Well, I am taking the tablets - the ones I tried very hard to avoid having to take. And what happens? I am falling asleep. Everywhere. My eyes droop and I am off for a nap. Good grief. They had better be working. And I haven't got up to the full strength level yet. You start one a day then 2 a day then 3 a day and stay there.
Still very cold here, though if you manage to sit in the sun, it is a great deal warmer. But that puts you to sleep too. Maybe I should stop trying to resist.......it may be futile.....
I am at the hitting the wall stage here at Rocking Chair Reflections - I sit and gaze at the screen and can't think of anything to talk about. Not a lot happening around here, people. So shall we go back to the questions? Is there anything you would like to ask me? Well, ask away. How many of you have started preparing for Christmas? I can't believe it is November tomorrow. The year has disappeared in a flash.
The nap wins. I am off to snooze in the sun.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Treatment plans at last....
I saw a new consultant this morning, and this time, I had a friend with me, who had spent most of yesterday researching everything, and she had a list of all the questions. This doctor was good. Patient. Long-suffering. And he let us ask every question we had.
The result? Referral to a pain specialist, physio, a return appointment and an explanation of the arthroscopy and probable knee replacement in the future. The patella is history. Grade 4 bone damage. Wonderful. Yes, I will take the medication now that I know exactly what it is for.
So, finally it looks as though a treatment plan is almost sorted. 19 weeks after the injury. And just for good measure, it appears that I have CRPS. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Just what I needed. An optional extra. It will take some time to balance the exercise plan between lots of exercise and not too much. Sigh. I tend to want to overdo things. just a little. But the great news is that I have lost 6.5kgs! 14.3lbs. Woohoo! Long way to go before I reach sylph-like proportions, but I decided that any extra weight would adversely affect the knee, so it had to go. Middle-age does have some draw-backs, doesn't it - spreading rears are included in that.
Roll back the clock. Before I hit 50, I had rarely been to the doctor. Since???? Hahahahahahaha. I should have my own name-plate on a seat in the waiting room.
Switzerland - or the part where my sister lives, is blanketed in deep snow. It is still Arctic here. But things could definitely be worse. I have so much to be grateful for. Including my snuggly poncho. It works! I speak from the depths of turquoise fleece.
Right. I need to get about to visit all of you. I will be back later.
The result? Referral to a pain specialist, physio, a return appointment and an explanation of the arthroscopy and probable knee replacement in the future. The patella is history. Grade 4 bone damage. Wonderful. Yes, I will take the medication now that I know exactly what it is for.
So, finally it looks as though a treatment plan is almost sorted. 19 weeks after the injury. And just for good measure, it appears that I have CRPS. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Just what I needed. An optional extra. It will take some time to balance the exercise plan between lots of exercise and not too much. Sigh. I tend to want to overdo things. just a little. But the great news is that I have lost 6.5kgs! 14.3lbs. Woohoo! Long way to go before I reach sylph-like proportions, but I decided that any extra weight would adversely affect the knee, so it had to go. Middle-age does have some draw-backs, doesn't it - spreading rears are included in that.
Roll back the clock. Before I hit 50, I had rarely been to the doctor. Since???? Hahahahahahaha. I should have my own name-plate on a seat in the waiting room.
Switzerland - or the part where my sister lives, is blanketed in deep snow. It is still Arctic here. But things could definitely be worse. I have so much to be grateful for. Including my snuggly poncho. It works! I speak from the depths of turquoise fleece.
Right. I need to get about to visit all of you. I will be back later.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
OK....
This is before any decoration. Which may or may not happen, depending on the mood, and the temperature today! I have to say it is really warm. Not sure I would venture out the front door in it though! Ikea to the rescue....once again!Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Arctic weather......
