Thursday

Good morning, everyone.  Another chilly, frosty morning but no snow, not here. 

Yesterday was busy but went well.  It shows how long it was since I had any sort of prescription.  I picked up my repeat prescription and discovered that I no longer have to pay for it - another perk of being over sixty!  It even said so on the form so I didn't have to provide proof.  It took me ages to get to the surgery for the prescription as there must have been some sort of accident: the roads were heaving with slow moving traffic and just before I got there a police car and ambulance screamed past.  However, by the time I'd got the meds from the nearby chemist, the roads were clear again. 

The chemist had changed too - it's hardly a shop now, just a prescription place.

Tuition went really well again.  I'd mugged up a bit about prime and composite numbers, not that there's much to mug up at this level anyway, and we learnt how to find them on a number square.  That was it really.   I'm sure there's a use for knowing prime numbers, there's got to be, but I can't see what it is.

On to today and I have a form to drop off.  I got a registration form from the Springfield hospital yesterday before my appointment there.  The covering letter changed the time from a convenient 9:30 to a less convenient later in the day, darn it!  There was a form to fill in with a SAE, except that the SAE was missing so, in order to explain, I've decided to take it there myself: the main reason I chose there was because it is close to home so it won't be a hassle.

Then there's the usual daily chores before tuition and after that I am being taken out to the Civic for a show, which is lovely and I'm very much looking forward to it.

So that's my day and I should enjoy it!

Wednesday

Good morning!
It's dark, cold and cloudy.  No frost but it doesn't half feel nippy and my heating is working well.

Well, yesterday was a day of changes.
I started by popping off to Sainsbury's.  I had a list but decided to get any Christmas stuff I saw too, to save having to get it later.  I got sausages and bacon for the pigs in blankets, some vegetarian stuffing and . . . these -

- and very warm and cosy they are too.  I love sock-slippers

While I was in the shop the car was washed, waxed and polished.  I treat myself to this now and again and it always looks good afterwards.  The rest of the time the dust protects the paintwork!

Once home, I had a message from Beth to say she was poorly so wouldn't be coming over for dinner which was disappointing.  I'd already made half of the meal so that's heading for the freezer if I don't have it today.  I hope she's feeling a bit better today.

I put on some some bread (well, dough at this point), put the shopping away and settled down to do my planning.  It went very smoothly as I have the habit of making jottings on the planning sheet through the session so I know what needs working on next, clarifying or developing.

A bit later, along came my mathematical pupil and we had a great session, learning about long multiplication and division.  I love it when their eyes shine and they get all excited and when they said 'I don't want this lesson to end', I knew it was a hit!

Fortunately, I checked my emails before I left for the next session because my next pupil was unwell so the session was cancelled.  Never mind, these things happen, don't they?

So, several changes one way and another but it was a good day.  Today is housework and more planning plus a bit of ironing.  I shall make the pigs in blankets and get them into the freezer and the fridge could do with a tidy up.  I only have to go out twice - once to collect a prescription and once for tuition.

I'd better get going then!  Have a good day.

Tuesday

Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to a very chilly Tuesday late-November morning.  No snow but, did you notice, in the reporting from Kensington Palace on the BBC news last night, there were a few flakes drifting down, which was a surprise.  It's definitely going to be a warm shoes and coat day today.

Again yesterday, after months of there not being an awful lot to watch on telly each evening, I was spoilt for choice yesterday and will have to use iPlayer (bless its cotton socks) to catch up on University Challenge and Nigella's latest.  I chose to watch the Paul Hollywood programme which was OK, not amazing but interesting enough, and then 'Would I Lie to You' which reduced me to tears of helpless mirth last night.  It was hysterically funny at times.

Have I Got More News For You is also on Mondays but too late for early-to-bed me so that's another one to catch up on.  I usually chuckle my way through that too:  it's very clever they way they cut through our serious absurdities, even though I'm not terribly keen on some of the language.  That's just me though!

Today, I think I will take an early trip to Sainsbury's.  I haven't been for ages and I'm starting to pick up little bits and bobs for Christmas now rather than getting it all at the last minute.  I definitely want to get the sausages and bacon to make the pigs in blankets which I can freeze in the tin I will use to roast them.  Anything to save time!

Over the weekend I got some gluten free stuffing mix as a basis for my stuffing, to which I will add more onion, more sage and some chopped up ham.  It then just needs thawing and baking in the oven on The Day.

Then I will need to do some tuition planning followed by the actual tuition.  That, combined with the usual housework, more or less takes me through the day.

