Hello, December

I saw this picture on FB and decided it made a good title. Today is the first day of Advent. Am I religious? No, not really. Do I believe in 'God'? Not in the way he's generally taught about. I am more of the Pagan persuasion, although I have an inbuilt dislike of formalised, institutionalised religions of any form, even Paganism.
What do I believe? I feel the 'force' - don't you dare laugh - this serious! Not the Jedi variety, just the power and relentlessness of nature, the natural 'energy' within every living thing, even inert things. Have you ever picked up a pebble on a beach and REALLY looked at it? Once it was a rough lump of rock, crumbled from a larger mass of rock, and worn smooth by the passage of time and the relentless energy of the weather and water. It has been transformed and still contains the energy used to shape it. Before it became a rock it could well have been a plant or an animal, transformed over millions of years of pressure into a solid mass.
Take a look at a living plant, any plant. Watch the stems move towards the light, see how the water is taken up by the plant, used to help it grow, then expired through the leaves. What drives a plant to suddenly produce buds then flowers? So many plants then fade away, exhausted by their efforts, dying back to rest and recuperate before springing to life again, or being reborn in the form of its seeds making new plants. The same cycles occur in animals, insects, birds, and fish. Is this all influenced by God? Or 'Mother Nature'?

I have had an abiding interest in science all my life, the patterns of mathematics, the rhythms of life. I cannot see an omni-present being causing all this. I think 'life' is rather like fractals and self perpetuating.
When we mere humans pass on to the next phase in our cycle, I think our energy or soul, passes on too, to be absorbed by the environment, either feeding the soil and worms once the bacteria, moulds and funghi have done their work, or adding warmth to the air and ashes to the soil or sea.
How many of you 'feel' a loved one near you long after they have passed away? I felt comforted after losing Peter because on occasions I could feel a warmth around me, like an invisible blanket or soft hug. It felt like he was there again with me, checking up on me. I have often felt the presence of long dead pet dogs too. Their spirit/soul/energy hangs around long after the body has gone.

So believe what you like about Christmas, Yule Tide etc. Just take the turning of the year as part of life's cycle. Take time to celebrate what has passed in the last year. Show your loved ones how much you love them by telling them and hugging them when you can. Share your love. You don't need presents to share love with each other. If you have the chance, share your good feelings with those who may have no family or friends. Not everyone has someone to care about or care for them. This time of year can be difficult for them.
This year many families will be feeling the pinch financially, and those glossy TV advertisements for the latest fashion on clothes, furniture or electronic gadgets where you can please your loved one with a useless 'thing' for 'ONLY £150', make us all feel inadequate when we shop for a token of love for a fiver, or less. For some it is a choice between having some heat or some food to survive, rather than wasting money on unwanted presents. If you are lucky enough to receive gifts at Christmas, appreciate the thought that has gone into their selection. If you don't want a present then say so well before the day, or agree a charity donation so the money is put to good use rather than wasted.
Whatever your religious beliefs or faith, may you find happiness and love in the coming weeks, and share those feelings with those around you.  xxx


PS if you've made it this far then well done and please forgive my over indulgent musings.
I just hate the way organised religions cause so much conflict in the world. What's wrong with respecting and caring about other people? Let them believe in whatever god they want even if it's not your belief. Who is to decide who's right and who's not? Just live, love and help each other.

Is being a hippie a religion?

No Warmth, No Snow, No Holidays, No Parties, No Cakes, No Biscuits, No Crisps, No Peace from Fireworks... November

Welcome to my Blog. Another exciting glimpse into my world of routine, boredom, and just living. 

I have had a riveting time recently with the six monthly diabetic check up and annual diabetic eye test. The six month check up was fine, all body parts functioning as they should, HbA1c in the lower end of the normal range so all's looking good. As usual my BP was up a bit so got referred to my GP. He arranged a 24 hour monitor for me for about the 6th time. This pumps up automatically during the day and roughly every 1-2 hours during the night. I saw him for the results and all is fine. The average day time pressure was top end of permitted range, and the night time average was bang on what it should be. He compared the results to my last 2 tests and said they were better than previously so losing weight and being more active has helped. The decision was no meds at the moment but maybe necessary at some time in the future. A fact of getting old.

