Ninas Ramblings

Hello 2112

2012-01-28T03:30:00.000-08:00

Another year gone and a new year almost one month in. I survived christmas, New year, anniversary of the passing of a loved one, and Number one sons birthday, and yes the diet is surviving (just).

I had my first weigh in in January, and was bricking it, but had actually stayed the same, despite the 2 party sized black forest gateau and the array of cheeses we devoured, so I was still quite motivated. Next weigh in is on 9th February, so I am hoping the downward trend will continue at a sensible rate.

Had a follow up appointment at the diabetes centre last week, and my long term blood glucose had reduced from over 14 down to 7.1, so it is offically normal !!!! feedback was excellent, insulin has been reduced further and my longterm plan is to keep reducing it as the weight goes.

Mum continues to fight on, she too had another birthday this month, where she held court for all and sundry. Out came the Hyacinth tea trolley and the bone china tea set (with the blue periwinkles) and muggins here kept the brews flowing.

The weather forecasters are predicting a month of arctic weather to hit us in the next few days, so far we have been quite lucky, obviously it is chilly, well it is winter, but every passing day means spring is closer, and the snowdrops and crocuses will soon be showing themselves in all their glory. Spring and autumn have always been my favourite seasons, I dont like hot and i dont like cold, but love the new growth and colours of those seasons.

So what am I going to do this year? well I have given up hope of finding a man who will put up with me, so I suppose it will be another one of going solo, being a hermit and occasional trips to the coast to watch the world go by, people watching is such a fascinating pastime.

We have the grand national and boat race in april, Wimbledon in June and of course from July the olympics will be on, that takes care of my exercise for the year, as watching them can be so exhausting. I scream through the National (go Onnn my son !) , grunt through the tennis and groan through the Olympics. all very good at burning calories.

I seem to have writers block at the moment, I lie awake at night and think of all the funny things I would like to relay to you, then, when I actually get round to typing my mind goes blank .

I have memories of long gone relatives which warm my heart. My fondest memories are of Auntie Nellie, my nannies twin sister. They were not identical twins, nannie was the pretty one and got married, auntie Nellie was the plain one and went into service. Right up to her death in her 90's she had jet black hair (dyed) in a pudding basin cut, she was 5ft nothing, and looked like Ronnie Corbett. She was a veritable whirlwind, never still, always cleaning or dusting something.

She broke things with gay abandon, and used to stick handles on broken cups with fairy liquid and let it dry till set!!!!! so it was not unusual to get a lap full of hot tea if you drew the wrong cup lol. She had wonderful stories to tell of her growing up years and would tell them to anyone who had the time to listen. She used to come and "do" for us once a week (mainly so mum could ensure she got a decent meal) and I remember one day finding her beating one of my false eyelashes to death with a hearth brush as she had mistaken it for a spider !!! happy days.

I think i may tell more of my disfunctional family at a later date, but had better try and save this as I think a gremlin may be trying to eat it. Hopefully more soon xxxxxx

ONLY JUST DECEMBER AND I'M COLD

2011-12-05T14:51:00.000-08:00

I know we have more to come, but I am cold. Popped out to the local garage last night to grab some milk, and for the first time this year my dashboard was adorned with that little yellow snowflake. 2 degrees, but still flippin cold for my poor old heart and lungs. Within minutes I was almost on my knees, unable to breathe and with that crushing angina pain. I always carry my nitro spray with me (in fact I have a spray in every room, every bag and in the car) Sat a while with the heater on and managed to struggle home, once warmed up I was fine.

For the next few months any outings I undertake I will be attired as Scott of the Antarctic. I shall have a fur lined parka (synthetic of course) thermal vest gloves hat and bloomers, fishermans socks, longjohns and at least 2 pairs of trousers and my wooly slipper boots. I hate going out in the ice, and am terrified of losing my footing and falling arse over tit. I remember a couple of years ago doing the splits in deep snow in the middle of our village, Thing is you are so embarrassed that someone you know has seen you, you leap up laughing inanely and being really tough, and then have to walk home with a fanny full of snow !!!! Imagine the conversation with the doctor " and how did you get frostbite there Ms Reade ?" lol.

Oh well only 19 days to go to christmas, and still not a card written or a present bought. Mum told me yesterday what she really wanted for christmas, its one of those spikey flip floppy things that you put on the shower floor and stick your foot in it, wiggle it about and its supposed to clean and remove hard skin !!!! (last year all she wanted was a back brush for the shower). So what am I supposed to do? buy it and have her slip over with her super soapy feet and break her neck, or not buy her what she says is the only present that she would love, what a quandry I am in. I know it will never get used, as her feet are so ticklish she wont be able to bear it lol and I will probably get it back from her in June as a gift. (Bless her)

Well today was weigh in day, I didnt feel any thinner this month, so wasnt hoping for much, my joints have been painful, so I havent done as much excercise as I would have liked, although I have been doing knee bends while waiting for the kettle to boil, and buttock clenching whilst sitting at the computer, so hopefully I will be toning something up.

I got into the surgery (It is now sleeting) and saw Maxine my diabetic nurse. She complimented me on how great I was looking, well i was freshly coiffed and made up for a change. I jumped on the scales and wooohoooo another 6 pounds off making a total of 22 pounds. Maxine was so excited that she let out a loud squeal and waltzed me round the room.

I had to come clean and get a new prescription for some insulin as I had inadvertly frozen mine when the fridge went on the blink, but it was not a problem as I have another fridge in the wardrobe in the bedroom, where it resides with a 4ft fishtank, 2 dysons and a henry !!! (yes its a big wardrobe). Next weigh in is on the 9th January, so I will have an extra week to get over the holiday stuffing.

Thats all for now, hopefully more soon.

PS if you are reading this and like it, please say so xxx

CHRISTMAS IS COMING AND THIS GOOSE IS FAT

2011-12-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness its now 3am on the 2nd of December, not a present bought nor wrapped, but what the heck (does this face looked bovvered?) Every year I promise myself I will start in January and snatch up all the post christmas goodies, but never do. Then come June I remember my granny boiling up christmas puds in an old wash boiler in the back yard, this was done at least every 3 months during the year, and the puds were then fed with brandy and re-wrapped in their muslin overcoats until they had their final outing on christmas day when they were stuffed with silver sixpences and arrived at the table flaming with more brandy and as black as coal. I dont know what health and safety would make of real money in christmas puds nowadays, I am sure we swallowed a few in our time, and had to wait for a few days for the change.

Christmas was wonderful as a child, we alternated between our house one year and Nannys the next. Our house was great because we still had our mates to play with, but nannys was special too. It was the one day of the year when we were allowed to go in her front room, and even the loose covers were taken off the 3 piece suite. Lunch was always served at 1pm come hell or high water, grandad and dad wore their paper hats until long after we went to bed, and used to snore the afternoon away while the ladies (nanny, auntie Nellie and mum) washed up, amused children and cut sandwiches for teatime. Teatime was always a huge home cooked ham, tinned crab and smoked salmon, nannys christmas cake, trifle and sausage rolls and mince pies.

After tea the real exciting things happened, games of bingo !!! a beetle drive !!! Lexicon !!! and extra pressies from under the tree and silly prizes. Nanny and auntie Nellie were tee total, but we used to get them tiddly by dosing them with Stones ginger wine (which they thought was non alcoholic pop) they also loved Baileys, but only on their icecream lol.

So where is this leading ? well this year I am hoping as usual for a large fresh cock for christmas (thats a capon to you dirty minded readers) this I shall cook to perfection, and I will make the stuffing myself too. once I have completed this culinary masterpiece, I shall unthaw sprouts, give thanks to Aunt Bessies roast vegetables (also frozen) and glaze a few carrots.(Job done)

The cake and mincepies will be courtesey of Messrs ASDA, and I will travel to Iceland for the gateaux and pavlova. Christmas cards, well I still have the ones I wrote but failed to send last year, so all I need to do is buy a few pairs of socks and pants, a large bag of shower gels and various smellies from the chemist. Oh and assorted selection boxes, choccy oranges, toblerones, after 8 mints, alka seltzer, rennies and a few cases of Stella lager, then settle back and watch TV. (I really cant understand what all the panic is about.

