Good Evening Kitchen lovelies.
What a little cracker that child is, Susan. And you - very brave it seems. Hope that Two Go Mad in Shrewsbury took place very shortly after leaving the torture chamber. ?
My DH had a superb job done on a broken tooth, beginning of last week. I sat in fascination as it was etched - well assuming it was something like that - treated to some sort of light show, polished to perfection. Another one had similar treatment. Do you grind your teeth in your sleep, she said? Occasionally, was the response. Well, that's true. He was told to be careful to avoid needing a crown. We drove home with some smart new repairs. Two mornings later he was sitting in the garden with a cup of coffee and, I kid you not, reported to me that he found himself grinding his teeth. A new tooth was no more. Now he has 3 appointments for a crown fitting and wallets will be lighter very soon.
Today - after the weather holding all night and no rain appearing - started badly. My 16 year old Paxo cat went out late evening. That's unusual but she never ever goes anywhere and will appear when we call if she's outside. I went to bed, no cat. Silence. Looked in bedrooms, known hidey places (like the tumble drier) and the garage. Silence. Called her around the garden. Silence. Put aside the thought, refused to get anxious This morning I greeted DH with hopeful smiles to be told that the cat had NOT been seen. I felt quite sick. Nothing could convince me that such a creature of habit could just disappear without trace. We are not surrounded by traffic but where on earth could she be. I sat in bed and drank my tea. In some distant part of my hearing I optimistically thought I heard a wail. Just one. About 5 minutes later I heard another. Diving out of the bedroom doors into the courtyard I went into the garage because there you can get into a roof space and crawl right around the house, or go underneath the floor through an opening where all the house plumbing is. Travel (for a very small plumber) is then possible right under the house. I wondered if that's why I could hear a cat. I went into the garage and she was sitting on the Scooter. Makes a change, sometimes she sits in the Kayak. - just because she can. Last night she wasn't anywhere like that and ignored me when I was calling. The Minx ate a very large breakfast and then went sound asleep in a deckchair on a cushion. They have such a hard life, our cats. I was positively giddy with relief all day. She'd better not be in regular contact with Miss Sweetie Pie Fern ?⬛.......
Later we drove to see the Rheumatologist. No hospital involved, this was in his private rooms (which is normal in France). I window shopped until I was too hot and I sat in a single large chair - one of many fastened up and down this particular street outside shops, under trees and all in the shade The wind was quite strong and it was lovely to people watch in 30 degrees.
An interesting time was spent by DH who was having his very painful and swollen knee examined. Lots of x-rays taken. He was told by the Doctor that it is Arthritis which has flared up due to all the mighty work having been done retiling our pool! It needs to be rested but first it needed to be drained. This was done. DH asked if it would require some pain relief. No. Will it hurt. No, said the Doctor, "but I can always make an exception for an Englishman". Strangely that made DH feel relaxed and confident. ? It didn't hurt, but with that much fluid he was told it would have continued to be very painful unless drained. He was then given a steroid injection and told not to move about much for a couple of days. Then, strangely, he was told to go into the Pharmacy next door and buy another steroid injection but leave it there! He understood the French but was unfamiliar with the concept - which was very clever. The idea was that he paid the Pharmacist for a steroid injection which the Doctor or his Nurse would pick up (with others) at the end of the day. This meant they always had a supply available to use without needing to go out of the clinic and collect! Useful if you're busy.
He doesn't need to go back, so as long as he's a good patient it's hopeful that he will rid himself of this very annoying painful joint very soon. Here's hoping.
All that running around with small children is exhausting, isn't it Grans. I'm sure the right level of fitness for that cannot be attained after the age of about 13 - unless we properly train for it. They move faster than the speed of light and are never in the same place that they were 2 minutes ago. It's always worse, of course, because they're not ours and therefore the responsibility is much greater.
Are you suggesting that I am rather fond of a drink, young Doodle? The very idea. Seriously, I am rather hoping that the same nice Doctor will tell me at my appointment in a couple of weeks that it IS Gout, because at least I know I will be able to get some treatment for it. Other forms of Arthritis are often so much more difficult to treat. But hand on heart, I couldn't admit to it being the alcohol intake, because I don't drink enough. A G&T enjoyed before supper, maybe a couple of times a week. A Tonic without the G sometimes. A glass of wine sometimes with my supper and in the colder weather, I quite like a Baileys beforehand instead. So, it's all a bit tame really. I love a glass but much more than that now and I rather wish I'd not drunk it. There are lots of reasons for Gout, of course and the alcohol diagnosis is normally more common when people drink a lot of beer. Reading this back, it does rather look as if I am protesting too much!! Well, I'm not. It's all true. I love a drink but it doesn't like me as much as it should, so I tend to limit it all.
Lovely French stories of storms. They are pretty spectacular here, it has be said. And it's true that so many birds and animals can pick up on the change in atmospheric pressure and get excited or very stressed well before the storm arrives. Think that's why lots of people get headaches when the weather is stormy. Our current dogs are not happy thunderers! When we had a gorgeous Border Collie and an even more gorgeous Bleu de Gascogne/ Griffon cross, they used to sit on my feet. Actually on each foot so that I was trapped. They would then shake and pant until the storm passed. Now we tend to keep the shutters closed, put on lots of lights and play quite loud music. A terrible din but it does help. So apparently do those little Thunder vests which velcro around your dog in a firm hug and make them feel more secure. Not tried it but a friend reports success with her small dog.
If it's Itchy and Scratchy in your house still, Jax, don't you think you should return those poor little dogs to Simon Cowell - or are you hoping for a massive reward? Not sure that dog knapping gets rewarded but his Yorkshire terriers have those names and I expect he'd like them back, asap please.
Fennel are you one of the Grans who has been waiting a lifetime to see your GC's and family again? Just wishing hard that this happens soon for you, if that's so. For all of us, we'll never get our time back again, but when small children who are growing like weeds on another continent are involved, it's doubly sad. Don't give up hope - it'll happen soon. ?
So glad your lovely painting is complete, soop. What a trouper you are to carry on and get that as you want it when, I expect, you are driven to the edge by the dreaded D.Bot situation. I think there's hope there and you may just be very surprised once you've had your referral. In the meantime, please get enough rest and take special care of yourself.
Nighty night all
Tomorrow's another day and we need to make it a good one.
xx