Saturday 18th March 2017

Afrikaans: Saterdag 18 Maart 2017

Awoken with a start around 0230hrs. Sweating shivering and in low spirits. Tried my best to recall the dreams, but other than a vague belief that they were about my schooldays, nothing concrete.

The mind was riddled with concerns over the banking problems and my failure to sort things out This I think, decided me to try and keep busy to avoid them. I chose to get the laundry room duties done straight away. No washing or cleaning just got the glasses, pants and shoes on, picked up the bag of laundry with the everything needed for the task, in it and went down to the ground floor and got them in the machine and going.

To the apartment and got the medication pots for the week done and sorted.

Started on Facebooking for a while before it was time to go down and move the washing out of the washer and into the dryer. Note how well I worked out what needed doing this time?

Hehehe!

0325hrs: Down to the laundry taking the camera with me. Moved the togs and cleaned the washer.

I popped out of the front doors to take a photo of the view across the road, hoping it might come out as a ‘Moody’ type one.

It was warm and wet, and I could hear some of the bird calls, and make out they were different ones, even without my hearing aids in.

Luckily, I’d got the key fob in my jumper pocket to let myself back in with. Phew!

Shot back up to my tiny dwelling called home, and got the computer on, finished the Facebooking session, and got some graphicalisationing started. Must keep the brain from wandering back to the problems!

0425hrs: Back down to collect the things.

Timed it well for once, the Finish sign flashed up as I got in the room. Took a photo for no particular reason, and noticed how oddly shaded it came out? Very nice, but unplanned?

I think I’d moved the selection dial to this icon in mistake, but having no idea what it means didn’t help me solve the mystery. I changed it back to auto and took a photo of the clothing. Okay.

As I unloaded the clothes and folded them ready to go into the bag – I realised how few items there really were there? How, I inquired of my stunted confused brain, did I go five days since the last wash, and only have two pairs of socks, and three underpants in a pile? No towels either, in fact only four jumper-shirt thingamabobs? I was puzzled yet again?

Cleaned the dryer and fluff filter, wiped around and returned back up to the flat. The first task was to respond to the late call to the porcelain for a heavy duty session. Oh dearie me… Haemorrhoid Harry was still bleeding, after a check of things I decided to have a strip wash and put the clothes into the laundry bag after soaking them. Did the teggies and had a shave while they were soaking. Didn’t want to have a shower in case of disturbing the neighbours so early.

Then back onto the porcelain for another session! Blimey! Harry’s internal’s was still leaking.

However, I put some padded protection pants on… Like a giant nappy they are! Hehehe!

I put away the washed items and returned the bag to the other room… and spotted another bag with laundry waiting to be done in it! I did feel a fool (Nothing new there, mind!). I must have started two bags of laundry? Ah well, I’ll see if I can get this lot done in the morning. Tsk!

Computerisationing again. Worked on the diaries off, foolishly starting this one off first, thinking so much has happened already and I’d gone photographing mad too, better get it down now while I remember. This will make remembering the yesterday ending even harder! I’ve confused myself more and more today already, and it’s 0nly 0700hrs!

I could hear the wind getting up outside (Mind you, the wind was starting inside. Hehe!).

I nipped bravely out onto the balcony to take a shot from a different angle. Facing North (To the right of the flat).

The wind and rain had soaked me within seconds. It was that dead thin and small drops rain that catches you out innit?

I then went into the kitchen to take a picture while hanging out of the window, of the view below. Catching my head against the frame and knocking the hearing aid at the same time. The tubing came out and I tried to catch it – fumbling and trying not to drop the camera, I dropped the tubing…

Went down the lift and outside, but could not see it anywhere, despite my determination and getting blown about by the wind and soaked in the rain, again! Made it worse cause I went down like a clot, wearing the slippers! It probably got blew away in the wind. So, if anyone in France, Germany, Holland, Russia or America see a plastic hearing aid tube landing anywhere nearby, it’ll probably be mine. Hope some bird doesn’t mistake it for a worm?

Back up to 72 and into the wetroom to dry myself off, swap slippers and have a change of clothes. Tsk!

I’m fed-up with today already! Still, it’s bound to improve innit?…. Innit?

Pressed on with the diaries again. Then answered some nice comments on WordPress, and got ready to walk down to the shops for some bread and fruit… not any cream cakes of course, though, oh no… Ahem!

Dressed, a spray of deodorant, long distance glasses on, hearing aid inserted, normal underwear on, hat on, bag ready and off I set.

Down Winchester Street hill first and to the continental shop for a loaf of their delicious bread – but they had some of the belly pork with herbs and peppers on display, and I weakened. Shame number One!

Up the hill to the greengrocery shop and bought just one potato – I say one potato… look how big it was when I got it into my full sized oven cooking later. Ginormous! It’ll probably take two days to bake and last me a week!

Then the simple task of walking passed the cake shop and not looking in the window display… which I failed (Shame number Two!). Two Fresh Cream Buns with strawberry jam inside and vanilla icing on top. Of course,  I would never have been tempted or interested in buying such unhealthy foodstuffs normally. It’s just that I thought Olive would like one.

Carried on up and over the hill and right up through Woodthorpe Grange Park.

A few yards up the path, and I espied a rather beautiful lone wood pigeon on the grass. I got out the camera, convinced with my luck he’she would have flown away by the time I

got it out, but was lucky and took several pictures before it did fly away. It seemed to me, a bit like a search for twigs for the nest was taking place? Bootiful!

