My Walking Mantras

 Heel toe, heel toe....lift your feet higher than you think you need to, take your time on steps, always use the hand rail, stand up straight and look ahead.

These were words said to me by physiotherapists, after I tripped and broke my arm. They are still in my head coming up to 16 years later! I take care all the time and they were brought home to me last week, when we saw someone trip over in our main road in town. It is paved in blocks to be a pedestrian way, there are broken ones and out of alinement ones. I walk very carefully, as there deep dips too, where possibly heavy delivery lorries have been.

It all looks very nice, but it's a like an obstacle course trying to avoid the trip hazards.

 When I saw that lady fall, I started to cry, I get very emotional. Fortunately she wasn't hurt and with help was able to get up. Unlike a gentleman who fell just before Christmas, and was on the ground for over 3 hours waiting for an ambulance! People got blankets for him, poor man.

So you can understand why I keep in mind those physio instructions.. and of course I have Rhett Butler, my wheels.

Councils don't seem to care about pedestrian safety and repairs are very slow to be done... money? What are your walk ways like where you live?

Chrisxx

Longevity?

 I'm dreadful in supermarkets often drooling on the contents of other peoples trolleys. I whispered to Dh when seeing the contents of a  trolley load totally different to our own..'I'll go home with them.' Yes, they had cakes and desserts, sausage rolls,  white crusty loaves of bread, while we had fruit and yogurts.

But yesterday the man behind us in the queue, loaded up his items ready at the check out,  and it included a huge packet of what looked like wood chippings. Of course I had to ask about it.  'Its like a muesli he said, but with larger chunks of oats, so they take a bit of chewing!'

So a healthy load of groceries and what did I read about today.. a longevity tip is to eat healthily.. and what is healthy?

An expert has said, foods that people ate 100 years ago, 

Beans

Whole grains

Vegetables

So the foods that us oldies ate when we were young.

There's hope for me then?? 

But sometimes often I want that greasy Chinese meal or that sweet cake and ice cream, rather than the healthy foods.

What about you?

Chrisxx

RIP.

 

I feel very sad to learn that Jenni Murray has died, of the dreaded breast cancer. She hosted Woman's Hour on the radio for over 30 years.

I was a faithful listener as a young housewife altho it wasn't Jenni but Sue MacGregor, Martha Kearney and others then. I loved it and  missed it when I started work, but fell right back into it when I retired! It was on that programme I heard about the wonders of Stinging Nettles and it works... sting yourself where you have arthritis and the heat of the sting acts like one of the arthritis creams, but lasts 2 or 3 days and no arthritis pain! Who would have believed that!

So RIP Dame Jenni, you were loved by many and will be sadly missed.  

Chrisxx

A Good Thing?

 The meningitis outbreak in Kent Universities and schools is really frightening, young people don't think they can get ill. I feel very sad for the families who have lost someone. My cousin's daughter died age 31 from meningitis.

When I was a student nurse in the sixties, there was an outbreak of small pox and we were all given the vaccine right away. Clinics were set up to offer vaccines and us junior nurses were 'lent' to help with the crowds, who arrived for the vaccine. 

We had talks on what to do and what not to do. They frightened us to death and  those of us, who usually went out partying,  stayed in and I avoided travelling on buses, so missed going home for a few weeks.

There were notices pinned up around to remind us......

1.Wash your hands always, especially when you've been out.

2.Keep your hands from your face.

3. Don't touch handles of doors. (I still don't!)

4. Avoid handling money, ie coins.

And these have stuck with me all my life. I still don't touch door handles when out and use a tissue. Dh and I had a meningitis vaccine at age 71, along with pneumonia and shingles later, and today, I have an appointment for the RSV. vaccine, Respiratory Syncytial Virus. vaccine.

The NHS offers these to protect us.. I'm always incredulous that people don't have them. They obviously have never seen real illness, nor been really ill.

I have had all the covid jabs and flu jabs.

I think they are all a good thing to have, what do you think?

Chrisxx

Driving Home.

We can take several ways to drive home from town,  but our favourite way is driving along the front prom, yesterday the sea was gently coming in.

There were a lot of people walking enjoying the sunshine. 

We drive up to Rest Bay, 

Here this grassy area often has mole hills and cowslips. When its cut, they mow pathways in the long grass. 

And wild flowers grow all round in the rocks at the top of the bay.

Then down through Nottage estate, where they are nearly all bungalows. I keep a commentary as we drive along; 'Neat hedges at my cousins, her gardener has been,' I say.

Down all the way to the roundabout, to pass the field where there are four Shetland ponies, they are sometimes separated, I think its because they bite each other! But they are so small and pretty!

We pass an allotment and then further on we pass the Meadow, now with a large Lake, presently there are large geese there, Canada Geese? 

Opposite is the Buttercup field where the Beach ponies live. 

All the way is different, from beaches to fields, and hills in the distance. Often sheep grazing, and the wind turbines slowing turning. We can see them from the end of our road, slowly turning against the blue sky.

When we turn into our road we can see our golden daffodils,  'fluttering and dancing in the breeze,' Wordsworth's poem.

It was beautiful yesterday, a sunshiny day and our town looked beautiful and we love it, and when it rains, we say thank goodness we're not on holiday!

Chrisxx

You could have knocked me down with a feather!

