Tickety-boo

Here we are almost in November enjoying weather belonging to summer. It appears equally confusing for nature as breeding seasons arrive earlier and shrubs such as Magnolia are already in flower. However, the autumn/winter weather is forecast to arrive very shortly, catching everything by surprise, and we all like surprises don't we ?

I'm feeling tickety boo again but Lynne has returned to bed feeling distinctly under the summer-like weather for some unfathomed reason. Time will tell.

A step forwards again

Whilst the weather is grey and overcast today started much brighter for me. No fuddled head and a total lack of muscle twinges, despite 3 trips to the village. Haircut, making a doctors appointment ( not related to the aforementioned ailments) plus food for today. It could all have been done in one trip but the radiotherapy seems to have left what remains of my brain memory section as a colander.

On an even more positive note Lynne's few days working back at the wedding shop seems to have done her the world of good ( change of scenery/company and all that bumph? )Here's to the next time.

Spent the afternoon gardening and now have sufficient bags of rubbish for a trip to the dump. The only jobs left are to finish painting the fence and moving a Bay shrub/tree to a more appropriate place.

Thanks to a new Citroen car advert featuring Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane " White Rabbit" of 1965 vintage has been stuck in what remains of my brain all day, although I had to do some internet research this evening to remember the group's name and hit title.

A step backwards?

Crawled out of bed feeling I hadn't slept and my hip/ thigh muscles had been knitted into a cardigan.

I know I slept and I don't wear cardigans, but maybe , just maybe, my recovery is progressing slower than I had hoped. If in doubt return to bed for a few hours. I feel fresher and more alive to the world now. In the meantime, whilst I slept Lynne has disappeared into the ether but I suspect she will materialise  sometime soon. Mobile phones form the last resort.

Lynne's mobile rings in the living room. I opt to stop the upstairs floorboards creaking on the landing , very successfully. Lynne appears from next door and it starts raining, wrecking any plans to paint the fence, although I still need to resolve the issue of getting materials as our village shop is closed this week but I'm not keen on transporting two tins of paint on a bus in my present state.

Homeward bound

Inspired by my favourite Simon and Garfunkel track we made tracks for Leicestershire today for a diabetic clinic  appointment. Arriving home at 2.00pm for what we thought was my 2.30pm appointment , things were a little rushed to say the least. Grabbing a sandwich for my en-route lunch we were already half way to the hospital when Lynne remembered to check the hospital letter and realised we were two weeks early ! A quick U turn and we were quickly home again. Lynne then remembered she had changed the appointment from today to avoid clashing with her London work schedule but had failed to change it on her iPad calendar. Oops. 

The "World's local Bank" has apparently redefined local and closed many branches, including the one in our village. Lynne wished to pay in her pay cheque but finding a functioning HSBC branch proved difficult and time consuming. So much for customer care and service ?

Job done, I retired to bed in the hope of clearing my head and easing my stiff joints, both issues having crept up on me overnight for some unexplained reason. A couple of hours sleep did the trick and I emerged refreshed,relaxed and ready to face the world again.

Arriving back brought home the long list of jobs outstanding. Tomorrow morning I will need to prioritise them and plan operations. The weather will dictate completion of fence painting ( once I obtain more paint ) , otherwise most tasks are internal. Querying the tax code allocated to me this year takes priority. 

Reeling in.

My last day free was very warm and sunny enabling me to visit 2 old clients, who both gave me cups of tea and biscuits which they never did when I maintained their gardens for 8 years, strangely. The day passed very pleasantly and, once again, I did not get lost despite several bus changes.( lucky or what ?)

Still loose

Still on the loose and getting looser, I ended up in Hounslow yesterday, no mean feat, having walked to my old haunt, The North Star where I had lunch with Tom and Hayley before being joined by Chloe and some old friends. A quick lift to Tolworth and I was zooming over to Hounslow on the top deck,front seat, my preferred position.

I was a great Kinks fan, having seen them and/or Ray Davies several times in my earlier life, so I was pleased to hear Linda and Terry have agreed we should make the effort to see the new "Sunny Afternoon" musical in London until next January, based on the Kinks early years. For Lynne the Kinks are a definite no-no and I did not relish going on my own, plus fitting an ankle tag seemed a bit excessive."Last seen at...................."

Idiot on the loose

Another free day without restriction, other than where my bus pass is relevant. I half expect phone calls from Ricky Gervais or Steven Merchant with my next challenge (abseil down Tolworth Tower - An idiot abroad - series whatever).

 The Daily Mail has published the results of its Wildlife Phtography challenge. From a total of 10,000 entries guess what won the birds section ? Congratulations if you guessed "Bittern".  Obviously a golden opportunity missed. I have resolved to carry my trusty SLR on the back of the boat this year fully armed for action, because I reckon I could have won the birds section with ease, if only I had taken a photo of "my" Bittern in flight from above ( which I could ) and known there was a photography challenge in progress (which I didn't).  If only.  The story of my life.