Two days to go before Santa comes.

Whooo Hoo Only 2 days before the big fellow comes a calling.

So today it is time to get the presents all ready to be delivered to the recipients, Living in a flat I have not got a chimney so Tomorrow I will have to leave Santa a glass of egg nog and a mince pie on the table in the back yard, not forgetting a bowl of food for the reindeer.

Ho, Ho, Ho, Egg nog from Frankie

Well seeing as it is only two days to Christmas,  the bad news is that this will be the last Daily Journal.

Boo Hoo no Daily Journal Oh woe is me.

So today is not going to be about me but a silly Christmas edition. so here is a Poem that I have put here for you all to read. It is dedicated To all in the Garden Flat in Southsea.

Twas two nights before Christmas

Twas two nights before christmas, and all round the flat

Nothing was stirring not even Pauline,s cat

Ratatouille for dinner tonight.

Misty was having a long soak in the bath,

Pauline and Gordon thought that was a laugh

Ah roll on Walkies time

Gordon was relaxing asleep in his chair

Dreaming he had a full head of black hair

Oh I wish I had hair like what frank has LOL

And Pauline God Bless her, is jigging about

she,s getting ready to take Misty Out.

.

That Frank drives me round the bend.

But the Good news is that the Daily Journal will return on Boxing day the 26th of December so you see you will have no reason to feel Despondent (LOL) so Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.

Will Be Back on Wednesday 26th December (Boxing Day)

The Last Saturday before Christmas.

Well Folks the Holidays are almost upon us with only three more days before the big fellow comes.

It was another decent night last night, slept pretty well and even had a lie in this morning as I will not see my carer until next Thursday, so a lie in is on the cards for the next 4 days, "Excellent" well I dragged myself out of bed at 9.00 and on looking out te window Saw a bird on the washing line.

bon Appetite

Well I could of done, anyway as per usual it is raining today "Again" so will not be going far today, anyway I make a coffee and get myself some scrambled egg on toast for breakfast and then Text Pauline to let her know all is OK. I enjoyed the scrambled egg on toast it seemed to have a continental flavour so I am wondering if the eggs were laid by those 3 pesky French Hens that seem to hang around this time of year.

Washing Up

Once Breakfast is over I make another coffee and then get the washing up done, I then decide to pay a couple of accounts on line and then to check my emails and facebook, While I am doing that Gordon Phones to say that he will be round about 11.00 to do a couple of hours cleaning for me, so that is OK, Pauline said on Thursday that he would probably be round today As I was not well last Monday so no cleaning was done that day.

Wakey, Wakey Gordon

So Gordon Arrives about 10.50 and I make a coffee for us both and then Gordon goes out to his car to get the cleaning gear and comes back in with it and says it has stopped raining, so that seems like a good chance to go round to Tesco and get my daily paper, I do not need any other shopping until tomorrow when Gervase will take me out to get few bits and pieces to take me over Christmas, I do not need to get a lot as the shops are only closed Christmas day the rest of the days they are open.

Can you see the scales Gordon

Well I get back from the shop with my Paper and Gordon has almost finished so I sit down and start to read the paper while he finishes off, and then we have our weekly weigh in, Gordon has lost a bit of weight which he is pleased about and is just over 11.5 stone, I have lost a couple of pounds this week and weigh in at just over the 12 stone.  I would like ideally to get down to between 11.0 stone and 11.5 stone. but at least a couple of pounds is a start.

Tasty Soup

Once we have had our weekly weigh in I make a coffee and we sit and have a chat and then at about 1.00 Gordon makes his way back home to Pauline and I sit and watch a bit of TV until 1.30 when I decide that I will get myself some chicken soup for lunch, I didn't have breakfast until late today so a bowl of chicken soup will do be fine for lunch today, once I have that I go back online to check out a couple of things as I need to get a couple of floor lamps for the lounge as I find the main light very bright for my eyes so I will be looking for a couple after Christmas, I looked on the Argos site and they have some nice ones on there.

