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The worst start to the day for months. Worrying at the time. So much so, I rang NHS 111 to ask about the possibility of my worsening habit of fighting to wake and get up each morning. And they thought as I did, that it may be due to the new medication side effects, Ezetimibe. The waking problems started after taking these tablets. Would it be a good idea to leave them out for a few days and see if my wake-ups improved? 
That was the plan, anyway, but when I had cleared my head and balance, I had to choose an option from the list the AI suggested. Then the voice rambled on about using the internet and giving out names and numbers… I gave up. More confused than before I rang them.
What a horrible start…
Overnight, I think I fell asleep early, ’cause I woke to the TV on and me in the £300 one, bought eight years ago from the second-hand shop, Harold Haemorrhoid testing, repugnantly beige-coloured, crumb-containing, virus-breeding, acne-giving, rickety, non-working recliner. The state of it when I got up shocked me. What the heck had I been doing? A seizure, maybe? Yet I felt as if I’d been in a deep sleep. What ere were and where did the marks on the arms come from? I’d got the catheter night bag fitted to the day bag, but couldn’t remember doing so. Then, in the waste bin, I found several empty Crisp & Frazzle bags.
I moved onto my blessed bed and nodded off almost instantly. I woke a few times, but fell back asleep every time posthaste.
At around 07OOhrs, I heard the intercom buzz, but just couldn’t get out of bed to respond. Lack of response from the body, a deep, distressing, unaccountable tiredness, and a vague dizziness had taken over.
Carer Ejaz came in and gave the medication as I lay on the bed. I’m not sure of anything else, but I do recall giving Ejaz a weak knuckle as he left. I was so confused. And again, he nodded off within minutes of his leaving. Waking a few times and then falling back asleep easily, I stayed in bed for about 5 more hours, making my kipping periods about 12-13 hours long! Each wake-up gave me a few seconds to ponder on what was happening and why.
I had hoped the need for the Porcelain Throne might arise and force me to get up. But, not yet.
Around midday, the intercom rang again. I’m not sure if I made it to the intercom. I was on the bed when Carer Mizra came in. I think I was mumbling more than talking to the lad. I’m sure Mizra helped me out of the bed, or maybe forced me, hehe! My mind and body were still reluctant move for some reason.
I got up on my feet thanks to Mizra’s help, and swiftly collapsed. Thank Heaven he was three feet away; he jumped into action, supporting me as I got into the computer chair. (I think it was). He gave me some painkillers, then did a body check while I was sitting down. Barrier creaming the groin, catheter strap area on the leg, and that annoying Shuddering Shoulder Shirley’s. right shoulder and Twitching Neck Nigel. Phorpain-Gelled Lower-Back-Pain-Petunia.
Again, this is from memory, so timings and actions might be out of sync. I was very slowly feeling less confused, thanks to Mizra’s patience.
As Mizra departed, I sensed things beginning to feel clearer. I did give Mizra the knuckles, weakly, mind.
My balance was as good as it is ever going to be, albeit a source of many tumbles.
An interest in life started return to me. I went into the kitchen to take a Kodak-Tim-2 snap, a snap, which should have been of the morning view, but took place at about 13:40hrs, what a time to get up. Haha! I can hardly believe it took so long, and I wondered why the Porcelain Throne urge was so late in coming.

Guess what I found in the kitchen, can you?
Last night’s cooked, untouched, or eaten microwave meal!

After my earlier failure to reach NHS 111, I tried their website to ask if I could stop taking Ezetimibe. After the postcode was provided, my age was guessed and given, and I was presented with a list of problems to choose from. My problem was not on the list to choose from. But sleeping problems were, so I decided that one. Answered 5 irrelevant questions.
I was told to see my Medical Practitioner.
I’ve got to get through the IT messages and options first, then I may get through to the Patient Assessor and convince him I do need to bother the Doctor, wait for more IT messages, like… You are 35th in the queue.

Got some potatoes in the oven.

Ejaz did the teatime call. He’d collected the monthly prescription on his way to me. Bless him. Sorted and stored them away. I mentioned it might be a good idea to leave off the nighttime Ezetibime for a few nights and see if my waking problems ease off. Then I’ll know it was those tablets that caused them. And can ask the Doctor to take them off my prescription list. A good idea, I asked, adding that I can’t cope with them anymore. This morning was horrible, and it lasted for at least eight hours of trying get out of bed. Then needed help to do so, before being saved from a tumble by the Carer when I collapsed. He said he had to give them to me. Yet once up and faux-about, slowly I regained control of my balance and the dizzies eased off.
Puzzling. But on the 11th February I’m going, with Ejaz, to the Doctors, if I can cope with the wicked getting-up process. I fear whatever the cause is, it may be something serious, but what the Hell.

The carpet had endless bits of stuff on it that needed picking up, but I forgot to ask Ejaz to help, and now they are smaller bits scattered about as I’ve trodden on them.

I Do Not Believe It!
The flipping, ]%£&*, rotten, ‘#@;ing,
catheter bag stop-valve opened of its own accord. I swore a little vociferously, spat, groaned, hexed myself, and did it all again! Two or three times. Then spent an hour cleaning myself and the carpet.

