Thursday 5th April 2018

Maltese: Il-Ħamis 5 ta ‘April 2018

Around midnight, I sprang awake, right in the middle of a dream. I wrote down some notes on the pad to use later, and drifted back into the land of Nod, hoping to continue the dream I’d been enjoying.

0256hrs: Woke up, and remembered bits of the dream, saw the notepad scribble and decided to get out of the £300 second-hand recliner, which I did, to the complaints of my doing so coming from Hippy Hilda. Tsk! I wanted to do a graphic of it while it was fresh in my muddled brain. Got the computer on and created this representation of the nocturnal hallucinations.

In my sleep: I had emerged from a grave, Andy Cap hat still on my head, and gone to a tree to have a wee-wee, the tree spoke, through a knot in the trunk that appeared to have lips, thanking me for wetting its trunk. He added something like; “Great drug content in your urine old man, I don’t need the blood though bruv. See you tomorrow!” I think I might have given the bark a hug?

But I had got lost returning to my grave and was wandering around hunting desperately to find it again. I could not recall what was written on the headstone. But, I knew that it was covered in splashes of plaster! I think I enjoyed this dream.

Just when I thought the anguish of the dreaded Willmott-Brown contractor plasterer’s visit to scatter curtain rings around, and plaster all of the carpets, windows, radiator, kitchen sink, WC bowl, front door, a chair and polished wooden furniture, was easing too. It isn’t. Have I lost it or what, please? Double-Tsk! He also left the curtain on top of the working radiator.

The problem is trying not to class the other excellent workmen in the same category as this inept, uncaring imitation human being who has destroyed my home and willpower.

I’ll talk with Cath today at the Social Hour meeting about this. Show her the photographs. See what she says and thinks about it. I’m not expecting too much understanding in return though.

0330hrs: Off to do the Health Checks and take the medications.

Went to get the clean togs out of the spare room. Took this photo of outside. Eerie?

Had a wee-wee.

Got the ablutions tended to and had a Porcelain Throne session. Messy once again. But at least the evacuated product was of fewer colours today. There was no bleeding whatsoever from Harolds Haemorrhoids either. Little Inchies Fungal Lesion made up for that, what a congealed leakage I had to sort out. Humph!

Then, I got on with finishing the Wednesday Diary off.

0445hrs: Then made a start on this one. Got up to here.

0545hrs: The Morrison delivery is due between 0600 > 0700hrs. I stuck the camera out through the narrow gap permitted in the unwanted new kitchen windows. I was amazed to see two free parking spaces. Admittedly, one of them was for disabled drivers.

Had a look at the WordPress Reader section. Then did some commenting.

0654hrs: The Morrison man arrived.

Not so many bags and they cost £10 less than last weeks. Goes a little way to recouping the £30 I’ve been forced into spending on Carpet Cleaning accoutrements!

Got the things out, and there seems a lot of them for the money spent, this time.

The sugar-snap peas looked a bit fresher than the last lot. But the Thoroughbread loaf only had one days life on it. Goodness gracious me!

Got the fodder stored away. Put the bread for the Obergruppenfhureress Wardens, in the bag of nibbles and raffle prizes with the crispy snack mini-slices for Jenny.

Got on with WordPressing again, until 0825hrs. When the door tone to Dusty Springfield’s ‘I only wanna be with you’ rang-out. It was the Willmott -Brown trouble-shooter bloke. (Clipboard) You know of him, he’s the one who said he would be at the flat at 0800hrs two Thursdays ago so I could get to the Doctors on time – and he was late! Ahem! This time he was made welcome after he said that Jenny had told him of my problems with the aftermath of the plasterer’s onslaught on my flat, carpets and furniture.

The Gentleman was patient as I pointed out the worst areas (80% of the apartment) affected. He took some photographs and did apologise, saying it was unacceptable.

God Bless and thanks to Jenny. My Angel. (Well, hubby Franks Angel really, sorry Frank). She is my Wonderwoman.

He departed, saying he would catch me later to get things sorted out.

The place was at times, a maze (that’s not the word is it?) of noise from the works taking place all around. The earlier sounds before the workmen started, was from right old Big Bad John.

I got the photographs I’d taken yesterday of the Derby Stonewall tops and readied them for working on later. I hope to get them looking like mountains and add people and things to the pictures.

Set off to the Social Hour at the Temporary Shed that is also some workmen’s breakfasting room, the Obergruppenfurheresses HQ, Meeting Room and Social Hut.

