Dinner was late yesterday. I noticed our neighbour Fran, Dave's wife, so I thought I'd pop out & see how he was. It was with some relief I heard he was safely in hosptial, in the Intensive Care Unit attached to Coronary Care. Apparently he had had a massive heart attack. This is worrying in that he has already had multiple heart bypasses as well as having other medical problems. Fran is now anxious that he will be transferred to Blackpool, which would be a long journey for her to visit him daily but rather expensive to stay any length of time. I offered her what little help we could. So now we pray & hope.
Hopefully some good will come out of this. Dave has been having increasing problems for a while. Part of the problem is that he is now on 14 different types of medication. They are clashing with one another. They've taken him off the medication & are starting from scratch. Hopefully they will be able to find a balance that will suit him better at the end of the day. Meanwhile fingers stay crossed prayers are said.
By the time I'd finished talking to Fran it was getting on to 2pm & I was using Big Ears, our slow cooker. Still the Duck Vindaloo we had was worth the wait.
We can't help beginning to think, for all our problems, we're among the healthiest people we know. That's saying something!
Sunday 30 October 2011
Saturday 29 October 2011
More bad news
The bad news continues.
At 6am yesterday two ambulances turn up, blue lights flashing. They stop outside Dave & Fran's, a couple of houses down the road. Dave hasn't been so well for a while. We didn't stop to watch what happened. Indeed I slept peacefully through the whole incident, only the Fox saw it happen. When we went out in the afternoon, we looked at the windows. Blinds were closed. Another death? We certainly haven't seen much movement since. We're just hoping all is well.
Meanwhile I ring my cousins today. My cousin Ann has apparently been in hospital this week. Just for tests. She's passing a lot of blood. It's feared she has cancer on her kidneys. We now anxiously await the results. Hopefully if it is cancer, it is still at an early stage. If that is the case she can have the one infected kidney removed, taking the tumour with it, & live healthily for many a year yet. Again we pray for the best.
As for my cousin Trudy, she's had the cataract removed from one eye. She can't say it's an instant success, but at least she's home & feeling fine. She's having a lot of eye drops at the moment which is causing her to cry a lot. She finds the sensation of tears permanently rolling down her cheeks a bit off-putting, but worth it if she can see clearer & read again when things have had chance to heal up. Assuming all is well, she will probably have the other eye done in the new year.
There just doesn't seem any way of getting away from bad news at the moment.
At 6am yesterday two ambulances turn up, blue lights flashing. They stop outside Dave & Fran's, a couple of houses down the road. Dave hasn't been so well for a while. We didn't stop to watch what happened. Indeed I slept peacefully through the whole incident, only the Fox saw it happen. When we went out in the afternoon, we looked at the windows. Blinds were closed. Another death? We certainly haven't seen much movement since. We're just hoping all is well.
Meanwhile I ring my cousins today. My cousin Ann has apparently been in hospital this week. Just for tests. She's passing a lot of blood. It's feared she has cancer on her kidneys. We now anxiously await the results. Hopefully if it is cancer, it is still at an early stage. If that is the case she can have the one infected kidney removed, taking the tumour with it, & live healthily for many a year yet. Again we pray for the best.
As for my cousin Trudy, she's had the cataract removed from one eye. She can't say it's an instant success, but at least she's home & feeling fine. She's having a lot of eye drops at the moment which is causing her to cry a lot. She finds the sensation of tears permanently rolling down her cheeks a bit off-putting, but worth it if she can see clearer & read again when things have had chance to heal up. Assuming all is well, she will probably have the other eye done in the new year.
There just doesn't seem any way of getting away from bad news at the moment.
Thursday 27 October 2011
Coincidence gone mad
There are times when you can't help being struck by the way coincidence rears its head.
As you know we heard of the Bat's death earlier in the week. Last night I get a phone call to let me know one of my cousins has died.
Once more I feel in a dilemma. Once more it would be a funeral I would be going to support the living rather than to grieve for the dead. As far as I know I have never even met my cousin Muriel. By the time I re-established contact with my cousins, she was already in a care home suffering from Alzheimer's. However I do know & care for her sisters Trudy & Alma. You may remember we went down to Stoke in June to help celebrate Trudy's Golden Wedding anniversary.
I'm going to have to play it by ear. I've said I will ring at the weekend. Trudy was due to have a cataract operation last Monday - indeed that's what I thought the phone call was going to be about. That has been postponed until tomorrow Friday - that is if her blood pressure has settled after the upset & extra burdens laid on her with Muriel's death & having to arrange a funeral, hopefully for the following week. I want to see how Trudy's done anyhow. I'll see if she can by sufficiently supported by phone before we make any decisions about another trip down to Stoke. After the June trip, the Fox is still nervous about such a long drive - he's not done such a long drive since then - especially when it would be to attend the funeral of someone he never even realised existed, let alone met.
Meanwhile, at home, we are being inundated by firms, ostensibly wanting to come to check our double glazing for fuel efficiency reasons. We suspect the reality is that it's more about giving the hard sale on new double glazing.
I wouldn't entirely mind changing our present windows. I don't like the design - too easy to climb through for burglars, hence the reason we always have to leave them closed & locked if we go out. But we don't want to be bludgeoned into buying new windows. And we just know any checks will prove we need new windows. If it was a separate company, unrelated to window manufacture & installation, we would be more tempted to have a survey done.
As you know we heard of the Bat's death earlier in the week. Last night I get a phone call to let me know one of my cousins has died.
Once more I feel in a dilemma. Once more it would be a funeral I would be going to support the living rather than to grieve for the dead. As far as I know I have never even met my cousin Muriel. By the time I re-established contact with my cousins, she was already in a care home suffering from Alzheimer's. However I do know & care for her sisters Trudy & Alma. You may remember we went down to Stoke in June to help celebrate Trudy's Golden Wedding anniversary.
I'm going to have to play it by ear. I've said I will ring at the weekend. Trudy was due to have a cataract operation last Monday - indeed that's what I thought the phone call was going to be about. That has been postponed until tomorrow Friday - that is if her blood pressure has settled after the upset & extra burdens laid on her with Muriel's death & having to arrange a funeral, hopefully for the following week. I want to see how Trudy's done anyhow. I'll see if she can by sufficiently supported by phone before we make any decisions about another trip down to Stoke. After the June trip, the Fox is still nervous about such a long drive - he's not done such a long drive since then - especially when it would be to attend the funeral of someone he never even realised existed, let alone met.
Meanwhile, at home, we are being inundated by firms, ostensibly wanting to come to check our double glazing for fuel efficiency reasons. We suspect the reality is that it's more about giving the hard sale on new double glazing.
I wouldn't entirely mind changing our present windows. I don't like the design - too easy to climb through for burglars, hence the reason we always have to leave them closed & locked if we go out. But we don't want to be bludgeoned into buying new windows. And we just know any checks will prove we need new windows. If it was a separate company, unrelated to window manufacture & installation, we would be more tempted to have a survey done.
Wednesday 26 October 2011
NHS treatment / non-treatment
Last night the local newspaper arrived as usual. The front page was dominated by the appalling report on standards at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary. We were not surprised.
