Saturday 31st October 2015
I am the slave of a brutal master. As a blog I publish every week to enlighten the world about his doings and comings and goings. I publish on a Saturday night at midnight. That is, unless my ‘master’ suffers a brainstorm and allows one of his digits to publish a day early upsetting my routine and confusing all my followers. Well, I shan’t stand for it anymore and if he doesn’t extract his (wayward) digit, I shall go it alone. In tribute to you, my faithful friends, I shall not just recount the new week from Saturday but shall tell you the rest of his doings that you missed from yesterday. He didn’t even get dressed….all day. At 9.30 am due to problems accessing Talktalk he went through to release that feathered fiend from his cage , turned on the TV to watch Frasier and then Homes Under the Hammer and promptly fell asleep. He stirred only when the other one of his kind went through to the lounge. However he didn’t stir for long and was in and out of sleep up to 10.45 am. At 11.00 am he came back to work and sat moaning each time he tried to log on to Talktalk without success. He found a parcel by the door which meant he hadn’t seen the postie man, or heard him. The other one came through to say goodbye and left my master alone to keep trying. Eventually he managed to sign in and do some work. But at midday he was off again. Food this time.
The other one returned at 7.00 pm and my Master was up to date so I allowed him a break. He took advantage by not returning until 10.00 pm.
Since that’s an end to the day when I inadvertently pushed the Publish button, I feel I owe you a song. This one may test a few memories.
I was in bed reading before midnight but only read until 12.30 am. The new day started at 2.26 am and I couldn’t get back to sleep in either bed or chair. I started to clear my mail once I’d paid my usual visit. That went quite quickly after I’d cleared a few new malware threats that had arrived via Talktalk. By 3.55 am I was clear and the inevitable happened. I woke up at 5.06 am with a sore neck. One good thing is I hadn’t carried on typing while I snored. I took my meds and had a piece of toast for breakfast. At 6.30 am I took a coffee through to wake Mike up. It was a 2 Call, 4 Alarm day today as he struggled out of bed at 7.00 am. He said he hadn’t slept well last night.
We did the shopping and visited all the usual places during the morning. Then we came back to Holywell to look in LIDL for the weekly specials then a trip to the local Home Bargains for some Christmas odds and ends. We picked up some braised steak meals from Maggie’s Kitchen ( the best Chippy in Holywell) and came home to eat them so Mike could be here to try for a ring on ebay. He was kicking himself for falling asleep while the auction was on and he missed it at less than half he was willing to pay. On the other hand I was kicking myself for not falling asleep and losing one that went for twice what I’d expected. Don’t any of you say Swings and Roundabouts on pain of an excruciating ‘Crutch on the Foot’.
I worked most of the afternoon and only went through to my chair when sleep was calling. In the evening I was in the lounge for Murdoch Mysteries and Death in Paradise. Then it was straight back to work to keep up. Since I changed instant notifications to daily ones I’m inundated with mail. At least there was no pressure to get the post ready to publish tonight.
A Monster comes
Monster at the Gate
Halloween at 2 months, at 14 months and at 26 months
Sunday 1st November.
I read until 1.00 am this morning before turning the light out and snuggling down. I slept well I think but when I woke at 3.16 am decided it wasn’t enough. I gave myself a good talking to ( saved the budgie a job ) whilst having a cigarette. A visit to the loo and I tried settling again. It took a while to find the right position which made it possible to sleep again, but I found it. New wake up time was 5.21 am and that was much more acceptable. No doubt you’re anxious to know whether such a short space of time necessitated another Piddle Parlour trip, well don’t be daft, of course it did. After that I was able to sign in (although Talktalk took so long I wasn’t sure it was working ) and start work on the mail. At 6.15 am I took a break for my meds and some toast. After that it was hard labour all the way until 9.30 am when Mike got up. For once my being up to date and his rising coincided. It didn’t mean he stayed awake when we got to the lounge though. I did at least get a conversation with Joey though he seemed very subdued this morning, sort of like I was expecting myself to be as today was my anniversary.
