General Chat

:-D Happy Birthday, Mel :-D

I hope you have a lovely day.

It would have been my grandfather's birthday today too <3

Really chilly out there today, but no frost, snow or rain for us.
I think the sun might even be trying to shine.

Hopefully, I'll bbl.

Good morning all. -1 out there but there didn't seem to be a frost on the roofs. Feels colder indoors as well. slept quite well last night. Not dressed yet.

Nothing planned for today except Tesco delivery at 3-4pm


Vera it did make such a change to have somebody really interested in what I thought, how I coped with tinnitus, etc. Actually there was a different procedure. When I received the booking confirmation, there was a form to fill in, It was a sort of health form concentrating on hearing mainly but also general health. I noticed that he referred to the form as he asked me questions, it seemed to give a more in depth consultation, he was definitely very thorough. I do suspect he was more senior in position than the previous young man I saw. But he was also technically able, the testing equipment was a lot more complicated, while still using the same headphones etc, but giving him more answers via the computer. The sids certainly worked well with the TV last night as I had to turn the TV down.

Yes the craft side of the meeting appealed to everyone. I chose not to do it as I wanted to be able to watch them all.

Rosalind had photos on her lap top of how it is at home (Ontario. The snow is so deep and crisp and white, so pretty but it stays like that until late spring now


<3 <3 <3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEL <3 <3 <3

Thank you for the email Mel. There is a spring after all. lovely flowers.

Your audiology man sounds really helpful AnnG. It makes such a difference when you get an appointment with someone like that. I’m pleased you have new aids and got there and back without getting wet. Your U3A meeting sounds as though it was really interesting. I would have enjoyed that even though I have 2 left hands when it comes to arts and crafts. What a kerfuffle over your other hospital appointment. It looks as though no-one has bothered to make a note on the appointment system that you can’t get to Tewkesbury. Front line staff are usually good and I think in an emergency the NHS are wonderful but the day to day administration that keeps everything running seems to have gone completely to pot.

That was good of your hairdressers to credit you with your gift card amount Annx. I think some places would have said you had to use it this month or lose it. It’s good that OH’s eye is a little less red now. Having to do the drops every 2 hours must restrict him a bit. Can I come to lunch please? Salmon with asparagus and other veg would suit me down to the ground.

Mel, I am glad your appointment went well and I am sure an inhaler will make things easier for you.

At the moment I feel I am running on the spot and getting nowhere fast. With all the different appointments and things happening and no car at the moment it’s a bit of a nightmare trying to fit everything in. I’ve just managed to book a delivery from Sainsbury’s for tomorrow afternoon, Monday afternoon there’s a club meeting that I particularly want to go to and Tuesday there is a birthday lunch with a friend and everyone back to my house after for desserts, cakes and tea/coffee.

As our birthdays are only 6 days apart this lady and I always shared our birthday lunch between our two dates but that idea seemed to fall to bits a couple of years ago. When J booked her lunch for Tuesday I told her I wouldn’t do a separate one a few days later as it would all be the same people and they would have to give up two days and pay for two meals within a week. Instead I said as I had more space than her I would have our friends back here and would provide some dessert and cakes. She agreed and has asked me to do a trifle. I did intend to make everything but I have now put cakes on my order for delivery tomorrow. I hope they have a long best before date or can go in the freezer till Tuesday. I will get a trifle made even if I am doing it at midnight the day before and I have a home made cheesecake in the freezer and plenty of cheese and crackers for anyone who doesn’t want sweet stuff. I don’t think there will be many of us here but it is a birthday “do” so I can’t just give them a cuppa with a biscuit.

This morning OH got a phone call from the Volvo workshop to say the car was finished and they had test driven it and all is fine. The chap that rang said he would email us the invoice and once we had paid the car would be ready to come back. We asked for account details to send the money by bank transfer as being the quickest way. His email duly arrived and I got it paid around lunch time. He then tried to rustle up a couple of drivers to bring the car back but his drivers were all in different places so he told us to ring Volvo Assist, our breakdown cover, and they would organize a taxi to pick us up and drive us to the workshop. So OH rang them and guess what……..they told him again that his cover had expired. They couldn’t tell him when or why it had expired and we haven’t been charged for the recovery vehicle they organized to take the car to the workshop. So, OH got back on the phone to the man who had told us to ring Volvo Assist. He couldn’t understand it at all but said he would look into it and in the meantime book ourselves a taxi and we will be reimbursed the cost when we arrive. By then time was getting on and OH said that by the time we had found a taxi that was free immediately and he had driven us the 12 or so miles to where the car is, it would be too dark for him to drive back. So the upshot is that a local taxi man that we have used several times before is picking us up at 9 am on Monday. I don’t really need to go with OH and I can’t really afford the time but, though it sounds silly, I don’t really like him going any distance in the car on his own, though he is a perfectly good driver. At our age you never know and I’d rather be with him than sitting at home worrying. Stupid, aren’t I.