The RLI has been the main hospital near us for the last 40 years or so. In that time the standards have gone up & down. At present they seem on a down.
We weren't surprised read this report after the Fox's treatment this year.
Yes, when he had his stroke, he got into A&E immediately. They observed him, but any improvement was left to his own body - but that may be all that could be done. They couldn't do all the tests that Saturday as the Ultrasound department was closed for the weekend. He was given an appointment to return to the hospital on the following Monday between 9 & 9.30am. You can imagine our surprise when we got there to discover the department couldn't see him to 2pm & in the meantime he should walk into the town centre, pushing me in a wheelchair - & this a man who had had a stroke a couple of days before & was still feeling the effects. It had been a long walk for him just to get to the required ward. I had been able to push myself along the hospital corridors.
Even after that, when trying to establish the new medicine regime, he had to have several blood tests. Once it took over a month to get back the results. And that was only when his GP phoned the hospital directly to get the answers.
As for his hearing problems this year! In July he was sent for a MRI scan. He still hasn't had the results. Eventually I rang the hospital to find out what had happened. An appointment was made. It was cancelled by the hospital a few weeks later. A second appointment was made. By this time it was September. We went in to the hospital to be told by the receptionist that the clinic had been cancelled, go home. They gave us another appointment which has since been cancelled. We've now got another appointment early in November. It's anybody's guess whether it will happen, or whether, by this time, they've lost the test results & we have to start all over again!
We're telling ourselves at least the Fox's problems haven't been too dire. The delay in tests & their results have been frustrating rather than life-threatening.
Our heart goes out to Dick Gobble's wife, who has cancer, which the hospital only diagnosed after a year of tests & regular hospital overnight stays. Needless to say, the tumour is now so huge it is inoperative. All that can be done is to make her as comfortable as possible, pray, make sure she feels as loved as possible as she slowly dies.
So much for our local NHS hospital! High time they pulled their socks up. We feel so sorry for the receptionists who we suspect are getting a lot of abuse from understandably impatient patients.
The RLI has been the main hospital near us for the last 40 years or so. In that time the standards have gone up & down. At present they seem on a down.
We weren't surprised read this report after the Fox's treatment this year.
Yes, when he had his stroke, he got into A&E immediately. They observed him, but any improvement was left to his own body - but that may be all that could be done. They couldn't do all the tests that Saturday as the Ultrasound department was closed for the weekend. He was given an appointment to return to the hospital on the following Monday between 9 & 9.30am. You can imagine our surprise when we got there to discover the department couldn't see him to 2pm & in the meantime he should walk into the town centre, pushing me in a wheelchair - & this a man who had had a stroke a couple of days before & was still feeling the effects. It had been a long walk for him just to get to the required ward. I had been able to push myself along the hospital corridors.
Even after that, when trying to establish the new medicine regime, he had to have several blood tests. Once it took over a month to get back the results. And that was only when his GP phoned the hospital directly to get the answers.
As for his hearing problems this year! In July he was sent for a MRI scan. He still hasn't had the results. Eventually I rang the hospital to find out what had happened. An appointment was made. It was cancelled by the hospital a few weeks later. A second appointment was made. By this time it was September. We went in to the hospital to be told by the receptionist that the clinic had been cancelled, go home. They gave us another appointment which has since been cancelled. We've now got another appointment early in November. It's anybody's guess whether it will happen, or whether, by this time, they've lost the test results & we have to start all over again!
We're telling ourselves at least the Fox's problems haven't been too dire. The delay in tests & their results have been frustrating rather than life-threatening.
Our heart goes out to Dick Gobble's wife, who has cancer, which the hospital only diagnosed after a year of tests & regular hospital overnight stays. Needless to say, the tumour is now so huge it is inoperative. All that can be done is to make her as comfortable as possible, pray, make sure she feels as loved as possible as she slowly dies.
So much for our local NHS hospital! High time they pulled their socks up. We feel so sorry for the receptionists who we suspect are getting a lot of abuse from understandably impatient patients.
Tuesday 25 October 2011
An early call
It's early. Just after 9am. The phone rings. It's PD. I wasn't expecting his call until later in the day.
He was in a bit of a state yesterday. When we drew up outside his house to take him to the Pub, we were surprised to see a police car parked just there. Soon we saw PD, Lin his wife & a young policewoman coming up the drive towards us.
What had happened? He'd said nothing when I'd rung to say we were on our way.
PD got in the car. He said all would be revealed when we got to the Pub. Meanwhile he wanted to be quiet to let the shaking stop.
Apparently, earlier on, he'd got caught up in a road rage incident. Lin was driving them home. At a busy junction she'd taken a while to turn right. The van behind was hooting madly, & to PD rudely. The van had then appeared to follow them home. Lin dropped PD off at their gate so he could bring the now empty rubbish bin in. As he did so, the van passed him. PD gave a two-fingers up sign. The van screeched to a stop. A man got out, accompanied by his four passengers. They proceeded to harangue PD, then punched him in the face & kicked him in the backside. PD resisted the fight - he's aware he's far too unfit to take on five men by himself these days. He backed away and said he'd be phoning the police. A neighbour going by encouraged him to do just that.
Before he did, PD rang his son, who advised against it. PD didn't know who these people were. It would be his lone voice against 5. What is more he feared if he were to prosecute, he may become subject to vandalism & other revenge tactics. As it turned out the van driver himself dialled 999, hence the appearance of the policewoman.
PD was relieved to hear they were not locals so revenge was unlikely. He's not going to pursue the case. He wasn't unduly hurt. He has enough flab to cushion the blows. He realises his own actions had to some extent provoked the reaction. Nonetheless I suspect it will be a long time before he sticks his fingers up like that again.
When we took him back home later on, the incident was still playing on his mind. He half-feared finding Lin lying on the ground with a knife in her. He was very relieved to see her pottering around in the garden as usual.
So why this early pone call? He surely wasn't still in a state after yesterday? He had to admit he had had an uneasy night, ears stretched for any unusual sounds - intruders perhaps. But that wasn't the real reason.
No, it wasn't that. An old friend, the Bat, has just died. Although we knew the Bat, I wouldn't call him a close friend of ours. He used to work at the Pub when we first arrived in the area but ceased doing so not long after we located the Pub. He was always friendly whenever we saw him. We've given him frequent lifts home in the car. More of a good acquaintance than a friend. I suspect this is another funeral we will have to attend, more to support PD than to grieve for the Bat. We'll see.
Meanwhile PD is hoping we will take him to the Pub today. He needs to be taken away from his troubles. At least the Bat's death is distracting him a bit from his fears resulting from yesterday's incident.
He was in a bit of a state yesterday. When we drew up outside his house to take him to the Pub, we were surprised to see a police car parked just there. Soon we saw PD, Lin his wife & a young policewoman coming up the drive towards us.
What had happened? He'd said nothing when I'd rung to say we were on our way.
PD got in the car. He said all would be revealed when we got to the Pub. Meanwhile he wanted to be quiet to let the shaking stop.
