Lovely day

Strange perhaps to call a rainy day like this lovely but in fact a day with James, Davie and the kitties has been great! A pleasant and leisurely start to the morning included breakfast in bed and a cuddle with Tom and Ruby. James just can't help smiling when Tom sits on his lap and stares up at him adoringly. Tom loves his daddy! We needed to take them to the vet to get some drops (to prevent fleas? worms? I'm not sure) On the way back home I let them peek out of the cat basket to look out of the car window and they were fascinated by all the traffic and roads and houses, and they quivered with amazement! In the afternoon we went for a brisk walk round Strathbleak Park in between showers; there weren't many people out walking in the ominous weather - cowards! After a delicious dinner cooked by my excellent husband we watched the second of the Hunger Games Trilogy. It was really good; I thought it might be just a repeat of the first film but the plot evolved and continued. Ally got in touch with great news about an internship he applied for this summer which was the cream on the coffee of a good day! And now we are watching a programme about the music of the South - gospel and soul music - one of those programmes which you flick on to by accident but which turns out to be really interesting. The wind and rain are battering on the windows and I am feeling cosy.

Miscellany

It was just as well that we had gone for our walk on Saturday because Sunday was a right dreich day. We went into town with Davie and had an excellent lunch at Jamie's Italian before going to the Apple Shop regarding a fault on Davie's computer. There was an illustrated talk going on in the shop by none other than Colin Prior (with whom James went for a photography tutorial a couple of years ago). We joined the audience - it was all about framing and lighting photos - and at the end James went over to have a chat with him.

This week so far is flying by; Jamie turned 25 yesterday so we had a nice phone chat with him, and Ally Skyped us on Sunday when Grandma was round.

I was at the eye clinic yesterday and got good news (my retina has healed nicely) and bad news (I have a cataract in my left eye and will need another surgery). I was disappointed, although my vision in that eye is still so misty that I wasn't totally surprised. It's a small operation under local anaesthetic so hopefully it won't be too bad. I felt a bit down though; what bit of me is going to wear out next? I was cheered up this evening by a lovely text from Cat, who is full of the joys and loving her ski lessons at Hillend. 

Snowdrops and Sika deer

James and I went for a walk along the Clyde Walkway this morning, from home to the David Livingstone centre in Blantyre. It was a fine morning and a really pleasant walk; mostly beside the river and sometimes through woodland and fields. We saw a Sika deer bounding through long grass very near to us and saw big crested goosander ducks paddling down the river. As we approached Bothwell Castle we were treated to steep slopes covered in snowdrops which looked very pretty in the sunlight. When we arrived at the David Livingstone centre the café was closed which we had sort of expected since it's so early in the year, but luckily James had resourcefully brought a flask of coffee and some biscuits which we consumed while sitting on a bench in the gardens. 

Bubble no more

On Wednesday evening I noticed something missing in my life. The gas bubble in my left eye has gone! Earlier in the day it had been bouncing around cheerfully at the edge of my vision, very tiny by then, but by the evening it had disappeared without so much as a farewell. My vision in that eye is still like a steamed up mirror, but I can ask the consultant about that on Tuesday. 

And this morning I returned to work after five weeks; the longest ever absence of my working life which now spans thirty-five years including my student job which was three months every summer from when I was seventeen. It was strange to go back - I felt nervous and a wee bit excited. I got such a nice welcome back from everyone and was soon so busy that I almost felt that I hadn't been away! I still need to get up to speed though, I was exhausted by the end of the day! Jennifer marched me out to my car to make sure that I didn't stay too late, which was very sweet of her. 

In the evening I went to see The Slab Boys with Catherine at the Citz. I haven't seen it before and thought it was excellent, the dialogue was very witty and it was good fun.

Throbbing tooth

It has been a busy few days in the run up to my return to work. I had to get a "return to work" line because my sickness line lasted for another week so I needed clearance to come back early! I also went to the dentist for my root canal treatment, met up with Jamie, and spent time with David doing errands such as buying him trainers and a new watch. 

