hair appoinment(as you do).
We reached the marina trying hard to keep each oher awake, only to find we had left the gate key behind. A kindly boater let us in and the blow-up mattress was found in a hide away under our bed.
Having returned the mattress to our neighbours my next job was  convincing Lynne to once again return to the boat and sleep on it. Lynne was sleep-driving by this time and not altogether happy with the arrangement, until 10.30 the following morning when the boat was boarded by screaming/smiling/singing grandchildren bearing gifts.
The meal went well, rounded-off by a birthday cake and the traditional song.
The day ended in our local Accident and emergency unit where they checked-out my leg, upped the painkiller and anti-biotic doseage before sending us home again We spent only 20 minutes in the unit, which must be some kind of a record, surely?

Apologies for the out of sequence publishing of this blog caused by internet connection problems

Tapestry quiz winner

Carol King was the Tapestry answer. The album design was very complex and must have cost a fortune to copy onto a boat or was it owned by a bored old artist  with lots of time on his/her hands? On the same theme we have seen boats named "Gimme shelter" and "Let it be" ,but without copying the album designs. Witho no musical links we have seen "Baldrick" and "wave and smile". Tomorrow is Mrs. Blogs birthday so in celebration we travelled to London for her hair to be "done". ( as you women do) I am too discrete to reveal her age but the clue is she is one year younger than me. The day and journey started bleak and 50shades of grey,worsening through drizzle to heavy rain, the Watford Gap phenomena?  We travelled back in warm, bright sunshine