3 February 2011
A new year has started and life seems to be galloping along at an enormous rate and I cannot believe that OH has had another birthday. We are off tonight to celebrate at a local Italian restaurant although as OH is on a very strict diet of lots of meat and not a lot else and I am on a low-fat regime I am not sure that this is a sensible option.
Still, the diets are working and in OH's case are working spectacularly as he has lost three stone! I am trying not to diet but just eat healthily and am glad that I have lost all of the weight which the dreaded steroids had piled on and this may be an incentive to do better in future.
I do hope that the snow does not return before this winter is finished because although it looks really beautiful and the views over the hills are marvellous, I can really do without it and so can Robinson.
A new year has started and life seems to be galloping along at an enormous rate and I cannot believe that OH has had another birthday. We are off tonight to celebrate at a local Italian restaurant although as OH is on a very strict diet of lots of meat and not a lot else and I am on a low-fat regime I am not sure that this is a sensible option.
Still, the diets are working and in OH's case are working spectacularly as he has lost three stone! I am trying not to diet but just eat healthily and am glad that I have lost all of the weight which the dreaded steroids had piled on and this may be an incentive to do better in future.
I do hope that the snow does not return before this winter is finished because although it looks really beautiful and the views over the hills are marvellous, I can really do without it and so can Robinson.
2 March 2011
The first couple of months of this year have been fraught so I am hoping that March will herald a more peaceful time.
My lovely car heater has proved recalcitrant which has not been easy to fix but it is now done; serviced and passed it's MOT test but the bad news was that the enormous pot-hole which I remember vividly bouncing down one snowy night has caused the tracking to be knocked off-line and two new front tyres loom in May.
I was glad to have it in good order as yesterday I drove the 55 miles over to the Wirral to see Big Sis and spend the day with her. It was a glorious day and we re-lived many memories and went for a short walk on New Brighton promenade which is undergoing an enormous amount of re-furbishing. The sand was an orangey gold, the sea was really blue and we could look across the bay to Crosby, our childhood home.
We did a lot of giggling and reminiscing and although I am shattered today it was well worth it.
The first couple of months of this year have been fraught so I am hoping that March will herald a more peaceful time.
My lovely car heater has proved recalcitrant which has not been easy to fix but it is now done; serviced and passed it's MOT test but the bad news was that the enormous pot-hole which I remember vividly bouncing down one snowy night has caused the tracking to be knocked off-line and two new front tyres loom in May.
I was glad to have it in good order as yesterday I drove the 55 miles over to the Wirral to see Big Sis and spend the day with her. It was a glorious day and we re-lived many memories and went for a short walk on New Brighton promenade which is undergoing an enormous amount of re-furbishing. The sand was an orangey gold, the sea was really blue and we could look across the bay to Crosby, our childhood home.
We did a lot of giggling and reminiscing and although I am shattered today it was well worth it.
30 April 2011
I had intended only to watch and listen to the marriage service yesterday but I got caught up in the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it all. The music was superb I thought and I was impressed by the seriousness of the bride's brother who had obviously rehearsed his reading very well and delivered it beautifully. I did wonder why Prince Harry appeared to be slouching in a uniform that seemed a bit big for him but perhaps he was trying to be self-effacing!
It was a joy to watch after all the happenings over the last few weeks in our house and now my brother-in-law is in hospital with some unspecified problem which cannot be scanned for as it is the Bank Holiday weekend and there is no-one in the hospital to do it! The good news is that they are keeping him in so if anything untoward happens then he can be attended to - always supposing that there is someone there to do it. It would seem to be something wrong with his chest/heart so he is in the heart unit and we shall have to see.
The plumber came on Wednesday and located and fixed the leak, doing the least damage possible and I am so grateful. The only problem is that it had obviously been leaking for some time and the hole in the kitchen floor under the cabinets means that there is an earthy smell in the kitchen whilst the floor dries out and the de-humidfier gets to work.
We have had no rain for weeks so will be off out watering later.
I had intended only to watch and listen to the marriage service yesterday but I got caught up in the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it all. The music was superb I thought and I was impressed by the seriousness of the bride's brother who had obviously rehearsed his reading very well and delivered it beautifully. I did wonder why Prince Harry appeared to be slouching in a uniform that seemed a bit big for him but perhaps he was trying to be self-effacing!