All set, (I thought) I set off to the Meeting. I got as far as just outside the foyer doors and realised I was wearing the wrong glasses on my head. Back up in the lift and swapped spectacles.

Down as far as I got last time, and Oh Vey! I had not got my hearing aids in! Up again and collected them.

 This time I did get a few paces further up Chestnut Walk before I noticed I had not got the mobile phone with me. I felt obliged to go back for it, in case the surgery rang with the INR Warfarin doses and appointment while I was out.

Out and through the obstacle course outside the flats yet again. I’d lost count of how many times I’d tried to get to the meeting. Huh!

The rain had stopped altogether, and the unwarm sunshine kept popping through the clouds.

I’d gone but a few paced, and the plasterer who did such good job of demolishing my flat for me the other day, passed me going the other way. To be honest, I did not recognise him. Let’s face it, I only met him for a few seconds as I was on my way out and he asked if he could do the job then. I’d left him on his own and off I poddled. I came back when he had been long gone, to find the filthy state of the carpets etc. Fair do’s though, he apologised and said he had tried to clean up the mats, but could not get it (the plaster) off of them. He thought the carpets might have been too thin, (I nearly apologised for this, myself to him!) cause he’s never had problems cleaning any others. Sacre Bluer!

I took this photographicalisation, showing both old ramshackle blocks that are being upgraded and killing off a few elderly residents at the same time with worry, and the new extra-care care and the Obergruppenhureress Warden’s HQ in between them.

I pressed on to the Social hut. There were only fourteen people in there today. And just nine of them were residents.

I thanked Jenny for the assistance with getting the flat looked at. I handed everyone a little easter egg, luckily I just had enough of them with me. I put the raffle prized on the trolly, then went around with the box of nibbles.

I put the Sourdough loaf in the fridge for the Warden Obergefreiteresses.

Frank came over after I had sat down with Bill (William on Sundays) and Pete, I think that is his name, him who won the nine prizes in last weeks raffle. Frank sold me some raffle tickets. I handed them to two ladies who sat in the corner. Doris, one of the ladies, won a prize with one of the numbers. That cheered me up. And after they had drawn the raffle, the bloke and Bill had not won anything! Trust kind Cyndy to give him one of hers, bless her cotton socks! ♥

I gave Jenny the packet of small square crispbreads. I thought they might come in for her Saturday Morning Coffee sessions. When she said they would, it made my day. (The chest swelled up – it’s just that no one would notice with my belly wobbling out in front – Haha).

The lads tried to help me with the crosswords. But the ones we did try to do stumped us all. So I had to cheat and look at six answers in the back of the book. I’ve never had to do that before. Usually, there might be one or two I have to succumb to looking at, but six! The mind was just not functioning correctly.

A lot of folks left early. By the time I departed and said my farewells, there were only three or four left in the shed.

As I left, the sun blossomed out. I took the opportunity to try to take a ‘Moody’ picture of the Winchester Court block. But I made a mess of it.

Back in the apartment, I met Doris and showed her the carpets in the flat. She was Godsmacked at the condition of them.

I made up a Morrison order. During which, I got a telephone call from the surgery, very complicated and mind-boggling affair it was too!

New receptionist I think. She gave me the INR dosages: Th 2 – Fri 1.5 – Sat 2 – Sun 1.5 – Mon 2 – Tue 1.5 – Wed 2. But, she forgot to make an appointment for me. Gorblimey! So I had to ask for one for Wednesday 11th April. I was informed there are none available. But she could fit me in on Thursday. I told her about the problems with having it done on a Thursday that I suffered last time it had to be on that day. (Not getting informed of any results or the next appointment until the Monday or Tuesday, then it was too late to fit me in, and I ended up going to the hospital for the blood test and getting told-off!) She said she could fit me in on Thursday. (I was losing the will to live by then!) I said if they can’t fit me in on the 11th, I’ll go to the hospital for it. The reply: Oh yes, I can fit you in on the 11th. I mentioned that the eleventh was Wednesday, not Thursday. Oh, yes, but I cannot get you in until later! I asked when. 1030 is the earliest available. My head was now spinning, and I accepted the appointment. She did not inform me of what the INR level actually was! However, I knew it had to be low because the dosages had increased exponentially.

