Xmas 2016 reveiw

For all my prior ups and downs I was in a good place for Xmas. The family Xmas meal was a great success with the majority attending, the exception being the Chester family Secret Santa was also a great success, so possibly my last xmas proved memorable.

On Xmas day we visited Aldbury to visit my parents grave, leaving flowers as lunch for the deer.

The weather was relatively mild and sunny. Boxing Day was spent with Derek and his latest Beue , Maureen,who is glamorous and very good company. Derek cooked an excellent dinner and with loads of drink the day flew by. We held each other up on the short walk home and slept soundly. Today another Derek link is visiting, Janet.

The blind man

The blind man

Today marks the end of our long awaited completion of the house transformation.

The longest journey

An accident involving 2 lorries closed the M1 Motorway.  in both directions yesterday afternoon, creating traffic chaos resulting in a very long, very slow journey home for us. 4 hours of tedious stationary traffic staring at car/Lorry headlights. By the time we got home we were exhausted, with just enough energy for a shower and bed.

Double glazing

We had an early visit from a second double glazing rep to estimate for replacing four leaded Windows ( which we hate ) with plain ( which we love ) .Both arrived extremely similar  with identical start dates so it was a toss of a coin job deciding.

Owen and winter.

Winter and Owen returned,  the former inevitably, the latter ?

Out of a dark spot

For several days now Lynne has been very short with me. Every time I asked why she replied "you know" which clearly didn't help in the slightest. I gave it considerably thought without resolving the issue,keeping me awake last night, but as day dawned clearly the issue had  been forgotten which suited  me,,sunny but cold today. 

Up to a high, down to village idiot.

The day started with me feeling the best for ages, but I made the mistake of stating that fact to Lynne and immediately realising it. Josie, my physiotherapist, however, again lifted my mood by stating my hip  problem is muscular rather than skeletal after a series of severe excercises . We cleared the garden of carpet remains  and immediately demolished the rotten garden table for future disposal.

Rain,rain and more rain.

The last 2days and nights have produced constant heavy rain, but no flooding yet in our immediate area. Fortunately all our worldly goods were sheltered safely indoors from the garden in anticipation of the rain so things were a little cramped for a while until Owen loaded his van with suitcase, tools,carpet and wood off cuts. Only the blinds need to be fitted and the remainder of the stairs carpet needs completion, for the house to be in pristine condition. It will truly look brilliant.'

See-through stairs

During preparations for carpet-laying we discovered the staircase could easily be converted to see-through type and a decision was made to do so. The carpet layers were not too pleased until an"agreemen " was reached. The result is nothing short of spectacular, making the living room lighter and the entire house roomier. To say we are pleased is an understatement.

Magic carpet

Our new carpets are due to be delivered today, leaving us with the job of lifting and disposing of the old ones. Fortunately Owen has offered to take the largest chunks of them, subject to space in his van.  Lynne has commenced making a blind for the bathroom and Owen is still completing the painting ,but little remains, thank god. The blinds are overdue but should arrive and be erected soon. Simples.

Lethargy continues,but reality rises

My GP reckons my lethargy is almost certainly caused by an extreme case of constipation and has prescribed some foul tasting gunge to supplement the heavy doses of Senna and Lactolose I have already been taking for several days. My stomach resembles a hot air balloon and gurgles a lot. The threatened explosion is awaited with trepidation by myself and Lynne,but the sooner the better as far as I am concerned. Keep watching the news .

Lethargy

I have booked myself a lone gym session today in a determined attempt to shake me out of my current lethargy.

I watched a young girl on TV with new prophetic legs walking in the Lake District for charity,which moved me to text a donation and book the gym. There are some really brave people in the world which make my problems seem trivial in comparison, but I sometimes need reminding.

Accidental phone call

Somehow I managed to accidentally phone my friend in New Zealand this morning

by simply opening my iPad cover , but luckily the time difference coincided so no inconvenience was caused, other than sheer embarrassment on my behalf. I have a history of incompetence regarding  i t.

But I can honestly say I did nothing on this occasion, one of life's  little puzzles. 

Cool again.

Temperatures have significantly reduced today.

Home again

A good night's sleep and a long wait for Joel and Sophie's return from Vienna . All was well, including the cat.   

Looking forward to being home again,we seem to have been away for ages. The house was fine,but a bit cold, although we were used to that following arctic conditions in Reading and Manchester, but at  least our  boiler worked.

Will, our new decorater, turned up bright and early Monday morning and in the blink of an eye completed our bedroom and started "brightening up" the living room. His work is to a very high standard and he is meticulously clean, even borrowing our hoovers and emptying them as necessary. Lynne was suitably impressed.

The rowers return

I made my October 23rd rowing deadline, and had 3 volunteers to form a quad crew. It was very cold and misty. We managed a smooth kilometre  before I gained a pain in my right hip , restricting my stroke timing until it became too severe to continue. A few minutes and yards later I suffered a right dead leg. My gallant crew managed to get the boat and me back to the boathouse. I needed all hands available to get me out of the boat. Not the most elegant of exits,it has to be said. My leg became fully

functional by the time Lynne and I limped from  boat to the boathouse, a distance of perhaps 10 yards.

Since then I have only suffered a dull ache in my right hip, but overall I was elated at being back on the water. Too early perhaps?

I have emailed my gallant crew personally to thank them for their help and patience. Lynne and I returned to Reading to discover the boiler had packed up, so no hot showers or heating.

From there we headed to  Manchester to commence a few days of cat sitting for Joel and Sophie, only  to discover they too had no heating, but at least the shower worked. 

We sat watching theTV wrapped in a duvet and attempted to solve the riddle of storage radiators. I had  a relaxing hot shower and awoke in the morning to a warm living room. Oh, joy. 

Their young cat quickly alternates between flat -out action and sleep. Good fun though.

Long-range update

We spent a very enjoyable weekend in the lower Lake District/Peak District where we rented a fabulous cottage with Janet (of France/Italy holiday fame)and her friend Gill( of no particular fame) and we had a very enjoyable time visiting an RSPB reserve and underwent a spell of "tweeting" ( bird watching ) but saw nothing awe-inspiring or exciting. We also managed a trip to a small local theatre starring a very eccentric woman who sang songs and read poems about women in war, accompanied off-stage by a pianist. It was interesting rather than entertertaining. As Janet spent her childhood in the area she drove us around in her Jaguar showing the sights and scenery other visitors would miss.

Jersey boys.

Following the success of our Eagles outing we have now booked seats to see "The Jersey boys ", a show based on the career of Frankie Valli and the four seasons.

Eagles

We are just back from spending a few days with Linda and Terry in Colchester. Terry set-up Lynne's new laptop and added "2001 a space odyssey"as a ringtone on my "new" mobile and "From me to you" by Walk off the earth (originally Beatles) as my message ringtone.

Continuing the musical theme we obtained tickets to see " talon" an Eagles tribute band appearing in a  Clacton theatre for one night, and very good they were too. A good night was had by all, taking us back to our teen years, plus half of Clacton by the look of it.

Keep smiling

Back into routine as Tom brought "our old car" up for a service and MOT, already paid for under our annual maintenance plan. The garage tried to take us for a ride by failing it and saying it required repairs   estimated at over £1,OOO . The mistake they made was the car still had an MOT valid for another week so after a bit of a row we took it out of the garage and Tom drove it home to Chessington for a mechanic friend to declare it was OK for an MOT certificate for another year following minor works costing a few pounds. Lesson learned. 

My gym session was tough work again but left no lasting aches or pains. I think. I'm ready for my first rowing session since my treatment. My old club have confirmed they are willing to accommodate me, but my current commitments mean it will have to wait until late October, although it is great news all the same.

Exhaustion recovery.

My visit to the gym was gruelling to say the least, followed by lunch and more shrub hunting at the garden centre , all requiring planting on our return. By 6 pm I was exhausted and collapsed into bed,peacefully sleeping until 10pm when I was woken for my nighttime insulin,tablets etc. I next awoke at 9 am,to bright sunshine fully refreshed.