Apparently, earlier on, he'd got caught up in a road rage incident. Lin was driving them home. At a busy junction she'd taken a while to turn right. The van behind was hooting madly, & to PD rudely. The van had then appeared to follow them home. Lin dropped PD off at their gate so he could bring the now empty rubbish bin in. As he did so, the van passed him. PD gave a two-fingers up sign. The van screeched to a stop. A man got out, accompanied by his four passengers. They proceeded to harangue PD, then punched him in the face & kicked him in the backside. PD resisted the fight - he's aware he's far too unfit to take on five men by himself these days. He backed away and said he'd be phoning the police. A neighbour going by encouraged him to do just that.
Before he did, PD rang his son, who advised against it. PD didn't know who these people were. It would be his lone voice against 5. What is more he feared if he were to prosecute, he may become subject to vandalism & other revenge tactics. As it turned out the van driver himself dialled 999, hence the appearance of the policewoman.
PD was relieved to hear they were not locals so revenge was unlikely. He's not going to pursue the case. He wasn't unduly hurt. He has enough flab to cushion the blows. He realises his own actions had to some extent provoked the reaction. Nonetheless I suspect it will be a long time before he sticks his fingers up like that again.
When we took him back home later on, the incident was still playing on his mind. He half-feared finding Lin lying on the ground with a knife in her. He was very relieved to see her pottering around in the garden as usual.
So why this early pone call? He surely wasn't still in a state after yesterday? He had to admit he had had an uneasy night, ears stretched for any unusual sounds - intruders perhaps. But that wasn't the real reason.
No, it wasn't that. An old friend, the Bat, has just died. Although we knew the Bat, I wouldn't call him a close friend of ours. He used to work at the Pub when we first arrived in the area but ceased doing so not long after we located the Pub. He was always friendly whenever we saw him. We've given him frequent lifts home in the car. More of a good acquaintance than a friend. I suspect this is another funeral we will have to attend, more to support PD than to grieve for the Bat. We'll see.
Meanwhile PD is hoping we will take him to the Pub today. He needs to be taken away from his troubles. At least the Bat's death is distracting him a bit from his fears resulting from yesterday's incident.
Saturday 22 October 2011
Home insurance now
I've come to the conclusion I'm not a haggler. I've just rung up to cancel the renewal on our existing home insurance. I've found a better deal elsewhere so I wanted to change company.
The present company works on the modern idea of retaining your card details then automatically charging for the renewal unless you cancel first. This is what I wanted to do. Personally I'd prefer to be expected to positively pay for something rather than having to make the effort to cancel a payment.
So I phone up, explain the situation & say that I want to cancel. Her reaction is to suggest she could have another look & see if they could match or even beat the other company. I wasn't interested.
As far as I'm concerned they should have asked for the lower price in the first place, not now. If they are prepared to cover me at the lower price, then they should have been prepared to cover me at that price in the first place without me having to chase around to find out other offers. If I hadn't done that, they would have undoubtedly have charged me the higher price. I'm just not prepared to haggle. As far as I'm concerned the first price they ask for is what I take as their fair price for the level of cover I want. I'm not prepared to pay that, end of story.
The importance of getting home insurance was emphasised by hearing that friends had had their second home in Spain burgled. They are at present in the midst of haggling with their insurance company for compensation & dealing with workmen to get the house repaired. They're beginning to wish the burglars had just left a demand for £500, which they would have paid willingly in order not to have all the hassle involved in sorting things out now.
At least this time it is their second home. A few years ago they had their primary home burgled which left them with a far greater sense of invasion into their private space & the loss of things with far more emotional attachment, which are difficult, if not impossible, to replace, no matter how much money an insurance company pays up. That was far more traumatic for them.
The present company works on the modern idea of retaining your card details then automatically charging for the renewal unless you cancel first. This is what I wanted to do. Personally I'd prefer to be expected to positively pay for something rather than having to make the effort to cancel a payment.
So I phone up, explain the situation & say that I want to cancel. Her reaction is to suggest she could have another look & see if they could match or even beat the other company. I wasn't interested.
As far as I'm concerned they should have asked for the lower price in the first place, not now. If they are prepared to cover me at the lower price, then they should have been prepared to cover me at that price in the first place without me having to chase around to find out other offers. If I hadn't done that, they would have undoubtedly have charged me the higher price. I'm just not prepared to haggle. As far as I'm concerned the first price they ask for is what I take as their fair price for the level of cover I want. I'm not prepared to pay that, end of story.
The importance of getting home insurance was emphasised by hearing that friends had had their second home in Spain burgled. They are at present in the midst of haggling with their insurance company for compensation & dealing with workmen to get the house repaired. They're beginning to wish the burglars had just left a demand for £500, which they would have paid willingly in order not to have all the hassle involved in sorting things out now.
At least this time it is their second home. A few years ago they had their primary home burgled which left them with a far greater sense of invasion into their private space & the loss of things with far more emotional attachment, which are difficult, if not impossible, to replace, no matter how much money an insurance company pays up. That was far more traumatic for them.
Thursday 20 October 2011
The visitor
I was just on my way out of the back door, off looking for some wine to have with dinner later in the day, when I suddenly realised we had a large black visitor in the garden. I hastily stepped back inside while I reviewed the visitor. Friend or foe? I decided friend.
I ventured out again. I approached gently talking to the animal. Somehow a black labrador had arrived on the patio area. Bearing in mind our back garden is encircled with fencing, walls or buildings I was somewhat bemused how this animal had arrived on the scene.
I decided the time had come to check the fences. I ventured up the lawn. All fences seemed fine. Then, at the furthest point, I heard an anxious voice calling "Daisy. Daisy". I guessed Daisy must be the young pup I had gained.
I shouted out to this voice the other side of screen of trees. Sure enough Daisy was a black lab. I reassured our neighbour that Daisy was safely in our garden & tried to get over our address.
The lady at the other side clearly was in such a state she wasn't taken in any of what I was saying. I gather escaping was Daisy latest talent. They'd even tied her down.
By this time Daisy had gambolled up. I grabbed her lead, still attached around her neck. She's clearly an intelligent animal, who just wanted some fun & adventure.
When Daisy heard her owner's voice, she jerked out of my hand, through the fence & shrubbery, into the garden on the other side, animal & master reunited once more. I suspect that will be one fence being repaired, one more hole filled in.
Later in the evening, as I watched the news on the TV, I told myself I was lucky I wasn't in the United States. At least, the large black animal was a friendly labrador pup, not a black bear on the loose. Or a tiger or lion!
I ventured out again. I approached gently talking to the animal. Somehow a black labrador had arrived on the patio area. Bearing in mind our back garden is encircled with fencing, walls or buildings I was somewhat bemused how this animal had arrived on the scene.
I decided the time had come to check the fences. I ventured up the lawn. All fences seemed fine. Then, at the furthest point, I heard an anxious voice calling "Daisy. Daisy". I guessed Daisy must be the young pup I had gained.
I shouted out to this voice the other side of screen of trees. Sure enough Daisy was a black lab. I reassured our neighbour that Daisy was safely in our garden & tried to get over our address.
The lady at the other side clearly was in such a state she wasn't taken in any of what I was saying. I gather escaping was Daisy latest talent. They'd even tied her down.
