Sunday, 24th March, 2024
Gorgeous morning again. Thank goodness for that. We need some good news, don’t we, Dear Reader. The sky is blue and sun is streaming through the patio windows on to the Breakfast table making it, almost, too warm.
For no other reason than it looked beautiful to me, I feature a photo of fruit in sunshine. The ribbed texture in the sunlight looked so appealing. Melon, Mango and Banana are my go-to fruits currently
I must admit, I’d rather be in Greek sun than the light streaming into our kitchen. Above is Aristotelous Square, Thessaloniki taken this morning from the hotel we will be in during June. I snatched the photo from webcam at 9.30 am (UK) / 11.30 am (Gr) where the square is clearly being prepared for yet another cultural event. It’s not Easter because, in Greece this year, Easter is not until May.
How seriously do you take security? You would think that a man who parades the minutiae of his daily life across the internet for all to read would be low on security. Quite the opposite. I take it incredibly seriously and only allow access to the things I choose. I wonder what you do about your data and passwords security.
Years ago, I moved on from just one password to multiples recorded in a file which I had to carry round with me as I travelled to Greece for half the year to using an on-line password manager which stores and automatically retrieves all passwords for me. Great for dementia sufferers. I use Norton 360 which installs on Computers, Laptops, IPads and smartphones to keep data secure and passwords available. It synchronises across all platforms. Then I back everything up in the cloud and double backup on memory sticks. With my Blog, I rent a second site to back the whole thing up ready for publication when I retire – if I retire from Blogging.
Valeting the car in the afternoon sunshine. Carpets vacuumed, seats and upholstery leather treated, Glass cleaned, Fascia freshened up, paintwork shampooed and waxed, wheels treated and tyres faced. Needed some help with all that. Must admit, it did look good afterwards. Neighbours around pay just over £100.00 per car per month in a contract with professional cleaners who come to their homes to do the job. I usually quite enjoy doing it myself but it felt too demanding today.
Monday, 25th March, 2024
The last week of March begins with a blood test. When I was ill in America, hospital tests reported raised enzymes in the liver. Ultimately, Legionnaires Disease was diagnosed but my last blood test at the UK surgery indicated the same thing – raised enzymes in the liver. I have been asked to have another blood test to pinpoint the problem.
After that we walked on the beach path for a few minutes. Lovely and warm and fresh, the tide was coming in and the light was gentle.
I must admit, I couldn’t have told you where my liver was or what it was there for. Now I’ve looked it up, I wish I hadn’t. Bodies are just too scary for delicate people like me.
I will almost certainly be told to stop drinking. I will, of course, do as I’m told. Only got 300 bottles to drink first. There will probably be a hiatus for Easter so I won’t hear the result for a couple of weeks and then an appointment to discuss them. So, about 3 weeks … 100 bottles a week … feels a bit of a stretch.
Watch a sad/romantic serialised film over the past few nights. It had been suggested to us and appeared to be the sort of watch we could share. It was about an unlikely couple who met at university in Edinburgh and became friends against all the odds but then went their separate ways. She went into teaching and he became a television presenter. They meet once a year over a decade and then finally get together and life is going well just as she …
Apparently, the story was originally made into an American film but this UK series made by Netflix was brilliantly cast. It is not my normal sort of viewing but I found it really moving and it played across my mind over night. I am pathetic! But then you knew that, Dear Reader.
Smoked salmon salad for lunch. Haven’t done that for months. It feels like Summer. Been out to buy seeds this morning. Going to sow French Beans, Parsley, Sage, Salad Leaves all for the kitchen and then African Marigolds for the street beds in the lawns.
Tuesday, 26th March, 2024
The morning didn’t start off well. Received a text from the surgery to tell me that, as a result of my blood tests yesterday, they are sending me for an abdominal ultrasound. Just the sort of reassurance one needs at Breakfast. My Housekeeper is out at an early Hairdressers appointment so I am rapidly Googling the results of my blood test and the need for abdominal ultrasound. There don’t appear to be many upsides.
Suddenly began to wonder if it’s worth sowing those seeds I bought yesterday. Isn’t life weird?
We have a friend in Lancashire who retired recently and is now dying of cancer. She has been trying so hard over the past few months to live life as fully as possible but the chemotherapy has finally worn her down, taken all her strength and the cancer has taken her life almost entirely away. She is now bedridden, out of strength, out of fight and preparing for Hospice Care although that seems to be in very short supply up there. Pauline did a Facetime conversation with her this morning. How she did it, I don’t know. It would have been quite beyond me.
Wednesday, 27th March, 2024
Another nice, warm day although not full of sunshine. I’ve been busy in the Office all morning. Anyone who is married or living in a long term relationship will understand the dilemma I’ve been confronting this morning. Household tasks are largely assigned according to gender mainly because our ages. Younger households may well see it differently.
