Monday 11th December 2017

Korean: 2017 년 12 월 11 일 월요일

0100hrs: Woke and the first thoughts were of getting to the GP surgery for the Doctors visit and blood test with Nurse Nichole, and would I be able to get there with the weather?

I rose out of the £300 second-hand recliner, grabbed the camera and poddled into the kitchen, got the kettle on and investigated the snow conditions.

It was freezing outside, and I thought I could see the snow hardened and ice on the road below.

Assembled the laundry stuff, gathered the clothes and down to the launderette, to get the laundry started and have a look at the road conditions. Got the washing machine going, and nipped out into the cold to peruse Chestnut Walk.

Blimey, not good!

I hope the buses are running so I can at least get down Winchester Street Hill and a lift back up home afterwards. Mansfield Road might be a little easier to walk along than locally.

Set the timer to remind me about changing machines later. Took the medications and did the Health Checks, made another mug of tea to replace the one I brewed earlier and forgot about when the whimsey of doing the washing came into my befuddled brain.

Timer beeping, off down to move clothes from one machine to the dryer.

The no.2 lift was making slightly worrying noises on the way down this trip. Metallic scraping-like. When I got the clothes out of the washing machine, they were still wet? I got them in the dryer and turned it on hoping for the best, but I don’t think one cycle will be enough.

Washed the first units drum and doors, and set off to the lift foyer.

The Christmas Decorations had been put up I noticed. I think they may have overdone it, don’t you think? Haha!

Going back up, the lift was making the same noises but louder.

Got in and needed the Porcelain Throne. All good this time, hopefully, Trotsky Terence has left the building? There was no bleeding from Harold’s Haemorrhoids, either. There was a lot of water retention in the legs, though.

I filled in the Deep Vein Thrombosis record card and put it into the coat pocket, while I remembered. Then took the medications. Did the mornings Health Checks:

And recorded the averages for last week, to take with me on the visit to see Nurse Nicole for the Warfarin DVT blood Test. And see Dr Vindla about the Trotsky’s. That is of course if I can get there.

Finished and posted the Inchcock Today for Sunday.

Hello, back to the Throne. Another good one without any bother – how does this happen? After three weeks of extremes either way, in the Porcelain Throne sessions, it comes right on the very day I manage to get to see the Doctor about it? Tsk!

The timer chirped into life, and I went down to investigate if the clothes had dried enough. No.2 lift was still noisy.

The clothes were dry enough, so I got them out and folded them, then into the bag.

Cleaned the filter and wiped surfaces.

Had a sweep up of the bits of soap powder and things dropped on the floor. Not by me, of course!

Back up, catching the no.1 lift this time, no noises in this one.

To the Porcelain Throne again first job. All okay.

Got the togs stored away and mad a small mug of tea. Back on the computer. Couldn’t find any cancellations of buses on the web, then again it is not 0400hrs yet. The weather site has added snow to today’s forecast for Nottingham. 2°c max, -5°c tonight.

Updated this blog. Then checked the emails. To WordPress Reader next. Facebooking next.

Off to get the ablutions sorted, and prepare for the bus ride (I hope) to Sherwood and walk to Carrington. A good showering that took a little longer than expected and left me little time to get to the bus stop, considering the lethal state of Chestnut Walk with the ice, on time. Hurried about preparing everything needed for the blood test and set off.

Apprehensively, I did my best to move swiftly on the ice and got to the stop as the bus arrived. Phew! The other coach (outbound) came seconds later, and the drivers swapped ice-problems with each other on the routes they had been on with each other.

Within minutes I was at the bottom of Winchester Street Hill getting off of the bus and thanking the driver. Looking at the pavements as I rode down, I was so grateful that the bus was running. At the bottom of the hill, it was a transformation as the roads cleared of snow and ice, another world, where I could walk so much more safely and contentedly.

As I began my walk up the slow incline on Mansfield Road, feeling a little cheerful now, I got out the camera to take a shot of the view up the road, and the cleared-of-ice pavements and this bloke almost hit me as he overtook me, made me jump for a second. Tsk!

I carried on up to the top and over the crest, down into Carrington and the surgery.