It was a joy to watch after all the happenings over the last few weeks in our house and now my brother-in-law is in hospital with some unspecified problem which cannot be scanned for as it is the Bank Holiday weekend and there is no-one in the hospital to do it! The good news is that they are keeping him in so if anything untoward happens then he can be attended to - always supposing that there is someone there to do it. It would seem to be something wrong with his chest/heart so he is in the heart unit and we shall have to see.
The plumber came on Wednesday and located and fixed the leak, doing the least damage possible and I am so grateful. The only problem is that it had obviously been leaking for some time and the hole in the kitchen floor under the cabinets means that there is an earthy smell in the kitchen whilst the floor dries out and the de-humidfier gets to work.
We have had no rain for weeks so will be off out watering later.
5 August 2011
Usually, I find that the summer months are very quiet as my choirs take a break but this summer has been very different. OH has taken a couple of days off at the weekend so we have been able to be out and about and I have been busy with a new hobby which is keeping me occupied.
Last week we visited Hardwick Hall, home of Bess of Hardwick, which was truly stunning. The interior is little changed from the 16th century and the weather was kind for once so the drive there and back was full of beautiful scenery.
Yesterday we saw the latest Harry Potter film which was brilliant and I thought the special effects were really believable. It is a 12a certificate which I think is a mistake as some of the youngsters at the cinema who were about eight or nine, were definitely a bit bored!
Today we have been to the Trafford Centre, which I thoroughly enjoyed thanks to my marvellous scooter. Sadly, OH is not enamoured but he was very good about it all, not really complaining although I knew he wasn't happy! On the journey there, we both saw a man standing on the wrong side of the railings on a bridge over the M60. As I wasn't driving, I was able to see him clearly and also see that his eyes were tightly closed as he held on to the railings behind him. I rang 999 for the first time in my life and over eight minutes later I eventually spoke to a police officer - in Liverpool! It was quite clear that GMP had been swamped with calls so we hoped that this poor soul had received help; anyway on the way home the motorway was open and thankfully, it seemed that there had been no "incident".
Usually, I find that the summer months are very quiet as my choirs take a break but this summer has been very different. OH has taken a couple of days off at the weekend so we have been able to be out and about and I have been busy with a new hobby which is keeping me occupied.
Last week we visited Hardwick Hall, home of Bess of Hardwick, which was truly stunning. The interior is little changed from the 16th century and the weather was kind for once so the drive there and back was full of beautiful scenery.
Yesterday we saw the latest Harry Potter film which was brilliant and I thought the special effects were really believable. It is a 12a certificate which I think is a mistake as some of the youngsters at the cinema who were about eight or nine, were definitely a bit bored!
Today we have been to the Trafford Centre, which I thoroughly enjoyed thanks to my marvellous scooter. Sadly, OH is not enamoured but he was very good about it all, not really complaining although I knew he wasn't happy! On the journey there, we both saw a man standing on the wrong side of the railings on a bridge over the M60. As I wasn't driving, I was able to see him clearly and also see that his eyes were tightly closed as he held on to the railings behind him. I rang 999 for the first time in my life and over eight minutes later I eventually spoke to a police officer - in Liverpool! It was quite clear that GMP had been swamped with calls so we hoped that this poor soul had received help; anyway on the way home the motorway was open and thankfully, it seemed that there had been no "incident".
23 October 2011
Today would have been my father's birthday and he would have been 99 if he had lived. I have the sort of memory which does not allow me to forget dates readily and it is strange that although he has been dead for over thirty years I cannot forget either this day, nor the anniversary of his death. I loved him dearly and I am now married to a man who is strangely similar in many ways and as different as can be from my first husband.
The sky this morning was absolutely stunning - really high up there was a duck-egg blue bowl with pale orange glowing clouds stuck to it like cotton wool and below scudding masses of grey moving very fast and allowing glimpses of the glorious backdrop. Then a flock of starlings screamed across underneath that and within minutes the glory was gone and the day has started in a very ordinary fashion. The power of nature is a wonderful thing.
Today would have been my father's birthday and he would have been 99 if he had lived. I have the sort of memory which does not allow me to forget dates readily and it is strange that although he has been dead for over thirty years I cannot forget either this day, nor the anniversary of his death. I loved him dearly and I am now married to a man who is strangely similar in many ways and as different as can be from my first husband.