I met up with Jamie on Tuesday because he had a day off so he came through to Glasgow and we went for a walk and had a bite of lunch in The Bothy in Ruthven Lane. It was so great to see him and we chatted away; it was nice to be just the two of us. He stayed on to come to the hill-walking AGM in the evening, and David came too. It was at The Ivory this year and the meal was very nice. There was a lounge area round the back of the bar where James chaired the meeting in his usual efficient manner and I took the minutes for him. The highlight was as usual Andy's slideshow about the past year's outings, it brought back good memories. 

The good news about my dental treatment yesterday is that it was painless and speedy. The dentist even numbed my mouth with some sort of gel first so that I didn't feel the injection. To my surprise he told me that the treatment is complete so my memories of having to go back week after week are clearly very out of date. The bad news is that I woke up this morning with the tooth very sore, throbbing away! The dentist did say that it might twinge a bit before settling down, so I hope that's all it is. Funny that it wasn't sore yesterday though; maybe the anaesthetic hadn't completely worn off.

Bobbing along

As I was promised, the gas bubble in my eye has got smaller and smaller. It went from looking like a curved "horizon" across my vision to a perfectly round bubble which has reduced in size daily. Occasionally a "baby bubble" detaches from it and floats around before being reabsorbed. The bubble is very low down in my vision but a bit disconcerting as it bounces along on the periphery of my vision as I move. Yesterday it distracted me as I was walking and I tripped up some steps! The rest of my vision in my left eye remains misty (I'm hoping that this will improve) but my right eye compensates so I can see pretty well now. So I have contacted the doctor for a "return to work" line so that I can go back to work later this week, a week earlier than planned. I feel that this will be the right time although I'm sure that I will be exhausted after the first couple of days!

This morning I observed Tom and Ruby's bedroom wastepaper basket game for a while, trying to work out the rules. As far as I can tell, one kitten goes in which makes the other want to go in. Once you are in you get to chew the basket and roll it about to then envy of the other! Then the other jumps on the protruding kitten bottom to make the first one come out. A variant is to roll the basket from the outside to noise up the occupier. Roles are reversed and the game continues. I have to say that this is more fun than being at work!

Not quite Spring yet at Lanark Loch

I didn't sleep well last night because of tummy issues - too much steak dinner? Or perhaps the previous night's curry? Anyway I was tired in the morning and had a pleasant lie in, joined by my furry friends Tom and Ruby who curled up on the bed to nap after chasing and fighting each other all up and down the hall and stairs.

Then we went for a walk with Grandma round Lanark Loch. It was a fine day with a slightly chilly breeze; I noticed a few clumps of snowdrops near the path and there were lots of people enjoying the sunshine. I was impressed with Grandma's stamina and speed; I had thought that she might struggle with the distance (1.3 miles), but she only needed to pause a couple of times and I think she was quite pleased with herself. It helped her that the path was very flat, because she says that she is finding hills to be more and more difficult. David is so lovely with Grandma, chatting away to her. We had a nice coffee in the Inn on the Loch then went home for an early tea.

Earlier on, James and I had set the oven timer so that the pork joint would cook for two and a half hours and be ready for 5.30 p.m. We retrieved the manual for the cooker from the cupboard to make sure that we did it right, and carefully set the timer and the temperature. However when we returned from our excursion there was no delicious smell of roasting pork to greet us. We had not completed the final step in the process, which was to turn the oven on! Aaargh! Disaster was averted when we found an quicker alternative in the freezer of chicken with peri peri sauce, and James kindly cooked dinner while I had a FaceTime call from Ally and Cat. Jennifer, Russell, Josh and Ben are visiting them in Oslo just now and it sounds like they are all having a great time. 

Dinner was delicious and the peri peri sauce wasn't too hot for Grandma. We went ahead and cooked the pork which we will have tomorrow. A good day.

Blinded by the light

It has been a lovely day. We started off with walk along Troon Beach followed by lunch at Mojo's. I enjoy beach walks but today I was really struggling with my eyesight, it was as if my eyes were flooded with light, especially the left one. It was hard to focus on anything more than a few feet away, it seems to be more difficult for me to see outdoors than indoors. Hopefully this will pass. 

