My Left Little Toe is ok

 When Dh asked how I was feeling Thursday morning, I gave him the the reply, ' My left little toe is ok!

In fact I'd had a horrible urinary infection, where did it come from? I take the supplements suggested to take for recurrent infection, plus Vit C which is supposed to be good for good bladder health, I drink extra water and wear loose underwear, I avoid strong coffee and make sure I drink water before my one coffee of my mornings and all tea is de-caff. I don't use soap or scented shower jells.

I've had all the usual tests, the awful full bladder scans several times. The one I had, travelling to the hospital over bumpy roads with a full bladder was awful. Usually I walk upright striding ahead, with my stick or my wheels, not to look old!(vanity?) But on this occasion I shuffled into the hospital scanning dept. bent over my wheels, mumbling 'Oh dear, oh dear!' It's sometimes ok to play the little old woman card!! 

She was very nice and said to go to use the loo and come back, as it was my kidneys they wanted to scan.

So anyone who thinks a urinary infection, UTI, is just going to the loo a lot with some discomfort, you've never had a full blown infection. The pain is excruciating and you pee a lot because it relieves some of it, but only if you drink at least 2 litres of water and keep drinking water while you have the 'flare up.'

This time I had anti-biotics, because I had some from a private Dr. My own surgery would have had me wait to have my sample tested, may be a full day. So I was able to take them as soon as my symptoms started, but even then, I still had a couple of hours of very unpleasant acute pain and the not being able to pass urine is excruciating. 

Anyway, its all under control and although I got up several times that night, I had a sleep on the bed Friday afternoon.

So hence the reply, my left little toe is ok. The rest of me is shattered and I'm very wary of doing anything to aggravate it again, so lots of water and lots of loo visits. But its ok because my left  little toe is ok!!

Hope none of you ever have this, believe you me until you've experienced the pain, you wouldn't believe there was such pain.

Chrisxx

Did you see the hedgehog?

 I did my usual 2 o'clock in the morning loo break, but saw all the hall, passage way and lounge lights on.. Dh was up, not at all usual.  I thought he was outside in the back garden looking to see if he could see the hedgehog, that is visiting our garden. Then he came in through the front door!

When I asked him if he had seen ir, I realised there was a lot of noise from next door, which is extraordinary as we're all detached and they're quite a distance from us.

'No, I did not see the hedgehog, I've been round to next door, to ask are they mad its 2 o'clock in the morning and they're playing Abba, at top volume, not even decent music!' The parents weren't there but the daughter and 3 friends had the large sliding doors open and were dancing outside, music blaring!

He didn't say anything else he said, because his throat was dry.. his tablets side effect!  

So we're up drinking tea and eating toast and I've an early hair appointment! Hope I'll wake..I expect I will, my bladder doesn't let me sleep late!

Chrisxx

I needed a laugh!! An old one!

Hope you find this funny too! 

A farmer stopped by the local mechanic's shop to have his truck fixed.

They couldn't do it while he waited, so he said he didn't live far and would just walk home.

On the way home he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket, and a gallon of paint.

He then stopped by the feed store and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store he now had a problem - how to carry his entire purchases home.

While he was scratching his head he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost.

She asked, 'Can you tell me how to get to 1603 Mockingbird Lane ?'

The farmer said, 'Well, as a matter of fact, my farm is very close to that house. I would walk you there but I can't carry this lot.'

The old lady suggested, 'Why don't you put the can of paint in the bucket. Carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand?'

'Why thank you very much,' he said and proceeded to walk the old girl home.

On the way, he says 'Let's take my short cut and go down this alley. We'll be there in no time.'

The little old lady looked him over cautiously, then said, 'I am a lonely widow without a husband to defend me. How do I know that when we get in the alley you won't hold me up against the wall, pull up my skirt, and have your way with me?'

The farmer said, 'Holy Smokes lady! I'm carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens, and a goose. How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?'

The old lady replied, 'Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket, and I'll hold the chickens.'

Snagged from the Born in the 1940's group..

Chrisxx

Cheesy mashed potato puffs cooked in an airfryer

3  cups cold mashed potato 

1 Egg

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 Cup chopped chives

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese for rolling

Method.

Pre-heat airfryer  200C for 3 to 4 minutes

Grease your baskets.

Mix all the ingredients.

Roll into 1 inch balls and then roll in the Parmesan cheese.

Place in your baskets leaving space between each one to ensure even cooking

Cook in airfyer for 15 mins or until crispy looking, check they're not over cooking.

Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Photo is some cooked in an oven.

Enjoy!

Chrisxx

A different book.

This is a very different book compared to my usual reads, I chose to read it because a FB book group said, it was like the book 'Eleonora Elephant is Completely Fine.' And I loved that book.