The carpet man came to measure for new carpets throughout and Will-forward the details to Tom,who works for Carpetright and should be able to give us a good deal and advice.

Engagement

Tom and Hayley finally got engaged at the top of a very wet Ashridge monument, followed by a drink or two at the Greyhound pub in Aldbury. It was a total shock for Hayley, carefully planned and executed byTom and Lynne. Congratulations to them both.

Happy Birthday Lynne

It is Lynne's birthday today. I refuse to divulge which one on the basis of self preservation but, as a clue , she is two years younger than me.

Winter drawers on

Following unusually high September temperatures nature has returned to "normal" and it is distinctly chilly. We finished the spring bedding and our recent spate of purchasing large pots.

Return home.

Today we are due to collect Hayley and Tom from Gatwick airport but the flight is delayed by 1.5 hours,so we can have a leisurely lunch and drive before we leave for home at Anstey.

Busy day

A busy day visiting old friends in Reigate for a pub lunch and a late visit to Steve who has recently had a very aggressive brain tumour diagnosed and is awaiting imminent death in Tolworth hospital. HIs wife and most of his family were present and he seemed in his usual good humour, bless him. 

Reading.

We got a cab to retreave our new Audi before visiting Marlene and Brian in Reading for dinner. The journey "home" was not the best,severely delayed by an accident on the M25. At least the cats were pleased to see us.

Slipping back 30 years

I was invited to a reunion party about mile from Tom's flat, arranged by Malaysian students I mixed with 30 years ago in London, including my first wife, Maggie and her new husband Neil. Lynne and I stayed later than planned and Lynne had succumbed to a few glasses of wine so we opted for a taxi "home". It was a very good day

Madness personified ?

Today was my meeting with the chief East Midlands expert on mental health, but first I had to go through lots of preliminary questions from one of her trainee guys with warm, slightly sweaty hands. He was very pleasant and attempted to go through my medical life history and my childhood in around 30 minutes,after which I was transferred to the chief phsyciatrist's office, a very pleasant large lady who reminded me of  Mrs. Fleckney, a lovely lady who lived in a nearby village during my childhood.

After a brief discussion she suggested I I need a higher dose of my new "happy pill ", the very one I was blaming for my recent diabetic maladies and my latest bout of unsteadiness. I told her I knew of the results of trials in the USA and the Philipines all revealing the drug does not work well with diabetics, indeed, the latter no longer use it in such circumstances. My shrink dismissed this as only applicable to low doses, not the higher dosage suggested. After several minutes of discussion and no possible alternatives I reluctantly accepted her "remedy", with the proviso I could phase myself off MIRTAZAPINE if the current problems persisted, to which she agreed. A further appointment will be made in 6 weeks.

Sunshine and dinner

A bright morning and an equally bright me,so we booked dinner at one of our favourite local pub/restaurants.

More of the same

Today started sunny but quickly returned to heavy rain. We took a couple of  broken -up wooden garden chairs to the dump but did not get charged on this occasion, perhaps due to the rain. The gate man appeared warm and dry in his hut, queried what we had on board and waved us through. It was a  saving of £9 on our last visit.

Rain,rain,sun

I have more or less slept for two rainy days,my fuzzy head having returned. Today is sunny but the fuzzy head remains, sadly.

Lights at end of tunnel yet again.

The second visit of my new "suicide nurse " only lasted a few minutes as he was satisfied I was in a much better place, but will be back next week. He is not the most inspiring character, it has to be said.

He suggested I take up "Airfix" modelling. No comment.

Over the weekend I spent a whole day at my gardening "job", packed lunch and all. It went very well and I even managed to walk home.

Today an electrician spent the day fixing pendant and roof lights to our freshly decorated upstairs corridor,and amazingly smart it looks too. One of the new lights had been used and damaged before, but the suppliers John Lewis, offered to supply and fit a new one next week, great service as usual. The box had been carefully re-sealed, hence the delay in discovery.

Yet again I felt good, although I had a funny moment whilst admiring the completed pendant light, reminding me full recovery is still to be achieved.

A brighter future?

We had a very relaxing weekend with Joel and Sophie ( son and partner ) at their new flat on the outskirts of Manchester. Joel finishes training for his new job tomorrow and the pair appear very happy and settled.

I guess I walked in excess of a mile on Sunday around Tatton park gardens ( National Trust ) with no ill effects and at the moment I feel good. Long may it last.

The weather over recent days has been gloriously sunny and warm, which helps my mood, and the house decorating is virtually completed at last,which equals less stress. My new anti - suicide nurse makes his second visit this afternoon.

A more settled but wobbly life

Having discussed the matter with my nurse and Lynne I decided to continue with my new anti-suicide drugs a little longer to see if things "settled down" I have to admit my mood has improved and life has taken on a "smoother perspective ",although  balance and walking has sadly regressed. The dreams have ceased, but, sleepiness is worse. I find a two hour snooze late morning or early afternoon seems to help.

Review of past few days.

For some reason Helen ( my physician nurse) decided to change my anti-depression tablet to a new one "with no side effects". That phrase always worries me. What drug has ever had no side effects?

In the event, after taking the first one I had a dream of epic proportions, involving the queen, Regent's Park zoo,my old school choir, rowing club and our Toyota Previa, long since passed-on.It never reached the end as Lynne woke me in the middle of a loud conversation between me driving and a podgy choir member on the back seat,wondering who I was talking to.

It scared me, being so life-like.

Dog house

I awoke feeling OK but slightly unsteady,until my anti-suicide nurse Helen popped in to see me around 11.00 am, after which Helen stayed for around and hour and a half we had an in-depth and open conversation around my relationship with Lynne .The day continued extremely quietly while  we visited a garden centre after which the atmosphere gradually improved somewhat.

Painting and garden tidying completion

Dinner out with George and Julie last night us helped us to persuade him to complete the now epic -delayed upstairs decorating for us and he returned as promised this morning armed with decorating kit.

By mid afternoon all the hard to get to bits had been completed, leaving the easier bits for us to tackle when we want to, just leaving the electrics to be completed by a competent electrician. I completed the garden tidying and it was noticeable today was a real improvement health-wise.

My last day?

I awoke at 3.30 am to find myself alone, which was a little disconcerting after solid sleep. Having read a chunk of my book I returned to bed alone at 0430 and after a short sleep returned downstairs at the more reasonable hour of 0730and had my usual breakfast routine by Lynne,  blood check,injection,fresh fruit salad, tablets ) and returned to bed,again alone.Overnight I had reconsidered my intention to return to rowing in the future as the distances involved to and from the club are excessive. Joining a nearby club would inevitably cause me confidence problems due to my health issues and the need to address /explain them all to the other club members, whilst members of my current club are all already fully aware of them and my capabilities etc. A quick check with my new physiatrist nurse eased my mind a little and I agreed with Lynne  I would continue attending the gym  until all options had been explored and resolved, although inevitably this resulted in a difference  of opinion and prolonged silences between us. I attended the gym and returned home in silence, having had a rewarding session. Lynne had no explanation for her absence and tersely blamed my mental state. Am I going mad ?

Fast escape from a dark place.

The day began much as yesterday ended -dark. Lynne's physio appointment was cancelled at the last minute due to physio sickness ( pregnancy?) but the opposite happened to me as my gym session landed on me unexpectantly. We almost missed it, so we rushed there only a few minutes late. Miraculously the session went extremely well and I left feeling in a  much brighter place.

A dodgy period

The last few days have not been my best. Various physical anomalies have had an affect on my mental state and so the saga continues as a circular puzzle almost impossible to break out of. Sleep seems the obvious answer but takes up a lot of time without providing positive outcomes. I am back in the "less positive phase",sadly. The way out? God only knows.

No movements,except bedrooms

I awoke at some unearthly hour aware I needed to visit the loo, nothing unusual there apart from the fact I could'nt. Visiting was one thing (or maybe two) but using the facilities was impossible. Strange but true.