 This post won't  have the same meaning to readers who don't live in UK.

Something medical that has been bothering me for a few months, got worse over the weekend, I had to try for a Dr's appointment yesterday morning. I dread the  8 o'clock scramble, as its called. Before now I have been up to an hour listening to the voice saying are 'number 23' or what ever number is next. So I was ready and started dialing the Medical centre number at 7:57 and kept redialing and as soon as it started to ring. I quickly pressed 2 + 1= #2 for English and #1 for reception and I was speaking to someone right away. I think I was one of the first patients!! I had an appointment at 9:00am Wow!! I've never had that before.

I saw one of the new Dr's, Dr Jenny Jenkins, she was very nice and gave me the medication that is sorting me out.  I don't know why I leave problems so long, but I suppose it's how I was brought up, not to be a nuisance!! 

After it, we went into town to Costa's for coffi and a Cheese toasty, which was very nice. Not the SW food plan but we called it our breakfast!

How do you find getting a Dr appointment where you live?

Chrisxx

Mumisms

 THE TOP BEST LOVED BRITISH MUM-ISMS:

Money doesn't grow on trees

Don't talk with your mouth full

Don't eat that, you'll spoil your dinner

If someone asked you to jump off a cliff, would you?

Do not slam the door

I've got eyes in the back of my head

If the wind changes, you'll be stuck like that

If you don't finish your dinner, there'll be no pudding

Wait until your dad gets home

Were you born in a barn?

I want never gets

I don't care who started it

Eat your greens

I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times

Don't say what, say pardon

Ring me when you get there safely

Don't put your coat on inside, you won't feel the benefit outside

Don't put your feet on the furniture

Sit properly on your chair

Did you have any of these said to you and as a mum have you said them yourself?

Chrisxx

Exhausting!

 Some friends and I have been reminiscing about things we did in the past, always dangerous as we age! I can't believe how tired I get  now after some simple household chores. 

Years ago when I lived by myself and working full time, on my weekends off, I spent Saturday getting sorted for the week ahead. I had a cleaner for years, but when I downsized to a small three bedroomed house, I did it myself. Saturday was my turn around day when I did everything. By 9 o'clock I'd have done a load of washing, and pegged it out on the line, I'd then make up the clean bed, clean the bathroom, and vac all the bedrooms and landing. By 11 o'clock I would have whooshed around, cleaned the kitchen and down stairs cloak room and run the vac all through down stairs. After lunch I went into town, did my food shopping, visited the library. I usually met some one for a coffee before returning home. 

I used to spend some time doing the garden, but always sat down at 5 to watch the soap 'Brookside.'

I nearly always went out with friends, either to the cinema or we all liked dancing and there was a club not far from Billericay, where we went. I rarely stayed in on a Saturday night!

Sunday morning I ironed some clothes and the bedding before I went to church. I always cooked myself a Sunday dinner and then, I usually met up with friends and we went off somewhere. London was was easy as Billericay was on the Liverpool St. line train line.

These days, I tidy the bed, clean the bathroom, tidy in the lounge and I'm whacked! I never realised how much I did in one day, all those years ago and never thought I would find it all so exhausting when older! And now I wonder why I did so much cleaning?

Still as my friend said, we're still here albeit slower!

Yes dangerous to look back! What do you think?

Chrisxx

A Flood but all's well.

What a shock the weather was yesterday morning,  our weather station said  the temperature was 5C and as we went to leave the house at 9, it started to hail! So we waited till it had past before we set off for SW.. I keep my plastic hat with me incase and altho it flattens my hair, it all bounces back when I run my fingers through it. We didn't hang around after the meeting and drove straight home, glad to get back into the warm.

After lunch we had look my seedings in our little plastic green houses.

They are looking ok now, but when we looked in, the top trays were full of water..we hadn't noticed the clear plastic had  disintegrated and the rain had poured in! 

Oh no! But my tomatoes, pelargoniums, lupins, Sweet peas and lavender all survived. All the plants bought as bare root plants are growing too, but my cosmos are leggy, so I'll sow some more next month

A small primrose plant now 3 years old has spread, so I'll separate some shoots and spread them around the garden.

And a lovely cowslip growing well. We get them free from the birds!

I'm very hopeful of  garden full of colour again, I love sitting outside as often as I can admiring it.

How's your garden?

Chrisxx

Do we need Spam?

 Our weekly food order arrived yesterday morning and all was there as ordered.. Dh asked me was there anything I thought we might need  when he was doing it, and I remarked to him that, some bloggers had noticed the emptying of shelves in supermarkets with the rumours of war ( You're all so informative Thank you!) I did say perhaps check our water and dried goods situation, but we're fully stocked up, as we have a pantry so always keep ahead of what we need. Jokingly he asked 'Did I want spam??' 

'Only if I can have it battered and deep fried in beef dripping,' I replied!! I never had spam as a child, although there was spam around I suppose, but I didn't know of it. 

But my Grandmother did make me battered chips with an egg cooked in the chip pan too! It was all delicious with a slice of white bread and butter.  

I should have been fatter with all that dripping cooked food, but photographs of me as child showed this stick thin child, with curled hair and brown as berry. I did play 'out' all day and every day except Sundays of course. Sundays were chapel days and quiet times at home.

Do we need spam or extras?

Chrisxx