By this time Daisy had gambolled up. I grabbed her lead, still attached around her neck. She's clearly an intelligent animal, who just wanted some fun & adventure.
When Daisy heard her owner's voice, she jerked out of my hand, through the fence & shrubbery, into the garden on the other side, animal & master reunited once more. I suspect that will be one fence being repaired, one more hole filled in.
Later in the evening, as I watched the news on the TV, I told myself I was lucky I wasn't in the United States. At least, the large black animal was a friendly labrador pup, not a black bear on the loose. Or a tiger or lion!
Wednesday 19 October 2011
A little bit of wind
Yesterday we toodle along to Morecambe town hall. For those of you who don't know Morecambe, the town hall is on a slight rise. From the car park in front of it you have an unobstructed view across a sunken garden (usually full of colour) & the promenade to the sea. In other words it's fairly open to the elements & the wind which blows along the Bay.
We park at the side of the building, in the disabled parking, get my wheelchair out, get to the side accessible door, press the bell. A dismembered voice, hardly audible over the wind, tells us the lift is out of order. I will have to try the steps at the front., to which I comment that's impossible for me as I'm a wheelchair user.
We decide the best option is for me to wait in the car while the Fox goes round to the front & conducts my business on my behalf. The last few days the winds have been howling. As I sat there, all alone, I could feel the car bouncing up & down in preparation to take off in the air. I couldn't help thinking I wish there was more weight in the car to keep it on the ground. Then the rain & hail arrived, slashing on the windows. I began to feel I, in the car, would be whisked off like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz".
When the Fox got back, we contemplated setting off for PD to take him to the Pub as arranged, but PD was at the gym until 3pm so he wouldn't be home yet. We considered staying put until nearer the time. That deliberation didn't last long, as further gusts of wind bounced us around. At least, sat outside PD's house, there was a hill & some houses to break the force of the wind.
As we set off, you could see the sea being whipped up into white horses on top of some very murky cold-looking waters. No day to be out at sea. Gratefully we got to PD's & a lull. Here the buffeting stopped.
After the wildness of yesterday it comes as quite a shock to find blue skies & stillness this morning. A blessed relief!
We park at the side of the building, in the disabled parking, get my wheelchair out, get to the side accessible door, press the bell. A dismembered voice, hardly audible over the wind, tells us the lift is out of order. I will have to try the steps at the front., to which I comment that's impossible for me as I'm a wheelchair user.
We decide the best option is for me to wait in the car while the Fox goes round to the front & conducts my business on my behalf. The last few days the winds have been howling. As I sat there, all alone, I could feel the car bouncing up & down in preparation to take off in the air. I couldn't help thinking I wish there was more weight in the car to keep it on the ground. Then the rain & hail arrived, slashing on the windows. I began to feel I, in the car, would be whisked off like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz".
When the Fox got back, we contemplated setting off for PD to take him to the Pub as arranged, but PD was at the gym until 3pm so he wouldn't be home yet. We considered staying put until nearer the time. That deliberation didn't last long, as further gusts of wind bounced us around. At least, sat outside PD's house, there was a hill & some houses to break the force of the wind.
As we set off, you could see the sea being whipped up into white horses on top of some very murky cold-looking waters. No day to be out at sea. Gratefully we got to PD's & a lull. Here the buffeting stopped.
After the wildness of yesterday it comes as quite a shock to find blue skies & stillness this morning. A blessed relief!
Tuesday 18 October 2011
Don't mention the war
Just before we set off on our Rhine cruise, the Fox reminded me of the episode from "Fawlty Towers" when Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) reminds everyone not to mention the war when some Germans were coming to stay in the hotel. I thought nothing of this, just laughed a bit.
For me, the war is something that happened before I was born. My parents, in particular my mother, reminisced about it. She remembered both World Wars. She'd lived through them both, lost friends & family as a result. She did so without rancour. I never ended up with any ill-feeling towards the German people, who, to my mind, were almost as great victims of Nazism as the rest of Europe. I watched the war movies on the TV throughout my childhood. When I met the Fox I heard his parents war tales too. It still didn't alter the fact, that for me, the people who did those terrible things were not the German people of today. Any Germans I have met I've got on with reasonably well. I couldn't see there would be a problem.
I was, therefore, surprised how much I felt Germany still seems to be under the shadow of the war.I've been trying to understand why I should feel that.
Is it because Hitler's favourite hotel was pointed out to us? I gather it still has memorabilia from that time. Is it the shrapnel & bullet holes in Cologne cathedral walls? Is it just the sheer amount of new houses, replacing vast areas which must have been flattened in the war.
I can't really believe it is any of those. I have visited places severely damaged in war - Coventry cathedral in this country, many Dutch towns. I've visited museums devoted to the war - The Eden Camp in Malton Yorkshire, the museums on the Isle of Jersey & in Oslo, and most memorably the Resistance Museum in Gouda the Netherlands.
Or is seeing sights like this, the Bridge at Remagen. I remember the 60s film starring George Segal, Ben Gazzara & Robert Vaughn.
The film was based on the story of the role played by this bridge in the war. But I have seen other ruins from the time, such as those of the Draguignan-Nice railway viaduct at Pont-sur-Loup in the South of France, which were blown up by the Germans in 1944.
In some ways I would have thought of other countries would maybe have a greater ability to remind me of the war. .Most places in Europe have their war memorials, some quite grand ones, & yet I didn't feel this shadow over the land. Maybe it's the fact that I didn't see any such war memorials in Germany & yet surely the German people must have needed to grieve over their fallen, many of whom I am sure died bravely & honourably, & left loving families who took pride in them & wanted to honour & remember them. Or was the war such a terrible thing that the Germans were to ashamed to honour their dead?
Maybe one day I'll work out why this trip had that effect. I wonder...
For me, the war is something that happened before I was born. My parents, in particular my mother, reminisced about it. She remembered both World Wars. She'd lived through them both, lost friends & family as a result. She did so without rancour. I never ended up with any ill-feeling towards the German people, who, to my mind, were almost as great victims of Nazism as the rest of Europe. I watched the war movies on the TV throughout my childhood. When I met the Fox I heard his parents war tales too. It still didn't alter the fact, that for me, the people who did those terrible things were not the German people of today. Any Germans I have met I've got on with reasonably well. I couldn't see there would be a problem.
I was, therefore, surprised how much I felt Germany still seems to be under the shadow of the war.I've been trying to understand why I should feel that.
Is it because Hitler's favourite hotel was pointed out to us? I gather it still has memorabilia from that time. Is it the shrapnel & bullet holes in Cologne cathedral walls? Is it just the sheer amount of new houses, replacing vast areas which must have been flattened in the war.
I can't really believe it is any of those. I have visited places severely damaged in war - Coventry cathedral in this country, many Dutch towns. I've visited museums devoted to the war - The Eden Camp in Malton Yorkshire, the museums on the Isle of Jersey & in Oslo, and most memorably the Resistance Museum in Gouda the Netherlands.
Or is seeing sights like this, the Bridge at Remagen. I remember the 60s film starring George Segal, Ben Gazzara & Robert Vaughn.
