August Phil

Unfortunately, this month I have run out of time to write my end of month blog.  I have been pretty good collecting photo’s though so I will still publish these with a very few words to go with them.  I will be better next month when not so much has happened.  Several of the topics (and photos) I prepared for this blog will be saved until next month when I have more time and not so much material because of our holiday.

Basically, most of the photos here are from our Norwegian Cruise, some of which I have already published but most should be new.

I start my brief commentary following our return from Dover.  We dropped mum of in Melton and decided to go for lunch at the Harborough hotel.  They have a small carvery of the day for just £3.75.  When I lived in Melton this restaurant was very expensive so this was the first time I have been there.

I finally got called to MK police station regarding the fraud case but more on that next month.

Mid month we had a lovely weekend over at the caravan.  The balloons were out so something else must have been going on.

 

Claire enjoyed a glass of wine while catching up with her phone calls while I talked to a guy with long hair and a dog.

The clouds began to start to look very angry which looked very dramatic but the rain managed to hold off until the next day.

 

Here is a close up of my new hedge that has started to grow so well since I have been looking after it.  Again this story can wait until next month.

We had a very pleasant walk through the woods that lasted for about an hour then we found ourselves on a little lane that lead to Overstone village.  It started to rain so we rushed off ending up back at the very same identical part of the lane 20 minutes later.  We must have walked in a great big circle.  We eventually managed to find our way out.

 

I have been trying new pot noodles from Central supermarket for a change from my Bombay Bad Boy ones from Tesco.  My favorite so far is the “Mi Goreng Satay” which includes 5 different sachets and a fold up fork.  Very tasty and a bargain at 48 pence each.

 

On my actual Birthday we went out to the Thai Modern next to Morgans estate agents.  Sue came with us as she had took Claire and myself out for so many meals when it was Claire’s birthday.  This elephant was plenty big enough for Claire.

 

The following lunch we went out with Jim and Shirley and Harriet and Billy to the Giffard Park.  We had a great time with plenty of drinks and the recorded Belgian Grand Prix when we got home.

 

Shirley tried Jim’s glasses on to try and read the back of her beer mat.  Billy tried my new glasses on but he looked more like Harry Hill on steroids.  See you next week folks, got to go now.  Im off to pick up Georgina and onto Melton, then staying at the caravan again for the weekend.  Trouble is we have no internet there so I need to publish this before I go.

 

Docs, Dentist & Birthday Celebrations

Spreading my legs and having an internal examination by the doctor first thing on a Monday morning was not the best start to a week but it had to be done.  Doc said everything looked and felt okay but just to be safe side she said I needed to have a CA125 blood test to rule out ovarian cancer.  She went on to say that my symptoms were very probably down to my hormones and typical for my time of life.  Great.  I just wish this menopause thing is over soon and I can get back to normal.  The brain fog wasn’t as bad last week as the week before but I still have periods in the day when my head is fuzzy.

 

On Tuesday I went to the gym then went with Sue for a coin valuation at the community centre on Green Park.  Sue had some coins of her dads that she wanted to get valued.  The community centre was packed out and I thought we’d have to wait ages but we were in and out within the hour.   Sue got 50 quid for some of the coins but the valuer advised her to take the coins into the bank.  We had to use my HSBC bank because this was a clearing bank and Sue didn’t have an account with any of the approved clearing banks.  The cashier was very reluctant and unhelpful but together we persevered and Sue came away with about £250.  It was a shame really to part with them and I am sure they were worth more than face value but if you’re not a collector it made sense to cash them in rather than shove them in the attic.

After parting company with Sue I went to see Vanessa for a cup of tea and a catch-up.  I have been meaning for months to catch up with her so it was good to meet up at long last.  As usual it was manic in the Ford household.  Since seeing Van she has done the MK marathon and this weekend she flew to Iceland to do another week’s trek.  She is definitely bonkers but I have to admire her stamina and also all the money she has raised for Willen Hospice.  Vanessa tells me she has just booked another really dangerous trek in Russia for 2014 so we will definitely have to support her for this biggie.

On Wednesday I went to the dentist for my second session of deep cleansing of my pockets.  The first time wasn’t so bad so I wasn’t scared but my second session was painful. I am really not too sure why I needed 5 injections but I was numb until tea time.  Even my nose was numb and I think she must have dug into the top of my mouth because as I write it is still sore when I have a hot drink.