I have just remembered, its now Friday and I have my second weigh in on Monday so maybe I should put off the shopping till Tuesday (will let you know how I get on)

ITS CATCH UP TIME

2011-11-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Well here we are again, summer has been and gone and the leaves are turning into glorious autumn colours. Its been a quiet few months with nothing of note happening to blog about, and there is nothing worse than a load of drivel with no news so I decided to give it a rest and hope I would bounce back in order to give my few fans a smile or two.

OK so I guess the time is right for a catch up. This summer we have had another wedding (again not mine ) but a glorious day nevertheless. It was out in the country and of course in preparation mum and I had to do a reccee a couple of weeks before in order to get our bearings for the big day. We did quite well, only getting lost a few times, it did get a bit scary when one road we travelled down got more and more narrow and grass appeared in the middle of the tarmac, but it was very pretty. Ended up finding a huge garden centre and doing out favourite pastime, lunching.

Wedding morning dawned and we set off, mum in her buttermilk suit and me in a fetching navy patterned dress and shrug and very expensive shoes (with heels) Unfortunately the only parking available was a huge field, freshly mown, at the back of the church. I hopped out and got the wheelchair from the boot and straightaway caught my heel in long stalks of grass with teasels and brambles and went arse over tit. Managed to get mother into the chair and then found it impossible to drag the chair the few feet to the church pathway (which was gravel) grrrr. Fortunately other guests were arriving and several strong men came to the rescue and carried mum and chair, sedan chair style, onto firmer ground. A lovely day was had by all, excellent company, lovely food and non stop booze, and if it hadnt been for my back progressively seizing up I may even have had a smooch or two.

The new car is running well, and is very economical after the Focus, mum and I have had many jaunts around the county all ending in lunch somewhere, and I hope to continue these trips as often as the weather allows, so if the sun is out hopefully we will be too.

My latest trip to the diabetic clinic was quite an eye opener, in addition to the 2 types of insulin I am on they decided to put me on slow release metformin as my blood sugars are still way too high. Apparently insulin is responsible for weight gain, and I was on massive doses (100 ml 3 times a day) plus 100 ml Levimir a slow acting insulin at night which means 4 pricks a day !!!!
but to my credit I had managed to lose 7 lbs. Since being on the new tablets my blood sugars have come down a lot, and I am reducing my insulin already down between 40 and 50ml a dose and this has given me the incentive to DIET !!!!

I saw Maxine the diabetic practitioner at my surgery and had a chat to her before embarking on this new diet. She is a big girl herself, and was so encouraging I arranged to see her again in a month, and that month was up today. Guess what, I have lost 9 lbs so in total 16 pounds. I feel really proud, 9 pounds may not seem much but its over 2lb a week and I have been eating very sensibly, even having occasional treats.

I am hoping to try and up my excercise but its very difficult with the heart problems and the arthritis, but keep telling myself that the more weight i shift, the less strain for my joints, so at the moment I am feeling very positive.

Well thats me done for now, I hope to find some funny snippets for you in the weeks to come, because even I find it hard to type and eat at the same time

Back like the proverbial bad penny

2011-06-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

Woke at 4:30 this morning to the sound of rain tinkling on my window pane, the first rain in weeks here. This of course meant that I had to go to the bathroom and do my own tinkling.

My shiny new bathroom which was replaced early this year and of course did NOT go without a hitch, started off very well, old toilet out and new one installed in a matter of hours, but how can you use it when needed if there are a plethera of workmen on site. I am paranoid about someone hearing me tinkle lol . Smart new pedestal sink installed next, and finally the bath which was sealed and filled with cold water to weigh it down for the night. Next morning lots of banging and crashing and i go upstairs to find the loo sitting on the landing and the sink on my bed !!!!! and even more worrying, no sign of any workmen. So here i was totally dishevelled and not a pot to pi** in.

Lunchtime came and went then another 2 guys turned up to lay the flooring !!! Even me, a mere woman could have worked out that this should have been done first as it is non slip sheet flooring that needs to be laid in one piece with no seams. Anyway the plumber eventually returned and fitted it all back, saying he would return tomorrow to finish off boxing in the bath. I couldnt wait to see the back of them, I hate strangers in the house, and it was bliss to have a working loo and i celebrated with a soak in the new bath. Job was eventually finished 4 days later (or so I thought)

Got up on the Saturday morning, the hand basin was totally blocked and the toilet leaking raw sewage onto the floor I rang the contractors (out of hours answerphone) and insisted they sort it out NOW. They rang back suggesting I put a bowl under the loo (duh I had) and said they would pop in on Monday to fix it. I think my colourful language convinced them that maybe they should come immediately and surprisingly they did.

More successful was the rewiring of the house. Same contractors so i was understandably concerned, but this time everything went like clockwork, all sockets replaced with doubles, and installed at high level for ease of use. No longer do I have extension leads throwing out more heat than the central heating lol, I even have an extra socket for my iron (like that will get used lol ) NOT !!!

Mum is still her unique self, she has a medi alert alarm in case she falls or needs help. It has been playing up a bit lately, and I usually get calls at about 3 in the morning to say she has fallen in the kitchen (usually when wandering about for a biscuit and a cuppa) In the past it has been a case of driving over in my jim jams, checking her over, picking her up and popping her back in bed. Unfortunately the last time she didnt have her buzzer pendant with her grrrrr and it was a very cold March night. She managed to crawl back to the bedroom to summon help but unfortunately she had got really cold, and i was really weak and couldn't lift her on my own, so had to summon little brother to help out. She said her ankle was hurting and I suggested we went to the hospital there and then, but since she had a lunch date the next day she said she was OK. She went to her lunch in agony apparently, when I saw her on the Monday her ankle was up like a balloon and her toes black so i told her we were going to the hospital, she said no the doctors will do !! so we went there, and surprise surprise they took one look and sent her to hospital . The verdict was one bad sprain, fortunately nothing broken. she agreed to rest the foot, but refused the ice packs and the elevation bless her.

Her latest escapade was getting marooned at the top of the garden. she somehow managed to get a bit of wheelspin on her electric scooter and bedded it down in the vegetable garden, as she did not have her sticks with her she was stuck at the top of the garden till she managed to raise a neighbour to come to her rescue.

Next week is going to be an exciting one, its time to trade in and change my car, I can't believe its been 3 years. This time I am downsizing to a Fiesta and hoping that i can fit in the wheelchair. I am sure it will be OK if I drop the back seats

Oh I almost forgot, I have finally got a new canary, he is Charlie number 2, I worried that he was mute for the first month, but after playing him clips off U-tube of singing canaries he has finally cottoned on, he sings beautifully, but unfortunately starts at 4 30 in the morning, and dosent stop till dusk.

I hope to post more catch ups soon take care xx

The Wedding !!!

2010-07-27T02:53:00.000-07:00

Well the day finally arrived, glorious sunshine and a gentle breeze, perfect wedding weather.

Spent the morning titivating, nails, hair styled into a reckless curly bob all puffed up like a candyfloss. Left mum having her hair styled and set off on a 10 mile jaunt to pick up brother John. Well it was a lovely day so I thought I would go the pretty cross country way. This was mistake number one, as 20 miles later I found myself completely lost and about 15 miles the wrong side of where i should be !!! Forty five minutes later I eventually found a signpost to point me in the right general direction, and after reversing into several fields I arrived at my destination.