I opted to make myself a hot drink and take some gunge  that usually works in this situation, staying downstairs without disturbing Lynne whilst awaiting results. I felt extremely cold although I was aware the ambient temperature was far from cold, so dressed and added a dressing gown and hot water bottle for good measure, the latter resting on my stomach area whilst I lounged/reclined on my "office chair" with my stomach churning and gurgling loudly, wihout result.

Lynne appeared downstairs and made another coffee and hot water bottle, settling down to discuss my condition and other related issues. I learnt a lot. I had blamed my gist, an uninvited "guest" ( I have always called it a vampire scrounging a living off of me ). However, Lynne chose this moment to inform me the gist causes no problems until it fails to "fit" in the space it has invaded,but the last biopsy (?) identified mine as an extremely slow growing one in a large vacant expanse and unlikely to cause problems for the foreseeable future, which was belatedly reassuring I suppose.

In the end (excuse the unintended pun) the matter has yet to resolve itself. Watch this space. Unprompted imagination required.

As part of "our" discussions we agreed to  swap our bedroom front to back,which gives us an en-suite arrangement and an "almost" completed room.

Cancel road salt. Order pumps

Wet night and wet morning. For some reason I awoke believing I was in Jersey ( we have friends there ). It took me ages to realise I was actually at home. Torrential rain and dropping temperatures. Summer, what summer? As if we did not have enough on our plates the house decorating/refurbishment is progressing slower than a geriatric tortoise race. Will it ever end? We have our doubts, all of which adds to the pressure on what is left of my brain. In addition Lynne went for some physio on her back yesterday but was in some difficulty driving home. My big concern is how long she will be able to carry on ferrying me about without taking a restorative break. Pressure, pressure, pressure.

Start of ice age 2

Winter woolies were the order of the day as we all awoke to frosts and freezing temperatures. The day gradually improved and we were down to shorts and tee-shirts by late afternoon.

Decorating starts

Not only did the UK vote to leave the EU but Owen voted also to start our long overdue interior decorating. Good news on both fronts. My gym appointment went well despite Derek volunteering at the last minute to drop me off and pick me up following Lynne suffering a debilitating bout of sciatica, making driving dangerous.

Leaving the EU.

Literally and poliitically we exited Europe following our return from holiday and the result of the recent referendum on our EU membership,in which the UK public voted in favour of leaving, a result that pleased me. I have always hated beurocacy for the sake of beurocacy ( jobs for the boys, if you are a politician ) and the EU is an expensive classic of the type.

I suspect it will take years to complete our exit, partly due to EU rules and resistance from Germany, who see their third attempt at ruling Europe fail.

Holiday review

Due to technical and time restraints I was unable to complete my daily blog so a holiday review will have to suffice. Sorry. 

The French reveira we skipped through without stopping,despite repeated requests, but the scenery in and around Monaco was truly stunning, as were the French and Italian Alps. A week into the holiday clearly put pressure on new relationships and that between Derek and Janet exploded in a restaurant incident whereby the latter seriously threatened to upend her dinner on the head of the former. Fortunately Lynne and I managed to steady the ship and the holiday reached its intended conclusion and duration, but maybe a little quieter.

Campanile.

We found and booked into a Campanile hotel ( a sort of down market Travellodge ).it badlyneeded some TLC,but was not reflected in the price.

Italy

A wet, miserable day,featuring thunderstorms,during which we played Yahtzee.

Our original trip to Italy got postponed awaiting better weather. We aim to set out early tomorrow morning so what little packing needed has hopefully been completed today. The contrast with yesterday,weather wise, is amazing. Today is cold and wet with no sign of the sun.

I will be fascinated to see how Derek manages to fit all he has planned for tomorrow into the day, particularly as the channel tunnel trip home has already been booked.

Watch this space.

Cognac with heat

We spent the day driving to Cognac and looking round the very historic town in very high heat, the girls shopping for up-market clothes, Derek and I searching for bars. After yesterday's over-use of alcohol I made a supreme effort to restrain from  drinking until  we visited the Hennesey distillery during late afternoon where we tasted various brews ranging between 20 and 100% proof. Temperatures soared to 32 degrees C. A perfect day.

Tomorrow we intend heading for Italy.

Aching muscles gone

Not literally. I have my next gym session this afternoon so time will tell?

The session went well,new achievements were reached in each exercise, and all my aches and pains remarkably disappeared. It was a very warm day and very satisfying overall.

Quiet day

Apart from my daily walk it was a quiet, inactive day. Hopefully it gave my aching muscles a chance to recover. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Cars exchanged

Tom arrived by train from London and we sorted all the paperwork out for him to drive the car back this afternoon. Bye,bye Kia and thanks for the memories.

I have to say it was a brilliant car, faultless in fact.

Today is cold yet again, so apart from my gym visit and taking Tom for lunch we have nothing planned.

Life begins again at 67.

I have lost count of the number of times I have used the " life begins " headline but it seems appropriate for today. We are starting our first holiday for many years soon, visiting France and Italy,courtesy of Ryanair and Derek. We have a trip to Florida planned for later in the year and hopefully New  Zealand  thereafter. Exciting eh?

67 and still counting

Another milestone reached, my 67th birthday, against all the odds and Leicester hospital. Yet another light at the end of seamless tunnels. 

I have real hope and a new determination.

Thanks for all my messages of support, much appreciated, and very special thanks to Lynne, Margaret, Chloe,Katie, Tom,Joel,Bob (family) and Steve (friend), for all their support over past months and years.

By sheer coincidence our new car arrives today ( gift wrapped ? ).       

We enjoyed a great celebratory meal at Sampora Italian restaurant just around the corner from home. 

The weather today is very cold and very wet.

A day off

For the first time in ages I have a day with no commitments. No hospital appointments.Gymnasiums.doctors. Dentists................Nothing.I had a bracing walk which lasted far longer than intended and resulted in me collapsing into bed on my return,with aching muscles where I  didn't know muscles existed. Lynne woke me for dinner and I spent the evening trying to break up a large, surplus suitcase and stuff it in a dustbin for collection tomorrow.

Four poster bubble.

We attended friend's 30th wedding anniversary at the bubble inn,and inherited a "spare" hotel room, which gave me the chance of an occasional break from the music and conversational hub-bub. The room included a grand four poster bed of massive proportions and proved extremely comfortable.

A good breakfast and a speedy journey home where we met 2 ex-work friends of Lynne, Sue and Greg for lunch, quickly and efficiently prepared as temperatures plummeted.

Cooler temps/restful day and party.

The title says it all. The party was at the Bubble inn,where we were given a vacant room for the night

Stensen's Marina has changed hands ( oh dear, how sad ) so it seems Tardis Two was their last boat. We got our money back just in time.

Heavy gym

My first trip to the gym since our trip to London and I found it tough, although the girls are planning to raise the bar (so to speak) over future weeks having assessed my current fitness levels, which I think are much improved.

A blood test at Glenfield hospital proved interesting as they failed to get anything out of either arm  for some considerable time.I think my veins are shot after frequent tests over recent weeks.

Clean flat, happy cats.

The last day of our "holiday" in Chessington.the cats have adopted us and the flat is spotless. Anything that failed to move got washed. We have a late night trip to Gatwick airport tonight to collect a suntanned and relaxed son  plus near daughter-in-law, before heading north to Leicestershire. Whilst anything but relaxing for us we have "caught up" with several long lost friends and relatives.

Thunder,lightening and rainbows.

Today ended with an extremely loud thunder storm, accompanied by the heaviest rain I have ever seen and two fabulous rainbows.

Social whirl continues

After a restful day we were back in our social whirl again,meeting more long-lost old friends in the area and buying me a new much needed new wardrobe in M & S using our extensive personal vouchers and a further "today only " 20% discount.

Knackeritis

Despite my worst fears I felt better this morning than I ever hoped, given my extensive exercise yesterday, but it caught up with me later in the day.

