Walking the Dog -- Update

As a result of the fall, Carole ended up having to go to Casualty Dept at the local hospital and taking 3 days of work due to a badly sprained knee. Last night she and Suzie went out to watch Suzie's boss in an Am Dram play (The Greatest Little Whore House in Texas) and I ended up taking Carole back home in Nottingham as she can't drive and has been told to rest it (which she can't / won't).

Diabetes - one year on

Last Friday I had my first annual checkover for my diabetes. Marion (the Diabetes Clinic nurse) confirmed the result of a Fasting Blood Test taken 3 weeks earlier. It was a straight 5.0 against a self test meter reading taken that morning of 5.7. Either way it's good, the nurse is happy and I'm happy. She says I can reduce my pills, but, was happy that I'd stay on a nominal 2 daily, which I'll reduce as I feel fit based on how I feel and meter readings -- I use Accu-Chek. My weight has gone up a little but that's not an undue cause for concern and hopefully will reduce with a bit more exercise in my daily routine.

Walking the dog

This has become the latest request every time anybody goes near mum.... "Can you walk the dog for me?" Now mum & dad got Sheba to replace Donna after she died at a time when everybody though dad was closer to death that he is right now. He was going through a bad spell with his MS and they insisted that Sheba would be good company for mum and get her out of the house. They had forgotten just how much of a chore walking Donna had become. I argued that another dog would become a liability but no, mother was going to have another dog, another Welsh Border Collie, another dog that requires lots of regular exercise.

And now I'm expected to find time to walk a dog that isn't mine!

Well, while I was gardening this afternoon Suzie took the dog to a local park to walk with Carole and her dog Nero (a Doodle). The dogs go into a stream, Nero gets out, Sheba gets stuck in the mud, and in pulling her out Carole ends up face down in the stream and soaked from head to toe.

And now they wonder why I won't walk the dog!

Mother's birthday

Yesterday was mother's birthday, so I got down there early on to take her a card and present. Later on Angie and John arrived from Colchester for a pre-arranged weekend visit. While they were there the 2 boys popped down to see them, and then later still Suzie & I paid then another visit before returning home as I had a "taxi run" to do to take Fred & Addie to the railway station at the start of their 2 week summer vacation - they are flying off today to have some fun in the sun and would have been catching the train to London this morning except there were no trains in the UK today.

Anyway, I think mother enjoyed her birthday even if she did look very tired. John's leg muscle is repairing after a very bad strain which he got at work over a month ago. His employers have been good and put him on very light duties since he returned but every now and then he gets a twitch to remind him that all is not yet right.

By the way -- Happy 74th Birthday Mum! From all of us.

Gardening

Not my favourite passtime, but, today I've been out in the back garden doing a bit of tidying up. I cut the Leylandi at the bottom of the garden down to size to balance up the view. Next was a trip round the borders sharpening up the edges, then out with the strimmer to do those awkward bits that used to be done by shears. Next, out came the shears and a couple of bushes got trimmed and shaped, then finally out came the lawn mower for some stripes in the lawn.

The result must be worth the effort, even Suzie commented how smart the back garden is tonight.

More (unplanned) expense

Last weekend it was a new tyre for the motorbike, this weekend it was a new windscreen for the car. Fortunately I'm insured fully comprehensive so I only had to pay the excess of £60, but, it's still an expense I could have done without.

Tell you what though. It's wonderful to drive a car with a clear windscreen and not one that has been ravaged by 90,000 miles of (mainly) motorway driving and which has the effect of having been sand blasted, it's like driving a new car.

Keeping in touch - family

Last Sunday we had a visit from my cousin Susan with her dad Alan and his sister Katy (my uncle & aunt respectively). They came up to visit father who can’t get out of the house unless in a medical ambulance and they like to keep in touch with him when they can. Katy is older than dad and is 80+ while Alan is a couple of years younger and roughly the same age as mum at 74(ish). Katy had recently received Maundy Money from the Queen at St Edmundsbury Cathedral and it was interesting to see the 1 penny, 2 penny, 3 penny and 4 penny pieces that are specially minted in silver and kept in a little leather pouch, while in another pouch there is a £5 coin and a 50 pence piece. One pouch is white and one red (I don’t remember which is for which). Alan was her escort on the day and they both enjoyed the service and presentation although Katy commented that the Queen didn’t actually speak to the recipients of the Maundy money. Today when I visited mum & dad, mother showed me the Diss Express where the event was written up and both Alan & Katy got a good few lines of coverage, which is nice for them and the family.