Headed back to mums to find her all ready and waiting and looking wonderful. Splashed some cold water on my rosy cheeks, trowelled on the polyfilla and make up, shoved my facinating facinator on my head and quickly got dressed. Mum was impressed, she actually liked the outfit, so off we went. After a quick fashion show for the neighbours who turned up to ohh and ahh we hit the road.

Norfolk Highways had decided to shove their spanner in the works by closing the main road into Norwich for 10 weeks so we took a round the houses route to arrive in good time at the hotel. After being buzzed into the locked carpark, we then negotiated a huge ramp with the wheelchair, thank goodness John was pushing, ( he also needs a crash course in wheelchair etiquette,) as I think mum moaned at every bump he found, and once into the hotel we encountered a maze of narrow corridors, and I think he scraped paint at every bend lol.

St Giles Hotel was featured on a TV makeover show and the amount they spent was quite extortionate. It was fascinating to see what they had done to it, beautiful mouldings, crystal chandeliers, wonderful original carvings had all been preserved. There was a beautiful central decking area full of colourful flowers outside where a lot of pics were taken. The photographer was extremely thorough and had a real knack for getting the best and most natural shots out of the few fractious toddlers, and an extrordinary girl mingled with the guests and produced amazing caricatures in two minutes flat. John had his done, and after much protesting we got mums done too, Johns was hilarious she really got him off to a tee, and mum had a regal air to hers, and despite her protests she really loved it..

We were allowed a quick peep at the bridal suite in all its opulence, the bathroom was huge with a king size roll top bath, and amazing tiles and furnishings, the lounge was lovely with comfy sofas, soft furnishings and mood lighting, and the bedroom !!!! well it was gorgeous.

The Pimms was on tap and we imbibed a few before making our way up to the ceremony room. Again all carved wood and crystal and beautiful white flowers. Mark and Alison each have a teenage son and daughter. It was incredible to see how these two families have come together, with all the youngsters showing a natural affection towards each other. Alisons son Danny gave the bride away, and Marks son Lewis was the best man. The two girls Charlie and Emma were stunning bridesmaids and little Amy was an exemplarary flower girl. (Her little brother handed out bags of fresh white rose petals for us to bombard the happy couple.

A lady was playing the harp and it was truly beautiful, after the ceremony she moved down to the bar and played for hours. She had an amazing repertoire from classical to modern, and she did a wonderful version of Chasing cars and other chart hits and movie soundtrack themes.

After the speeches which were perfect, short, funny and with a few tears thrown in for good measure (i did get my hanky out) we went back upstairs to eat. Food was a massive buffet of smoked salmon, prawns, thick hot rare roast beef, beautiful ham, curries rice salads and fresh baked rolls followed by white choc and raspberry cheesecake or lemon tart. It was yummy.

By 10 o clock we were flagging, and the party started to break up due to lots having work the next day, so we said our farewells and made our weary way home.

I cant say the day changed my view of weddings, and I certainly wouldnt want one of my own, but I just know that this little family will be OK second time around, and wish them every happiness from the bottom of my heart.

Now this is over, I can remove my nail extensions and continue with the Lemon fizz painting project ( well I will when my headache goes)

BEWARE !!!! I HAVE SHORT FUSE SYNDROME

2010-07-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

This posh wedding is starting to affect my normal good humour. I have a hundred and one things to do, and really cannot afford to spend any more time on preparing for it ( its not as if anyone will be looking at frumpy old me anyway) but mum is now in overdrive. We had a trip out last week and bought feathery fascinaters (thats silly hat things for my male readers). Today I had to take mum to an out of town shopping centre because she needed a new lipstick.

We arrived at Boots the chemist, wheelchair in tow as usual, on a sweltering hot afternoon and the selection of make up was excellent. Mum picked a new foundation, and said she wanted a strawberry or raspberry shade of lippy for a change. I picked up a lovely one for me and shoved it in my basket, then tried helping her pick one, everything was either too pink, too purple, too frosted, apparently she wanted a matt lipstick. There must have been at least 500 shades and textures to chose from, but of course she couldnt find one she liked so she bought 2 packs of sticking plasters and decided she had had enough.

Driving home, she said "what i really want is a nice CORAL LIPSTICK !!!!!!! wonder if the courts are lenient in cases of matricide ? Dont get me wrong, I think its great that at 83 she is taking pride in her appearance, but I am so wishing I had the nerve to do what my sister in law did, she said she didnt like weddings and would not go lol.

Anyway I have ended up buying very fine loose linen cullotte trousers and a very pale pink polka dot tunic new shoes (thank goodness Brantano had a sale on) and a small leather handbag which is a totally inpractical size for all the junk I have to carry (blood testing kit, insulin, GTN spray, glucose, money, fags, keys etc etc. I also bought a lovely sheer wrap to cover my shoulders in case of snow !!!!!!!! Now mum seems to think we need a dress rehearsal so I can be tweaked, and to make sure my hat matches my top. Hairdresser is booked for Monday morning, and I still need to get my nails done. Maybe this was not the week to start decorating the lounge.

So far I have washed one wall, and matt is washing the ceiling, but he has decided to go visiting today, so I have a mop and a bucket of cold murky water sitting in the middle of the floor and no inclination to do anything, its just too hot. Still I expect to report that Lemon Fizz is the in colour, and it may be done by christmas.

Enough for now its gone 1 a.m. and I am hoping to fall into bed.

Remembering My Daddy

2010-06-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Spent a quiet day yesterday lost in thoughts of my dad, as not only was it Fathers Day, it was also the anniversary of the day I lost my precious dad, so today I will try and write a tribute to him.

Dad was a self made man, after his stint at National Service in the RAF where he learned to play the accordian with great aplomb, (his claim to fame was that he fell out of a Lancaster Aeroplane without a parachute. It was on the ground at the time, thankfully). He then was employed as a cabinet maker, as everyone had a trade in those days, he hated it with a vengance and made it his ambition to never work for an employer again.

Dad loved dogs and sport, so the obvious combination was greyhounds. He managed with a natural eye and lots of studying of bloodlines to buy, breed and train many winners in his lifetime, making trips to southern ireland to buy puppies for training. All the dogs and pups lived with us as family pets and they are wonderful gentle creatures.

Both dad and grandad had a flair for bowls, first outdoor green bowling, and then indoor bowling too, and between them they won many championships and trophys over the years, my display cabinet still has several of his trophies in pride of place.

I can remember as a child that my brothers and I never got pocket money as such, but there was always a ritual on a Saturday morning of dad sitting us down, emptying his pockets of all his silver and with great ceremony picking up each coin and getting us to guess the date !!! This was done in strict rotation till one of us got it right and won the coin, the process was then repeated till the pile was doled out.

When I was about ten dad opened his first betting shop, it was in Great Yarmouth, and had a flat above the shop where we spent all our holidays. I can remember that the tannoy was clearly aubible upstairs, and that we used to giggle when the commentator said "they are running at Bath" which we thought meant the jockeys were having their ablutions lol (well we were young).
As I got older it was my job to sort the winning tickets into numerical order ready for payout, it was my first "real" job and I got real wages for it too, but dreaded Grand National and Derby days as there were so many boxes to be sorted. Over the years further shops materialised, another in Yarmouth, then one in Lowestoft, Bungay and finally Norwich.

Presents from dad were always slightly bizzare too, on my brothers 10th birthday dad arrived home from a trip to London with an african bateleur eagle it had a 8ft wingspan and ate chicks and rats and mice ( and any neighbourhood cats if it had its way ) It had leather straps attached to its legs for tethering, and when it flapped its wings, it almost lifted my brother off his feet.

We went to see someone to get a pair of rats so that we could breed them to feed the beast, but on getting them home, the first night one had a litter of 12 and the second night the other had a litter of 14. They were chinese hooded rats, and so cute that we couldnt possibly feed them to the beast, so we kept the rats and donated Fred the Eagle to a local wildlife park, as feeding him best chuck steak was getting expensive.