It is FREEZING here. We have had snow. Sleet. Hail. Temps tonight will be 2C in this area, and tomorrow will be a high of 7C and a low of 3C. And it gets worse the next day. Being inventive, I hauled out a new fleece blanket I bought from Ikea ages ago for a couple of £s, and folded it in half, cut a half circle out and popped my head through the middle. I am now sitting here wearing a poncho. In pale turquoise. I am a sight to behold, believe me, but I am warm. I do believe I am setting a new fashion trend. It is called the eco-warmer. I may even sew some interesting bits on it tomorrow.
I got sick of wrapping myself in a blanket. My hands kept getting lost. This way I am snug as a bug. Hah! Strike one for the genius. And if it gets colder, I may cut a hole in another one and wear 2 at a time. See - it is always good to buy things like fleece blankets when they are really cheap!
Now where did I put that hotwater bottle Jean bought for me?
I got sick of wrapping myself in a blanket. My hands kept getting lost. This way I am snug as a bug. Hah! Strike one for the genius. And if it gets colder, I may cut a hole in another one and wear 2 at a time. See - it is always good to buy things like fleece blankets when they are really cheap!
Now where did I put that hotwater bottle Jean bought for me?
Alphabet Soup - the letter "G"
It is Tuesday again, and time for Morning Glory 's Alphabet Soup. Today is the letter G and we are listing the things which bring us joy starting with that letter. Here we go then....
- Granny! In this family, Granny (soon to be Great-Granny) holds a very special place. we are so lucky that she is fit and well and full of beans. We all love you, Mum!
- Grapes - juicy and sweet and lovely to eat, and grapejuice is a favourite drink too.
- Glynis - my friend from way back. She is the one with the level head, and she is also a wonderful artist.
- Ginny - Granny 2B2 - we are going to have such fun spoiling our
- Granddaughter - who is due in Feb. What a joy!
- Gardens - I love my garden - it is a lovely peaceful place to be
- Games - we have always loved playing games in this family, though haven't much in recent years. We must get them out again.
- Giggles - especially the uncontrolled giggling of the babes!
- God - without whom I would be nothing.
Ginny and I will soon be Grannies, and Mum will be Great-Granny when our granddaughter is born, and we will watch her giggle one day as she plays games in the garden on the green grass and eats grapes, and we will thank God.
Monday, October 27, 2008
American food in the UK
I decided to try to find some American food things here in the UK this afternoon, and searched the internet. Just for your amusement, I have made a list of some of the stuff you have been writing about....check this out:
Yellow Cake mix - £3.25
Chocolate Chip cookie mix - £3.25
Cream cheese frosting - £3.00
Reeses Peanut Butter baking chips - £4.75
Graham Crackers- £4.79
Kraft Macaroni and cheese - £3.35
Velveeta shells - £3.99
Velveeta (16oz)- £5.85
Crisco - £4.40
Tin of pumpkin - £2.10
Tin creamed corn - £1.99
Tin Rotel tomato and chilli - £2.25
A1 steak sauce - £5.49
Candy Corn - £2.65
The £:$ rate is in your favour at the moment - it has been as much as 2:1 but is now about £1=$1.65.
Hmmmm. If I were an American and missing home, I would have a problem. This is unbelievably expensive! But then, we are a long way from America. I also discovered why we don't get Canola Oil here, by the way - it is apparently genetically modified. Monterey Jack Cheese can be substituted with block mozzarella or gouda.
I was actually looking for the equivalent of your biscuit cans. That is a problem. We can get croissants in a can in the refrigerated section of our supermarkets, but I have not seen any other kind. Maybe I will go and hunt.
Yellow Cake mix - £3.25
Chocolate Chip cookie mix - £3.25
Cream cheese frosting - £3.00
Reeses Peanut Butter baking chips - £4.75
Graham Crackers- £4.79
Kraft Macaroni and cheese - £3.35
Velveeta shells - £3.99
Velveeta (16oz)- £5.85
Crisco - £4.40
Tin of pumpkin - £2.10
Tin creamed corn - £1.99
Tin Rotel tomato and chilli - £2.25
A1 steak sauce - £5.49
Candy Corn - £2.65
The £:$ rate is in your favour at the moment - it has been as much as 2:1 but is now about £1=$1.65.
