4am!

Sunday morning and once more I find myself up with the lark. My sleep patterns are getting diabolical lately. I’m wide awake in the early hours and can’t keep my eyes open all afternoon and evening. I’ve given up trying to watch TV of a night time because I always miss the ends of the programmes. Still, being up this early has given me a chance to make this entry before I nip off for a fry up at our local café. Well, when I say ‘local’ it’s actually a twenty minute drive away. It’s our last visit to this particular café though as we discovered a better one last weekend that’s a little closer to home.

This afternoon will be spent watching England trounce France at rugby (yeah, right!). After that, I have to cook dinner for six and indulge a five year old in a game or two of Sorry. Then, in the evening, if I can stay awake, I have to beat my brother at snooker on my PC. My brother has a full size snooker table in his shed and yet, on my computer, I can beat him almost every game. Mind you, he’s sworn to get his revenge when we come face to face with real snooker cues. At the moment I’ve been avoiding the thrashing by claiming I’m not fit enough to spend two hours walking around a snooker table but I don’t think he’ll put up with that excuse for much longer.

Last week was also time for a check up on my knee. The specialist seems to think I’m doing really well so that’s good news. He also advised me to switch to some anti-inflammatory pills to reduce the swelling as I have a fair bit of fluid around the knee. I’ve been keeping an eye on it and I think the new pills are doing the trick. I’ll go back in a fortnight or so to have a steroid injection in my other knee to help ease the pain and, if necessary, he’s offered to inject the replacement knee too. Hopefully, these further treatments will finally get me back to a more normal way of life. By that, I mean, I’d at least be able to walk the one mile to work and back each day without any problems. I’m also hoping it will enable me to lay off of some of the pills I’ve been taking.

Reet’s still working and, to all those who inquired, no, she doesn’t model the undies, and no, she doesn’t get a discount. It remains to be seen whether any of you will get a little discount if you mention that you know us. Can’t hurt to try can it? Here’s the website again:
http://www.bomberbear-designs.co.uk/ (Well, you can’t blame me for plugging it. The more business they get, the more Reet’s out of the house.)

Another week off work for me this week. And there’s another week to come when I go back to the hospital for the injections. I’ve a week in May too and still a good few days holiday left to book. At this rate I won’t need to retire early, it’s almost as though I’m working part time already. Reet’s got some plans for this week though. On Tuesday it’s Pat’s (Reet’s sister) sixtieth birthday and over the last few months Reet’s been trying to amass sixty presents for her. If you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know it’s neither an easy nor a cheap idea. We haven’t had a count up but I reckon we’re only around halfway so Monday is going to be a chase around the shops to complete the task. I’m happy to say it will fall to Reet to wrap them all! On the Tuesday we’ll buy her some flowers and take her for a meal (she likes Harvesters so she isn’t too expensive on that score). I reckon if we wrapped each flower that would take us nearer the sixty mark. Likewise the earrings and the socks.

I’ve been having a little fun though because we’ve bought her some photo frames and I’ve been taking some portraits of her son and his family. I had hoped to have a chance to practice with my slave flash and a brolly but decided it would be a little difficult getting a five year old and a kiddie of eighteen months to hold their patience whilst I fiddled with my gadgets. In the end, time was extremely limited on both visits so I had to settle for the built in flash. The results were okay though. Not special but okay. Today I have to search the attic for a box of old family photos that we’re hoping to somehow present to Pat. At the very least we hope to find so embarrassing childhood snap of Pat (the SIL) to have put onto a cake. I don’t even know how they do that! And, apparently, it only takes ten minutes. All clever stuff eh?

Once Tuesday is out of the way I have a couple of DIY jobs to do but I’ve told Reet that I want at least one day to myself for a photography outing. I haven’t decided where this will take me just yet but I’m looking forward to it.

So there you are, that’s my week ahead all planned out. And it all starts with brekkie in about an hour’s time so I’d best get my skates on.

Cheerie – bye. x

Here I am!

My apologies for the long absence and my thanks to all those who have emailed me asking how I am. I’ll try to pop in more often in future, if only to let you know I’m okay.

Everything is okay here and there’s very little to tell you. My knee continues to improve and I’m due back at the specialists next week for my five month check up. I’m hoping to get an injection in my other knee to ease the pain and then I’ll be even better.

