Tuesday 20th August 2019
01:24hrs. I woke, all calmly, and took a look around for any signs of nocturnal nibbling. I’m glad to report that none were found. Semi-Smug-Mode-Adopted!
I dismounted the £300, second-hand, not-working-at-the-moment, grimy, beige-coloured, c1968, rickety recliner. The first thing was a wee-wee, it was another LWDS (Long-Weak-Dribbling-Sprinkling) wee-wee. I took the bucket, a lot fuller this morning, with me to the kitchen and got it cleaned and sanitised.
As I went into the kitchen, I took a photo, and then again with the flash on of roughly the same area. What a difference. With the flash on, you can see the unwanted new light & view-windows, and the foam put in a year ago in the air vent by the Nottingham City Homes bloke. That spewed out after he had gone and dribbled down on the electricity socket. I mentioned it, but no one was interested. It’s too solid to get off. So, there it remains.
The hanging to dry hand-washed jacket was still dripping water. So, I put it in the wet room and left the heater on for a while. Cunning, eh?
I remembered that there is no need for the 07:30hrs visit to the surgery, and this will free up some time to get the Monday blog finished and sent off. Then I pondered on how I should get to the hospital for the Stroke Unit visit. I could walk it, that would be best, getting in some exercise? It’ll take about an hour and a quarter. Or, get on a 40 bus on Winchester Street, and that will drop me off at the City Hospital. Else, an L9 would take me to the other end of the hospital?
No, I’ll walk it. I examined the paperwork to double-check the time and things I have to take with me.
If I leave here by 09.40hrs, it should give me time for the hobble and to find where the place I need to be is. I hope!
From the picture I took of the hospital, it looks closer than it actually is. Of course, this an as-the-crow-flies thing. In reality, the roads to it take a roundabout route.
Still, I’m looking forward to a mini-hobble.
I got the medications taken and made a brew. Then got the computer going to update and finish the Monday diary. But…
The regular fiasco, the Mr (Sod-the-Customers) Fries routine. Turned everything off, tried a restart, to no avail. So everything closed down and rebooted. Huh, failed again. The Liberty-Global bully-boy’s crap router turned off and unplugged. Waited, and restarted it, and hoped for the best, fingers crossed. It came back on, oh, the joy! And pissed-offedness!
I’d had an email, from the surgery from last night. Giving me the new dosages for the INR Warfarin results. The didn’t mention what the level was, but they usually don’t anyway. Why they did not inform me of the change and me no longer having to go into the surgery for it, is beyond me. It made me realise just how kind the CIDP in the leg has been lately. Even the nurse noticed yesterday and said how much better I was moving. I’m taking advantage of this break, and definitely walking to the City Hospital later on now. Why the leg, usually so regular with it’s Neuropathic Schuhplattler (The neuropathic medicine drop kettle dance) routines, was not giving me any? The hands, fingers and shoulder are trying to make up for it, though. Hahaha!
I pressed on with the Monday blog, getting it done after many annoying shoulder-shudders, and the fingers electric-shock imitations tried their best to annoy me. But I got there! Satiety-Status-Adopted!
Made a beginning to this blog, but time-limited my performance, and the ablutions had to be tended to. All went well, no cuts at all shaving! Only two dropsies, the razor and the shower-head. I gathered all the things needed, took the bags to the chute on the way out, and walked through the new passageway into Winwood Court. The exit swipe to the new sitting-outside space was still not working. I mentioned it to Rob, the caretaker.
As I got to the lobby door, I handed some nibbles out in the Warden’s holding-cells. And then;
I’d forgotten to take the paperwork for the hospital. Oy Vey! Back to the flat to collect them.
So, with the paperwork this time, the three-wheeler-walker, in high spirits despite the Whoopsiedangleplop, I set off on a mini-hobble to the City Stroke Unit. The weather was grand, the with hopes high as I followed my prearranged route. Well, I started to, but holes in the ground and roadworks forced minor altercations en route.
Down and out of the flats, and tackled the steep gravel hill opposite the apartments, that lead up to the Woodthorpe Grange Park.