Howletts

Chloe became my minder for the day,taking me for a glorious trip to Howletts wildlife park near Canterbury, where I caught up with all the latest news. During the trip I managed to walk 4.5 kilometres  according to Chloe's "magic watch", something of a new record I guess.

Easy rider and Zeppelins.

A much quieter day,  thank God. My biggest task being hanging yet another load of washing on the line, not as easy as it sounds in a very lively and chilly breeze. Tom and Hayley will return to a spotlessly clean flat, including everything washable, including me, having taken advantage of the new shower, infinitely more useable than the previous antique thing.

I had an interesting tour ( honestly ) of Gravesend yesterday by long-term resident Ray, including sights first bombed by German Zeppelin airships. They were aiming for Tilbury docks but missed by a considerable distance.

We spent some time watching Gravesend Rowing club practicing on the River Thames, which resembles a small ocean at this point.

The other "highlight" was seeing the first sheikh temple built in Kent ,a somewhat understated building by current standards.      

The full Monty

Yesterday turned into an unexpected social whirl.from Gatwick to Tolworth Bowl, Mark's for a chat and coffee,Tom's for lunch then to Kingston Grammar School Boat club for a glass of champagne and slice of Gerry's 60th birthday cake, followed by a "session" in the "Old swan",just like the old days, bringing back many happy memories. I was stunned at my welcome,flabbergasted in fact, strengthening my resolve to return once a little fitter. Several members offered to take me out for a gentle workout and I promised to take them up on their offer. Heartwarming stuff and altogether a very rewarding day, especially given the social whirl in which I was unexpectantly embroiled. Once again I am indebted to Lynne for the taxi service. A brighter future beckons.

Arctic rain for Tom/Hayley departure

We dropped Tom and Hayley off at Gatwick airport in lashing rain and low temperatures, hoping the weather will improve by the time they land in Fuerteventura. ( Canarias ) On the way back we called in on a couple of  my old rowing team mates  and got invited to the club house this evening, which should be enjoyable. 

Healthwise I am doing OK, even the coming and goings over recent days have had little effect on my mental state, which is encouraging.

The cats are doing well and seem to have accepted us as foster parents already.

Cat sitting

We are now ensconced at Tom's while he and Hayley jet off to sunnier climes (hopefully). We have a very full programme of meeting old friends in the South London area.

Ryanair

Checking the paperwork regarding our flight to France in a few days time I realised they had mis-spelt my name on the boarding pass. But Ryanair only deal with customers online so getting it changed is not easy. It appears I have to re-book my ticket, but with time running out for exchange of details and replacement boarding pass ( Lynne's is fine ) she may be travelling alone !  The original plan was to meet Derek at his French cottage,spend a few days there before touring chunks of France and Italy in Derek's swish new Mercedes.  Time will tell.

Loughborough hospital.

Yes, yet another hospital in the area, much smaller and specialising in feet. The staff are very, very friendly and seem generally pleased to see you, a nice change from the " I wish I wasn't here" brigade at others.

You may recall I saw a physio several long weeks ago at the General who recommended I needed a left foot support, but unfortunately "only doctors" are allowed to fit it. Hence our trip to Loughborough today.  In the event a physio fitted it within seconds. It seems to work and is very comfortable.

Family get together

Following a good gym session and the obligatory walk we made our way to see Margaret and Bob and  Chloe at Ashridge, where we went out for dinner at the Bridgewater Arms in Little Gaddesden,an old coaching house and hotel but of no particular merit, although the food and staff were good.

It was an exhausting day but thoroughly enjoyable. Somehow we made it home and collapsed into bed.

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day

That line from an "Oklahoma" song was stuck in what's left of my brain when I woke up and remained until lunch, when my mood and the weather speedily deteriorated.

Gardening

Gym and sunshine

Having missed my last gym session ( clash of dates/times ) I am quite looking forward to my next one today. In the event event my muscles refused to comply with my refreshed mental condition and we decided to shorten my routine. A glug or two of Lucozade reunited muscles with brain but I still opted to return home for a short relax, which inevitably ended when I fell asleep for the remaining afternoon.

Not a good day.

One of those unexplained rough days. It started with a headache which carried on all day.  I had a session with my neurologist which went well. She will tot up my scores and hopefully give me the results next week, which should guide us on a treatment regime. I Escaped to bed lunchtime and dreamed we had a party, reason unknown. By teatime I emerged from bed minus my headache and non-the wiser regarding the party.

Traffic jam and scan

We left Reading early for my appointment at St. George's hospital for a scan check on my brain tumour but arrived late due to a humongous traffic jam in Tooting, which had also caught hospital staff, so things evened out. Apart from my veins refusing to accept a cannula ,resulting in lots of loose blood and pain, all went well. My tumour remains unchanged from 12 months ago and we learnt a lot about gist's, or at least what very little the NHS know about them. Our lateness ejected us out into rush hour traffic, the London version dwarfing our Lecester ones. Hence our very late arrival at a very cold home.

We slept well.

Clean car and red kites

We took the car for a hand wash. It had become plastered in dirt and road salt, making seeing where we were going difficult at times. It looks immaculately clean now and back to its rightful colour.

Leicester won the Premier league ( originally quoted at odds of 5000/ 1) and Arsenal managed third ( as usual ).

We spent the early evening watching 3 Red Kites and 2 Buzzards feeding off cooked chicken carcasses in Marlene's large rear garden. Both species are on the "danger list" so are not a common sight, particularly at such close proximity.

Tomorrow we are off to St. Georges hospital in London for a check-up scan on my brain tumour and I will take the opportunity to seek information from the doctors  on my stomach "gist", if possible. Better late than never.

Bradfield Mayday Fayre

 Another sunny day and a trip through impressive countryside to a very old fashioned village Fayre at a

very upmarket village called Bradfield. Pig racing, maypole dancing, tombola and all the usual old treats, including ice cream cones. All good fun

Stoner house

A fabulous sunny, warm day. Brian and Marlene took us to one of the largest, still lived-in old mansions in England, Stoner House. The gardens are unspectacular but the house is wonderful and still lived in by members of the Stoner family. On the way there and back we passed wonderful scenery and a number of great pubs, one of which we stopped at, "The crooked Billet". We sat in the sunshine enjoying Persecco with rhubarb liqueur when Lynne demonstrated lightning reactions by saving her drink from sliding off the sloping table without spilling a drop.

It never rains but it pours.

I have booked 2 gym sessions for next week, meaning my diary is bursting at the seams. Another visit to the young lady who is attempting to "repair my brain"  confirmed it will not be an easy or fast exercise.What is left of my brain is supposed to reshuffle itself to cover the blank pieces shot to hell by the radiotherapy, but even she seems to have lost a little of her original faith. At this stage my physical state is far more important to me than my mental equivalent, as I am convinced one has a direct bearing on the other. She will have analysed my brain exercise results by the time I see her again, which should prove interesting.

The grim winter weather has finally given way to spring-like sunshine and relative warmth

I spent the morning working at "old"  Derek's garden, my first visit for many weeks due to a combination of health appointments and lousy weather. The visit raised yet more questions regarding my fitness. Am I trying too hard and fast?

Gym progress

A few balance exercises and I was straight onto the ergo for a lively session, then a cycle machine which confirmed my right leg is considerably stronger than my left. A session on the walking machine left me knackered and sweating considerably. All in all a successful morning but I needed a lie-down in the afternoon to recover and let my muscles get over the shock.

Wet, cold and a roasting.

 Owen and LIsa have returned South whilst I got an unwarranted roasting for being "unsocial" during their stay. I am not going to challenge the rights or wrongs of that statement other than to say it is utter bullsh☹️t.

Today is very cold, very wet and miserable,but hey-ho,life goes on.

Ronnie Corbett.Victoria Wood.Prince.

They are dropping like flies, doing little to raise my spirits, which seem to be up one minute and down the next, not helped by the house resembling a bomb site as decorations continue. Leaving home is to be recommended during decorations / alterations.