On the work front, the voluntary redundancy offers will soon be doing the rounds after all but, unless they offer me something very substantial I’ve pretty much convinced myself that I’m better off staying there. It’s still a case of wait and see really but it’s looking more likely as though I’ll be with Royal Mail for the next six years at least, assuming the government don’t sell us all off to private enterprise. If you’ve been keeping up with the news of late, you’ll know that’s a very distinct possibility. Personally, I think it’s the wrong way to go and once they’ve begun the sell-off they’ll soon be tempted to sell the rest. You watch how much your postage goes up once that happens! And if you’re unfortunate enough to live in the more remote areas of the British Isles the cost will be even more expensive. I can’t see any private company offering a first class service to every corner of the country for less than forty pence, can you?

At home there’s some good news. Reet’s got a job! She was offered a place with a friend of ours who is starting his own business. He’s selling saucy underwear from a unit in Harlow, which is just a forty minute drive away. Feel free to take a peek but beware, some of it is not for the faint hearted as it caters for those more adventurous souls amongst us, if you know what I mean. http://www.bomberbear-designs.co.uk/ That’s the industry Reet has worked in for the last forty years so he knows she’s worth her weight in gold. He’s only small potatoes at the moment so he’s offering Reet three days work per week with the opportunity to do more as and when the company grows. He certainly seems to know his stuff so we have high hopes for the place. Personally, I’m just pleased Reet’s back in the land of employment. She was getting far too used to being a lady of leisure and, to be sure, she was losing confidence after being out of work so long. Hopefully, this few days work per week will help in that respect. It won’t do the bank balance any harm either. The most important thing of all though is that I’ll get a few hours of peace when I come home from work now! ;O)


We haven’t got a dog yet but I’m still working at it. Trust me, by the time my birthday arrives (May) it will be a done deal. Like I said, I always get my own way in the end. In the meantime I’m watching every episode of the Dog Whisperer and learning all the tips and tricks. Anyone seen him? He’s quite amazing. I’m thinking of trying out some of his techniques on Reet. Who knows, I might be able to teach her to bring me my pipe and slippers. Well, okay, she might bring them but there’s no telling where she’d put them, hehe.

And on that note I’ll say tata and leave you with a promise to stop by more often.

Toodle-pip. x

Back to work.

Well, I’m in my second week back to work and everything is going okay. The knee is holding up fine and it’s really good to have some kind of routine back in my life. For the three months I was off work I kind of put my life on hold and just drifted. It was fine for a while but it’s not really me. In fact, I’m now having second thoughts about looking for early retirement. I’ve come to realise that I need that routine in my life. If I took the early retirement I’d have to find another job sooner or later because, let’s face it, whatever payoff they might give me is not going to last forever. But the more I consider another job the more I realise how much I like the one I’ve got. If the offer comes up in the next year or so I’ll still check it out and see how much they’re offering but there’s more at stake than just having money in the bank. Of course, it’s quite possible the opportunity will never present itself in any case. The rumours of massive job cuts (£50,000 is the latest estimate) have been around for years and still nothing concrete has been offered. The way this company drags its heels the offer won’t reach me till I’m due for my proper retirement!

I was quite amazed at how unfit I’d become during the last three months. I felt okay but just before Christmas I spent an hour walking around the shops and by the end of it my knees were killing me. Then when I returned to work last week, for the first few days my legs were aching like crazy. So I’m now trying to get a little more exercise, even if it’s just walking to work or walking to the shops to get a paper. I suggested to Reet that we buy a dog, something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. The thing is, I’m not sure I’m ready to take on the responsibility. Sure it’s fun to go walking and training it etc but there’s so much more to consider. For a start there’s the expense. Vets bills are not cheap and neither is dog food. Then there’s the task of finding somebody to look after it if we go on holidays abroad. My heart tells me I’m ready to take it all on but my head keeps putting all these problems in the way. To be honest, I’m sure if we did get a job the rewards would far outweigh the inconveniences and we’d soon adjust our lives to suit, but convincing Reet of this is another matter. We also have differences in which dog we’d like. I like big slobbery dogs like Great Danes or Boxers but Reet doesn’t. She likes Spaniels and Collies. I think we may have found a compromise though as we both like Labradors. Still, it’s not going to happen just yet in any case. Maybe I’ll keep putting the pressure on and see if I get one for my birthday. ;O) (You know she always gives in to me don’t you?)

