I've just realised (again) how long it is since I wrote anything in this blog. I think this must be the biggest non-productive gap ever. Having read over the last entry I can now confirm that D had an arthroscopy on his knee last week and is now recovering nicely, thank you for asking. K and M have bought a house and they moved into it the week before D went into hospital so we were both able to help with carrying furniture etc. Amazingly, H has nearly finished her first year at University - how qickly time passes when you are busy!
Talking of which, work has been soooo busy lately that I have been doing 10 hour days for the last month (and so have quite a lot of other people). I am still working at the same place although now in a different (new) business area. I have recently applied for another job but haven't heard anything yet. I will keep looking and if anything suitable comes up, I will apply for it as I am now in the right frame of mind for a move.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Friday, May 23, 2008
This is turning into an occasional blog 'par excellence'. Looking back, I can see that I write five or six entries over a period of a couple of months (or more frequently) and then nothing for six months or longer. As I haven't written anything since New Year's day, I think it's time for another entry.
So...workismuchthe same, IamtakingHRT, everyoneinthe familyhashadabirthday, Ihavesoldmycar, wearegoingtoFranceonholidayin3weekstime, hubbyiswaitingforinvestigationsonhisknee(torncartlidge),thatsaboutall,didn'ttaketoolong!
I have applied for two more jobs and didn't even get an interview for either, so am still giving my all to the current job. What we are currently doing is being transferred to another branch soon and we will all be retrained for a new task. I'm not sure why the people up north can't do the new task and leave us doing what we know, but I'm only a small cog in the machinery. For better or worse, I have just volunteered to re-design our team's whiteboard with a summer theme. I am old enough to remember when we went to the office to work, not to spend 2 ten-minute sessions a day hyping each other up to 'perform' more effectively and doing quizzes to encourage team bonding.
After all the agonising last year over whether or not to start taking HRT, I finally decided back in November that I would try it for six months and see whether it made any difference to the menopsausal symptoms. I had put off going back to the doctor's until the end of January as I felt that I had embarrased myself a bit at the end of my previous consultation. I had been to see the doctor to get the results of my blood test (which is when he gave me the explanation/lecture about HRT vs. osteoporosis drugs); as I was leaving he told me somewhat jokily that my foot should be better by Christmas - this was in the middle of October, so I was a bit surprised. I guess I should have realised that it could well take a couple of months to heal completely, but I reacted on impulse and responded in the same way as I would have done to a family member who had said something outrageous - I punched him on the shoulder and said 'Thanks a lot!', then left. I spent the rest of the day worrying about whether I had upset or annoyed him which is why I waited two months to go back again. Anyway, there didn't seem to be any recollection of our previous coversation and he agreed that I could try HRT and said that he would would give me three months' worth to start with, although I didn't have to take all of them if I felt that I would rather not and that I could stop at any time and not have to wait for the end of the three months. I have now taken them for five months and feel great, so I will proably go on for five years or so (barring any sudden side effects).
Ever since H left school, we have been debating whether we really need to be running two cars, especially as D has the use of a van through work. I finally decided to put an advert on the internal web site at work and got an email the following morning asking whether my car was still available. I panicked then for a bit as the response was so fast that I wondered whether I had underpriced the car, but since no-one else responded at all betwen then and the time the guy came to look at the car (three days later), I relaxed a bit and decided that the price was right. Anyway he looked at it, I drove him round the block, he offered me £500 less than I was asking and we agreed on £250 less so I am happy (especially as I have sold it for only £350 less than I paid for it two years ago) and he seems happy with his purchase. He is coming to collect it tomorrow and I shall be sorry to see it go. I know that I can drive D's car any time (well, it will become our car now)but it won't be quite the same as having my own and I will have to listen to his choice of CDs. I haven't got any plans for the money, so will just put it into a savings account and add to it over the next few months so if I decide later that I really do need another car, I will have the cash available for an instant purchase.
Three weeks from now, we will be at our gite in Provence. We are thinking of retiring to France in a few years so this is by nature of an investigation to see if we like this area as well as a holiday. Next year we will probably try the Auvergne, partly because I think that Clermont-Ferrand looks an amazing place and partly because property there seems even cheaper than in Provence. D's brother and his wife are coming with us for the first week as they are also considering the move, but they have commitments for the second week so will be flying back and leaving us on our own.
I think I will publish this now and talk about D's knee at a later date. This has gone on long enough!
So...workismuchthe same, IamtakingHRT, everyoneinthe familyhashadabirthday, Ihavesoldmycar, wearegoingtoFranceonholidayin3weekstime, hubbyiswaitingforinvestigationsonhisknee(torncartlidge),thatsaboutall,didn'ttaketoolong!
