Pictured......

 
One of my biggest pleasures this time of year is to open the curtains each morning and watch our beautiful tulip tree gradually changing to autumn gold. This photo is just the start. 

Monday was our 52nd wedding anniversary. Not a public event but we had decided on Chinese takeaway. Unfortunately my stomach had other plans so almost all of my order ended up in the freezer so not eaten but not wasted and Hubby enjoyed his. 

This beautiful decanter was my Mother-of-the-bride gift and I'd filled it with water and some blue food colour. Having sat on the windowsill for 25 years the blue had almost faded completely. No longer having any food coloring here I tested the paints I had and they would have given me an opaque blue which wasn't good, so I messaged Daughter. She remembered R had some water based inks and brought them over straight away and swapped a few drops for a cuppa and chat. 

Looks good again doesn't it. 

Two long video catchup chats this week. One was with my very old friendHG, not that's she's very old but we've been old friends since school days. We play online scrabble (WWF) with each other all the time but only manage a proper chat a couple of times a year. 

I also called Granddaughter E as Daughter had told me E had been quite unwell for a while. We did find a few things to make us laugh.

My lovely friendM has just had a holiday in Thailand and brought me these coconut bowls as my holiday gift, two hand painted and the small one is soap. Beautiful. 

We should have gone out for a meal with friendsL&K Friday evening, meeting an hour away but as the day progressed so did a migraine headache and a very unhappy stomach so very sadly we cancelled. I hope we can rearrange another date soon. Meanwhile the GP is still adjusting my BP prescriptions so that my be the cause of feeling unwell. 

Don't forget the clocks go back an hour this weekend, so enjoy a little extra lie in on Sunday morning. 

And I'm keeping everything crossed for an uneventful health week ahead eh?

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Ducks In A Row.......

 
......I heard that saying means getting organised and it seems to have been that sort of week here. 

Jabs done, very early Saturday, then a little bit of shopping as Asda is next door to our surgery, then home for breakfast. Both flu and covid for us both.

Thankfully no more than achy arms for us. One of the main topics discussed at coffee morning was who has had their jabs and appears most of us have as just a couple at the table aren't old enough and one is a constant abstainer. I also got a message from Son who was heading out to get his jabs. 

It's been quite a few years since we had our Wills reviewed, a service we pay for anyway and of course laws and rules get changed, so we called them in. In fact one important change was needed as the Power of Attorney we had needed changing from Enduring to Lasting so we've arranged that. 

Loud praise as it's definitely due....

About three weeks ago I asked the GP about my poor hearing and she did a referral to Audiology. I expected a very long wait as warned by so many people. Tuesday I got a call for an appointment the next day. So Wednesday morning at the ENT clinic in Ipswich Hospital and within one hour a lovely audiologist called Laura took all my details, did the booth test, compared it to the Specsaver's printout I'd taken and it was virtually identical. Then she programmed my new aids, explained everything in detail, gave me cases, tools and lots of spare batteries and I left all done! So far so good. Brilliant eh?  

Hubby noticed that in one of the gardens that backs onto ours their shed roofing wasn't secure so he walked round to let them know. Hubby has done fence repairs with the chap in the past and they get on well. Sadly the chap's Daughter said he had died just two months before and she was living there with her mum now, using the shed as her office. Hubby told her he would sort the shed roof which he could reach over our fence. She was very grateful of course. 

I also managed to catch up with my Oncology care nurse, as we hadn't spoken for a while, and made sure she was updated on everything. 

So achieved plenty although apologies for no baked goods, family news or pretty photos.  Quack quack.

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The Fixers.........

 
Son's leaking pond needed rebuilding so leaving here at 8am Hubby and Daughter went over to do it with him. 

I've been getting photos of the family at work.  Emptying

Drying and cleaning after safely moving the fish

And cheeky frogs

Wrestling with the new liner in very windy weather. 

4pm Son sent a finished pic and said his helpers were on their way home. 

I also had a video of the noisiest and most ferocious wind blowing all day. Guess it was caused by Storm Amy which was mainly up north but affected us all. 

I know it wasn't my constant complaining about the disjointed medical record retrieval system, but it was obviously a very recognised problem as they seem to have actually done something towards making it better. 

Hubby and I have both downloaded this new app and registered but so far there's hardly any data in it. 

About a month ago my seat broke and it's taken this long for Hubby to get them to come and fix it. 

Thankfully now fixed. 

There's been a bit of back and forth with phone calls from the surgery this week and a GP has made a little tweek to my meds which I'm hoping will be the fix my low BP needs. Fingers crossed and I'll monitor my readings daily until the GP calls again on the 21st.

Quite a while ago Son recommended I have protein powder added while my appetite is low but I'm not a smoothy lover so haven't used any, now I've tried these oat bars that have the powder baked into them. They are OK but not great. Hubby doesn't eat oats so I made a rhubarb sponge too. 

Sorry to rush off but now I have to post this and go as Hubby and I have both the flu and covid jabs, booked for 8:35am...... yawn I'm barely awake!

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Scary October........

 
Definitely autumn as we sit here eating stew and dumplings 

while watching this new series of Strictly Come Dancing

Our friendHB is going to her other house in the US very soon and will spend thanksgiving with her daughter over there and come back here next spring, so as a farewell she treated eight of us to our local carvery for Sunday lunch. Six of them are all related but I've been a very close friend for so many years Hubby and I are treated as family too. Really lovely all getting together, and would have been better if the beef hadn't been tough and chewy! 

***Warning rant coming....

You know how I've been complaining about my hospital info not being shared to the NHS app so the GP can't see it and neither can I without hassle, well 10:35am Tuesday we drove across town to Ravenswood for my monthly blood test, requested by the hospital. At 11:40am my appointment at the GP surgery was with a HCA for the Chronic Conditions checkup and she insisted on taking another blood test because she'd been told to and they can't see the results of any hospital ones! I was also asking about my blood pressure which I think is on the low side and I'd taken three days readings at home and printed out. She took my bp and it was perfect. I explained that I get "white coat syndrome" and the stress of two lots of bloods when I've reluctant veins would surely make it high not perfect, but there was nothing she could do and said I need to make a GP appointment as soon as it drops on my home monitor. That's never going to get an instant response is it! 

Sorry if I'm getting grumpier.

October is my scary month because it sneaks up all of a sudden, there's so much talk of Halloween and of course thoughts go to not leaving Christmas prep to the last minute as usual. As well as that my immediate concern is October is my heaviest month for birthdays and anniversaries, needing cards and gifts, to choose and buy, post in time or deliver! 

Today the plan is to clear the ironing heap....... maybe I'll make a start after another cuppa.

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