I went to take another look at the mail at 10.00 am and to get dressed. After a while I heard Mike go through and get dressed and pack his bag ready for going home. I needed a few more things to make Muriel’s birthday bag a little more special so we left the hose at 1.30 am and Mike ran me into town, he said if I was good, he’s let me actually get in the car on the way back. So generous, that’s the downhill stretch. I wanted to find a fleece and there’s nowhere in Holywell for that so we gave it some consideration and decided to lunch in Prestatyn and then we have the choice of two or three possible shops there. It was a wonderful lunch. My beef was so tender it just fell apart. Afterwards we went into Marks & Spencer and found a fleece. I took out a mortgage and bought one but to be fair it is a blue one and they’re always expensive aren’t they? No, it’s thermal so it should be good for her. Afterwards we went to the new Sports Direct that has opened and I also found one there. It’s unisex and a hoodie but should be fine for her gardening. AND it was in the sale too !
The crowds were getting bad so we went to Costa for a coffee. I was promised double points if I ordered a No 9 blend Old something or other. We both had one. Then we came home and I tried to catch up on some post while Mike watched ebay for a few rings he was thinking of buying one of. I did sit with him as much as possible until he left at about 8.00 pm. Then I apologised to Joey and left him alone for an hour. At 9.00 pm I gave him the last hour of my evening until I took my meds and came through to deal with the blog and the rest of the mail.
Monday 2nd Nov.
Bed at midnight and then I read until almost 1.00 am when I felt tired enough to fall asleep. With light off I had a problem settling into a comfortable position and went straight to my chair. Sleep followed quickly. It was 3.16 am before I woke. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. I even tried the bed again but since it proved impossible and I’d run out of options, I just signed into the computer and started on mail. It was done by 4.45 am. I tried the chair again and managed another hour. A trip to Tinkle City followed by a trip to the kitchen to take my meds and make a coffee and I was soon back at hard labour. At 8.00 am I was able to go through and sweep around Joey’s cage before letting him out. I did have to encourage him out in order to be able to get my hand in the cage to replace his millet spray. That done I was able to go and get washed and dressed. At 9.00 am I was on my way to the Post Office to send a birthday card to Germany and get a couple of other cards out.
I was soon back home again checking out the mail. I was clear withing about thirty minutes and went to make sure Joey was OK. He seemed fine. I sat in my chair and must have closed my eyes for a minute. It didn’t take long to open them again when I felt a rush of air and found Joey had flown close enough to make my hair stand up. He was in the mood for some low level flying yet still won’t land anywhere except his mirror. I watched Homes Under the Hammer and every time my eyes closed he was back. I hate efficient alarm clocks. Out of the corner of my eye I saw two postmen. It looked like a new one was being shown the ropes. One seemed to be carrying a package but when I got to the door all I had was mail. A letter to arrange a blood test and there was an appointment with the diabetic clinic.I sent Yvonne a text to phone for the appointment and she got me a great one later in the month.
Programme over I came back through to work. Just as well as the post was mounting again. I worked until lunchtime then went through to take a pre-foodie tablet and put a corned beef hash in the microwave. I fully intended to come back to work as soon as Bargain Hunt was over but decided it was a good time to inspect my inner eyelids. That took till 02.05 pm when I slunk back here feeling guilty especially when Nanny Cool was talking about not going out in the sunshine because of her NaNoWriMo commitments. I worked to make up for it. My Antiques Road Trip doesn’t seem to be on this week but as I went through at 4.30 am I thought for the sake of giving Joey some company , ahem, I could put up with Flog It which is also antiques based. As usual I stayed until 6.30 pm then worked until 8.00 pm. At that time it was History, the seeking of the real place for the battle of Agincourt since mass burials of the dead haven’t been found and then the Reign of Henry VII and the founding of the Tudor Dynasty. At last it was rime to tuck Joey in for the night and come through to battle with my keyboard before retiring to read for the night. Chester in the morning.
Portrait of a Young boy with no taste in Rugby shirts.
Tuesday 3rd Nov.
Since my book went down and light went off at 12.30 am I’m pleased that I didn’t wake this morning until 3.31 am. It’s a shame I can’t say the same for either Talktalk or gmail this morning. Even though I signed into both as soon as I returned from my visit to the loo, neither actually loaded until gone 4 am. Talktalk loaded first at about 4.15 but gmail wasn’t until 5.05 am when I returned from taking my meds and eating breakfast. Luckily there was nothing before those times to cause pressure. I was nicely up to date by 5.50 am and took a break to get dressed after which I spent a while searching ebay and then Ikea for dining chairs for Yvonne.
