another trip out today

That makes three days in a row that I have been out for an appointment this week.
Monday = Dentist
Tuesday = Blood Test
Today = Podiatrist.
and Tomorrow it is shopping out down the city with Pauline so Methotrexate Freaky  Friday will be a day of Rest " Ye Right"

however welcome to..............................

♫ ♫ ♫ Happy Talk, keep talking happy talk, ♫ ♫ ♫

♫ ♫ ♫ Talk about things you'd like to do ♫ ♫ ♫

♫ ♫ ♫ You gotta have a dream, if you don't have a dream ♫ ♫ ♫

♫ ♫ ♫ How you gonna have a dream come true ? ♫ ♫ ♫

Now you may wonder why I have the first verse from a song from "South Pacific" starting of todays journal, well your guess is as good as mine !!!!

Well it is one of my "Alternative" journal days today. a side step from the usual drivel that I tend to bang on about. so let me explain ........... well at least try to.

The Explanation begins

To start with the last two or three weeks have been a hard couple of weeks for me although this week has been a lot better and the reason why, I will explain in a few minutes, needless to say a lot of my problems over the last couple of weeks has been brought about by my overdoing the walking with the rollator, anyway more of that later, back to the song. Take the word "Happy Talk" that is what gets me through the days when I feel like crap and today the word Happy also applies to my feet, for today I have Happy Feet. No not like the animated penguin film.............

"Warner Bros 2006 film "Happy Feet"

............. My happy feet is down to the care and the skill of my Podiatrist who over the last 12 months have got my feet sorted out so that I can now walk with a lot more comfort in fact we have reached the stage where I can now see her every 12 weeks rather than every 8 weeks so a good result.

Now back to the rest of the song and the main message "You Gotta have a dream", This is something that I had growing up through childhood and through adulthood, like most people you dream of things that you would like to happen, and then "Wham Bam" you get hit by this stupid Myositis. in my case it was late in life and I had already taken retirement at 65 and I got diagnosed when I was 67, but it screwed up my dreams of what I was going to do in my retirement.

Well I might have wanted to go Mountaineering 

any way back to the matter in hand, as I said the last couple of weeks have been really hard going after overdoing the walking with the Rollator, as Pauline said " To much to soon" anyway I have thought long and hard and look at how far I have come since diagnosis of Dermatomyositis in May 2011, and have come to the conclusion that I need to have another dream and that is to continue to enjoy life even with my reduced mobility and to accept that I will continue to need to rely on others to help me with certain things, but the main decision I have made and I made this after speaking to my doctors and that is that reducing the prednisolone has reduced my ability to enjoy a quality of life that I want, at 10 mg a day I was Ok at 5 mg a day I am tired and lack enthusiasm, so I am going to revert back to 10 mg a day, the way I look at it is, that at my age is it really going to matter  what the side affects are  I need to have fun and be able to do things. On 10 mg a day  I can eat better, walk further, cause more chaos, and have less fatigue. so there we go "Look out World, frankie,s on the rampage"

Lets Rock the world

Well that is my Rant over for the day, The day has been a decent day for me, I started my 10 mg a day from Monday and already I can feel the benefits, I slept well again last night from 11.30 until 6.30 this morning and then got up for the bathroom and made a coffee and took back to bed where I lazed listening to the radio until 8.00 when I took another coffee into the lounge and sent the text to Pauline.

Pauline phones back to say that everything is Ok so that is Ok so I have some porridge for breakfast before going to have a wash and shave before settling down to check out facebook and my emails while listening to the local radio solent. at 11,00 O go round to the tesco express to get my daily paper and then once back home settle down with a coffee and read the paper and get the crosswords done.

Once I had read the paper I go for a lie down until 1.30 when I get myself a nice piece of smoked haddock in butter with a couple of slices of bread and butter for lunch before getting ready for the Taxi to collect me to take me for my Podiatry appointment.
As I said earlier Podiatry went well so once back home I let Pauline know all is OK . make a cup of tea and settle down to get todays alternative Journal written. well it is now 5.30 so I am going to get the journal posted and then settle down with facebook for some "Pet Rescue Saga" and "Candy Crush" Oh I must get a life LOL. so until tomorrow I will say..................