Classical Music 

at 2.30 I decide it s time for a lie down and listen to Classical FM on the radio for an hour or so, actually it was for nearly one and a half hours so at 3.45 I go and make a coffee and then decide that I had better get todays journal written and posted before settling down to an evening of christmas movies on TV, at 6.20 it will be "I saw Mummy kissing santa claus a 2001 Movie and at 8.00 it is the 1999 movie of dickens "Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart and Richard E Grant.

So here we are then at the last Saturday before Christmas and it has been a year of Ups and downs, but to be honest there has been more ups than down, it is also the second christmas that I have been writing this journal. so to all of you that have persevered with reading it I thank you.

Anyway I now need to get this Journal finished and posted, as it is 5.10 and I need to get dinner at 5.45 ready for the movie that starts at 6.20  so I will say cheerio for today and will be back again tomorrow so I will leave you with no. 17 of My Man Dream Comic Strip. So Cheerio.

Its another methotrexate Friday

And here we are at another "Freaky Friday" The Methotrexate strikes again. It is a lot better weather wise today and we seem to have alternate days of Dry days and Rainy days. here is the 5 day weather forecast for Portsmouth, well at least they got today correct. So we can expect heavy rain Tomorrow by the looks of things.

5 day weather forecast for Portsmouth UK

Still on the brighter side it looks like it will be dry with some sunshine on Christmas day. Talking about christmas there are only 4 more days to go.

Is this a "colly bird" who
tweeted to much

so after a very good day yesterday I had a OK night last night. I went to bed about 10.30 and lay listening to the radio until about 11.30, turned off the radio and dropped of to sleep and woke again about 2.30. went to the bathroom and then went back to sleep until 7.15 so not to bad last night.

Anyway lazed around in bed with a coffee listening to the radio until 8.00 when it was time to get up and make my way into the lounge with a coffee to check out my emails and face book and also to catch up with the morning news on TV while I wait for Carol my carer to arrive.

Stop rushing around carol

Carol is later again and arrives at 9.10. she has had more clients given to her due to staff shortages, she has to work all over Christmas as the care company are so short of staff, anyway I will not see a carer now until next Wednesday as I have cancelled my care over the Christmas holiday period.  anyway Carol soon has me sorted out ready for the day ahead and is soon on her way.

Getting the Morning Paper

Once Carol has left I text Pauline to let her know that all is OK and then I get myself some toast with Strawberry Jam for Breakfast with a nice cup of tea. that goes down very well and was very tasty, After breakfast I wash up and then get dressed and take a walk round to the Tesco Express to get the daily paper. it is very pleasant out in the sunshine today and I take a slow walk back home enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine the temperature is not to bad today about 8 C at the moment but at least it is dry.

Hope your appointment
went Ok Stewie LOL

Well once I am back home I settle down with a nice hot chocolate to read the paper and then I get a phone call from Pauline, As usual Her and gordon are working up in Salisbury and are between jobs, so at least they are keeping Busy, they are both Ok so that is alright. Last night I had a phone call from Pauline,s brother in law Colin to say he will be bringing Stewie down for his medical appointment this afternoon so he will be in to see me about 2.00 pm for an hour.

Haywards Heath Railway Station

at 1.00 I get some Cream crackers and Cheese for lunch and also a Yoghurt and then Colin arrives about 1.50.  We have a good old chat and then he makes his way to collect Stewie at 3.00, so I make a coffee and settle down with the laptop to get todays Journal written and Posted before the Methotrexate starts to take effect.
At 4.15 I get a phone call from Gervase to say he has left work early today as he has to try and catch his train home. he works at Haywards Heath and has to travel back to Portsmouth Via Brighton, and after all the rain and floods yesterday and also a cable fire at preston park there is major delays, so he is hoping that he will not be home to late tonight.
well the time is fast approaching 5.00 and it is nearly time for Pointless to start on BBC Tv so I need to get this journal finished and posted before settling down to an evening of TV with a nice piece of Haddock in Parley sauce with Mashed Potato, Carrots and Peas from M&S and it is gluten free. so until Tomorrow I will say Tatty Bye.

