Hard Facts Community

Sorry to learn that about your brother, Eccs; I hope it all turns out well for him - and for you, of course, you can't help but be worried about him. Meanwhile - without tempting fate, I hope - I would like to report that the Lord Midge and his mother the Lady Mina both are in Rude Health.

And New Forest DC electoral services confirmed by email today that I now have a postal vote for the next 3 years. That's good going, I posted the form only yesterday on my way to the Coppice Road bus stop to catch the bus into Southampton. This was my first shopping trip to Southampton since my blackout and it went OK; I got what I wanted in M&S for my Portugal trip, and then went home. It is very convenient having a bus that stops at West Quay where M&S and John Lewis are, and loads of other shops in the West Quay complex as well.

Thanks OC

I had a good day today. My diuretic prescription was at the pharmacy, and I bought some packets of Fisherman's Friend as well as they are made in Fleetwood. Then I went to the Totton surgery to have my B12 jab. The nurse saw me early and took my BP (140s/80s I can't remember the exact figures) which reassured me that I am using my own BP monitor properly. She also weighed me and I was 93 kg; I was 93.5 kg last time so that's another pound off and I am 14 st 9 lb in old money. She also saw that I should give a blood sample at some point so she took it then and there. So that was all right.

I then wandered off to Cafe Elsabel to see what they had to offer for lunch, and ordered what turned out to be a very comforting and big gammon steak with chips, fried egg and peas. I still had a little space left when I had eaten those goodies, so I had a cappuccino and a slice of layered bilberry cake to finish. Altogether I left £20 behind but I really enjoyed that simple fare. i shall be at least a fortnightly regular because I like the look of everything on their main meal menu and I want to eat my way through it.

Then off to the Forest Gate surgery to see Dr Hill. I'm really not quite sure why she wanted to see me, because she confirmed everything that I thought I understood about all this little health setback. However, I am now reassured I'm doing the right things so the meeting was useful for me. It turned out that the blood sample was a bit early because she wanted it after I had been on the diuretic for a fortnight to make sure it wasn't doing my kidneys in and a few other things. So I shall start taking it tomorrow and I shall phone the surgery next week to make the blood test appointment for when I get back from Portugal.

I am becoming extremely stupid. I have been using an old keyboard with my computer because the proper one packed up and wouldn't work, even though I put in some new batteries.

Today, just to see, I put in 2 more new batteries (much newer than the others) and....................the damn thing worked. so it's back to using a keyboard where I can read all the keys instead of having to guess sometimes.

A positive outcome is always welcome.

Oh Eccles, I'm sorry about your brother's health scare and I really hope it all turns out manageable.

As you say, bad health news seems to be everywhere!

I love the sound of Cafe Elsabel. I too like simple fare with lots of options. If we do Dobbie's lunch again I'm going to try the Steak and Ale pie with mash and peas. I saw someone else having it and it looked nice.

ASDA do a lovely gammon with maple and honey glaze, £4. I do it in the airfryer for about 20-25 mins. We polish it off in one go, with mash and peas.

Chat was nice on Friday - it was lovely! - but we were thin on the ground. I hope my Furby and Eccles can come back to chat when they feel up to it. We miss you.

Here's our girls, at sunset tonight. The poorly hoof is much better. We've changed the poultice every day this week. The evenings are so much lighter already - this was taken at about 6.30 tonight. I shall definitely be able to start my evening walks after the clock change next weekend. And I need to, lol

I don't understand why OC is stupid because his keyboard didn't work. Is there a missing detail to that story. I still use old wired keyboard for computer and tablets have stupid popup keyboards which is still my most hated thing about otherwise convenient tablets. Are you expected to just keep trying more and more batteries until find some that a modern keyboard likes.

It does seem everyone is sick. Conspiracy theories are that the vaccines are causing it but that won't explain the ponies. I get up at 5am these days so have usually nodded off by 9pm and even missed Corrie at 8pm a few times. Most times Corrie records for me unless there is football because my new recording box doesnt intelligently change its own times the old one did and I miss that function. Still remember in 2001 buying a freeview box when they were new because they promised to put Corrie on a spare channel in case of football but it's never happened.