I picked up Sue and Jan on Wednesday evening and we went to do some more Ceroc at Woughton Leisure Centre.  I got on slightly better this time, there wasn’t so many there as the week before and it was a different instructor.  I am still not certain whether Ceroc dancing is for me, the feedback was that I bounce rather than glide and I want to lead rather than be led but we all paid and signed up for another five sessions so only time will tell I guess.

As Phil worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week we decided to drive over to Overstone and stay overnight at the caravan.  This made sense as we were both going to visit mum the following day.  I always sleep like a log at the van and Thursday night was no different, Phil was awake in the early hours but I struggled to get myself out of slumber land and as a result it was gone 8 am by the time we got on the road. The traffic was heavy and the journey seemed to take forever not helped by tractors and combine harvesters along the way.  Mum was in good form; she’d had a busy week and seen friends every day.  We decided to go to the Farmers market before lunch and only just pulled out of the cul-de-sac only to stumble across an accident that had only just happened.  The accident brought the whole of Melton to a holt, we managed to get to the market but it took ages to get from the market to The Harborough Hotel which is where we went for lunch.

We stayed at the van again on Friday night because we had to wait for a friend of Phil’s mum, Tina and her husband Tiger and granddaughter Imogen who were using the caravan next door for the weekend.  They arrived at 7pm; we took them to The Manor for a drink and left them to have their dinner.  I felt a little sorry for them when we left the site on Saturday morning as it was pouring with rain.  I haven’t heard from them so I am not sure what they did with themselves but I hope they had a nice mini break in spite of the bad weather.

It was Phil’s birthday on Saturday, he was 58.  I picked up Sue and we shared a bottle of Proseco back at our flat and then got a taxi to Thai Modern in the city centre.  I had booked for 7pm and was surprised to see that the restaurant was already busy.  The food at the Thai Modern is always good and we had a very nice evening.  The birthday celebrations continued yesterday when we met up with Jim & Shirley and Harriet & Billy at The Giffard.  Another nice afternoon, pub grub, drinks and the sun even decided to come out.

Which brings us to the Bank Holiday Monday which at midday finds Phil still in pyjamas.  I have a long list of things that I should be doing which included going to the gym this morning but that didn’t happen.  I think today is going to pan out to be a duvet day.  The jobs will just have to wait until tomorrow.

Living with Brain Fog

Due to my raging hormones, I spent last week in a hazy bubble; feeling (and looking) crap and being so bloated that I look like I’m 6 months pregnant is bad enough but it’s the brain fog that gets me the most.  Add into that a bit of blues and then you’ll know that last week wasn’t one of my best.  I’m going to the doctors this morning so hopefully they’ll do some tests and give me something to treat these horrible hormones.  I tell you, if there is an afterlife then next time I’m definitely coming back as a bloke.

As a result of all of the hormones, I didn’t really achieve much last week. I made it to the gym 3 times but all of these visits were bit lack lustre.  On Wednesday night I went to Sue’s for supper then we met with Jan at Woughton Leisure Centre for Ceroc dancing.  Me and Sue have been talking about going to Ceroc for ages and Jan fancied it too so last Wednesday we gave it a go.  Sue had been before but it was the first time for Jan & I.  I’ll admit I was nervous but actually it was fairly well organised and turned out to be quite fun in the end.  I didn’t realise I’d have to dance with so many partners some of which were a bit creepy and sweaty.  Unfortunately I wasn’t any good.  I was told by one of the instructors that I need to glide rather than bounce and that I need to let myself be led rather than try to lead.  Sue was good at Ceroc because she’d done it before but Jan & I both said we’d pay for another 2 lessons (it was buy 2 and get 3 free) and if we couldn’t do it after that then we’d probably give up.

On Thursday morning I weeded my front garden and Maurice’s back garden and in the afternoon I painted my hall.  There were a couple of scuff marks by the front door which have been bugging me for ages and also a bit of wall in the kitchen when the pedal bin scuffs.  The painting didn’t take me long and looked much better when it was finished.  Phil didn’t even notice when he came back from work but then he’s not anywhere near as anal as me.

I was up early and on the M1 on my way to Melton to see Phil’s mum on Friday morning.    I had a horrible journey, it started off with drizzle but it was really raining hard by the time I got to junction 16.  The rain was so hard at one point that I could hardly see in front of me and was only driving at 40 mph.  The traffic came to a standstill at junction 20 obviously due to an accident.  Sure enough, there was a 3 car pileup just before junction 21a and 2 and a half hours after leaving home, I eventually arrived at mum’s bungalow.  I am not the world’s best driver and I am beginning to loath the journey from MK to Melton with a passion.