At 7.30 am I left the house and started my walk. I hadn’t made it to the bust stop when the bus drew up alongside me to let me clamber aboard. I thanked Howard and asked if he’d had a nice holiday. “Yes” he said “but it was too short”. My journey was peaceful and I nodded off a few times. When I arrived In Chester Yvonne was a bit late so I went into the chemist to see if I could find the cooling non-itch version of my cream with menthol. They stocked the other varieties but not that one. I’ll have to buy it online I think. As I was leaving, Yvonne and Reuben were just coming in. We went to our usual shop for a coffee but more importantly….the loo. After coffee I bought a Christmas present for someone and then because Yvonne is too fat currently to give chase I bought her a prezzie for looking after me. Reuben helped me walk by gripping one of my crutches so hard I could hardly move it. I needed a few things today if we had time so we set about getting them. Some more Santa sacks, and though I bought the last 5 I still need at least 4 more, then a shade for my bedroom light. I remember seeing a metal one I liked in a shop but had no idea how much it was. I’d checked some out on the net and found I could pay as little as £9.99 plus postage then there didn’t seem to be an upper limit. When I checked the shop, I still liked them a lot and they were just £7.99 so I didn’t hesitate.
It was time to be walking back to the bus stop. I joked with Yvonne that if I didn’t get to the loo I’d have to walk past Pauline’s again today. But, as we arrived at the bust stop, so did the bus. I hugged goodbye and got aboard, not even my usual seat as a comfort. We pulled away and went to the main bus station where it looked like we might be there a couple of minutes. I asked Howard and he said I’d be fine so I scampered as quickly as I could to the House of Relief. Aaahhh, I’d be able to call into Pauline’s. Like the inward journey I managed to nod off and wasn’t having to cross my legs in discomfort. I called in at Pauline’s and bought what I needed plus a chips with curry sauce (now my signature dish) which I had once I’d unpacked my bags and let Joey out. Once lunch was done I had no choice but to come through to work. It was 1.45 pm. It took me until 5.00 pm to get clear enough to take a break and watch my quiz. On my way I noticed a note through the door to say the postie had left a parcel in my cupboard. I don’t know how I missed it earlier. It was Yvonne’s birthday gift and I was pleased it had arrived.
I worked again from 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm then watched an historical documentary on the Stuarts, in particular Bonnie Prince Charlie. It made excellent viewing. So many deaths from the dynastic rivalries between his followers and those of George I of Hanover. After that I came back through for a last push at the post and to do the blog.
Wednesday 4th Nov.
I changed the dressings on my leg before bed last night and then applied cream to the rest. It was just midnight as I got into bed to read and it was 12.55 am when the light went off. I woke up on the dot of 3.00 am ready and raring to go. Only after a visit to the Piddle Palace of course. I powered up and signed in. This morning there was no problem with the sign in to Talktalk or gmail so I was able to attack the post straight away. I finished the first round at 5.25 am and went to take my meds and have breakfast. I returned at 6.00 am and started again.At 8.30 am I paused to get dressed then after emptying my mail bags at 9.10 am I went to release Joey. Any more post will have to wait now until all visitors have gone.
MuJo came and Muriel was persuaded to open her birthday presents a day early to please me. I didn’t mind really but nit was nice to see them so well received. It was decided that instead of the chip shop we’d have something to eat at Temptations so we avoided a trip into Holywell altogether. Poor John must have missed his charity shops as well as his favourite meal. So, we went to ALDI so Mu could shop and I picked up some things including chocolates for the girls. Temptations only had two flavours of Panini when we got there neither of which appealed to me or it seems to Muriel. John had a pulled pork one while Mu and I just had ordinary sandwiches. Mine were egg mayo. We had a waltz round the shops after lunch picking up odds and ends but Muriel wouldn’t let me keep them in case they were married. We soon headed home. Because we hadn’t been to Holywell we were much earlier than usual. They left me about 4.00 pm to go to John’s Mum who is in her 90’s. That gave me half an hour with the post before Dil arrived. I made him a cuppa and passed him his anniversary gifts before we settled to our usual viewing. At 6.00 pm battle commenced. In the first 6 rounds of Yahtzee I couldn’t do anything right and lost 4-2. In the second round it seemed I could do no wrong and won 4-2. With honours even we started on the Trivia. We weren’t far apart at getting the six segments filled after which it was a case of who could answer a question chosen by the other when we reached the centre. As it happened after three false starts it was me. Dil asked all 6 questions on the card to see if he could have caught me on another question but I answered them all. I even surprised myself.