My keyboard is wired as I can't see the point of wireless for something that doesn't have to move around. It's washable so it can survive the occasional spill. My mouse does move around and is wireless. I use rechargeable batteries which don't last as long as alkaline but I keep a spare handy, and when the one in the mouse expires it goes straight in the charger.
Nice pic Merry.
And do get out for those walks! I'm 76 and and do three miles nearly every morning, and have started doing an extra short walk in the afternoons as well. So a youngster like you has no excuse.

I don't understand why OC is stupid because his keyboard didn't work

The 'new' batteries I put in it first time round were from a pack I had bought some months earlier. Either they had run down or I hadn't put them in the keyboard properly. I should have put some more in the keyboard next time I bought those batteries, but I didn't. That's why I thought I was stupid, Furby.

Still, it works now. And my BP was all right this morning.

March 22 was the first day of Spring in Iceland this year, because a European golden plover was spotted in Iceland - several of them - in a village called Garður not far from the international airport at Keflavík.

The Lord Midge was 9 years old as well, so happy birthday for last Friday, Midge.

The Spring equinox was a day early this year because of the additional day added to February for the leap year. The equinox will advance approximately one quarter of a day per year until 2028 when it will be reset again.
Not a lot of people know dat.

A comment from a Thespian.

We are getting excited for our trip to Austin and Las Vegas. We are packed and ready or our 8 a.m. pick-up tomorrow and I've booked loads of stuff to do - helicopter trip down the Grand Canyon and sunset dinner at the bottom followed by flying over the lights of Las Vegas, quad biking in the Nevada Desert, dinner at Peter Luger, dinner at Wolfgang Puck, dusk cruise on Lady Bird Lake in Austin to watch the 1 million bats take of from under the Congress Bridge, wine tasting and two Sky Bars which MYF loves. Should be great fun...

Looks like a packed programme for you and YYF WR. Exactly one week (to the hour) later I shall be whisked away to Gatwick Airport by my taxi, to be transported to Oporto for what I think will be a somewhat more leisurely cruise up the Douro to as close to Salamanca in Spain as they can get over 3 days and then another 3 days back to Oporto. It must be a very slow boat.

Safe journey to you both, and I hope your holiday more than meets your expectations.

Happy holidays. Wildrovers holiday sounds like a James bond life. OC holidays sounds easier.

They make my day trips to Slimbridge look tame by comparison but I like them and it makes bird watching so easy. Brother and I have a joint pensioner's concession membership.

I received an invitation from the NHS to be fitted with a 24 hr ECG.................on 1 July. I didn't waste any time in umming and ahhing about accepting the offer. I am not bothered about the 3 month wait because DVLA told me I'd be off the road for at least 6 months from the date of my blackout which meant that I wouldn't be driving before August anyway. Just need the ultrasound scan appointment now.

Hang in there OC.

Will do Eccs, thank you!

I checked with my taxi driver yesterday that I had given him the correct information. I had, but he suggested an earlier pick-up time at 07:30 because of road works on his route to Gatwick. My flight is due to depart at 12:00.

Before then I shall have sampled what is on offer in the TAP business lounge at Gatwick. It doesn't actually belong to them, but they are one of the airlines whose Premium passengers are let in for £0 - subject to capacity. The plane itself is the same plane as the flight from Oporto which arrives (if on time) at 11:10 and then has a quick turnaround to go back to Oporto at 12:00. I'll be on that 11:10 flight on 9/4 when I come home from what I hope will have been a very relaxing 7 nights on the boat.

Flights aren't that quick travel having to set out 4.5 hours earlier are they.

I have successfully rang HMRC and got though after nearly an hour at 16 pounds an hour but it's done. I think the system of charging tax by tax code 2 years later is a silly system. It is going to make it very difficult to keep track if they are taking right amounts. Why there isn't a system other than joining self assessment to just send and let me pay a bill. They seem to be making things even more complicated than any impossible system.

I had to make another phone call to a company who have promised to stop sending me annual statements to save paper but the solution is my opting into quarterly statements instead. I hadnt previously because annual was fine for me. So 4 pieces of paper not 1 that's clever.