I’ve been very remiss of late. I’ve neglected my journals big time and haven’t been reading any blogs for weeks. I think this was a general aversion to my computer more than anything else. After three months of passing time between it and the TV I needed a rest. Hopefully though, now that I’m back at work and things are settling back into a routine I’ll be able to catch up with you all.

Okay, that’s me done for today. I hope the new year is being kind and all your resolutions have been broken quickly so you can return to normality.

Cheerie-bye. x

Remember me?

I know, I know, it’s been ages since I wrote anything. I’m not sure why that happened. I guess I just needed a break. So, for those who are still curious, the picture I showed you a couple of entries back was actually a tape cassette. For those who don’t remember, well, don’t worry about it. Just forget I mentioned it.

Okay, so what’s been going on while I’ve been truanting? Well, the short answer is ‘not much’. I’m still off work recovering from my replacement knee op. The knee is doing okay although I’ve had to increase my painkillers again. I think I cut back on them a little too soon is all. I’m back to work in a couple of weeks so I guess I’ll have a better idea how well it’s mending once I get back to that. It’ll be good to have some normality back in my life in any case.

I’ve been out for drinks with the boys from work on a couple of occasions. One was a leaving do and the other, just last Saturday, was the Christmas party. All good fun, even though I’m still finding I don’t enjoy the alcohol as much as I did. That’s a good think I guess but it remains to be seen what I’ll do with all the brandy I have in my cabinet.

A couple of Sundays ago I went on a day trip to France and Belgium to get Reet some cheap cigarettes. It was a bit of a shock this time around as the prices have gone up tremendously. This wasn’t helped by the fact that the pound was struggling against the euro. We only got fifty five euros for fifty quid. It still worked out cheaper than buying them in the UK though so it was worth the trip.

On arrival in France the coach headed straight for Belgium where we stocked up on the ciggies. Then they headed back across the border for the cheap booze. We stopped at a place called Euro-Cité, a huge sprawling shoppers paradise. I kid you not, this place was massive. If any of you have seen the Metro Centre in Newcastle you’ll have an idea of the size. I think the Metro just about wins the crown though.

We spent a while checking out the non existent bargains in the hypermarket before making our way to the eateries. If we were disappointed with the lack of savings in the shops we were gobsmacked at the price of the meal: twenty two quid for two omelettes with chips and a couple of beers! Still, it didn’t stop us finding a bar afterwards and savouring the excellent Belgian beers on offer. Yes, I know I said I’m off alcohol but we didn’t have much, and besides, Belgian beer is just too good to pass up.

It was a pretty good day all round with no mishaps to speak of. The weather, which had been cold and frosty in England, turned mild and sunny by the time we got to France. On a previous trip back in August we managed to get lost and almost missed the coach home. We didn’t have any such trouble this time. The biggest miracle though was the fact that the coach didn’t get stopped at customs on our return journey. Every other time we’ve done this journey they’ve searched the coach and all but strip searched the passengers. One time they even held a couple on suspicion of illegal entry into the country. This time though they simply checked our passports and sent us merrily on our way which meant we actually arrived home at a reasonable time.

So that was France. Since then the weeks have been filled with preparing for Christmas: writing cards, buying and wrapping presents etc. We thought we’d have trouble putting the decorations up this year as I refuse to put pins into the newly plastered ceilings and freshly painted wallpaper. As it happened though, we had boxes of stuff in the attic that we inherited from my mum. We’ve hardly used any of it over the years but this time, on closer inspection, we found plenty of pretties to hang from the wall lights and free standing ornaments to fill the shelves. Good old mum.

Okay, I think that’s me pretty much up to date. As you can see there hasn’t been too much going on but the next few days will be busy. We’ll have a quiet Christmas day with just me, Reet and her sister. Then, on Boxing day we’ll have our niece and nephew round with their two ankle biters. And on Saturday brother John is holding a little party for a few of us. That’ll do for starters. We haven’t made plans for new years eve but that will probably be a stay-at-home job. Especially since the pubs expect you to pay an extortionate entrance fee and the cabs will double their prices. That’s okay though, we did more than our share of partying over the years and we’re quite happy to spend the evening in with Jools and friends on the telly.

Happy Christmas and a spiffing new year to you all.

Toodlepip. x

Hey, look what I got:

This is the ‘Marie-Antoinette real people, real award.

