Monday 9th October 2017

0145hrs: My seemingly sempiternal struggle against the nocturnal nibbling, seems to be winning the battle. No signs of any crumbs or fodder anywhere when I stirred in the £300 second-hand rickety recliner this morning.

Luck at last? However, the decision not to don my disposable pants last night, after the bleeding, proved to be wrong. Off to the wet room to clean things up, medicate and cream my delicate areas (Hehe!), then belatedly got the pants fitted. Tsk! That Duodenal Donald deemed to flow freely again!

The Porcelain Throne was needed then, and I feared the worst. But Trotsky Terence seemed to be teasing me again, and the session was not too bad at all, so no extra cleaning-up to do. Nice that!

Was I in an unnaturally perky mood for some reason or other? As I wandered limpingly into the kitchen to get the kettle on the go to make a brew, take the medications and do the health checks, I thought how beautiful the view from the door looked and took a photograph of it.

Made the tea, did the Health Checks and took the medications.

Then, onto the computer to add the silly verse to the photo – as I did this, I had to hasten back to the Porcelain Throne and have a session of high magnitude, but not as messy as it has been. That Trotsky Terence is messing me about ain’t he? Tsk! At least the haemorrhoids were not bleeding again.

0330hrs: Back in the front room and opened the blinds. I went out on the balcony to take these photographicalisations of the view. I noticed that the folks had cleared their galleries… is that a TV ariel on the second one down?

So peaceful and quiet as I got back into the flat. The tinnitus started bothering me a little.

Computer utilised again. Got the Health Check records updated on Excel for the nurse tomorrow.

Apart from the weight, all looked okay to me for this morning’s Health Check results. 0410hrs: I got in with updating of yesterday’s diary post.

I decided that a decent hobble was required today, as I had not been getting them in regularly last week. The weather looked fair enough, yes… that’s what I’ll do. Might have a limp into Arnold, perhaps later? Get the bus back of course. Hope I remember to take the camera with me, I can do a photographic record of the walk. That is if Dizzy Dennis stays away.

CorelDraw and made some date and humorous top graphics for the next two days in advance.

Next, I started on this diary.

I hope now the weekend is over, (I do hate weekends, Virgin Media always either stops or goes dead-slow, no buses, no one to talk to). Glad Jane rang yesterday, though.

WordPressed and then went onto Facebooking. Playing up again, sticking freezing and not letting me see things like comments. Turned off the computer, fed up with it!

Tended to the ablutions and got the waste bags collated. Made sure I’d got the letter from the builders about them calling Friday which is the day for my second blood tests and if it is within range, then I’ve to go to the dentist for treatment on the teeth, with me. Also took the empty sauce bottle. On the way out I dropped the bags down the chute, down the lift and put the bottle near the side of the overflowing recycling bin. As I did this, Obergruppenfhureress Warden Deana came by, this was good, it saved me going to find her to explain about the Friday balcony message. She listened and took the note. She was in fine form, but she usually is, bless her.

I gave Roy some seaweed sticks to try and made my way up the gravel footpath hill

Stopped at the top and took a picture down the slope of the Woodthorpe flat complex and the edge of the tree copse.

Into the park and started to walk down the footpath to go onto Mansfield Road.

As I perused around the fields, I spotted that some workmen had left a gate open on the Vale across from me.

This was also good I thought. I can now walk across the fields and save myself a bit of time and distance don’t you know.

Unfortunately, though, this meant my walking through the overgrown edges of the football field.

Thus I got the shoes wet and foilage-covered, and the socks also got a bit soggy.

And I set off Anne Gyna as I slipped and fought to regain my balance, Tsk!

Well, I thought the short-cut was an excellent idea to save bother and time, but of course, in the end, it didn’t, did it. I had to laugh at myself all the same.

I came out onto Mansfield Road and turned right towards Daybrook.

Very little traffic about yet.

Or people for that matter.

Along this long stretch of road is where the first Whoopsiedangleplop of the day occurred.

Sad, I know!

I slipped on some Autumnal equinox deciduous delivered pile of leaves and branches, and I almost went over.

Stopping myself from doing so bothered the already in a mood Anne Gyna, and now Arthur Itis and Hippy Hilda have joined her in giving me trouble as well, besides, also and further-more! Hehe!

There will soon be bare branches quivering in the wind!

A horrible thought to me, Winter.

Still, I pressed on, Carried on Regardless, as if to put it.

Arrived in Daybrook and took 10 minutes to get across the traffic light junction there. There is no stop-go, walk – don’t walk lights on that part of it.

It didn’t help when I was about to go over this Nottingham Pavement Cyclist appeared and came close to hitting me, despite my best verbals he ignored mine anyway. Tsk and botherations!

Some Nottingham Street Art near the carpet shop car park.

If that bloke who got all that money for his display of used brick at the Tate Gallery was around, it might have interested him? B

The motorbike shop had a few interested customers viewing the ones outside on display. I wasn’t surprised when I saw the prices on all three. He must be having a Sell-0ff at those prices. Very cheap indeed they were.

Around the bend towards the Arnold Fire Station. It is just in view on the right, the old Station bosses house facing and the gates into the Arnot Hill Municipal Park and Council Buildings on the right.

Made my way onwards and when I got to the entrance that leads to the Park and the pond, I was held up by traffic leaving the Council Offices. Where they all came from I’d no idea, but every vehicle seemed intent on escaping the place in the competition with the other cars… and sod the old git wanting to cross the road to get to feed his ducks! Hehehe!