A challenging climb today. But this was the only part of the journey that was any bother.
Apart from getting a little lost at the Nottingham City Hospital. So much had been changed building wise, and what I thought would be reference points on my way to the N5 corridor, proved to have been demolished or rebuilt without access. Ah, well!
I hobbled happily along Magnus Road, Edwards Lane, crossing at the pelican-lights on Valley Road Ring Road and walking back to Edwards Lane to continue my journey.
The difficulties in getting by the roadworks added a lot of time to my journey. But, onwards I pressed, still singing away to myself in the sunshine.
I got to the gate, and in passing the flat car park. I couldn’t see any free spaces.
But at this stage, the grey-cells brought forth City Hospital memories, so many of them, and I pondered over them for ages. The building that was at that time used to handle the post-mortem examinations of patients.
- Where I went for a job as Trainee, in preparing the bodies for family visits. I was very young and raw, but remember my not understanding some of the questions they put to me. After this, if I went for a job, I tried to find out as much as possible of the business before I applied anywhere. Amazing how such long-gone events come back to you?
- The building where the did the X-rays and found Duodenal Donald after giving me a barium meal – and forgetting to hand me any chrystals, resulting in two-and-a-half hours on the Throne in agony! That had gone, now part of the Out-Patients new clinics, where I was today!
- Later I passed the Trent Cardiac Centre, who did the heart operation and memories of the Acute Cardiac Recovery room. Where the Morris ward threw me out with an hours warning, at 05:00hrs in the mornings, and I had to call brother-in-law Pete to collect me. NO Ambulances!
- Later I tried to find the Newell Stroke Unit ward, to thank and give the staff a treat I had taken with me. But, no! Every person I asked, didn’t know how to get to it?
The mind-wandering stopped when I realised the buildings that were there last time I went in this gate, had gone! The entrance to the North Corridor, was now a new building altogether, Supplies or something. The way through was so different, with winding narrow roads and areas without footpaths at all! Eventually, I arrived at the halfway and new entrance to the North Corridor. I had to take a long circuitous hobble around a pathway to get the six feet to the doorway, as the six feet were all steep steps!
Finding the Out-patients., was easy enough after the reception, bloke explained it to me. All the way to the end of the centre North passage and I’d find it. On the way, I recognised a corridor, like the one I came out of when calling at the Newell Ward. I tried to locate it, but no luck. It seemed to be a secret.
I returned to the North corridor and soon arrived at the Out-Patients, and asked for Clinic Two. I got there, it was very cramped and narrow. I got sat down as the nurse had indicated I should. She then came for the paperwork. Within a couple of minutes, I was moved down a corridor outside the Doctor S K Raghumathan’s office. I had plenty of time for a go at the crossword book. Not with much success!
I recognised the Doctor’s face straight away as he came out to call me in. Only in there for about 30 minutes. All very low-key stuff, sort of going through the motions. He said he was happy with how things were going, and off I went.
Leaving by the entrance that I’d entered through on the way in. Because I spotted a bus stop as I was going there earlier. Amazingly, a number 40 bus was due to arrive in four-minutes! Good timing, indeed!
I was whisked home, well nearly, I got off on Winchester Street, and walked up to the Winwood Heights complex. That damned seemingly abandoned Mercedes van was still parked there on the pavement! So I had to walk in the road again to get by it. I must try to remember to mention this when I see a policeman… Hahaha!
Whatever am I saying, ‘Me, see a Policeman?’ Hehehe!
As I turned onto Chestnut Way, it looked a sad, lonely place, just one lady with her young one in a pushchair in sight.
The arriving L9 bus passed me on my way back to the flats.
A few of the Winwood Heights resident dismounted, but unfortunately, the ywere long gone by the time I reached them in search of a chinwagging session. I do love a good laugh and natter! And I was in the mood for one! Never mind.
Here’s a snapshot I took of the temporary Nottingham City Homes, Winwood Heights, Generalfeldmarschallesses Warden’s Temporary HQ. Sarcasm & Insult distribution area. Tenants Socialisationistical Meeting hut. Telling Inchcock off Zone. Where things like crockery and pottery get stolen from, Rumourmongering Clinic, and somewhere to rest while waiting for the bus, Portakabin, once stood! Somehow, after two years or so of seeing it when going out on the bus or a hobble, this is a sad sight. Silly soft-old-fool!