Well, I have a couple of phone calls to make so I had better get on. Have a good evening and sleep well tonight everyone.

JUST SENT YOU ALL AN EMAIL Now how did I do that????

I meant to say we did'nt have to wait long at all to see all these apartments today. Had just sat down when Alex came out and called me in a nice jolly young man who joked with us. I dropped the nose clamp on the floor as it was plastic and shot out of my hand when I went to put it on my nose so he threw that one away and gave me a fresh one which I brought home with me. It was also he who weighed me and measured me and then we sat back down in the waiting room for a min or two and I was called again by a very nice clear speaking indian doctor who was very clear in what I have to do and its him who will write to my doctor.

Back we stopped at Tescos on the way home. I had my blood pressure taken, weighed, measured and I have only lost half an inch I am 5' 2" now. Had to blow in a pipe loads of times an see the consultant who is going to write to my doctor and give me an inhaler which I have to go to the nurse at the surgery who will show me the right way to use it. He said so many people don't use them right.

I actually got Em to take some money for diesel today I gave her £30. Not sure if she realized what I had given her. The parking was 3.20 and I paid the 20p. She would'nt let me pay it all. I got some broccoli and acue in tesco so I am having lasagne and broccxoli tonight for dinner followed by an orange or tinned fruit.

I am now going to read your posts and then get a drink. I bought an egg and cress sandwich in the hospital as we left as I had'nt had any lunch.

The U3A meeting and printing of the dried flowers sounded interesting AnnG and I see you had a good result with the audiologist who seemed very on the ball and really helpful. It sounds like it will be quite an improvement in your hearing for you.

Despite the longwinded travel by bus Vera it was good your OH's test results were as good as could be expected and that no treatment is necessary. Did the garage give you any idea how long it would take to fix the car?

After more heavy rain it seems to have stopped again so I'd better see if OH wants a COT with his next eyedrop!

Afternoon All,

I was up at 7.30 am to the sound of rain, but at least it had almost stopped by the time I popped out to the retail park. It's a palaver particularly in the mornings now with our tablet regimes and now the added 2 different eyedrops, one 2 hourly. OH's eye is less red already though, so I don't think he will be on them a long time this time.

I hope you don't get too wet going for your appointment AnnG and that they sort your aids so you can hear better again.

I hope you don't have to wait long at the hospital Mel.

I just had a panic as I found a gift card for my hair for £60 in my purse and it expires at the end of this month. I forgot to use it for my January appointment and it would expire before my next appointment. The trouble is this last time it was one printed on a sheet of paper and not an actual card. Anyway I thought I'd ring them and see if they could suggest anything, otherwise I thought I would add a week or two between a few future appointments to claw the money back. It was an awful phone line despite them ringing me back they sounded more like a clucking hen at their end. Anyway she took the card number and checked my account and then said she'd just added it as a credit so I can still use it next time. I thought that was good service for a regular customer.

Better check lunch now, Fresh salmon with asparagus, mash, carrots, green beans and a bit of cabbage with hollandaise sauce mix made with skimmed milk.

Just back from audiology, It was pouring with rain when I left but eased up a bit as I walked to the main road for the bus and had stopped when I got off the bus so the walk in to the hospital was dry. I was early because of trying to get round the heavy showers but plenty of chairs to sit on while waiting. And a couple of shops to browse.
Anyway, had a very nice man dealing with me today, very knowledgeable, Italian with perfect English (Enrico), in his 30s I would guess. He tested me and said that actually my hearing was not a lot worse than the last test. Then he tested my aids and immediately said 'I am going to replace both'. And (I have not seen this done before on the spot). He actually put together two new hearing aids. And asked me if I wanted synced volume control which I had always had until November, and he also asked if I wanted the loop, which I was not asked last time either. He showed me how to access the loop etc and then printed off directions on everything he had told me. He was really nice, patient and with a sense of humour. And coming home it was dry walking from the hospital to the bus station, rained while on the bus but had stopped when I got off so no wet clothes at all and I didn't need to use the umbrella.

Morning all,

Raining here to and it should last all day.

Anng hope your not hanging about to long in wet clothes and they can get your hearing aid working again or they might decide you need some new ones .

Mel hope you get on OK today with your appointment .

Vera thats good the hospital were happy with your OH but what a long time you had to be there because of the bus timetable at least you had somewhere in the warm to wait .
Ann hope the drops are helping OH's eyes and your foot is easier for walking now .

Good morning AnnG, Mel and all

5 degrees and light rain at the moment. Another busy day for me. Good luck with your appointments Ann and Mel.

Might bbl

Good luck Ml. pouring here so I am about to get wet.

Morning All,

Dry start here and its 7 degrees so gone up one degree from when I got up and pc says mostly sunny.

Had chicken at Stu's last night with roasties carrots and leeks. The chicken was in one of his made up sauces and was very tasty.

