Monday 18 November 2013

The second half of October

Pressing on from Lydia's Birthday, on the Sunday, having coughed for most of the night, and not wishing to cough through someone's sermon, I stayed at home. I felt quite unwell, but managed to make dinner. I tried an afternoon nap, but kept coughing, husband went off to the evening service, and I phoned both sisters, although I was fairly hoarse through having to use my Qvar inhaler more. I completely forgot to phone Mum in Law, but doubt if my voice would have lasted the hour anyway.
On the Monday I ventured out for the newspaper, but spent most of the day knitting and coughing.On the Tuesday I went out again for the newspaper,and to drop off a prescription request, then came back through the 'village' and along the canal bank. Despite the path being relaid a couple of times there are still mucky patches along there. We'd had a fair amount of rain, but there were still men out fishing. I had another bad night on Tuesday. It all seemed to be coming form my sinuses, so I reckon it was from the cold which I thought I had beaten.
Up late on Wednesday, I skipped WW, and just did the Sainsbury run. I felt like cheering myself up, so asked husband if we could go to the big garden centre on the bypass, have lunch the look for some things I needed. I couldn't get hold of daughter to ask her to join us, but I had totally forgotten Nat's gym class, which is early Wednesday afternoon. We drove over there, and had lunch, and found that a friend from church was also there. I bought a few more plants for my pots, a new orchid and some bulb fibre for my hyacinth bulbs, husband bought a couple of things as well. Their Christmas shop is open, and we admired lots of stuff, but didn't buy anything apart from an advent candle for husband to use. We took everything home, then I nipped up to see daughter and the children.
Thursday was just a walk, calling in at Homebase with husband, they had more Christmas stuff. I made it to Women's hour, but had no book to review as I'd spent so much time knitting. On the Friday, I had plans, but they came to nought as I was knitting frantically, to get the third baby jacket finished. eventually it was done, and I took it up to Daughter's along with a snow suit I had seen in M&S, which I just could not resist. They were going up to see the new baby, but were staying in a Travelodge.
Saturday was flu jabs, Daughter always claimed that she went late and didn't have to queue. So we went late. Ha, the queue snaked down the stairs, out of the door, up the hill and round the car park. What made it worse was that when we eventually got upstairs, people who came up in the lift managed somehow to sidle into the queue ahead of those of us who had patiently queued.
Later we shopped in town, and I found a chap selling two bunches of flowers for a fiver. I bought some, and they lasted as long as the supermarket ones do.
The following Monday I wanted to go to Watford, but we had a parcel to collect, stuff for the dump, and ironing to collect, so first we collected the parcel then off to the dump, then the ironing, then over to Watford. I wanted a medium casserole, having broken the lid of mine, (why can't they sell separate lids?), some pressure cooker seals, and a third item which for now escapes me.
I couldn't find the first 2 items in J L, or Lakeland, eventually found a casserole in Cargo, but when I got home it was the wrong size. I manged to order pressure cooker seals online, but when they arrived they were the wrong sort, so I reordered from elsewhere.
Nothing much exciting happened apart from my routine mammagram,  till the Thursday. I had been rabbiting on about taking some Autumn pics, so husband decided we would go to Coombe Hill for a walk. The leaves are taking their time in falling this year, in fact many hadn't even changed. The promised hurricane had hardly affected us. Coombe hill was always a day out for us when we were young, and the kids were small, and we had no money.
Having walked to the monument, taken lots of pics, and admired the (misty) view, we then drove down to the nearby garden centre, where we had lunch, and bought some new blackcurrant bushes, an advent candle like I had last year, and a couple of small things. Then we drove back to our town and husband dropped me off outside the hairdressers for a much needed cut. asusual we had no trick or treaters. I dislike Halloween.
Friday was spent finishing my pots with bulbs planted underneath pansies, cyclamen and polyanthus.  Hopefully I now need not bother with them till spring. I also walked into town. we did the same on Saturday, having lunch at the pasty shop. It was mild enough to sit outside.
Must pause for a bit but will upload some pics.

looking down

Chequers


An entmoot?

Add caption
Inscription on monument

vale of Aylesbury


Monument to the Boer war




Tuesday 5 November 2013

A first Birthday

So far behind with this blog. The week after we came back I had lots of washing and stuff to do, I had an appointment at the asthma clinic on the Monday morning, so walked down there . My peak flow wasn't too bad, almost hit the preferred figure. We visited the local garden centre, I needed to redo my pots for the winter, so lots of winter flowering pansies, some cyclamen, a few bulbs, and husband bought some stuff too.  I made use of the garden club vouchers I had received. It's strange really, when I was much younger I never saw myself as a gardener, but I do love flowers, and like the garden to look pretty.  I made it to WW, had stayed the same, which is great considering what I had eaten whilst away.
I had a trip to Argos to buy a Birthday present for a special little lady. We visited the grandchildren, lovely to see them after a week away. When we got home on the Saturday, I opened the letter from the GP which requested that I made a routine appointment to discuss my blood test results, When I rang there were no routine appointments, so I had to ring early in the morning for a same day appointment. What it boils down to is that my white cell count is up again, not too high, not sinister, but the Doctor wants to keep an eye on it. It could have been from the cold I'd had, but  have to repeat the test mid November. The thyroid bit was ok, so I'll have to find something else to blame for my current inability to loose weight, and my constantly breaking nails.
By the Saturday, I was feeling a bit unwell, thinking it down to Nathaniel coughing over me. We drove up to see them, and gave Lydia her presents, and gave Nat some fire trucks so he didn't feel left out. Daughter had been busy and made a lovely peter Rabbit cake. Despite taking her first steps at 10 and a half months, Lydia had shown little interest in walking, but that week she had really taken off.
We had bought her a Fisher Price buggy and doll to help her walking confidence, but she was walking well without them.  A whole year since Lydia was born, now where did that go?
We left to do our shopping. As it was a wet day, Daughter and husband took the children to a garden centre which has a cafe, they had a nice lunch, then the children played in the soft play area.
We went back to their home at about 5.30 for a lovely Birthday tea. Daughter had over catered, but it was all delicious, and so was the cake. It was the same recipe as her husband had used to make hers.
Opening the present

Peter rabbit cake

Buggy from Nanna and Grandad

teatime with daddy

Chocolate cake

chocolate face

What's next?
We didn't stay too late, as I was feeling increasingly rough, was coughing, and showing symptoms of sinusitis. I began to wonder if the Vick's first Defence had in fact driven the cold into my sinuses.  I coughed and coughed during the night, didn't get to sleep till after 3 am.