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| The Bridge at Remagen, now a museum |
In some ways I would have thought of other countries would maybe have a greater ability to remind me of the war. .Most places in Europe have their war memorials, some quite grand ones, & yet I didn't feel this shadow over the land. Maybe it's the fact that I didn't see any such war memorials in Germany & yet surely the German people must have needed to grieve over their fallen, many of whom I am sure died bravely & honourably, & left loving families who took pride in them & wanted to honour & remember them. Or was the war such a terrible thing that the Germans were to ashamed to honour their dead?
Maybe one day I'll work out why this trip had that effect. I wonder...
Monday 17 October 2011
Busy day ahead
We've got a busy day ahead of us today. At the moment I've got a chilli con carne on, plopping away. That then should be nice & easy to warm up come this evening.
Then, Angie, our cleaner, is due. Although the Fox is feeling so much better now, it doesn't alter the fact he is still having some off days when he really couldn't cope with the extra task of cleaning on top of other things. Fortunately our local council has let us have enough vouchers we can use for cleaning services to last through most of this financial year. That being so, we will continue to make use of the services of Angie, with a few weeks off over Christmas probably. Come March we will have another review of the situation & decide how fit the Fox feels. If necessary we will put in another application for help next year.
It's PD's birthday today. That means we must get to the Pub this afternoon to help him celebrate. When last we spoke, he was hoping to persuade Lin, his wife, to come too. It's always a pleasure to see her.
Then this evening it's flu jab time. I've never been called in for a flu jab before. I have sometimes questioned whether I shouldn't request one as I have had pneumonia - I missed the fireworks to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium as a result - & I am disabled, but on the other hand I have never had flu, despite being put in flu wards when I've just had one of my regular severe colds. However, now I've got CKD, Chronic Kidney disease, I'm getting the offer. I'm accepting it, not because I suspect I'm any more likely to get flu this year than before, but, rather because if I were to now, with CKD, there can be far worse, quite serious, consequences, & I don't want them. So, tonight, we're both of to the surgery for our jabs.
All of this makes up, for us, a busy day. I suspect a tiring one too! Here goes....
Then, Angie, our cleaner, is due. Although the Fox is feeling so much better now, it doesn't alter the fact he is still having some off days when he really couldn't cope with the extra task of cleaning on top of other things. Fortunately our local council has let us have enough vouchers we can use for cleaning services to last through most of this financial year. That being so, we will continue to make use of the services of Angie, with a few weeks off over Christmas probably. Come March we will have another review of the situation & decide how fit the Fox feels. If necessary we will put in another application for help next year.
It's PD's birthday today. That means we must get to the Pub this afternoon to help him celebrate. When last we spoke, he was hoping to persuade Lin, his wife, to come too. It's always a pleasure to see her.
Then this evening it's flu jab time. I've never been called in for a flu jab before. I have sometimes questioned whether I shouldn't request one as I have had pneumonia - I missed the fireworks to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium as a result - & I am disabled, but on the other hand I have never had flu, despite being put in flu wards when I've just had one of my regular severe colds. However, now I've got CKD, Chronic Kidney disease, I'm getting the offer. I'm accepting it, not because I suspect I'm any more likely to get flu this year than before, but, rather because if I were to now, with CKD, there can be far worse, quite serious, consequences, & I don't want them. So, tonight, we're both of to the surgery for our jabs.
All of this makes up, for us, a busy day. I suspect a tiring one too! Here goes....
Saturday 15 October 2011
The highlight
Both the above pictures were taken in Rudesheim on our recent holiday.
I have to confess, in my opinion, Rudesheim was the highlight of our trip. It's a place full of colour, as you can see. It epitomises, to me, the chocolate box image of a German Rhineland town - timber- framed buildings, flower boxes, colour, bustle.
In many ways it's a bit like a Grasmere-on-the-Rhine. The shops are very much aimed at the tourist. But then these villages/towns are dependent on the tourist for their economic survival. On the whole they were not the tatty tourist shops so often found in so many resorts, especially for some reason, in seaside resorts.
Christmas is obviously a big thing in Germany. Many of the shops were already selling Christmas decorations/ novelties. Lights were already going up on roofs as you can see if you enlarge the second picture above. Another month & things will be in full swing there. But then, I suppose, I shouldn't be that surprised, as the German Christmas markets are supposed to be quite fabulous. We have never visited one so we can only go by repute.
The other thing about Rudesheim was the music. The town house Siegreid's Mechanical Musikkabinett, one of the greatest collections of robotic or automation, self-playing musical instruments from the 18th-20th centuries. We didn't go, but all those who went on the organised trip were very impressed.
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| Siegfried's Mechanical Musikkabinett |
On the outskirts of the town we found the wine museum, housed in an impressive-looking 13th century medieval castle. Again we didn't enter in.
The other thing that struck us was the food. Food on our ship was poor. At Rudesheim we were seriously tempted to abandon ship, as wonderful smells assaulted our noses setting our tums rumbling. The menus sounded basic but the smells suggested something good. We decided to stick with the ship's food. That evening the menu had sounded better, and indeed it was one of the best meals on the whole trip. Many others gave way to temptation. It was noticeable that the ship's restaurant was half-empty and we couldn't entirely blame them.
As you can tell we loved this place. We would happily return again & maybe venture into one of the museums, try some of the food, or venture up in the cable car to the top of the vine-laden hills for what I suspect would be a superb view across & along the Rhine. Or maybe we would visit Bingen, famed for the musical nun Hildegaard, on the other side of the river.
Friday 14 October 2011
The chase
Well, the car insurance is sorted & paid for. I've got this week's ironing done. Now I can think about turning my attention to other things. In particular, my mind is going towards dinner.
Today I'm having a go with Big Ears, our slow cooker. This new, to us, equipment has been taken over by the Fox. He's grown to love it as much as the wok. His Pea & Ham Soup yesterday (see his blog) was excellent. It may not have been his mother's, but nonetheless it was tasty & satisfying.
This is only my second endeavour. I'm tackling a Chicken Cacciatore. I'm a bit nervous about it. The wine has to be boiled to reduce & I'm not sure if the hot setting will be hot enough to do this. It is hot enough to pre-fry meat etc so hopefully it will be okay. If the worse comes to the worst I will just have to empty the wine into a saucepan, reduce it then return it to Big Ears. We'll see.
Meanwhile I've discovered we're not the only people suffering the fly & midge epidemic. We went to our village pub yesterday. There we watched the landlady in full attack with a rolled up magazine as she chased around the bar. The problem is, with there being food around, lemons for the drinks etc, she doesn't feel she can really use a fly spray. In the kitchens they have these ultra-violet lights but she reckons the pesky critters have learnt to avoid them now. It's really getting her down. She's never known it as bad as this year & suspects we're right when we suggest it's all those green bins, full of unwrapped rotting food & not collected sometimes for weeks at a time, that are the cause. It is to be hoped that, by next summer, a more regular, & therefore healthier, collection arrangement can be organised. Meanwhile roll on some really cold weather to get rid of them!
