Morrisons here we come because it's Thursday.

Yes Folks today is thursday and as we all know thursday is shopping day at Morrisons in the Victory Retail park in the city centre.

Morrisons superstore at the Victory retail park, Portsmouth.

It was a decent nights sleep last night, although I did wake up a couple of times so m=not as good as the last couple of nights, anyway once I was awake this morning at about 7.30 I made a coffee and took back to bed for an hour until about 8.30 when I went into the lounge with another coffee.

Time to get up Frankie

Once I am into the lounge, I send the morning text to Pauline and then go and get some cereal for breakfast before settling down to check out my emails and facebook on the laptop, before Pauline phones to say that all is Ok with them, Gordon has gone up to Salisbury today to get a couple of cleaning jobs done and Pauline is out with Misty on the common. Pauline will book a taxi at 11.00 to collect my prescription from the Doctors and then to collect me and the Rollator and go down to Morrisons to get the shopping.

Who takes Who for a walk ??????????

Once I have spoken to Pauline it is 9.30 so I settle down to watch "Heir Hunters" on the TV until 10.00 and then make a coffee before going for a wash and shave and getting dressed for when Pauline arrives, at about 11.10.

Now to get dressed ready for when Pauline arrives

All dressed and ready to go

once Pauline arrives we are into the taxi and off down to Morrisons where we go and get the shopping and then go for a coffee and a snack before heading back home. Pauline has a sausage in a roll and I have double egg and chips and we both have a coffee and it really does go down a treat.

A Tasty lunch for me.

And for Pauline

Well once we have finished lunch we go outside to phone the Taxi and that is when I discover I have not got my Mobile phone, I am sure I picked it up when we left home this morning, but it certainly is not with me now, so anyway once the initial panic is over Pauline uses hers to phone for a taxi and also ask them to check with our driver (Duncan) who brought us here this morning  if we had left it in his car but if we had it would probably have been seen by another passenger anyway so Once home I will need to phone the phone company and put a block on the phone. however once home we go indoors and there is my Mobile phone on the table where it usually is, I just forgot to pick it up this morning as we were leaving so panic over. "Phew"

Here I am.
Welcome home Frankie

Journal Writing

anyway once we are indoors I get the shopping put away and then make a coffee and we have a sit down and a chat before I phone for a Taxi to take Pauline back home. Once Pauline has left it is 2.00 so I make another coffee and settle down to watch heartbeat and the Royal before starting todays journal.

S that is really about it for today, nothing very exciting really, although it was a nice lunch anyway Gervase will be in to see me on his way home from work this evening so I need to get the vegetable prepared for tonight,s dinner of Sea Bass with a nice broccoli & Cauliflower cheesy bake and then an evening of Emmerdale and probably a TV Movie, so until tomorrow I will say........................

Do not upset the staff in Morrisons when shopping.

And here we are at Thursday and today is Shopping day down town with a difference. as you know Pauline always takes me down town on a Tuesday and Thursday to go shopping, but this week Pauline was in hospital having her Thyroid operation, so there was no shopping trip and today Gordon is taking us as he is off work this week to keep Pauline in check after her Operation.

Behave yourself Pauline

 Anyway after the normal morning ritual, I have a phone call from Pauline to say that she is not feeling to bad today, and that her and Gordon will be round to collect me about 10.30 and we will go down to Morrisons to get the shopping, as we are going straight there and back in the car with Gordon I will take the Rollator and leave the wheelchair at home, so we will see how I get on with that . So I need to go and get washed and dressed and ready for when Pauline and gordon arrive

Getting Ready to go out shopping.

True to there word the "Gruesome Twosome " AKA Pauline and Gordon arrive at 10.40 and we get the rollator into the car and and we go down to the Morrison store in the victory retail park in Portsmouth city Centre. It is not the easiest of places to get to, as usually Pauline and I go down to the precinct first and then we walk with me in the wheelchair to morrisons , anyway we get there and then we are into the store to get the shopping done. Me with the Rollator and Gordon with the trolley.

I hear that Gordon likes big Melons

 Anyway it was a good hour shopping today, it went well with the rollator but was really tired at the end, it was probably that it was like a new found freedom as I was able to do my shopping independently which meant that Pauline and gordon kept looking to see where I was as I was up and down the aisle,s like a marathon runner.

One day Morrisons the next the World

This is the one I want.

Anyway It was at the fish counter that I realized that the some of the staff have not got a sense of humour, they need to lighten up and enjoy life. The fish counter in Morrisons and I usually have a laugh and a joke with the regulars as they have got to know me as we go in shopping once a week since they opened, but today the regular staff must be on holiday, anyway there is large signs on the counter stating that they will prepare any fish that I want and prepare it the way I want it

So anyway I get my normal order of a Fresh sea bass fillet and also a nice Dover Sole Fillet and then ask if I can have a Catfish fillet stuffed with sun dried tomato and Parsley.  to which he replied that they don,t do that to which I replied well your signs say you do, Poor lad, no sense of humour which was totally different to the reaction I got from our checkout assistant who does know us who was in stitches and could not stop laughing when I said that I nearly went to Asda to get my toilet rolls today as they were on special offer and were advertised as "finger piercing good" LOL. I really must behave myself but then again why should I.

