More Rain, Tuesday 8th January, 2008

Will it ever stop raining? The wood, delivered yesterday, is now very wet. I brought a couple of wheelbarrow loads down to the cottage yesterday, but I can't see me getting much inside today. The weather for the rest of the week looks pretty ghastly too.

Jim's back in bed and there was much moaning and groaning in the night, so I don't think things are going too well.

My daughter K has been for her hospital appointment with her dicky heart and the news isn't too great. Looks like an operation in the end and no tea or coffee or smoking or or or...... Poor girl. Makes my high cholesteral seem tame.

Giggling Patient, Wood a Plenty, 7th Jan 08

We didn't get up with the alarm but I woke at 8.45, made a cup of tea and rescued Stanley, then ran a bath for Jim to get his back going enough to drive him to the doctors. We set off eventually and it's open surgery this morning, so we just gave his name and sat and waited. If we weren't ill before we arrived, we certainly will be now. Everyone was coughing and spluttering all over the place, the waiting room far too hot, just right to spread those lovely germs. Why oh why do people go to the doctors with a cold? There's nothing they can do, just stay at home and it will get better. We waited about 45minutes, then in to see a female locum, who didn't look old enough to have left school, let alone qualify as a GP. She was, however, very thorough and duly reported that his back was all knotted up, muscles in spasm and the numbness in the leg due to the sciatic nerve.

She prescribed a very strong muscle relaxant to take during the day which worked very well. Didn't remove the pain all together but was a marked improvement on the over the counter ones. Best of all, she prescribed some diazepam for night time, 2 of them for 3 nights. Well, Jim decided to take them before going to bed. I didn't think this was a very good idea, but he knows best. I checked on him 10 minutes later and he was fast asleep on the settee. Then of course I had to get him into bed. He giggled like a helpless schoolgirl, which set me off as well! It was very funny, they certainly seem to work! I did manage to get him undressed and into bed. He then thought one of the cats was in the bed, but it was next door in the lounge! Only the pink elephants were missing! What a laugh. No wonder people get hooked on them. I left him reading the paper but I don't think that will last long. Will go and check on him again in a minute. What a responsibility!

Post arrived today from the UK and in it was a letter from my doctor saying my cholesterol is 7, which is of course, far too high. Aaaah!. No more chocolate for me. I had been a bit of an ostrich about it, really in my heart of hearts I knew it was probably high. It's always been a bit high, but only up to 5. So it's a new diet from tomorrow. I have put on weight too, so the low cholesterol diet will help me all round. I am low risk in so many ways, it doesn't seem fair that I can't eat a bit of chocolate! I don't smoke and never have, don't drink (hardly at all) and as far as I know there's no family history of heart problems or stroke. I'll have to go and see the doctor here if I'm being sensible and get another test with the 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol split, so I can really see what's what, then keep an eye on the improvement (that's positive thinking, isn't it?)

Our load of wood was paid for on the way back from the doctors at Gort. This one man lives alone with 2 large Alsatians and a big black pot bellied pig! His back yard is littered with trucks, cars, old tractors and huge piles of wood from the forestry. Good chap though and he delivered said wood without moaning about the access to our cottage, which isn't wonderful! Now Stanley should be kept going happily for a month I would think.

All in all a better day. Hopefully the muscle relaxants will work and Jim's back will get back to normal, or as normal as ever. We certainly won't be able to fly to Australia if it's not recovered.

Well, I've just checked and he's sitting in bed doing an advanced sudoku (which I always call Suzuki). There's a surprise.

I almost forgot, as the weather's been so awful for so long, it rained most of the day plus a howling wind.

Life Goes On Jan 5th 2008

Many birds on our table. Our Christmas Wreath. The berries should be pink but the covering of some of them has fallen off in the rain!