We had "an empty" this evening. Forrest very kindly invited Davie to see Return to the Forbidden Planet at the King's so it was just us and the kittens for a candlelit dinner, cooked by James, which was yummy. Then we watched a film; The Rewrite starring Hugh Grant which was not too taxing on the brain! To top it all off James baked his famous banana loaf which we had for dessert; it melted in the mouth. 

 

Flying the nest

I spent most of the day with David today, first of all accompanying him to his dentist appointment and then chatting and making plans for the summer. It has been really nice spending time with him over the last few weeks; an unexpected silver lining to my eye problems. Yesterday David received a conditional offer for a university in another city. He will need to work hard to meet the requirements but I think he can do it and I'm rooting for him. However this means that he will leave home in September, just like Jamie before him, and to a certain extent Alasdair (who is in Oslo for this academic year, will be back home for the next session, and after that who knows). Jamie was the trailblazer and I found it very difficult when he left home at only seventeen. Oh I know that it was for a great reason, to study medicine, and I am very proud of him, but I missed him terribly. The good news is that he keeps in close touch and visits often; I know I'm lucky. He still comes on some holidays with us and will be skiing with us at Easter. 

I miss Ally a lot this year. Thanks to Skype and FaceTime we are in frequent contact; several times a week plus Sunday evenings so that he can talk to Grandma too. Just now he is going through interviews for internships and has been seeking advice for application forms. But it's not the same as having him at home and I can't wait to see him at Easter.

And now I will have to get used to the idea of Davie leaving home too. It will be really, really good for him but what will I do without his cheery company and enthusiastic but futile attempts to educate me about science? 

I realise that all of my chicks need to fly the nest - if they didn't do this eventually I would have failed  to encourage their independence. But it makes me feel a bit wistful!

Clever cats

I think that Tom and Ruby are turning out to be cats of above average intelligence as well as being very cute. Ruby's habit of television viewing continues to be very impressive; she definitely sees movement on the screen and often jumps up to touch it. Tom keeps jumping up at door handles - I think he realises that they move when the door opens which is very observant. David saw Ruby tricking Tom yesterday; Tom was blocking her way into the hall cupboard by batting her away with his paws as she approached. So Ruby started playing with a ball very enthusiastically up and down the hall. This lured Tom out of the cupboard; then when he approached the ball, Ruby nipped past him into the hall cupboard and looked out inscrutably but with an air of satisfaction. 

On the other hand, they don't understand to move out of the way of the door when it's opened, they keep falling off things when they are prancing about and they don't realise that it's dangerous to caper around my legs as I am walking down the stairs.

Back along the root canal

I walked along to the dentist today because I still can't see well enough to drive. I thoroughly enjoyed the half hour walk and after my appointment I treated myself to a coffee at the Café Gelato before heading home. 

The dentist took an X Ray of the tooth that has been bothering me and sure enough the filling has to be replaced and I am going to need root canal treatment. I also need another filling replaced. When the receptionist told me that my next appointment is to be half an hour long I winced visibly, and she said "Oh don't worry, he'll probably spend at least ten minutes of it talking!" 

The last (and only) time that I had root canal treatment was in the 1990s and I remember going to the dentist week after week after the initial filling. At each visit he would take out the temporary filling and prod at the tooth until the nerve was finally dead and I got the permanent filling. It was not fun and the boys used to make fun of the way I spoke with my numb mouth - "No thweeths boyth!" I don't know if methods have changed - I will find out soon! 

Chocolate biscuits at the Greenock Cut

James took a day of annual leave today and after a leisurely start to the morning we decided to go for a walk.

Off we went to the Greenock Cut, an old favourite and a good length at about two hours. The weather was mild and dry and we had a really nice chat as we walked round. We had our snack of coffee and milk chocolate digestives sitting on the wooden jetty at the reservoir with the sun shining. 