My annual eye test was fine. No change to either prescription, so no new specs needed, however my old every day distance specs were getting very worn and a bit bent, thanks to falling on my face back in August and having to bend them back into shape *cough*. I now have pretty new specs (see photo above) in a lilac-pink shade, with added diamante/crystals at the hinges. Move over Dame Edna Everage!

As part of my getting myself sorted out, I finally went to the dentist. I admit it has been around 15 years since I last went. I had to see the hygienist first and had a good old scrape and polish. I was expecting a long list of jobs to be done but just 2 teeth needed attention. One had lost a chunk off it and the filling fell out as a result. As it gave me no trouble I left it and gradually a few more bits broke off. The tooth was too far gone to save so the dentist removed what was left of it. That was all fine. The other tooth had an ageing filling that he decided could be refilled. After the visit to the hygienist I was cleaning my teeth with extra attention and flossing more according to instructions. I was in a hurry one day and flossed a bit to quickly, snagging the floss on the ageing filling and yanking it out! As I already had an appointment to see the dentist about 10 days later I did nothing. However 2 days on I started getting pain in the gum above the tooth. Oh yes - an abscess! So off to see the dentist I went. He bunged in a temporary filling and prescribed anti-biotics. I came back a week later and had the other tooth removed just fine, and the temp filling was holding. However, that weekend the abscess returned :( my whole cheek swelled up and my lip went numb. So back for more ABs - a double lot this time, two different ABs. I came back 3 days later to have the tooth filled properly, with a root canal filling! Took him quite a time drilling it all out and packing it, then final finishing filling. He's done a good job and it all seems fine now. I have just taken my last dose of ABs and I am not convinced the abscess is all gone. Will see if it flares up again - I hope not.

A little while ago Honey also had dental work done with some extractions and cleaning up. She lost some weight during the time prior to the treatment and after when her gums were tender, but she has got her appetite back now and her weight is now where I am happy about it, just over 27 kg. She is getting old, and, like a lot of old dogs, she feels and looks a bit bony, but her ribs are well covered and not sticking out so she is fine, even if her spine is a bit prominent. She is full of beans at the moment and enjoying her walks, having a good run around most days, although it's fleece coat time now! I am using her lovely blue Equafleece coat as a pattern to make her some house coats to keep her warm during cold nights. I bought a huge cherry red fleece throw from ASDA for the princely sum of £3 and it should be big enough to make 2 or maybe 3 coats for her.

It's a thin light weight fleece - ideal for indoors. She hates being covered over with a blanket or duvet, so a coat on her body with her legs free and unfettered should keep her comfy and yet warmer.
She certainly needs her Equafleece now with air temperatures in single figures. It's stretchy yet light and keeps her really warm. Most other sight hounds I know love to snuggle under duvets and throws, but Honey doesn't.

I am trying desperately to get myself into a Christmassy mood but failing. Got a few good concerts coming up before the day so that might help. Also got some things to look forward to in the New Year. As a combined Christmas and birthday treat, Jenny has booked tickets to see 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' stage show at the Pavilion. I am really looking forward to it. It's been one of my lifetime favourite musicals. Love the movie of it, complete with painted mountain back drops and wobbly sets! No outside locations or CGI used in that production! The days when women had tiny waists and men were MEN. 

My friends are away for the whole Christmas week and were worried about their dog. She is fox coloured and fox size, and as quick and slippery as a fox. Leave a door open a crack and she is off and away and won't come back when called until she's had a good scamper round the neighbours' gardens.

They are spending the week in a huge house on Dartmoor with all their children and grandchildren, along with 3 other dogs. John is so worried Polly will escape and vanish on the moor he has asked me to have her for the week. I will not let her off the lead when outside for fear of her running off. She will get walked with Honey and be fed and spoiled rotten, so maybe it's not so bad for her. It means John and Roz can relax and not worry about the grandchildren leaving a door open long enough for her to escape.