Hmmmm. If I were an American and missing home, I would have a problem. This is unbelievably expensive! But then, we are a long way from America. I also discovered why we don't get Canola Oil here, by the way - it is apparently genetically modified. Monterey Jack Cheese can be substituted with block mozzarella or gouda.
I was actually looking for the equivalent of your biscuit cans. That is a problem. We can get croissants in a can in the refrigerated section of our supermarkets, but I have not seen any other kind. Maybe I will go and hunt.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thinking ahead....
It is a grey day today - cold and wet, and being here inside warm and cosy is the best place to be. I have been wandering the blog world today - meeting new people and discovering so many fascinating places. People are interesting, aren't they? All so unique.
My computer is needing a babysitter at the moment. It is supposed to be doing a full system scan, but every time I walk away to do something - like ironing (I love Egyptian cotton sheets - but OH the ironing.... I hate ironing) it stops, goes into a funk and says it can't do any more. I am sick to death of the big warning sign saying "you need to do a scan now", so here I am. I will keep writing until all 4,947,675,355,438,389,939 trillion files are scanned. We will see who wins this one. This may be a looooooooooong post.
11% done...
I started to talk a bit about the state of the economy and then deleted that. Not in a general sense, but in the more personal sense of how it is affecting people we know. People are really battling out there. And it seems awfully close to home. Whether you are an employer or an employee, things are really tough right now.
Here in the UK, a really mega shopping centre opened near here, right in the middle of the economic meltdown, and yesterday, a report on tv mentioned that over 2 million people had been through the doors. Then the reporter said - "but see if you can spot something unusual" and the cameras panned around the centre. Lots of people. But no-one was carrying any shopping bags. They were all there to look, but not to buy. This Christmas shopping season is going to be very different to those of recent years.
25% done....
Anyway - Christmas shopping. This year is going to be the year of imagination. I usually give quite a few gifts, and I will this year too. But they will be home-made. Just like they used to be years ago. Home-made biscuits (cookies), marinades, jams etc. Things I can make out of stuff I have in my sewing/craft room. Gift tokens for my time - like babysitting, soups, garden watering, seedlings. Things from my home to their home.
Once upon a time, long long ago, in a far and distant land........I made my favourite biscuits, packaged them in Christmassy cellophane bags with ribbons, and attached the ornament of the year which I had made - once it was little hearts, filled with pot pourri - and that was what I gave my friends. Perfect. I have no idea why that changed. It is about the thought, not the money, after all. Back to basics I go this year, and I am delighted to be doing that.
Our church is implementing another excellent idea. We have been asked to add a small gift voucher to our shopping lists, and through November, we will hand them to the vicar. He is going to give them to the people who are really struggling so that they can buy some extras for Christmas. What a pleasure.
It has crashed again...starting over....
Even better - get the kids making presents too. When mine were little we started on the home-made gift idea. I never wanted them to go out and spend money on presents for the adults in their lives or their siblings. They made their presents. I think my mother still has every single thing she received with delight. Calendars, necklaces, paintings, the lot. I have vivid memories of wearing enormous brooches made from Fimo, and macaroni necklaces, painted in primary colours, to church on Christmas day. And the beaming smiles of the little ones as they saw me wear their gifts. Come to think of it, they are still somewhere in a box....
I have given up on the scan. It crashed again. Tough. I am now going to make yet more coffee and go and read my book on the couch. And guess what? The sun is starting to shine!
Have a great Sunday, everyone.
My computer is needing a babysitter at the moment. It is supposed to be doing a full system scan, but every time I walk away to do something - like ironing (I love Egyptian cotton sheets - but OH the ironing.... I hate ironing) it stops, goes into a funk and says it can't do any more. I am sick to death of the big warning sign saying "you need to do a scan now", so here I am. I will keep writing until all 4,947,675,355,438,389,939 trillion files are scanned. We will see who wins this one. This may be a looooooooooong post.
11% done...