Checked on the spuds, very nearly ready. So, I cut them in half and added some no-butter butter and Leicester cheese. Put them back in the oven.
Oh. Forgot the seasalt. I’ll do it now. Added it.
While the cheese and onion added potatoes browned off back in the oven, I made a brew.

Boy, did they come out looking good! Tasted marvellous, too!
The bread in the middle had saletd sliced tomatoes and butterless butter in it. I shall have to get some more red onions, cause the one I covered in cheese tasted great!

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CHEERIO MON AMIS
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Woke up at 0615hrs. Zzz! 
Got up at 0730hrs.
I was in a slightly clearer state of mind. Yes! Compared to the previous six mornings at least.
As I was taking off the catheter bag, I thought I heard sirens. So went on the balcony to investigate. 
I saw two ambulances. One near the end of the car park, the other in front of the block of flats doors. But neither had any blue lights on the top of them that I could see. Maybe they did have klaxons on them, I don’t know. 
The intercom rang, and it was Carer Ejaz, a little late, not that it matters at all. Before he could do much, I had to shoot off, well, alright, hobble-hastily to the Porcelain Throne.
Another painful torpedo clowly crept out, needing much urging and pushing from yours truly. Arrgh!
At least things weren’t messy or time-consuming this morning.

Back to Ejaz, and we had a natter as he did a body check on me, and got the  Phorpain Gel in use.

I took a shot of the end car park, with mud spilling into it again. Only two cars in it, neither parked in between the lines, but on the no-parking stripes. I could see why, if they had correctly parked, they would have had to walk through the muddy water. No blame.

A Kodak-Tim-2 photo was taken from the kitchen window. A little gloomy and misty again this morning.
I ádse a brew of Co-op 99 tree, and went to get the milk from the fridge, knocking the kitchen roll holder and a bottle of beetroot off the shelf. The jar dikd n ot break – was I having some good luck at last? Not nearly; it hit my slipper, which lessened the fall, and it hit my poor, tender .
I laughed it off, naturally. Ahem!

Started updating the blog from yesterday. Things were not going well: of the five stickers I’d put on the wrongly printed key buttons on the keyboards, four had already fallen off. I searched for them. Where the heck have they gone? This remains one of the mysteries of Woodthorpe Court, with the hobgoblins, spectres, gnomai, phantasms, grotesque succubae, Whoopsiedangleplops, ailments, extraterrestrials, ectoplasms, spirits, Accifauxpas, rent increases, food price hikes, and the Fata Morganas, that have been sent to taunt, irritate and terminate my already limited saneness of mind? It is now 2030hrs, and I still don’t know where they are or went.
Thinking about it, though, when I was battling with the rear-end evacuation torpedo earlier, I heard the hoover being used by Ejaz, so they might have been gobbled up into the vacuum’s waste box? I got yesterday’s blog finished and posted it to WordPress.

Then the Seizures started, although I couldn’t record them all as a seizure, cause I think I may have fallen asleep several times when recovering, waking up with no acidity in my stomach, mouth or nasal area. As if I wasn’t far enough behind, I lost no end of time just sitting, thinking it through. No extra pain, just being unable to work out what was happening.

When Carer Mizra arrived, I was just feeling a little better, trying to push the weird thoughts from my mind. Mizra helped tremendously. When I mentioned the keyboard problem, he spent a few minutes going through the key actions. Saying he will look it up and let me know tomorrow. Oddly, what he is going to look up for me has also done a runner, no doubt assisted by

I turned on the TV to give myself something to concentrate on, I think. My favourite episode of Only Fools & Horses was on. I told Ejaz, who had just arrived, that one of the funniest scenes ever was about to come on the TV in a few minutes.
The intercom sounded, and Ejaz answered it for me. He said that the Amazon man rang, he’d left the order downstairs in the foyer. Ejaz mentioned that I looked a bit pasty compared to his last call. He would go and fetch the order for me. The humorous scene came on  while he was out. The chandelier one. Anyone who saw this will never forget it. I took a snap of the screen as the Trotters were up on stepladders with a blanket to catch the chandelier, as Grandad, on the floor above, unscrewed the holding bolt. This photo brings back happier times, too. As I recalled in my head,

I was, well, how can I describe it? In a state of confusion. Maybe it could be a delayed after-effect after the series of seizures. If that is what I had.
I walked around the flat with both sticks. I noticed the blue sky and took two shots from the kitchen window.
Ejaz did the last call. Worried about me, I think, but things are coming clearer now, at just the time of day when they usually go foggier and vaguer?

TTFNski

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A horrible day in many ways. Despite it starting off a little better than the previous five days.
The most frustrating thing of the day was the third keyboard of the week, which failed in many ways, more than the two before it. 
The memory of it still hurts; the frustration of finding that the new keyboard had four incorrectly marked keys, and the struggle to find the @ and the #. Marking them with stickers took me so many hours. I didn’t get anything to eat until gone midnight, and I’m getting so far behind with the blogging. I mention bits in the Ode-of-the-day, but have no willpower left to go into full detail. As I said, the events still hurt. 
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I’ll get this son e ASAP so I can finish before the meal is burnt. A quickie, photo-led reminders for my tormented mind. Will my luck ever change?
I shouldn’t have said that, Ukraine, Syria, Putin, worries even over Trump and Starmer, the starving…
No, I take that back, I’m self-pitying again.
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Morning (I made notes about this bit)
I woke at 0500hrs and got up at 0700hrs.
Forced by the need to go to the Porcelain Throne.
Well, that was so different from last week’s efforts; all that escaped was a multitude of lengthy, almost musical. blasting-out, literally and without any encourements, emissions of wind.
Confusingly, aroma-free. Or, at least I could not smell anything.