The bad back still rules our lives. Also the bad knee from falling on it (Jim's that is). I went to see the pharmacist today and got some extra strong painkillers which are working to a certain extent. At least they will control the pain until Monday, when I will take the patient to the doctors.
I am keeping the fire going, cat litter and ash emptying and have even cooked a pizza (badly) today! I also investigated a place on the way to Gort that sells firewood. Seems a good deal at 320 euros a lorryload and will save all the hassle of felling trees, chopping them and carting the stuff about. I will go and get some cash from Gort tomorrow and order a load.

I'm also enjoying the odd game of scrabulous on Facebook and reading the news of my contacts on there. I have made 3 friends through playing the game and we enjoy conversation while we play.

Today I received 2 belated Christmas presents from my daughter, both books. She has chosen well, one on the history of County Clare and one for the aged mobile traveller!! They both look excellent. Thanks K.

Our time keeping is even more upside down than usual with Jim not really sleeping and me sleeping at odd times too.

The birds are positively flocking to the table at the moment. I suppose it's because it's cold and the autumn food has about come to an end. I took some photos so will post some of them here, plus one or two other recent ones.

Photos
Sandra and Pete, our neighbours, cooked us a breakfast on Christmas morning. The one on the right is me. Jim with the trug full of vegetables for our Christmas Dinner. BlackJack and Sandy looking beautiful as usual.

Sad Day, Bad Day, 3rd Jan 2008

My father died today in 1987, such a long time ago but I still miss him and my Mum, who died in 1980. All you people who still have your parents alive, make the most of them. Once they're gone, they don't come back. If you've put off that phone call or visit, you may well regret it one day.

Jim has had a bad back for a few days. Much worse today and he is a BAD patient and can't stand pain which really irritates me. I am a heartless bitch apparently. Not a good day.

Out With the Old, 31 Jan 07 - 1st Jan 2008

Well, there goes another one and I'm now in my 60th year. How on earth did I get there?

We have felled another couple of trunks of sycamore in the orchard (on the 30th) and sawed most of it on the spot then Jim barrowed it up to the barn. The cats spent most of the day with us in the orchard, which was great fun, then they collapsed and slept all evening.

Our neighbours appeared on the same day, full of cold and feeling sorry for themselves! They gave me a lantern to hold night lights to keep away the mozzies! Wishful thinking, but thoughtful all the same. Also some smelly roses which go in the bath to make it smell good. We gave them coffee and chocolate biscuits.

31.12.07

Jim forgot it was New Years Eve until I pointed it out half way through yesterday! He spent the day putting a door in the hole between the lobby and our kitchen/diner as the draught through there is phenomenal. Finished it today as it was a bit awkward and it looks super. I pottered and outside moved piles of rubbish to the bonfire and moved all the wood into the barn to dry and saw. I did a fair bit of hand sawing of the smaller bits and we'll do a chain sawing session on the larger ones.

We mentioned yesterday that we seem to spend a fair amount of time 'just living', ie, felling and cutting up wood for Stanley to keep warm and improving the cottage to retain the warmth. I suppose that's what people had to do years ago.

We didn't do a lot in the evening. Decided we couldn't be bothered to go to a pub. We don't really know anyone much so we stayed in! Had a lovely 'bits and bobs' dinner, starting with fried Camembert cheese with cranberry sauce, then 'eat ups' of cocktail sausages, pate, various cheeses, a lovely salad followed by too many chocolates! We somehow managed to stay up until about 5am and didn't settle down until about 6am. I then couldn't sleep and finally drifted off about 8ish I would think! So it was a morning in bed, not a good start to the new year. Must do better.

This afternoon we had a brunch fry up. Lovely, left over sausages, egg, bacon, beans and toast with real coffee. A rare treat. Jim carried on with his door fitting and I built a bonfire in the orchard, ready to light at dusk. I had tried to light one a couple of days ago to no avail, so I started from scratch. It did eventually get going and I stayed out burning piles of wood bits and blackcurrant bushes, pruned by Jim, until Holby came on at 8! I was going to go out again but didn't make it! So that's a quick update. Received messages from all 3 children of mine wishing us Happy New Year. Ben's started an hour before ours as he's in Spain! His bar was throbbing, which is great.