....but not "Drive" Do you remember "Who's going to drive you home, tonight"? over footage of starving African children as part of the 'Feed the World' event?
No, this is more banal.
My car is leased from Motability which is a charity which provides cars for disabled drivers. Part of the deal is that you don't have to remember anything - they post out your Road Fund Tax and they contact you about the annual service. My service was due towards the end of January, so I was reminded of it when the garage sent out the usual "Introduce a friend and get £xx". I phoned and expressed my dismay at not having heard.
After several telephone calls I am going tomorrow after the exercise class. It is a service expected to last an hour and a half and they don't give you a lift home as it is too far.
However, now they offer a token for tea and a scone at a near by garden centre, which is a much more salubrious environment in which to wait than a garage.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
They Really Are Out To Get Me...
...I am not paranoid.
This morning I went to my exercise class. After doing most of the exercises at home yesterday, today I managed mostly the same as last time, although a few with more weights.
After that drove over to visit daughter for lunch.
A good lunch and a good chat. I waited for younger grandson to get home. Daughter gave me a photograph of both boys with the long, curly hair they have had for a while. Turns out that at last the younger was getting teased about the length of his hair at school, so I had to wait to see him with his hair shorter. I must confess that I think he looks better this way, but this may be a sign of my advancing years.
I have commented before about the plethora of traffic lights that appear to jump up to greet me on the road, and as usual there were some new ones.
On the way home, however, I had the final demonstration that they really are out to get me as I spent a good part of the journey behind a truck carrying traffic lights facing towards me.
All right they were switched off, but still.....
This morning I went to my exercise class. After doing most of the exercises at home yesterday, today I managed mostly the same as last time, although a few with more weights.
After that drove over to visit daughter for lunch.
A good lunch and a good chat. I waited for younger grandson to get home. Daughter gave me a photograph of both boys with the long, curly hair they have had for a while. Turns out that at last the younger was getting teased about the length of his hair at school, so I had to wait to see him with his hair shorter. I must confess that I think he looks better this way, but this may be a sign of my advancing years.
I have commented before about the plethora of traffic lights that appear to jump up to greet me on the road, and as usual there were some new ones.
On the way home, however, I had the final demonstration that they really are out to get me as I spent a good part of the journey behind a truck carrying traffic lights facing towards me.
All right they were switched off, but still.....
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
... and the Living Was Easy!
Today was a nice and easy one, apart from doing all the exercises that could be done at home - this was nearly all of them as I have a weight (1kg) and a leg weight (also 1kg).
Must admit I feel somewhat tired after it, but it is a good kind of tiredness.
Other than that, it was a quiet day with some time playing Sudoku, some time doing my jigsaw and sometime reading (the latest Michael Chrichton - "Next".) You have to admit that his writing is somewhat formulaic, but a good read nonetheless.
I had forgotten to take anything out of the freezer for my evening meal, so I decided it was time to get rid of the serves one Christmas pudding. I heated it in the microwave and served it with ice cream.
Does this fit in with my plans for healthy, organic eating?
I think not.
Must admit I feel somewhat tired after it, but it is a good kind of tiredness.
Other than that, it was a quiet day with some time playing Sudoku, some time doing my jigsaw and sometime reading (the latest Michael Chrichton - "Next".) You have to admit that his writing is somewhat formulaic, but a good read nonetheless.
I had forgotten to take anything out of the freezer for my evening meal, so I decided it was time to get rid of the serves one Christmas pudding. I heated it in the microwave and served it with ice cream.
Does this fit in with my plans for healthy, organic eating?
I think not.
Monday, 4 February 2008
Change
You would think that by the time you reached your mid sixties you would be quite set in your ways.
In fact the changes started earlier in my sixties when I gave up smoking (never thought I’d see the day!)
Apart from the smoking, I have come under several new influences.
The first one was the Farmers’ Markets, with all sorts of interesting produce and much of it organic. This converted me to the organic movement.
The next one, which arose from the first, was the vegetable box scheme. I visited the stall over several months before deciding to go for it.
I have always hated vinegar as my only experience of it was malt vinegar used to preserve beetroot and pickled onions. Therefore I knew I would hate balsamic vinegar when it became so fashionable.
Wrong.
After several years of saying “no thank you” when offered it, I finally was put in a situation where it would have been rude to refuse.
Wow!
At first I always had it mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (by the way how can something be extra virgin? – It’s either virgin or not). Soon I used just the balsamic vinegar without the oil as a salad dressing. So there’s a major turn around.
The big change has come with the organic veg box delivery. You can tell them if there is something you don’t like (although that requires you to try something at least once).