There was still some time left so to the accompaniment of Joey trying to dislodge his cuttlefish from the side of his cage we got the cribbage board out. I was behind most of the way but towards the end of the second stretch I was catching up. Dil had first call and fell two short of winning. I on the other hand galloped past him and won. There were threats. such grim and dark ones but Hey, that’s life, I won overall and I was smug. At 9.30 pm Dil left to go home reminding me of the time we were meeting on Saturday night. I said I’d be there with bells on. I tidied up and washed the pots, some of which I’d just dirtied making myself a sandwich. Then it was into my room to face the mail ans do the blog.
Reuben copying how Pops walks……
How Pops should walk complete with swagger stick.
Thursday 5th Nov.
At midnight I removed the dressings from my leg and applied cream all round on both legs. There doesn’t seem to be a leak anywhere today so I left the dressings off. I swung my legs into bed and tried to get comfortable as I read. There was a tickle under the skin that didn’t respond to scratching that kept coming like a sexual surge and my legs kept jumping. I gave up reading and turned the light off just after 12.30 am. Somehow, somewhen I got to sleep. At least until 3.53 am this morning when the day started anew. For some reason I didn’t turn my light on straight away but headed off for the loo banging my toe on one of my crutches as I went. I imagined a few choice words and carried on. When I came back I turned my light on and moved the offending crutch then signed into the computer. Bank first. all was OK there and the manager reckons it’ll be even better if I put some money in. Then I turned to the post.
Ah the post. How cleverly it leads me on then sucks me in and spits me out. Talktalk wasn’t too bad with post just in the early 30’s though it still took some time to do. Gmail had less but took longer. I was clear for 6.00 am and went through to the kitchen. Just meds and a coffee today as my moustache is still butter saturated from yesterday. I took the coffee back with me and both mail boxes bit. Talktalk now does it in pages of 12 messages and showed 5 pages. I did page 5 and clicked on page 4 to start there but more had come in so the bottom half of page 4 now formed the top of a new page 5. I got it down to page 3 and clicked to start and found a new page 4 had appeared. One step forward one step back. I was at it until 8.10 am and then had to try and rush gmail in case more came in. At 9.15 am I went to Pauline’s to do the lotttery and get bread. When I reached the counter I found I’d forgotten to bring the lottery card out. I brought the bread home and went out again. Still, as Paulimne pointed out, it didn’t sound as much just getting the lottery as it would have the whole lot together.
I need to get a battery put in a watch but can’t face going to town alone so will have to wait until Mike’s here at the weekend. Instead, Joey can have my scintillating company unless I nod off. I can at least peel my sweet potatoes ready for lunch time. I behaved and didn’t nod off. After chatting to Joey with no response for a while I went to Mike’s room , filled his bed with hessian Santa sacks and started putting the appropriate gifts in the right bags. The bed was soon full and I hadn’t emptied all the bags from the floor not placed all the jewellery and watches in boxes. I did note that I didn’t seem to have a jumper I should have though and after a thorough search decided I mustn’t have ordered it. I raced back to ebay to correct that mistake. At lunchtime I had my sausage and sweet potato mash, watched Bargain Hunt and then returned to work assuming (correctly) I’d be assaulted in my absence. I was part way through that task when someone knocked on the door. Dwr Cymru (Welsh Water) wanted permission to come and take some water samples and run some tests. Anxious to be sure there’s nothing in my water that shouldn’t be, I let them in. Twenty minutes later they were done and stood there admiring the effect of my library doors. I might have been less than subtle when I explained I needed to return to work. With stutters that took a further fifteen minutes. They left, I worked.
