On Penguins, Hospital Mix=ups and Empty Fridges

I had another hospital appointment come through for Monday.  I received two identical letters on Saturday as well as a text message.  I tried to phone through to clarify whether it was for my skin cancer removal or for something else, to no avail.  The lines were constantly busy and I had to give up.  I turned up for my 10.20am appointment with some trepidation, was called through early only to discover that the consultant was no wiser than I was regarding why I had been sent for.  He thought I had requested to see him regarding a problem with a procedure undertaken 5 weeks previously!  We both sighed in exasperation and I was back home by 10.30am 😷 What a waste of money....

G and I decided to take the opportunity to have a walk at Himley Park.  I'm so glad we did.  Someone has left an artwork of a penguin painted on clingfilm wrapped around two tree trunks by the waterfall.  Isn't he beautiful!  The artist is on Instagram it seems but don't use it ......Thank you @Mr_SGE ....

The snowdrops at Himley Hall have now all been replaced by daffodils. they are everywhere and look absolutely gorgeous.  The air was cold but invigorating so we bought coffees to drink in the car after our walk and felt so much better afterwards...... 

 

Today G has gone to the allotment to put in some potatoes and I've collected my 'click and collect' book from the library.  It's called The Salt Path by Raynor Winn and I'm really looking forward to reading it.  I must, however, first finish reading my kindle book: Mum & Dad by Joanna Trollope.  I'm not good at reading 2 books at the same time, I'll get the characters mixed up!

The home delivery of shopping is coming this afternoon and not before time, I think.... 😂

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x

What Is Going On? And The Dentist...

 Is anyone else having trouble commenting on blogs here?  I've left several comments over the last few days which have bounced back as 'undeliverable message' .... what?  Sue from A Smaller and Simpler Life, I'm not ignoring your lovely blog posts, I am being stopped from commenting!   I don't know what has changed but it's very frustrating....

Anyway, thank you all for your comments and suggestions regarding what to add to the list of experiences and life skills for kids.  There are some absolutely fab additions 😀

This week has been a funny old week.  The weather has thrown everything at us, including hail on Thursday, as well as very high winds which saw us laying everything flat in the garden and tying down lids and things.  Touch wood, everything survived (so far!)

Wednesday saw me at the dental surgery getting my broken tooth sorted.  What a palaver.  I was incredibly nervous of  going in and wasn't helped by a woman who came in after me, refused to wash her hands or wear a mask and then sat in the waiting area with me and another woman calmly licking her fingers and dusting imaginary marks off her trousers with her damp fingers.  I despair of the total lack of respect for the staff and other people.  Anyway, I had to pay £65.20 even before the dentist had seen me 👀 but this was because, apparently, you go out of the building a different way to the one you come in by (and don't pass GO or collect £200 😅)  Luckily he was my usual dentist.  He said my tooth could be repaired and gave me a numbing injection.  While that was working he did a scale and full examination, then built up my tooth to a functional (if not cosmetically pretty) size, then gave my teeth a polish.  They look much better.  He did say that if the repair doesn't hold there is enough tooth left to fit a crown onto. The cost would be over £282 so I'm hoping it won't come to that.

I feel a bit blurgh and tearful this morning.  I didn't sleep soundly and G tootled off to work at 7am so I was wide awake by then after the breakfast noises, but I think it's partly because tomorrow is Mothering Sunday and I can't see my family.  Lovely DD dropped a package off at the door yesterday containing some beautiful tulips, a mini bottle of Prosecco and some chocolates as well as 2 cards, so I mustn't let it get to me.  It won't be too long before we can all meet up in the garden again.  AND the sun is now trying to break through.  I'm going to make porridge then have my shower.  That should get me going.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x

PS Please remember that I'm not ghosting you....Blogger is blocking my comments!

What Kids Need To Know

 

With the start of lockdown-easing today, children are going back to school at last.  It has been a whole year since the Grandchildren picked up their folders, collected their bags and went home for the duration.  It got me thinking about what kids need to know, what to learn on a daily basis and what to do while they are young and carefree.  I came up with the following:

Experiences

• Play outside and get dirty
• Play a sport
• Learn to swim
• Ride a bike or scooter
• Learn to  roller skate
• Go to a pantomime
• Visit the cinema
• See a play at the theatre
• Craft something eg paint, cut, stick, colouring books
• Feed the ducks
• Learn to recognise the birds visiting the garden
• Visit the seaside
• Visit the countryside

Life Skills

• Handling money, budgeting and saving
• Ironing simple things
• Washing up
• Simple cooking eg beans on toast, a boiled egg, a baked potato
• Make a cake and lick the bowl!
• Make a cup of tea
• Make a sandwich

The list is endless.  All of the above were achieved by our Grandchildren (now 13 and 16 yrs old) either by being taught by their mum or by me.  I took our Granddaughter to the theatre when she was 3 yrs old and she was so enthralled by musical theatre that she learned to dance, has become a Champion Dancer and holds maybe a hundred trophies.  Our Grandson is a brilliant footballer too, often gaining the 'Man of the Match' trophy.  Everything has, obviously, been curtailed during the pandemic but they are looking forward to returning to normality as soon as possible.

What would you add to the list?  What did you teach your own kids or what did your mum teach you that has turned out to be invaluable in life?

Thanks so much for popping in and stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x

I Dreaded This Very Thing...

 My regular dental checkup in September last year was cancelled due to Covid-19 and I have absolutely dreaded either of us having a problem with our teeth during lockdown .  Well, yesterday the worst happened and a tooth broke in half whilst eating my lunchtime sarnie.  I promptly rang the surgery to request an emergency appointment and they can fit me in next TUESDAY afternoon, so I will have to suffer for almost a week before I can be seen, let alone have the tooth treated.  I really hope they can save the tooth because, after G's horrendous experience of an extraction (and a dry socket) a couple of years ago, I am petrified of having it removed under local anaesthetic 👀  It will be costly but I would rather my regular dentist try to save it.  Fingers crossed that he can.... Meanwhile it's soft food only and try to chew on the other side 😏

It's such a struggle to get anything treated right now, isn't it.  Has anyone else had a similar problem?

Thanks for popping in and stay safe, my friends, wherever in the world you happen to be x

A Plan Thwarted & a Chuckle

 After all my efforts over the last week or so to reduce our electricity consumption, I came downstairs this morning to find that G, who came to bed after me, had left the sitting room light on ALL NIGHT 😒 Well, that's wiped out any savings right away...grrr....

In the post this morning were 2 energy statements from British Gas: one gas, one electricity.  Fair enough you might say, but we also received one last Friday for electricity following my submitting a reading, as requested.  Today's bill is estimated for 3 days useage.  Why? Especially as we have been getting paperless billing over the last 12 months.  The cost of admin must be rocketing and will be passed on to the consumer I'm sure.  I despair.....

I couldn't resist chuckling at this sign which my nephew posted on social media though, it says it all 😂

I was, however, quite disappointed to find that Ernie hasn't drawn any of my premium bond numbers again this month.

I live in hope! 😉

The sun is just beginning to emerge so I'm off to open some windows and tackle the ironing.

Stay safe everyone wherever in the world you happen to be x