I had an amazingly long MESWW (Marathon-Endless-Sprinkling) wee-wee. Surprising, when you consider how thin and water-retention free the legs are at the moment? Puzzled-Mode-Adopted!
Took the afternoon medications, and set about making a quick, cold, easily prepared meal. Tomatoe (salted) and sliced cooked turkey on milk-loaf sarnies, cheese sticks, a marmite cheese disc, beetroots, Poppit salt & vinegar crisps, and some yoghourt flavoured rice cakes. Which (The rice cakes) were a different brand, Kallø, that I got from Asda and cost less than the Lidl ones. I’m not in the least bit surprised, they were hard and tasteless! Eurgh! I wouldn’t even put them in as a raffle prize for anyone! But, I ate all the rest of it. A taste rating, not including the crap rice-cakes, was 7/10.
As I went to get the washing-up done, it seemed someone was having a fire in the distance. Intentional or accidental. I don’t know. There was nothing on te news, so it might have been a garden fire, perhaps.
I got the hand-washing done and hanging to dry.
Got settled in the ancient recliner, and watched some ‘Heartbeat’ episodes on the goggle-box. Needless to say I nodded off. And woke feeling thirsty like crazy. So I went to replenish the bottle of spring water.
I took a decentish photograph of the wonderful looking sky.
I recall having a right dizzy-spell when returning to the front room. All else, memory-wise has gone off into the ether?
And I trod unexpectedly, on a slipper, and slid forward landing on my left knee! The struggle getting back up was almost as absurd, too! Unthinkingly I grabbed hold of the swivel-chair to pull myself upright – and, as the chair, well, swivelled, I ended up back on the floor! Spreadeagled on my back, I was sure I must be lying in the spilt out contents of the bucket. But no! It seems that the GPWWB had not been utilised all night! Genuine laughter was had! Partly encouraged, by my good luck in the bucket not being used, something that does not happen usually! A feeling came to me that things were not so bad, after all. Hehehe! 
I put the kettle on, and then took a photographicalisation of the pins, that were looking good. No bruising on the knee as far as I could see, either. Although it seemed a little more warped again this morning. 
Had an entirely failed go the crossword book en route! Arriving in town, and walked down Queen Street to the most untidy and messy looking slab square. 
I was hobbling well, no Arthur Itis, no Anne Gyna and no Duodenal Donald bothering me at all. I felt a little lonely. Haha! 
I paid at the self-serve till. Put the light stuff in a carrier and hung it on the three-wheeler, the rest in the pathetically tiny shop-bag on the trolley, and set out on m way to photograph some parts of Nottingham City Centre not done before, along with some spot ones. 
I started with a picture of St Peter’s Church in the distance and Wheeler Gate. 
I did a 180° turnaround and took a photographicalisation upwards of St Peter’s tower and clock. Being a shaded area, it did not come out too well, but a smidge moody I thought? 
The Arcade looked nice and clean. Then again, not many people walked on it! This would have done better in Chelsea or somewhere like that, a death knell, in Nottingham for the traders! 
On Cheapside, another closed down store. There were many more, of course. I searched Google to see if I could find the rent being demanded. Wait for it… £75,000 per annum! I make that £1,442 per week! No wonder the retailers are going bankrupt! The end is nigh!
I stripped off again and finished preparing the nosh. 
03:45hrs: What a nightmare that was that I just had! It followed one earlier, about my younger days, with a relative of long ago, in the flat, telling me “Not to bother, failure, pain, and frustration are all that is on the cards for you, youth!” The later one, was a right mixed bag, a ghost or spirit coming out of the clouds and down into the flat, and taking me away with it, up into the sky-shadows and beyond – where a giant underground cave was being used to keep dead souls contained? Lots of other stuff, but this is all that was clear enough for me to remember. Great, I get some much-needed sleep, and it’s filled with nightmares! Lucky or what? Hahaha! 
