Exercising

Well, today, around 4pm my Stepper arrived. When I looked on-line to track the progress of the delivery, I found the seller had given a wrong Internet address; however a quick Google search got me to the correct address. When I typed in the tracking number there was a message to phone, so I did (especially as it was a freephone number. Anyway I was told it would be with me by 4pm.

Shortly before that I happened to catch a glimpse of a fellow in an orange shirt walking along the front of our building clutching a rather large parcel.

So, I opened my French windows and asked if he was coming to me.

He was.

It is amazing how many people cannot work out how to use the entryphone!

So, today's exercise involved opening the large parcel and flat-packing it and taking it to the paper bin, then opening the outer packing of the product itself., flat packing it and taking it to the bin.

So, I have had a look at the instructions, and need to make a place to put it. There is a belt (rather like a fan belt) that requires to be oiled - and a vial of oil is enclosed, so I need to find something to put underneath it. Fortunately, I have some spare carpet in the hall cupboard, so with help, I shall cut that t0 approximate size and get it going.

That might all be tomorrow's exercise!.

Ne'er Cast A Clout.....

Well, as they say (and who are they anyway?) Ne'er cast a clout 'ere May be out.

There is some debate as to whether that is the month of May or the may blossom.

However, yesterday saw the removal of all my thermals (I know, I know, but I am a cold person)

In the middle of the night I was too warm and removed my pyjamas.

Then, back in bed, I realised that the night store heaters would come on soon, so I went through to the living room to turn it off. I had not shut the curtains in the living room, of course........

However I reckoned that if anyone was around at that time of night they would get a bigger fright than I would. After all, what can you do, but wave?

Today I have been punished for this as it is a rather wet day.

However, The Best Sister In The World called round with canine friend, and we had a cup of tea and a biccie. She also changed the light bulb in the hall for me (I am forbidden to do such tasks in case of a fall).

I am having rather a struggle with my current jigsaw. This serves me right for choosing a difficult one for sister's birthday..... I am in need of something of a breakthrough and then it should take off a bit better.

Sis and friend came in through the French windows, and I could gather that the temperature is still good. It is drier outside and the sun looks as though it is trying to struggle through.

Weather and so on......

What a beautiful day - a veritable scorcher! (especially compared to what we have been used to. Thermal undies off and even fleece off. Is this a first, I ask myself? It was all of 13.5 Celsius sun shining, blue skies.

I refuse to think about the forecasts of rain to come.

Off to the Physio exercise programme again this morning, and into Kwik-Fit on the way home.

No, the wheel is not in yet.

This afternoon to my GP to discuss a number of issues but chiefly the falls. I went in to his surgery and said "God afternoon, and now is your cue to take a deep breath, sigh and say what is it THIS time?" He is always such a gentleman, although I did raise a smile with a description of the Meehan Streak cartoon that comment derives from.

He checked everything he should and went over my medications, and reckons that as much as can be done is being done. I explained that it was Occupational Therapy who referred me on to him. However he is going to refer me properly to the local Falls Responce Service, which means that they will have to visit and assess me and my flat. While I was there, we discussed another couple of issues that had concerned me, and I am afraid I rabitted on too long.

Bridge again.

Today I went to the Bridge Club. I looked at the book to see how well my partner and I had done, especially as we came top the last time we played together.

However, this time we came bottom.

Oh the shame of it!

I played today with a gentleman whom I have seen at the Club but with whom I have never played. He said that I had drawn the short straw, but I said that he had.

As usual I have no real idea how we have done but all will be revealed next week.

After sitting for several months with a very small credit balance on a credit card I was thinking of closing, I finally did something about it. I asked if they could close the account and transfer the credit balance to my bank account (same bank).

But no.

However they could, and did, send me a cheque.

And today I paid in that cheque in the vast sum of £2.55.

I just had to share this with you.....

Quite recently, but I can't remember where, I saw a short video clip.

The background was that this lady had found a lion cub maltreated and undernourished. She took the cub and gave him appropriate nourishment and lots of affection. (Stop thinking "Born Free")!

However the time came when she had on her hands a male adult lion, and you can't really keep them as pets, can you? So, as it had been around humans too much, she felt the best course of action would be to give him to a zoo.

Some months later she went to the zoo to see how he had got on.

I almost turned away in fear and trembling at this point.

What happened was, as she approached the bars of the den, and spoke to the lion, this big beautiful animal came to the bars to meet her, stood up on his hind legs, put his fore legs through the bars, and held her just below the neck in a hug. He kept this up, stroking gently at her shoulders, and laid his face alongside her face.

It was such a lovely show of genuine affection on the part of the animal.

Fair brought a tear to my een.

The Last Sunday In Easter....

...and what's more, the weather is appropriately lovely; a blue, blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds, and scarcely a breeze.

Today our minister is still on holiday and there, as expected, was our associate minister, with someone beside him.

Who he?

Well our associate minister started off after the call to worship and the introit by telling us that there was only one thing better than a minister recovering from cardiac surgery - and that was two ministers recovering from cardiac surgery!

The associate minister always gives a good children's address, and this time he carried in a supermarket green box full of props.

Judging by the laughter among the adult population around, it was a good address. Sadly, however, he wasn't "wired up" to the t-loop system and I couldn't hear the address. The rest of the service came across loud and clear.

I passed comment to him at the end of the service that I was disappointed that he wasn't 'miked-up' for the children's address as I was unable to hear it. Turns out that it was not working, and this had been discovered at the early morning service. They had tried a 'fix' but obviously it had not been successful.

Road works

I see that I noted on 10 April that there were road works going on in our car park. Today is 26 April and we have just got use of the whole car park again. When the car park was constructed the material was these fancy road bricks, you know, the kind they use in driveways, and they used a darker colour brick to indicate the edge of each parking bay.

So the Electricity Board have relaid the bricks but without any indication of the width of each bay.

I forsee problems ahead..........