Carer Ejaz entered, always glad to see him. He issued the medications. No point in his doing the body check yet, cause I intend to get a good scrub-up, shave, brush my teeth, shower, and medicate the areas I can reach.
We spoke of the upcoming medical appointments, and he went on my NHS site to check the medication doses and make a list of what was needed. He said he’d do a background check on his midday call.

Oh, I forgot I took some kitchen window shots earlier with Kodak-Tim-2.
You can tell I got up late because the street lights had been dimmed.
Here they are, all dark and dank, a little reminiscent of Deep Dark, Dank Depressing Darius, who, once he came on, stayed the whole day long after the computer problems started… yet again!

When Ejaz departed with my thanks, I got things ready for the wet room visit. 
I tried once again on the Porcelain Throne before the washing started.
Another failure, evacuation-wise.
I got the teeth cleaned first; you’d be surprised how difficult this is with nine teeth missing, and another four broken. 
I’m likely to cause more damage if I brush with too much gusto. Haha!
I forgot to clip my fingernails. Then did the shaving. And for the third time on the trot, I ended up cut-free . However, later, when Ejaz returned, he pointed out what a terrible job of shaving I’d done. Hehe!
I had a stand-up wash, why? I’d left the hot tap running again! It could explain the bad shave. Carefully cleaned and medicated the crutch area, especially the tube and bleeding fungal lesion on Little Inchy. Then the rear end and legs that I could reach. I was so proud of not dropping or knocking anything over, that I took a snap of the undisturbed mess of things on the top of the Porcelain Throne tankt. I looked at the viewer and saw that the photo above was the result. I took another. Totally baffled at what I had done wrong in the first one. I got carried away with the photographing in the wet room. And took another couple of shots. Why I pictured the pot of razors, I don’t know. The same could be said of the snap of the top of the floor cabinet.
You#ll note the rolls of toilet paper at the ready in there? You never know, well, I don’t know if they are to be used from one visit to the next. I tried again for a successful evacuation. Giving it time, just in case things would suddenly flood out unexpectedly.
But, no! Got the eye drops in (well, some of it), and olive-oiled the ears. Phorpain gelled the knees, Germoloided the rear end, and creamed the top strap area of the catheter. Adjusted the top strap, and the telephone chirped into life.
I got to it in time, and a lady wanted to know of Helen was there? I nearly said I wish she were, but I resisted. Told the lady, No, no one here of that name. I think she was on a landline, cause it sounded like it was slammed down, after she had called me a liar!

A mug of tea, and at long last, I got the computer on.
Attached the new white-keyed keyboard and began. But this didn’t last long. I didn’t take long to find problems with the third new keyboard this week!

ARGHHH!

Hours and hours lost! Nothing else got done much at all, other than searching for the keys with the wrong signs on them, and some of them in the wrong position on the wrong keys.
I could cry with frustration.

Ejaz arrived partway through the computer farce. He did a whole body check for me, and medicated the parts of my highly desirable to women, body (joke), that I could not reach to do earlier.

My best snaps for months here.
Not bad at all. Smug Mode!

Late now, so late.
Gonna get a stew special done. Bombay potatoes, chicken stew (ready-made), beetroots and water chestnuts added. Some slices of bread were left for dipping. Pot of oranges in jelly for afters.
That’s the plan anyway.

Daily Meal
A mixed bag. Bombay potatoes, chicken, tomatoes, silverskin onions, water chestnuts, red onion, soya beans, and gungo beans. Marinated in Gung Po & BBW sauce. Sounds risky? It was, but it turned into a flavourful feast. The regret for making this was in the morning, cleaning the mass of cutlery, bowls, the tray and sink counter of the gunk I’d left, putting the things in the sink to soak.

I found these that I’d missed off.
Not sure when I took them, at
night, or in the morning?

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All the Best, Cheers!

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The highlight of today, if that’s the right word… was waking up. Or, instead, unable to wake up.
This is about the sixth morning in a row where I’ve woken up with the best of intentions, only to fall asleep. The morning summoning to the Porcelain Throne arrived, and has for days been a saviour. But not this time. I’d lain there trying to make a monotonous nodding off again for an hour or so, and the summons to the Porcelain Throne arrived earlier than usual.
I welcomed this, thinking once up and about, I’d be able to get on with things. The Trosky Terence-controlled evacuation was messy, hard, then gooey, and then liquid. I’ve got used to this over the last four days and, of course, now expect the follow-up of stinky fluid that adds interest to the session.
I cleaned up and went to the front room to get redressed, sat down, and Zzzz! For an hour or so, and still did not wake properly. I was more out-of-it than ever, may have had some mini-seizures, not certain.
Ejaz did his bestest for me; he’d left by the time I started to come round. I assume he’d given me the medications. Hope he was not annoyed with me.
I’ve just had to change the keyboard, it was repeating many letters, ten or fifteen times, so regularly.
This one has the wrong keyboard lettering. The hash key, usually next to the Enter key, has a backslash and a bar. See this photo, please. I think a few others might be wrong, too. What a loser I am!
I digressed there again. Anyway, with twenty minutes of getting up, I started to feel more with it, half an hour later, I was as good as I had been in days. 
What’s going on here? Doctor… Doctor!