Booked me in with the receptionist and got seated and the crossword book out. Amazingly, I started one that I’d got just two answers in before and got all but one clue filled in. A possible victory I thought… but maybe not, I do not have the slightest idea what Garlic Mayonnaise is? A_O_I?

Then, Dr Vindla came out and called me into her surgery. It’s been a long time since I visited her, and she had lost none of her humour or straight talking, or her beauty for that matter. I still could not remember the other thing I was going to mention to her, so contented myself with explaining the problems I’m having with the Porcelain Throne activities. Many questions later, she got me on the… I don’t know what you call it, the bench I suppose, she whipped down my trousers and had a prod and stab about asking if this one or that one hurt. I did mention the increase in my weight, she said she’d be more concerned at this moment if I were losing weight? Afterwards, she added that I seem to have coped with it and if it does start again come and see her.

She was ‘Not happy’ with the B.P. readings and told me to drop off next weeks record at the reception for her to have another look at.

Off I went back to the waiting room and got seated. But not for long, seconds later Nurse Nichole fetched me, and we went to her room, and she took the DVT Warfarin sample. We chatted as she drew the blood, had a laugh and I gave her the nibbles for her and the others. I told her about my going to Tesco to search for the knuckles and she put some extra tape on the lesion on the arm, in case it started bleeding again. Nice! It always cheers me up seeing this pleasant pulchritudinous nurse, and today was no exception. Loins girded, I thanked her and went to catch a bus into town in the search for some Pork Knuckles.

Off the bus and into the Victoria Shopping Centre (Mall), where I forgot all about the security guards stopping me taking photos last month, Ahem!

Into the Tesco store and to the fridge section with Continental Foods… and, Joy of Joys, I nearly wet myself with excitement – they had some Solokow Polish Pork Knuckles, shortly they had three less. I also got a Polish Smoked Pork Loin to have at Christmas. Paid the lady on the till and departed. On my way to the other end of the mall, I called into the HMV shop to see if they had a copy of the Steven Seagal film ‘Fire Below’. I asked a bloke, and he looked it up on their system, none in, but they did have a box of seven of his films with this one on it. I was expertly conned into getting it.

Out into the bright but cold sunlight.

I avoided going down Clumber Street, too many shoplifters, beggars, Big Issue sellers and street performers for my liking. Hehe!

I crossed over the road and made my way down King Street into the Slab Square to take some photographicalisations.

Up Queen Street and I was the sole passenger to get on the L9 bus when it arrived.

The driver I thought coped very well with the still icy roads on the estates he had to manoeuvre through.  He had me back at the flats.

The short foot journey from the bus stop to the end of Chestnut Walk was not as hazardous as it was earlier, but much of the compacted snow and ice remained, and care had to be taken en route to the Woodthorpe Court flats and home.

At one point I did have a close-shave with an Accifauxpa but avoided going over when I slipped.

Hippy Hilda was not happy with this.

Not a soul about, and who can blame them? There were no signs of any workmen either.

Got in the flat and had a wee-wee. Got the purchases sorted. The fantastic Pork knuckles, only two of the three, were put in the fridge, the other one on a plate ready to become part of tonights, nosh.

I noticed that the receipt for the DVD had attached to it, a card informing me that I could win a £100 HMV gift card.

It gave a link to enter the code below and tell them about what I thought about my shopping experience today for a chance to win.

The code confused me. Does it mean Tracy who presumably served me or the number at the bottom?

Don’t think I’ll bother after all.

I did the Health Checks and medications. Then noticed the beloved Copse outside. It still looked beautiful, but sad at the same time, perhaps?

Set about getting the nosh sorted. A cold meal today… well, the part-baked oven cobs were still warmish. Hehe!

The Polish Pork Knuckle was great! In fact, I enjoyed everything and gobbled it up slowly in the hope that I might not eat it all and lose weight. No chance!

The only failure was the banana that had hard black streaks inside?

I removed the tape from the arm vein, and I did the pots and settled to watch some more ‘Boon’ DVD episodes.

I viewed the first three and enjoyed them, thought about getting out of the £300 second-hand recliner to change the disc, and fell asleep.