I rang my sister Angie on her birthday to wish her many happy returns. She’s still having no joy at all in finding employment and she will soon be out of JSA and on means tested benefits. I really do hope she finds something soon.

Then after the above mentioned visit from Susan, Alan & Katy I got a phone call from little sis Christine in America. During the call I mentioned that we will be holidaying in Jamaica this year with friends after we got a bargain deal on flights and all inclusive accommodation. Chris comes back at me with news that the hotel we are staying at is the one where she and Wayne married, then returned to for their 10th anniversary and that this year is their 20th anniversary. We will be there for the week that their anniversary falls so hopefully our little party of 4 will be come a party of 6. Again, fingers crossed (by the way Wayne – you are working too hard man!).

Keeping in touch - friends

This last couple of weeks haven’t seen me post very much on this here blog, but, it has seen some news from friends and ex-colleagues. I had an email from Carol (hi Lofty) to say she still reads this blog so we swapped a few more newsy emails. She’s enjoying retirement and still sees a number of former (female) colleagues so I got to hear the good news that Viv has been taken on permanently by Citibank after doing a 6 month cover for maternity leave.

I also mentioned to Carol that I’d not heard from Susan in Belper, but that was soon cleared up as she’d been sending me emails using an old email account that my spam/junk filters had picked up and binned. She hadn’t realised that she’d been using that account so that’s now sorted and I’m glad to hear that she’s still in work with HSBC, even if the commute to Sheffield is a bit tedious.

4 Day week

No, I’ve not been put on a short working week. Tuesday I went to the Birmingham office to work and for a meeting with work colleagues based there, and as usual I used the motorbike for the commute. Nothing untoward about that except on the way home I had to pass the scene of a recent accident and I thought I picked a clean line through the debris on the road. Except, Wednesday morning I’m all dressed up in my gear, topbox loaded and I’m ready to go when I discover that I’ve a flat rear tyre.

So Wednesday and Thursday I use the car and get Friday off to get a new tyre. Why a new tyre? Well firstly, it had already had one repair job done on it, and two is all you are allowed these days, and secondly, the tyres cost around £90 and a repair job is £30 - £35 and as it had already had one repair spending £60 - £70 on something that costs £90 doesn’t compute in my books. The front was fine and has plenty of miles left in it but the rear was starting to square off so a new Avon Storm ST (AV56) it was to be, except the nearest stockist is the other side of Nottingham.

Friday morning I stick as much air in the tyre as I can get it to hold, around 30 psi, and with foot pump in the topbox I set off for Colwick. I find MTS without any real problems even though I only have a rough idea of where it is. Tim is cheery and welcoming in his greeting, he has another customer Ken in front of me with an immaculate Yamaha R1 in blue which is in dire need of some new rubber, back and front so that he can go off to tour the Pyrenees in a few weeks time. The new Pirelli Super Corsas being fitted will be in need of replacement by the time he gets back if his calculations are correct – he reckons to around 2,500 miles per set…. Ouch! At £225 a pair that’s expensive riding.

While I’m waiting another Yamaha turns up. This on is a Fazer 1000 in grey set up for light weight touring – topbox only, no panniers. The owner Ken is semi-retired from the coal industry and he and his wife are soon off to France for a week or two. His bike also has Avon Storm tyres on it and his rear is down to the minimum wear strips. We are comparing wear rates and mileages covered when another R1 turns up, this time a very well looked after and original Rossi Limited Edition from around 2004. Well looked after except for the rear tyre that is. That tyre is down to the steel the whole way round for a strip about 1” wide. Tim has finished Ken’s R1 by now and walks over to have a look. The owner says he’s had the bike since November and this is the first tyre he’s had fitted. Tim says he’s lucky it’s held together.

My wheel comes off, new tyre fitted and after returning home I set off with Mark and we ride together to Buxton where I turn round and return to Derby via Chesterfield and Clay Cross. Mark continues to Manchester where he is staying with his girlfriend for the Bank Holiday weekend. When I get home I get the bike in the garage and fit new brake pads to the rear. That should be all the maintenance needed until next Bank Holiday at the end of May when it will get an oil and filter change and (hopefully) a new MoT.

Tomorrow’s Bank Holiday Monday so this week will also be a 4 day week, and next weekend marks the end of my probation period with my new employer, so fingers are very definitely crossed.