I took a view from the kitchen window. It stayed misty and cold all day long.
Took a decent snap of the front car park.

This late afternoon shot of the amazing clouds with the even more amazing single showing of the sun.
It looked to me like either a ghost bird or a flying fish on the lighted parts of the sky.

I didn’t, I’ve only just noticed at 2020hrs, have a wash & shave today. I’m too tired to bother now. All the more pressure to get up early and finish the ablutions. But will I make it? Oh, dearie stinkikng me!

Well, going to get some spuds in the oven, butter and salt them, and eat them with a last-day-dated smoked streaky bacon slices. Bet I fall asleep eating them.

Hope to be back in the morning to finish this, or maybe in the afternoon with my daily getting-started struggles of late. I’m not confident. 
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Saturday morning, another refusal from my mind and body to get out of bed… more in the next issue of this World Famous Disasters of Everyday Life for Inchie Blog. Notorious for his mass followers’ praise, compassion and understanding. Both of them.

On with the updating, here goes, keyboard permitting.

Prepping and cooking the day’s meal. Then I took this pair of snaps of the views of the night sky through the windows with Kodak-Tim-2.
Not overly good. The sky has been misty all day into the night.

I got the spuds out of the oven, put cheese, some sea salt, and no butter-butter on top of each one. 

A decent meal this time. It took some eating and was a messy affair with the no-butter-butter running all over the place. Still, it did taste so delicious, and finger-licking, and there was a lot of that, good! A mess to clean up. Tsk!

Doing the washing up of the pots, dishes, and myself took me yonks. I ended up with a dirtier-than-usual kitchen… well, a messier one. Then took this snap with Kodak-Tim-2 from the kitchenette window.

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♠ TTFN, Mon Amis ♠
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– Witchcrafting? –

Yet another morning’s struggle getting my elephantine body out of bed. No, I lied! I meant out of the c1966, £300 Oxfam charity shop-bought, wincingly grotty, beige-coloured, crumb-covered from my nocturnal nibblings, itch-making, uncomfortable, positively unhealthy, and dangerous, no longer operational, virus-breeding, easy-to-fall-out-of, catheter-tube-trapping recliner.
Another session of convincing myself of the benefits of rising from my uncomfortable slumber failed. And several more followed. Finally, I found the courage and determination to hastily, but painfully, force myself out of the recliner… Well, I said, finally I found the courage and determination to force myself, hastily but painfully, out of the recliner. Another fib. I had to get up to use the porcelain throne.
Morning mist.
Late morning brew of Glengettie.
Warfarin INR Level.

The Virgin engineer arrived in the afternoon. A grand, helpful young man. He got the TV and recording back onto Virgin connections. And he was patient with my questions about the various buttons on the remote, which my short-term memory had erased over the eight weeks of waiting. He even went to the bother of writing down the main ones for me.
And hey, presto… I’ve got the TV working!
Yee-Ha!

Cheered up now. Awaiting a visit from
at any time, now…
Still waiting…

I took two Kodak-Tim-2 snaps of the lovely view on offer. one on the left, one on the right, and juggled and jiggled them to try to make them look like one.
Not too bad… for me. The PN won’t let me take a panorama shot… well, he does, but he guarantees that every time I try, Shaking Shaun kicks in. They always come out warped.
Another little strait that has joined in with the mysteries of Woodthorpe Court, with the hobgoblins, spectres, gnomai, phantasms, ghosts, the grotesque succubae, extraterrestrials, ectoplasms, & spirits. Not to mention the Fata Morganas that have been sent to taunt, irritate and terminate my already limited sanity of mind. Also, Receptive Aphasia Phyllis, Paroxysmal dyskinesia, Episodic ataxia, Ménière’s disease, Dark, Deep, Depressing Darius, Peripheral Neuropathy Pete, Nicodemus Neurotransmitters Dying, Glaucoma Gladys, Stuttering Stephany, Lymphorrhea Legs Leslie, Premordid Cognitive Impairment Iris, Cataract Katie, Sandra’s damned seizures, Back-Pain-Brenda, Arthur Itis, Cartilages Chloe & Carole, Fractured Knee Frankie, Shuddering-Shoulder-Shirley, Unwin’s Unguis Incarnates Ingrowing Toenail, Reflux Roger, Replacement Mechanical Aorta Valve Victor, Diabetes Doris, High Cholesterol Christine, Hydrocephalus-Hilda, and Catheter-Contraption-Carol, and the hearing aids are not working. Still, it could be worse.

Fishsticks, battered fishcakes, potatoes, leeks, tomatoes and onions in parsley sauce.

A view of the scene from the kitchen window before getting into bed late.
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I HOPE FOR A GOOD, PEACEFUL DAY FOR US ALL
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TTFNski
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None of these is mine. I spotted them while searching and smiled at each one!
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07:00hrs: I stirred back into imitation, pretend, faux-life. Back-aching, and a twang of acid in my mouth, throat and nose. (Nocturnal, or morning seizure?)

