Monday 17th July 2017

Gujarati: સોમવાર 17 જુલાઇ 2017

Kept waking-up on and off all night long, not a very good rest at all. Many wee-wees.

0415hrs: Gave up and rose out of the £300 second-hand recliner and off to the Porcelain Throne. There was no bleeding this morning from Haemorrhoid Harold’s department. Looks good. (The fool says too early? Hehe!)

To the kitchen and had a peep out of the window and took a picture for no particular reason… Well, there was one at the time, but I had forgotten what it was by the time I got around to doing this diary and putting the photographicalisation into this Inchock Today.

Hehe! Tsk!

Carried out the Health Checks, took the morning medications and had a wee.

Had a wee-wee.

Set about doing the readings chart for last week.  I’ve got the CDH checks in the morning with I hope, Nurse Nichole, of course, it might be Gruppenführeress Nurse Ann who does me. Shudder! Must remember not to eat or drink anything but water from 2200hrs tonight until the checks are done.

While I thought of it writing this, I made up the nibble bags and put them in the carrier ready for the morning.

Started on doing this diary then finalising yesterdays.

Emails, the WordPress reading.

0700hrs: On to Facebooking.

0805hrs: Started the ablutions, because I want to get out and take some of the strange buildings of the University, photographicalisations on my way to the hospital.

Had good scrubbing up session, got the things needed and set off to the bus stop. A Sunny morning and a laugh or two with the other tenants while waiting. Chinwag with the gal from the 11th floor en route.

Dropped off near Victoria Centre (Mall) and poddled around the corner to the 35 bus stop.

As I turned the corner, a naughty Nottingham Pavement Cyclist rode his bike between the gentleman walking towards me and the shop window, Tsk!

I enjoyed the lambasting the rider got from him.

He (The cyclist), was on a Pizza Delivery mission I think.

Caught the bus and was soon on the 4th floor of the QMC. I was in done and out within fifteen minutes. All clear.

Nice limp in the beautiful weather to Triumph Road and the first building of interest was the old laundry.

Not used for many years now, but amazingly they are still trying to rent it out?

The first University building on my right was the one that burnt down when they were building it last year and had to be done again from scratch. The young arsonists, despite being caught on CCTV were never apprehended.

The fancy and oddly designed pair next was further on the left on a bend in the road.

Odd in every way.

I wonder if they cost more to design and build than none-ugly buildings do?

Some of the cladding sections were hanging off.?

It said on a notice sign that the Chinese Government had contributed to the cost of the furthest one?

Opposite these an engineering section building.

A student pavement cyclist nearly had me when I stopped to take this photograph…

And a minute later another one actually caught my arm as he belted by!

Huh!

This building that crossed over the road looked a little like a modern day Berlin Bunker to me.

Do they set out to just surprise people with their rather childlike designs?

Or do they honestly think they are attractive in some way?

The Energy Technologies building didn’t look so bad as the others, I thought.

Of course, I am no expert.

I passed one of the many cafes built for the students and was surprised to see big names (Don’t laugh, I’ll remember them soon) operating there. The Coffee one that is in green lettering was there, and a franchise for the… erm, Subway, that’s the one. It did not look like they any discounts for the kids judging by the price list I saw.

Towards the end of the road, a sad sight indeed. The old Players Cigarettes Factory. It looked from a distance as if they were cleaning it up, but not so.

Demolishing it they were. All those years ago when I went with Dad on his lorry and we would call there to deliver and pick up empties. The smell of the fresh tobacco all around, the hundreds of people employed there, always busy… Ah, well.

On the corner of Ilkeston Road, I spotted these flowers and wondered what they were.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen any like this before, ever.

They were huge and grew wild and through the fencing.

The area where they are is still banned from being used for building as it is the site of the old Gas Works.

More memories flooded back to me.

The original gas works had two or three gasometers as I recall, I think anyway.

Although in this old photograph I found, only one is in view.

I think the others were further down the road.

Pulled down in about 1959 I think, or maybe a few years later.

The smell produced at these works was not unpleasant to me, but some folks didn’t like it. The real benefit was the coal used left us with almost smokeless coke to use in our fire grates, and it was cheaper than the coal to buy.