I didn’t realise how, when I went round the supermarket aisles I tended to select the same old, same old, but here I was offered new things to try and found new things at the farmers’ market. I was tucking in to Jacob’s Sheep loin chops yesterday – they have so much flavour that they required no salt, and steamed greens can’t be salted, so that is so much healthier.
As regards the steaming of the greens, I had to buy new pans for my pride and joy, an induction hob - now there's another change in my sixties, although it was prompted by the fact that the flat was fitted with these awful old solid hotplates and we can't have gas. One of the pans had a steamer part, which fitted on top of the pan and was fitted with the pan lid. Don't know if that is clear but prior to this I had only these baskets which sit inside a pan.
With the organic vegetable box, I have discovered Savoy cabbage (I know it has been around for ever, but I had never tried it), celeriac, which is yummy, Swiss chard and so on.
Following advice, I have found the Good Housekeeping cookery book to excel on cooking vegetables.
I am going to check the ingredients for pork cheeks to make a casserole, having tried that once before, and also the ingredients for pheasant breast, the latter of which I shall make for this weekend. This will be my second cook of pork cheeks - if you can get hold of them they are truly scrumptious.
In fact the changes started earlier in my sixties when I gave up smoking (never thought I’d see the day!)
Apart from the smoking, I have come under several new influences.
The first one was the Farmers’ Markets, with all sorts of interesting produce and much of it organic. This converted me to the organic movement.
The next one, which arose from the first, was the vegetable box scheme. I visited the stall over several months before deciding to go for it.
I have always hated vinegar as my only experience of it was malt vinegar used to preserve beetroot and pickled onions. Therefore I knew I would hate balsamic vinegar when it became so fashionable.
Wrong.
After several years of saying “no thank you” when offered it, I finally was put in a situation where it would have been rude to refuse.
Wow!
At first I always had it mixed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (by the way how can something be extra virgin? – It’s either virgin or not). Soon I used just the balsamic vinegar without the oil as a salad dressing. So there’s a major turn around.
The big change has come with the organic veg box delivery. You can tell them if there is something you don’t like (although that requires you to try something at least once).
I didn’t realise how, when I went round the supermarket aisles I tended to select the same old, same old, but here I was offered new things to try and found new things at the farmers’ market. I was tucking in to Jacob’s Sheep loin chops yesterday – they have so much flavour that they required no salt, and steamed greens can’t be salted, so that is so much healthier.
As regards the steaming of the greens, I had to buy new pans for my pride and joy, an induction hob - now there's another change in my sixties, although it was prompted by the fact that the flat was fitted with these awful old solid hotplates and we can't have gas. One of the pans had a steamer part, which fitted on top of the pan and was fitted with the pan lid. Don't know if that is clear but prior to this I had only these baskets which sit inside a pan.
With the organic vegetable box, I have discovered Savoy cabbage (I know it has been around for ever, but I had never tried it), celeriac, which is yummy, Swiss chard and so on.
Following advice, I have found the Good Housekeeping cookery book to excel on cooking vegetables.
I am going to check the ingredients for pork cheeks to make a casserole, having tried that once before, and also the ingredients for pheasant breast, the latter of which I shall make for this weekend. This will be my second cook of pork cheeks - if you can get hold of them they are truly scrumptious.
Sunday, 3 February 2008
Candlemas
This Sunday is Candlemas. So the whole service was relating to Christ as the Light of the World, particularly with the occasion when Mary took her infant Son to the great temple in Jerusalem where they met with Simeon, who had been told that he would not die until he had seen the Son of God. At this point Simeon said what has been rendered into latin as the Nunc Dimittis.
Usually in our Church on the 4 occasions a year when we have Holy Communion, the choir sings the Nunc Dimittis, and today they sang it again as it was so appropriate to Candlemas. All our hymns were on the subject of Christ as the Light of the World. Also there was a reading from Genesis about God creating the light.
I am so happy to be back at Church again as I seemed to miss so much, first of all by being away so much over the festive season and then due to ill health. I looked out the curtains this morning wondering what the weather would be like, particularly after the weather we have been having recently, but, although it felt cold, the temperature was 6.5 degrees (the benefits of having a car which gives the outside temperature!)
The Nunc Dimittis has something of a specil meaning for me. Several years ago now (when I was still a smoker) my health had deteriorated severely, to the point when I was close to dying. At that time. if I had an exacerbation of my illness, instead of sitting up in bed struggling for breath, I lay down and said the Nunc Dimittis and went off to sleep calmly.
Usually in our Church on the 4 occasions a year when we have Holy Communion, the choir sings the Nunc Dimittis, and today they sang it again as it was so appropriate to Candlemas. All our hymns were on the subject of Christ as the Light of the World. Also there was a reading from Genesis about God creating the light.
