A musical Twist.

♫♫♫ Oh what a beautiful Morning ♫♫♫

♫♫♫ Oh what a beautiful day ♫♫♫

♫♫♫ I have a wonderful feeling ♫♫♫

♫♫♫ Everything,s going my way ♫♫♫

I woke at 6.30 am this morning and thought " I think today is going to be a good day" There was no Carer today as I had to cancel her today as the Sky TV engineer phoned last night to say he would be round  just after 8.00 am to install the sky TV Dish and Box today, "Yipeeeeeeee"

Ah' Breakfast "Doh"

Anyway need to get up and have a coffee and then get some breakfast so that I have everything done and sorted by 8.00. so get the coffee made and some Toast and Marmalade for Breakfast and into the lounge by 8.45.

As I get ready to wait for the Sky Chap I decide to test the Phone line to see if that and the Broadband are activated yet, I switch on the Router and " YES " lo and behold the broadband service is activated as is the telephone so result, will not be offline today. So a quick check of Facebook and e-mails and at 8.20 the sky engineer arrives. It takes him just on the hour to install and set up the satellite  dish and install the box and set it up so away we go, " Hello Sky, Good bye Virgin Media "

Well that went off without a hitch, and it is only 9.30, so a nice cup off coffee and then to try and make sense of the new remote control and also how to set up the Sky + box to record programs, well that should keep me busy for a hour just looking to see what channels I have. I only have a basic package but certainly more choice than I had with Virgin Media.

Virgin Media Cancellation.

Well now to make a few Phone calls, the first is to Virgin Media to cancel the contract with them, I have been with them so long it seems strange to be changing but It had to be done as I was not prepared to be spoken to the way that there employee spoke to me the other day, The lady I spoke to on the phone was very pleasant and tried to persuade me to change my mind ( with no success) so the contract ends at the end of march after the 30 day notice period, and as we pay in Advance there is no more Payments to be made. in fact I get a small refund so a good result.

Lots of Phone Calls to make.

Next is to phone the Neurologist department at Southampton Hospital and let them Know my change of Phone Number also Adult Social care, The Care Agency, Doctors, and also text family and friends and let them know my new Phone number. once that is done I can now settle down to some chicken soup for lunch as it is now 12.30 and I had breakfast early today so feeling peckish.

Well had lunch so now to settle down with the Daily Journal. as I expected this Morning it has been a good day today, every thing is up and running ok, I have a better selection of TV Channels, Broadband speed seems OK and the phone is working great, so there we go. 

Weather-wise it is quite mild again today although it is still cloudy but brighter than yesterday. The weather today is 10.8⁰c (51.4⁰F) here in Portsmouth today. and you can see from the Photo from the live webcam at Langstone Harbour Marina that there is still some heavy cloud around. This was taken at 2.30 today.

Langstone Harbour Marina 29-02-12

Back to Bed for an hour or two.

So there we are then, I am posting the Journal earlier today as I was up early and now need to go for a lie down for an hour or so, that is the problem with getting up to early and also trying to do to much, it soon takes it out of you, anyway it has been a good day and my son will be phoning at 4.30 so will need to be awake for that so until tomorrow I will say Tatty bye.

A dull and Dreary Tuesday.

Portsmouth 10.00 am Today, Dull, Dreary, Cloudy.

Well here we are on Tuesday and only one more day left after today and we will be in to March, so to get us in the mood here is a jolly little poem for you all.

March wind is a jolly fellow.

He likes to joke and play.

He turns umbrellas, inside out

And blows mens hats away.

He calls the Pussy Willow,s.

And whispers in each ear.

"Wake up you lazy little seeds".

Don't you know that spring is here.

Well there is a bright little ditty to bring that sense of "spring is in the air" feeling to us all.

And now back to reality, I had a decent sleep last night and woke this morning about 7.00 am, lazed in bed until 7.30 when the alarm clock went of and then up and into the lounge with the obligatory coffee. 

It is going to be a busy day today, the carer will be here about 9.30, I also have the locksmith coming today ( possibly this morning) and Sky TV engineers this afternoon between 1.00 and 6.00. also Pauline will be coming in to see me.