As you can see Honey and Polly are the best of friends LOL Honey tends to turn her back on visiting dogs and pretend they are not there. She tolerates having her home invaded, and is so happy when the visitor departs :)

Financially it's been a disastrous month, a load of big bills all arriving in the same month. Honey's dental work, my car having an emergency trip to garage, Jen's car needing a service , new tyres, and new brake pads, my new specs, my dentistry, and the need to get some new speakers for the folk club *sigh* My Barlcaycard will not be cleared this month as it  usually is. The balance due this month is more than my pension coming in. However, with careful spending for Christmas I should be able to clear it next month, or certainly January. It's going to be a lean Christmas!

The only good thing this month is that I managed to switch my utility bills and fix them until April 2015 at the old rate, before the price hikes. I wish I could 'fix' my credit card too LOL.

I do hope you manage to enjoy the festive season in your own way, with those you love and who love you. 

Warm thoughts and hugs to all my friends. Be as merry as you can, and thank heavens it's only once a year!

xxx

Times of Woe and Joy

How the weeks rush by. Where did summer go? There is a definite autumnal feel to the air and the evenings are drawing in. Some areas have already felt the first frosts of winter, but here on the south coast, the last vestiges of warmer temperatures are hanging on,  19°-20° C feels quite pleasant. However we are moving into the less predictable pattern of weather that heralds showers heading our way in bands. Let's hope the jet stream keeps them more to the north!

Once Swanage Folk Festival was out of the way, I was looking forward to my holiday on the Isle of Wight with my blind friend Linda. We had a cottage booked on a farm, the same one we went to last year. It is a very dog friendly place and ideal for my greyhound Honey, and Linda's guide dog, Yarna, to relax and have fun running in the fields adjoining the cottages. But ... (you knew that was coming didn't you?) a week before we were due to go away, I got a phone call from Linda about 9pm on the Saturday night to ask me to take her to hospital for the out of hours doctor's surgery. I picked her up and dashed to the hospital. She had considerable stomach pains and kept having hot flushes and shaking uncontrollably when the flushes came. The nice Indian doctor examined her, asked loads of questions, made copious notes, then said she could go home. The only treatment he gave her was an injection to stop her feeling nauseous. He knew she had no-one at home to care for her if she became worse. He told her to come back to A&E the next day if she didn't feel any better along with the page of notes he'd made. We made our way out through A&E as this is the only night-time entrance/exit as a taxi driver arrived calling the name Singh. I looked at the notes and the doctor's name was Singh and I told the taxi driver this. At that moment our doctor came bustling out, divng into the taxi in a hurry. He must have booked him earlier and did not want to be delayed by having to admit Linda to hospital then and there!
Lind was no worse and not really any better the next day although she was not having the same hot flushes and shakes. Suspecting it might be something to do with her diabetes as her sugar levels were up, she called the diabetic nurse Monday morning, who recommended she saw her GP. Linda made an appointment to see her GP on the Wednesday afternoon. This was the Wednesday before the Saturday we were due to go away!
To cut a long story short, her GP phoned the hospital and booked her in for immediate admittance! I took her in and she was admitted that evening. They said she needed a scan to help diagnose her problems and had booked her to have one. She sat there in a nice room of her own waiting for a scan for a whole week! They then sent her home saying they'd book her in for a scan as an outpatient! By this time we were too late to bother going away at all.
When Linda was admitted I contacted our holiday hosts to let them know the situation, and the young lady who runs the cottages has agreed to hold the money to pay for another week another time! How wonderful is that?
So if anyone wants a good, high quality, self-catering holiday on the IOW try here 
http://www.littlepidfordfarmcottages.co.uk/ 
These pics are from our last holiday there. The website has more pics of the empty cottages.

 




So we are now looking to staying there early April now *sigh*.
Linda is still awaiting her scan. Although the pains have subsided somewhat, they have not gone. I hope they sort her out soon.
While Linda was in the hospital, I had Yarna to stay. She was a delightful guest, although Honey was not too keen at having to share my affection.

Yarna was very well behaved during her visit, once she'd checked out everywhere for anything edible, including all the bins! She and Honey played together out on walks, having lovely runs.

As a 'thank you' for my help, Linda treated me to a show at Poole's Lighthouse arts centre with PAM AYRES my poetic heroine. That was last night and absolutely brilliant!