Up to the top of the path to turn tight down the gravel path passing the copse, when I realised how kind Arthur Itis and Anne Gyna were being to me. When I got to the Copse, I took a photograph showing the flats and the edge of the trees. I wondered if this one would do for Maries Nature Challenge Photo on her Facebook page.

Down the rest of the path, and met 93-yeat-old tenant Eddy coming up the path, and a lot faster than I can get up it! He was feeding the crows.

Up into the flat, and I got the giant potato into the oven and took a piccy of the other stuff for you slaver over. Hehe! The belly pork looked and smelt so irresistibly tempting. I’ll have it for nosh tonight with some cheesy mashed then baked potatoes.

That is if the mega-spud ever cooks. Haha!

I’d like to have some garden peas with them, but fear another battle with the exasperating little vegetables. Hehe!

Made a mug of tea, and for some reason thought I’d hand-washed two shrunken kippah style caps. I must remember to keep turning them over.

Did them in warm water and used washing-up liquid. So I did.

Also washed out the cleaning cloths afterwards.

Rang them out best I could, and put them on the towel warmer in the hallway. It will take ages for the thick caps to dry ready for use again, but I have some others in the airing cupboard.

Going to see Olive in a bit, I’ve to call first to see if it is okay, mind. Hope she wants the cake, I know she likes these ones, ’cause last when I took her one and told her it was a cream iced scone (Thinking that was what they were called), and she told me off for getting the wrong ones. Luckily her grandson was due to visit and I left it in her fridge for him. She had a look later and realised it was the one she loves so much and ate it up. So now I know they are called Iced Cream Buns!

Got the computer going and did some diary updating, then awhile on Facebook.

Oh, nearly forgot I took this one in Sherwood near the top of the hill.

Very sad place Sherwood for shopping.Three

Three stores have closed down this month. One of them a large supermarket, Budgens.

Of the other two, one I think was a ladies hairdresser the other a sadly failed florist.

Looking at this photo: It is Saturday and around 1130hrs, not many folks about is there? Too many shops, not enough people. However, the regular Big Issue Seller was in attendance and there were some stalls forming a Farmers Market, I felt sorry for them, no customers there while I was in the vicinity. Sad.

Went to see Olive, remembering to take the Cream Iced Strawberry bun.

She looked and sounded to be in good form. Even told me off, just the once mind. We had a jolly chinwag and laugh. She is still waiting for the date for her operation and has organised the after-op help she’ll need. Assistance for dressing and bathing lady all sorted. She’s even filled her freezer with ready meals to save hassle and walking/standing afterwards too. She’s been shopping for these this morning with her grandson, Malcolm. An amazing woman, no wonder I admire and love her so.

Best moment of my day when she smiled when she saw the cream cake.

Back to the flat and got the giant potato out of the oven and halved it ready to scrape out the flesh into the bowl and mix it with cheese…

This is not a photo of the actual potato, but one I found on the web that resembled it the closest. Oh, gnashfumbleandammit! A large area of pure white, what looked and felt like soft plastic was around the dark area.

I removed the infected flesh and used the rest of it. A good bashing and mixing with some extra strong cheddar cheese, and out it in the oven with the potato spread wide and thin, which made it look like a lot more than it was. Turned the oven up high and did some Facebooking with the TFZers. Added the sausages later.

So, it turned out fortunate that the lady gave me such a whopping potato, didn’t it? Hehe!

The weather turned a bit nasty, high winds and rain.

Popped in to use the WC, and found that Little Inchy had been bleeding again.Got the ablutions done and the meal prepared.

Getting fed up with this leaking blood lark. I’ll have to get some more of the extra large PCP’s, (Protective Comfort Pants) and they are not cheap.

Ah, just realised why I had so few underpants to wash now – I’d been wearing the throw-away PCPs! If it isn’t Little Inchy its Haemorrhoid Harold bleeding lately. Tsk!

Served up the meal. Pleased with how the potatoes had browned off, the thin chipolatas were tasty, as was the beetroot, pickled mushrooms, siverskin onions, and best of all the garden peas – I put some demerara sugar in the saucepan with them when I warmed them up. 

The naughty cream cake was a pleasurable indulgence again, but I managed to drop the banana, got out of the £300 second-hand rickety recliner to retrieve it… and trod on it! I thought I’d cleaned it all up… more, later.

Put the washing in the sink to soak, checked the bobble hats on the towel dryer; they were still wet? then got the Boon DVD on to watch. Which went well staying awake-wise. Turned to the TV to watch the football on channel five. 

To the Porcelain room, and checked Little Inchy and Haemorrhoid Harold, both of which seemed to have steadied up and indeed neither was bleeding at the time. Got the PCPs off and returned to settle down and watch the end of the football, this is when I realised I had not got all of the banana up off of the carpet. Clouted my elbow as I tumble slipping on the tiniest blob of squashed banana.

If this diary was to made into a book (Comedy of course), folks reading it would think something like; Rubbish!, No one can have such bad luck! or maybe, Utter Tosh, don’t believe it!

Anne Gyna stopped me getting any sleep much, or rather getting off to sleep for hours, the latest I’ve been in getting the head down for months.

And yet, I don’t remember being concerned in the slightest about this?