The rules are:
1. Please put the logo on your blog
2. Place a link to the person from whom you received the award
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them

Having only recently washed up on these Blogger shores after being cast adrift by AOL, I haven’t really found my feet yet. I’ve yet to surf for any real length of time and discover new journals although one or two have found their way into my regular reading list. Nevertheless, it remains a fact that most of my current blog visits are to those who joined me in the mass exodus from AOL. I thought this award would be an ideal chance for me to share some of those pages with our new friends here at Blogspot. My thanks to Ken for nominating me, I'm truly honoured. And a happy 7th anniversary to you and Beth.

Here then, in no particular order, are my seven tips for enjoyable reading:


First up is Lyn:

http://lyn-britsblog.blogspot.com/
Lyn is a Brit, married to Lester, a U.S. Military man and living in Florida. Take a look, you’ll soon discover that it’s not all beaches and margueritas whilst waiting for her man to return from his postings. (Well actually, there are quite a few margueritas.)

Next we have Holly:

http://welcometohollyslife.blogspot.com/
Holly is a no nonsense, straight shooting gal from West Virginia, telling life just as it is, warts and all. Guaranteed to have you chuckling and wheezing from one misadventure to the next.

Third on my list is:

http://brainwhispers.blogspot.com/
Ah, now what can I possibly say about Mr Brainwhispers? Well, he likes to eat, that will become obvious from the outset. His writing has a knack of, not so much drifting, as crashing headlong, like a charging rhino, into the surreal zone. He’s also a dab hand with a camera. Go, enjoy.

Ally:

http://wwwlifewithally.blogspot.com/
Ally lives in deepest, darkest Norfolk (UK) where she enjoys a peaceful country life with her daughter, Lyn, and two dogs, Barney and Nin. Like many of us from AOL, Ally is still finding her feet here but I have no doubt that if you pop over for a visit, she’ll find time to welcome you with open arms and nice cup of tea.

And here we have Jayne:

http://funnyface-homealone.blogspot.com/
Jayne lives in Cornwall, the land of pixies, pasties and, if Jayne could have her way, pinkness. Jayne cruises the Cornish countryside with Miss Latte, her recently acquired soft top convertible Nissan. When she’s not creating hand made girlie wear she can usually be found arranging fab girlie nights out and entertaining meals in for herself and all her friends. Go take a peek, but watch out for the pink!

Andy:

http://andy-andyslife.blogspot.com/
Andy is lucky enough to live in the garden of England –Kent, where he spends his working days doing audits for the railway and his down time enjoying quality jazz. After thirty years of travelling the length and breadth of the country by rail, Andy has some revealing and informative stories to tell and, I’m sure, enough network knowledge to write a book on the subject. He has a birthday looming too so why not go wish him a happy birthday.

Last, but by no means least then, we come to Bea:

http://anewbridge.blogspot.com/

Bea is an art teacher in a North Carolina elementary school. Bea is also a wife, mother, and unofficial overseer to the new bridge that’s being erected nearby. I’m sure you’ll enjoy learning along with Bea’s classes as she tells us how and why a certain topic was chosen, and you’ll marvel at the enthusiasm of the kids when you see the work that Bea inspires. If you visit, I’m sure you will, like me, wonder why there were never teachers like Bea when we were at school.

And that’s my seven. I could of course go on, but rules is rules so I’ll rest there and give you all a chance to go meet these new friends. Just before I go however, since I’m having trouble getting my writing head on these days, (probably brought about due to the lack of inactivity in my life at present) I thought I’d put myself on the spot and open these pages up for a question time.

So if there’s anything about me that’s got you curious or if you’re just plain nosey, ask away. There I’ve said it. Let’s get this uploaded before I regret it.

Tata. x

All cheered up now.

Thanks for all the kind thoughts regarding my last entry. It was a little downbeat, that’s for sure. I think it was just a case of letting the boredom get to me. The pain isn’t really an issue now. In fact, I’ve cut my painkillers back drastically. I’d cut them out completely but, apparently, it’s not a good idea to do that and I have to wean myself off them. It could well have been the effect of cutting the pills that caused the mood swing.