I started to talk a bit about the state of the economy and then deleted that. Not in a general sense, but in the more personal sense of how it is affecting people we know. People are really battling out there. And it seems awfully close to home. Whether you are an employer or an employee, things are really tough right now.
Here in the UK, a really mega shopping centre opened near here, right in the middle of the economic meltdown, and yesterday, a report on tv mentioned that over 2 million people had been through the doors. Then the reporter said - "but see if you can spot something unusual" and the cameras panned around the centre. Lots of people. But no-one was carrying any shopping bags. They were all there to look, but not to buy. This Christmas shopping season is going to be very different to those of recent years.
25% done....
Anyway - Christmas shopping. This year is going to be the year of imagination. I usually give quite a few gifts, and I will this year too. But they will be home-made. Just like they used to be years ago. Home-made biscuits (cookies), marinades, jams etc. Things I can make out of stuff I have in my sewing/craft room. Gift tokens for my time - like babysitting, soups, garden watering, seedlings. Things from my home to their home.
Once upon a time, long long ago, in a far and distant land........I made my favourite biscuits, packaged them in Christmassy cellophane bags with ribbons, and attached the ornament of the year which I had made - once it was little hearts, filled with pot pourri - and that was what I gave my friends. Perfect. I have no idea why that changed. It is about the thought, not the money, after all. Back to basics I go this year, and I am delighted to be doing that.
Our church is implementing another excellent idea. We have been asked to add a small gift voucher to our shopping lists, and through November, we will hand them to the vicar. He is going to give them to the people who are really struggling so that they can buy some extras for Christmas. What a pleasure.
It has crashed again...starting over....
Even better - get the kids making presents too. When mine were little we started on the home-made gift idea. I never wanted them to go out and spend money on presents for the adults in their lives or their siblings. They made their presents. I think my mother still has every single thing she received with delight. Calendars, necklaces, paintings, the lot. I have vivid memories of wearing enormous brooches made from Fimo, and macaroni necklaces, painted in primary colours, to church on Christmas day. And the beaming smiles of the little ones as they saw me wear their gifts. Come to think of it, they are still somewhere in a box....
I have given up on the scan. It crashed again. Tough. I am now going to make yet more coffee and go and read my book on the couch. And guess what? The sun is starting to shine!
Have a great Sunday, everyone.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Time moves back....
Summer is really over now. Clocks go back in the middle of the night - winter is coming. I wish they didn't move back from summer time. I have no problem with dark mornings, but I really don't like dark at 3.30pm. And the days will get shorter and shorter now until Christmas time.
I think clocks changing was one of the weirdest things I had to get used to when we moved back to the UK. In South Africa, the clocks stay the same all year round, even though the country must cross a time zone or 2. And the other strange thing was having day light at 9pm in summer! My kids found going to sleep when the sun was shining really odd. Tomorrow, though, I will have an extra hour in bed, and that is always good.
However....
Autumn and Winter have their own charms. This morning, my friends called to collect me unexpectedly, and we went to the local garden centre for coffee. The Christmas stuff is all out, and they have a wonderful display of different things. They are always unique there. I was playing with a slinky dressed as Rudolph. I felt my life was incomplete without one, but I resisted the temptation. It boings up and down on an elastic string. I need one!
It is half-term holiday time here in England this coming week, so all the children are about, and teachers are having a well-earned rest. My daughter-in-law says she is going to go and look at baby things soon..... believe me, I am way ahead of her! So is Granny 2B2. And Margaret, aka the Garden Fairy, is going to be a Granny for the first time too a couple of weeks after me, so she is starting to make plans as well. Such an exciting time!
My daughter has now been living in NZ for 3 years. Where has the time gone? Sometimes it seems like forever, and other times, just yesterday. She is having a third birthday party tomorrow with all her friends, which will be wonderful. The virtual me, wants to be there too.
And on a completley random note - proving that I still have a sense of humour here, I popped in to the library to re-activate my very dormant card. And the librarian said - "Excuse me for asking, but are you over 60? " Dear heaven. Things must be worse than I thought. I, being kind, said "Unfortunately not. Just think - wouldn't it be nice to have a bus pass and be collecting my pension?"
