Sunday, 6th October, 2024
Well, I am shocked but the meal I cooked was a success. Even I enjoyed it – the cooking and the eating – although I have put 2lbs on this morning so got to do a lot of work to get the downward trend restarted.
Set off early for a walk along the promenade under grey skies with a chilly wind off the sea. I was in shorts and tee shirt but the majority of walkers were in Winter clothes. The temperature was 16C/61F but the edge on the breeze made it feel cooler. It was perfect for Kite Surfers but they were in wetsuits. Walking keeps we hardy types warm. After all, this is like mid Summer in Oldham.
I wrote the other day that it never rains but it pours. This morning, we discovered that we have a leak from the wash hand basin in one of the bathrooms. Nothing terrible but enough to need to turn off the cold water feed to that basin and to get a plumber next week. The same one happened a couple of years ago. It looks like our hard water may be the cause. Anyway, this coming week, we have a Fence man coming and now a Plumber will have to come as well.
As we move towards the darker days of Winter, thoughts turn to sunnier, warmer places. Apart from a trip to the North of England, we have already fixed two trips to North & South Greece in June and August 2025. Looking at 6 weeks June-July to do a European driving trip either down the West side of France to Bordeaux and then the South of France or taking a ferry Portsmouth to Bilbao and driving across Spain through Zaragoza to Murcia. Either way, I would look to rent a villa for a month.
I favour Spain for a change but Portsmouth – Bilbao/Santander is a 36 hr ferry journey which rather puts me off. France is a nice drive but most of which we’ve done before so it could be a bit repetetive.
The ferry takes 36 hours one way so we would need a good cabin. The cost for 2 passengers with a good, ensuite cabin is £900.00 return so that has to be factored in. Nice dilemma to have though and some cool nights to research and decide in.
Amazingly warm here tonight under cloudy skies. Rain has begun to fall lightly as I watch Brighton destroy Spurs just down the road – 10 miles – from our house. Until yesterday, we had expected a wet week to come but it appears to have veered off to the North – where it belongs – and our week of walking will not be too disturbed.
Monday, 7th October, 2024
Very warm night but woken at 5.00 am by heavy and torrential rain. It didn’t last long and is now moving North so it is safe to go out on a walk. I seem to be constantly walking whereas, in the past, I was running. I was reminded of this by a story in the MEN this morning.
I lived there until 45 years ago and could be seen at 5.00 am running like an idiot around the streets in my purple tracksuit with bright yelleow stripes down the leg trying to keep the fitness up and weight down. It was a dreadful place with poverty threaded through it. I had never seen anything like it before. Street after street of Victorian, Terraced, red brick houses, Corner Shops, Pubs, Fish & Chip shops and Hairdressers. Everything was old and grubby. But this was the catchment area of the school where I was teaching.
What there was in these streets was a sense of community, of all in the same poverty, of all struggling to survive. But life has to go on and you can’t live on community spirit alone. New homes built to modern standards were desperately needed. The LEA bought up most of the old house and demollished them. Streets of new houses have been built but then … they ran out of money and, for some areas, time has stood still as Nature reclaimed them. There are now plans to restart the regeneration plan but it has taken so many years. I see it, of course, in my mind’s eye still 50 years back in all its poverty. Nothing can erase that.
Still exercising but rather walking than running now. Got to protect my knees and hips now. I’ve thrown the purple tracksuit away. Lovely on the beach promenade this morning, warm and quiet. A bit of sun but wondeful, fresh air. Still in shorts and tee shirt. I’ll be sorry when it turns too cold for that. I noticed this morning that we have a talking telescope looking out to sea. I don’t know what it says because I never carry money and it wouldn’t accept phone payment.
Just done a post-sale review of our Honda Dealership which they sent me. It is all good. execellent, in fact. It is our 15th new CRV which speaks for itself. We always pay cash for new cars, and for the last 20 years they have come with 5 years ‘free’ servicing not that we ever keep them that long. It also comes with 5 years UK & European Breakdown cover, not that we’ve ever broken down but it is good to know and adds to the resale value. Recently, these last two benefits have come on the condition that we use Honda Finance in the purchase of the car. On this occasion, we had to include £1500.00 of Honda Finance loan but were told it could be paid off in full after 2 weeks of signing for the loan and no charges would be made. We will pay it off this week but still have no idea what Honda get out of this process at all.