Today I'm having a go with Big Ears, our slow cooker. This new, to us, equipment has been taken over by the Fox. He's grown to love it as much as the wok. His Pea & Ham Soup yesterday (see his blog) was excellent. It may not have been his mother's, but nonetheless it was tasty & satisfying.
This is only my second endeavour. I'm tackling a Chicken Cacciatore. I'm a bit nervous about it. The wine has to be boiled to reduce & I'm not sure if the hot setting will be hot enough to do this. It is hot enough to pre-fry meat etc so hopefully it will be okay. If the worse comes to the worst I will just have to empty the wine into a saucepan, reduce it then return it to Big Ears. We'll see.
Meanwhile I've discovered we're not the only people suffering the fly & midge epidemic. We went to our village pub yesterday. There we watched the landlady in full attack with a rolled up magazine as she chased around the bar. The problem is, with there being food around, lemons for the drinks etc, she doesn't feel she can really use a fly spray. In the kitchens they have these ultra-violet lights but she reckons the pesky critters have learnt to avoid them now. It's really getting her down. She's never known it as bad as this year & suspects we're right when we suggest it's all those green bins, full of unwrapped rotting food & not collected sometimes for weeks at a time, that are the cause. It is to be hoped that, by next summer, a more regular, & therefore healthier, collection arrangement can be organised. Meanwhile roll on some really cold weather to get rid of them!
Thursday 13 October 2011
Changing
I've spent the morning ringing around for car insurance quotes. Once we've made the decision I'll be able to tell all the calls from insurance companies they're just too late. So far I've got to a price that is just £4 more than last year, considerably better than the £40 increase that our present company is asking for.
It never ceases to amaze me how the price of insurance just seems to go up & up. I accept that last year we did have a bad winter so there were probably more car insurance claims as a consequence. Nonetheless, that doesn't alter the fact we weren't among the claimants & the value of our car has gone down as it aged.
I'm also aware part of the increase is due to the fact so many companies have great introductory offers. Once they think they've hooked you, they assume you'll stay with them for the rest of your life, whatever premiums they demand. I'm afraid I'm a believer in checking around first. If it's only a few pounds difference I might stay to save the hassle of moving, but when it gets to £40+ that's a different matter. We're changing.
One good thing is that the companies I've contacted have also given a house & contents quote too so I won't have to go through the whole hassle again, when that renewal notice arrives. That should be any day now. I will already have something to compare it against so hopefully that will be a quick and easy decision.
It never ceases to amaze me how the price of insurance just seems to go up & up. I accept that last year we did have a bad winter so there were probably more car insurance claims as a consequence. Nonetheless, that doesn't alter the fact we weren't among the claimants & the value of our car has gone down as it aged.
I'm also aware part of the increase is due to the fact so many companies have great introductory offers. Once they think they've hooked you, they assume you'll stay with them for the rest of your life, whatever premiums they demand. I'm afraid I'm a believer in checking around first. If it's only a few pounds difference I might stay to save the hassle of moving, but when it gets to £40+ that's a different matter. We're changing.
One good thing is that the companies I've contacted have also given a house & contents quote too so I won't have to go through the whole hassle again, when that renewal notice arrives. That should be any day now. I will already have something to compare it against so hopefully that will be a quick and easy decision.
Wednesday 12 October 2011
Under pressure
I'm feeling somewhat under pressure. The car insurance is due later this month & we seem to be being inundated with calls offering special prices & to decide there & then. I really object to being expected to make instant decisions. If a decision is good, it will still be good after I've had time to check around & mull things over. It is all too easy to make an instant decision & then regret it.
Even at the Pub, pressure is being put on us. Mr P, the ex-music teacher, is eager for us to book a table at his new dining club/restaurant later this month. He assures us the place is all wheelchair accessible. What he doesn't seem to take in is that we usually eat at 6pm, & I'm getting ready for, even sometimes, as last night, in, bed by 7pm. His place doesn't even open until 7.30pm. I appreciate for working people that is a better time but it's not much use for us. We wish him well in his venture but I'm not sure if that means we'll be going for a meal with him. I will admit there is a bit of me that wonders if we shouldn't make the effort & give him our support. He clearly wants it. I dare say if we went on a Saturday, when I could have a mid-afternoon nap to keep me going, I might cope with such a late meal. We'll see, but these are the wrong tactics. The more he pressures, the more my back goes up in resistance.
The next bit of pressure I suppose will be over the house insurance due at the beginning of next month. I expect that will mean another wave of phone calls.
Does it ever end?!
Even at the Pub, pressure is being put on us. Mr P, the ex-music teacher, is eager for us to book a table at his new dining club/restaurant later this month. He assures us the place is all wheelchair accessible. What he doesn't seem to take in is that we usually eat at 6pm, & I'm getting ready for, even sometimes, as last night, in, bed by 7pm. His place doesn't even open until 7.30pm. I appreciate for working people that is a better time but it's not much use for us. We wish him well in his venture but I'm not sure if that means we'll be going for a meal with him. I will admit there is a bit of me that wonders if we shouldn't make the effort & give him our support. He clearly wants it. I dare say if we went on a Saturday, when I could have a mid-afternoon nap to keep me going, I might cope with such a late meal. We'll see, but these are the wrong tactics. The more he pressures, the more my back goes up in resistance.
The next bit of pressure I suppose will be over the house insurance due at the beginning of next month. I expect that will mean another wave of phone calls.
Does it ever end?!
Monday 10 October 2011
Bridge of love
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| Hohenzollern Bridge Cologne |
I finally managed to insert a photo. This is the Hohenzollern Bridge crossing the Rhine. Here we found an unexpected surprise. By the side of the walk way, you can see what looks like a multi-coloured mosaic from this distance. But click on the photo so enlarging it, look closer and you will find it isn't that at all. In fact all that colour is provided by hundreds of differently coloured & designed padlocks. On most of them the names of two lovers are scrawled. The idea seems to be to fix the padlock on mesh forming the wall & throw the key in the Rhine, or to give it to the object of your love, as a sign of how undying & true that love is. Maybe one day such an act would have appealed to us, but these days. I feel we've proved our love & its endurance by being still together, & in love, nearly forty years on. Such signs seem a bit belated & irrelevant.
Saturday 8 October 2011
Under way
AS the weather has changed, my attention has been turned to sorting out the Christmas meal for the Geriatrics' Corner at the Pub. Somehow gales, thunderstorms, hailstorms etc is suggestive of the onset of winter and, with it, the fact Xmas is on the way. At least, so far there's been more interest than in the end-of-the-month meals.
This year has not been a good year for our merry little group. The Fox had his stroke in March. Then, a couple of months ago, Fran had a heart attack. Fortunately, as with the Fox, it was only a mild one, but, nonetheless, a heart attack. Meanwhile PD has managed to put on yet more weight with the result his breathing, and morale, has got even worse. Growing older brings its problems.
So far we've got 9 definites and a few hope-tos & yet-to-let-me-knows.
I had been intending to add a few pictures of our recent trip down the Rhine today, but somehow I seem to have forgotten how to download them. I get so far. I choose the pictures but I can't actually insert them. I'll have another go another day. As you will have realised by now, I'm not the most computer-literate of people. Unless I'm in the right state of mind I rapidly get frustrated, ready to throw things at the screen rather than stopping to think things out, a failing in me.