But I’m okay now. I’ve given myself a good stiff talking to, shaken myself firmly by the collar and now I’m getting back into the swing of things. I’ve been a little more occupied, which helps. Although, what’s been occupying my time has been more than a little irritating. Anyone who’s with AOL will have seen that little screen that pops up when you sign off sometimes – it says We are updating your files, please don’t interrupt this process, or words to that affect. Well, since one of those updates, I’ve lost all my favourite places and a whole batch of email addresses. I spent over an hour in the tech-chat room trying to sort it out yesterday and, although I did manage to retrieve my faves, the emails are still missing. To be honest, I’m getting more and more disillusioned with AOL lately and I’m checking out some other providers, just in case they push me too far.

I’ve also been spending time uploading a few more photos to my Flickr page, and look, I’ve even managed to set up a little slide show in my side bar. As well as this, I’ve been visiting my facebook account in the last few days. I’ve had the thing for ages but never used it because it irritates me. But my brother has just opened an account and keeps sending me messages through it. Mind you, he’s uploaded a lot of family photos recently so I was able to take a look at them, so it’s been good for one thing at least. Even so, I hope he tires of it fairly soon because I’m afraid Facebook just doesn’t appeal.

Today is Reet’s birthday. We went out for a pub lunch to celebrate. It was okay but they were so slow we thought we’d be celebrating Christmas as well by the time they fed us. Still, it was a break from the norm and that’s what counts.

Here’s a turn up – I think I’m going off alcohol!! No, seriously, I promised myself a brandy after my last entry but come the evening I didn’t really fancy it. I did pour a small one the day after but I didn’t finish it as I wasn’t enjoying it. Then, yesterday I cracked open a bottle of red wine and only had one glass before re-corking the bottle, a concept which is usually alien to me. And today, at the pub, I had a pint and didn’t finish it. When I was in my forties I used to drink quite a lot and often joked that I’d be either dead or tee-total by the time I was fifty. Well, I’ve made to fifty three and I’m still alive but who knows, maybe the tee-total thing might finally be kicking in. Ah well, better late than never I guess.

Okay, I’m rambling here, but hey, at least I’m writing again, that’s a good thing right? But I’ll leave you with a picture. See if you can guess what it is. (Hopefully I haven’t used it before). I’ll let you know in a day or two.

Toodle-pip. x

Bored, bored, bored..,

I thought being off work for so long (five weeks and counting) would be great once the initial pain of my knee replacement op had eased. I figured I’d keep myself busy with plenty of reading and writing, and maybe a little photography here and there. But that hasn’t been the case. My imagination seems to have taken a holiday. Sure I’ve read a few books but there’s only so much reading you can do before the brain craves something different. All my attempts at writing have been in vain, whether it be a short story, something for my family magazine or simply making an entry here.

It’s not writer’s block, it’s a general apathy brought on, I’m sure, by the constant, nagging ache of my leg and the inability to remain in one position for any lentgh of time. I did manage to go into the garden and take a few pictures yesterday, but when I viewed them on my pc they seemed lack lustre and, once again, unimaginative, so I deleted them all and put my camera back in it’s case.

So what have I been doing? Well, that’s the trouble, I’ve done nothing of interest for weeks and I’m going stir crazy. I’ve been watching way too much TV simply because it’s the easiest thing to do and I can do it whether I’m sitting, standing or walking around to keep the knee mobile. But I swear my brain’s turning to mush.

I’ve lost track of the times I’ve sat myself down at this pc with the intention to write something, only to sit at a blank screen for ten minutes before sloping off to the games folder and indulging myself in yet more mundane pastimes.

Ooh, there has been one little bit of excitement. Last Saturday my brother held a fancy dress party. All the family turned up which was really great since it’s the only time we’ve all met up this year. Everybody made an effort with the costumes too which made it a fun evening. Other than that and a trip or two to the shops, I’ve not been very adventurous at all.

The knee is continuing to improve, albeit a little more slowly now. The aches and pains are par for the course and I’m sure they'll ease off as time goes by. Today is the last day that I have to inject myself with the anti-blood clotting agent and on Monday I get to ditch the Nora Battie anti-embolism stockings. Those are the two most exciting events I have to look forward to at the moment. That and the fact that I’ve promised myself a large brandy tonight.

Who knows, it may be just what I need to kickstart the old grey matter and get me writing something less inane than this dull and tedious entry. If you stayed with me this far, I can only admire your tenacity and I’ll leave you with a promise to try harder next time.

Till then, cheerie-bye. x