David had arrived home from university by the time we got back and we had dinner and watched a couple of episodes of Deadwood - we are now on the third and final season. The reason for choosing this box set was that we are hoping to visit that gold rush town on our holiday in July. Although the series is fictional it is quite faithful to the events of the time (1876 when the mining camp was evolving into a town) and a number of the characters are based on people who lived in the town, like Seth Bullock, Sol Star, Al Swearingen and of course Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane. The series has grown on us as we have watched it and I look forward to visiting the place that inspired it. 

Weekend musings

It has been a very pleasant weekend. We went over to Heather and Ewan's for a curry on Saturday evening and had good chat as well as good curry. We looked at their ski holiday photos from the Dolomites from last week - it looks absolutely brilliant and they highly recommend it as a ski area. Perhaps to dispel any lingering curry smells Heather lit a gorgeous lemon scented candle that she got in Capri. It was the nicest candle I have ever smelled. A great evening.

Today James and Davie went walking in the Trossachs with the club, and Jamie joined them directly from Edinburgh. I was woken by Tom and Ruby jumping around on the bed! Cat and Christine visited me and we were discussing what Cat will need for our ski holiday in April; it was lovely to see them. I went out for a little walk to get some fresh air then made lasagne for the returning hill walkers, who were exhausted after their six hour hike - I'm enjoying this home cooking phase!

Jamie took me out for a spin in his new car when they got back; it's smart and reassuringly solid and sturdy. He loves it and was showing me all its facilities. Then Grandma arrived round and we all had dinner and watched "Call the Midwife". Jamie was saying that he has delivered three babies - I find that strange because it hardly seems like twenty-five years (on the 24th of this month) since he was the one being delivered! 

Sore toe

James stubbed his toe on the bedroom carpet this morning. He was carrying the breakfast tray and trying not to step on the capering furry Tom at the time. This was noteworthy for two reasons. Firstly I think it is unusual to stub your toe on the carpet (rather than a door or a table for example). And secondly because of the severity of the damage done - James showed me his bruised and swollen toe this evening and it looks as if he has broken it! He says it is "agony" and is undrrstandably concerned about his hill-walking trip tomorrow. However he has to go because he is the organiser. Oh dear.

Grandma was back at the eye clinic today for another injection in her eyeball - I think it's to do with macular degeneration. James drove her there and brought her back for lunch. She is braver than me about medical procedures I have to admit. 

Friday film evening

I have been looking forward to seeing the film of "Gone Girl". I read the book when it came out and really enjoyed it, but we missed the film when it was in the cinemas so I have been watching and waiting for it to come out on Netflix. So tonight we settled down with a tasty tagine and some flatbread to watch it. James and Davie had not read the book so they had no idea what to expect and it was fun watching them react to the different revelations and guess what would happen. David cottoned on pretty quickly. I was actually just a wee bit disappointed in the film; it seemed more predictable than the book - but then I did know the story! And, like the book, I felt that the second half couldn't quite live up to the first half. However we all enjoyed it and it was a pleasant Friday evening.

Kittens update

Tom Kitten sat on the bedroom window sill this morning and watched his Daddy get into the car and drive away. He looked very curious and thoughtful. Soon afterwards he and Ruby barged their way into David's room - I could hear them scratching the door and thumping against it until they got it open. Then they both trashed David's room by throwing things off his desk which woke him up and I could hear his cries of dismay. After he ejected them, they scampered up and down the stairs and came running back into my bedroom where they jumped around playing with my socks and rolling about on the floor (play) fighting. They also attacked my feet through the duvet as I moved them about. Then they found out that the electric blanket was back on and burrowed under the duvet purring very loudly. All this in about fifteen minutes as I ate my breakfast. Kittens are great! 