A wet and windy Tuesday today

And the weather is much the same as well.............

 ♬ ♬ ♬ Listen to the Rhythm of the falling rain.♬ ♬ ♬ 

♬ ♬ ♬ Telling me just what a fool I've been ♬ ♬ ♬

♬ ♬ ♬ I went out shopping in the Pouring Rain ♬ ♬ ♬

♬ ♬ ♬ And left my coat at home again. ♬ ♬ ♬

♬ ♬ ♬ Now Pauline said that was a silly thing to do, ♬ ♬ ♬

♬ ♬ ♬ And said i'd end up sick in bed. ♬ ♬ ♬

♬ ♬ ♬ But I said I had a very simple remedy ♬ ♬ ♬

♬ ♬ ♬ And put my Tenna on my head ♬ ♬ ♬ 

Well there we are then a musical introduction to shopping Tuesday so welcome one and all.

Well after a very hectic day yesterday that ended with my Dental appointment at 4.35 I am now looking forward to receiving my set of upper front dentures to replace the teeth that the prednisolone helped to destroy I have to go down to the dental surgery on the 22nd of August to get them Whoo Hoo.

However had a decent nights sleep , went to bed at about 10.15 and listened to the radio until 11.00 and then slept through until about 5.45 so I was well pleased about that, at 6.00 I used the bathroom and then made a coffee and took back to bed where I lazed and listened to the radio until getting up at 8.00 and taking a coffee into the lounge.

Time to get up already

It has been raining most of the night, it started before I went to bed and was still raining when I woke this morning so a wet day ahead today, anyway I text Pauline and she phones back about 8.45 to say that Gordon will be bringing her round at about 10.15 and will then take us to the Doctors for my monthly blood test and then he will do the weekly flat cleaning for me while we go shopping.

I only came for a blood test not a Bed Bath !!!

 Once I had given the blood for the blood test, I phoned for a taxi and then we were off down to Asda at fratton to get the shopping and also to renew my prescription for my Lactulose, the plan for this morning was to go in the wheelchair down to get some shopping in albert road but as it is raining we go  to Asda instead "" Bummer""

Eastney Health Centre (Stock Photo)

Albert Road where we were going to go shopping (STOCK PHOTO)

Asda at Fratton where we did the shopping (STOCK PHOTO)

well once we finish the shopping we go outside and Phone Gordon and he has finished the cleaning so comes and picks us up and take us back home, once indoors I get the shopping put away and then  make us all a coffee and we also have a Sausage roll each. after we have had that and a chat, Pauline and Gordon make a move home and I go for a lie down for an hour before starting this blog, Pauline has also taken my dirty laundry with her so Thank you Pauline.

I think Pauline has got Gordon doing my Laundry "Go Gordie Go"

Well the day has gone by pretty quickly, all I need now is the Laxatives to start working and I will be sorted "Again" anyway it is now 4.40 and gervase has phoned to say that his Sinuses are playing up again so do I mind if I do not go round tonight as he will be having an early night tonight .so that is today over and done with, the rain has stopped now but it is still overcast.
I will now get this Journal posted and so until tomorrow I will say.................

A very late shopping Sunday Edition/

Yep It's a later than usual sunday shopping edition today so sorry about that but anyway welcome to Sunday.

It all started off today as I decided that I would have a lie in this morning, again did not get to bed until late, stayed up to watch Mrs Browns boys and intended to go to bed after that but got engrossed in watching a couple of repeats of the "Royal Family" so didn't get to bed until almost midnight.

The Royle Family BBC TV 1998 - 2000

Anyway woke at about 8.00 am after a decent nights sleep and decided to have a lie in and listen to the Radio with a coffee, anyhow I missed sending the text to Pauline and she phoned at about 9.15 to make sure that all was Ok with me, anyway we have a chat and she said gordon had only been up for 10 minutes so don't blame me for having a lie in.