It is a very Dull and dismal day today (not spring like at all) You can see by the Picture at the top of this page how dull it is here today, although at 10.00 the temperature was 10⁰c so very mild. as I said previously the carer was here at 9.25 so she gets me washed and groomed and then she is on her way, I get dressed and then get some Wheatabix for Breakfast, and then settle down with the laptop and the TV.

I have missed the 2nd program about the NHS so will have to catch up with that later with the BBC i Player, anyway it is very quiet here today it is nearly 11.00 and no sign of the locksmith and the Royal Mail Postman has just delivered the biggest load of Junk mail yet, he has just put 18 items through my letter box, not one was addressed to me it was either leaflets or letters addressed to "The Occupier", no wonder my recycling bin is getting full up quicker these days, perhaps I should return all the items back to the senders in new Envelopes with no postage paid on them.

At 11.10 the Locksmith arrives. he is a pleasant chap and he is pleased to see me up and about, anyway he removes the temporary lock and goes to fit the proper multi bolt lock and lo and behold he discovers that the wrong part has been ordered, oh well no need to panic, he will have to re-order the correct part so he refits the temporary lock back on and then has a coffee. he is very apologetic, I say that it is not a big problem, the property is secure so another week will not make any difference to me, and it won't cost me any more. I refuse to get stressed out about it and he goes on his way and I go and make a coffee and settle down to await Pauline and the Sky TV Engineer.

Pauline and Frank Chatting.

Well Pauline arrives at 12.10, all bright eyed and bushy tailed, and we take the wheel chair and I push it and we go round to Tesco Express and get a few pieces of shopping for diner tonight. then we go back home, that went OK, so I now make some coffee and then get some scrambled egg on toast for lunch. we then settle down for a chat and await the Sky TV People.

The Chap arrives at 1.45 to fit the BT Telephone line and socket, I thought it was sky coming today but they must be coming tomorrow to install the system anyway he is a miserable sod, does not have a charged battery for his drill, using my electricity to charge his battery, (will be sending bill to BT tomorrow),  anyway he is getting on with the job at the pace of a "Tortoise with a problem", so hopefully the job will be finished by midnight, Pauline keeps telling me to "Shush" but you know me, you have to tell it as it is, any way once it is done I will be able to have a reliable phone system.

well it is now 3.30 and the phone and broadband should be up and running by 4.30,  Pauline has made her way home and I will have to get Gervase in to set up the broadband Router on his way home from work, and then once the Sky box and dish are installed tomorrow we can get rid of Virgin Media. so all in all an up and down day.
So now for a nice coffee and a relaxing Evening in front of the TV, so until tomorrow and the Sky TV I will say adios and have a good Day/Evening/Night where ever you are on the globe.

Another Monday Dawns.

Time to "Wakey, Wakey"

Good morning folks and here we are on another Monday morning. again a decent nights sleep, although I did wake once at about 3.30 ( this seems to be a regular occurrence at the moment) although I just turned over and went back to sleep again. so It is now about 7.00 am so just put on the TV and listen to the News for an hour and then get up.

At 8.00 I drag myself out of bed, make a coffee and into the lounge to get the laptop up and running and to check on e-mails and facebook. I check the "Langstone Harbour" weather station site and see that although it is cloudy and dull it is quite mild with a temperature of 7.9⁰c. The tide is out today as you can see from the photo taken from the live webcam so it looks like Mud Flats this morning.

Langstone harbour Marina 8.10 this morning.

I have no idea what time the carer,s will come today or who it will be as Amanda is off this week, so I decide to get myself some Porridge for breakfast and then settle down to watch a program on BBC1 about the national Health service, It is a series on all this week about our NHS from its introduction after the second world war. it is presented by " Larry Lamb" with "Gloria Hunniford" The program is called " A Picture of Health"

My Trainee Carer.