I need to work on the image thing, people. This could be an emergency.
I think clocks changing was one of the weirdest things I had to get used to when we moved back to the UK. In South Africa, the clocks stay the same all year round, even though the country must cross a time zone or 2. And the other strange thing was having day light at 9pm in summer! My kids found going to sleep when the sun was shining really odd. Tomorrow, though, I will have an extra hour in bed, and that is always good.
However....
Autumn and Winter have their own charms. This morning, my friends called to collect me unexpectedly, and we went to the local garden centre for coffee. The Christmas stuff is all out, and they have a wonderful display of different things. They are always unique there. I was playing with a slinky dressed as Rudolph. I felt my life was incomplete without one, but I resisted the temptation. It boings up and down on an elastic string. I need one!
It is half-term holiday time here in England this coming week, so all the children are about, and teachers are having a well-earned rest. My daughter-in-law says she is going to go and look at baby things soon..... believe me, I am way ahead of her! So is Granny 2B2. And Margaret, aka the Garden Fairy, is going to be a Granny for the first time too a couple of weeks after me, so she is starting to make plans as well. Such an exciting time!
My daughter has now been living in NZ for 3 years. Where has the time gone? Sometimes it seems like forever, and other times, just yesterday. She is having a third birthday party tomorrow with all her friends, which will be wonderful. The virtual me, wants to be there too.
And on a completley random note - proving that I still have a sense of humour here, I popped in to the library to re-activate my very dormant card. And the librarian said - "Excuse me for asking, but are you over 60? " Dear heaven. Things must be worse than I thought. I, being kind, said "Unfortunately not. Just think - wouldn't it be nice to have a bus pass and be collecting my pension?"
I need to work on the image thing, people. This could be an emergency.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Approaching explosion point......
This will be brief. I am not in a great mood. The whole leg is infected. The past 12 days have meant doctors and hospitals and inept 12 year olds who have barely started shaving yet who seem to think they have all the answers, yet know nothing at all, and I have tried to forget the lot of them. I just want to go to my family in Switzerland and forget this ever happened. Today? .... Antibiotics. Rest. Back again if no improvement or gets worse.
Knee measures 55cms. Check that out.
Red+swollen+shiny=not good. Ask any mother. If they had listened to me 12 days ago.......
I am ready to scream.
Knee measures 55cms. Check that out.
Red+swollen+shiny=not good. Ask any mother. If they had listened to me 12 days ago.......
I am ready to scream.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A walking contradiction.....
There is a great deal going on in my mind - well, there always is, if I am truthful. What you see on the surface doesn't always reflect what is happening inside. How true that is of almost everyone, though, to one degree or another.
My mind is a heaving mass of contradictions. I dream of adventures, and I dream of being home. I dream of distant places, and I dream of remodelling my bathroom. I think of becoming a nomad, and I consider how much I want to spend my time watching my granddaughter grow up. I need to be near my family, but they are all over the world. I dream of fireplaces, and the gardens I will plant, and I think of the mountain paths I want to wander. I decide I don't want any more stuff, and my Amazon wish list is now in double digit pages. I start a diet, and I start baking.
See? Contradictions. I am a contradiction. I am at war with myself at times. I think of lawyers, and I decide to walk away. I dream of walking away and I think of lawyers. I want to be able to go back to work. But I don't want to be working. I want to run, but I am afraid of damaging myself even more. I love my friends, but my friends are the safe option. I want to meet new people, but then I love my security. Peacemaker/warrior. Friends/strangers.
In essence, I want to live. Really live. Not just the exist part. Just live each day to the full. Wherever that may be. Because there is just me, I am the one who has to make things happen. So I need to step out of the comfort zone and try something new. Or decide that here is good and get used to the idea of staying put. Happily. Familiar/new.