Lots to do before Em comes today so see you all later.

Good morning all. early up today as have to walk down the road to catch a different bus later. Have appointment at glos royal at 11am. If it rains while I am walking I will be very wet. 5 degrees at the moment and still dark.

The meeting yesterday was very good 10 of the group did silk squares. Over the weekend
I will get a couple of photos out over the weekend. My dried flowers came in useful for them to use and Rosalind will be taking the remainder home to use as there were a lot left over. It was a lot of fun.

the process was, the silk squares were laid flat in half with one half folded down over the edge of the table, they were then covered in all sorts of pieces of dried flowers, most chose to stick to one colour. When the half square was covered the square was then roled in very small folds until folded/rolled completely lengthwise then rolled again down the length until it was really tiny, then bound tightly with string until it could be treated like a tea bag and dumped into a steaming solution ( don't know what was in the water. After 20 minutes it was lifted out, cooled and unrolled and shaken to dislodge all the bits and then kept open and shaken until completely dry.

This is the restriction I mentioned in my last post.

The BBC has seen evidence or had confirmation from a host of health boards that restrictions have been put in places in parts of the north west, north east, south west, Yorkshire, the East Midlands and East Anglia.

A number of health boards refused to provide the BBC with information – and senior NHS sources said they expected many of England's 42 regional boards were now placing restrictions on individual hospitals in their areas.

They said they expected the number of hospitals affected would almost certainly grow before the end of the financial year, adding strike action by resident doctors had not helped with the NHS estimating the walkouts this year have cost hospitals more than £500m.

Your U3A meeting today sounds really interesting AnnG. Were you able to hear OK? I hope your appointment tomorrow will get your hearing aid fixed for you.

Annx, it sounds as though you had a nightmare journey back from dropping OH at the hospital this morning. Your poor OH, he has certainly had his share of problems. I had never heard of Uveitis but see from the NHS site that it is another name for Iritis which I remember he has had before, The site mentioned Ankylising Spondylitis as one of the causes. I think my OH was lucky in that he had 2 really bad bouts of Iritis about 50 years ago but has been fine since then. They never did find the cause. I hope your OH's drops get to work quickly to clear the inflammation and get rid of the pain. It's brilliant that you found your garage door remote. That will save you the expense and effort of ordering another.

7 weeks without smoking Mel :-) You deserve a big pat on the back. It's not easy stopping but it must be helping your health and your pocket. I agree with Mandy; treat yourself to something nice.

Well, I found the sample pot last night. I looked in the obvious place (the cabinet in his en-suite) and there it was. When I told OH where I found it he said he had looked there and didn't see it. Is it just my dearly beloved that can't see what's in front of his nose? It had a bright red top so stood out and was next to the tube of toothpaste he goes to twice a day. Sometimes I don't know whether to tear my hair out in despair or to just shrug my shoulders and laugh it off.

The hospital visit was as I feared from the time/convenience point of view. With the car we would have been out of the house for about 2 hours, by bus we were out for 6 hours. Partly it's the length of the journey as by car we take a direct route but the bus has to go round various villages on the way. Partly it's because the buses aren't very frequent so you have to come and go on the ones that fit in best with your appointment time. That meant we were at the hospital near enough an hour before his allotted time and then he was able to leave only 5 minutes before a bus was due. We wouldn't have been able to get to the bus stop in that time so had to wait 65 minutes for the next one. We stayed in the hospital in the warm till 15 minutes before the bus was due and then walked down to the stop and only had to wait a few minutes in the cold as it was dead on time.

Having moaned about the time spent on the visit, I was pleased that the news was as good as we could have expected. The doctor said there have been some changes since he last had these tests, 5 years ago, but the changes aren't anything to worry about unduly and he doesn't need more treatment at the moment. If OH feels things are worsening generally or he has any sudden problems he can be referred back but for now everything is OK.

I would like to say ‘you won’t believe this’ but I know you will. Cast your mind back to , I think, about November I had an appointment come for Tewkesbury hospital regarding a follow up to my nose operation August 2024. It was for January or something, I cancelled because I can’t get to Tewkesbury and they rescheduled for February after dark one day. Again I pointed out that at my age I should not be out on a dark icy evening so they rescheduled again for 1030 on April first at Glos Royal Not once has it been said what the appointment is for so I assume a check up. This afternoon I had another reschedule from 1st April to 22 April at Tewkesbury (sigh). And still not seeing the man who did the op. Anyway I can’t get to Tewkesbury (still) unless they have moved it. So I have gone back again and refused it. I did read that hospitals would be cutting down on some booked ops to save money and of course the change of dates moves the op to a new financial year

Take a kook at this. I'm going to try it tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/y5lTQxVJK1U

7 weeks today. I still fancy one when I am making things or when I finish the ironing but I tell myself no its only a habit and I have a mint.