Clover is a Death Doula, an occupation, which I didn't even know existed.. like birth doulas help mothers through their pregnancy and birth, a death doula helps people in their final weeks of life and then death.

She hasn't had the best of lives; her parents left her alone a lot when she was a child. Then they were killed while away and Clover went to live with her grandfather. She has good memories of her life with him, reading books and Sunday breakfasts out with him. But in my view it didn't really help her with living life.

As a death doula she makes written collections of her 'clients' thoughts, regrets and advice shared with her in their last few moments.

The only thing is, she isn't really living her own life. At first her emotional amour prevents her from moving forward, eventually when she lets her guard down, a transition takes place and she opens up to her neighbour and a feisty client who helps her to start to value her own life.

Slowly we see her start to live, experiencing love, friendship and the rich rewards of relationships.

It wasn't a book I would have chosen if it hadn't been recommended to me, but I'm glad I've read it and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Try it and make up your own minds?

Chrisxx

PS, I getting used to my new chair, which arrived this morning, it's comfy but a bit low, altho I sat in it this afternoon and slept for 2 hours!

A new chair and........

Yesterday we decided to get out and drive to a well known chair firm..and I bought one! Although we have a new sofa and arm chair coming next week, I wanted a chair where I could have my legs up. These recliners do all sorts of things, but I wanted one where I could still stand unassisted at this moment in time, maybe chuck me out of it, in some years in the future! It also has a back section to support your lumber region, which I found very comfortable when I tried it. I suppose I could lie back in it if I wanted. It was quite pricy, but recently my cousin Vera's words have echoed in my mind, 'No pockets in a shroud!' And having spoken to the lady in the Banking Hub last week, I thought yes, I'm going to spend my money! At the moment I prop my feet up on a stool, that was my Grand mother's, which must be at least 100 years old if not more and it's falling apart, altho' I have repaired it several times. 

When I spoke to friend about spending my money rather than opening yet another savings account, she laughed and ask was I thinking of buying a yacht, but there weren't any around that I fancied, so I bought the chair!  This was the third showroom selling these chairs I had visited, so I had thought about it over a period of months.

We were quite a while there in the show room, so stopping for a coffee and a snack seemed the right thing to do, it was lunch time.. The Costa we go to is near to Dunelm Mill, so we went in there to sort out curtains to go with the new furniture. I love them, big ferns pattern, with a mixture of our lounge colours, that will go with the new furniture, the carpet and the teal painted alcoves.. The wall where the window and French doors are is painted a straw colour, so these will suit perfectly. All ordered and they will be ready in about 7 to 10 days.. so quite a big spending day. 

Fortunately a new Food Warehouse has opened next to Dunelm Mill and several members of our slimming group have bought some different flavoured chicken in there, so we thought we'd have a look.. Well we didn't see the chicken pieces, but we did find some pkts of KFC and French Fries and some times you just have to have a day off dieting and we were tired and so we bought it and then some Magnums slipped into our basket!  We argued we needed the extra calories to compensate for all that money we spent!

Sometimes you've just got to do what you're body wants, never mind second thinking about if its good for you. 

What do you think, go outside of your planned life, which is good for you, and do something contrary now and then?

Chrisxx

Our very own,,

Doesn't this  cabbage look superb, its our first one this year!

Our Sunday dinner was delicious, roasted chicken, stuffing and with our own first picked cabbage, our own carrots, with Jersey new potatoes, cauliflower and gravy.. followed by rhubarb couflutis and squirty cream and it was our own rhubarb.

Only if you're a gardener would you appreciate what a feat this is. A cabbage takes a while to grow from a seed and then there is the threat of the cabbage butterfly, so that's why ours are protected with an  environ-mesh to keep the pesky things off.

We really enjoyed it and for tea we had salad and it was our own lettuce and radishes with the chicken.

In the evening we sat in the garden and admired our hard work, and listened to the birds.

Do you enjoy growing your own food?

Chrisxx

Things happening....

 I'm very welsh or is it nosy? Yesterday morning we had 2 ambulances and an ambulance car in our road. It definitely needed an outside look, so I walked out onto our drive. Our next door neighbour has regular carers, so I presumed it was her that needed the ambulance. I was about to ask whether she was alright, but someone else, who had also come out asked and I heard that our neighbour Betty was ok.

Dh thought I was being nosy, but I put him right, this is Wales everyone comes out into the street to see stuff happening I told him!!

Years ago I was staying in my old home with my aunties and I was woken by my bedroom door opening. It was my aunt, urging me to get up and get on a dressing gown, as a fire engine had just gone past the house.

