random ramblings: and a lazy Saturday to follow

It's not been such a sunny week this week, lots more grey skies, and even a drop of rain. It's lovely today again but there is a cold wind, having to dress in layers at the moment.
It has also been a fairly quiet week as to what I have been doing. Gripe of the week is about BT. I have been missing calls at around the same time every day for a while. All the same number, but no message left just a beeping from the answering machine. One day last week, I rang this number, only to get a recorded message from BT. Husband also received a call from them, one evening whilst we were watching a DVD of the TV programme Coast, which we really enjoy, ( apart from the obviously evolutionary bias of the programme). Husband said 'If you want to interest me in it put it in writing'
On Friday just before he was due home I got a call, 'could I speak to Mr Y?' Me. 'No he is not here?' Well are you Mrs Y?' me 'Yes'. 'well have you heard about our new faster Broadband which has been launched?'.
Me 'Yes we have heard about it, you never stop ringing us about it and you sometimes write to us as well'. Caller, 'When would it be convenient to speak to Mr Y?' ' Me, 'I would suggest that you don't call him, he is fed up with getting your calls, and still has not made up his mind.' Caller, 'Oh well I'll put him down as not interested then' What is up with these people?. don't they have an 'I'd like to think about it' option. Some people do take a while to make up their minds and constant pestering just makes heels dig in.
Some of my time has been taken up with walking into town to transfer money to pay for our annual holiday, and a trip to North Wales (cottage rental). One morning I got a £2 Tesco voucher so walked up there for a few items instead of my usual Sainsbury's. I also checked on husband's health insurance cover, and made an appointment with the shoulder specialist at the private hospital in Harpenden.
In the past I have been criticised for using Private treatment, the usual protest being, 'You are taking an appointment an NHS patient could have had'. My reply to this is 'Well no actually, I am freeing up an NHS appointment. The specialist would not be working for the NHS on that day, and by seeing him privately I am not taking an NHS appointment'
Daughter and Son in Law and baby were away at 'Word Alive' In Pwllelli ,(Haven), where they met up with Son and Daughter in Law. They arrived home after a long tiring journey at around 5pm on Friday. It's never good to hit the M6 at lunchtime on a Friday. Daughter rang me and during the conversation mentioned that Baby Nathaniel wasn't too good, he had a hacking cough, and a yellow discharge in his eyes. I said 'That needs to be seen to, it sounds like conjunctivitis'. So her husband went off to do the shopping whilst she took him to the 'urgent care centre' Later she rang me to say he had been diagnosed with tonsilitis and conjunctivitis. Apparently he had been in a creche with lots of other babies so his Mum could go to the morning sessions with his Dad. They had also used a crowded swimming pool.The Doctor also told her to be wary for signs of chickenpox.
They were due to attend a wedding on Saturday, but wouldn't be able to take baby, so I volunteered our services.By Saturday morning she still wasn't sure, but then decided we could babysit. So we made our visit to town for shopping twice as quick as usual, bought a M&S £10 meal to save time in the evening, and armed ourselves with M&S sandwiches for lunch. Husband dropped me off at Daughter's, brought the shopping home, then came back armed with his laptop and my camera. I had the newspapers, but didn't get much reading done. in fact baby fell asleep on me within minutes of my arrival. I sensed that he needed comfort, so didn't attempt to put him in his cot. He woke up quite bright, but soon became grizzly, so I administered Calpol. He fell back to sleep, but he woke up as I was trying to drop his eye drops in. Just as well as I then had to give him Amoxil. He seemed to prefer the banana flavour of that, to the strawberry Calpol.
The afternoon continued with him varying between being asleep on me or awake and slightly brighter, but after a while putting his head down as if to say, 'I'd love to but I can't manage.' he had some water, and then some formula, but that seemed to make him cough. The Dr had said his chest was clear, so it must have been in his throat.
His Mum and Dad came back at about 6pm, we'd had one slightly anxious phone call, from Daughter, but what made it worse was I couldn't find my ringing phone, it woke Baby, then I had to put him down to look for phone which promptly stopped ringing, so by the time she got through on husband's phone baby was in full yelling mode. She seemed to be reassured though.
Baby woke up a few minutes after they arrived , and was evidently pleased to see his Mum. he was passed over for a comfort feed, then sat babbling, 'Da dad da, Bababa, mmm ooh!' grinning away. However this didn't last long, and he soon settled down on his Mum for another snooze. Poor little mite, he was trying so hard to be his usual self. We came home at about 7, and I was so glad of the M&S quick cook meal. we even had tiramisu as an after.
We had done none of the planned tasks for the day, but at least they got to enjoy the wedding, well apart from Daughter worrying, they also discovered a child with whom they had had some contact had come down with chickenpox. Hey ho! more anxious waiting. A member of my extended family has had her 2 down with it, one is 5 the other 9months or so. I don't think it is too serious in babies and better to get it over with than wait til you are 15, and 24 to catch it as mine did!
Meanwhile there are 2 Bank Holiday weekends coming up with hopefully lots if time to catch up on jobs. We will not be watching the royal Wedding as we have no TV licence we wish them well of course, but are already a little jaded by the overkill. they are the Darlings of the press at the moment, but how long before the same press will start to point out any imagined flaws or cracks in the relationship? I would not court celebrity.
One thing we did forget was to buy a replacement security light for our back garden. It has been on 24/7 for the past week, we tried cleaning it up, but the sensor has obviously gone. Oh well it hopefully will keep would be intruders away. Time for a pre church cuppa I think