The football league programme is almost complete, with Arsenal likely to finish in their customery third position,disappointing to say the least.

Gym enjoyment

Day 2 in the gym saw me concentrating on retraining my damaged brain via a series of exercises involving short -term memory which proved interesting and highlighted how much brain function I have actually lost due to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Apparently it is possible to retrain the brain but it will be a long project. We also had a visit from a representative of a local support group for patients suffering brain damage, but she reminded me of a Victoria Wood comedy character too much to be of great help, but another useful contact should the need ever arise. We have obviously rattled a few cages recently in our quest to get a decent level of treatment and support as everyone seems to be suddenly  dripping out of the woodwork, but better late than never I suppose. Where have they been

previously? Playing domino's in some dingy back garden shed I suspect. The high's of the past few days have disappeared back into the filing room to be replaced by the need to sleep.

Back on an ergo..real progress

My second gym meeting with Josie was a brilliant success, as a reward for doing well with my balance exercises she let me loose on an ergo, very successfully. I never thought I would say I  enjoyed using an ergo, but I must have resembled a cat in a creamery when I left the gym.

The morning was brilliant and a real boost to my recovery. Did any doctor or surgeon warn me  beforehand about the treatment affecting my balance?   Did they hell.

Liverpool pathway revisited

A beautiful sunny day, not matched by my mood. Having a parasite living off me totally unmolested for 6 months is starting to annoy me,especially as no one seems to give a toss. But I have plans.

Dr. Exxon phoned having apparently returned from the space station with my endoscopy and scan results. He confirmed "there is nothing to worry about" but was obviously miffed when I pointed out he could have told me that weeks ago. He got even more miffed when I referred to the gist/tumour as a parasite, obviously not the correct description? He explained it is too small to remove at present but they will monitor it closely. I stated if it is benign then surely it will not grow , at which point I concluded  the conversation was best ended before Dr. Exxon exploded.

More highs and lows

I walked out of the gym feeling 12 feet tall, partly due to Josie, surely one of the world's prettiest physio's, but also because she has convinced me I do not have to accept being a vegetable for what remains of my life.

Unfortunately the "high" only lasted till the next morning when I had time to reconsider the farce of waiting 6 months for 2 endoscopy results, only to get a dismissive "it is nothing to worry about" from some nurse on the end of the phone when Lynne pinned her into a corner  Of course it is something to worry about having a foreign object living off your stomach for no apparent reason, without the hint of an explanation or plan for its future. Dr Exxon appears to be away on the space station for some unknown length of time, whilst all others dive for cover whenever the subject is raised.

The low slipped lower today when it rained all day and I retreated to my bed with a headache.

Bridge 4 Rehab

Very discretely hidden in a vast new housing estate in Birstall,we eventually managed to find the rehab centre, specifically opened and staffed to re-train damaged brains and improve patients quality of life via simple exercises. My first visit and assessment was most encouraging, although the financial outlay proved far higher than we had originally been led to believe. At least they have finally acknowledged I have suffered brain damage.

Dr. Exxon, where are you?

Still no joy tracking down the results of my endoscopi's and scans some dating back over 6 months, but messages left with doctors across the country, so far with no responses. Does anyone give a damn?

However some positive progress was made on my overall treatment via an appointment with a charming and knowledgeable doctor at Leicester phsycotherapy unit who deals with "brain damaged" patients. It had taken us over one year to get this appointment so lynne and I spent in excess of one hour with her and learned a lot, with another visit planned for next week. By coincidence Lynne had tracked down a gym specialising in helping "brain damaged" patients in Leicestershire ( unfortunately not NHS ), which our "new" doctor subsequently recommended, so that sounds a distinct possibility. We plan to check it out.

NHS wakes then falls asleep gain.

Now fully 6 months since the scan that revealed something growing in my stomach, 2 endoscopi's and 2 more scans ( allegedly lost by Leicester Royal ) I have yet to receive ANY reports or feedback. Lynne queried with the Royal Marsden regarding a possible appointment, but was told the results showed no concerns and referred me back to Leicester Royal. So the results had been found but no one thought to let me know. Customer care, what customer care?.

Dr. Exxon at the Royal was "unobtainable", so we'll try again tomorrow.

Stuff the NHS. Go private.

Lynne has privately arranged a personal trainer for me on Friday following my long-awaited session with an NHS psychiatrist .I am presently writing ( for Lynne to translate) a very long list of my problems for him/her to address. Lynne has zoomed off to London for another haircut and left me everything I could possibly need for tea and dinner.

A very pleasant day, warm and sunny. The house is particularly warm as we have yet to master the mobile thermostat which Justin has promised to rectify on Saturday morning, but in the meantime we are giving our beachwear an airing.

NHS Confusion reigns

I had a physiotherapist appointment at Leicester hospital this afternoon. As usual the poor girl had to ask me for a full medical history and then asked me where I wanted her to start !

She/we decided on my left leg. After some discussion she suggested a personal trainer from a nearby leisure centre which inevitable meant yet another referral letter from my GP. No one, but no one, is allowed to make a decision or arrange treatment without involving dozens of fellow medical buffins.

Lynne delivered the form for my GP to complete and sign, only to be told personal trainers are no longer available on the NHS. Does anyone in the NHS talk to colleagues at all? Obviously not in Leicestershire.

Busy doing nothing

A ladder was delivered early for our boilerman to use later in the day. The job was obviously bigger than anyone anticipated as the boilerman was still here , with his assistant, late into the afternoon,but eventually, job done.

I need to contact a roofer tomorrow to refit the chimney flashing and replace a damaged roof tile.

Lumberjack

I spent the afternoon reducing large lengths of flooring planks and surplus cupboards into sizes that fit our wheelie bins to save Lynne a trip to the tip ( hopefully the bin men will not notice ). I expect my left shoulder to ache tomorrow

Officially disabled and new boiler.

I am now officially" severely disabled"and qualify for a number of government benefits, which unfortunately do not include a new central heating boiler, but we have obtained several quotes and gone for the best from the guy that serviced our old one . Unfortunately fitting the new one involved getting access to the roof vent so we needed to borrow one of our neighbour's ladders, who is notoriously difficult to get to answer his door, so it was agreed our boilerman would return Saturday, when, as a last resort I would " borrow" a ladder.

Unfortunately I fell asleep on the sofa, missing lunch and dinner, miraculously with no affect on my blood sugar. 

Plan zzzz

Talked to Nationwide regarding what to do with "spare" funds but with interest rates between 1.2% and 1.4% we are hardly spoilt for choice. However,we are arranging to simplify our banking by dropping HSBC ( the world's local bank is now anything but local following closure of the closest  branch ) and Natwest (ditto). I have been with HSBC for over 40 years (previously Midland Bank) without complaint. The transfer process seems easy these days as the banks arrange it all amongst themselves. What could possibly go wrong ???

House alterations almost complete.

Lynne and Owen have gone shopping (again) for little odds and sods reguired to finish the house alterations. George will then skim the bedroom walls as necessary and a painter will add the final touches. The changes are all minor and too numerous to list, but together will make a tremendous difference to living here.

Cash belatedly arrives.

The boat sale cash finally trickled into our bank after a treacherous journey through the various banks.

50/50 again

Another half and half day. The weather and my mental state managed to coincide this morning. Warm, sunny and bright, but only the weather deteriorated during the afternoon whilst I listened to Jeff Wayne's War of the World's in its entirety, home alone whilst Lynne and Owen were scouring Leicester for wood to transform our bedroom wardrobe doors into the modern era.

Good and bad

A day of distinct opposites, healthwise. I started bright and breezy but deteriorated after a bout of wallpaper stripping as tiredness set in very quickly, requiring a nap of at least 3 hours to recover.

Plan Z

The latest plan is for Katie and the granddaughters to arrive at our house around lunchtime. Margaret and Bob are still  in Norfolk waiting for some decent weather to move in, so Katie and co will return South this evening. Lynne and Owen are off shopping for power plugs and light fittings. 