I took the medications and made a brew. I nipped onto the balcony to take this shot through the finger shredding, rain letting windows that cannot be reached to be cleaned. The blue again view, was lovely. 
I made a start on this blog, as far as here. 
I also got the oven warming ready to use. 
Then off to the wet room, to do the ablutions. The stubbed middle-toe was looking on the mend, so much better now. Of course, as to when the next toe-stubbing will take place, is in the hands and power of Jonah, the Spirit of Whoopsiedangleplops. My Inchcockskian Evil-eyed-habinger, nuncio, and stormy-petrel of bad-luck, accifauxpas, jinx-supplier, and Avant Courier, to decide! 
Plenty of dropsies today, the soap, the sponge, the razor (x3), toothbrush, toilet cleaner bottle, mouthwash bottle, the shower head, olive oil tube, Haemorrhoid cream tube, and the last one, the dang chair I was carrying back into the shower after cleaning up! Bit of good luck there, no injuries at all! Smug-Mode-Engaged!
To the kitchen to check on Josie’s potatoes. Took a picture from the kitchen window, showing the shadow of Woodthorpe Court, cast over the view. 
, and some of them did not work anyway. I certainly cannot here the weak jingle when someone rings. I have eight missed calls for last week alone! 
the spuds out of the oven. But, it was a nice, if hard to hear due to the echo on the line. 
individual lemon cake, and a naughty but oh, so-nice Limoncello dessert.
I washed the empty jars and left them in view, so I might just possibly, see them and remember to take them down to the recycling bin in the morning. Or, not!
I had my potatoes prepped at the same time as Josie’s, and got them in the oven to brown-off. A beef slice, beetroot, mushrooms, garden peas, tomatoes, and some Poppit salt & vinegar crisps with the added potatoes when they were done. 
22:40hrs: Woke up, and nodded-off again. 23:00hrs: Woke up, and nodded-off again. 23:20hrs: Woke up, and nodded-off again.
out into the sink again. I must get to advise one of our pulchritudinous, most highly desirous Oberstleutnantess Wardens of this later. 
I made a start on this post. Then needed to go on CorelDraw to make up some more header and thought graphics. Took me a few hours, but I got them done. 
Marie joined us, and she and Penny went off to catch the 40 bus on Winchester Street. Which left me all alone, and feeling oddly lonely. Sad innit? 
I got off last, on Queen Street, and slowly made my way down the hill and through the slab square to Wheeler Gate and the Poundland shop. Where a successful shopping session took place. With then having many items they had not had in lately, caused this old twit, to come out having bought far too much stuff, and struggling with the three-wheeler and overfull carrier bag full of fodder! I came out with: 2×6 mini-bags of Twiglets. Two Pork Farms pork pies, pedal bin bags, and two bottles of Bleach. A bag of birdseed. Orange club biscuits. A ready-made BLT pack of sarnies. A Kit-Kat Special Edition ‘Ruby’ (to treat the Wardens with). Two cans of BBQ chilli & wedges. Payne’s misshapes chocolate almonds. The self-serve checkout machine red light came on twice, the young lady put it right, but I don’t know what I did wrong. 
I left and made my way to the Slab Square, and took many photographicalisation. I intend to do a post with all the pictures on in the morning, after updating this blog. There are a good few, with a (hopefully witty) comments or two on every shot! 
made my way to the Queen Street bus stop. 
Back home to the apartment, and put away the sillily bought purchases. And got the easy-peasy to make meal prepared. 
He soon had things in hand, but got another call on his mobile, and had to nip into the wet room to find the water cut-off. The trolley and cleaners were in the way, but he soon had them moved.
Would you like to Guess who walked into the corner of one of those same doors?
Yes, Inchcock doing what he does best again! It made me jump a bit! Haha! I nipped into the other room and cleaned up the wound and put some antiseptic cream on it.
I then spotted the letter from the Nottingham City Homes maintenance department.
I am more confused than ever, now. However, the decay with my mind and body deteriorating so fast as it is, this should not be of a surprising nature. Hahaha!