This year has not been a good year for our merry little group. The Fox had his stroke in March. Then, a couple of months ago, Fran had a heart attack. Fortunately, as with the Fox, it was only a mild one, but, nonetheless, a heart attack. Meanwhile PD has managed to put on yet more weight with the result his breathing, and morale, has got even worse. Growing older brings its problems.
So far we've got 9 definites and a few hope-tos & yet-to-let-me-knows.
I had been intending to add a few pictures of our recent trip down the Rhine today, but somehow I seem to have forgotten how to download them. I get so far. I choose the pictures but I can't actually insert them. I'll have another go another day. As you will have realised by now, I'm not the most computer-literate of people. Unless I'm in the right state of mind I rapidly get frustrated, ready to throw things at the screen rather than stopping to think things out, a failing in me.
Thursday 6 October 2011
Home
We ended up watching "Location Location" (Channel 4) last night on TV. It's not a programme we watch regularly, just when we want a stare & don't really want to make too much effort. A few thoughts struck me.
Firstly, a couple were looking for their first home together. They talked about buying somewhere to live for 5-10 years. Undoubtedly I don't think it's worth the expense of buying unless you intend to stay for years rather than weeks. I suppose we've always bought in thought of living in a place for the foreseeable future. The flat we had in Arnside was bought with the thought we'd live there until it became impractical when the children came along. The children never came along & we stayed put - for 23 years! Our present home we bought as a place to live probably for the rest of our lives, or at least until we become so infirm or one of us dies with the result the place becomes just too much. 5-10 years seems so short to me - we've already been here longer than that & I feel we've only just moved in - but I suppose for young 20-somethings it must seem a long time, half a lifetime.
The other thing that struck me was when Kirstie despaired when a single young man questioned whether it was really such a good idea for him to buy rather than rent. A house is an investment she assured him. It can be a nightmare, though. Most people have to start with huge mortgages but as time goes on & property prices change, they can find themselves in a negative equity situation, burdened with huge debt & unable to move house or to afford to upkeep the property. At least renting the landlord is responsible for most of the major maintenance costs, not the tenant. You can easily move into alternative, possibly cheaper property if you need to at a later date.
The other great thing about renting is that it gives you flexibility. This young man doesn't know where life is going to take him (admittedly it's debatable if anyone knows that except God!). He may well need to move with work. He may find a partner who hates any property he buys now. That partner may already have a property so one will need to be sold, possibly before the costs of buying & doing up are re-cooped.
Meanwhile so much capital is tied up in property which you never release until you downsize (though that isn't always the case), enter a care home or die. If you just move house, you usually end up buying a similar priced, if not more expensive, house to move to. You still don't have the use of that capital for other things, possibly other investments.
I suppose, above all, I can't help thinking you are buying a home, a place to live, to put roots down in, not an investment. It is only incidentally the latter in most cases & over a long time.
And just at the moment I'm still revelling at being home, with the Fox. It's great.
Firstly, a couple were looking for their first home together. They talked about buying somewhere to live for 5-10 years. Undoubtedly I don't think it's worth the expense of buying unless you intend to stay for years rather than weeks. I suppose we've always bought in thought of living in a place for the foreseeable future. The flat we had in Arnside was bought with the thought we'd live there until it became impractical when the children came along. The children never came along & we stayed put - for 23 years! Our present home we bought as a place to live probably for the rest of our lives, or at least until we become so infirm or one of us dies with the result the place becomes just too much. 5-10 years seems so short to me - we've already been here longer than that & I feel we've only just moved in - but I suppose for young 20-somethings it must seem a long time, half a lifetime.
The other thing that struck me was when Kirstie despaired when a single young man questioned whether it was really such a good idea for him to buy rather than rent. A house is an investment she assured him. It can be a nightmare, though. Most people have to start with huge mortgages but as time goes on & property prices change, they can find themselves in a negative equity situation, burdened with huge debt & unable to move house or to afford to upkeep the property. At least renting the landlord is responsible for most of the major maintenance costs, not the tenant. You can easily move into alternative, possibly cheaper property if you need to at a later date.
The other great thing about renting is that it gives you flexibility. This young man doesn't know where life is going to take him (admittedly it's debatable if anyone knows that except God!). He may well need to move with work. He may find a partner who hates any property he buys now. That partner may already have a property so one will need to be sold, possibly before the costs of buying & doing up are re-cooped.
Meanwhile so much capital is tied up in property which you never release until you downsize (though that isn't always the case), enter a care home or die. If you just move house, you usually end up buying a similar priced, if not more expensive, house to move to. You still don't have the use of that capital for other things, possibly other investments.
I suppose, above all, I can't help thinking you are buying a home, a place to live, to put roots down in, not an investment. It is only incidentally the latter in most cases & over a long time.
And just at the moment I'm still revelling at being home, with the Fox. It's great.
Tuesday 4 October 2011
The bland mystery
Undoubtedly our greatest joy about being home is food, that is food with flavour. We still can't quite get over the appalling food on ship. I'm coming to the conclusion no matter how adequate the quantity is, if you don't enjoy a meal, you don't feel satisfied or filled.
Yesterday we threw ourselves into chicken curry pancakes. I'd had to go to see the GP first thing so I was still in the midst of making them when Angie, our cleaner, arrived. She's never thought of filling pancakes with the curry mix before. For us it is an old favourite, a way of making a little leftover cooked chicken stretch a bit further. And oh the joy of spice after so much blandness.
Today's bit of spice will come in the form of some pepperoni I've found in the freezer. I reckon it will be just enough to top a home made pizza. I'll be cheating with a bought pizza base, but the topping will be all mine. It should be quick and easy to do which is just as well as we're intending to do the food shop today. And what a list that is! I can see it will take some time to do.
At the moment we're even revelling in simple things like champ, a good bit of Lancashire cheese, crisp chips. I did think part of the blandness of our holiday food lay in the fact we had chicken or pork for most meals. The only alternative being "white fish", whatever that I might be. (I couldn't tell you from my attempt at eating it). I came back hankering for red meat, a nice bit of lamb or beef. Yet all we've had of that since getting home is some minced beef in one of the Fox's excellent spicy spag bols. We've continued with mainly pork or chicken with the odd bit of pollack one day. But somehow our meals haven't tasted bland. We've dug into chicken pies & curries, enjoyed even a plain grilled piece of pork fillet (with a chilli dressing admittedly), loved some pork & black pudding sausages. We've enjoyed the lot.
To me it is total mystery how you manage to make so much so bland food. Even a simple grill should have flavour. The more I think of our holiday food the more I'm convinced the caterers regarded us as coming from a country with a reputation for blandness, mixed with the added disadvantage of being a load of sick people who ought not to have salt, cream or spice, or anything else that might overexcite us. The result was something on a par with hospital food, never an experience I would count as fine dining, more a case of trying to find something on the menu that may be edible, in other words the least worst.