Nature turns nasty

Easter Monday and we are back to heavy rain ,gusty winds and sunshine, not necessarily in that order.

We have finally made a decision regarding upstairs changes but now need to get the necessary paint and fittings. We were planning to meet Chloe at Margaret and Bob's tomorrow but the weather has trapped the latter two in Norfolk so a change of plan is reguired.

The original change of plan was for Chloe to bring our granddaughter's to our house for dinner, but that was later changed again, to what I haven't a clue at this stage but all will become clear in due course.

The "office" back bedroom has been transformed with all the old wallpaper stripped and a large cupboard beginning to appear above the stairs. Tomorrow the last remaining desk will be dismantled,the boiler corner transformed and eventually a new carpet fitted.

I had a particularly good day, even assisting with stripping wallpaper and cleaning up with no ill-effects.

Easter Sunday

Sunny and slightly breezy ,but pleasant. Owen has arrived to reconfigure the back bedroom and redecorate here and there, staying for a week or two. Lynne also wishes to relaunch the garden as we will be around during the summer so watering should not be a problem. Hence the day will be spent scouring shops and garden centres for anything that catches our eye.

However, rather than be accused of telling porky pies ( lies ) I have to admit I slept all day,punctuated by meals. Not that I was ill , but the excitement and physical effort over recent days must have taxed what is left of my brain to the limit. The sleep/rest certainly worked as I awoke fully refreshed for tea.

A happy Easter

A beautiful sunny and very warm Easter Friday which saw us exchanging our boat for payment from an obnoxious old man, whose knowledge of narrowboats was minimal, to say the least. The fact that TardisTwo was still winterised obviously irritated him considerably, but the fault lay with the selling agent as we had previously discussed it with them and they took responsibility. The workshops were "extremely" busy but promised him they would do it ASAP. Later he passed some friends  of ours but was still not in a good mood, apparently.  after a celebratory drink or two we were taken to an Olde -Worldly pub in a very picturesque village of Tutbury. The pub is allegedly the smallest in the UK, which I can easily believer as the boat galley was larger than the bar.

It was closed so we moved on to Subury hall, a fifteenth century stately home now owned by the National Trust and sunbathed in the gardens until returning to Janet's for fish and chips, from where Derek took us home ,exhausted.

Decision made. Audi.

We had an Audi test drive this afternoon which revealed a no contest . Lynne provisionally ordered a red Audi A3, delivery approx 12 weeks or even less. It is a very neat piece of kit and certainly the best car I have ever owned, thanks to Government support for disabled  OAP's. Pity I cannot drive it, but at least I get driven around in comfort.

Coal mining

The weather has taken a turn for the worst, reflecting my current mood. Dull and grey.

Off for a brain scan this afternoon, yippee. It is one of my routine ones at a Leicester hospital, so anything can happen,and probably will.

The boat handover is scheduled for next Friday at 0930 hrs when money and boat will change hands, hopefully ( I have been told to delete the last word of that sentence and be positive, reflecting that I have reached the bottom of the coal mine and the only way is up.

As predicted, anything happened at my brain scan. They were running an hour late and two nurses failed to fit a cannula in either arm, both running off in different directions to find someone who could. They failed, so eventually the scanner technition did it, by which time both arms and the backs of my hands were covered in plasters and blood. The scan was a long one and removing the numerous plasters from my hairy arms and hands took forever, but painfully.

Deeper and deeper

My bright (?) period shattered to a halt late last night when our boat agents queried (on behalf of our buyer) whether we hold a boat safety certificate, which MCC were supposed to supply in our "welcome" pack. Another court case looms? CART are able to confirm Tardis Two does possess the necessary certificate and Appendix 15, but only MCC are permitted to supply originals and copies, just the news we needed. At worst we have lost the boat sale, at best we will have to creep to MCC, although it is a prison sentence offence for builders not to supply safety certificates, which gives us the upper hand.

Lynne had a test drive in a Nissan Quashkai in an attractive shade of blue this morning,and very impressive it was too, next stop Audi on Tuesday.

Depression,what depression?

A bright start to yet another depressing day. The sun is out, but my test results are not.I hope they show nothing life threatening needing urgent attention because it will be like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted (or hobbled into the distance in my case)

Car race hots up

With the Nissan Qaishkai in a small lead the race reaches  near its end, although Derek has widened the field by adding Audi to the list of contenders. Derek and Lynne have headed off to investigate this afternoon.

I had yet another blood test this morning for some future hospital appointments, providing these results do not get lost in the hospital sawdust. Don't hold your breath. Talking of results my endoscopy ones have yet to appear since last November and January respectively. 

Car list narrowed down.

Chloe accompanied us looking for cars and two test drives have been booked in a final attempt to get Lynne to choose one. I would have chosen by now but have no colour hang-ups. Whatever gets chosen I will like, particularly as I am unable to drive the damn thing, although I know I can get in and out of them all.

Chloe delivered a load of "stuff" for our loft and relieved us of our old TV.

Still undecided

"We "Remain undecided on a car, or more particularly a colour, not that it bothers me one iota, a car is a car is a car whatever the colour.

I changed dentists today, same place but downstairs instead of upstairs and male instead of female. I had become fed up with previous fillings quickly becoming crunchy bits in my meals, hence the dentist change. The guy today filed the sharp edges off the offending tooth thus saving the lacerations on my tongue and pain whilst eating, something of a result.

I have taken advantage of a few days good weather to tidy the garden and revamp a few pots/tubs.

Leicester hospital and smiles, an unlikely combination

I was due yet another eye test today.

Amazingly they could find no deterioration in my eyes since the last test ( this being Leicester hospital ) and I was complimented on their condition after almost 63 years of living on insulin control.We left happy and commenced new car hunting. Lynne has set her heart on a new Kia Sportage but only in red, which is only available in the top of the range model. We then had a long debate regarding the large cost difference between the two models, all for the colour red, but colours are important for the ladies so  tomorrow we will order a red Kia Sportage and sell our beloved Kia Rio ( in silver ).

Freezing.

The coldest night of the winter revealed a beautiful,blue skied, sunny morning, but little warmth.

Spring has sprung

A beautiful sunny morning, but cold. Lots of spring flowers emerging and brightening the mood.

War of the World's and PHilomena

More snow and  lots of time to fully appreciate "War of the World's"( cd ) and Philamena ( film ). The film is well recommended and extremely moving, as is the cd.

Brighter times and snow.

To round off a successful week ( with the exception of Arsenal ) today we have sunshine and snow. We aim to get a new, bigger, TV  for home and perhaps a replacement computer for my scrapped antique.

First, We met a consultant to discuss my gist results. Believe it or not they have lost them via a computer crash, but they still hope to retrieve them, at which time they will let me know by phone. The current view is the gist remains too small to remove for the foreseeable future, but it will be monitored. What more could I expect from Leicester hospital? 

From the hospital we visited John Lewis ( the shop, not the person ) where we bought a large , curve screen TV and sound bar, to be delivered next week.

I have to admit I lost my £20 bet as MCC completed the first instalment of their court "fine", which is strangely pleasing.

A long tunnel to sunshine

Seconds after shaking with Lynne to seal my £ 20 bet Paul from MCC phoned to confirm he will pay our battery "bill" in three instalments on the 1st of each month. It appears MCC have bigger  issues with the VAT authorities. Shame.

Back to court

Julia gave us a lift to Leicester court for our mediation hearing. To cut a long story short it will sent back to the county court, yawn, yawn.unless we and MCC can reach a compromise. MCC admitted being broke and at fault but could not afford another court case, but were willing to pay us "as and when ",which Lynne agreed to, much to my horror. As far as I'm concerned we can wave the money goodbye but Lynne seems convinced Paul Baldwin is a "good egg" and trustworthy, I wish I shared her faith. I will take MCC back to court if the "agreement" fails to reach fruition in due course.