Made up the bin bags, hoovered and had another mini-seizure. Not time to fret about that, for I was summoned to the Porcelain Throne. Another of those rock-solid, much effort needed jobs, with a follow-through of watery spattering. Still easier than yesterday, and less messy. After cleaning up, a second follow-through arrived, not a lot though. I was baffled and still am as to why I could not get up from the loo seat! The lower back pain was just too painful when I tried. Yet I got up at least twice in the last few minutes? Again, Carer Ejaz arrived just when I needed him most. He hauled me up onto my feet. I keep saying this, but he saved the day again. Ejaz issued the medications, Phorpain-gelled the shoulder, and back. Check my lower and rear regions. Creamed. 
The Backpain-Brenda was eased by the gelling, and Ejaz did so on all four calls today. That got me through, along with the Codeines.

The Nurse turned up, my favourite one, to check the leg and ankle, and put a new dressing on it for me. Bless her. 🤎

I got on with finishing the Tuesday blog, finished it, and posted it off. Had to stop at around midday when two carers arrived. Ejaz on the cleaning &
laundry 2-hour session, and Mizra for the medications. Mizra did some Phorpaining and Emmeloinating. Nice
ad. Ejaz took the laundry down to the washer.

When he came back up, he rang the Audio Clinic to get an appointment for any Wednesday for me.
Our problem with getting an appointment is that only Wednesdays are available, because the NHS says I have to have a Carer with me, or a family member. Thus: 
Wed 4th Feb, A Dentist appointment. Wed 11th: a Doctor’s visit. The earliest appointment I can get is Wednesday, 18th Feb, so there’s still a while to go before I can hear again. But the lad got me in.
He’s a good lad!

VIRGIN CONTACTED
With our last call to them costing an estimated minimum of £22, including a £2 connection fee for 0333 numbers each time, and Virgin cutting us off three times, neither of us was exactly looking forward to making this inquiry. But Ejaz gave it a go, with me saying if they start cutting us off again and giving out telephone numbers and links for us to use, ring off. 
Wisely, Ejaz said, “You are depressed without losing your TV, and now more grumpy, let’s see how it goes.
The usual delays and repeating things to get by the robots’ marathon natter to us, Ejaz spoke to a human. They delayed things a little to stretch the money I’m paying for the call; they always do that. Twice, she wanted to speak with me. Ejaz clearly put the phone on speaker and used thumbs-up for yes and thumbs-down for no. Handed the phone back to Ejaz. Another ten minutes or so, and amazingly, astonishingly, this is the third time he’s tried to get help when the new remote stopped working, 3 months ago. This is True… They’re sending an engineer to look at it, Tomorrow!!!
Twixt Well done, Ejaz! Of course, with my record of bad luck, I will not get excited until they have been and got it working again! Then… And he stayed for quite a while, but paid no further visits after this; it was great while it lasted!
Ejaz was running out of time. But he’s done a grand job again. No time for any cleaning again; the laundry was collected and left in the bag for me to sort and hang. Medicated me, rescued me, sorted out (I hope, it is Virgin we are talking about – Although British Gas is equally as harmful) the Virgin remote control, and booked me in with the audio clinic. I’d be lost without him.

Late now, Food Needed!
Food Now Eaten, Mmm!

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🤎 I wish you all the best of luck! 🤎
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– – – I lost the plot again!- – –
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I went to bed early last night to ensure I could wake up, well, get up early for the JS delivery between 6:30 @ 7:30hrs. (I thought). Here’s how my plan went.
When I woke up, I wriggled my way painfully (the Lymphorrhrea Leslie leg was leaking and giving off electric shocks) up enough to shine the torch at the clock to check the time, 04:10hrs. A moment to gather myself together, I decided I had to force myself to get up. Despite the pains in my leg, I drifted swiftly off back to sleep.
Woke up later, and realised I’d had a dream, but only smidges of it remained in my brain. I hate it when this happens! I got the torch, wound it up, and checked the time 0430hrs.
I remember trying to get my leg higher by bending it, so I didn’t need to bend so far to get the night bag off of the catheter, Zzzz!
Stirred again, the clock was showing 0510hrs. I renewed my resolve to get out of bed this time. Getting annoyed with myself now… Zzzz!
Next awakening, I could not find the torch at first, but did in a few minutes… but don’t ask why or how, I found it in my nightcap? (I know! Me too!)  Pressed the on button, but nothing happened. I thought, I’ve got to get up to see what time it is, then I can stay up even if it’s too early. Cunning idea? Haha! As I got my legs painfully off of the bed, I felt the pus pouring from Lymphorrhrea Leslie’s leg. I used the paper towels I keep in the bed for such emergencies and dried the feet while lying on the bed to avoid too much bending and a visit from Lost-Balance-Belinda or Dizzy Dennis. The time showed 0545hrs. 
Despite the need to get up to ensure I didn’t miss the delivery, I sat in the aged, grotty-looking, c1966-made, charity-shop-bought, horribly beige-coloured, £300, Harold’s Haemorrhoid-testing, non-operational, acne-giving, virus-breeding, rickety, easy-to-fall-out-of recliner, and Zzzz!
What the Hell is happening here?
I jerked awake. It was much lighter now; no need to use the torch to see. It was already 06:50hrs. 
Had I missed the intercom sounding? Have the groceries been and gone? 
Suddenly, this mattered less… the innards let out a long, blasting gust of wind from the rear end, and I was on my way, with the catheter bag dangling, to the Porcelain Throne. Convinced I was about to be late for a Trotsky Terence evacuation. I was wrong. I anticipated this because I had the Bombay Potatoes last night. It seems they had the complete opposite effect than expected and usually do; I got seated, and boy, did that evacuation not want to start. Ten minutes or so later, it crept out, still needing a bit more urging, and it was a messy, sticky affair.
Cleaned myself up. Got the catheter straps on and put the kettle on. Eager for a mug of Glengettie. Taking a shot of the view on offer as I filled the kettle. Tea? No! But no! 0710hrs, and Carer Dilan came in. I warned him that I’d left a waste bag where I’d left it, so he didn’t trip over it, asking him to take it with him on his way out to the refuge disposal room. Issued the medications. Checked the urine level after I asked him to. I took the urine to the toilet to empty it again. I remembered to ask him to check the sinks, fridges and cooker for me. Off he went after waiting for the fifteen minutes to be up. Just missing the arrival of the JS delivery. Seems I got that wrong on the calendar, too. It was for 0700 > 0800hrs. The driver put the food into the bags I supplied him with, leaving them in the hallway. Then, I got them checked and stored them away. Got some ready meals, lemon yoghurts, jelly & custard pots, fish sticks, and fish tails, and some Spanish-style potato cakes. One of the meals is a fish-and-chip dish with pea puree. A reasonable offer price, too. 400g for £3.45. I can have some fishcakes with them, mayhaps. Cook in the oven or microwave.
I was pleased to find some new-season daffodils in stock. I got these as a thank-you for Jenny, and some Jaffa orange wafers for Frank, her other half. Both lovely people. Bless them.
Unloaded the next carrier bag: bread, Gungo Ho sauces, dark soya, Bombay potatoes, tomatoes, water chestnuts, and a packet of Bombay mix nibbles. No need, and I must not do another order for this week! (He says)