What a lovely lady Pam is. She did two 1-hour sets, THEN sat for nearly 2 hours signing books and chatting with her fans. I don't know about her but I was exhausted! :)

 It was Honey's 10th birthday yesterday and she celebrated by catching the back of her bad front leg, with her toenail on the back paw, while running around. This is a common problem with greyhounds  when they run flat out. It bled quite a bit but looks a lot better today, although she is limping a little. I shall watch it for any sign of swelling or infection and take her to the vet if need be.

She looks lovely in her birthday present of a beautiful tassel trim on her collar. What do you think?

And another fest bites the dust

It's been all systems go for Swanage Folk Festival for the last month or two. It has been in the planning stage for around 15 months with monthly committee meetings, not always as friendly as they ought to be.
However all differences were overcome and it all happened 6th-8th September.

Isle of Wight across Swanage Bay - View from Festival base camp

The weekend turned out mostly sunny with just a brief light shower passing through now and then. The crowds were brilliant. Concerts were busy. Hoping it was a financial success.

Kimber's Men

Jez Lowe & Bad Pennies

Little Johnny England

Karl cycled from Nottingham on his recumbent bike

Sunshine on the field

Bounty Hounds rocking to the end
with Wendy & Paul Arrowsmith

A fitting end to the festival

My personal festival was totally different from 2012. Last year I really struggled to do anything and could not stand or walk for long without a lot of pain. This year I could stand and sit with ease, and walk all over the place. That's the difference a new knee makes.

My camera decided it had had enough of life and chose to run all batteries flat in minutes, even when switched off. The video's I recorded also had very distorted and varying sound so I have treated myself to a decent compact - Nikon Coolpix S6400 - in purple with a bright pink leather case :) very girly!

So it's goodnight from me...

A Drain on Resources

I have been having a few problems with slow drainage from the house, bath slow to drain, shower, kitchen sink blocking up every five mins. I went outside and found a load of flies on a trace of water by a manhole cover - uh-oh! It's been something like 18-20 years since we last had any drain trouble and back then the council ran a service at a modest charge compared to the likes of Dyno-Rod. I searched the council website only to find that, like so many services, they no longer do drains. The main sewers and drains in the roads are all the responsibility of Wessex Water. Personal drains and sewerage are the householders responsibility and you have to employ a drain clearing company to do the job. So I searched on Checkatrade for someone with high ratings and good feedback from customers. Found a local company and called them out. The man came when he said he would and raised the inspection covers. EWWWWW! Full to the brim with s.... sludge.
He checked the direction of flow of the pipes and had a good poke around with rods. There was some movement but no great whoosh of a blockage being shifted. He 'retrieved' a few bits that were snagged up down the pipe but it was still slow moving. He got out the power jet hose and got to work. It wasn't long before a lot of gurgling ensued and it all started moving. Yayy!. It looked like it had been blocked for quite some time and there was a lot of... erm.. solid waste build up so he spent a while hosing out the pipes and washing away the nasty stuff. He then flushed back up the pipes under the house to make sure all were clear and free of gunk. The kitchen outlet was a bit manky with fatty/greasy deposits but he got it all clean. 
It did cost a bit but I watched him the whole time and he worked like mad the whole time, in that heat too! He finally put a camera down the drain and found a tree root had penetrated a joint in the sewer. He cleaned away the finer bits off it as best he could with his rods but the main root was too big and needs dealing with properly, then the pipe lined to seal the joint again and stop the pipe collapsing. The tree root is just about bang on where the garden fence is and I have a big buddleia bush/tree there - the probable culprit. Just digging out the tree would not solve the long term problem because the sewer joint has been opened and is no longer sealed. Other roots might get in too.
He gave me a quote for doing the job which is well over £1000 excluding VAT! ! Blimming heck!
I will be getting other quotes!
In the mean time I now have clear pipes and all is flowing well. I will be getting my sons to have a look every few months to make sure it's not backing up again.

Hot Stuff

It is hot. It has been hot. It will be hot a bit longer.
Instant room cooling trick with a fan - soak a towel/cloth/tea towel and wring out so wet but not dripping and hang over the back of the fan.
My tea towel was bone dry in half an hour but it did cool the room down a bit.
Personal cool down trick, go and stand by open chiller units in a supermarket :)
Anther tip? Don't move! Just sit/lie there in front of fan.