I have applied for two more jobs and didn't even get an interview for either, so am still giving my all to the current job. What we are currently doing is being transferred to another branch soon and we will all be retrained for a new task. I'm not sure why the people up north can't do the new task and leave us doing what we know, but I'm only a small cog in the machinery. For better or worse, I have just volunteered to re-design our team's whiteboard with a summer theme. I am old enough to remember when we went to the office to work, not to spend 2 ten-minute sessions a day hyping each other up to 'perform' more effectively and doing quizzes to encourage team bonding.
After all the agonising last year over whether or not to start taking HRT, I finally decided back in November that I would try it for six months and see whether it made any difference to the menopsausal symptoms. I had put off going back to the doctor's until the end of January as I felt that I had embarrased myself a bit at the end of my previous consultation. I had been to see the doctor to get the results of my blood test (which is when he gave me the explanation/lecture about HRT vs. osteoporosis drugs); as I was leaving he told me somewhat jokily that my foot should be better by Christmas - this was in the middle of October, so I was a bit surprised. I guess I should have realised that it could well take a couple of months to heal completely, but I reacted on impulse and responded in the same way as I would have done to a family member who had said something outrageous - I punched him on the shoulder and said 'Thanks a lot!', then left. I spent the rest of the day worrying about whether I had upset or annoyed him which is why I waited two months to go back again. Anyway, there didn't seem to be any recollection of our previous coversation and he agreed that I could try HRT and said that he would would give me three months' worth to start with, although I didn't have to take all of them if I felt that I would rather not and that I could stop at any time and not have to wait for the end of the three months. I have now taken them for five months and feel great, so I will proably go on for five years or so (barring any sudden side effects).
Ever since H left school, we have been debating whether we really need to be running two cars, especially as D has the use of a van through work. I finally decided to put an advert on the internal web site at work and got an email the following morning asking whether my car was still available. I panicked then for a bit as the response was so fast that I wondered whether I had underpriced the car, but since no-one else responded at all betwen then and the time the guy came to look at the car (three days later), I relaxed a bit and decided that the price was right. Anyway he looked at it, I drove him round the block, he offered me £500 less than I was asking and we agreed on £250 less so I am happy (especially as I have sold it for only £350 less than I paid for it two years ago) and he seems happy with his purchase. He is coming to collect it tomorrow and I shall be sorry to see it go. I know that I can drive D's car any time (well, it will become our car now)but it won't be quite the same as having my own and I will have to listen to his choice of CDs. I haven't got any plans for the money, so will just put it into a savings account and add to it over the next few months so if I decide later that I really do need another car, I will have the cash available for an instant purchase.
Three weeks from now, we will be at our gite in Provence. We are thinking of retiring to France in a few years so this is by nature of an investigation to see if we like this area as well as a holiday. Next year we will probably try the Auvergne, partly because I think that Clermont-Ferrand looks an amazing place and partly because property there seems even cheaper than in Provence. D's brother and his wife are coming with us for the first week as they are also considering the move, but they have commitments for the second week so will be flying back and leaving us on our own.
I think I will publish this now and talk about D's knee at a later date. This has gone on long enough!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Happy New Year
Happy New Year - 2008 already. What has been happening to me since I last blogged, do I hear you ask? Well, I was offered an interview for one of the external jobs and went along and spent an hour or so with some very pleasant people, came away feeling that I would really enjoy working with them and the next morning, I got a "Thank you for coming to the interview, but you haven't been succesful this time" letter. On reflection, I should have picked up when the first thing the interviewer said was "This is the second day of interviews and we will definitely have made our minds up by the end of today." Presumably they had already decided on one of the previous day's candidates - possibly an internal applicant - and were only going to change their minds if someone really outstanding came along on the second day. Maybe the fact that I was asking for a salary pretty close to the top of the range went against me as the interviewer did say that the company's policy was normally to appoint near the bottom of the pay scale and that increments would have to be earned.
Still, I haven't let it put me off looking and I have now turned up a vacancy in the same company at a higher level (where the starting salary is more like the level I am looking for), so I shall be aplying for that one. It is so easy to apply - the company has an interactive web site, so once you have applied for the first job (which did take about an hour and a half), you just go back and amend your details to match the person spec for the next one and press the SEND button. You don't have to worry whether your application has been lost in the post because you get an email confirmation of receipt.
Christmas went like a dream; everyone brought what they said they would and turned up in time for the all the food to be served while it was still hot. I had cooked the stuffings and a gammon the evening before and only had the turkey and the sausage and bacon rolls to cook on the day. A brought new potatoes which had to be cooked, but she arrived in plenty of time and M & I brought the pudding which I left steaming while we ate the main course. K & M brought a cold starter (parma ham, mozarella and salad leaves) and assembled it here and S & I brought still hot, cooked vegetables (sprouts with nuts, carrots and roasted parsnips) so they went on the hot tray while we ate the first course. The table looked really good; we brought the garden table in through the French windows and D had made a chipboard cover for it which brought it up to the same height as the dining table - the garden table is round, so the finished article was shaped like a thermometer. We put four people down each side of the long table, one at the end and five around the 'bulb' of the garden table. I had made a new cream tablecloth the right size and a festive (poinsettia patterned) runner for the length of the whole table.
