MORE TITBITS

A week ago my Joe entered a nuclear bunker... at least that’s what he calls it. For those who don’t know, and I was one who didn’t,  a nuclear medicine bone scan shows the effects of injury or disease (such as cancer) or infection on the bones. It starts with an injection and the scan is done three hours later. In that waiting time Joe was warned not to go near children or pregnant women (nothing was said about wives!), to urinate backwards (for a man), to flush the toilet twice after use, and to drink plenty of water. Apparently his insides would light up so the scan could see what was what, or wasn’t as the case may be.

On Friday he went in hospital in readiness for a small operation on Saturday. This was a procedure designed to give the kidney a rest! An overnight stay, they said, but he's still there because the docs are not satisfied that the op was a success. He's in the best place if they're right. We can't fault (not that we've tried) our National Health Service, the doctors and nurses have been on the ball from the start - and rapidly. I hope they're the same with me when I collapse with exhaustion through travelling!

Parking at the hospital is horrendous. I’ve got into the habit of leaving the house a couple of hours early in order to get a parking space when I got there. Visiting times are staggered, some wards have it early, some later, a practice which I believe was instrumented by the parking problem. It’s a massive car park and drivers have to drive up, down and round in an attempt to find a slot. I don’t know what they do if they can’t. There’s no chance of parking outside the complex since, in fairness to local residents, this is prohibited. I now know why there are so many taxis around there. They don’t have to pay merely to drive onto the car park, whereas it costs a fortune for private cars to be left there. Taking into account the price of fuel it probably makes sense to go by taxi.

I have to say I got very tired with the journeys to and from hospital, which happens NOT to be our local one, so it made sense to reorganise not only our lives but the household arrangements too. Therefore, being sensible folk, we have taken on board the fact that help is needed around the house. Mel, I’m sure, will be pleased to hear that. The elderly couple across the road have ‘a lady that does’ so I asked if she would ‘do’ for me. Thankfully she said yes so at least the heaviest housework tasks get done ... and not a back pain to be felt as far as I’m concerned. Her name is Paola and she is half Italian. Before she came I spent time dusting in case it frightened her away. Isn’t that a hoot? It wasn’t just me, though, Joe tidied up his office before she came. I know it’s a standing joke in most families about the big tidy up occurring before the cleaning lady starts work.

Another way of saving time and energy was to order the weekly shopping on line. Now, why I didn’t do that sooner is beyond me. It gives me great satisfaction to be greeted by a polite driver who not only carries the stuff into the house but unpacks it as well. Mind you, there’s a motive there... he wants the bags for recycling.

Has anyone ever grown a lemon tree from seed? Out of curiosity I let a few pips drop into some old compost left over from a dying cactus. I now have these healthy looking young plants (see picture) and I’m wondering what to do with them. Our climate is hardly warm enough for lemon trees. The question is will I have room for them when they grow. I once grew an orange tree and it flowered and bore fruit that was sour as sour could be but it was lovely to look at.  

It’s disappointing that for the first time in years I shall miss the WI Federation’s Annual Council Meeting. It’s a lovely event and it is always good to meet up with all my old friends. When I was in the chair I thoroughly enjoyed it and, like all past chairmen, we like to keep in touch. Oh well, maybe next year!

Some of you may remember me posting an item about our sexy dunnocks, the ones who ‘perform’ on our patio, right by the window. I learn such a lot from watching birds!! Well it’s different this year. I haven’t seen the dunnocks but I have seen this 

The insects were seen on the porch window, and there were two more at the back of the house. Seems to me they do it on windows as a form of education for humans.

To end this post here’s a few more pictures, one of a greedy crow together with a back view showing some abnormal white feathers, and the third is a jay who did nothing to warrant a photograph but who was just there!

TUESDAY'S TITBITS

It maybe only once a week that I'm able or inclined to post something on the blog but I shall value the allotted time like a baby values a dummy. It will be no surprise to my friends to read that I've missed the regular contact with the blogging world. Anyway, enough of that sentimental stuff, I'll move on.

A few weeks ago I saw a group of ladies performing at a recent Townswomen’s Guild meeting. The group is known as Music in Motion and they promote sign language through participation. They seemed to be singing but in fact they were miming to music and ‘signing’ at the same time. One of the group members was deaf but none of us guessed until the end.

Music in Motion is a Birmingham based group of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing people, who use British Sign Language in a unique way to interpret popular songs by performing lyrics in sign language.  This creates pathways between deaf and hearing communities with music and Sign Language.  Their aim is to promote deaf awareness and to introduce the arts to the deaf community.

Music in Motion has visited a variety of venues throughout the country and is frequently invited to give repeat performances!  All funds raised are donated to projects that support the deaf community.  This is only made possible because of the generosity of the general public.

I feel very frustrated right now because for two days I have left comments on a blog and on both occasions it hasn't got through. So if you're looking in, Herman, the comments were for you.

On the subject of blogging, does anyone know how to remove an unwanted follower? No, it’s not any of you wonderful people. I checked out the latest blogger to join the list but was warned off. According to the listed blogs they’re erotic and one is listed as a sex shop. Each to their own but not for me, thank you very much. I’ve checked out the Blogger settings and cannot find out how to remove the name. The old style blogs catered for it but blowed if I can find it on the new one.