The Program starts at 9.15 and at 9.25 the Carers arrive. There are two of them today and One of them is a supervisor ( we have met before) and the other is a new girl, who is just starting, she finished her training on Friday and she is being taken around with a supervisor this week. she is a pleasant enough young lady, apparently she was a "pub landlady" before this so a bit of a career change, anyway I explain what she has to do and she does ok ( She did not believe that she had to give me a two hour bed bath LOL) anyway she has a great sense of humour so she should do well.

Who walks who.

Well that went well so they are on there way and I settle down with a coffee and text Pauline to let her know all is OK. Pauline phones back, she is out on the common with Misty, and she is going up to St Mary's today about 3.15 to have the stitches removed from her Carpal tunnel op, so I tell her to let me know how it goes, and she is coming round tomorrow as I have the Sky TV people here and also the Locksmith here tomorrow morning.

Scrambled egg on Crisp Bread. "Yummy"

Well that was a very quiet and relaxing morning, I have watched a bit of TV, played a few facebook games, Caught up on the emails and done a little bit of Family History research, so as it is now 1.00 pm I will get out into the kitchen and get myself some lunch, I fancy scrambled Egg today with a couple of crisp bread, would do toast but the bread in the bread bin seems to have gone a bit stale ( Understatement of the year) so Crisp bread it will be.

Well the scrambled egg went down well with a nice cup of tea, so now to settle down to an afternoon of TV. there is a good old film on from 1956 " High Society" I just love these musical it starts at 2.05 and ends at 4.15 so that is a good afternoons viewing, after that it will be pointless at 5.15 and dinner at 6.00 so that is the rest of the day taken care of.

High Society 1956.

Well thats about as exciting as today goes but tomorrow and Wednesday should be more interesting so until tomorrow I will say Tatty Bye.

Is Spring Around the Corner ?

What a really lovely day to wake up to, had a nice sleep last night, in bed by 10.15 and apart from a "Bathroom Break" at 3.00 am I slept through until 6.45 so a nice day ahead I hope, So far this weekend it has been very un-eventful, so hoping it stays that way, the yucky Methotrexate feeling is starting to diminish although the breathing is a bit "Tight" and I still have that "Foggy" feeling but apart from that I am as "Fit as a Fiddle"

the Sun is really bright today and the sky is Blue, although it is still in February I am wondering if we have an early spring just around the corner.
I have checked the Langstone harbour Marina weather chart and it is showing a temperature of 4.8⁰c at 8.20 and I have taken a screen shot of the portsmouth Harbour live webcam showing Portsmouth at 8.20 this morning.

Portsmouth at 8.20 Today and a temperature of 4.8 c

However I have a lie in until 7.45 and then make my way "With A Coffee" to the lounge and watch the news on TV, also get online and check e-mails and facebook and then get some Wheatabix for Breakfast, once that is over I can settle down and wait for the carer to come.

The Carer arrives at 9.15, it is Mick again today, he apologizes for rushing off yesterday morning but they had a carer phone in sick and they landed him with three extra clients yesterday, anyway we have a good old natter and he gets me washed and groomed and then he is on his way to his next client, I get another coffee, and now for the Sunday TV, there is the "Big Question" on at 10.00 this is a current affairs  program with a live audience and is normally quite interesting, and at 11.00 it is country track,s another program I like, This week it is about the Peak District.

Ben Fogle, Country Tracks from the Peak District BBC1 11.00 am Today.

I want a wee.

At about 10.10 I have a phone call from Gervase, he is coming round to see me later, and hopefully he will take me out in the car for half an hour to get a bit of fresh air and, and then at 10.20 I get a phone call from Pauline, I had not sent her a text and she has phoned to make sure all is OK. her and gordon have not been up long, so I ask if "Misty", "has been taken out for her morning walk", to which the answer is "no" so I say that I will have to report them to the RSPCA for cruelty to Misty, lol, I think she must be walking around with her back legs crossed. I think I will have to suggest to Pauline and Gordon that they train Misty to use the toilet.

Chicken Soup.

Well the morning has gone by very quickly and it is time to get some lunch at 1.00  I decide today to have some chicken soup with a couple of Crisp bread, and also a yoghurt, It went down very well and I now settle down to watch a couple of programs on TV and to play a few games on Facebook. I have a phone call from Gervase to say he is on his way round, he is going to Lidl first and then will be with me so that will be nice.