The sky this morning was absolutely stunning - really high up there was a duck-egg blue bowl with pale orange glowing clouds stuck to it like cotton wool and below scudding masses of grey moving very fast and allowing glimpses of the glorious backdrop. Then a flock of starlings screamed across underneath that and within minutes the glory was gone and the day has started in a very ordinary fashion. The power of nature is a wonderful thing.
13 December 2011
The last few weeks have been eventful to say the least. My beloved car had apparently had a split in the rear tyre which was found, along with a catalogue of other faults including a broken rear coil-spring when it was taken to a main dealership in Macclesfield for a recall and this was only days after I had been to see Ranger which meant a 70 mph drive on a dual-carriageway - after all I have the fire-power in my Astra Sri so why not use it?
To say I was shocked was to put it mildly and I was so glad I had OH with me to take a bit of the shock on board. All is now well and fixed thanks to my local garage and tyre place who charged me half of what the main dealership had wanted but I have always looked after the car so I was a bit upset and as it has cost a fortune this last six months I am going to have to keep it for some while to make it pay!
That same weekend was marked by the spectacular collapse of the retired priest, who is also a choir member, whilst he was taking the service. He is all right now but the service was somewhat disrupted by the arrival of the paramedic and then the ambulance which didn't do my nerves any good at all! He is a real sweetie and would have come to the evening service but said to his wife that he didn't want to do an encore! I should hope not!
Then on the way home from the Advent Carol service that evening I was overtaken at vast speed on a very dangerous road on the wrong side of a traffic island by someone in a fairly new car who just missed clipping my front wing by inches. I flashed my lights at him in annoyance and was a bit perturbed when I rounded the next bend to find the same car stationary in the road ahead. I then panicked thinking he was going to come after me with a brick through the window or worse so I sat tight as did the cars behind me, three of whom he had overtaken in that one stupid move. Eventually he took off and sped through the village traffic-lights which were red at the time. All good stuff.
My big Sis, who is a fount of knowledge on such matters, said that the driver was probably waiting for me to get out of the car in order to start some sort of fight - I am so glad I stayed glued to my seat!
The last few weeks have been eventful to say the least. My beloved car had apparently had a split in the rear tyre which was found, along with a catalogue of other faults including a broken rear coil-spring when it was taken to a main dealership in Macclesfield for a recall and this was only days after I had been to see Ranger which meant a 70 mph drive on a dual-carriageway - after all I have the fire-power in my Astra Sri so why not use it?
To say I was shocked was to put it mildly and I was so glad I had OH with me to take a bit of the shock on board. All is now well and fixed thanks to my local garage and tyre place who charged me half of what the main dealership had wanted but I have always looked after the car so I was a bit upset and as it has cost a fortune this last six months I am going to have to keep it for some while to make it pay!
That same weekend was marked by the spectacular collapse of the retired priest, who is also a choir member, whilst he was taking the service. He is all right now but the service was somewhat disrupted by the arrival of the paramedic and then the ambulance which didn't do my nerves any good at all! He is a real sweetie and would have come to the evening service but said to his wife that he didn't want to do an encore! I should hope not!
Then on the way home from the Advent Carol service that evening I was overtaken at vast speed on a very dangerous road on the wrong side of a traffic island by someone in a fairly new car who just missed clipping my front wing by inches. I flashed my lights at him in annoyance and was a bit perturbed when I rounded the next bend to find the same car stationary in the road ahead. I then panicked thinking he was going to come after me with a brick through the window or worse so I sat tight as did the cars behind me, three of whom he had overtaken in that one stupid move. Eventually he took off and sped through the village traffic-lights which were red at the time. All good stuff.
My big Sis, who is a fount of knowledge on such matters, said that the driver was probably waiting for me to get out of the car in order to start some sort of fight - I am so glad I stayed glued to my seat!
17 June 2011
Increasing difficulty in walking caused by what my GP laughingly calls the "best" sort of arthritis - nodular - has meant that the bones in my feet have been painful, not to say noisy whilst attempting to walk so a decision had to be made. So we made it. And bought a mobility scooter which is small enough to come apart in five pieces with a battery which even I can carry. I was a bit surprised when OH said we would buy it and then pavement-test it at Cheshire Oaks but in the event he was proved correct in that the space it gave me enabled me to practice steering, which is very light and makes the whole thing manoeuverable with a touch of the finger and I am thrilled with it.