Concentration was now at a minimum, and mental-anarchy and inner maelstrom almost made me dizzy trying to keep it all together. I had to get these dates down in the written diary and Google calendar straight away, in case I got it wrong or forgot.

Then Sister Jane rang me. I’m afraid that I must have sounded a bit vague as I struggled to analyse what was being discussed. Hope I didn’t miss anything significant or urgent that Jane said. (Oh I did feel a right incompetent Meshugener!)

I got the dates in the two records. Then realised that the Wednesday Blood Test Appointment clashed with Foot Lady Sue coming to cut the toenails! Gnash! I had to ring the surgery to change the hard fought for an earlier appointment. She turned it to 1145hrs for me. This is going to be fun: I might well fall asleep on my way home from the blood test.

Phew! I hope they are right.

Made a start on updating this post again.

The doorbell chimed. This time I didn’t mind at all. It was Cyndy. The girl meant to go to Malcolm’s flat with some leaflets from Blind4you, who she got her new blinds from.

I asked her in, to show her the mess. She was astounded at how bad a condition that the carpets had been left in. I wrote down the name of the company (Blinds4you) in my memo book. When all the building and upgrading work is completed, I will use this company to get them from.

Back to the computer and updating this blog, again.

No, I take that back!

Willmott-Brown’s stalwart Jay, knocked on the door, with a spray bottle and scrubbing brush in his hands. Bearing in mind how late (For me) it was, I greeted the lad with good spirit.

He set about answering his phone – and found it difficult to see the scars left on the carpet. But set about doing his best with the tools supplied to him, to clean up the carpets. A good hour or so later, he had done all he could. But I knew there was still marks all over the hallway carpet and some in the living room, too. Naturally, the gifted charming good-looking young could not see them; with his not understanding how good they were before the plastering disaster job. I managed to force myself into telling the bloke that it was just nothing like it was before the plastering as done. In the end, I showed him the carpet in the spare room, telling him that this was how the other carpets should look. Eventually, and it took some time and discussions, I think he realised that I was right. He pointed out that people have been trekking through the hallway carpet. I told him I had had no more than eight visitors in nine months. And five of them were workmen. We did have a joke or two and could understand his reluctance to accept that the carpets looked fine before the onslaught from the plasterer. He spiritedly gave it another go. Gave-up, and told me he would report things to his Obersturmbahnführer, and inform him of the situation. I pointed out that tomorrow, I have the chemist, clinic and bank to visit, so would not be available, suggesting that Monday would be better. He said his farewells, and off he trotted. Nice geezer.

I started yet once more to update this blog. I got as far as to here, and fatigue overcame me. (It’s getting on and late now for yours-truly) Still much to get done and prepared for tomorrow, but I was incapable of any further concentration.

I got the nosh ready. Had a cold one tonight, so I could save time cooking and get some sleep in… Please,!

No sooner had I thought this, and BBJ started banging about up above. I was too tired to cry. Haha! Sob!

The fodder was a disaster; I have to report. The ‘Extra Strong REd Cheddar sliced from Aldi, might as well have been made of cardboard. The tomatoes were equally as bland tasting. The Lancashire Thoroughbread was tough and dry. The sliced apples bruised. The Baxter’s Beetroot rock hard. The chicken sticks were alright, but nothing special. The beef chunks were chewy and insipid. The sugar snap peas had to have the mouldy ones picked out before risking eating the others, but they did taste good. The seaweed was okay. The lemon mousse was delicious. Overall I can only rate this one at 5/10. A pitifully anticlimactical meal!

Later, the following morning, I found this picture I had missed earlier.

I took this one as that handsome Del Boy like the beast from Willmott-Brown, Jay, was doing his save the day activities cleaning up the mess for me. He’s just finished in the room here, and in celebration, the sun tried to come out a  bit.

I must remember the things I need to try and get done tomorrow. Bank about the codes. Chemist, for the prescriptions. GUM clinic to see Dr Petrauskas. New picking-up sticks to replace the one that mysteriously no longer worked after plastering session, and the one I fell over while using it and broke it! I realise that all these things cannot physically get done on one day. And my days are getting shorter the less sleep I’m getting. The lack of buses situation on the weekends. My inability to work with any effect after around 1600hrs each day. With all the late visits by the contractors, telephone calls, etc. I got lost a bit there, sorry.

I washed the pots and got down in the recliner, and listened to the noise above and wondered if I would be able to get to sleep… then, in what seemed like second to me, I drifted off into heaven! Ahh!