In the summertime....finally!

We finally got some summer weather - drought orders should be issued soon!

I am amazed but we actually seem to have a settled spell of warm sunny weather - for how long? who cares! Slap on the SPF 30 and get out there. I might even have a trace of tan!

The big plus for me is the grass dries out and virtually stops growing for a while. I am now putting out shallow dishes of water in my garden for the birds and wild animals to enjoy, and my dog when she gets too hot sunbathing!

Because of past levels of obesity I have never been happy in hot weather, but the tide is turning as the weight comes down. I now feel the cold in winter and can tolerate heat better in summer. 

Bourne River Morris Men dancing on Poole Quay

The start of this particular warm spell was a weekend of Folk on the Quay, when Poole Quay hummed, buzzed and jingled in the second warm sunny weekend of the year.

A few stage areas along the quay for music plus gaps for dancing by assorted traditional dance sides, kept interest going most of the day and into the evening.

Saturday was jam packed and the whole quay was heaving. Sunday was a bit quieter and we were able to move around a bit more easily.

As you can see from this pic, it wasn't just Morris dancers and Clog dancers performing! There were belly dancers and Irish dancing too.

I enjoyed the relative coolness of a pub where the folk club was being run - a sort of open mic session with local performers doing 4 songs at a time. We are very lucky to have so many talented performers in the region. I renewed acquaintances with a few friends I had not seen for a few years too. 

Did I take Honey with me? Oh no! She would have hated the crowds and noise. She is much happier being left at home to sleep in peace and comfort.

One of the big firms based in Poole is Sunseekers, luxury boat builders. I could not afford even one of their tiny boats they use as tenders on their big multi-million pound jobs.

Finding a good parking place is always a problem in Poole, and mooring up your gin palace is no different. This is Sunseeker's maintenance depot where the billionaires drop their boats in for servicing. The ones in the pic are not even the big ones! 

The far side of this channel is the working part of Poole port, with docks and the ferry terminal to the left of this pic.

These ladies are called Southern Lights and danced beautifully, just one of the many dance sides performing over the weekend. Everything looks better in bright sunshine, and it makes people feel better too. Lots of smiley faces around that weekend.

I bought myself a brand new garden hose on a little wheeled cart so I can trundle it around and store it safely inside. I had to assemble the bit that connects it to the mains, so I sat down on the step of the patio doors while I did it. It was no problem sitting down low and my knees felt fine. However... getting back up was another matter! I still have no spring in my knees and I did struggle. I managed to twist sideways and grab the handles on the patio doors which gave me enough strength to actually stand up again. I will have to be careful of situations like that because I can't kneel on my new knee. Before I would go on to hands and knees, then feet to get up off the floor unaided, but I can't kneel now. I am getting stronger with exercise but not strong enough yet.

The scar from the op is slowly fading and should be quite faint by next summer. I may be working on new knee number 2 by then!

The new hose is extra long so it reaches from the tap in the back garden round the house to the front garden. I gave the flower bed and plant pots a good soaking to help them survive the heat. My hanging baskets look good, filled with Surfinia trailing Petunias. A lovely mass of deep pink blooms slowly growing downwards.

The back garden is full of... birds, bees, butterflies, and weeds! I cut what's left of the grass when I can - it's patchy thanks to years of dog ownership. The more I prune the shrubs around the garden the more they grow up and out! HELP!

I hope you can make good use of the summer weather while it's here. Just don't get sunburned!

xx

I can walk!

Last weekend was the first Wimborne Minster Folk Festival under new management. It was also my first festival since my knee op. It was also the first warm sunny weekend of the year. I hope that wasn't Summer been and gone.

Hobos

Last year I barely coped attending, staying mostly in one venue.
This year I was all over the town like a rash. LOL


Even the Town Mayor had a go

Eileen, Linda, Ann (Eileen's sister)

I walked round to various venues for 2 hours Saturday morning, guiding my blind friend Linda around. Her first time at the festival and she loved it.
I came back later for concerts - just brilliant !
Sunday I did a repeat walkabout to different places! I even managed it upstairs to the folk club in the Olive Branch. Coming down was a trifle more tricky but I made it.
More concerts, ending with an amazing final concert Sunday evening.