Gervase arrives about 1.45 and we decide to take a drive down to Baffins Pond, It is not far from here and I have not been there for a few years, When I had my "Driving School" in Portsmouth I used to stop there for lunch, it was nice to sit and watch the ducks and eat my Fish and Chips, anyway I grab the Camera and of we go in the car, there is a lot of traffic around today so it takes about 20 minuets to drive there, when we get there we decide to walk around the Pond and get some Photographs.

Baffins Pond (1)

There are a few families out and about today, all come down with the children to feed the variety of Ducks, Geese and pigeons that are around, we have a slow walk around and I take some Photograph,s, it is the first time I have been out and about since I had my turn 2 weeks ago at Gunwharf, so feeling a bit strange but Gervase is here so that makes me feel easier.

Gervase at Baffins Pond.

There are a few benches around so we sit and take in the view and watch the ducks on the pond, although it is a nice sunny day there is still a nip in the air, so after about 30 minutes we make our way back to the car and head home. Back indoors I make a nice hot coffee and gervase goes round to Tesco and gets me some Milk, Eggs and a Mars Bar. and then he heads back home to Leanne and I settle down to get the Daily Journal done.

Baffins Pond (2)

Well I enjoyed the trip out but certainly not as confident about going out on my own as I was  two weeks ago, just need to build that confidence back up, anyway a good day today and tomorrow and Tuesday are going to be busy as I am having Sky TV, Broadband and Phone fitted so may be off line for a day or two but hopefully not. anyway until tomorrow I will say Adios Amigo,s.

Another Sunny Saturday.

Portsmouth Harbour 2.00 pm Today, Temp 11⁰c.

Restless night. 

Another Saturday dawns and although it is very cloudy at the moment at 6.45 am the weather forecast s foe another bright Sunny day with the temperature into double figures. It was a very broken sleep last night, kept waking every couple of hours so very restless anyway it is now 7.30 am so time for a nice coffee and then into the lounge to watch the Breakfast News on TV, As it is the weekend I have no Idea who the carer will be today or at what time they will arrive.

As usual the news is depressing, or it may be me as it is a "Methotrexate weekend" it looks like there is more problems with the Government and their Youth placement Scheme with many of the large company,s pulling out of it including "Tesco", "Waterstones", "TK Maxx" and many others. another cock up by David Cameron. Don't you just love this Government. the things they come up with to reduce the Unemployment Numbers. this latest one was unpaid work placements or lose your unemployment benefits.

Go Gordon Go.

Well it is now 9.40 and Mick the Carer has just arrived, he is in a bit of a rush, so he gets me washed and then he is off again to his next client, so I go and get some porridge for breakfast and then go and get dressed and have a shave.
Pauline phones, to see if I am ok, she and Gordon are off over to my Brothers today at Fareham to clean a carpet and a settee, as Gordon runs his own cleaning firm, Pauline asks if I want to go over with them , but I do not feel up to it today and Gervase is coming round later so that is OK.

The morning goes by quite quickly and it is soon 1.00 pm and time for lunch so I get a couple of crisp breads with some Red Leicester and Cheddar Cheese and Chive,s in a mayonnaise and that goes down well with a cup of tea. I am watching the film " Carry on Cabbie" I have seen it so many times but I still enjoy it, a classic comedy film.

Fratton Park.

At 2.15 gervase arrives, he goes round to Tesco Express to get me some milk and also a Mars bar,( which I enjoy) and then we have a nice chat about his week in Bristol, He enjoyed it up their but is glad to be back home with Leanne.
He has had t park about a 10 minute walk away as Portsmouth Football club are playing at Fratton Park today and he cannot park near here, the roads get full of parked cars by 11.30 am on Match days, still the way the football club is going they may not survive much longer, as they were back into Administration last week ( The second time in 2 years) which is a shame given the history of the club.

Well at 3.00 pm Gervase makes a move as he is going up to home base to collect something for Leanne,s mum Elaine, and then he and Leanne are going out tonight, so I hope they have a good night out. Pauline phones about 3.15 to say they are on the way home, they have just got into Portsmouth, so at least they have missed the football traffic.

