Sunday catch up 29/5/16

Well it's Sunday evening here and I thought it was time to do a catch up.  

I'm still recovering, slowly, but each day is a little bit easier so I'm trying to stay positive.  It hasn't been easy and I've watched a lot of TV and not been very productive.

I did manage to get some tidying done in the cellar on Friday.  We were due to have a Smart Meter fitted by our electric company which meant clearing some space for them to be able to work on it.  Well clearing the space led to a real clear out and a good tidy up so that was a good job done.  The only problem seems to be that although we now have the new meter installed it is NOT smart!  It should be able to send meter readings to the supplier remotely but that side of things doesn't seem to work.  Probably because the cellar is below ground level although I do get phone signal down there.

They will continue to try and get it working.  I won't hold my breath.

Yesterday we attended a beer festival at our local club and it was a lovely warm afternoon.  It was just good to get out of the house and although I have no interest in beer several other family members were there so it was nice to see them.

Our daughter-in-law went with us but our son is currently on a stag weekend in Latvia.  When we were young stag and hen dos usually consisted of a night out with friends at a bar or restaurant.  These days they have become very elaborate affairs.  Hopefully he will get back in one piece tomorrow.

Today I attended Mass and read for the first time.  It was a bit nerve wracking as the Priest in attendance is one that is a stickler for everything being done just so!  It seemed to go okay though so next time will be easier - there is a rota for readers.  I usually stay after Mass and help serve tea and coffee but I forgot to take any painkillers before leaving home so I was just glad to get back home and rectify that.

Our niece's baby is still very poorly but they do seem to have identified the problem.  It seems that she has a metabolic condition that is genetic and prevents her body from absorbing fats from food.  Hopefully now that they have established the cause they can begin to provide treatment.  She is nearly six months old but still looks like a 2-3 month old baby and the last few days she had to be ventilated due to breathing difficulties.  Thankfully today they have taken her off the ventilator and her parents have been able to have proper cuddles with her.   Thanks to all who have been praying for her.

So that's all the news from here.  We have a bank holiday tomorrow but now that hubby only works 3 days a week every Monday feels like a holiday now!  Hopefully this week I'll get back to more regular postings.

Friday Five News 27/5/16

It’s been a difficult week for various reasons but I thought it was time to get back to picking out some news stories that caught my eye.

The INTERNATIONAL story I’ve become aware of this week is the unrest in France.  I caught the news last night to see how the blockades were causing petrol shortages.  It struck a chord as my sister-in-law is leaving for France tomorrow for a holiday and was concerned about whether they would be able to get fuel to reach their destination.  It seems today that the situation is improving so hopefully she and her family will be able to travel ok.

The LOCAL news continues to be dominated by the European Union Referendum.  At the moment I am totally confused about what will be best and neither side is presenting a good enough case to convince me to vote one way or the other.  Part of me feels that we don’t want to be on the outside because then we have less influence in what happens in Europe, plus I think if we leave relations with France in particular will hit an all-time low.

In SPORT this story notes how the Zika virus could be a real threat to the Olympics.  A group of scientists have written to the World Health Organisation to suggest the games should be either relocated or postponed.  I can’t imagine it would be easy to relocate.  I’m sure there aren’t many venues that could host the games as such short notice.  Even London wouldn’t work as some of the venues have been adapted for long term use and wouldn’t be big enough now.  Postponing would presumably be difficult for many of the athletes who will have timed their preparations so that they reach peak fitness for the scheduled dates.  Hopefully the organisers will be able to provide reassurance that all that can be done to minimise the risk from the virus has been carried out.

Under ENTERTAINMENT  I spotted the sad story that Johnny Depp is not only set for an acrimonious divorce (no pre-nup agreement!) but now he’s alleged to have assaulted his estranged wife Amber Heard.  This is not going to be a pretty story.  I’ve always enjoyed watching Depp (what’s not to like?) but his recent video apology over the incident involving taking their dogs into Australia did him no favours.  Any suggestions for a new heart throb?

Finally under MISCELLANEOUS  I bring you this crazy idea from the Chinese.  A bus that can drive over cars stuck in traffic jams!  The prototype is only a model at present but they are planning to trial it later this year.  Glad I don’t live in China.  Might be time to give up the car!