Oh, and I restocked on medical plasters. I hope some of these will be useful for sticking on the district nurses’ bandages & plasters on the leg when the wounds ooze blood & lymph, loosening them.

The rain is continuing, but not heavily yet, just persistently. The Carer on the midday call, a lovely lad, called Mirzra, & my delivery driver told me how ‘flipping’ cold it felt out there. It was cold enough in the flat.

Carer Dilan arrived early tonight. I’d just made a brew of Glengettie at long last. It’s still there, stone cold, undrunken. Tsk!

Took another shot of the same view as earlier, with the drizzle still coming and the wind getting up. But a lot better than some places are. Primarily falling as hill snow in northern England and Scotland, along with heavy rain and wind from Storm Chandra. The bitch!

A tomato and a bit of red onion. They can go in mt fish & chip ready meal with added fishcakes, methinks?

Oh, the leg is leaking again. Not to fret, the nurse is calling tomorrow to check on it for me.
I hope.

Better get the nosh sorted out then.
I had the ready-made fish-and-pea meal, adding the fishcakes to the mix.
In the late morning, I plugged the SD card into the computer to retrieve the photo I was 100% sure I’d taken of the meal. But it was not on the card or in the camera? I was later 50% sure I must have taken the shot… certain I had taken the photo on the chair before settling to eat it. Or did I?
Maybe I got distracted? I may not have… Tsk!

That’s a bit better. I’d like it to be higher!
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TTFNski Folks!
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= = Written by him, partly unknown = =
= = His mind somewhere in the ozone = =
= = For going off track, he is well known = =
= = Oh, he broke mobile dog & bone!  = =
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I was busily copying the written list of items, as Jenny suggested, to use in giving details of my ailments and problems to the incoming Social Worker and Manager of the ICC Care Company to add to a Word page. The intercom chimed out, and my appointed Social Lady arrived. As she said she was early, the doorchime sounded, and in came the ICC Lady.

So pleased that they came, but had to try and concentrate, not being used to two people being in the flat with me, a risk of my getting confused and misunderstanding presented itself.

The Social Lady was carrying out a deep Q&A session, and I thought it might save her and the ICC Manager from all that writing down of my answers, if I could send them the Word document. Which they thought was a good idea. I felt elated that I had an idea approved. But… naturally, I made a mess of sending it, and added a load of rubbish with it; my nicknames for my ailments and reminders, and many duplicated, irrelevant items. The Social Lady and ICC will be thinking what a twit we have here when they get around to reading it. 
Of course, they’ll be right to do so. Hehehe!
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Bombay potatoes, with extra potato chunks boiled and added, & Gung-Po sauce.
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Horis visited after the meeting was over.
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Fair Thee All Well, Hope things go Great!
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Grammarly Not Working
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Very busy, getting ready for the Social & ICC Carers visit tomorrow. My fingers are crossed!
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TTFN, Tara!