Very few people about as I entered the Arnot Hill Park lakeside area.

The fountains were working mind today.

Even the birds seemed fewer in number today.

The pigeons, mallards and various other water birds that came over to see what was on offer this morning from the old man, seemed to do it in slow motion. All and the species ate their seeds, earthworms and meal pellets without any of the usual bickerings twixt them.

These must be the best-fed birds in Nottingham, so laid-back some of them.

High in some trees, I spotted several birds with blue/brown feathers, tiny things about the same as a sparrow. I’ve never seen any like this before and took a few zoomed in shots of them. But all three came out terrible when I downloaded them, and as for the strange birds, I could not recognise where or even if they were in the pictures? Maybe I am losing it again? Odd that.

Made my way to the top gate and out onto the main road.

The usual Nottingham Pavement Cyclist passed by with his ear-phones in and doing his best to look like Barry Sheen without an engine. Hehe!

I turned right and made my way to the Sainsbury store in Arnold. Not many people around there either. I wandered casually around ended up with twelve items in the shopping basket. One of them from the fresh fish counter, get ready for this “ASC Smoked Coloured Rod-Caught Cobbler River Fish” it said on the label after I bought it. Caught in Vietnam. It did not say whether it was from North or South Vietnam, though!
The lady serving said something to me, but for the life of me, I could not tell what he was saying. After asking her to repeat what she said twice, I just said thank you and smiled.

I also got some Cherry Tomatoes. Crossing my fingers that they taste alright, they were costly.

There were about 24 checkouts in the store, but only three were open. I went to the serve-yourself till section, and all of them had red lights on and not working. I joined the queue at a regular check-out and was worried it might be time for my evening medications, or need a wee-wee before I got served. Tsk!

Out of the store and over the road to the bus stop to await the L9 electric-powered vehicle to get a lift home. Oh, I do love my Free Pensioners Bus-Pass! Still, very few people were lurking about.

Got on the bus and Welsh Bill was on it, sat next to him and he seemed a little down today. He told m he was counting the days until they operate on his leg, and will have to use a Zimmer-Frame when he comes out. I told Bill to ring me if any help with anything is needed. I think he said it is 13 or 23 days to his going into the City Hospital. He is still off of the morphine, and this was making things painful for him. I empathised readily with him because they have done the same to me before the GUM operation that has been cancelled so often due to the INR Warfarin Blood level being unstable or too high or low. Now I’ve got a toothache to contend with as well. Hopefully tomorrow the result will be in range, and then I can go to the dentist’s appointment on Friday, I hope.

My mobile phone chirped into life as we were nattering away. I struggled to get it out before the ringing ended, but did after all. It was from the Doctors Surgery. Wanting to know if I could attend in the morning at 0750hrs for sure, ten minutes earlier than the 0800hrs as initially arranged. I told her “No problem”. But of course, as I said to Bill what the call was about, I dreaded forgetting not to make and put up a sign to remind myself about the change.

Bill cheered a little I think. But I could see the drain on him from the constant pain as we walked back to the flats from the bus. Four tenants squashed into the lift, two ladies with shopping trolleys, Bill and me. We had a laugh on the way up. As Bill got out at his floor, he reminded me about the 0750hrs appointment change. I thought that was very nice of him.

Into the flat and first thing a wee-wee, then I made up the sign and put in on the TV ready. Fair enough, I missed the ‘D’ off of the blood! Hahaha!

I put away the purchases.

Then, got the meal prepared. The lady at Sainsbury’s had put in a tiny block of lemon and pepper butter (I think) for me to use. I understand now that the lady must have been asking me if I wanted a knob of butter? The fish looked pretty and firm.

The teeth were playing up a little, so I had some of the old cheap instant mash and added loads of shredded Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese in with it. Halved some Cherry Tomatoes and poured balsamic vinegar over them to marinate a while on the plate as the oven warmed up ready for the fish and mashed potatoes to be heated up in. I put some white wine vinegar in the saucepan with the garden peas.

Had a look out of the window to see two blokes having an argument at one of the workmen’s entrance gates. No fisticuffs used like, verbal only.

Maybe the Hire Company had delivered the wrong stuff?

The noise from the man up above started again. Chip, chip, knocking, tap tapping and the occasional drilling noises.

Th fish looked well-cooked, and the cheesy potatoes browned off a bit, gave then another ten minutes, and they looked grand then. Got the meal on the plate and the landline rang. That is three days on the trot, just when I was about to take the lunch on the tray to sit down and eat it, the landline’s ringing started. Ah-well. Annoyingly it was another wrong number that had called again. Then I needed a wee-wee. Tsk!

The meal was not very hot by the time I got around to eating it.

The surimi sticks were lovely, the tomatoes surprisingly tasty, the cheesy potatoes, excellent. The crispy top part had to be masticated carefully due to the teggies.

The wine vinegar seasoned Garden peas okay, which leave the ASC Vietnamese Smoked Dyed Rod-Caught Cobbler River Fish needing to be rated: It was well mealy in texture, but the taste was absent, virtually it was like cardboard flavour I imagine. Shame!
For some reason, the knob of flavoured butter I put on top, did not melt as such, just turned into an imitation of the ‘Wachileno’ amoeba on lift number one’s floor? Hahaha!

Anyway, I ate it all up.

I moved the reminder card onto the computer screen.

Later I nibbled while watching the TV. I say watching the TV, more like falling asleep, waking, nibbling, nodding off… sort of night.

Humph!