Further update at 11.30 p.m. Just as we all "climbed the wooden hill to Bedfordshire" about half an hour ago we heard a dreadful crash from the back room (in which we confine the kitties at night). David led the way as we rushed downstairs. Tom and Ruby were found crouched at the scene of the crime, staring at the remains of a pottery chocolate fondue set that I bought in France, and that they had just knocked down off a shelf. I'd like to say that they looked guilty but actually they looked a bit shocked but excited. They watched in fascination as we swept up the shards of pottery and then, far from being ashamed, they took the opportunity to escape out of the back room and run upstairs. Little thugs. 

Out in the world

I'm getting on fine with Frugal February so far, and have embraced supermarket "value" brands which are very cheap. The low cost cheese tasted absolutely fine in our mac'n'cheese last night, and James seems happy with the own brand butter despite his initial doubts. However David has drawn the line at the "Tesco value diet cola" and go has declared that he will buy his own Diet Coke from now on. Fine by me.

In other news, I went for a walk today to build up my stamina for my return to work. I felt as weak as a kitten setting off into the frosty morning (not that our kittens are weak - they are all muscle and bones). However the sun came out and I enjoyed being outside and felt quite invigorated. Having the kittens around has been great over the last couple of weeks, they are so funny and affectionate. They know all the household noises now and ran to meet me when they heard me opening the front door. It has also been really good to spend time with David, who constantly amazes me with his scientific knowledge and well thought out and mature views on world news, including the grim news this week regarding the murder of the young Jordanian pilot. 

John Donne told us that no man is an island but Voltaire advised us to tend our own gardens - I myself have absolutely no idea how to make the world a better place.

Post op check-up

I was at the hospital for my follow up visit today. James took the afternoon off to come with me which I appreciated both for driving me and for the moral support. However I felt a lot less nervous today because I knew they weren't going to do anything to me with a scalpel! The consultant seemed a lot cheerier and chattier than on the morning of the operation; James said that he is probably more preoccupied on his surgery days. The good news is that everything looks to be progressing well as far as he could see (although he will be able to see better at my next appointment in three weeks when the gas bubble inside my eye is gone). The gas bubble is indeed gradually dispersing as I thought and I can clearly see the curved "horizon" between the gas and the liquid. The only problem that my sight is cloudy which may mean I need a cataract op - apparently this can be a side effect of retinal surgery. But it's not definite - the consultant says there is a 50% chance it will be ok. So I left the hospital with a light heart and we went home for a nice cup of coffee and an evening watching Deadwood.

Eye eye

There have been some developments in the eye sight in my left eye. Where until yesterday I have only been able to see light out of that eye, I can now see the top half of my vision, although it is very cloudy, like a steamed up window. The bottom half is still like looking through a bubble. When I could only see out of one eye my vision was clear, but now I have double vision reminiscent of that of Clarence the Cross Eyed Lion, as fellow fans of Daktari will recall! Oh well at least it's progress to report to the doctor tomorrow on my return visit to Gartnavel.

Meanwhile I have started on a big clear out at home, because until I'm allowed to go back to work I might as well do something useful here. I'm doing a room per day and once I get started it's actually very enjoyable. The kittens are helping me and keeping me company. And I have had some very nice visitors today too, so I'm feeling rather cheerful. 

Frugal February

I watched a very interesting programme the other evening called "Eat Well for Less". Two jolly although rather excitable presenters spent time with s family who spend a huge amount on their food bill (a lot more than us) and helped them to cut down while still enjoying their meals. This was done by planning better and using cheaper supermarket brands rather than the big brands. 

Three things stood out for me. Firstly I was impressed at the amount of savings involved. And when they didn't know the brands the family mostly couldn't tell the difference between the cheaper and more expensive stuff. Secondly I was amazed that the family had £1000 worth of food stockpiled. We definitely don't have as much as that but I bet we have hundreds of pounds worth of food in freezer and store cupboards, a lot of it forgotten about. And thirdly I was fascinated by the fact that cartons of fruit juice from concentrate are not only much cheaper than the fancy "not from concentrate" juices that I gravitate towards, they are just as good, with no additives. And they are better for the environment because the concentrate is much lighter to transport. The whole programme was a real eye opener for me (my good eye that is, ha ha!) so I have decided to give it a go. Roll on Frugal February!