Hooray, Escape from the house today.

Well here we are again another very wet day. and there are only 5 more days to Christmas.

Morning Coffee

Well listening to the weather on the radio this morning it appears that it has been raining hard all night long and it looks like it is going to continue for much of the day. The reports coming in over the Radio solent news weather watch there has been wide spread flooding throughout Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of wight. and at 8.00 am this morning there was an alert of the river Wallington in Fareham, (which is just outside Portsmouth and where I was born) anyway I had a decent sleep last night and woke at 7.15 so lazed in bed until 8.00 when I made a coffee and went to the lounge to catch up on the weather news and to wait for Carol my carer to arrive.

The news is not good on the weather front so far there are so many areas and homes around portsmouth being flooded and the residents of wallington have been advised to evacuate their homes as cracks have appeared in the flood wall along the River.

A Flooded road in Wallington

The River Wallington, Fareham

There is also wide spread flooding in the new forest and also in Emsworth which is just to the east of Portsmouth and the environment agency has got 180 flood warnings out and forecast of more heavy and prolonged rain for the south coast for the next 5 days.

Houses flooded in Emsworth

Flooding in Brockenhurst

Getting Ready for Pauline.

Anyway that is enough about the weather, Carol is running late today and does not get to me until 9.20, as they have carers of sick and they have given her extra clients today, so it does not take her long to get me sorted for the day ahead, while carol is here Pauline phones to say she will be round at about 10.30 to take me to the Doctors surgery to see Debbie for my Monthly blood test so that is ok as my appointment is for 10.40 and then after that we have decided that we really do need to get into the city centre to get some shopping done so once Carol has gone I get myself some breakfast and check my emails and facebook, before having a shave and getting dressed for when Pauline gets here.

Well the Postman has just been and delivered the Myositis support group Newsletter number 69. So I will have to read that later on today, I did have a quick glance through it and will look forward to receiving the booking forms for the 2013 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner and conference in Oxford. the forms will be sent out early in the new year.

As Promised Pauline arrives with her car to take me to the Eastney Health centre to give the blood for my Monthly blood test.

Eastney Health Centre.(Stock Photo)

Taxi

Pauline drops me outside and goes to park the car, as I go to reception I see Debbie in there and she says to go straight in as a couple of her earlier clients had cancelled due to the weather , so that is Ok I go straight in and then pauline finds where I am and comes to the consulting room, it does not take long and then we are back in the car and on the way back home, and although it is still raining it is not as hard as it was earlier. once back home we get the wheelchair ready and then phone for a taxi to take us to the city centre, to get the shopping sorted.
The reason we get a taxi rather than using Pauline,s car is that Neither I or Pauline can lift the wheelchair into the car and the Taxi firm looks after us in that respect and also it is expensive to park in the city so it is so much easier to use a taxi. anyway we get the Taxi to drop us off at the back entrance to Wilkinsons.

Back entrance to Wilkinsons, 

Once in Wilkinsons we have a look around the store and Pauline gets what she wants to get, I get a couple of last minute cards, and also a presents for Misty and Charlie (Pauline and Gordon,s cat and Dog)  we then make our way along to Boots the Chemist to deposit some medications I no longer need and then to the Nationwide Building Society, it is still Raining but there is plenty of shelter under the shop awnings so we do not get to damp.

Nationwide Building Society (Stock Photo)

Once we have finished in the Nationwide we make our way over to the precinct, We have a look in a couple of shop windows and Pauline goes into the card shop and I wait outside (Under Cover) and enjoy the lights and colour of the stalls along the Precinct. I also took 3 Photographs to show how wet but how attractive the stalls look, they are part of the annual German market that comes here every year.