By the time I had completed a £20 bet with Lynne MCC would default on payment they had phoned to offer full payment  within 3 months.

Persistence pays.

Dead computer

Any hope of keeping my geriatric old computer alive were crushed by Terry, but the hard drive continues to live on a little longer enabling us to transfer essential files/photos to the replacement piece of kit, once chosen.(more jobs for Terry).

The house is back to "normal", Linda and Terry have returned home for a quieter time,no doubt. Sophie and Joel have also returned to their home after their London expedition, breaking the return journey with us. So it is back to Lynne and I and the TV.

Holiday camp

Overnight our house was turned from a small terraced house sleeping two to a fully functional bed and breakfast sleeping six.linda and Terry had already arranged to stay and were belatedly joined by Joel and Sophie  having a stop-over on their way from Manchester to London where they have tickets to see Wicked, a pregual to the Harry Potter films, plus a tour of Universal studios at Boreham Wood, near London.

It was good to see them all again.

More unexpected good news arrived by post today as my personal independence plan has almost doubled this year for some unexplained reason.

My diabetic results were excellent and suddenly I am feeling good. ( or as good as it gets ,in my case).

Terry plans to at least get my computer started today,which will be blessing.

Endoscopy 3.

Another early start for my third endoscopy in as many weeks. My appointment at Leicester  Royal

 was for 0830 but the medical staff only start at 0900. Typical Leicester. This endoscopy lasted much longer than my previous one as it involved taking a sample for lab investigations. It was confirmed the gist is over 2.5 cms wide and will need to be removed, but no rush. Apparently any gist over 2.5 cms can eventually turn aggressive so surgeons recommend taking them out earlier rather than later.

The best news is that I walked out of Leicester hospital unharmed on this occasion.

World war 3

The EU and Britain's continued membership has been the subject of much debate recently, following our Prime Ministers supposed re-negotiation of terms and conditions. There will be a vote later this year . For what it is worth I think there will be a major war within a year with Russia, iSlamic State, Syria, North Korea and others taking on the remaining World countries. I hope I am wrong.

I am feeling pretty good  since Lisa changed my diabetic regime. 

Your M & L sweat shop exposed.

 

I am able to expose an M & S knitting sweatshop in Reading involving Marlene and Lynne mass-producing knitted scarves in a Reading dining room sweatshop, thanks to a tip-0ff from an exhausted ex-employee knitter living nearby

 Our weekend plans surprisingly changed this morning, shortly after I had stupidly told Lynne how well I had mentally coped with the fairly hectic schedule so far. We had very successfully  got through day 1 and almost half of day 2 when the agenda was lengthened by a day to take in a visit to Margaret and Bob.

We returned home exhausted but overall it was an enjoyable weekend.

Non-stop rain

JThe rainy day gave Lynne the opportunity to investigate the story of my endoscopy NHS farce. As usual the investigation took a number of calls and as usual Lynne was like a fox terrier accidentally finding a rabbit in it's burrow. The rabbit ( in this case surgeons and their secretaries ) stood no chance. 

They made a mistake with the first endoscopy by not confirming the gist size or the overall result of the investigation, but compounded their incompetence by making a prompt appointment for a second endoscopy without any explanation to cover their embarrasment. So there. I expect another prompt new appointment.

Leicester hospital fails again

My latest endoscopy was due today at 0800 hrs, but our very early start to the very frosty day was  in vain as , on our arrival it was belatedly confirmed the operation had been cancelled. Another letter to the chief executive looms.

Hospital treatment in Tanzania must be far superior to Leicester.

Tardis Two makes internet debut.

Our Tardis Two internet advert has gone global and very impressive it is too.  We just need to sit back and await developments.

I will attend the high court hearing with MCC which should prove fun,but basically will not change the county court decision, unless the judge wishes to set it aside and hear the whole thing himself at some later date. The court discussions should prove very interesting and fairly entertaining.

Two can play

Having spoken to a solicitor the court hearing of 29th February seems much less daunting, the city judge merely assessing MCC's reasons for wanting the previous court decision set aside,which should prove entertaining. Delaying tactics actually, and solicitors costs far outweighing whatever the outcome,which stops me worrying a little.

Legal wrangles/playing the system

We received a letter from the City courthouse of Leicester informing us  MCC has applied for our county court award to be set aside. A city court hearing has been set for 29th February to consider if the matter can be set aside. Eddie is obviouslyj reaching the end of his tether and is blaming ill health for the lack of adequately defending the case, so I reckon if ill health will be the deciding factor I have no worries.

Gardening relief again

Managed an hour or two gardening, which helped clear my muddled brain and excercise a few muscles. I am trying to ignore the obvious MCC wind-up so the fresh air and  excercise cleared the majority of bull sh*t from my remaining brain cavities and life is on the up again.

The reasoning behind MCC's attitude to customer care still escapes me , if they put half as much energy into it as they do playing endless computer games they would be quite a success.

The two steps forward, one step back syndrome returns.

Having been awarded our boat "repair" expenses by the County Court and no sign of payment by MCC, even after invoking a visit by the bailif's, we eventually received a short letter from the high court saying MCC had belatedly asked for the County Court decision to be "set aside" and a new High Court  hearing to be arranged ?  Date to be confirmed sometime in March. We need to get legal advice  but do not appear to have any input into this latest shenanigans. In theory our case remains watertight ( excuse the pun ) but the involvement of solicitors inevitably adds complications , delays and expenses. Just what my addled brain needed at this late stage. But I will not let the b*st*rds drag me down.

The last post

With my boating days over this will be my last daily blog of this particular series,thanks for supporting me over the years,

Decisions, decisions.

A decisive day. We have sadly agreed to sell Tardis Two,signing the sales agreement and arranging for photo's to be taken on a future non-windy day ( today being gale force ). Standing on the stern and attempting to remain upright reminded me of the reason for our decision, my safety. Whether it sells or not remains to be seen, but the agent remains very confident.

Another very sad day

With "reasons to be cheerful" by   Ian Dury and the Blockheads already lodged in what's left of my brain I woke to yet another sad day - and it was raining again.

Alone again my black mood seems to be getting blacker, forty shades of black?

I swear this place is haunted, with creaks and groans coming from upstairs if I'm downstairs and visa versa.    All was quiet until 11.30 am when every phone in the house (3) rang at once. What is left of my brain immediately slipped into confusion and eventually I opted to leave the landline phones to the ansafone and answer my mobile,which was nothing important. One of the other calls was from the company seeking feedback on Lynne's recent massage and beautifying day. Lynne can phone them back on her return. The remaining call was from the Baillifs , checking the amount we are owed, which I was able to deal with. They are in the process of "doing the admin" and will be undertaking the "raid" very soon, apparently. Yet another light at the end of yet another tunnel. The "ghosts" were overcome by leaving the TV playing radio 5 whilst I continued dozing upstairs having demolished a pork pie salad lunch. But the day proved long.......and longer...........and longer.

A very sad day

I am home alone again for a few days,  as usual Lynne received a last minute request to work in London for a few days. Following our decision to sell Tardis Two and having watched "War Horse" on TV last night I awoke in a less than joyous mood, not improved when I found Lynne had already quietly gone and had left a montage of boating photo's on my ipad. A few tears were shed as my dark mood deepened.

Plan B is to take a few sunshine holidays via funds from the boat sale, but my dark mood  and poor health has only highlighted the problem of getting travel insurance or even being allowed to fly.

Arsenal play Chelsea this afternoon which I am hoping will lighten my mood by keeping Arsenal in the hunt for a magnificent triple at the season end.

It ended 0 - 1 to Chelsea, with a pathetic Arsenal performance before and after they went down to 10 men. Champions or a triple? You must be joking.

Progress

The form to set the bailiffs onto MCC arrived this morning and was duly completed and despatched. Mcc's bill has risen considerably as each legal hiccup arises, mainly self-inflicted. Shame.     For the simple price of 1 battery three years ago they could have saved themselves a shed-load of money and us a whole load of inconvenience and heartache.