Me, Roz and Matty

Well done to the new organising committee.
I enjoyed tasty take aways over the weekend and dinner out Monday night yet still managed 1/2 lb off at Slimming World today. Maybe all that walking helped?
I forgot to say I also took Linda clothes shopping at Castle Point Friday morning. Two hours in M&S looking for tops for Linda then trying them on *sigh*. She bought one.
I do enjoy taking Linda out but it is tiring sometimes.
6 months ago I'd never have managed a trip like that.
My knee has  given me a new lease of life YAYYY
I am really looking forward to more festivals in coming weeks now I am mobile.

Summer's here ! Well almost !

I have normally sorted out my winter woollies by now and cleared the way for the summer tops, but I am still wearing a cardigan. We are 2 weeks away from Midsummer's Day and the longest day - when is Summer going to get a grip?

Honey is doing well and the shaved area of her last 'lumpectomy' is growing back nicely. She has been going through a HUGE moult shedding mountains of fur despite being a short smooth-coated dog. The Dyson collects it but it fills the 'bucket' quickly.

 

 

I finally got round to getting Honey a new up-to-date tag for her collar and decided to treat her to a new collar to celebrate the anniversary of her arrival (her Gotcha Day).  Her old one was a grubby pink and lilac one and has actually washed quite well but I do like this bright pink spotty one on her. This is her 'house' collar she wears 24/7 and it's a loose fit for comfort. I use a proper shaped broad greyhound collar for the lead when we go walkies as that is designed to NOT pull off over her head.

 



Hmm I just compared this older pic of Honey when she was about 5 yr old to the first pic at 9+. She has a very white face now, even dogs go grey with age.

My hair is going whiter and whiter. I have stopped colouring it now and all the old colours have washed out or grown out *sigh*. Keeping up with dying it is just too much hassle now and I've decided to look my age, but I do not have to behave like a 64 yr old tho.



Wimborne

The joy of advancing Summer is it is now well and truly folk festival season. It was Wessex Folk Festival in Weymouth last weekend and this weekend is Wimborne Minster Folk Festival. It's their first year under new management following the retirement of the previous organisers who have done such a brilliant job for so many years. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan and the town is packed with happy families.



Cropredy

I am now making plans for Fairport's Cropredy Convention in August - it's all outside in the open air so I am considering taking Honey with us if the weather is going to be dry. It's my first camping trip post new knee so I'll have to see how I manage with improved walking, but getting in and out of bed could be fun.

Two weeks after Cropredy it is Shrewsbury Folk Festival and an even longer weekend away. It is a welcome break before our own Swanage Folk Festival in September.

It's all go !

Stuffed up weekend

I have spent the weekend with tissues stuffed up my nose to absorb the never ending stream of liquid from my nose :( I have a cold! Sinuses blocked and giving me a headache, dripping nose driving me crazy. Temp has been up and down all weekend and just felt BLEUGH!

Honey is making good progress and the wound is  looking good.


Day after op
 

Looking a bit bruised and battered on her shoulder. They removed the tumour and a fair bit of surrounding skin and tissue.



Sunday 4 days on

Bruising has diminished and wound looking good. She's leaving it alone - so far! She is fed up with walkies on the lead though. There was a frisky young pointer type hound at the park today she wanted to run and play with, but I dare not let her loose because she would run at full speed, even if it hurt, and inflame the wound again.The stitches come out next Saturday.