Once we had got the shopping and paid for it we put it in the car and then went into morrisons cafe for a coffee and lunch before heading back home, once we were home we put the shopping away and then I made coffee,s and we had a chat before Pauline and Gordon went back home. It was about 1.30 when they left so I had a lie down for an hour until 2.30 when I got up and prepared the vegetable for tonight,s dinner and then into the lounge to watch "The Royal" and "A Touch of Frost" while I get todays shortened Journal written and Posted, I have kept it short today as rushing around with the rollator has tired me out and the legs are aching like mad.

The "Royal" a Medical Drama ITV 2003 - 2011 87 episodes

A "Touch of Frost" a crime drama ITV 1992 - 2010  42 episodes

Well it is now 4.40, Gervase has just phoned for a chat, he is just on his way to the train station on his way home from work, so I will now get this journal posted and then settle down with the TV and facebook before it is time to get dinner at 6.00. so until tomorrow I will say good bye

YouTube, A Sideboard, and Sunshine.

Well the Weather forecast and the actual weather here does not seem to match up today. The weather Forecast gives a cloudy humid day where as the actual weather is blue sky and sunshine the temperatures are about the same, so it looks like the Meteorological office has not got it quite right here today.

Five day weather forecast for Portsmouth

Not a cloudy day a very sunny day with blue skies

A Decent nights sleep

Anyway after a very pleasant evening with Gervase and Leanne last Night, I got home about 9.30 and then watched a bit of TV until going to bed at about 10,30 to listen to the local radio quiz show before turning off the radio at about 11.15 and getting off to sleep. It was a decent nights sleep and apart from waking at 3.15 for the bathroom slept through until about 7.30 this morning when I went to make a coffee and took back to bed until 8.30.

at about 8.30 I went and made another coffee and then into the lounge where I send the Morning text to Pauline, She has an early appointment with her doctor today for the follow up to her health check last week, Pauline texts back to say she will phone and let me know how she got on when she is out , so I make myself some Toast and settle down to catch the breakfast News on BBC1. the story that amused me today is the one about the excuses that people come out with as to why they do not have a TV licence.  The best one is the excuse a woman gave and that was she could not go out to the Post office to renew her TV licence as she only had two pairs of Knickers and they were both in the wash.

Classic Excuses "Excellent"

Doing Well Pauline

Anyway enough of that, once I have watched the Breakfast News I go online to check out facebook and my emails and then catch up on a couple of facebook games before pauline phones to say she is on her way home from the doctors, It was a good visit, she has lost a little bit of weight which she is pleased about and also her blood pressure is now back to normal as is her Pulse the only thing that is still high is her cholesterol, this has always been high for years now the good part is that it is lower now than it used to be, but is still high so the doctor wants her to get it down a bit more.

Well I have now got a bit of time now before My Sister arrives, Eileen and Chris are going round to Pauline and Gordon,s with there van to pick up a small sideboard that I am having from Pauline, it is one that she will not be taking with her when they move so it will just be the right size for my flat anyway there is about an hour or so before they will be here so I go round to get my morning paper and some milk and then I have a look to see what there is on Youtube I can watch on the smart TV and I find an old "Billy Fury" Movie called "play it cool" it is a black and white Movie made in 1962. it also has appearances by 'Shane Fenton and the Fentones", "Helen Shapiro",  "Bobby Vee", and "Danny Williams" plus many other comedians of the time, I was 18 years of age when this was released, "Nostalgia with a capital "N"

Play it cool on the smart TV

I would have watched this in 1962 at the Embassy Cinema in West street Fareham, That cinema is no longer there.

The Embassy Cinema Fareham.

Danny Williams "Play it Cool Movie" 1962

That was such a blast from the past anyway at 11.15 I get a text from Pauline to say that the girls and Gordon are on there way round to me so time to get the tea and coffee cups ready so the TV goes off and Gordon, Eileen and Chris Arrive with the Sideboard, Gordon and Chris bring it in and then Gordon has to leave as He and Pauline are off to view a couple of houses and Eileen and Chris stay for a coffee and a chat before they make a move home about 12.30.

Very pleased with the sideboard with draw and cupboard space.

We are good for you

well once Eileen and chris has been I have a little tidy up and put a few things into the cupboards before getting myself a bacon sandwich for lunch, and then I have a nice peppermint tea before going for a cat nap for 30 minutes until 2.00 when I get up and go into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and also to prepare the vegetable for tonight,s dinner. once that is done I head back into the lounge to get todays Journal written and also to watch some episodes of "Diagnosis Murder" on the "Alibi TV Channel.

An Excellent program

Ha Ha Here comes Stormy.

Well it has been an excellent day today and now that I have got todays journal finished I will get it posted before settling down to watch some daytime TV. The weather seems to be on the change, it has got very humid and close here today now so I would not be surprised to see a few thunderstorms around the region tonight, hopefully the Isle of Wight and the South Down hills will raise the clouds high enough to miss Portsmouth, anyway until tomorrow I will say Bye bye.