Just a shame it isn't a Ducati!
Increasing difficulty in walking caused by what my GP laughingly calls the "best" sort of arthritis - nodular - has meant that the bones in my feet have been painful, not to say noisy whilst attempting to walk so a decision had to be made. So we made it. And bought a mobility scooter which is small enough to come apart in five pieces with a battery which even I can carry. I was a bit surprised when OH said we would buy it and then pavement-test it at Cheshire Oaks but in the event he was proved correct in that the space it gave me enabled me to practice steering, which is very light and makes the whole thing manoeuverable with a touch of the finger and I am thrilled with it.
Just a shame it isn't a Ducati!
25 April 2011
I sometimes wonder if the Good Lord looks down and thinks "Now just what else can I give her to annoy?"
The element on the oven blew; the door on the tumble-dryer fell off; I backed into some flower pots and wrote them off; my Blue Badge renewal was "lost in the post" (never happens they said); OH bumped his car and needs two new doors; various friends and acquaintances have horrible health problems; the new phone I bought for OH as a Christmas gift stopped working and Vodafone have lost it; the engine management light in OH's car keeps coming on and on Thursday cut out the engine completely (garage cannot find anything wrong of course); Robinson has had a bit of an unfortunate tummy and performed in OH's car following a vet-administered enema and to top it all on Good Friday we located another leak which has obviously been dribbling for some time and has now soaked under the kitchen cabinets and the wall in the downstairs loo. This had to be discovered on the day when it was likely that my local neighbourhood plumber, who knows the pipework intimately, will naturally be on holiday for Easter with his family. All good stuff.
On the up-side, our concert in March was an absolute triumph even though the flowers were much more difficult to source as the long, cold winter had held back many varieties but the singing was wonderful and we had an audience of nearly 200 which was splendid. Although we would sing to an empty church it is always much more satisfying when there is someone in front to appreciate it! OH is a darling and takes the ticket money and generally smiles a lot so I am glad he enjoyed it.
Also, the church choir has done beautifully over Easter and the church looked wonderful on Easter Sunday so there is always an up for every down. The car will be fixed as there are two doors in the garage waiting to be attached, I have mended the tumble-dryer door with duck tape and my bank tells me that it has asked Vodafone for a refund so it will all work out.
Oh, and the Blue Badge arrived with four days to spare!
I sometimes wonder if the Good Lord looks down and thinks "Now just what else can I give her to annoy?"
The element on the oven blew; the door on the tumble-dryer fell off; I backed into some flower pots and wrote them off; my Blue Badge renewal was "lost in the post" (never happens they said); OH bumped his car and needs two new doors; various friends and acquaintances have horrible health problems; the new phone I bought for OH as a Christmas gift stopped working and Vodafone have lost it; the engine management light in OH's car keeps coming on and on Thursday cut out the engine completely (garage cannot find anything wrong of course); Robinson has had a bit of an unfortunate tummy and performed in OH's car following a vet-administered enema and to top it all on Good Friday we located another leak which has obviously been dribbling for some time and has now soaked under the kitchen cabinets and the wall in the downstairs loo. This had to be discovered on the day when it was likely that my local neighbourhood plumber, who knows the pipework intimately, will naturally be on holiday for Easter with his family. All good stuff.
On the up-side, our concert in March was an absolute triumph even though the flowers were much more difficult to source as the long, cold winter had held back many varieties but the singing was wonderful and we had an audience of nearly 200 which was splendid. Although we would sing to an empty church it is always much more satisfying when there is someone in front to appreciate it! OH is a darling and takes the ticket money and generally smiles a lot so I am glad he enjoyed it.
Also, the church choir has done beautifully over Easter and the church looked wonderful on Easter Sunday so there is always an up for every down. The car will be fixed as there are two doors in the garage waiting to be attached, I have mended the tumble-dryer door with duck tape and my bank tells me that it has asked Vodafone for a refund so it will all work out.
Oh, and the Blue Badge arrived with four days to spare!