Yesterday we threw ourselves into chicken curry pancakes. I'd had to go to see the GP first thing so I was still in the midst of making them when Angie, our cleaner, arrived. She's never thought of filling pancakes with the curry mix before. For us it is an old favourite, a way of making a little leftover cooked chicken stretch a bit further. And oh the joy of spice after so much blandness.
Today's bit of spice will come in the form of some pepperoni I've found in the freezer. I reckon it will be just enough to top a home made pizza. I'll be cheating with a bought pizza base, but the topping will be all mine. It should be quick and easy to do which is just as well as we're intending to do the food shop today. And what a list that is! I can see it will take some time to do.
At the moment we're even revelling in simple things like champ, a good bit of Lancashire cheese, crisp chips. I did think part of the blandness of our holiday food lay in the fact we had chicken or pork for most meals. The only alternative being "white fish", whatever that I might be. (I couldn't tell you from my attempt at eating it). I came back hankering for red meat, a nice bit of lamb or beef. Yet all we've had of that since getting home is some minced beef in one of the Fox's excellent spicy spag bols. We've continued with mainly pork or chicken with the odd bit of pollack one day. But somehow our meals haven't tasted bland. We've dug into chicken pies & curries, enjoyed even a plain grilled piece of pork fillet (with a chilli dressing admittedly), loved some pork & black pudding sausages. We've enjoyed the lot.
To me it is total mystery how you manage to make so much so bland food. Even a simple grill should have flavour. The more I think of our holiday food the more I'm convinced the caterers regarded us as coming from a country with a reputation for blandness, mixed with the added disadvantage of being a load of sick people who ought not to have salt, cream or spice, or anything else that might overexcite us. The result was something on a par with hospital food, never an experience I would count as fine dining, more a case of trying to find something on the menu that may be edible, in other words the least worst.
Sunday 2 October 2011
Catching up
Weather's changed hereabouts. Once more we're back to grey & wet. It's just as well. Last night was unpleasantly sticky. I'm hoping we'll finally see the end of midges for a while, maybe even for this year.
Since I last wrote we've been getting on top of things. There always seems so much to do after you've been away. Unpacking, washing, ironing, re-discovering what's on the kitchen's shelves, in the fridge & freezer, catching up on all that's happened in your absence.
At last most of the chores have been done. The washing & ironing is done & is now once more at usual levels. Every day we seem to discover something new we're low on foodwise - butter, sugar, margarine, bread stock cubes. We've yet to do any food shopping beyond the milk the Fox got when we first returned home. That is obviously going to be one of the big events of the week as far as we are concerned.
Yesterday Al turned up & cut the lawn. It looks considerably better than it did. Earlier in the week I picked what few apples & pears remained on the trees after the hurricane that blew through just before we went away. Al took some pears along with some sage & rosemary.
We bumped into Angie, our cleaner, on Friday, so we've remade contact with her. Even met her daughter.
All the gang at the Pub we've reseen.
Mr P, the retired teacher, opened up his dining club while we were away. The first night went well, if a little chaotically. He's not discouraged by the challenge of the cooking, but does feel he's going to have to do something about the pricing. Otherwise he's never going to make up the money he's spent on refurbishing the room. He's eager for us to come to the meal later this month. We'll think about it.
Henry, one of the regulars, was at the Pub. He went on a Rhine cruise a couple of weeks before us. Different ship but same poor food. His trip sounds like a bit of a disaster. He's quite elderly. Although he wouldn't regard himself as disabled, he does have some mobility difficulties. He doesn't walk very far these days. He was shocked to discover the cabins were 4 levels down & there were no lifts. To get on land at every stop, you had to cross several other ships first - not the easiest thing for him to do. Prices on ship were extortionate. He spent the entire time on the ship. It had even rained all the time to complete his misery. We couldn't help commenting he should have come with us. By comparison we had a great time with plenty of sunshine & warmth, lifts even to the sundeck, reasonable on-board prices, just poor food. Fortunately since then, Henry's been on another holiday, a trip to France, to St Omer, with some friends, which has helped to restore his sense of well-being.
I had a chat with one of my cousin's. She & her husband had been on holiday to Anglesey, while we were away. They, too, were catching up on things. She was particularly pleased to hear how much better the Fox seems to be doing.
Next week we'll still be catching up on things - the food shopping, visiting doctors, finding out when the Fox has a hospital appointment to find out about the results of the MRI scan to replace the one cancelled just before we set off, seeing about some new knee braces for me (my present ones are tending to lose their stretch so less effective), sorting out the bathroom's lights .....
So much to do. But it's great to be home. I sometimes think that is the real value of a holiday. You appreciate being home so much more.
Since I last wrote we've been getting on top of things. There always seems so much to do after you've been away. Unpacking, washing, ironing, re-discovering what's on the kitchen's shelves, in the fridge & freezer, catching up on all that's happened in your absence.
At last most of the chores have been done. The washing & ironing is done & is now once more at usual levels. Every day we seem to discover something new we're low on foodwise - butter, sugar, margarine, bread stock cubes. We've yet to do any food shopping beyond the milk the Fox got when we first returned home. That is obviously going to be one of the big events of the week as far as we are concerned.
Yesterday Al turned up & cut the lawn. It looks considerably better than it did. Earlier in the week I picked what few apples & pears remained on the trees after the hurricane that blew through just before we went away. Al took some pears along with some sage & rosemary.
We bumped into Angie, our cleaner, on Friday, so we've remade contact with her. Even met her daughter.
All the gang at the Pub we've reseen.
Mr P, the retired teacher, opened up his dining club while we were away. The first night went well, if a little chaotically. He's not discouraged by the challenge of the cooking, but does feel he's going to have to do something about the pricing. Otherwise he's never going to make up the money he's spent on refurbishing the room. He's eager for us to come to the meal later this month. We'll think about it.
Henry, one of the regulars, was at the Pub. He went on a Rhine cruise a couple of weeks before us. Different ship but same poor food. His trip sounds like a bit of a disaster. He's quite elderly. Although he wouldn't regard himself as disabled, he does have some mobility difficulties. He doesn't walk very far these days. He was shocked to discover the cabins were 4 levels down & there were no lifts. To get on land at every stop, you had to cross several other ships first - not the easiest thing for him to do. Prices on ship were extortionate. He spent the entire time on the ship. It had even rained all the time to complete his misery. We couldn't help commenting he should have come with us. By comparison we had a great time with plenty of sunshine & warmth, lifts even to the sundeck, reasonable on-board prices, just poor food. Fortunately since then, Henry's been on another holiday, a trip to France, to St Omer, with some friends, which has helped to restore his sense of well-being.
I had a chat with one of my cousin's. She & her husband had been on holiday to Anglesey, while we were away. They, too, were catching up on things. She was particularly pleased to hear how much better the Fox seems to be doing.
Next week we'll still be catching up on things - the food shopping, visiting doctors, finding out when the Fox has a hospital appointment to find out about the results of the MRI scan to replace the one cancelled just before we set off, seeing about some new knee braces for me (my present ones are tending to lose their stretch so less effective), sorting out the bathroom's lights .....
So much to do. But it's great to be home. I sometimes think that is the real value of a holiday. You appreciate being home so much more.
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