On my birthday I wanted a rabbit, dad bought me a white angora one, and he then visited a neighbours shed with my bunny to introduce her to his buck, a few weeks later i had lots of bunnies !!! Over the years one of my bunnies got out, now it is not unusual to see very fluffy wild rabbits in the area some of them still showing white patches lol.

So dad i had a good day yesterday, hope you did too, I smiled and reminesced about the good times, and also about my other dad, father in law Leslie, you were two of the best, and I miss you every day. Sleep in peace xxxxxx

THE HANDBAGS AND THE GLADRAGS

2010-06-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

We have a "posh" wedding coming up in July, so our mission this week was to find wedding finery for mum and myself. The corsages have already been ordered, mine is Ivory and mums is orange and yellow.

I was sent out on Saturday morning to do a recce of various ladies modes in the area and do a risk assessment on wheelchair access, floor space between rails etc. this is important, as one establishment we went in recently there was so little space that we ended up with allsorts attached to the wheelchair as we brushed past things in impossibly narrow spaces !!

We are fortunate enough to have in our village a ladies boutique (Big and Beautiful, sizes 14 to 36!!) so off we went on Monday to start our mission. First thing mum saw was a lovely greeny bronze silk 3 piece trouser suit. it really was exquisite with a price tag to match its raw silk quality.

The staff were excellent, allowing mum to try it on in the store room which had loads of room for manoeuvers . Unfortunately there was no room for mum to manoeuver into the suit, 3 years of sitting in a wheelchair have spread her derrierre somewhat, and no way was it going to fit. Meanwhile i had another wander round, and found a beautiful soft buttermilk jacket and teamed it up with a silky camisole and trousers, she tried it on and hummed and harred, it really did look lovely, but she was not convinced.

So back and dressed again we perused about another 100 outfits, but she said she could not get over the disappointment of her favourite not fitting so we would go and look elsewhere.

Installed mother in the car again and headed another 10 miles down the road. Here the ladies department was on the first floor, and the lift was the size of a portaloo !! The clothes were hideous, I had visions of mother turning up to the wedding in acid Lime green or popsicle pink definitely not on for a white haired octogenarian.

After a quick cuppa to calm frazzled nerves we decided to head for home, 100 yards from home mother said "that buttermilk suit you sorted out really was nice, I think I would like it after all"
for once I didnt argue, I almost did a handbrake turn in the middle of the road, went back to the first shop, ran in and bought it on the spot. Job done, now all I need to do is find something for me !!!

It is with regret that I have to report that Charlie, my punk rocker canary alas is no more. He passed away peacefully on Sunday at the grand age of 10+ years. The house is quiet without his cheerful singing, and I have already decided to replace him in the near future.

I went shopping for my outfit today, dodging the torrential thunderstorms. I was in and out in 5 minutes, outfit in the bag, plus a new "Up and At Em" bra that mother insisted I needed.

I still have to get new bag and sandals, but decided instead to stop off at the supermarket for a case of lager to celebrate instead, Happy days xxx

THERE MAY BE TROUBLE AHEAD !!

2010-06-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

Happy June everyone, that is if anyone bothers to read this any more. Here I am another year older, having admitted to a birthday in late May, I am now a whole year older, and another year siller than before. Its been a constant stream of appointments finally got the new appointment for the MRI scan that I previously had missed, believe it or not, it was 10:30 am on Bank Holiday sunday. Still the parking situation was easy.

Went in on time, and had to lay flat on the trolley (i dont do laying flat, cos I cant breathe,) had to have a shield on my chest, so my stents didnt jump about, and some huge headphones, I was then shoved into the tunnel and exposed to the noise of 1000 jackhammers for 25 minutes while they scanned my neck. I had to force myself not to panic, I was having trouble breathing, the bed was agony on my spine, and i was so pleased when they rolled me out again, but by then I had seized solid and couldnt move at all. I sounds such a small procedure, but it seemed like a hard days work for me.

The previous week I was sent to Cardiology for an autonomic function test. This involved being wired up to an ECG machine while I did various tests which included blowing out for 15 seconds, five minutes at a time, with an ECG and blood pressure reading taken before, during and after, and squeezing a ball for different lengths of time for 9 minutes (harder than it sounds) Again I had a problem standing up after this silly little test, I felt sick and dizzy, not surprising as my blood pressure was by now down to 60/30. The technicians were not surprisingly quite concerned, and made me a cuppa and a packet of custard creams before allowing me to leave.

I got the results back from the consultant this morning, the tests show I do indeed have damage to the nerves that control heart rate and blood pressure, and this is also the cause of the gastric upsets and sweating I get after eating, anyway he says he will discuss this at my next appointment in July , but basically there is no treatment and the severity will increase with time.

Mum is doing well, she has had her last physio session and just has excercises to do at home. Her garden is looking good, tomatoes in the greenhouse, and we (I) have started digging the new potatoes from the garden, She is getting a dab hand at scooting herself round the garden in her wheelchair watering can or weedkiller at the ready lol. I started picking the Lily of the Valley in mid May, one of my favourite flowers, and so heavily perfumed, it cannot be reproduced synthetically. The strawberries are now making lovely fruits, and if this glorious weather continues, it wont be long before they are gracing our table too.

I had a lovely lunch and girlie natter with maudie today, first a chinese running buffet, then coffee in the garden by the river, I really must make the effort to get out more, but fear that my trips will have to be local, as I am not strong enough to travel as far as I would wish at the moment.

Anyway I hope everyone is as well as can be expected, keep smiling and be happy xxx

IT SEEMS MY MARBLES HAVE GONE MISSING

2010-04-27T02:21:00.000-07:00

Well Hello again folks, Its been 4 weeks since my last confession, er I mean blog, and its been quite eventful. I got the date for my MRI scan, wrote it in my diary, and then managed to arrive a day late !!!! I seem to be getting dyslexic over dates too. They were very good about it, but I now have to wait for another appointment. Yesterday was my follow up appointment at the Diabetic Clinic, or so I thought. Arrived at 8:30 am went in, had blood test, endured the horror of sitting on the scales ! small mercies, I had only put on 1 lb, i felt it was more like 1 stone lol. Peed in an inappropriately small bottle, and then went back to waiting room till nurse was ready. One hour later, still sitting there, when the doctor came out, he said he had looked at my notes, and I should have been booked in for a full annual review, not just a follow up appointment, and did I mind waiting a bit. Of course I smiled nicely at him and said, no that was fine. So back in to see the nurse for the allotted armful of blood, she whispered in confidence that my pee sample showed both blood and leucocytes so could I do another one for the laboratory, I did a deal, and said if she kept me supplied with tea I would try lol. Next stop was to have the back of my eyes photographed, and an eye test. I dont know what his title was, but his name was Daniel, and he had the cutest bum (hard to concentrate on the eye chart) but oh so easy to gaze into HIS eyes, while fluttering my eyelashes at him, as the eyedrops he had administered were making me look like Bambi on speed ! huge dilated pupils very sexy lol. Back once more to the waiting room to to await the Consultant, 2 hours later still waiting, and watching the morning sunshine turn to grey drizzle, mind you that could have been the eyedrops, because everyone was looking a bit fuzzy by then, and actually it improved most of them. Finally got called in to the consultant, who apologised profusely and then started poking and prodding me. Apparently my body is now producing NO insulin, so I am now on two different kinds to see if that will help, my blood sugars are still poorly controlled, and the nerve damage is increasing. very little feeling now below the knees which is a tad worrying. he has arranged for another cardiology visit too and a visit to the respiratory clinic to blow in things, and squeeze balls (no I didnt understand that bit either) Anyway signed up for another 12 months at the Intensive Therapy clinic (oh joy) and back to the waiting room. Finally went in to see the diabetic nurse who explained the new insulin regime, and given instructions to phone her on Fridays with the results of my readings. Escaped at 2:15 and headed home to find 4 messages from mum wanting to know how I got on !!!!! So here I am, no further on than I was 12 months ago, still in intensive therapy, lets just hope things change this time. Loving this weather, managed to get mum out quite a bit, and been playing wheelchair hokey cokey more than I would wish, her wheelchair is a modern lightweight one, but still heavy for an old wreck like me to hump in and out of the boot. Last week she decided she needed to get a new gas fire, typical now that summer is coming (and she does have full central heating). We set off, first to Library (chair in and out) then to the garden centre (chair in and out) then to Argos (yes in and out again) then 20 yards down road to Sainsburys, (you getting the picture?) came out of Sainsburys and she said maybe she wouldnt bother with fire today, as SHE WAS TIRED !!! oh I love her so much.