I gave up work at 5.15 pm to watch my quizzes until 6.30 pm. I needed to come back to catch up on work then as I intended taking from 8.00 pm to 10.00 pm off for the new series of The Big Bang Theory and then the series from Bernard Cornwell’s books about Uhtred of Bebbanberg, currently serving with King Alfred in Wessex. I did so and managed to stay awake the whole time. Then it was back here to do the blog and have a final catch up with the mail before bed and a read of Terry Pratchett.
I have a giraffe growing in my hand…..
It’s getting bigger…..
Friday 6th Nov.
I read until 12.45 am and turned the light out. Caught a glance of something in my peripheral vision. Fell asleep. Woke again ready to get up and found it was just 1.21 am. Somnos was sitting at the end of my bed and suggested I’d slept enough yesterday to warrant a shorter night. I could use the extra time to glorify his name on the web. I treated him to a lesson in Olde English that included a few words I must look up later. Most of them ended in …..Off. I went through to my chair in the lounge where after a cigarette I slept until 3.52 am. I think Joey must have declared the lounge- his room- a god free zone as I wasn’t bothered again.
After a visit to the Piddle Palace I came back to my room and signed into the computer. I did the post until 5.00 am then went through to the kitchen to take my meds and also to do my meds for the next week in the appropriate trays. I had some toast for breakfast then at 5.50 am returned to work. Since the majority of the blogs I follow are now notified to me on a daily basis they come in en masse at about 6.00 am there were tons today. I went through to the lounge at 10.00 am to watch Homes Under the Hammer as usual and I still hadn’t quite finished the mail. Just as the programme started I saw the postie go past and he was carrying a parcel. I met him at the door. He had two. One was the jumper I’d ordered yesterday- great service, and the other was the Aveeno cream with menthol to stop itching. It’s supposed to work for 24 hours so I’ll cover my legs after my shower this evening. I’ll remember to save the box to show the doctor for repeat prescriptions. After the programme I worked for three quarters of an hour thn made my lunch which I ate while watching Bargain Hunt.
1.00 pm and I returned to Mike’s bedroom for the last stages of my battle there. Getting the gifts into the appropriate Santa Sacks prior to wrapping. This serves two purposes.1) It allows me to gauge whether I think there’s enough in the bag and see what’s missing. In some instances I know it was just selection boxes. and 2) It lt me see where I have spare gifts . The biggest disaster of the day was trying to get the watches I bought into the boxes I bought. Uh oh, no way Jose. That means I now have 12 boxes for bracelets of which I only have 3 and no watch boxes at all which I had to go online to order straight away. That little job whiled away most of my afternoon and at 4.30 pm when I would normally be watching an antiques programme I was actually clearing the bed and stacking the bags so Mike would have somewhere to sleep tonight. Then I had to come through here to deal with the afternoon post. I got back to my TV at 5.30 pm part way through my quiz. Just after I arrived back Mike sent a text to say he was on his way. I figured he’d be there a little after 6.30 pm. I hoped he’d have his keys handy as I’d be in the shower then so the door would be locked. I wanted to be out for 7.00 pm to watch Mastermind.
No sign of Mike when I got out of the shower and I watched Mastermind right up to the last contestant before he arrived. There had been bad crashes on the motorway and he’d stopped near home to pick up some food. I made him coffee while he got stuck into his meal then watched as he opened his birthday presents. He was very pleased with the wolf duvet set from Yvonne and he seemed to like his little pork pie hat that I’d got him. The good news, it seemed to fit. We watched a couple of American NCIS and Law and Order programmes before I departed at 10.00 pm to come and work. I left him watching a programme about a football team owned by stars of the team he supports worships.
Climbing aboard.
Ready for Take-Off.
Saturday 7th Nov
Light off 1.00 am and up again 2.19 am. Didn’t seem fair and my legs weren’t even itching. I went through to the lounge and sat in the dark listening to the budgie snore. I had a cigarette and he didn’t wake to complain. Eventually I nodded off in the chair and woke to the sounds of Mike’s first alarm at 6.30 am I can’t remember the last time I did that. ( slept so late I mean). Being so close to the kitchen I put the kettle on and started taking my sprays and meds. When the kettle boiled I took Mike a drink through and woke him. It coincided with his second alarm. I finished with my meds and made a coffee to take back to my room while I got dressed. It was pouring down outside so I wasn’t venturing out in my dressing gown with all the rubbish.