Mum was okay; we had a quick cup of tea and then drove to the co-op so she could post a couple of letters then we stopped off at the Farmers Market for fruit and vegetables, then it was back home for lunch.  I did another coat of gloss on her pipes but other than that, mum didn’t really have any jobs for me to do.  Bet hasn’t been feeling very well of late, she’s recently had antibiotics for a water infection and whilst I was there the doctor phoned to say that her infection hadn’t cleared and he was prescribing another course of antibiotics. Bless her, Bet told me that she’d had a headache the whole week and was feeling tired all the time.  She also told me that she felt depressed which I’d already suspected.  I told her that it was probably grief and that we could get her some counselling or some anti-depressants.  But she wasn’t keen, things will get better but it is just a question of time.

I drove the back way from Melton to Overstone, and due to road works and it being a Friday, it took me an hour and an half.  Phil was already at the caravan and was in a good mood because he’d booked us a holiday.  Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling great.  I think it was a mixture of hormones; 4 hours spent driving and seeing mum so depressed.  It’s hard seeing someone suffer and so frustrating that you can’t do anything to help.

Phil wanted to go down to the clubhouse for a drink so this was what we did.  The sun was shining and it was quite pleasant sitting outside overlooking the lake.  We saw that there was a Bavarian night on the 20^th of Sept so we booked tickets for this.  It was a dull day on Saturday but we decided to go for a walk in the Woods.  Unfortunately we got lost and also got caught in the rain but the hour and a half walk would have done Phil some good.  He’s been really good on his diet last week and weigh in on Friday morning revealed that he had lost 4 pounds.  I think if he can keep on his diet and step up his exercise the weight will drop off.

Normally we go out for lunch when we stay in the caravan but with the diet in mind, Phil cooked us a chicken stir fry.  He’d cooked a soya bean curry the day before which I did try but I much preferred the stir fry.  It poured with rain in the afternoon so we decided to stay in the van and watch a couple of films.  The rain did stop and we did go to the club house for a drink but we didn’t stay for the entertainment.  

Phil is working Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday this week so we decided to pack up and come back to the flat yesterday.  I went to see Sue for a cup of tea and then Phil & I walked into Newport to get some lunch.  We had seen a flyer advertising an Indian buffet lunch at the Moza for £9.95 but unfortunately it didn’t open until 3pm and when we got there we realised we’d been before and weren’t that impressed.  We ended up having lunch at the Indian Cottage and very nice it was too, also great value for money.  You get a starter, a main, a side dish and rice for £7.95 pp.  We had poppadum’s and a naan as extra plus a pint of Kingfisher but it was still really good value.  I was surprised that we were the only ones in the restaurant but maybe this was because we dined late.  We shall definitely go back.

And that was my week and our weekend. Phil has just left for work, the sun is shining and I need to get myself in the shower and get ready to go the docs.  I have got quite a lot on my list of things to do this week and therefore I need to get a grip and get my arse into gear.  Focus is the key for this week along with a positive metal attitude.  I need to be able to see out of the fog.

Claire's Cruise

Well done to Phil for doing such a brilliant job with the blog whilst we were away; it wasn’t easy without having the rip-off on-board internet package but he persevered when we docked and was very patient downloading his photographs as mostly connection was slow.  It seems like an age since I have posted anything and I’m not sure that I have anything much to say. But as always I’ll give it a whirl.

Not sure where to start but I suppose the cruise on the Ryndam is as good as any. First let me begin with the positives, and yes there were a few negatives, but more about them later.  Our trip to Dover was smooth and without delay; the embarking was great, Phil dropped us off at the terminal and a porter was soon there taking all our bags for us.  Phil parked the car and then he soon joined us and within 10 minutes we were on board the Ryndam.  Of course the wheelchair helped push us in first but nonetheless I was very impressed with the Dover terminal staff, a great improvement on Southampton and in fact, all the other overseas ports that we have boarded.

I was very impressed with the Holland and American ship; some of the reviews hadn’t been great but the ship was in good order and everywhere was spotless.  We checked out our rooms on Deck 4 and then headed to the buffet  @ the Lido on Deck 11.  The afternoon was spent checking the various decks on the ship then it was back to our respective rooms and then out for dinner.

It was Phil’s idea to renew mum’s passport and she did seem enthusiastic about going on a cruise to the Norwegian Fjords but I have to say, even at the outset, I had my reservations.  I really wanted her to enjoy herself and have some fun but I don’t think mum enjoyed her week away that much.  I don’t know if Phil said but mum insisted on paying for us as well as providing the spending money and although we did try and say no, she was persistent.  This was very generous indeed, but for me, it put the pressure on and I was even more worried that she would have a good week. 