We spent the weekend trying to decide which plumber to choose to deal with our leak in the bathroom. Having asked around, scrolled through umpteen local sites and recommendations we finally picked a name.
Phoning him on his mobile this morning, he said he would be happy to come round and help but it would have to be be tomorrow. He was speaking from Milan and flying back tonight. Sounds like our kind of plumber. We love Milan having stayed there and driven through there many times. A long way from Derker in Oldham that’s for sure.
Tuesday, 8th October, 2024
Heavy rain and a flash of ligtning last night but very warm. Gorgeous morning of blue sky and sunshine. Out early to take Pauline for a cholesterol test. She’ll sail through it as she does all medicals. After all, she’s been controlling her diet tightly for the past two months to make sure she does. Actually, we have both been very disciplined for the past 7 weeks now. Orange Juice for Breakfast. Home made Museli mid morning. One main meal of Fish & Salad/Vegetables each evening. We have allied that to an exercise regime and no alcohol. It is working. The fitness levels are going up and the weight is coming down. My INR is also coming down for the first time for years.
The strange thing about it is the process has become enjoyable. I have stopped feeling hungry. If I do feel hungry, I eat fruit – figs & melon. I don’t think about wine at all and I can’t sit still for long without feeling uncomfortable. I intend this to go on until the end of May – 8 months. Maybe then it will be a fixture.
Out for a walk by the sea now. Just an hour or so in lovely sunshine and really no breeze makes it feel warm and enjoyable.
This morning at 5.30 am, I was listening to an article about weather and seasons which was saying that the early signs of Autumn had been completely stopped in their tracks and the trees were now still rich green with barely any signs of turning colour or falling. It is true. This warmer Autumn has been lovely and only the Chestnut trees are turning. Outside our houses, we have Linden Trees which are largely remaining unaffected at the moment.
While we were walking, the plumber phoned to say he was back from Milan and would be round this afternoon to look at our jobs. Sounds a really nice, bright man. So far so good.
Wednesday, 9th October, 2024
We are in a nice pattern. It rains heavily over night and then goes warm and sunny during the daytime. And so it was last night. This morning is already shaping up in preparation for our walk. We have some lovely, sunny days in prospect over the weekend. Talking to my friend, Kevin, yesterday. He suffers from SAD syndrome brought on by the darkness of Winter which isn’t helped by living in Yorkshire. He should have been on my walk this morning. Also talked to my old friend, Brian in Royton, to catch up and arrange to go and see him. Lovely to catch up.
The Plumber we chose arrived on time yesterday. He was about 6′ 6″ tall and ex-army. He is from Chester originally but we’re not holding that against him. He will come tomorrow to do the leak plus three other small jobs. The electrician has phoned this morning to say he will come tomorrow afternoon to move the electrics on the Fence post in the garden that has to be strengthened and the Fence man is coming on Friday. By the weekend, everything should have been sorted out.
Out on our walk, the air was warmed by intermittent sunshine without breeze. You’d have liked it, Dear Reader. The Arun River inlet/outlet was low but an armada of small boats were slowly drifting towards the Marina.
Thursday, 10th October, 2024
Do I seem weather-obsessed to you, Dear Reader? Perhaps I am. I am obsessed with lots of things. It rained over night again and everywhere is soggy this morning. Our lovely, friendly Electrician, Darryl arrived at 9.30 to move some of the lighting installation on the garden fence in readiness for the Fencing Installer coming on Friday to look at stregthening a post which has obviously rotted over the past 8 years.
The post cannot be strengthened too soon before the winter winds. In fact, I panicked this morning when I looked at our local weather on the BBC site and saw the above forecast. Look at the wind speeds on the bottom. That’s enough to blow a house away never mind a fence. An hour later, a tickertape on Sky News said there was a glitch on the BBC weather site and the computer had thrown up erroneous figures. Phew!
It even looks as if our Florida property has survived the worst of the storm … so far. Phew! Phew!!
I’ve written before of my ability to get people’s life story out of them within minutes. I don’t think I look like a priest in a confessional but Darryl was only her 15 minutes and, in that time, he volunteered that his Mum had been battered by his Dad. His Mum died of cancer when he was 14. His Nan had looked after him. His Dad was a racist who moved a black woman in to live with him and threw out his Nan and him. He hadn’t seen his Dad since – and Darryl is now 50 – until they met at a funeral and he didn’t recognise him. Darryl now composes music in his spare time and his two daughters are musicians. What a lovely lad and that’s just a bit of what I learned.
