Last weekend started on Friday getting quotes for some paintwork on my Peugeot made necessary by a kind individual who keyed down the side of the car (see previous post)
which firstly pee'd me off and then shocked me with the cost of a professional paint job. It's eleven years old with 82k miles on the odometer and has just cost me £1,400 for new tyres, service, new front suspension and steering rack. Paint will have to wait.
Saturday we motored down with our eldest son and his family to West Midlands Safari Park which had eluded us until then and we had a fabulous time. Sunday we drove down to visit our youngest son and family living near Royston, Herts. Weather was good and both granddaughter and garden needed attention so we all set to mowing, weeding, trimming and generally tidying up their back garden. We slept overnight because plans for Monday were for me to drop off Sue at a friend's place in Kesgrave and for me to then visit family in Eye, Suffolk. It went to plan, we had a great time. Sue and I both saw our respective uncle Alan before dining out with our friends and then making the trek back to Derby.
Yesterday (Friday) started early, 09:00 in Urology at Derby Royal hospital and my second endoscopy (camera into bladder via pancreas) to check if the antibiotics are being effective and doing the job of clearing out the infection. Hooray, yippee and phew! The good, no great news is that it is back to "normal" (whatever that is) and the hospital signing me off back to my GP. So one issue sorted and two to go - stomach hernia and right hip waiting on treatment list.
However, today started bright at 11°C forecast says to expect clouds and rain later so get the Kawasaki out and go ride. First job, fill the tank then head out of Derby and through Ilkeston, Selston and Alfreton towards Clay Cross on the A61. At Hadleigh it was obvious that the forecasted cloudy and possibly wet conditions were coming in on the breeze so I hung a left and headed back towards home. In total just over 43 miles covered and 2 hours out and back. I had a ball but was surprised by the number of drivers who pulled out of side roads infront of me leaving me to ride round their mistake which saw them partially blocking my progress. Right now as I write this 3 hours on from that ride the rain has blown in and the heat has gone from the day and the central heating has kicked in. Oh well...
Saturday, 16 May 2026
Monday, 4 May 2026
Getting about
It's been an expensive start to 2026. First my car needed 4 new tyres, followed by a full service, then some new front suspension parts and a replacement steering rack. That little lot came to £ouch! but the result was good until we went to the local Aldi for some bits and some dear soul keyed the side of my car, more expense, Ggrrr!
While and in between the work that was going on with the car we took off to Budapest for a river cruise on the Danube, which got me thinking how we take mobility for granted. We drove to the airport, walked in from the car park, boarded a plane and flew to Budapest where we jumped on a coach transfer to the moored up boat. That night it set off up the Danube and over the week we visited towns and cities along the river - Bratislava, Krems, Passau, Linz, Vienna and back to Budapest. These visits involved lots of walking plus the use of metro and trams. Since returning back home I've been out and about on both my Kawasaki Z650RS motorbike (51 miles) and my e-bike (34 miles over 2 trips). In all that's a whole heap of miles and variety of transport modes.
All the above has been achieved while suffering probably the longest and worst period of health in my 70 years on planet earth, no details but I have a way to go to get out from being under both my doctor and the local general hospital. It would have been better if both had started with some real analysis instead of just making assumptions and prescribing three courses of antibiotics when the first 2 were totally ineffectual leaving me now on a long term antibiotic for an as yet unspecified period of several months. Apparently my infection is very rare (like 1 in 100,000) and more serious due to the 3 week delay in getting their correct diagnosis.
But life goes on and I am still vertical and breathing, every day is a bonus.
While and in between the work that was going on with the car we took off to Budapest for a river cruise on the Danube, which got me thinking how we take mobility for granted. We drove to the airport, walked in from the car park, boarded a plane and flew to Budapest where we jumped on a coach transfer to the moored up boat. That night it set off up the Danube and over the week we visited towns and cities along the river - Bratislava, Krems, Passau, Linz, Vienna and back to Budapest. These visits involved lots of walking plus the use of metro and trams. Since returning back home I've been out and about on both my Kawasaki Z650RS motorbike (51 miles) and my e-bike (34 miles over 2 trips). In all that's a whole heap of miles and variety of transport modes.
All the above has been achieved while suffering probably the longest and worst period of health in my 70 years on planet earth, no details but I have a way to go to get out from being under both my doctor and the local general hospital. It would have been better if both had started with some real analysis instead of just making assumptions and prescribing three courses of antibiotics when the first 2 were totally ineffectual leaving me now on a long term antibiotic for an as yet unspecified period of several months. Apparently my infection is very rare (like 1 in 100,000) and more serious due to the 3 week delay in getting their correct diagnosis.
But life goes on and I am still vertical and breathing, every day is a bonus.
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