At Least a decent day today

Hello again folks and welcome to a brighter Sunday.

Well at least the sun is shining and it is warmer today, so need to make the most of it so What do I do ? I stay in bed until 9.30 this morning before getting up and making a coffee and some porridge to take into the lounge.
 Well, as is usual with the sun comes insanity and once again we are landed in Southsea with "The Naked Bike Ride" now this throws up some scary sights as you can imagine, apparently they do this every year to protest that the roads are not safe for cyclist,s

Not a pretty sight

anyway there we are that is the depths at which our Bank holiday has descended to anyway , on a more positive note tomorrow there is the Charity abseiling down the spinnaker tower at Gunwharf Quays on the waterfront in Portsmouth. I will hopefully be there to support the people who are abseiling. As far as I know the following people will be abseiling  for Team Muscle raising funds for the Myositis support Group UK. You can visit there just giving pages to donate.

2 pm Dave Oakley, Laura Oakley and Andy Jordan.
3 pm Catherine king, Karen Davies, Phillip Trevellion, Chris Coleman and Jerry Smith.

4 pm Simon Chadwick, Quentin Marty, Paul Franklin, Boo Holmquest and Les Oakley

I got the times and names from the "Team Muscle" face book page, the link is at the bottom of this Journal.

well it has been a decent day today and this afternoon my son Gervase came round and took me over to Sainsburys at Farlington to get some shopping and then on the way home we went to "Pets at home to get some items for His and leanne,s cats, I saw some 
little Bunny Rabbits and I want one. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Sainsburys car park 1

Sainsburys car park 2

.

Pets at Home Car park

Pets at Home Store

Staples Office supplies store

Well there we are then a decent day today I have enjoyed it and a nice lie in this morning and nice weather to go out in the car shopping with Gervase this afternoon, anyway we got back home about 3.00 and had a nice chat and Gervase went at about 4.30, so I got a nice strawberry Complan and a banana for lunch as that will see me through until dinner at about 6.30 tonight, I also got the Vegetable prepared for tonight and then settled down to get todays journal written. it is now 6.35 and I am going to get it posted and also here is the link to the  Myositis Support group "Team Muscle" facebook page:

:

https://www.facebook.com/MyositisSupportGroup?ref=stream&hc_location=stream 

So until tomorrow I will say Adios.

The End of an Era.

Today my Journal is dedicated to the demise of our last aircraft Carrier H.M.S Ark Royal which is making its last departure from its home port of Portsmouth.

Today is a very sad day for the People of Portsmouth, The Naval families of the UK, the Royal Navy and for the Security and safety of our Island. for today the last of the Royal Navy aircraft carriers is leaving Portsmouth Harbour at 1.00 pm and being towed to a scrap yard in Turkey for its scrap metal value which the Politicians of our Island Nation  think is worth more than the safety of the People they represent.

Why am I feeling like this you may ask, well the answer is simple, like many other people around the united Kingdom and (particularly in Portsmouth), we are related through the centuries to our ancestors being members of the Royal Navy ( The Senior service) dating back to the crimean war and beyond. My Great Great Grand father (Joseph Smith)was in the Royal Navy, based in Jersey in the 1850,s to the 1870,s and my Grandfather (John Michael Smith) was also in the royal Navy serving in world war one, My Maternal Grandfather (Frederick Hubbard was also in the Royal Navy again serving in World War one, and My Father was in the royal navy ( Albert Joseph Smith)  as were his Brothers and sister again all serving in the Second World War

Joseph Smith (Great Great Grandfather)

John Michael Smith (Grandfather)

Frederick Hubbard (Grandfather)

Albert Joseph Smith (Father)

So as you can see the family has a strong affiliation to the Royal Navy, so it is a sad day to see the Flagship of the Royal Navy being towed out of Portsmouth Harbour to be scrapped at a scrap yard in Turkey, although they are building new aircraft carriers these will not be operational until sometime in 2020 so until then our naval fleet has no air cover if there is another conflict.

Unfortunately I could not get down to see her leave, Pauline did offer to take me down but it was a dull day and it would have been very busy however I have found some photographs of her leaving and pauline did manage also to take a couple of pictures of her going past Southsea Common.

A large crowd gathering on the Round Tower

HMS Ark Royal leaving Portsmouth Harbour.

HMS Ark Royal being towed into the Solent

The view of HMS Ark Royal Taken by Pauline passing Southsea Common

so that is my day today, the end of another era and there will be a lot of sad faces around Portsmouth today. anyway sorry I have taken up most of todays Journal with this story but it is an important event here in Portsmouth especially as it is the home of the Royal navy and has been for centuries .

My day has been very quiet, I slept well last night and have had a very restful day today , I have spent most of the day watching the TV and following the news reports of the Ark Royal, I had my lunch at 2.00 and had Sea Bass, New Potato and Cauliflower cheese, and tonight for tea I will have some chicken soup, anyway it is nearly 4.00 so I will get this Journal posted and then settle down to watch a film "Home alone 3" which I recorded yesterday, so until tomorrow when I return with my normal Journey I will say Cheerio.