SKIN CARE

At last, an explanation.

Remember me writing about the problem I had using certain skincare products? Well, I have at last discovered what caused the redness, itching, and red weals on my face and neck. Actually, I already knew from years ago that Clarins products didn’t suit me, plus at that time there was a news article about someone suing the company for the same reason. My doctor described my problem as contact dermatitis but what caused it was a mystery!

Years later I was persuaded by the Clarins assistant to try again. She insisted that their products were pure and couldn’t affect anyone’s skin. I fell for it ... and wasted my money since the products were chucked in the bin when my face swelled and more weals appeared.

It was revealed on television just the other night that a certain skin protecting sun cream contained the same ingredient, something known as MI (methylisothiazolinone), which is added to stop the cream going mouldy. It is also used in paint strippers! It was stated that it was an ingredient in Clarins skincare products.  

I do know that one of the other leading skincare companies produced a toner that also upset my skin. I can't recall the name now but I can recall when I last used it. After using it I noticed some hardened spots of hair lacquer on the mirror. Without thinking I rubbed the spots with the already impregnated cotton wool pad. Would you believe it cleared the lacquer completely? I kept that product solely for cleaning the mirror, duly marked so that it couldn't accidentally be used for anything else!

Here’s an extract from The Telegraph 

‘The preservative – known as MI – is used in a wide range of shampoos, moisturisers and shower gels as well as make-up and baby wipes.

But dermatologists warn people are being exposed to much higher doses than before, leading to a steep rise in allergies known as contact dermatitis where the skin becomes red and itchy and can sting and blister.

Experts say the chemical is second only to nickel in causing contact allergies. One in 12 adults and one in five children in the UK now have eczema, of which contact dermatitis is one of the most common types.

MI, which is short for methylisothiazolinone, is a preservative which is also found in paint. It is added to products to prevent unwanted growth of bacteria and yeasts.

Well-known products that contain MI found on sale in shops included Nivea body lotion, Wet Ones and Boots men's face wash.’

I have to say that since using Nivea Soft (thank you, Ron) my skin is now silky soft and feels (and looks!) luxurious.

LATEST NEWS

My lovely stepdaughter is getting married in November, in Australia, and it’s really sad that her father is unable to attend because of ill health. So what we've done is to give Rosanne a wedding present that we can all enjoy. A video, professionally done, of the whole occasion, the wedding and the reception. I just know we'll be choked up when we see it.

Without going into too much detail, I’ll just touch on the various appointments with doctors and hospitals. After one of the yearly ‘well man’ blood checks our local doctor was worried about Joe’s kidneys, and that led to numerous hospital appointments and the discovery of a cancerous tumour on the bladder. A failed attempt was made to fit a stent to move it away from the kidney and another one was planned.

In the meantime an emergency visit was made to our surgery where we were seen by a new-to-us doctor, Dr Begum, believed to be a locum. Dr Begum, a lady of Asian [presumed] descent, was apparently a former surgeon. Since then she has telephoned twice to see how Joe is and to offer assistance in the form of explanation about what goes on inside the body and what the operation attempts to achieve. Bearing in mind she is not the doctor we are registered with, I think it was very kind of her to take time out of a busy schedule to check on Joe’s welfare.

So the BIG C hits home. Not something you plan for under normal circumstances, is it? However, whilst Joe is not overjoyed at the news he is being level headed about it and I know that as reality sinks in he will face it and the future optimistically. There are two choices on which medical route to take, surgery or chemo plus radiotherapy. Both were fully explained so make a decision easier. At the moment we’re thinking about surgery, since there is a chance the cancer will grow again after radiotherapy. However, the final choice may well be influenced by the outcome of the next scan (known as nuclear medicine). It’s definitely a wait-and-see game. 

Right now Joe is back in hospital having had an operation to fit a new stent. Please God this works.

View from the ward window

View from Joe's bed

Needless to say my blogging time is limited. However, Joe and I are indulging in the good wishes of friends. My heart overflows with all the kindness, concern and encouraging words.

PRINTED BOOKS

To give me something to do while spending so much time at home I’ve been sorting out all my writing and getting it printed. Yes, I’m having everything turned into books by a great printing firm I found on-line. Not overly expensive, either. It was something I had wanted to do for years to pass on to the family.

 I’m half way through the operation and enjoying it immensely. Several copies of each book have been ordered and I’m donating one of each to the WI to raise funds. We have an auction coming up soon so it will be interesting to see if there are any bids! I’m actually enjoying this more than when I put stuff on Kindle, and the print is more accurate than Kindle manages to achieve. I get the layout I want, and spaces and indentations where I want them, instead of submitting it correctly and having Kindle change it to their way of doing things.

I get rather frustrated when I read downloaded books and find so many large gaps between paragraphs and layouts that I’m pretty sure are not the fault of the author. Gone are the days when publishers edited our work before printing but since we can’t get them interested in the first place I guess we have to put up with second best. It’s a tough world!

Will visit you all as soon as I can.... you can bet on that. Hugs to you all.

Thank you

Joe and I really appreciate the lovely comments from our blogging friends. Future prognosis is not good but we are going to try and maintain as normal a lifestyle as possible and I shall be back blogging quite soon. I love you all.