Washing machines are a mystery to me. Not that I am proud of the fact but it is so. For a short period, I lived on my own and took everything to a Laundrette where the lady who owned it took pity on me and washed everything for me after the occasion when I threw everything in together and ended with a batch of pink shirts. Then, I got married and my Housekeeper took over. Similarly with the Dryer and the Ironing. I know I should have tried but persuade myself that it is beyond me.
That is not to say that I don’t contribute in my own way. I do the heavy lifting, open jars, move loads, carry things. I write most letters, documents where it is important to win an argument, have influence, make a strong case. I am responsible for organising Savings and Investments – as opposed to day to day spending. S&A is so much more enjoyable at the moment with interest rates offering real returns against inflation. Even in our 70s, we have been able to move from pure savings into a mix of investments to really make a substantial contribution to our income. There is no question: Money makes Money.
One of the nice things is not having to worry about pensions. Younger ones have had to keep an eye on the performance of invested pension funds to decide when to retire. Ours may not be generous but they are guaranteed and index-linked. Anything else we make is a bonus for luxuries and future solutions. As long as I can shelter them from tax, they are doing well. But what would happen if I died? Would my wife know how to access everything? Liquidate things? Move things around? What about Probate? Can I organise things so that she doesn’t have to pay out extra fees to get at things. This is what I’ve been working on today. If I should die, think only this of me ….
Thursday, 28th March, 2024
Little Jane is 70 years old today. It is a special landmark and we wish her a very happy day.
The rain just keeps coming in squalls of warm but blustery water. In fact, it was so wet this morning, we decided not to shop at Waitrose but go the Sainsburys underground (dry) carpark.
It does make life a lot easier. Went on to the beach where strong winds and a rising tide had brought out the intrepid windsurfers. Even so, I couldn’t see myself doing this at any stage of my life.
Had a nice chat with Kevin who has sun and is going out on a 20 mile bike ride, with Julie who has sun and is setting off with pieces of her art work to sell in a local gallery and with JohnR who is preparing his talk on Life in a Cistercian Community which he will deliver in Richmond, North Yorkshire. And I’m setting off to Lidl to buy gardening products which are so much cheaper there. What am I doing?? I’m going in the Gym where the rain can only be heard on the roof and the TV needs to be turned up a notch.
Friday, 29th March, 2024
They say it’s Good Friday. I’ll be the judge of that! There are definitely some things missing which I have to seek out and I will. Actually, down at the beach it is a very good Friday for sun worshippers.
Real contrast with yesterday. Warm, relatively calm for a turning tide, quiet even on a holiday and with strong colours.
The rhythms of the year are defined by the seasons as dormant Winter gives rise to Spring, blossoms into Summer and fruits in Autumn before the cycle is repeated. Similarly, the calendar is graduated by anachronistic religious festivals – Lent, Easter, Whitsun, Harvest Festival and Christmas.
They all emphasise the continuity of life. For children, these sections seem endless but the older one gets the quicker the transitions seem to arrive. I’ve no idea why but, despite not believing in any religion, we still make Christmas cakes, eat turkey; we still roast a leg of lamb at Easter and make Greek filo lamb parcels with the left overs. Living in Greece, it seemed rude not to.
Sometimes it’s hard to break out of the patterns. Even so, after a difficult year, we have to make this one a whole lot better. I am determined not to be put off. Got to visit, travel meet – all the things I couldn’t do last year. We are feeling a bit hemmed in at the moment. Still one or two medical issues to sort out but it won’t be long, hopefully.
Saturday, 30th March, 2024
Easter Weekend. A lovely, warm morning. You’ll be pleased to know, Dear Reader, that I am celebrating by having my haircut by my Housekeeper. Well, got to keep costs down. Every morning, she also creams my feet. Can you imagine the chiropody bill for that? All the walking I do can lead to problems – dryness and cracking – so I need to be maintained regularly. I understand, you didn’t really need to know that. Well, Easter is a time for honesty. How many self-professed Christians do you know who are really profoundly un-Christian?
Just thought the Philosophy students among you might like this cartoon based on the theory of Schrodinger’s Cat. We atheists have to fight back in a period when Christianity has its little moment.
Just heard from Jane who has spent the week celebrating her 70th birthday in Oporto. It looks nice although I know absolutely nothing about it. In fact, I’ve never been to Portugal at all. Pleased she’s enjoyed her week.
To cap the week, received in the post this morning an appointment to attend Southlands Hospital at Shoreham by Sea for an Abdomen Ultrasound Scan at the end of April. Wonder what that will throw up. Oh, Christians, pray for me – even those pretending to be Christian. It can’t do any harm at least.
Still maintaining hope until the guillotine falls. Incredibly warm, Spring weather this weekend. At mid day, we are reading 16C/61F in brilliant sunshine from clear blue skies. A quick trip to the garden centre was a mistake. All the world was there. Time to sow seeds. Collect all the materials together – seeds, seed compost, propagators and vermiculite to top them off. This is a wonder mineral largely mined in South Africa. It mixes with the soil to absorb and retain moisture but is also used as a cover for seeds to stop them rotting off.