A house 12 doors up from us was on fire, the road was full of people all standing around in dressing gowns watching the firemen. The family were all out of the house and safe. As we stood there mugs of tea were being brought out! And as the jets of water were damping down the flames, people were cheering.. honestly would this happen anywhere else?

When we lived in Suffolk just 5 years ago, we were alarmed one night, when our lounge was suddenly lit up through a chink in the curtains. When we opened our front door a very large fire engine was there on the road with 4 very large spot lights shining on us and the 2 houses down the road from us. We could see flames coming out of the chimney of the second house. It seemed the man who lived there only had a fire to heat and cook in his Victorian terraced house and it had set the chimney on fire. Next door had been in bed but they both got up and were outside in dressing gowns too.. We all had a good 'ol chin wag, the most that had for weeks as we'd been isolating. Other neighbours were out on the road too, but no mugs of tea! Perhaps we should have made them!

When it appeared to be under control, we went to bed but then could hear men talking outside. We could see firemen walking up the long garden with torches checking the back of the house. It was all sorted and after a cuppa we went to bed.. from then on we called Alan, whose house chimney was on fire,  Smoky Joe! (Not to his face just Dh and I )

He used to buzz saw logs every Sunday morning.. our house was fine as we were detached but his immediate neighbour had a fire barrier put in their loft, because although there wasn't any fire damage, they said they had a lot of smoke in their upstairs.

So nosy people are all over, not just the welsh!

Would you go out to see if there was something happening on your road?

Chrisxx

You plan, then life happens!

 Sometimes you just have to sit and 'wool gather.'  And sitting looking at this view of Rest Bay would have suited me yesterday. 

Next week we have the Book Group on Wednesday afternoon, which we really enjoy. We've both read the book, 'The Other Side of Night,' by Adam Hamdy. Not an ending we thought of, but it did sort of conclude the story satisfactorily.. but now we have several other things to contend with.

I don't like too many things in the same week it makes me feel too rushed and woozy headed.

Emmanaus can only collect our old sofa and arm chairs on Wednesday instead of Friday. We daren't put them off  to another week, because we would have had our new furniture by then.

Our odd job man was booked for the week after next and wants to come next week instead. So I've had to delay him. 

Then we drove off this morning to chose new curtains,  I made sure I had the fabric samples and Dunelm Mill is by a coffee shop we like, so our first stop was coffee and a shared ham and cheese toastie.. It was really pleasant so we decided to sit outside. Remembering that three years ago and 5 days, in the early morning, we had sat there on our way to our bungalow after staying over night in a Travel Lodge. We had Nell our dog with us, on our journey down from Suffolk, I suddenly felt weepy thinking about her. Then while we were enjoying our coffee, I suddenly remembered we had forgotten the measurements for the curtains!! What are we like??

But no matter we still went to the DIY store to buy the stain for the new steps, £40!! We are so out of touch with the prices of paint etc, so it was surprise! 

We both felt flat when we got home; I was annoyed with ourselves, the main reason for going out was to look for new curtains.. but after lunch, I sorted out somethings and Dh cut all the grass back and front. It all looked very nice and he even cut the edges.

I looked at the calendar to check dates and noticed the Chiropodist is booked for Thursday, oh no something else next week too! Can I cope?? Same day and time as our grocery order delivery is booked for! And we still have to chose the curtains and Dh reminded me we were going to Cardiff to chose a recliner chair for me on Monday, guess my 'wool gathering' will not happen for a few days.. 

Its all too much!

Chrisxx

Marmite?

 Dh and I love to watch tennis, I never played as a child but had all the gear bought for me,  but I was too feeble to hit the ball hard enough.

But I love to watch it and so does Dh, so we were really sad to see that Andy had to pull out of his match at Queens yesterday. 

BUT then the BBC replayed the Jack Draper match against Mariana Navone 6-3: 6-2  What a match I think Jack is going to be the new Andy, an amazing serve and powerful player and as my friend in Scotland said, 'fit to go with it!' I think we're going to have many happy hours watching him play.

We're trying to get the garden right up to date so we can enjoy Wimbledon due to start July1st.. 

Last evening Dh got his bean sticks up and planted the beans, I had started on the window sills in the end bedroom.

When we went to buy new bean sticks, we couldn't get the really long ones that Dh wanted, so he ordered them on line. However. there was a delay in the delivery because they were too long for the delivery van!

So Dh is happy and we are both looking forward to many hours watching tennis, will we be shouting 'Come on Jack' like we have over the years for Andy, you bet your bottom dollar we will!

Can't wait, do you like watching tennis or are you like another friend of mine screaming when its Wimbledon, because the BBC has it live on both channels and then all the re-runs again in the evenings. Guess its a bit like marmite you either love it or hate it?

Chrisxx