I am so happy to be back at Church again as I seemed to miss so much, first of all by being away so much over the festive season and then due to ill health. I looked out the curtains this morning wondering what the weather would be like, particularly after the weather we have been having recently, but, although it felt cold, the temperature was 6.5 degrees (the benefits of having a car which gives the outside temperature!)
The Nunc Dimittis has something of a specil meaning for me. Several years ago now (when I was still a smoker) my health had deteriorated severely, to the point when I was close to dying. At that time. if I had an exacerbation of my illness, instead of sitting up in bed struggling for breath, I lay down and said the Nunc Dimittis and went off to sleep calmly.
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Saturday, Wonderful Saturday
This morning I awoke at 7.15 (in fact probably at 7.05 as my alarm clock runs fast), so I snuggled down under the duvet again, but sleep eluded me.
So, I thought I might as well make the best of a bad job and showered and dressed and headed down to the laundry room at about 7.50. You are not allowed to use the machines before 8am, so I was hopeful of being able to get the larger capacity washer for my bedding.
Nobody there – YES!
So washing on and headed back upstairs for the 1hr 15mins that the machine requires on that programme.
At 9.15, headed back down and as there was nobody using a machine I used 2 dryers, hoping not to be caught! Into the larger capacity one I put the double duvet cover, and into one of the others I put the rest of the bedding together with the cotton underwear.
Back upstairs, then down again after an hour.
At this point I discovered that only one of the three washing machines was in use and that it was still quite early on in its cycle, so I hadn’t inconvenienced anybody by using 2 dryers(of 4).
Better yet, my washing was dry, so folded up, dryer emptied of water and de-fluffed, washing brought upstairs and put away.
And it is only10.37!
So I have the rest of the day to relax….
Looking out the sky is a light shade of grey, and there is a light sprinkling of what looks like frozen snowflakes on the grass and on the cars. Doing my jigsaw and reading my book in the warmth of home seem like bliss to me.
So, I thought I might as well make the best of a bad job and showered and dressed and headed down to the laundry room at about 7.50. You are not allowed to use the machines before 8am, so I was hopeful of being able to get the larger capacity washer for my bedding.
Nobody there – YES!
So washing on and headed back upstairs for the 1hr 15mins that the machine requires on that programme.
At 9.15, headed back down and as there was nobody using a machine I used 2 dryers, hoping not to be caught! Into the larger capacity one I put the double duvet cover, and into one of the others I put the rest of the bedding together with the cotton underwear.
Back upstairs, then down again after an hour.
At this point I discovered that only one of the three washing machines was in use and that it was still quite early on in its cycle, so I hadn’t inconvenienced anybody by using 2 dryers(of 4).
Better yet, my washing was dry, so folded up, dryer emptied of water and de-fluffed, washing brought upstairs and put away.
And it is only10.37!
So I have the rest of the day to relax….
Looking out the sky is a light shade of grey, and there is a light sprinkling of what looks like frozen snowflakes on the grass and on the cars. Doing my jigsaw and reading my book in the warmth of home seem like bliss to me.
Friday, 1 February 2008
Exercise and Visit
Today the weather was cold with a temperature of 1.5 degrees and quite a wind, with gusting at times. Snow threatened, but did not fall, so off I went to my 4th Pulmonary Rehabilitation exercise class. I was still a bit stiff from Wednesday’s class, but was determined to maintain the levels reached on Wednesday, which I successfully did, even increasing some of them.
This afternoon saw a visit from younger (but not much younger) brother. He always likes to keep in touch with every member of the family.
Tea and biccies were called for, and gladly consumed.
There is a regular exchange scheme of books going on between his wife and me. He brought a number that I had loaned which were being returned and some new ones. He has gone away with the same in reverse.
It’s an easy evening meal tonight, thank goodness as I still feel somewhat as though I had been run over by a truck.
Back to a follow on from my first couple of sentences; it is after 4.30pm and the sky is still bright.
Oh joy. Even although we often get the worst weather of the winter after this, I still feel as though spring is only round the corner.
This afternoon saw a visit from younger (but not much younger) brother. He always likes to keep in touch with every member of the family.
Tea and biccies were called for, and gladly consumed.
There is a regular exchange scheme of books going on between his wife and me. He brought a number that I had loaned which were being returned and some new ones. He has gone away with the same in reverse.
It’s an easy evening meal tonight, thank goodness as I still feel somewhat as though I had been run over by a truck.
Back to a follow on from my first couple of sentences; it is after 4.30pm and the sky is still bright.
Oh joy. Even although we often get the worst weather of the winter after this, I still feel as though spring is only round the corner.
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