31 May 2011
I am usually glad when May draws to a close and this year has proved no different. Having sourced and had installed a new tumble-dryer, OH's car having been restored to it's former glory, Robinson's tummy having been settled, I thought that there would likely be no further alarums and excursions to trouble us.
OH took a day off work last Friday as he really needed the long weekend to rest but of course with responsibility comes the work and he had to be house-bound in the afternoon to deal with e-mail which were very important. Then on Saturday we ventured over to the Wirral to see Big Sis and her husband who is not at all well - but we really enjoyed the visit. Then on Sunday my asthma flared up and yesterday the weather was awful so we could not get out into the garden which is beginning to resemble a jungle.
This morning the kettle fused everything and the element had blown. How to get through a day without a kettle for my tea? Various combinations of heating in the microwave, using the coffee machine and boiling on the hob somehow did not quite hit the mark.
Thank goodness for Tesco where OH bought a new kettle on his way home!
I am usually glad when May draws to a close and this year has proved no different. Having sourced and had installed a new tumble-dryer, OH's car having been restored to it's former glory, Robinson's tummy having been settled, I thought that there would likely be no further alarums and excursions to trouble us.
OH took a day off work last Friday as he really needed the long weekend to rest but of course with responsibility comes the work and he had to be house-bound in the afternoon to deal with e-mail which were very important. Then on Saturday we ventured over to the Wirral to see Big Sis and her husband who is not at all well - but we really enjoyed the visit. Then on Sunday my asthma flared up and yesterday the weather was awful so we could not get out into the garden which is beginning to resemble a jungle.
This morning the kettle fused everything and the element had blown. How to get through a day without a kettle for my tea? Various combinations of heating in the microwave, using the coffee machine and boiling on the hob somehow did not quite hit the mark.
Thank goodness for Tesco where OH bought a new kettle on his way home!
16 October 2011
Such a busy time recently and how glad I am that I can do so much more this year. Lots of outings to National Trust properties with OH - one memorable occasion when I mistakenly had the speed button on my scooter set to "hare" instead of "tortoise" meaning I almost demolished a small ice-cream parlour. Everyone was lovely, moving tables out of my way and helpless with laughter but I was covered with embarrassment! Happy days.
I was able to share a really good day with R for his birthday on Thursday even though the actual day is not until Monday but for various reasons I am not able to get over to him on that day so we went to an Italian/American restaurant where he was fussed over and generally enjoyed both the food and the fussing which pleased me no end.
Yesterday the sun shone and I took to a coach with friends to visit Chester to sing in the annual Royal School of Church Music Festival. I had not been well enough in recent years to take part so it was with some trepidation I had booked my place this year, not the least because I always need the loo at the most inopportune moments and I worried that I might have to sit with my legs crossed on the journey.
Of course, that did not happen and the whole day was a delight. I had two good friends with me who looked out for me and made sure I was fed and watered and didn't fall over (!) and although the service was nearly two hours I managed to stand when necessary and the singing was splendid. The lighting in the cathedral leaves quite a lot to be desired as it neared 7pm it became very hard to read the music - good job we had been rehearsing for several weeks beforehand!
Such a busy time recently and how glad I am that I can do so much more this year. Lots of outings to National Trust properties with OH - one memorable occasion when I mistakenly had the speed button on my scooter set to "hare" instead of "tortoise" meaning I almost demolished a small ice-cream parlour. Everyone was lovely, moving tables out of my way and helpless with laughter but I was covered with embarrassment! Happy days.
I was able to share a really good day with R for his birthday on Thursday even though the actual day is not until Monday but for various reasons I am not able to get over to him on that day so we went to an Italian/American restaurant where he was fussed over and generally enjoyed both the food and the fussing which pleased me no end.
Yesterday the sun shone and I took to a coach with friends to visit Chester to sing in the annual Royal School of Church Music Festival. I had not been well enough in recent years to take part so it was with some trepidation I had booked my place this year, not the least because I always need the loo at the most inopportune moments and I worried that I might have to sit with my legs crossed on the journey.
Of course, that did not happen and the whole day was a delight. I had two good friends with me who looked out for me and made sure I was fed and watered and didn't fall over (!) and although the service was nearly two hours I managed to stand when necessary and the singing was splendid. The lighting in the cathedral leaves quite a lot to be desired as it neared 7pm it became very hard to read the music - good job we had been rehearsing for several weeks beforehand!