News update - funeral, physio, dog op

Monday was some day. I was up early and on the road to Bristol to my sister's. My lovely 'larger than life character' cousin William had died recently in France, following a fairly short and unpleasant fight with cancer. He had lived in South Wales for most of his life and his heart lay there so he was brought 'home' for a cremation service on Monday.
My brother in law drove my two sisters and I to Narberth for the service. Apart from a few cousins and partners who managed to come, it was a huge crowd of friends from his years in Pembroke. There was a lot of Welsh being spoken and many kind words and fond memories of William. Three things came to the fore about him: his kindness to others and love for them; how much he was loved by all; and how everyone remembered him for his filthy jokes! That was our Will.
I cancelled a trip to Suffolk for the weekend so I could be fit for hours of travel. It took me 2 hours to my sister's, then 2.5 hours to drive to Wales. We had a 'light' lunch before the service (jacket potatoes all round - but HUGE potatoes with a mountain of filling plus side salad!) then headed to the crematorium. It was a lovely and moving service. Brought back memories for me as William's second grandchild is on the way and will not know his/her Granddad. Our little Alex was just a 'bump' when Peter died too.
The journey home was a bit quicker, but it was after 10.30 before I was home again after another 4 hours + on the road.
Tuesday I mostly slept and lay with my legs elevated! (Apart from a bad move on the stairs that jolted my new knee painfully!)
Wednesday was a busy one. I dropped Honey off at the vet for the op to have her cancerous tumour removed. The headed to hospital for a physio session. My knee was a bit stiff and painful after Tuesday but I gritted my teeth and got through the session ok. The PTs have signed me off now YAYYY! :D No more hospital trips for physio.
I dashed to Wimborne for a late lunch with John before heading home to collect Honey.

She was a bit groggy and obviously very sore after her op and the site looked rather angry. She slept after getting home. I ended up sleeping the night on the sofa with her on the floor, as she could not make it upstairs to sleep with me when I went to bed. After an hour of her whining and crying I gave up and joined her downstairs. Peace for us both then :)

I did the same last night as it looks like she will be able to manage the stairs tonight. (I hope)
Thursday the wound looked a lot better and calming down nicely. Very little swelling now.

James popped round tea time to help Jenny swap our old huge 'fat' TV for the new thin one I'd bought. It's a big screen and super to watch.
The old TV is in the boot of the car ready to go to the tip this morning :)
I hope there's a man or two around to help shift it out of the car!
I just need to sort the DVDs and Wii games now and give the whole table/trolley a good clean. I do dust round regularly but was a bit horrified at the layer under the old TV as I could not clean under it.

Have a great weekend whatever you're up to. I think I might be watching some movies :D
xx

Six weeks and driving again!

This week was the turning point regarding the knee. I was scheduled for another physio session on Wednesday and it was preceded by the 6 week check up with the surgeon.
Well I say THE surgeon but the only time I saw my surgeon was 5 mins before the op as the sedatives kicked in. Sounded like a Polish name beginning with W and featuring a few z's. Every day I was in hospital I had a different doctor visit me. (I liked the dishy Greek one!) So I wondered which one I'd be seeing this time round, and true to form it was... yet another new one!
I never got to meet the surgeon whose name was on all the letters from the hospital LOL.
Anyway... since I did not have the OK to drive again yet I needed transport to the hospital for this vital day. My son's lovely partner has been acting taxi driver for me but she and the rest of their family were in the grips of Noro virus (D&V) so I had to find other transport. John kindly offered to get me there as he was not working until later. He dropped me off not far from the main entrance, close to the orthopaedic out patients clinic. As I entered the building I checked my letter and only then noticed it was at the Derwent Unit where I had the op - right round the back of the hospital site! So I had a nice walk round the hospital in the freezing cold with crumbs of snow drifting down now and then. BRRRR!
The docs were running a bit late so I still had to sit and wait for a bit. I thought there were not too many waiting to be seen but they had a devilish scheme with two waiting rooms. You waited a while in the first then got called upstairs to... another waiting room LOL. Anyway I saw yet another registrar! Young, good looking and with what sounded like a German or Austrian accent. He spoke excellent English and was quick but thorough. He was pleased with progress so far, but recommended more elevation and icing to help keep swelling down. I have a little way to go on the bend - got it up to 95 deg now, and more work needed on straightening the leg - it's already much better than the other knee so I am getting there! Anyway he gave me all clear to drive, and doesn't want to see me again until an Xray at 6 months.
I then had to head to the physio session a bit late. I managed the last half hour of the class, after another chilly walk round the other half of the hospital site! The physio's have relaxed me to 2 week gap between sessions as I am making good enough progress.
Jenny had her lunch break at 12 (her office is within sight of the hospital) so she collected me and took me home after the physio.
I was knackered. The longest walk I've done in ages all round the outskirts of the hospital, plus the physio session. I had a bite of lunch and slept for an hour!