So I will get my coffee and start on the first thing which is posting the daily messages in a few groups I help to admin on Facebook.

Have a warm day!

Monday

Good morning, everyone.  I'm sorry this is so late.  For the first time in goodness knows how long, I didn't wake until nearly seven so I decided to wait until I was at home (I was staying with my parents) before writing.

Yesterday was a very good day, especially because for the first time since the beginning of the month I had neither pain nor discomfort - all day.  Excellent!

I'm home now after a good drive cross country with all the traffic lights being nice to me so there were no holdups in the usual places, Little Hadham and Bishop's Stortford, which is most unusual.  Now I'm home I have planning to do and unpacking, but the house is clean and as tidy as it's going to be right now, so there's no panic.

I hope you're having a good day too.

Sunday

Good morning, everyone.  It's another cold morning here but not so cold as yesterday when there was a fine old frost making a lovely world even more lovely.  It stayed a bit parky all day too, despite the glorious sunshine.

I had a quiet day, punctuated once by popping out to Tesco.  I didn't mean to get much, just to stock up with my 0% fat things but I saw that they had 'Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook' reduced from £26 to £10.  Now that's what I call a good reduction so, being a sucker for cookbooks and quite a fan of Mr Oliver (Essex lad made good, etc), somehow it jumped off the shelf into my trolley!  I've glanced through and it's going to be a good read.

Today is quiet again but that's good.  Life plods on, you know, and so do I!

Coffee time and then I'd better get going and see to things.  Goodness, it's nearly seven o'clock.  Have a great day and may you achieve all you hope to do today.

Saturday

Good morning, everyone.  Brrr, it ain't 'alf cold round here but, being south of the country, no chance of snow which, I gather, is restricted to Scotland.

Yesterday I wasn't feeling great (gall bladder, of course) so was quite low but it's better this morning.  The thing is, I now worry about knowing whether I need to get help (medical help, I mean) and when it's going to pass on by after a while.  If it's just 'playing up a bit', uncomfortable/painful but will go after a while, than that's OK but if there's another inflammation, that's not going to go without intervention.  So, being a natural born worrier, I worry!
I've decided, rightly or wrongly, that if the discomfort doesn't fade after taking pain-killers, that's the time to consider 111 (or whatever) but really, how do you know?

Anyway - earlier in the week I got my referral letter through and I've never done it this way before.  Admittedly, I haven't troubled my local hospital all that much: the last time was that lump I had removed and then the essence was speed.  Before then it was childbirth!
In the letter, it didn't give me a time or date, it told me I could go online and select the venue from a choice of three, one being our local private hospital (which happens to be the nearest anyway).  Once I had done that, up came a list of available dates and times for me to choose from!  I couldn't believe it.

I could have chosen a date next week but on the discharge letter it said they would see me in three months (I presume that's what 3/12 means) so next week sounded a bit soon.  So I compromised with the middle of  December, which is about a month and a half.   By then I will know how well diet is controlling things and I'm keeping notes of pain, etc.  Right now, if surgery is an option, I think I will go for it, but we will see.
And, yes, I chose the private hospital (it is an NHS appointment) for two reasons - it's by far the nearest and parking is not only free, there's plenty of it, both in the grounds and around them too.

Today I have woken very early after a great night's sleep so I'll have plenty of chill out time.  The house is clean and reasonably tidy and the ironing basket is empty (cheers).  I have knitting and I have books.  What an idle life, eh?  Here's to it!

Friday

A propos of yesterdays little rant . . . this says it all!

Good morning, everyone.  It's an early wake for me today but not to worry.  It means I can get going sooner and therefore get finished sooner which has to be a good thing.

Yesterday I had a worry.  For a few days now, the fridge hasn't closed properly.  I washed round the seal and pushed the shelves in properly and  it still didn't close.  Fool that I am, I never thought to check what was on the shelves until yesterday and when I did, lo and behold, the pack of leeks was just a few mms too long for the shelf it was on and was stopping the door from completely shutting.  I don't know why I didn't notice that sooner and felt very stupid but it was a great relief as I'd got to the point of dithering between getting someone to look at it or buying a new one.

It's turned chilly outside again and I gather that there's been snow in Scotland, according to a Scottish friend on Facebook.  We won't get any here but the chill will keep me snug and warm inside, I suspect, and very grateful for my heating.  I have to bustle around getting things in a fit state for the cleaners and that will keep me nice and warm anyway.

I'd better stop now and take a look in Facebook.  There's a number of groups I help to admin and I like to pay them an early visit.

Have a lovely day, everyone, and stay warm.