Having a Sunday Morning Lie in

well once I had spoken to Pauline I decide that it was time for me to get up and get some breakfast but before then I check facebook and emails and then get myself some porridge for breakfast "Gluten free of course" and then settle down to listen to the radio, gervase phones at about 11.30 to say that he will be round about 2.00 pm and we can go shopping, we decide that we will go up to Sainsburys at Farlington as they have the best and largest Gluten free selection in the portsmouth area. so anyway I decide that at 1.00 I have a coffee and then decide to have a nice shower.

Time for a shower

Once I had my shower I get a small snack of some boneless Sardines n oil and a couple of crispbread, and then make a coffee and watch an old Lone Ranger Movie on Youtube on the smart TV "Woman in the white mask" from 1955

The Lone Ranger with Clayton Moore 1955

Gervase arrives at about 2.15, I am all ready so off we go up to Sainsburys in Farlington,  once there we go and get the shopping, as usual gervase gets about 4 or 5 times as much as I do, anyway we are up there about an hour and then once we have finished we head back home where we get my shopping put away and then we have an ice cream each, which was very enjoyable, we have a nice chat and Gervase then makes his move back home to Leanne and I settle down with the TV,

Sainsburys at Farlington

well I am sorry that it is such a short Journal today but the day just seems to have gone by so fast, it is now 7.10 in the evening and I have only just put dinner on, no wonder the hunger pains are making my tummy growl, anyway having a nice piece of fresh haddock fillet from Sainsburys tonight with some lovely new potatoes and a nice cauliflower cheese bake, so I am going to get this journal finished and Posted so I am ready for dinner which will be ready by 7.40 and there is a film "The Green Berets" starring John Wayne  just started on ITV 4

The Green Berets 1968 with John Wayne 

So that is about it for my evening so I will say....................

Forecast is Tropical storms on the way," But are They" ?????????????

Well you never know in this country at the moment so we will see but until then Welcome to Saturday.

Well again it was a decent nights sleep last night, although I must admit I did not get to bed until about 11.45 as I stayed up watching NCIS on the TV . Anyway slept through until 7.30 when I made a coffee and took back to bed until I got up and into the lounge to text Pauline at 8.15. Pauline phones back to say that all is OK with them so that is OK so I settle down to watch the morning news and weather forecast while having some cerea; and a Banana for Breakfast.

Forecast for 4.00 pm tday

Well although we have been forecast "Tropical Storms) for today this is the Forecast for 4.00 pm today for the Portsmouth Area and so far I have seen about a dozen drops of Rain ????? Oh Well perhaps we will get it tomorrow................

Forecast for 4.00 pm Sunday

................... Or perhaps not...........

Well the Methotrexate is playing games today so it is going to be a day of TV for today I think, anyway at 10.30 I take a walk round to the paper shop and get the morning paper and then back home, make a coffee and then settle down to Phone my son Gervase as they had problems last night with one of the cat.s catching a tiny little field mouse in the kitchen , so I just had to do this.

Mind you it was a very brave mouse to venture into a house with 5 cats roaming around, anyway after I had spoken to Gervase I settle down to read the paper and then have a lie down before getting myself some Chicken soup

after lunch I go onto the CBS Action channel as they are showing two episodes a day of Bonanza, and then after those two it is two episodes of Gunsmoke, so that is the afternoon,s Tv viewing taken care of.

Bonanza 1959 - 1973

Gunsmoke 1955 - 1975

Well it has been a nice restful day so far today and am looking forward to a nice night in front of the TV after dinner  watching the last two episodes from series 10 of NCIS and then at 9.00 it will be a nice movie the 2010 making of "Robin Hood " with Russell Crowe  and Kate Blanchett.

Robin Hood 2010 with Russell Crowe.

Ok so it is now 5.30 so I am going to get todays Journal posted and then  at 6.00 I can get dinner started so that I can settle down for the evening, so until tomorrow I will say..................

From my new friend Ant E Dote................ keep you eyes open for a new cartoon with Ant in it.

And Friday comes around again

One cool cat

So Welcome to the Friday edition of my daily Journal . Well again I had another decent nights sleep, so I think the body is catching up on the sleep that was missed over the nights when it was very humid and difficult to get a decent nights sleep, but it seems to be getting warmer again for this weekend, just hope it does not get to humid again, although looking at the five day weather forecast it looks like it is going to get cooler and some wet weather on the way.