I washed the grey bucket, myself then got the handwashing that was hanging up drying from last night, onto the stand-up airer. I kept jiggling the socks around, as usual, to get them to dry evenly. There’s quite a skill in doing this, I’m getting better all the time. Well, when I remember to do it. Haha! 
0745hrs: As I started to worry about the Morrison order being late, I heard some thunderous metallic clanging noises, as if metal sheets had been dropped somewhere? I had the CCTV on. So as to look for the Morrison driver, Gohar’s (they put the driver’s name on their email) arrival. But searching for the source of the mystery noises, I missed him and heard the intercom – so it was a good thing I was in the hallway at the time. More good luck, I can’t take much more of this! Hahaha! 
I moved the special tomatoes I had left, to a cooler spot for storing. The larger one is an Amaranth (reddish-rose) colour one, which I ate and enjoyed with the nosh.
up. Bacon flavoured Asda (Walmart) chips, crispy smoked streaky bacon, mini-cucumber slices, pork and cheese mini pork pie, slices of apple, tomatoes (including sliced Brandywine Pink), diced beetroot with onion, a Bacon filled brown Stottie, followed by 
A sharp pain was felt in the lower shin area of the right leg, but this did not stop it from trying to dance a Neuropathic Schuhplattler, as I entered the room! The pain continued. A sort of crampish, dull ache with moments of stinging? But, the dancing was all over in seconds. (Phew!) The evacuation replaced other worries. Gawd blimey, an extremely messy and pongy affair! But, there was no bleeding. An awfully long time and a lot of effort were needed in cleaning the porcelain and myself up afterwards! Tsk! 
Then, my spirits, sank a little further…
However, unfortunately, the passing was of the UWBUS (Ultra-Weak-But-Uncontrollable-Sprinkly) version. I think I prefer the power-blast type, at least I know when things are finished. Hence, the first job was to clean and sanitise the bucket and me and change my PP’s. (Disesteem-Mode-Engaged!) 
I retrieved the hemadynamometer from the medical drawer and failed three times to get the machine to operate. Got it to go on the fourth attempt, though, and with fair results again too. Sia 142, Dia 72, Pulse 86. 
I sat still in the chair for ten minutes to recover, but this didn’t work. I assumed lack of food for so long might be part of the cause, and got the fodder cooked prepared and served up. (
I gave up on sleeping. I’ve no idea why, but I got up and went to the balcony, and took a shot of the evening sky through the windows. 
I was filling the kettle when the leg started to burst into one of its dancing routines. As Tim Price put it: “Come on leggies let’s do the locomotion. Then the hokey pokey, and a one-note samba!” Hehehe! It only lasted a few seconds, a minute at most. But what a pickle I got myself into! An excellent blooming job the water was cold, as it spilt onto the floor, via my legs and the left foot. I grabbed the counter as the stick was going along with the leg, and knocked the medication box onto the floor. Which opened up, and I now have several unusable wet tablets to sort out! It could have been a lot worse!
I cleaned up me, and the kitchen, and sorted some morning tablets out, and took them. 
back to the medical drawer. I got a sachet of the Movicol and mixed and downed a cup of it, and took a Senna at the same time. Oh, ‘eck! 
I thought I’d check on Morrison’s to see if they have any of the Special Offer butter in stock yet. 
I had a listen to the others chinwagging for a while. The City-bound L9 arrived, and Marie insisted on my getting on ahead of the others. Guiltily, I did so. But this gesture ensured I got the only semi-comfortable side-saddle seat on the bus. Nice! 
The square looked a right mess. 
As I got to the end of South Parade, a young lady Nottinghamian Pavement Cyclist, all but clouted into me, as she went by me far to close for comfort. 
I got to the bus stop on Queen Street, and soon after Marie and Malcolm from Woodthorpe Court joined me. 
All three of us alighted, crossed over sensibly using the little central island, and made our way back to the flats down the hill. Marie and Malcolm gained speed and left me behind. Hehe! 
I got the food out of the three-wheeled trolley and onto the counter. 
purchases. The BLT sarnie and pork pie had some beetroot, cheeses, apple and tomatoes added to them, while the delicious Asda bacon fried chips were cooking, and boy, were they scrumptious! Apart from the Asda cooked beetroots, that were the consistency of an Australian Buloke tree wood, this was an unalloyed, veritable feast! 