Mike got up with his next alarm. C-1 A-3 seems to be the set pattern at the moment. He plonked himself in his chair and slept for a few more minutes. I left him to it as I was getting dressed. As soon as I was done I took the food waste bin out then the paper and the plastic collections and finally the wheelie bin with the main rubbish. The glass and tin bags will be OK for a couple of weeks yet. I finished my coffee and took my cup through to the kitchen. Mike was finishing his coffee and also went to get dressed. We managed to leave the house at 7.25 am. Mike got the trolley as I held up the cash machine. For some reason it didn’t take long to fly round this morning though Mike said it was perhaps that I forgot to put food in the basket again, I can’t understand why he won’t count chocolate as food. Even though we had a coffee we were still out of there before 9.00 am. We had a detour in mind before Flint. I wanted the Morrison’s store for some selection boxes though we managed to pick up sausage rolls and rhubarb tarts somehow too. I smoked a cigarette as we packed the boot and then as we walked to the Home Bargains store which is also a little different to the one in Flint. I didn’t buy too much in that one.
When we finally arrived in Flint I sent Mike off to Argos to collect a package sent there for him from ebay. I went into Temptations to order coffee. Young Sian was on the gift counter and smiled beautifully for me. On the coffee counter was Kyle with Ceri, back at work after an operation. Wonderful to see her again and I told her so. She was kind enough to say it was good to see me too. Mike arrived, shot straight past for the loo then came back and drooled all over her. When we finished we did one more shop together then headed for home.
After unpacking and putting away the shopping I came through to start work on what I knew would be horrendous amounts of post. With going out to the Silver Wedding Celebrations tonight I can’t afford a big build up. I left Mike with the TV. Partway through I had a break and wouldn’t you know he found a Katie Hepburn film to put on. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner also has Spencer Tracy and Sidney Poitier my two favourite male actors. He’s a cruel, cruel man. I had to watch for a while but I also had to drag myself away or get nothing else done. By 5.30 pm I was up to date temporarily. Time for a breather before getting dressed to go out.
At 6.30 pm it was time to dress. I decided to stick to the same jumper but put on slacks instead of jeans. I was able to wear my grey suede comfy shoes. At 6.50 pm , the time we were due to leave, I was standing in the hallway with my coat on waiting for Mike to decide what to wear. And they say women are bad!! We made it out before 7.00 pm and reached the restaurant in Colwyn Bay for 7.30 pm. As I stood outside to have a cigarette Dil and Lynne arrived with Matt. We said hello and they went in. We followed not long afterwards. It was very warm in there but it turned out stripping was frowned on. Who knew? We said hello to those we knew which included Karen and Jo as well as Lee, Jen and baby Nathan. Moments later young Jess arrived with her partner Paul and her son Rylan. Lynne’s sister and husband arrived with their young son and her mother Renee who amazingly recognised me( even without the mask) and gave me a lovely hug. I haven’t seen her in more than 20 years . Lynne’s son from her first marriage, Dean, was there and he’s still a pleasant young man. The atmosphere was lovely with very attentive staff and the meals were very enjoyable even if I don’t speak Portugese. One of my greatest joys was seeing my brother look so happy. One of my least favourite things was asking for an oxygen mask to help me get up the stair to the loo, yes I know a stairlift would have been even more helpful but you can’t have everything.
It was a wonderful evening but at 10.00 pm I had to ask if Mike was about ready to leave. Lee, Jen and Nathan were going as were Jess, Paul and Rylan. I wasn’t going to be put to bed, but I did need to put the blog to bed. See what I did there eh? I paid another visit to the loo and then with the last of my breath said my goodbyes, making sure I left some cigarettes for Matt and retrieving my lighter off him so I could smoke. We drove home and Mike was able to watch his football on TV while I worked on the blog. I have time to check a few emails as well now.
Oops !
The family dinosaur seats 4.
The fantastic Seekers with the glorious Judith Durham.
May you all have a Fantastic week full of Dreams Come True & Hugs.
barsetshirediaries 