Well it is now 3.45 and the film Nanny McPhee is starting at 3.50 on ITV, that is another film I have seen several times and enjoy so I am going to get a coffee and watch that so until tomorrow I will say Adios.

Freaky Friday comes and Goes.

Wash my feet.

I went to bed at half past ten, and woke at half past three:

I took my Methotrexate, then went and had a wee:

My eyes were very misty, and I dribbled on my feet:

so I had to go and wash them, and then went back to sleep.

Morning coffee

Well it is Freaky friday again, as you can see I took my Methotrexate early today and then went back to sleep and woke again at 6.45, It is going to be a day of rest today, as I always feel very yucky on methotrexate day, however hopefully this week end will be stress free as opposed to last weekend, at least I have now got some Diazepam, just in case but do not really want to use them if I can help it.

However it was a pretty good nights sleep So I have a bit of a lay in listening to the radio until 7.45 and then go ad get a coffee and then in to the lounge to wait for Amanda my carer to arrive.

Amanda on Holiday

Once in the lounge I settle down to watch the TV. I had a text from my sister to say that they would be coming down this morning about 9.15 to 9.30 to go and get the package from the post office for me so that is OK, however the morning breakfast news is all about the Banks huge losses last year, and then at 8.45 Amanda arrives. She is glad it is the end of the week and she is on holiday next week, so she is looking forward to that, I do not know where she is going but it is somewhere in the Sunshine, anyway she gets me washed and groomed and then is on her way.

Sky wifi Router.

Once Amanda has left I get myself dressed, and then get the laptop up and running and check out e-mails and facebook and at 9.35 my sister Eileen and Chris arrive. I give them the Post office card plus proof of my identity and off they go to the Central Post office. They are back by 10.15 and the package is the Sky Internet router which is being installed on Tuesday, why it was sent by royal mail and the engineer does not bring it with them is a mystery to me. anyway they make a move and I settle down to watch the TV.

Langstone Harbour Marina today at 10.50

The morning has gone by quite quickly and the weather today although not as Sunny as yesterday, is still very mild for the time of the year, the weather station at Langstone harbour Marina at Eastney in Portsmouth is recording a temperature of 10.4⁰c at 10.50 this morning and the screen shot from their live webcam at 10.50 shows what a pleasant day it is here on the South Coast today.

I have had a couple of text messages from Leanne to check I am OK and just after 12.00 pm Gervase sent a text to say that he is just about to complete his course in Bristol and will be leaving to come back to Portsmouth Shortly, and that he will come in and see me on the way home. At 1.00 I decide to get some lunch and have some Egg Mayonnaise  with a couple of crisp bread and a nice cup of tea, and just as I finish there is a knock on the door and low and behold we have a "doorstep salesman" here. He is trying to sell double glazing to me while standing next to a fully double glazed bay window and at a fully double glazed front door.

3 for price of 6 'Bargain"

 I enquire as to if he has had his eyes tested lately and give him a leaflet for spec savers, he is not swayed and continues with his sales patter, it is only when I try to sell him some of my hand made greeting cards that he decides that he is getting nowhere fast and decides to try his luck further down the road,  totally ignoring the fact that I have offered him the deal of the century, "I offered him a money saving deal of 3 for the price of 6," no idea why he got all agitated.

Well that is todays excitement out of the way so now to settle back down with the laptop and the TV and see what the rest of the afternoon has in store.
Pauline and misty arrive about 3.30 for a quick visit, they have walked from Pauline,s flat, Gordon arrives about 3.50 and has a coffee, and then gervase arrives about 4.00 pm, he has just got back from Bristol, so a full house at the moment, anyway Gordon and pauline leave about 4.30 and gervase makes a move at 5.15 so that was a nice afternoon, so now to get dinner and then a nice quiet evening of TV so until tomorrow I will say Tatty Bye.   

Another Exciting day "NOT"

Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth 9.30 am 23rd February 2012.

Was it Postman Pat ?