SPRING IS SPRUNG

2010-03-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Now where do I start ? probably by hoping you all had a happy christmas and New year, as it has been that long since I posted. Several reasons for this, main one being that my health is deteriorating rapidly, all 7 of my cervical vertebrae have crumbled, causing a bone nodule to press on a nerve and giving me tremendous pain 24/7. I am now waiting for an MRI scan which they are wary of doing because i have metal stents in my heart, and the last thing i need is for them to move !!!

So what with this I have been stuck indoors, am losing my confidence for travelling any distance, I fear being taken ill in a strange town if I go too far. There are so many things need doing, the garden is a mess, the house needs decorating, but good news is I am getting a new bathroom soon. (hope its more straightforward than mums).

Still the warmer weather is just around the corner, and hopefully i will be able to go out in the sun and feel better for it. At the moment I am a facebook addict, and am busy farming and catching up with old friends from my schooldays, we all seem to be turning into old crocks.

Of course warm weather means more outings with mum and the hilarity that always provides. She is doing well really considering what she has gone through, only physio appointments now for the next 12 months, and is cooking gourmet meals for one, she is now back up to a decent weight, as i discovered when I had to pick her up off the floor on a few occasions recently but fortunately only her pride was bruised, no bones broken.

Tomorrow I will be off to the garden centre to get a few seeds to start off in the greenhouse, last years sweet pea display was glorious, I so love flowers indoors, and i hope to have a riot of colour in the bedding plants.

Time to go now, I really will try to get my mind back into blogging, as it is great therapy

HO HO FLIPPIN HO !!!!!!

2009-12-15T04:50:00.000-08:00

Firstly thanks for the positive comments I have received about restarting my ramblings, its always good to hear that people are getting entertained by my misfortunes.

Friday I had arranged to meet an ex workmate for lunch, so thought I would combine it with a bit of festive shopping. Unfortunately I slept in so it was a mad rush to get into Norwich on time. I had intended to reduce my carbon footprint by hopping on the bus, but unfortunately I darent risk being late, plus i wanted to shop in and out of town and the car was easier. The central carparks for the 2 Malls were full to overflowing, with huge queues, but I managed to park on the roof of a central one, and spent a while admiring the wonderful skyline of my home city, one or 2 pics to follow.

I headed for the shops with quite a jaunty air for about the first 50 yards, then slowed down considerably as the pain set in. First stop W H Smiths to get a book for mum for christmas, but they didnt have it in stock. Quick flit through British Home Stores (cos they have nice Loos), then into "Ladies Modes" to look for a bit of sparkly garb for christmas. Lots of sale rails but nothing I fancied, so i saved my christmas money for later, Final stop Poundland for loads of Terrys choc oranges, Cadburys buttons, Toblerone and 20 electronic lighters !!! great value, and i only spent £6.

Staggered up the hill to meet Sue for lunch, didnt recognise her with long hair, you looked great Sue, and so relaxed too x . Stuffed our faces at the eat as much as you can Chinese buffet, caught up on about a years worth of scandal, and had a thoroughally enjoyable time, made a new years resolution, I must make the effort to get out more.

Next stop was shopping on the outskirts of Norwich, since i am having such trouble sleeping I wanted to try a memory foam pillow, so bought 2, one for me and one for, yes you guessed, mum.

Remembered to buy some wrapping paper so started wandering back to the car, I cant believe how heavy those pillows were, the rolls of paper kept slipping down, my shoulder bag was dragging on the floor and i was wilting fast, after a short rest on one of the many benches that surround the square, and subbing one of the local vagrants for a cup of tea and donating him one of my newly acquired lighters (he probably wanted to flambe the meths on his christmas pud, bless) i staggered back to the car and went home to start wrapping, now where did i put that sellotape ?

Mums new bathroom was oficially finished (subject to inspection) on Friday. She got up on Saturday dreaming of sitting under a hot shower for the first time in over a month. There is a pull cord that you have to use before you can turn the shower on, but however hard she tried it would not pull, and she was scared that she might break it, so she rang the workman and he assured her it wouldnt bring the ceiling down, by this time she was dressed, so given up the idea. She managed eventually to get it on, then couldnt get it off !! She again rang him, and he said it was ok to leave it on, it wouldnt matter. Monday the building inspector turned up for the final check. He took one look at the pull cord, and said it was not right, and needed replacing, and the floor was a mess and would need to come up and be replaced AGAIN !!!!

Result is we should have been going to turkey and tinsel at the local garden centre today, and I am sitting here writing this, and poor old mum is sitting at home, with no heating again because the workman has turned the electricity off, and a wet room with no flooring. Well no one said it would be easy.

YES IT HAS BEEN A WHILE, SO LETS CATCH UP

2009-12-10T04:15:00.000-08:00

All I can do is apologise, last post was July, and a lot has happened since. I was about to commit to the horrors of dental surgery and thank goodness that is now all done and dusted. I was extremely brave, the surgeons were wonderful and gave me the most wonderful cocktail of sedatives during the operation, that although awake, i really didnt give a damn. Anyway they removed 10 teeth, (all healthy) grrrr split my gum and scrubbed and reamed out all the damaged bone then stitched it all up again. I then got sent to intensive care recovery where my blood pressure dropped to my boots and they had to inject me with magic juice to bring it back up again !!! eventually got back to the ward about 7pm and all I wanted to do was go home, but the computer said "NO"

Now to any readers who know me, I dont take to being told what to do very well, so i told them i needed the bathroom, so they brought me a "lady bottle" these are the mose cumbersome things, which are impossible to use, you might as well just pee the bed !!!! I told them i couldnt use it and they brought me a commode, all well and good. but I cant pee when i am being observed by someone peeping through a curtain who is running the tap and making swishing noises either. By now all my IV drips had finished so i asked them to disconnect me and let me go to the loo in a civilised fashion. After checking my BP, which was back up to normal, they agreed, but with the warning that if I passed out it would be my own fault. I quickly grabbed my clothes and did a runner to the bathroom. Once there, I got my first look in the mirror at the "damages", it was quite scarey, I was bruised, swollen and very gummy, but also very numb still, so i was still determined to go home.

When I got back to my bed I heard one of the nurses on the phone to mum, and she said i would be staying in as I was "disorientated" I shouted NO I AM GOING HOME !!!! and nurse put mother through to talk some sense into me, she didnt succeed either, so I promptly rang big bro and told him to come and get me I would be waiting outside!!!

Oh the joy of getting home to familiar surroundings, i spent the next 10 days lying low, eating slops and became adept at untying my stitches with my tongue!! so didnt need to go back to have them out lol. Six weeks later I booked a dentist, had impressions made, remaining teeth scaled and polished, and now can give a great display of my pearly whites, although I seem to have acquired a cute lisp. Gradually getting used to the new teeth, although i do take them out to eat lol.