One minute, I am talking about going to see the Aurora Borealis, and then next, I am deciding what to plant on the allotment next year. Part of me wants to go out and buy a VW campervan and paint daisies on the sides, and take to the roads like a gypsy of the 21C. The other wants to build my log cabin with triple glazing, a sleeping platform, huge great room with wood burning stove, sewing space and enormous couches. Piles of books. Quilts. And stay there forever. And have friends to stay. Gypsy/ homebody. Explorer/nester. Log cabin/camper van.
I want to quad bike with Crystal, walk round the lakes with Morning Glory, explore the beauties of Fall with Vee, sit on the beach with Susie, watch the children play with Sandra, discover the fjiords with Britt-Arnhild. I want to explore South Island with my daughter, and I want my sons to feel they can come home any time. Global trot/homefires. Dreams/reality.
I am in a unique position among the people I know. All I have to lose is the security. And who am I to place my idea of security in a pile of bricks and mortar? I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to keep the wretched bricks and mortar together, at the expense of my dreams.
When I finally end up in a rocking chair in the old age home, I absolutely want to be the one with the stories to tell of what I did, where I went, who I met, what I saw, what I found, how I laughed, what I learnt and how I lived. I do NOT want to have done nothing worthy of remembering with a grin. Nor do I want to have sacrificed my idea of life for society's norms.
I want to laugh. To love. To live.
There is a little part of me which longs to be outrageous. Maybe I should let it out to play.
My mind is a heaving mass of contradictions. I dream of adventures, and I dream of being home. I dream of distant places, and I dream of remodelling my bathroom. I think of becoming a nomad, and I consider how much I want to spend my time watching my granddaughter grow up. I need to be near my family, but they are all over the world. I dream of fireplaces, and the gardens I will plant, and I think of the mountain paths I want to wander. I decide I don't want any more stuff, and my Amazon wish list is now in double digit pages. I start a diet, and I start baking.
See? Contradictions. I am a contradiction. I am at war with myself at times. I think of lawyers, and I decide to walk away. I dream of walking away and I think of lawyers. I want to be able to go back to work. But I don't want to be working. I want to run, but I am afraid of damaging myself even more. I love my friends, but my friends are the safe option. I want to meet new people, but then I love my security. Peacemaker/warrior. Friends/strangers.
In essence, I want to live. Really live. Not just the exist part. Just live each day to the full. Wherever that may be. Because there is just me, I am the one who has to make things happen. So I need to step out of the comfort zone and try something new. Or decide that here is good and get used to the idea of staying put. Happily. Familiar/new.
One minute, I am talking about going to see the Aurora Borealis, and then next, I am deciding what to plant on the allotment next year. Part of me wants to go out and buy a VW campervan and paint daisies on the sides, and take to the roads like a gypsy of the 21C. The other wants to build my log cabin with triple glazing, a sleeping platform, huge great room with wood burning stove, sewing space and enormous couches. Piles of books. Quilts. And stay there forever. And have friends to stay. Gypsy/ homebody. Explorer/nester. Log cabin/camper van.
I want to quad bike with Crystal, walk round the lakes with Morning Glory, explore the beauties of Fall with Vee, sit on the beach with Susie, watch the children play with Sandra, discover the fjiords with Britt-Arnhild. I want to explore South Island with my daughter, and I want my sons to feel they can come home any time. Global trot/homefires. Dreams/reality.
I am in a unique position among the people I know. All I have to lose is the security. And who am I to place my idea of security in a pile of bricks and mortar? I certainly don't want to spend the rest of my life trying to keep the wretched bricks and mortar together, at the expense of my dreams.
When I finally end up in a rocking chair in the old age home, I absolutely want to be the one with the stories to tell of what I did, where I went, who I met, what I saw, what I found, how I laughed, what I learnt and how I lived. I do NOT want to have done nothing worthy of remembering with a grin. Nor do I want to have sacrificed my idea of life for society's norms.
I want to laugh. To love. To live.
There is a little part of me which longs to be outrageous. Maybe I should let it out to play.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)