And Another day starts with a knock on the door. It was at 7.30 that the alarm clock went off and woke me up, A decent nights sleep but now it was time to get up and get ready for the day, however just as I was starting to think about making a move there is a knock at the front door, " That must be Amanda arriving early I thought" anyway getting my Dressing gown on and my stick I make my way to the front door, There is no one there but there is a card on the floor to say the Postman had tried to deliver a package and no reply so he is returning it to the depot.

Royal Mail sorting office. Portsmouth

The package in Question is is from "Sky" TV and is probably one of the items they need to install my Sky system on Monday and Tuesday next week. I phone "Royal Mail" and they cant schedule re-delivery until next Tuesday or Wednesday " Thanks a lot Royal Mail" so I phone my Sister Eileen and either she or Chris are going to come down tomorrow and collect it for me from the Royal Mail Sorting office in Portsmouth.

Go Amanda Go.

Anyway that is sorted and Amanda arrives at 8.40, she is her happy jovial self. she is not going to be here next week as she is going away for a couple of days with her husband and children so has booked next week off as a holiday, so that should be interesting, I wonder who and at what time carers if any will come next week. " Watch this space [  ? ] ".
Well Amanda. gets me washed and groomed ready for the day in front of me " It can only get better !!!" anyway just as Amanda is about to leave the house phone rings. " Ring Ring Ring "
Answering the phone and it is the Adult Social care person who is supposed to be coming at 9.00 am today to re-asses my care needs after the last couple of weeks events. I thought she was going to say that she would be here soon but no what she said was
" hello I am ??????? I was booked today to come and see you at 9.00 am ( It is now 8.56) unfortunately I have only just looked at my diary and seen it.I am busy today s will have to come and see you tomorrow".

Adult Social services.

I managed to keep my cool and said " that is no good as I have other people here tomorrow" I am expecting the locksmith to come tomorrow to fit the replacement multi point lock to my front door, so she reply,s with " So what are your movements for the rest of the day" (did she mean my Bowel,s LOL ) I said "very slow actually" I do not think she was amused by that, " I am in all day today I said" so she has said she will be round about 4.00 pm this afternoon.
Now I know there are cases more urgent than mine and that cancellations can happen !!But!! this appointment was made on Monday, surely the social worker would have checked her appointment book before this morning, the whole system is going to pot.

Wheatabix for Breakfast "Yummy"

Anyway that is now sorted, perhaps the day will now get some normality to it, as you can see from the Photo at the top of the page it is a nice day in Portsmouth today, although it is cloudy the temperature was 11.1⁰c at 9.30 this morning so it is expected to get warmer as the day goes on. I have had my Breakfast " Wheatabix Today" and have spoken to Pauline and also my sister. Pauline may be round later today or may leave it until tomorrow, so now to get my emails checked and a nice coffee and then Daytime TV.

Pauline and Gordon.

Well the weather is starting to brighten up now, it is looking just like a spring day now. The sky is blue and the sun is shining, and I am having a nice relaxing day in front of the TV watching "Cowboy Builders" and messing around on the laptop. at about 12.00 Pauline and Gordon arrive, Gordon has taken his Jag up for some work and the MOT t be done on it so is using Pauline,s car for work, so he has dropped Pauline off and will make his way to Salisbury for this afternoon.

We have a coffee and a chat and then at about 1.00 pm Pauline goes round to Tesco Express to get me some milk and to get herself a Sandwich for lunch, and I get myself a small "Microwave in the bag" Salmon fillet cooked in Butter with a couple of Crisp Bread.
That went down a treat and we have another coffee, and then at 2.30 Pauline makes her way home and I get back on the laptop to get this Journal Written up and posted and then I can wait for "Adult Social Services" to come to Re-Assess my care needs, The person should be here at 4.00 pm but I won't hold my breath, anyway I will let you know in tomorrows Journal if and what the outcome is. so until tomorrow I will say Tatty Bye.

STOP PRESS

The Adult social services turned up at 3.50 and carried out the re-assessment and it is exactly as it was last time so no change there, it was done because of the impending changes of the care Agency,s

here is how Portsmouth looked at 2.30 this afternoon basked in Sunlight.