Confused? You will be.

Having completed the relevant forms for our high court MCC case they were returned, with the cheque, stating we would need to submit a new one to obtain enforcement, easy eh? No such luck.

Lynne spent the whole morning attempting to locate who issues the damn form, before being put in touch with the original girl she spoke to almost 3 hours earlier, who this time offered to send the "new form" for completion and return. Result.

Two plus points. Lynne learned MCC are still trading, but with a low credit rating and they have no other legal issues ongoing at present. Onwards and upwards.

It is raining again but a little warmer.

Regarding the boat we have made the first moves to sell her,regretfully. My health is not improving sufficiently to make it safe for me to handle locks and/or the boat. Regretting not selling her after my death or major injury is not an option worth considering.

We are both very upset at the decision but accept it is inevitable.

Restless night

Most of the night was spent in the bathroom, but rather than bore you with the grim details suffice to say I emerged possibly 2 kilo's lighter !  And, having showered, much more wholesome. 

The mob that were supposed to visit yesterday morning, but failed, phoned to book/impose a new appointment next week. When and if they ever arrive I will enquire where they obtain their customer liaison training, because it is incredibly unique. 

Today is cold and frosty so I'll probably catch up on some sleep in the warm at some time.

Leicester hospitals sheer incompetence

The sheer incompetence of the Leicester NHS has been the subject of my blog on numerous occasions, but they excelled themselves today. Although not directly related to the NHS , someone from the disability payment office had arranged to re-check my details for 2016 at home at 0830 this morning, but phoned at 0815 to cancel, with no reason or excuse given. i received a letter fromLeicester hospital informing me an endoscopy has been arranged for me next week, which was a little disconcerting as I have yet to be officially informed of the results of my last one,about a week ago.

Thoughts immediately go to finding something nasty.  Lynne spent almost 3hours on the phone to a vast array of consultants and doctors attempting to clarify why another endoscopy is necessary but without success. Eventually she managed to speak to one of the diabetic team I have seen recently, and he volunteered to track down my notes. What a brilliant guy. He eventually phoned back, apologised on behalf of Leicester for not letting me know the endoscopy results, but confirmed there is nothing to worry about. The consultant who did the endoscopy apparently forgot to record the size of the gist on my stomach, essential for monitoring it in future, hence the repeat excercise, so as recommended I will attend the next endoscopy and observe at the the subsequent team review meeting in early March. I intend writing to the hospital Chief Executive again in due course.

Snow gone

The white carpet failed to last more than 24 hours although the very cold temperatures survived longer.

Snow

Got up this morning to a picture postcard scene, everything covered in pristine snow. About an inch of it.

Home we go

A fairly leisurely start to our return home in bright sunshine and an uneventful journey arriving in time for  a sandwich lunch. For some unexplained reason next door's neurotic cat was found in our house by another neighbour putting our heating on for us, but no harm done. She was ejected into the garden ( the cat, not the neighbour ), but the cat flap locks appeared intact so  how she got in will remain a mystery, but the lack of smelly evidence would suggest her stay had been a short one. Strange but true.

Our stay with Marlene and Brian had been excellent but it is still nice to get home.

Day 4

A bright morning most of which I missed as I had a lay-in. I appear to be in the dog-house for reasons yet to be established, but I am getting pretty broad shouldered so not particularly worried. Lynne is apparently not working today so all will be revealed in due course. We helped Marlene and Brian set up a meal and raffle for the local Mothers Union which raised over £300, a great result and a very friendly bunch.we assisted returning the hall to pristine condition and washing up.

Day 3

Lynne is starting yet another day at work. Literally no one knows how long it will last, not the shop manager, Lynne or me ( not necessarily in that order) but, for what it is worth, my money is on 4 or 5 days.

Walk off the earth have already released their cover of Adele's hit single ""hello" within only a week of it hitting the charts,and it is remarkably different,as usual. Have a look on YouTube.

I am feeling ok.

Today is a good news day. Apparently Whale numbers are generally increasing world-wide and agreement has been reached to stop keeping killer whales in captivity. 

A late afternoon power cut meant cooking and eating dinner was completed by torch and candle light, romantic but inconvenient. Fortunately the aga was unaffected so dinner appeared ( though slightly dimmer) as usual.

Confusion relegated

Yesterday's confusion has been relegated to memory, following a chat with Lynne. Inevitably Lynne's working week has extended to at least 4 days, no surprise there, so we'll remain with Marlene and Brian a little longer.  It appears I have already missed an appointment with a hospital nutrition consultant, but that seems unimportant to Lynne and not particularly disappointing for me.

Confusion and bye Bowie

Yesterday was a blur of confusion, partly caused by our hectic programme over recent days and not helped by a mix up with my morning insulin injection and the lack of a pencil to record it,resulting in a minor inadvertent overdose,quickly discovered by Lynne on her return from work  No harm done apart from a minor hypo.

Brian produced an excellent roast lamb dinner to rescue the situation and life went on, as usual. it was far less confused this morning, following a major thunderstorm complete with loud bangs and lightning flashes during the night, romantically linked to the passing of David Bowie,who sadly succumbed to cancer.

Lynne returned to work, as did Chloe who had joined us for dinner.

Leisurely Sunday and endoscopy.

With Lynne working once again I spent today With Marlene and Brian near Reading, having completed a couple of hours gardening for "old" Derek yesterday. You are correct in guessing the rain has stopped for a couple of days. Yippee.

The endoscopy was far less frightening or painful than feared and if they could have started the computer it would have been fast. In the event they confirmed the gist in my stomach is not cancerous, subject to the biopsy results. It was weird looking at my gut from the inside as the camera passed through it and I can now differentiate between dangerous and safe gist's.

Ark ordered

Another wet day and with most of the UK literally underwater already, my thoughts have returned to boating , with the emphasis on an ark, although to be fair, whatever they did with our local flood defences last year appear to have worked. The fields which were underwater are still visible to date, a major achievement given the endless days of rain so far this winter.

Today was internment of Sue's ashes day. It rained in gale force winds so luckily the service was short, but moving. Afterwards we all opted to visit a pub in Groby and Derek then proceeded to buy all eleven of us lunch, which proved to be excellent. From there we returned to Derek's for coffee so it was16.30 before we returned home with the wind stronger and colder.

Back to the mundane

After a considerable lie-in it was back to the routine Sainsbury's major shopping trip. It proved good exercise and ended with a tea of muscles with bread. My mood was excellent again.

Diabetic review

My favourite diabetic consultant failed to appear for my appointment but was replaced by a new guy to me, far less interested and far less probing, failing even to look at my blood sugar results book. I could have got away with telling him anything !!  

And then there were two

Bob and Margaret left for their home, the only remnant being Margaret's walking stick, with which she will be re-United very shortly. Their stay has cheered me up no end and I intend maintaining the brighter outlook for the foreseeable future, despite the bleak weather outside. I have a diabetic review meeting with my hospital consultant who I like and respect enormously. I do not foresee any problems, but who am I to say? 

I was given a mug for Christmas bearing the legend "do not count the hours but make the hours count" which I intend to stick by.

Yet more rain and a diet.

This year has started the way the last ended........ Wet, but mild.

Lynne has started Bob on a "healthy eatiing "regime backed by regular blood sugar testing, in an attempt to improve his diet and reduce his burgeoning waistline and weight.

The first day was a great "eye opener" for us all, but Bob now understands the problem with his previous regime and the benefits of the new.

It rained heavily and continuously all day which led us to the Red Lion for Sunday lunch, e good experience as usual. Lynne and Margaret continued completing a full page crossword puzzle from an Xmas newspaper. We think they will finish it around Easter. 

Happy new year

We saw 2016 in watching Bryan Adams live in concert in London and very good he was too. The firework display at halfway was amazingly spectacular,but I dread to think what effect it had on the U.K.'s economy.  Healthwise it is a good start to the new year.