Good morning Mick and all GN's on a grey dull slightly windy morning in North Yorkshire. There has been some rain last night but very little, not enough to do any good in the garden. I have my own rain gauge - the yellow peril. It has to stand outside near my door, the only place it will fit, so I have a waterproof cover over it. The cover over the basket in the front tends to dip and collect the rain water, so have my own little gauge with that.
Well I am hoping and trusting that today will NOT be a repeat of yesterdays frustration annoyance and shame!! All my plans for the day were put into total disarray. Struggled to even get up, was in a lot of pain and there was no way of easing it . Whatever I did it hurt. So knowing that I couldnt do much physically until some pain killers managed to take the edge off, I elected to shove some washing in the machine and then the intention was to catch up with much neglected paperwork and get up to date with info, pass my whats on to the womens group etc. So put washing in, but instead of my normal way of washing up and tidying up and making bed etc I just left it all in a slutty mess, made some coffee and sat down to get cracking. Huh! The wretched laptop would not work properly, but didnt totally stop but intermittently went off, wouldnt do what I was trying to do and in general really infuriated me as I was already on a short straw from the start of the day. I tried various things and one time it would work and then the next time it would not. So I ended up ringing Upfront and managed to get an appointment to see the techy genius at 1210. So that was another plan gone west. I needed to renew my prescription, and had a note from the surgery asking me to make an appointment re diabetes. Hunted high and low and could not find my prescription anywhere. I usually put it in a particular place and stupidly kept looking back there expecting it to suddenly become visible. Everywhere was in a total mess and I was feeling really annoyed and uptight. Was wearing my old trousers and top to do round the flat with my clean trousers and top ready to put on to go out. Then there was a knock on the door. I wasnt expecting anyone and thought it could be a neighbour about something.
Looked at the smartly dressed young woman, vaguely recognised her face but that was all. She had a folder with her and smiled and said Good Morning. I just looked at her and then said Can I help you? She said she had come for the meeting and hadnt I received the appointment.? No I flipping had not!! So I had to invite her into the tip, and wasnt prepared and hadnt got my questions and information ready. I looked a mess and felt very ashamed to let her into the mess.
She was very pleasant and insisted it didnt matter etc etc., but I felt humiliated and upset and wanted to say to her that I didnt live in this sort of mess all the time, but anyway we sorted some of the things I needed to speak about. She was from my surgery and I then felt she will be going back there saying poor old soul isnt coping etc etc. She left, and then I hadnt time to put the washing out, nor find the prescription etc as it was nearly time for appointment re laptop. So a hurried wash and changed into decent clothes. Stress level extremely high, had a job finding anywhere to park and carting things did not improve the pain threshold.
When I got to see Archie and unloaded the laptop and set it up with my keypad etc firstly it wouldnt go wrong!! Felt like sorting it out once and for all by slinging it through a window. However , hurray it then went wrong, and I was cheered by the fact that Archie had problems with it too and couldnt seem to sort it. Well that was cheering to me and stopped me thinking I was becoming useless etc. In the end after much hassle and of course the internet went off twice during all this , it turned out to be an intermittent fault with the mouse!!
I tottered out of there in urgent need of a coffee, and went to cafe nero for a much needed coffee and treated myself to an apricot croissant . They are shrinking I see, in size , yet the price remains the same, but the ladies there know me well and it was the last one and she heated it up for me and so it was a delicious treat and let me sit and calm down, search all through my bags and pockets to confirm that the missing prescription was nowhere to be found and accept that I would have to leave it until later. Then had to go to Tesco, where I was not able to get a variety of things I wanted and then home.
I was due to go to the games night at the pub and so just did a few bits and the washing still didnt get put out so altogether a rubbish day, added to by the fact that the post had arrived whilst I was out and it included the letter informing me that this lady would be visiting me which had been posted on august 12th and is a local letter!!!! It was actually a very good job I went to the games as it gave me something to use my brain for , that didnt include feeling furious. As part of the game you are trying to make things difficult for other players, and I was definitely on form last night and foiled several plans of other people.!! I can imagine people arranging to have important chess or games match ringing up to rearrange the date for one where they had been really annoyed to be able to put all that effort into the game.
So thank goodness it is another day. The wind has picked up a little and so once I feel up to moving around a bit, I shall be going up on the trustworthy yellow peril to hang out the washing , have already got all the rubbish out for the bin men to collect, so then I plan to wash up and leave the kitchen tidy and will get ready and go to the surgery to sort out about the diabetic meeting time and have to speak to someone re my prescription as usually I put in the repeat one and have to put it in a week before I need it.
So today is going to be a day of sorting things out , and as my back is not good I dare not attempt to plant anything but am going to hopefully go through lots of books, rejigging my bookshelves in the bedroom, and elsewhere and at least tidying up books which were rather slung on the little settee when I needed the strong bag there were in to go out. Another part of the shambles!! I am going to leave a note for the lady to tell her that the information on arrived that afternoon because they need to know how flipping useless the post office is. If I actually see her , I shall feel like kidnapping her and bringing her back here to prove that I do not normally live in a total tip!! Another thing today is to start plotting which council meetings or councillors surgeries I shall be going to to carry on my mission to improve the roads and paths round here. A useful way to let off steam - but politely of course!! So I would say from a number out of ten for stress levels yesterday was 15!! Good job no one was taking my blood pressure yesterday. Today it has gone down to perhaps 7 and by the time I have sorted out prescriptions etc etc and done a bit more catching up I shall be in a calm fit state to go to play whist tonight . That is a real pleasure on several levels now. Living alone, there are plenty of things I enjoy in particular to be able to listen to my Bach without any interruptions, leave books whereever and know they will not be moved by anyone etc etc, but I do miss things like cards and games that we used to play. When my husband wasnt very well and couldnt move around much, we would sit on miserable afternoons, playing dominos or whist or whatever, with the radio on and some decent coffee. It was pleasurable in itself, cost nothing, and helped him to feel he was doing something he wanted to do, rather than thinking hewas just stuck, unable to do much. The whist drive is my once a week trip to this little village, and I enjoy the company as much as the game and always feel I return home in better spirits than when I went. Although of course, I miss that coming in to tell him how it went etc.
Mick , I am pleased you are feeling a little better, and think that it might be a good thing you have to wait in for the delivery and take it easy.grandMattie, hope your people come early and leave you with a bit of time to yourself. Hope Iris enjoys her RDA event. I used to teach at a riding school and very involved in all sort of stuff, dressage , three day events, gymkanas etc and still follow a lot about horses and enjoy seeing how much pleasure the children get from their ponies at the shows. Sallyforth hope you have a good lunch and enjoy the trip out. Commisserations about waking early. I know how that feels. They do miss that when the fairy godmother gives three wishes in stories. Oh to have the wish granted to be able to sleep when you needed to ! My lucky husband obviously had been granted that wish, as he could go to sleep whenever he wanted. I was very envious of the ability and used to ask him what he did to get to sleep but he could never explain in a way that helped me, alas.
Well I hope today is a good day for everyone and look forward to reading all your posts . This cooler weather does let us all do some things we have put off in the heat so good luck catching up with jobs and award yourselves a cup of coffee for all your efforts.