All links are courtesy of the BBC website. Opinions are my own.

Have a great weekend.

Wednesday Hodgepodge 25/5/16

Wednesday's Hodgepodge is brought to us courtesy of Joyce at 

 From this side of the pond

Pop over there to see other posts and if you want to join in add the link to your Hodgepodge blog post to the Linky List at the end of Joyce's post and don’t forget to visit at least your neighbours on the list.

Have fun!

1. How should success be measured? Using that as your standard, who is the most successful person you know? (Or one of the most successful?)

Nice easy starter, Not!  I suppose by a person’s achievements and their legacy.  And how these were obtained.  No good doing lots of good things if you’ve trampled on people to get there.  Difficult to pick just one person but people who have made a difference in the world spring to mind, especially in scientific fields. (E.g. Dr Christian Barnard – first heart transplant surgeon or the doctors who created the first test tube baby, or Tim Berners-Lee who invented the World Wide Web.)

2. Have you ever been to a hot air balloon launch/fest/party? Ever taken a ride in a hot air balloon? Is that on your bucket list?  No, no and no!  Guess I’m boring. (Or definitely unadventurous.)

According to Frommers the ten best hot air balloon adventures in the world are-

Loire Valley (France), the Serengeti (Tanzania), Napa Valley (California), Lake Champlain (Vermont), Cappadocia (Turkey), Istria (Croatia), Gstaad (Switzerland), Yarra Valley (Australia), Muelle (Costa Rica), and Albuquerque (New Mexico). 

Which one on the list would you most like to experience?

None of them in a hot air balloon.  I don’t think I’d even be comfortable in a helicopter.  Don’t mind a trek though.

3. May 25th is National Brown-Bag It Day. Did you/will you pack a lunch today? When did you last pack a lunch for someone and what are your go-to ingredients for a brown bag lunch?

I don’t often do a packed lunch these days but when I was researching for my A-Z posts I did take a lunch out a couple of times.  Usually a sandwich, crisps, a sweet treat of some sort.  Nothing fancy.  We don’t usually brown bags either.

4. What's one of your favorite dance scenes from a movie or television show? 

The finale of Dirty Dancing.

5. John F. Kennedy made famous the line, '...Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So what can you do for your country?

Be a good citizen?

6. Weekends are made for... R & R

7. On this last Wednesday of the month, bid farewell to the month of May in seven words or less. 

Goodbye May.  Overall a good month.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Hard questions this week Joyce.

This too shall pass! 24/5/16

This time last week I was undergoing a minor surgical op.  I won’t bore you with details but it was all done in a day although it was a general anaesthetic so all should be well.  But post op recovery has been much more painful than I anticipated.  Naturally I was given pain medication and antibiotics but after two days on co-codamol and feeling REALLY unwell I switched to ordinary paracetamol.  The feeling of being about to pass out disappeared but the pain was not reduced.   

 

I don’t actually like taking too much medication.  I’m allergic to two main antibiotic groups so always wary when I get prescribed an alternative.  Fortunately there didn’t seem to be any side effects and I’m now done with them.

 

It made me very aware how debilitating constant pain is.  I have done very little over the past week apart from amuse myself with Facebook, stupid internet games, some reading and lots of TV catch up.  I couldn’t be bothered to carry out anything that required concentration.  I didn’t even do my regular blog posts or even answer comments left for me.

 

I was reassured by seeing that recovery could take at least two weeks (not “a few days of discomfort” as was discussed at my appointment) and am hopeful that feeling slightly improved the last couple of days that it won’t take the 3-6 weeks that some cases do.

 

Blogging here is a positive step and I did get some chores done today.  Thankfully hubby has been very supportive.  The other annoying thing is that I could have been in Cornwall with my cousin this week, relaxing in a hot tub but there’s no way I could make that long journey at present. 

 

My Fitbit ran totally out of charge so I’m not the only one that needs recharging.

 

But this shall pass.  Others are not so fortunate.  I’ve had several bits of bad news over the last few weeks concerning friends and now family.  Our niece and her partner have spent the last few days in hospital with their 5 month old baby who is not thriving.  We’re all anxiously waiting for test results.  It’s heart-breaking to see such a tiny thing going through this but there are lot of people praying for her.

 

Sometimes you just have to put things into perspective and stop feeling sorry for yourself.