Right thats me up to date I think, but as for mother, where do I start? For months I have been going on at her to have one of her bathrooms adapted to a Wet Room, this finally happened last week. I was popping in most days to monitor progress, and every time I arrived the workmen were either standing out front having a fag break, or sitting in her kitchen drinking tea !!!! on several occasions she was banished to the lounge with no electricity for hours at a time and chilled to the bone.

Work finally finished last Friday, so I thought great she will be able to shower in safety, how wrong I was. Apparently the occupational therapists still had to attend to fit seat and grab rails for her, and check the work. They turned up on Tuesday and the list of faults is horrendous. The bathroom was tiled with white tiles, but they left the original cream tiles on the windowsill with half an inch overlapping, so if she slipped chances are she would cut her head open. the waterproof flooring is already coming away from the wall !! the shower curtain is 6 inches too short, the toilet is not the specified high pedestal one, and the cistern is incorrectly fitted and to cap it all the old immersion heater switch is electrically still live. The annoying thing is that the workmen asked us to put in a good word for them, as they liked doing all this council grant work !!!!!

So no grab handles, no seat, and the workmen are back in residence again.

Glad to get that lot off my chest, I am now off Christmas shopping so no doubt the grumpy old woman will be back writing with a vengance soon xxxxxx

Bricking it !!!!

2009-07-08T03:14:00.000-07:00

Well its nearly time, seem to have spent so much time at the hospital this week, I am considering asking for my own parking space.

Monday was the diabetic clinic, late appointment 4:15 I arrived early as there are a few disabled spaces right outside the department and the short walk makes things much easier for me. As I pulled up a couple came skipping out to their car and I thought great I will get a space quickly. How wrong I was. HE got out and started rummaging about in the back seat. SHE fastened her seatbelt, wound down the windows and started reading the newspaper !!!!! HE then got back in the car with a thermos flask!!!!! SHE unfastened her seatbelt and started rummaging in the back seat, returned to drivers seat with a handbag the size of Wales and started sorting through that, cheque book, pen, diary various coupons, tin opener etc etc. After much discussion HE gets out with note clutched in his hand and wanders off to the cafeteria. Five minutes later he returns with afternoon tea, scones, rolls and more drinks. By now I was glaring at them maliciously as they settled down to enjoy their impromptu picnic, and wondering if I dared hoot at them and give them the hurry up signal. By now the sun was blaring down and it was 28 degrees and my temper was hotting up even faster.

HE then got out of the car and wandered over to me, tea in hand and started a conversation on the merits of my beautiful Ford Focus compared with his piddling little Fiesta, he wanted to know what mileage i got, how it performed !!!! and i grudgingly grunted answers as sweat dripped off the end of my nose. Fortunately another disabled space then became available and I quickly slid into it, just beating another woman who was also heading for it.

Clinic was OK, apart from the doctor running an hour and a half late. I have lost 4kg and my long term blood glucose levels had gone down 4 months in a row so everyone was happy. Discussed forthcoming operation with doctor and she said I need to eat, and suggested Ice Cream (oh joy) I told her I would try and get some down, then stopped at ASDA and bought 8 litres of the stuff lol. finally got back to the car at 6:15 pm. 2 and a half hours later, and discovered the picnickers were just driving off, looking very jolly, having enjoyed their afternoon in the hospital carpark.

Tuesday morning dawned and off i go back to the hospital at silly o clock for my pre op assessment where i was weighed, measured, oxygenated, blood pressured, tested for MRSA, jabbed for blood (twice) and then sent to the other side of the hospital to see the surgeon. I begged him for a general anesthetic, but he said it was too dangerous, and not to worry, it would take a long while, but everything would be explained clearly on the day (like that made me feel better) The Nurse had already told me to eat nothing from midnight and to take half my insulin in the morning, the doctor told me to eat lightly and take all my insulin !!! so i may well be comatose anyway. Big Bro is picking me up at 6:50 am tomorrow morning as I have to be on the ward by 7:15. We will be travelling in style in his scrap lorry complete with wrecked cars ready for him to take to the breakers !!! Dont know when I will be out again, i hoped for same day, but surgeon is doubtful on that one, especially as some of the roots have perforated my sinuses, and apparently if i drink and it comes out of my nose they will have to take me back to theatre to repair that.

Anyway I am trying to keep busy. At the moment I am searching for a slipper, I am sure i have seen it somewhere, but where is a mystery. I also have to go to ASDA pack my bag and do all those last minute things you have to do before going on holiday. Hope to be back soon xxx

Just Call me gummy !!!

2009-06-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

At last I have heard from the hospital today and been given the date for my Jaw operation. I go in for pre-op assessment on 7th July and then have the actual work done on the 9th July, so plenty of time for a blind panic, and to find numerous recipies for gruel and similar sloppy food.

I am truly terrified, but so deperate for the pain to stop that I am almost looking forward to the events, although the thought of having to be in there for 7 am in the morning is not so appealing, as i dont normally get dressed much before lunch.

Very short post today, as son is waiting to get on here. I did a wonderful tribute to my dad on Sunday, but unfortunately the computer said NO and decided to delete it !!! No doubt i will be having lots of thoughts over the next week or so, so prepare to get bored rigid xxx

In a Turmoil

2009-06-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hi again readers, I dont quite know why I am about to bare my soul to you, but I feel its something I have to do for my own sanity. A year after my husband died 11 years ago, I met a lovely man, he treated me like a princess, nothing was too much trouble, and I fell for him head over heels, we travelled, we had romantic nights in listening to soppy music, I adored his kids, we started a business together, him putting in the work and knowledge, and me putting in the finance. After 2 years, we had a profitable business, a gorgeous puppy and I thought my life was complete when he bought me a big rock and proposed. Then he got ill, I spent my time split between the hospital, my own full time job, and trying to run our business till he was well again, five months later he was, and resumed work, but with a lighter workload. Things progressed, we bought another vehicle and kitted it out for the mobile side of the business (generator, pressure washer, vacuum and all the paraphanalia required for a complete valeting unit. I now had outstanding loans of over 15K and the pressure of a demanding job, and he was once again at home most days. On that fateful Sunday he perked up and said he would run me to work for my late shift, that was the last time I ever saw him !!! when i left off at half past midnight there was no sign of him, no answer on the phone and I was starting to panic. I got a lift home, and as soon as I arrived I found the house had been emptied, every electrical appliance gone, my puppy gone, my jewellry gone, my car gone. I had asked him previously where the new van was, and he said it was in for servicing, I later found he had sold it together with all the equipment and stock. The next day (still in a state of shock, and having been given compassionate leave from work) the postman arrived. He brought 3 letters from my bank telling me that all accounts were to be closed and they had foreclosed on the loan, yes he had emptied both my accounts. Then I found that the cash I had been giving him to pay the rent had gone into his pocket too and I was facing eviction for £1800 rent arrears. I threw myself on the mercy of these people and worked out a feasable repayment scheme. I could have become a victim and just rolled over, but at the time I was so hurt, but more importantly so angry that i had to sort it out. it took me almost 6 years but I paid everything off and am now reasonably solvent again. So why am I getting this off my chest, because i got a phone call from his sister yesterday, telling me he had died !!!! so why do I just want to cry ???

WHY I LOVE PC WORLD (NOT)

2009-05-13T04:14:00.000-07:00

For several weeks now my mouse has been having hissy fits, it either dosen't click at all, or triple clicks, I cant mark off my bingo numbers, and my cut and pasting is pathetic.

Being a technophobe I decided this morning to tart up my computer and trotted off to PC World to get a new mouse. Mice were abundant, varying in price from £4.99 (cheapskate) up to £79.99 (showoff). I perused them all thoroughally, whilst trying to look like I knew what I was doing and picked up a shiny black and silver laser mouse for £9.99 (with 1600 DPI resolution - for smooth accurate control ) yeah OK !!!