Now I am driving again thank goodness and back to taking Honey to Baiter Park for walkies. She is very happy and so am I. Lovely to be able to walk in freedom without a walking stick again.

 

Friday I went to a concert at Poole's Lighthouse arts centre. It was the French based band The Churchfitters. They frequently come over to UK and are very popular over here. We were in the small studio theatre downstairs and it was packed out. Thanks to Rosie, Chris, Boris and Nelson for a great concert.
 The only small problem I had was going up and down the steps between the rows of seats with no hand rail or walking stick for support. I did it fine, just a bit slowly, and I felt a sense of achievement.

I have been driving around, doing a bit of shopping, and taking Honey walkies, without any side effects and feeling very comfortable. All looks good :)

I've had two bits of sad news this week. My lovely cousin William passed away. He was a few years older than me and had multiple cancers. His recent years have not been good for him. He was a farmer, beef cattle mainly, and moved to France a few years ago from south west Wales. He was trampled and gored by some of his herd a year or two ago and struggled to get well after that. William was one of my favourite cousins, a jovial man with a really naughty sense of humour. He always had a store of mucky jokes to tell and had us in stitches whenever we met.
They are bringing him back to Wales for the cremation service next week. I am going with my 2 sisters and brother in law.

The other bit of bad news is that Honey has a lump and I've just had the call from the vet who said lab tests have confirmed a cancerous tumour. It is a type not likely to spread to other sites, but will grow back if not completely removed. It's the same type our first dog Joey had. He had 3 ops for removal but it kept coming back. We had him put to sleep when they could not operate any more and he was starting to be aware of the lump 4th time round. The lump is just to the right of the small black scar on her shoulder (old wound from before we had her).

I hope Honey's lump removal op will be successful, or at least keep the cancer at bay until the end of her days. She's 9 1/2 now and getting on in greyhound years. I will not let her suffer any pain.

Life is a bugger sometimes :(

Three weeks since op

HAPPY MOTHERING SUNDAY

 

 

It's Mothering Sunday today and my thoughts have turned to my own Mum. Gone over eight years now but missed as much as always. A lovely lady and amazing for all her 92 years. The scary thing is I see her in me more and more as the years pass. I hope I manage to enjoy life until a ripe old age too.

 

THE KNEE

Three weeks on

Into week 4 now. The wound is healing well and the swelling continues to go down. Just the knee itself still looking a bit large. I have to keep the lovely white anti-clotting socks on for a total of six weeks!

healing well at 3 weeks

Neat scar isn't it? I am having more problems with my other knee at the moment! I think maybe I'll ask the doc for another steroid injection in that one. I've had 3 before and it's been a few years since the last one as all my pain and problems have been focussed on the right knee. Now that is getting really good I am really feeling the pain in the left one! Looks like it might not be too long until I'm back in getting that one done too.

I managed to walk all round the supermarket the other day when Jen took me shopping. So what? you might think. The last time I tried walking round, I was in tears before I got to the till. I had to ask an assistant to unload my trolley while I sat down for 5 mins. I was in agony. The pain started just under the knee cap and travelled down the shin. Not nice.

 

Honey
 

On a happier note, Jen has managed to drive my car ok and taken Honey and me down to Baiter so Honey could have a good run around. She picked up a lively and very friendly brown spotted Dalmation who romped around with her. She carried on and did her usual laps while he lollopped around inside her circles. He followed her all the way back to our car and I was getting a bit worried as no obvious owners had appeared. Then I heard some distant shouting and saw some arm waving people in the distance. The dog spotted them and raced off after them. (sorry - pun not intended). Honey may be heading for 10 yrs old but she can still turn doggy heads :)

I have company for lunch today. My lovely son James is coming. He did offer to take me out for lunch, but it is manic round here on Mother's Day so we are eating chez nous (and no that isn't a French dish) :)
Hope you have a good day and a good week - Spring is on it's way!!