Once Pauline is out of the card shop we make our way into the Cascade shopping centre and go to Boswells and get a coffee each and Pauline has a Sausage roll and I have a toasted tea cake. We then go to the Material shop so Pauline can get some ribbon, and then we make our way to Marks and Spencer to get a few items of grocery,s that we need, It is nice and dry in the cascades so once we have finished we then need to go back outside to the back of boots to get the Taxi home, well once outside thank goodness it has stopped raining so we phone for the taxi and head back home.

Once we are home, we get the shopping put away and have a coffee before Pauline makes her way home n her car, she has taken my laundry with her so "Thank You Pauline" The time is now 3.00 pm so time to make another coffee and settle down with the laptop to get this journal written but first I need to get my daily fix of "Words with Friends" on Facebook LOL.

Well it is now 5.40 and time to get this Journal posted and then it will be time to get dinner, tonight I am cheating and having a M&S Ham and Mushroom Tagliatelle that should go down a treat as I have not had Pasta for a long time I know it is not Gluten Free but I just need something Tasty after this last few days and it was so nice to be out of the house for 3/4 hours today so I will get this posted and say Bye Bye until Tomorrow and the dreaded Methotrexate.

Another Day, Another Wednesday

Whooo Hoo Only 6 Days to Christmas.

Well here we are at Wednesday, not been a good week so far but certainly feeling better now than I did at the beginning of the week, and I have the pleasure of going to the vampire tomorrow, all being well for my monthly blood works.

well it was a decent nights sleep last night, I got to bed about 10.45, listened to the radio for and hour and then dropped of to sleep at about midnight, slept through until 6.30 this morning when I woke up needing the bathroom and then went back to bed and dozed on and off listening to the radio until 8.00 when it was time to get up and make a coffee and into the lounge to wait for Carol my carer.

So there we are watching the morning news on the TV and checking my emails and facebook on the laptop when carol arrives at about 8.45, she is not happy this morning as she has just come from a difficult client, anyway we have a chat and I get her smiling again with some of my Pathetic Jokes and she soon has me washed and groomed and is then on her way to her next client. once Carol has gone I text Pauline and then make myself some porridge with some Banana for breakfast.

So what are we going to do today, I missed going out down town yesterday and although I feel a lot better today than I did at the beginning of the week, and the Diarrhea has now gone I still do not feel 100% but I was hoping to get out today for an hour or two, anyway Pauline phones and she is out on the common with Misty and it is Pouring with Rain, The rain is set in for the day so it looks like it will be another day in for me today, however I have my Monthly blood test tomorrow so if the weather is nice hopefully we can go out down to Palmerston Road for an hour or so.

Once Pauline is off the phone I spend the rest of the morning on the laptop researching family history, I have a phone call from Pauline,s Bother in Law Colin and Pauline texts around lunchtime to see if I am OK and also I have a phone call from leanne to check on a couple of address,s for sending cards, I also have a lovely surprise and have a phone call from My Cousin Maureen who lives in Canada. we have a nice chat and that bucks me up, it is so nice to hear from her, after that I decide to have some lunch and do myself a bowl of Chicken Soup with a nice slice of Toast, It is getting Easier to eat bread as Long as it is toasted, I still can not swallow fresh bread.

Once I have had lunch I go for a cat nap for an hour and then at 2.30 I go back into the lounge to watch an episode of "Dinner Ladies" another TV Sit com that ran from 1998 to 2000. It was written by and stared "Victoria Wood"

Dinner Ladies 1998 - 2000

at 4.00 I have a phone call from Gervase to see how I am today, he has finished work earlier today as He has a Tele Conference at 5.45 so he will take that on the way home otherwise he will be so late getting home from work otherwise.
Anyway I need to get todays Journal written and posted so that I can watch Pointless on TV at 5.15 and then at 6.00 I can get an early dinner, so I will get this Journal posted and say a cheery farewell until tomorrow, when hopefully the weather will be better and Pauline will be able to take me shopping down Southsea.