Freaky Friday E-Mail,s

well I was up early this morning at about 8.10, and sent a text to Pauline and she was up early as well as phoned back within 5 minutes of me sending the text, anyhow she is OK and is getting ready to take misty out for her morning walk on the common before it gets to hot. We have a chat and then once we have spoken I get myself some Porridge for breakfast and then settle down to check out facebook and my emails on the laptop before watching Heir Hunters on the TV.

Not a lot in the Paper today

Heir Hunters finishes at 10.00 and so I get myself ready and take a slow short walk with the rollator round to the Tesco express to get my daily paper, it is slightly cooler at the moment so it is a pleasant walk there and back and I do take it easy, I see one of the neighbours outside in his front forecourt having a cup of tea on the way back so I stop and we have a chat and put the world to rights and then it is indoors where I make a coffee and then settle down with the daily Paper to get the crossword done and catch up on the News.

At 12.00 I go for a lie down for half an hour and then get up and make a coffee before going in and watching a couple of episodes of "Murder She wrote" starring Angela Lansbury "Murder she wrote is an American Television mystery series which ran for 12 seasons between 1984 - 1996 it is one of my favourite TV series from the USA.

Murder she wrote 1984 - 1996

Once I had watched the first episode I got myself some bacon and egg for lunch before taking my 15 mg of Methotrexate, oh the joys of Medication. and then settle down in front of the TV for the afternoon .

and so that is about as exciting as my day has got today, it was a good day yesterday out shopping with Pauline and hopefully the Methotrexate will behave itself and won't give me to much grief this weekend, anyway it is getting on for 3.30 so I will get this Journal posted for today and then I am going to spend a couple of hours doing some family history research before I get dinner sorted at 6.00 so until tomorrow I will say..............

Well today it s a Global issue !!!!!

well a couple of illustrations are in Globes anyway, so welcome to ............

"Awwwww what a pretty Pussy cat". Good morning folks and here we are on another Thursday and after another decent nights sleep I am up and in the lounge by 8.30 and sending the obligatory morning text to Pauline. Gordon has gone up to Salisbury this for work so Pauline is out on the common with Misty for the morning walk so she is on Southsea common when she phones me, although it is still very warm it is also very dull as I think we had some during the night, and pauline said that she felt a couple of spots of rain on her arms while out on the common.

Thats a Goat Pauline, You should have gone to Specsavers

anyway Pauline said that she will book a taxi for 11.00 to come and collect me and we will go down to the City Centre to get a few bits of shopping so once I have chatted with Pauline I get myself some Sainsburys Gluten Free Cornflakes for breakfast and then watch "Heir hunters on TV until 10.00 when I go and get myself ready for when Pauline arrives.

Pauline texts me at about 11.10 to say she is on the way so I get the Wheelchair ready for when the taxi arrives with Pauline, we have decided that during this very hot and humid weather that we will play safe and take the wheelchair when we go out shopping so that I can sit in it when I have done enough walking and leave the rollator for shorter Jaunts to the local shop and park so that I do not overdo things and end up feeling like I did after the weekend. "See I am obeying Pauline,s orders"

Anyway Pauline arrives with the Taxi and so we get the wheelchair in and off we go down to the city centre for an hour or so, we need to be back home by 1.30 at the latest as Pauline has an appointment for a blood test at St Mary,s treatment centre at 2.10. Anyway the Taxi drops us off down at the precinct near to barclays and then off we go to get the shopping.

The Precinct where the Taxi drops us off (Stock Photo)

Once the Taxi driver drops us off we make our way to Barclays to carry out a couple of transactions and then make our way down to the other end of the precinct to the Nationwide, there computer systems are down at the moment so we go for a coffee at the Expresso coffee bar in the precinct and have a coffee before going back into the Nationwide again, this time there system is up and running so we can complete our business there. once out of the Nationwide, we make our way into Boots the chemist and then into tesco to get the shopping once we have got that we then get a Taxi home.