I found a 14 year old spotty geek (salesboy) who assured me it was just what I needed, so off I went to the paydesk. I commented on their store security, which was a 9ft cardboard policeman placed in the entrance (scary or what). Well 2 minutes later it was, because as I walked past it all the sirens went off, (thank god for Tena Lady) I prayed for a hole in the ground to swallow me up, whilst hoping no one i knew saw me. Apparently the cashier was so busy chatting to me that she failed to disable the security chip, she cheerily waved me off, and I skulked back to the car and did a racing start out of the carpark, while feeling hundreds of accusing eyes on me.

I dashed home and duly presented my purchase to Matt, who I must admit looked quite impressed, so I decided to install the new Dell keyboard that I had bought a couple of years ago (just in case).

First the whole area needed to be moved out, cleaned vacuumed and polished, 2 inches of ash odd pills, smarties, ciggies, 1 slipper 5 earrings and a gold chain plus 26p in coppers, how does it all get there ?

Right time for the grand installation, cables are unplugged new items installed and wait for it, nothing bliddy works !!!! not the keyboard, not the mouse, so all the old stuff put back and I have got nowhere. Still my desk is clean and tidy and i might take a screwdriver to my old mouse. Any suggestions would be gratefuly received.

I took mum to a couple of appointments end of last week, I haven't written about it because I was so angry. First appointment was to the doctors for a 6 monthly check up.

Our Surgery is having major building work carried out, and the carpark is temporarily much smaller because of this. The only way in was to push her chair over uneven hardcore, and she moaned all the way, no thought to what it was doing to my back !!! The appointment only took 5 minutes, then we had to struggle over the hardcore (uphill this time) accompanied by more moans and groans. I was furious as the doctor asked her about her pain, and she said "oh its wonderful, I dont get any" which is totally untrue !!! (or is it)

Next day was her appointment for physio. Again the hospital was busy, but normally there are wheelchairs available. Mum decided she didnt want to take her chair and would use one of theirs. I found a parking space about 20 yards from the door, and I hobbled across to get a chair, by now my back was agony, they were all in use.

I went back to the car and told mum I would drop her at the entrance to save her walking, she was already out of the car and struggling towards me, she said she would walk !!

Once inside, and ensconced in her chair, she commented that people who were used to dealing with disabled persons would have stopped at the main entrance and dropped her off !!!!. I did point out (possibly too vocally) that I was disabled too, and i was the one doing the pushing, doing all the little jobs round her house, doing her shopping, washing her hair, making her bed etc etc etc. With this I left her in the waiting room, and went out, sat on a wall, smoked 2 ciggies and had a large cappuchino. Suitably refreshed I went back in time to collect her, where she smiled sheepishly and called me darling for the rest of the day.

Dont you just love em lol

Calm and Tranquil

2009-05-04T02:45:00.000-07:00

Right I seem to have calmed down enough to think straight again. Typical Bank holiday here, crap TV, chilly grey weather, although the sun is struggling to break through.

I have been somewhat remiss in household matters for the past few days, having just discovered a new thriller author, his name is Simon Beckett. I have just finished reading his book "The Chemistry of Death" and to anyone who loves a good thriller, I recommend you search him out. He kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire read, I suspected everyone and did not have a clue who did it till the last few pages. Cant wait till the 19th of May when his next book hits the shops.

Friday was my appointment with the dietician at the diabetic clinic. I thought it was going to be a complete waste of time, because, I think as we all do, I knew what I should be eating, its just a case of being disciplined enough to do it right. How wrong I was, it was very informative. For the first time since being diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago I understood how things work. I now understand the Glycaemic Index, and how small changes can make big differences as to how
my body copes with its sugar metabolism. Already I seem to have more energy and my sleep pattern has improved a bit.

I have to keep a diary of my eating habits listing what I ate, recording my blood sugar levels and logging my moods !!! So far it has included porridge, All Bran, brown seeded bread, Yoghurt and lean meats. (I omitted to enter the fact that I made 2 lemon meringue pies yesterday) so Sunday will become Monday on my list, as I have been really good today lol.

Its amazing how crafty you can be with this, I have discovered that if I drink a pint of Stella lager my blood sugars drop alarmingly (means I have to eat jelly babies to boost it again ). I was also suprised to learn that it is better to eat new potatoes instead of the good old standby jacket potato.

I have promised myself that I will try and do a bit of excersice, this is difficult due to the arthritis in my knees and back, but i have so far managed to do buttock clenches whilst sat at my keyboard (nutcrackers) !! I do knee squats while holding onto the worktop while waiting for the kettle to boil (Dr Gillian says they are good for getting your bowels going) mind you with the All Bran this might be a squat too far.

Although I appreciate that all this is serious stuff, I am not by nature a disciplined person, rules are meant, like chocolate, to be adjusted to suit life, but I must be doing something right as my long term blood sugars are reducing, and I have even lost a few pounds

Not a happy Bunny !!

2009-04-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

I think this title is the understatement of the century.

Today was the much dreaded appointment with the maxiofacial surgeons. Despite trying for an early night, I didnt sleep a wink last night, thoughts were running through my head swinging between blind terror and the wonderful thought of pearly white teeth that didnt hurt. If only life was that simple.

I spent the morning killing time as the clock hands moved slowly to the appointed hour. Oh how many times i picked up the phone to cancel, I lost count, wondered if they would believe I had contracted swine flu !!!! although by this time i did have a bad case of the "screaming abdabs" and had to lock myself in the loo for an hour, and my head was pounding too.

Arrived at the hospital car park in good time and chain smoked four ciggies to steady my nerves, then lightheaded from no food and too much nicotine I wobbled over to the dentistry department.

It was actually quite nice in there, no indication of the tortures that went on behind the closed doors, comfy chairs, decent mags, water cooler, and not a drill to be heard (i found out why later).

First stop was x-ray department, not scarey ar all, apart from the fact that it was a trainee doing it, and she nearly ripped my head off when she got me clamped in the machine, then hit the raise button !!! still my ears are still there, just a bit pink lol. You have to do a big cheesy grin when they take the x-ray so they get a good view, I looked at mine afterwards, and I looked like Wallace out of Wallace and Grommit around the mouth.

Then off to see the surgeon. Apart from the fact that she looked about 16 !!! she was a sweet little thing we had a chat and discussed my problems. She then dropped the first bombshell !!!

All they do is remove the required teeth in order to treat the infected jawbone. They dont do fillings, replace teeth or make bridges to fill the gaps they have made, for this i need to see my own dentist !!!

Bombshell 2: they cant do it by general anesthetic because of my heart condition, it is too risky. It will be done in theatre by local anesthetic, with anethetists and cardiologists on standby just in case.

Bombshell 3: they expect to call me back quickly for the treatment (within 3 months)!!!!! I would hate to see slow !!!

Bombshell 4: A total of 10 teeth need to be removed in order for them to clear the bone infection, including 3 roots which require cutting and stitching.

Bombshell 5: when all of the above is done and the healing complete, only then can I think of getting a bridge to span the gaps.

So now you know why I am not such a happy bunny today.

Farewell to the Ozone Layer !!!

2009-04-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

It was with some trepidation that I read the news this week that Orlistat (aka xenacol) the magical fat shifting pill is from today freely available from your chemist , without prescription, at the exorbitant price of £49.00 per months supply. This miracle pill wraps any fat contained in your food and rushes it through your digestive system at such a rate that you lose weight just by doing a sub 4 minute mile in order to reach the bathroom in time lol.

Did you know that if you tie a bit of pork fat to a length of string and feed it to a duck, it passes straight through, the next duck then eats it and it does the same, so that is how to make a living duck necklace (no I didnt try it, but I know a man who did) Anyway same effect as this fat busting pill if you get my drift. Did they consider the effect all this build up of gas would have on our planet?