I turned right onto Ilkeston Road and up over the railway bridge, which of course, nowadays as no track running underneath it, more sad memories as I walked where the old Railway Station used to be.

Another Nottingham Pavement Cyclist nearly hit me again.

Humph!

Over the hill and a little further I saw a Lidl Store and decided to have a pop in and a gander at anything they have on offer. The first obstacle was getting down the flipping steps to it. Hehe!

I came out £10 worse-off and struggled with the now heavy bag with the Vegetarian Frikadellens, stone baked rolls, Belly pork and nibbles for the meeting, nurse Nichole and Sister Jane, to the bus stop a few hundred yards up the hill.

On a little further and was soon in the City Centre, the feet aching a bit now, and Duodenal Donald poking at me.

Off the bus and along Clumber Street on my way to Tesco in the City Centre’s Victoria Shopping Mall.

Had a nosey around Smiths stationers but didn’t buy anything. Another wander around the biscuit shop but didn’t buy anything.

Into the Tesco store and got some fresh garden peas, New Zealand Cox’s apples, smoked bacon, English vine tomatoes… and, erm… do you know, a packet of two Fresh Cream Horns Cakes jumped right into my basket all of their own accords… Sorry!

Limped along with the heavy than ever bag now to the bus stop.

Back at the apartments, chatted to a tenant on the way up, and got to the door and there was Mary’s door bell delivered while I was out (Of course).

Had a wee-wee.

The phone rang. It was a lady from Specsavers. And, I take my hat off to her. She managed with considerable expertise and a cunning choice of words, involving deflection, inflexion and accusation while keeping a level tone, to make me apologise for their mistake. Brilliant! She should consider going into Government. Her timing so perfect it prevented my getting in with any comments, then of course, by the time she steadied up verbally, I’d forgotten what I was going to say anyway.

Too much credit could not be given to the woman’s performance. Her avoidance of expressing any apology, just saying it should not have happened, and wouldn’t have if I had not called in the shop too early, was classic Joseph Goebbels at his best.

It seems that I have an appointment for tomorrow morning anyway, to have them fitted and be shown how things work, for 1030hrs. With the CHH checks at 0930hrs, I think I’ll have time to get there punctually. I hope! Bet she makes me look a right Inisitijitty tomorrow.

Put the fodder away and went to Mary’s flat, all proud of being able to help some out at last. Whoopsiedangleplop! I got the bell fitted, and it worked, then the lady in the next flat came out – each time our bell was pressed it rang… her’s did too! Oh, dearie me!

I disengaged the bell, put it back in the box, and we had a laughed about this – not the lady next door though. She scowled and grumbled non-stop, bless her. I’ll give this one to someone to use and get another, different type for Mary later. Tsk!

At least I got a photograph of Mary’s love birds in their cage so I can show it to TFZer Marie from Australia.

Noisy little varmints they are.

Never seen any of these before.

They looked a bit like large Budgerigars, with more substantial squawk too. Haha!

Got some peas in the saucepan and the food in the oven. Having the other Tuscan Sausage & Mash in a delicious tomato and fennel sauce. The first one I tried revealed that the sausages, well, the skins were horribly thick and almost unchewable. So I threw them away and put some vegetarian sausage in place of them. Plan to make some caramelised gravy to it afterwards with the mushrooms and peas so I can soak it up with the stone baked cobs.

Updated this diary to here.

Half an hour or so to go. Checked the Emails and did some WordPress reading in a rush.

Got the fodder served up.

Unfortunately, I forgot to put the peas and mushrooms on the dish. Huh! But I enjoyed them later cold from a pot.

Very nice indeed. Made a mess eating it with the crumbs from the stone-baked cobs, though, Humph!

Made a note to remind me of things in the morning.

Rang Sister Jane for a chinwag.

Did my best to watch some TV. But it was ridden with my dropping off asleep and waking so often. It seemed like it was every ten minutes or so.

I gave up and got me head down early, apart from getting up once for a wee-wee and treating Haemorrhoid Harold’s bleeding, I slept right through until 0400hrs!

TTFN all.