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Welcome to my pristinely clean, neat, tidy, high-class, well-run, valuable treasures-ridden, modern, show-flat conditioned, 
furnished fit-for-a-King, dwelling. Rumours about the taps leaking and the Hopewells’ 1963 E-plan sideboard doors and handles dropping off are rubbish. It is a Hopewells’ 1965 E-plan sideboard with the doors and handles dropping off. And the leaking windows are good for one’s health. Let’s have a bit of rain and wind in, which is good when one can’t get out and about. Just thought I’d clarify the situation (fibbingly).
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0700hrs: I woke and realised the dreaded
was with me as I took off the nocturnal catheter bag.
Nothing had changed. No reason to feel so down, as far as I could tell. I pressed on and, taking Kodak-Tim-2 with me, off to get some early shots of the view from the kitchenette window. All four were transferred to the computer via the SD card without any problems. After yesterday’s struggle with it, and the quality of the shots, I should have got a fillip in spirits, but the gloom of Darius prevented me from cheering up or enjoying something going right for once.
The skies were green-tinged again, but not as much as Friday morning. A fair job, I thought.

Getting the tea brewed, I had to abandon it to go to the wet room to utilise the Porcelain Throne. Trotsky was in charge again, but nowhere near as leaky with it. I think things may get evacuationally firmer by tomorrow.  
Well, I hope so, Fed up with not making it in time, and the mess!
This should also have cheered me, but Darius kept his grip on me. I don’t like feeling like this at all.

Went to finish making the brew of Glengettie and found I’d left the damned hot tap running yet again! It was stone-cold water now. Will I ever get a wash and shave this week? I’ll try to stay up late tonight when the water reheats on the night tariff and get them done. 

Carer Ejaz arrived, and the tea went cold, of course. Not that I’m short on teabags after yesterday’s accidental ordering of 12 boxes of 80 Glengettie tea bags, for the two I had planned to get. Humph! 
I can see if anyone wants any later on. It would suit my brother-in-law, Pete, down to the ground. They’ve got that earthy taste that the best black teas do; they always remind me of Co-op 99, but a little stronger with it. Delicious! Jenny might know someone who likes strong tea that I could donate to?
Back to Ejaz, I lost the plot again there.
I just typed “IU lost the plot,” and the Grammarly Robot let it through. Tsk!
Ejaz did a good job on me again. Medications, Peptac, anticoagulated the catheter areas on my legs, and ,  and . He barrier creamed the We discussed for a minute or two about Monday’s visit from the social lady.

Did my bestestist to take a decent shot, no, two of them, of the views on offer from the kitchenette window. Not sure why, but one got lost in the ether.

A while on the computer, then I made a brew of Glengettie tea. Must remember to ring the audio clinic on Monday to get them mended or renewed.

Made another mug of Glengettie, I do love this tea.
Why one of the snaps from the balcony came out so differently from the other is beyond me. But then again, this could be said of just about anything nowadays. Is still keeping me down.
The spikrit-darkening varmint!

The Iceland order arrived around 0930hrs. The driver kindly took the bags through to the kitchen for me, wished me a good day, bless him.
Another thing I like, as with the Glangettie tea, well two things on those Iclenad order that suit me; The battered mini fishcakes, and those Harry Ramsden’s Chip Shop Chips. Both are morish!
The fridge filled up nicely, with the nurses’ and delivery people’s thank-you treats. Iced coffee seems to be the most popular one. I got some new varieties this time for them… oh, dear Jenny’s hubby and decent fellow Frank are calling in a while; four coffees of his choice await him. Jenny loves coffee, and I love thanking Jenny. This is typical of how things go with my head nowadays; I looked at the marinating sauces I bought last week, and decided which one to use tonight. With minutes to go, I’d forgotten which one and what I was going to make to go with it… whichever it was. 

Frank arrived, bringing me two Cornish pasties to put in the freezer, the ones Jenny suggested I would like. Ah, I could have them tonight… I’ll try to remember to ask her whether they have to be thawed before cooking and how long they take in the oven. My mind was rattling along, changing subjects as I thought or talked to myself all day today. Good reason later on, well, a bad reason really. I forgot to ask her even when I phoned her later… signs of the brain getting either less workable, or more disintegrable.

Two hours later, the terrible news appeared. The struggle to get help with the computer and to increase the memory has proven impossible… and I got a message from CorelDraw saying it can’t save my work: not enough memory available. Huh!
As if Darius was not set in deep enough already, now silly thoughts entered my brain. Amid my frustrations, I spent hours trying to find a way to save the work I had done. Nervously, I went searching for any cdr. items on the computer to try to delete them to make room. Desperation forced me into delving into areas and files I had no idea of what they were, what they did, or why they were there. But found some that had Cdr files. Dare I? Should I? Can I delete some to free up space? For the life of me, I could not make up my mind whether the risk was too great if I tried.
I went to take some photos to give my concentration a break, I attempted to get a decent picture out of the sudden burst of sunshine getting through and shining on this lousy globe… sorry about that, I need help here more than ever. The thought of being computerless would be worse if it happened because I took a gamble on deleting things just cause they were old. What to do?
Some folks have family to worry over. Me? A two-year period of struggling with a dying computer, and it looks bad, whatever I do… and I’m still undecided. If I do nothing, no more blogging. If it goes wrong, no more computer…

I got back to the computer and carried on the search. I found hundreds of Cdr items when searching in This PC. Whatever they were, every file was tiny; it looked like Vector graphics, possibly. I chose one I thought was safe, right-clicked, and deleted it. A green progress bar started creeping along the top of the window.
Ejaz did his first evening call at this stage,
He was here for about 15 minutes, and when he had gone, I went back to the kitchen window. The sunshine came out as I opened the window. I think I said to it, “Don’t bother, mate”, or something like that. The beauty of the sky failed to impress me. I knew then I was on a real downer.