Budget day today, I havent as yet analysed what the Darling man has done to my living expenses. I did get a rise in benefits this month, and it was quickly eaten up by the rise in rent, so no better off there, thank you.

The garden is looking lovely, neat and tidy and I am hunting for new green shoots every morning. The greenhouse is a great success and the tomatoes and peppers are springing up, and the weeds are also growing like weeds !!!!! Matt has cut back and cleared the front garden so I can now see out of the kitchen window again, but he now does a morning patrol and is becoming a young Victor Meldrew as he keeps coming in ranting that he has found another crisp packet or choc wrapper.

Went to the council dump today and got rid of a lot of paraphanelia from the shed, so that is almost clear now. It was really funny to see the council workmen being so helpful and sorting the stuff as we got it out of the car. Admittedly some of it ended up in the rubbish bays, but most of it was salted away into neat piles for their own profit !!! I was really sick to see the vehicle in front of me unloading a lovely brass bedstead which the workers were ever so obliging in helping him with, needless to say that didnt go over the wall into the rubbish bay either lol.

Hopefully my computer is now working tip top again, it has been quite sick for the past week, I got my pet engineers on the job this morning, and it only took them 3 hours to sort (2 hours 45 mins to repair the problems I had created trying to mend it, and 15 mins to sort the underlying problem). Its so reassuring to have them just a click away for when I get in a muddle, and worth every penny I pay them. (which isn't much!!!!)

Got home and even hoovered the car, in preparation for its shampoo tomorrow) and did a load of washing, so I am whacked now.

More ramblings soon take care xxxx

I wish it was time to get up

2009-04-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

Dont you just hate it when everyone is asleep except you ? Its 2.24 a.m. I have been to bed three times and not slept a wink yet. Raging toothache, angina and coughing fits, if I was a horse they would shoot me, in fact I might just shoot myself and save them the trouble.

The toothache is an ongoing problem, due to the fact that my diabetes is so out of control, I get abcesses. I have had several in my mouth, with the result that the infection has damaged the jawbone and given me a few wiggly teeth. I have an appointment with the maxiofacial surgeons at the end of the month and hopefully they will knock me out and do what is required while I am oblivious, my fear of dentists is a very real and terrible thing.

Darling son returned from his house/cat sitting today (he got paid in Easter eggs Grrrrr ) expecting to see the fence painted and ready for erecting. Oh no it wasnt lol. He gave me one of his withering looks when I explained that I couldnt get the lid off the paint, but I did redeem myself by showing him all the trays of seeds that are adorning the windowsills. Anyway feeling masterful, he did attempt to give me a lesson on opening plastic 5 litre paint pots, I murmered appreciatively whilst slyly watching Jeremy Kyle.

Tomorrow, well its today really, is supposed to be wonderful weather, perfect for having a fence erecting day, I might even fire up the BBQ in celebration and make it a real event, might as well add food poisoning to the festivities.

Mum is off out for the day with the wicked witches (her 3 sisters) so no doubt I will get regaled with tales of how many times they nearly tipped her out of her chair, and how clumsy they are, in fact all the things she moans at me for. She told me that when she is being pushed she has to clench the cheeks of her bum very tightly to stop herself falling out !!!!! (surely its safer to hold the arm rests, bless her.

The pills have kicked in now, so I am going to try and get a couple of hours kip before the sparrows start coughing their way through the dawn chorus. Take care my lovely friends xxx

No The Fence is Still Not Painted

2009-04-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

The best laid plans, I tried to paint the fence panels. honestly I did, but couldnt get the lid off the paint !!! so I brought them indoors so they kept dry for son to do when he gets back from cat sitting.

The cat sitting has been an ongoing fiasco, he went on Friday late afternoon, so I locked the doors, had a long soak and a pampering session it was bliss. I then got a call requesting playstation, food and ciggies on Saturday morning, so had to change out of my comfy nightie and dressing gown to run errand of mercy, then to top it all he popped home last night for tea and sugar (no wonder I darent have a love life) .

This is the first year I have attempted to plan my garden without the help of a dog. My German Shepherd was adept at weeding, in fact if it was green she would remove it !!! so this year I have no excuse not to have a pretty as a picture garden, I might even sell pictures for chocolate boxes. one thing I must remember is to leave a patch of dandelions and chickweed as the canary loves it so much.

The sun is trying to break through now, but it is still very chilly, if it warms up I may go and potter, if not i will sow a few more seeds in trays for the windowsill and just slummock around watching crap bank holiday TV.

Where did the sun go !

2009-04-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had clear blue skies and temperatures of 18 C , today we have normal grey overcast Bank holiday weather.

Did some more clearing of weeds yesterday and had a trip to the garden centre. I needed to repair my raised beds, and found some ideal log roll edging just tall enough to save me having to bend pictures will be published later (of the garden, not my backside tending the plants) . At the moment they are being painted with blue cuprinol to weatherproof them and make them look girlie and pretty. I also bought some mixed sweet pea seeds and Jalapino peppers to go with the sweet peppers and tomatoes which are waiting to germinate. See pretty plants too lol. The tomato seeds were a gift from mum, she put them in 2 envelopes labeled "big ones" and "little plums" the mind boggles !!!

Bedding plants I will beg borrow and steal of various aunts and uncles, I have no plans, just love to see a riot of colour, and so what if there is a cabbage onion or leek shoved in amongst them lol.

I am hoping that this grey day dosent turn to drizzle, so I can get out and finish painting the edging, be good to get it done so that Matt can put it up when he gets back from his house and cat sitting (goodness its quiet here).

Anyway I must away to see mother and see what pearls of wisdom she is dishing out today. Be back soon xxx

more ramblings !!!

2009-04-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand and a serious sense of boredom I have decided to restart blogging. Since AOL decided to remove the blog from their service I became demotivated, and now wish so much that I had saved my original 2 years of ramblings, but hey ho, no point blubbering over it now.

I am now into my third year of leisure, and it looks like I have been written off as regards working again, but now that all the benefits and insurances are in place life is not too bad, only thing is I seem to be having so many bad days that I dont get out much.

A brief history of my illness, then I will say no more about it. I have cardio-pulmonary disease, unstable angina, a non existant thyroid function, diabetes and the most disabling condition chronic arthritis. I was admitted to hospital in December 2007 for a minor heart repair which resulted in a massive heart attack 6 hours after getting home (the paramedics were lovely) I was then in coronary intensive care for 2 weeks while I fretted as to how to get my christmas shopping and worrying that they would sell out of turkeys !!!!

I live with my son who is also my carer, and an aging canary called charlie who still lights up my life by singing joyfully every day. I would love another kitten, but the thought of it outliving me puts me off. My disabled mum also plays a large part in my life, she is a absolute tartar, a cross between Hyacinth Bucket and the mad granny out of the Royle Family, but of course I love her dearly.

Easter weekend has heralded the need to get the garden sorted and son has already broken the rake, the brush and removed everything green !!!! he has also removed my 30 foot lilac tree and left it in the garden for a week before shredding it, so my tiny garden was unaccessible. I now have a 6ft pile of shredded tree waiting to be used as mulch. We had a taste of summer this week, and the nights are now drawing out, cant wait for the nice weather, it makes me feel so much better.

This year I am promising myself a grand tour of the UK, first stop will be glorious Devon where I have a long overdue visit to a lovely lady Heather, from there I will play it by air, several on line friends have offered me accommodation, so I intend to just drive and stop off where the fancy takes me. I got a new car last June and so far I have only managed 1700 miles, so I think a long run will do us both good.

Yesterday, my plans for this easter weekend were originally to be bed, painkillers and icecream, but today I feel quite
a lot better. My fingers are loosening up and I can at least type again. Might even face the bank holiday traffic and go for a trip to the seaside.

Anyway that is the boring catch up done, I hope my next post will give someone a smile take care xxx