The Plumber is with us now. A 6’6″ Cestrian, who is articulate and efficient, he has come to do a group of 4 jobs including repairing a leak and replacing a swan-neck tap in the Utility Room. I am trying to find a Spanish rental property. We want it for about a month from the end of June on the coast between Aguilas and Mazarron. We are looking for a property with a pool, outside eating and cooking, dishwasher and washing machine, somewhere to park the car and, most importantly, good Wi-Fi. We are looking around the £5,000.00 for 28 days price range although we will pay more for a perfect property.
The problem is that so many have all the requirements but are tired, dark and old inside. Really having to be ruthless in the search.
Friday, 11th October, 2024
Nice sky over Angmering village last night although I suspect Northerners had a better display.
Gorgeous morning to open the day. We’ve got the Fence Man coming and then I’ve got lawn mowing to do. can’t let the neighbours down!
I have a Oncology Review coming in early December. Before that, I have to have a CT Scan and some blood tests. So I am going back in the imaging tunnel. This morning I had to fix those dates so they don’t clash. The hospital were fantastic. What lovely people. The scan has been set for when I requested – November 4th. All the fireworks come afterwards. Apparently, I will have a ‘free’ whole body scan annually at a cost in the Private Sector of circa £1000.00. I feel incredibly lucky. I was listening to an actor talking about his throat cancer. When asked what his advice would be to others, his first response was, Don’t get cancer. but then he went on to advise, Seek regular and often scans of every part of your body to find things early. I couldn’t disagree with that.
Last night I was talking to our Yorkshire hotel about our stay as well as planning trips for next year. I am only able to do this because my cancer was caught early enough and hadn’t metastasised. Well, in theory anyway. The scan may tell a different story.
Saturday, 12th October, 2024
A grey, overcast morning. Quite mild and dry but not very inviting. Annoyingly, we stayed at home but our Fence man didn’t turn up and didn’t contact us in spite of us phoning and texting him. Today has become Sainsburys day instead.
Each morning with my freshly squeezed orange juice I take a statin pill, a warfain pill and another small, white one. I’ve been doing it for years. I don’t really take much notice. My resident Pharmacist organises it all. This morning she removed the small, white pill from my month’s worth of pill organisers.
Like all Pharmacists, she is Health Advice mad. I have been fed suplements for decades. For many years, they have included Vitamin D tablets. I have no idea why and I don’t usually ask. I just take my allocation like all good patients. Today, the small, white, Vitamin D pill had disappeared.
It seems that my resident Pharmacist is keeping up with trends. Vitamin D was originally said to boost immunity and help calcium support bone structure – she tells me. Now, the Zoe Nutritionists are saying that people like us who get plenty of sunshine and eat a healthy diet don’t need Vitamin D and, in fact, it can be actually harmful.
Too much vitamin D in the system leads to a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea and vomiting, weakness, and frequent urination. Vitamin D toxicity might progress to bone pain and kidney problems, such as the formation of calcium stones. To be fair to my Pharmacist, she was concerned that I was immuno-compromised by my radiotherapy. Anyway, I’ve now got one less pill to swallow in the mornings.
Being old, for me, is like being a plate-spinner. I feel like I’m constantly checking recording, working to maintain/improve my data: my blood pressure, INR, cholesterol, eyesight, weight, fitness, etc.. My readings are good at the moment and most of them are unaided by drugs but controlled through diet. I haven’t drunk alcohol for 45 days and really haven’t missed it. I have really controlled my food intake to one, light meal per day. The weight is falling off and my fitness level is now rapidly coming back.
I do worry about taking any drugs really. I would rather not. Warfarin is a blood thinner. It should help save me from strokes and heart attacks. I’ve been taking it for over 15 years. Of course, it is better known as rat poison because in huge quantities it is fed to rats through bait. They ingest it and, ultimately, explode as their hearts and veins burst. My Pharmicist has an easy option there if she wanted to get rid of me but, of course, I’m too lovable.
It is early afternoon. The sky is blue. The sun is bright. There is no football on TV. Going out to the beach for a long walk. Looking forward to it.
Gorgeous walk but with people out and about this afternoon. I’m getting so much quicker at covering the return journey of my fixed course. Definitely fitter. Cut 10 minutes off the hour walk today.