Today I have been mainly Vol. 6

Galen I'm off on holiday for a week too, but the forecast for the part of Cornwall I'll be in is rain, rain, rain, sunshine, rain, rain, rain! I'm glad it's basically a watersports holiday for the (grown up) kids so that, hopefully, they don't notice the rain so much. Not sure what the three year old grandson is going to be doing in the rain though - lots of rockpooling for sure; I'll have to be inventive.

The forecast for Norway and Iceland ain't great either. But I'll enjoy the lovely food etc on Queen Victoria!(for heavens sake, don't let glass know)

I had fillings on both sides today at the dentist with the result that my mouth was completely 'frozen'. When my friend and I went to lunch, I had to ask for a straw so as not to have my lime and soda down my front - and I kept having the uneasy feeling that I was eating a bit of my lip as well as chunks of salmon. Turns out I wasn't, though I was evidently biting it!

I bet you won't do that again anno

Ooh anno I can sympathise. I think the anaesthetic only wore off completely during the night, 36 hours after the event, as today I am suffering considerable 'discomfort' and have hamster features on one side

Ella, you'd probably lose that bet. I never learn from experience!
Gally, your dentist must have an even more ferocious anaesthetic than mine has!

Today I`ve been saying farewell to a flippin` tooth that`s been loose, very loose, for over a year, not hurting, just a blooming inconvenience if I inadvertently bit with it, cos then it DID hurt. Anyway, this morning I accidentally caught it with my tooth brush, and it actually came out. HOORAY!!

Just getting ready to go and see The Audience with Helen Mirren. It's at the cinema, but it's streamed live from the theatre in London.
Really looking forward to seeing it, and my friend is treating me for my birthday

Enjoy Ella

Today, I have mainly been looking at yet more Nursing Homes but, today, we found one. It costs a fortune but, when Mum's money is gone, the 'top-up' is only £35!! Something amiss there, methinks, but I'm beyond worrying about the ethical side of nursing homes and am happy we've found one that seems good

And, met my two best friends for a cup of tea. I've mentioned one of them who has (Non) Hodgkins Lymphoma (I can never remember which but her son had the other one ten years ago ) who has recovered from an appalling reaction to the steroids she was given during her first chemo. They have had to delay the next (different) lot of chemo until she is properly recovered. She has had a very worrying time and it was great both to see her looking so well and to have a good gossip.

In amongst everything else, I had my hair done and then got drenched leaping in and out of the car to look at Homes [cross]

Italian omelette, chips and next!

Enjoy your birthday treat Ella

Happy Birthday, Ella and have a lovely evening!

Happy birthday, Ella! Have a lovely evening.

Happy Birthday Ella.

Ella xx

Sorry this is a few hoirthday, Ella. Cheers! x x

I meant 'birthday' and I haven't had even one - honestly!

Happy Birthday Ella!

Happy Birthday Ella

Thank you all, we really enjoyed the play, it was quite funny and Helen M was extremely good.

Happy belated birthday ella cupcake]

I went the 14mile return journey to do my shopping twice this morning. The second time was with my handbag and purse.

This morning was the first time in 12 days I have not been woken up in the early hours with my arms aching horribly. GP still trying to find the cause. My first concern was this might be Polymyalgia but blood tests showed normal results on that. GP is now suspecting Vitamin D deficiency. I had that but not the pain last year and took industrial doses of Vit D then. My consultant endocrinologist has recently done tests for that, following my parathyroid surgery but the results are not yet on my GP computer records.

The pain medication my GP gave me last Tuesday takes time to get working. The in- pack information leaflet never said this. I had a dreadful night on Tuesday and Wednesday as I stopped the paracetamol /co-codamol combination to take the Gabapentin. It did no good and I was awake and aching most of the time.
Next morning I Googled an NHS hosp leaflet which advised “continuing existing pain medication while the Gabapentin kicks in.” Why did they not put that on the drug information leaflet in with my pills? I also had to trawl loads of websites to find out how long it takes to work and how long it remains in the body.

I have also now read a learned “pub med” article to confirm to myself that my GP’s theory that Vitamin D deficiency can lead to this sort of pain. I do not trust the information given by the purveyors of food supplements etc. I am fed up of aching and I have felt like S**t all week. I am just hoping this medication will help.

Well known fact Nellie gp should have told you!

I'm packed! but can't find my swimming cap?

Some people need a big {{hug}} - for tooth problems/aching joints/ stress/ and inability to find swimming cap. Consider it given {{}}
Today I have been mainly....? Well 2 hours invigilation this morning, a quick hoover and tidy in case friends we were lunching with came back foir a cuppa, fantastic lunch in a local pub where the owner's son is a takented chef and the set menu is (wait for it) (whisper) £8 !!! I am not telling you what it is called or where it is, as it is hard enough to get a table these days Sure enough they came back for a cup of tea after lunch (well 4.30 ish) so glad of the tidy and clearing of dog poos as they also wanted to look round the garden!! How did I find the time to go out to work

Galen You will need your swimming hat if you go to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. The water is full of silica particles and smells sulphurous.

I went on a Geology tour in a very cold March. For our lunches we would quite often go to one of many excellent petrol station cafe's for lunch and get a superb bowl of soup with hunks of this amazing bread. I have never tasted such lovely bread before or since. You must try some.

Enjoy the experience. for you.