Got the computer on, and checked the emails. An Email from the Nottingham Post Newsdesk informed me of this gigantic breakfast now on sale in a Nottingham restaurant or cafe somewhere. The most copious breakfast that is available in the Midlands it said. I can believe it too! Flipping heck, surely that’s not made for one serving? It looks tempting, though! Haha! 
I had another WYSAO wee-wee, and had a rinse and made another brew. Then took the medications, and got the machine out to do the health checks. The sphygmomanometer worked on the third try. The readings were fine again. But the body temperature was a little low, still, at 34.1°c. I think so anyway, I keep forgetting what it should be, so I might be wrong; it has been known! Hehehe! 
guzzles of the mostly inefficacious, no good to Gundy, Peptac. I did feel a fool! Which, of course, is a regular happening.
While showering, I decided to have a hobble to Arnold. This walk used to take me about one and a quarter hours to complete. (Today, it took me three hours!) 
Down in the lift, with the trolley. No signs of any CIDP bother in the hands, arms or legs. Just the shoulder doing a bit of jiggling about now and then. Things were good! 
I turned left at the top, down the trolley-wheel-grottifying, leaves, seeds, twigs and muddy walk-way. 
So, I cleaned the wheels as best I could. Then set out North. Along Mansfield Road. 
Dizzy Dennis called again to visit me. He stayed a little longer this time. But left me with no after-effects. 
Along by Sainsbury’s and into Arnold. 
Monday!), Sliced apples and a reduce in price triple DVD of The Men in Black.
23:50hrs: I stirred, rather too enthusiastically really, I immediately made a grab for the walking stick, (In need of a wee-wee!) knocking over a bottle of spring water and the Pain-Gel tube, off of the Ottoman! Freed my cumbersome blobby overblown, crassulent stomached and skinny limbed body, out of the £300, c1968, rickety, rinky-dinked, rattling, rusty, second-hand, recliner. I kicked the empty plastic bottle on the way to the EGPWWB (Emergency Grey Plastic Wee-Wee Bucket). The bottle rebounded back as it hit the shelving, and very nearly fell into the bucket! That would have been a right good laugh. But it didn’t. Almost a worthy of printing humorous tale there in the making. Hehehe! 
I had a USUWSS (Ultra-Slow-Uncontrollable-Weak-Sprinkly) wee-wee. No control over anything again, I had to just wait for the end to come. Checking every so often to see if things had stopped flowing yet. Well, flowing is too strong a word, more sort of a scintilla of a trickle. That best describes how things went. Tsk! 
I got the kettle on, took the medications and got the sphygmomanometer from the medical drawer, and did the health checks. 
I washed and got to the computer, and looked up this (to me) wonder-drug. I got this information: Compound Macrogol Oral Powder has electrolytes that help to maintain your body’s normal levels of sodium, potas
Then for a break, I went on the TFZer Facebooking and photo galleries to update. Wat a marathon session that was! I’m tired, drained, feeling hungry (The corn flakes might get attacked next) and happier than I have been for a while. 
them in black bean sauce, for a few hours. Then cook them in the oven. I added a sprinkle of mixed herbs on top of them. An experimental effort that I hope comes out alright. I’ve some freshly-podded garden peas soaking in a saucepan with a spoonful of demerara sugar in the water. A giant potato, to be chopped up and mixed with some cheese, to round off the meal. If I bite them, I’ll have some of the Asda (Walmart) ball bearings as well. Oh, I mean, beetroot. Hehe! But that’s a long way off yet.
Washed the pots, had only the third wee-wee in over eight hours! Every one of them of the newly arrived substandard USUWSS (Ultra-Slow-Uncontrollable-Weak-Sprinkly) 
I got the dinner made up and served. Cheesy potatoes with red Leicester cheese, gherkins, red and yellow tomatoes, rock-hard beetroot, fresh garden peas, and two shoulder steaks with BBQ marinade and mixed herbs.