{1} The Computer
Back to the computer, and the green progress bar was about a tenth of the length of the bar. Foolishly, I closed the window and carried on with the search, finding some actual Cdr. files – 6 of them. I deleted all but one, the one I still had open. An iota of hope rose within. Back to the art package, and tried to save the work again. The busy pointer thingamabob wriggled away. A good six minutes later, the soul-destroying message returned that there wasn’t enough memory available to save this file. I almost considered suicide.
Another search, and I came across some more Cdr. files; these, I had no idea what they were. I scrolled and scrolled away, there were hundreds of them, and found on that was Cdr labelled. A big one, too. Aha, if I can delete this safely, then I’ll have a chance.
I right-clicked to ask it to view in a folder… It told me I can’t delete files held on the cloud.
I was lost. If the files were on the cloud, how did I find them searching My Computer?
When I close down tonight, I’ll lose all I’ve done for future use. With all the current problems, I’ll try to do a Cartoon and an Ode for a while, until I have time and/or a miracle and can get help sorting this out.
As for the other well-documented problems;

{I} Virgin @#ers in; not letting me sign in.
Carer Ejaz and I did, but it did not work.
Virgin @#ers whose TV remote is not working.
{2} British *=#$ Gas
Who keeps sending me demands via email for a meter reading and keeps increasing the costs because I haven’t done so? Why had I not responded?
No one can understand the ancient meter. Let’s look back at this problem, shall we? In our first communication, we got cut off twice, and at £2 a minute and a £2 connection fee per call, this was wrangling Ejaz and me. My bank manager will not be pleased either. A farce, Ejaz could not understand the lady on the phone, and vice versa. We had to give up.
The following week, we tried again. Spent even more time on the phone this time. We kept being sent to the meter in the flats’ foyer to follow instructions on how to read it. Nothing worked; I had had enough and was ready to have a stroke. Ejaz was fuming, and in the end, they gave links but no satisfaction.
The woman asked us to send a photo of the meter.
At the end of the conversation, I explained clearly and slowly: All I want to do is take a reading and send it to you. I need help with this. My Warden, Carers, and neighbours were asked for help, but none of them could work out how to take the reading!
“Oh, I can arrange that for you!”
“Yes, please do that!”
Of course, we’ve heard nothing  back from them,
We are interested in seeing the label that shows the meter’s installation date as 20/4/15.

{3} NHS Audio Clinic
One of the hearing aids gave up the ghost. It really throws you off balance when you wear just one, so Ejaz rang Ropewalk House, 113 The Ropewalk, Nottingham, NG1 5DU. For general enquiries and adult hearing aid repairs, call 0115 919 4488. Ejaz said he reached an AI robot. Ring back on Monday. So he’ll try again tomorrow to get an appointment for a ‘Wednesday’ for me, so he can go with me.
{4} NHS Neurology
On my first (and only up to now) appointment, which I waited 3 months to get. The night before a lift was assured for me failed, and I was told to cancel the appointment. I managed to get a lift there, but not back. That was the one where I got lost, fell over on the crowded tram, got on the wrong bus, missed the get off stop, had an hour’s back walk up Winchester Street Hill in the dark to the flats, got a call from a concerned Carer, Ejaz, who was in my flat. I told him I should be there in about 20 minutes and dropped the mobile phone. In the dark, with no torch, I set about searching the bushes and leaves where I assumed it had fallen. Some local yobboes took an interest in me and came over the road to verbally torment me. Luckily, one of the flat residents was passing by in his car, saw the scuballs, and pulled in. They did a runner, the man found my mobile, and I set of up the last bit of the hill towards the flats. Ejaz rang again, and I told him when I got out of the disastrous, hairy trip home. The Doctor asked me to get a Carer to video it if I had a seizure. Carer Nimra did so. Carer Ejaz showed me how to send it in an email; then I realised I hadn’t asked for or been told of the Doctor’s email address. Humph.
{5} NHS EENT
I got a lift there with Easy Link. But, they could not take me back. Ejaz arranged for a hospital lift, bless him. I got into the building, to the correct reception, and into the main waiting hall. Within minutes, a young lady picked me up, and we went to her examination room, where we had the eye test done. As she was putting some drops in my eyes, some of them dripped down my cheek into my mouth, I recall thinking of telling her about my difficulties when the drops were put in my right eye a few years ago… I came around from the seizure a few minutes later, they tell me, and the Cardiac PET team were in the room. It seems that when I went through a seizure, the lady thought I was having a heart attack. I get, after each seizure, a foul, acidic taste coming up from the reflux, which is what confused the lady. So, two hours of tests that all came back okay, I thanked them and made my way to the main reception to wait for a lift. Five hours later, the lift arrived. That appointment lasted for 11 hours.
Where was I?
None of the above has been sorted or actioned yet.

I’ll try in the morning to see if the computer and CorelDraw let me perform.
I have cartoons to put on, and should be able to do an Ode, WordPress permitting. Everything I open now wants a new password. Why? Dunno!
Dunno a lot of the passwords either. Tsk!

This is why I waffled on while I could today.

This is generous to Horis.
The much-missed Horis.

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FARE THEE WELL!
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