Tesco in Paradise Street, City Centre, Portsmouth

Once back home I get the shopping put away and we have a coffee and a Sandwich and then at 2.00 we get a Taxi to take pauline to the St Mary,s treatment centre for her Blood test prior to her follow up post op appointment with her Thyroid doctor, it is to check that her calcium levels are OK. it has healed up very nicely so her surgeon really did do a superb job with the operation.

St Mary,s Treatment Centre, Milton, Portsmouth

Well once Pauline has left, I go for a lie down until 3.15 and then get up and make a coffee which I take into the lounge where I get out the laptop and get todays daily journal started. My son Gervase phones about 4.30 to say he will be in to see me on the way home from work so as it is now 5.15 I will get this journal finished and Posted to my blog and then settle down to watch Pointless on BBC 1
so until tomorrow I will say.......................

Time to change the story.

Well and here we are on another Wednesday so welcome one and all to Wednesday

yes it is halfway through the week, I am feeling slightly better as it is not so humid today so easier to breath, and also had a decent nights sleep as well so I must admit that "Pauline" AKA "She who must be obeyed" must in future be listened to as she said since I got the Rollator that I was overdoing it and as much as I hate to admit it she has been proved right.

Also the royal baby has now been born so perhaps we can get back to relatively more normal news broadcasts and Newspapers, but any way I will say congratulations to Kate and William on the birth of a new baby son who will be third in line to the throne.

William left holding the Baby

And now for the rest of the day, Apologies for such a short journal yesterday and for mr winging on but it was a really bad day for me yesterday for the reasons given above, anyway I feel so much better today as although it is still very warm and sunny, it is not as humid as it was and the air is not so heavy, but until this "Heat wave" is over I will be taking things a lot easier as directed by Pauline.

Here is the weather for 4.00 pm along the South Coast of England

Although there were many Thunderstorms and flash flooding around the UK yesterday evening we had none in Portsmouth, bu there were some along other parts of the South Coast, and I think that is what lowered the humidity last night and allowed me a better nights sleep.

Flash Flooding in Nottinghamshire yesterday evening.

On the Laptop

As I said I had a decent nights sleep last night and slept from about 11.45 through until about 7.20 this morning when I got up for the bathroom and then made a coffee which I took back to bed and lazed listening to the radio until making my way into the lounge at 8.30. Once in the lounge I text Pauline and then make some Porridge for breakfast before settling down to check the emails and Facebook on the laptop.

Misty out for her morning walk

at about 9.00 Pauline phones to say that she is out on the common with misty for the morning walk and that it is a bit chilly this morning and she wishes she had worn a cardigan as her arms are feeling cold and there were a few drops of rain in the air, but that did not come to much as we have not had any rain here today and it has been quite sunny but the temperature has been lower at 22 C + 71 F.

Doing Well Gordie

Anyway before we finish chatting, Pauline said that Gordon will be round at about 10.30 or so to do the cleaning for me, he did some yesterday but because I was no that well he did not do the vacuuming, so he will be doing that today and also washing the Kitchen and Bathroom floors as well as cleaning the Bathroom. While waiting for Gordon I watch Heir Hunters on the TV and then "Homes under the hammer" that finishes at 11.00 and Gordon  arrived at about 10.50, so we have a coffee and a chat and then while Gordon starts the cleaning I take a slow walk round to get my Paper and some apple juice. once back home I settle down to read the paper while gordon is doing the cleaning, he vacuumed the lounge while I was round getting the paper.

Gordon finishes at about 12.30 so we have a coffee and a chat and then about 1.00 he makes his way back home to Pauline and I get some chicken soup for lunch (which was rather tasty), while watching the lunchtime News on the TV and then once I have had that I do one of the crossword,s in the daily Paper before going for a lie down at 2,00 for 45 minutes before getting up at 2.45 to make a coffee and going to watch "The Royal" on ITV 3 at 2.45.

Chicken soup for lunch

Once the "Royal" has finished a "Touch of frost starts" which is another on of my favourite programs. That goes on until 6.00 when I will get dinner started, so on that note I will get this journal finished and Posted as it is now turned 5.00, so today has been a day of rest and on Pauline,s instructions when we go shopping tomorrow we will take the Wheelchair not the Rollator . so until tomorrow I will say.........