Phil will probably argue that his mum did enjoy the cruise but I have to disagree.  I think she was totally out of her comfort zone and it made me realise what a simple life she lead with George.  Although she liked the food, the formal dining intimidated her; she didn’t appreciate the fancy menus even though she seemed to enjoy most of the food.  Mid-week Bet had a bit of a melt down and it was sad to watch the silent tears trickle down her cheeks whilst we were sat on the upper deck sailing in-between beautiful fjords having just left a port. It made me realise just how much she must be missing George and how very strange it must have felt going on a holiday without him. 

Bet did enjoy her Elemis stone massages and her beauty therapist was excellent with her.  I managed to take mum to the spa most days even though it felt like I was risking life and death on each visit (hers not mine) but thankfully no falls or accidents.  I think the most happiest I saw Bet all week was when she opened her front door to her little bungalow where everything was familiar.  We tried hard to show her a good time but I think she would have been happier sitting in the caravan with a mug of tea, a plate of bread and cheese and the soaps.  This we can do and at least it won’t cost her a penny.

So to conclude my thoughts on the cruise; the food / service / staff/ entertainment were all excellent however the drinks, the trips, the Spa and the internet charges were hugely extortionate and would deter me from booking another Holland and America cruise.  The only other comment I would say about the Norwegian Fjords is that they didn’t take my breath away.  It was certainly very pretty but maybe it would have been better if we had gone later in the year when the snow was lying on the mountains and perhaps then we could have also managed to see the Northern Lights.

The day we left the ship was a long day not helped by a call before 6am from mum seeing if we were ready to go to breakfast.  We weren’t ready as we were still in bed although we were half awake.  We know how much she fusses, the phone call was because she thought there would be long queues for breakfast (they weren’t) so we got dressed, picked her up in the wheel chair and were in the Lido restaurant before half six.   We got off the boat by 8am and were back in Melton Mowbray by 11am mainly because the traffic was lighter because it was a weekend and also because Phil put his foot down.

I kind of thought we may have to spend the afternoon settling mum back home but Phil had other ideas.  We had unpacked, opened blinds, picked beans from the garden, shopping at Tesco and were seated for lunch at the Harborough Hotel in town by midday.  Not long after we left mum in Melton and got back to the flat about 3pm having stopping off in Northampton to collect post.  Sue had been in to the flat whilst we were away; she'd picked up the post and newspapers, sorted out the caravan, and unblocked our loo with the plunger that she brought back from the caravan and even brought me sunflowers and put them in water in my lovely green vase.  What a good friend.  Phil thought he might do some paperwork but we were both knackered and spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening slobbing out and catching up with recorded TV.  I did sling in several washes into the machine and dryer but that was pretty much it.

We were up early on Sunday (before 6am) which gave me a chance to do hours of ironing whilst watching more recordings.   Sue texted me once she was up and I was straight round for cups of a tea and a weeks’ worth of catch up, two hours’ worth to be precise.  Lunch at home was bolognaise from the freezer with whole-wheat spaghetti and this was followed by a visit from Harriet.  It was an easy afternoon and evening; a few phone calls and emails and then more TV.

Yesterday I picked up Sue and took her with me to the gym.  I don’t think she was much looking forward to it although it didn’t take much to persuade her to join me.  But actually she surprised herself by how much she enjoyed it (and me!) and we were at DW for nearly 3 hours having done a respectable stint in the gym and water aerobics in the pool followed by a dip in the Jacuzzi and a sweat in the steam room.  We stopped off at the city centre en route back home as I had a couple of things to do.  I put in cruise photos in Boots, we had soup and a roll in M&S and Sue brought a new watch from the watch and clock shop.  We had a laugh when we got back to Sue’s because when we closely inspected Sue’s watch we realised that she had brought the same watch as mine except that hers was gold and mine was silver.  Of all the watches in all the world, how bizarre but we obviously have similar tastes in some things, not all, but timing is obviously one of them!

I have just about recovered from the week away with mum and I fear I may be coming across as an ungrateful spoilt daughter-in-law but this is certainly not my intention.  It’s just that it was a struggle with the wheelchair at times, our activities were restrained and I think we would have definitely seen more of the entertainment programme if we were travelling by ourselves.  But I am thankful for being treated and know how lucky I am to have seen another part of the huge wide world that we live in.  Cruising last week, caravaning next week. Variety is the spice of life.