P & C arrived on Christmas Eve and she made us a lovely dip with nachos for supper. We had all eaten quite a bit at K & M's house earlier so didn't need any actual dinner.
D and I both had to go back to work yesterday (just for the one day) and then back to normal tomorrow. We are both beginning to look forward to retirement - maybe in France, but more of that in another post some time soon.
Still, I haven't let it put me off looking and I have now turned up a vacancy in the same company at a higher level (where the starting salary is more like the level I am looking for), so I shall be aplying for that one. It is so easy to apply - the company has an interactive web site, so once you have applied for the first job (which did take about an hour and a half), you just go back and amend your details to match the person spec for the next one and press the SEND button. You don't have to worry whether your application has been lost in the post because you get an email confirmation of receipt.
Christmas went like a dream; everyone brought what they said they would and turned up in time for the all the food to be served while it was still hot. I had cooked the stuffings and a gammon the evening before and only had the turkey and the sausage and bacon rolls to cook on the day. A brought new potatoes which had to be cooked, but she arrived in plenty of time and M & I brought the pudding which I left steaming while we ate the main course. K & M brought a cold starter (parma ham, mozarella and salad leaves) and assembled it here and S & I brought still hot, cooked vegetables (sprouts with nuts, carrots and roasted parsnips) so they went on the hot tray while we ate the first course. The table looked really good; we brought the garden table in through the French windows and D had made a chipboard cover for it which brought it up to the same height as the dining table - the garden table is round, so the finished article was shaped like a thermometer. We put four people down each side of the long table, one at the end and five around the 'bulb' of the garden table. I had made a new cream tablecloth the right size and a festive (poinsettia patterned) runner for the length of the whole table.
P & C arrived on Christmas Eve and she made us a lovely dip with nachos for supper. We had all eaten quite a bit at K & M's house earlier so didn't need any actual dinner.
D and I both had to go back to work yesterday (just for the one day) and then back to normal tomorrow. We are both beginning to look forward to retirement - maybe in France, but more of that in another post some time soon.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
The times they are a-changing
Well it must be at least three weeks since I've written anything -talk about an occasional series! (Actually, I've just checked and it's more like four weeks.) Since then, I have applied for two jobs outside work and am considering an internal vacancy. Just waiting to see if I've got an interview for either of the external ones - the internal is currently at the investigation stage. I'm doing the investigating and have a meeting set up in a few days' time with the manager to find out more before I get to the application stage.
Only three weeks to Christmas and we've hardly bought any presents yet. D and I have decided to buy ourselves a joint present of a new camera this year and possibly a photo printer as well. Just have to find something for the offsprings and partners. In case any of them are reading this blog, I won't go into detail; suffice to say that I bought something on Monday for P & C jointly and just need to buy them each a little something individually. I have an idea for K & M and also for H. As H is still living at home (ie with us) it looks like Santa will be calling on her again this year so I need to liaise with him over that. I've got my person's Secret Santa present for Christmas Day and I just need to get the one for the office lunch.
Only three weeks to Christmas and we've hardly bought any presents yet. D and I have decided to buy ourselves a joint present of a new camera this year and possibly a photo printer as well. Just have to find something for the offsprings and partners. In case any of them are reading this blog, I won't go into detail; suffice to say that I bought something on Monday for P & C jointly and just need to buy them each a little something individually. I have an idea for K & M and also for H. As H is still living at home (ie with us) it looks like Santa will be calling on her again this year so I need to liaise with him over that. I've got my person's Secret Santa present for Christmas Day and I just need to get the one for the office lunch.
I'm still checking Doctor Crippen's blog on an irregular basis but it looks as if he's given it up for good. There are always a few more comments (up to 103 last time I looked) mainly asking him whether he is all right. Previously, he has taken a rest from time to time but always posted in advance that he would be away for a few weeks or whatever. It does seem odd that he didn't even sign off. I suppose the muse just left him, but I would have thought that he might have read the comments and would realise that his readers are worried about his extended silence.
It's getting late and past my bedtime so I guess this had better be goodnight from me - and goodnight from him (not that he gets any input into this blog).
Friday, November 09, 2007
Back at work and other stuff
Well I've been back at work for two weeks now and everything is gradually getting better. I think I was missed as the work situation had got into quite a state of backlog (not sure if that's grammatically correct,but hopefully you will understand). The levels are now pretty much back to normal - I can't take all the credit for the improvement as I wasn't the only one off sick so staff levels were fairly low over the time I was away; and we have had a full team the last two weeks. While I was away we got a new manager but by the time I went back, he had already resigned so the post is vacant again and there is no way I am going to apply for it. While the extra money would be useful, I really don't want the extra responsibility - being the assistant is enough responsibility for me!
We went shopping for the week's groceries tonight and the supermarket had partridges - I had never seen them there before and have never cooked them, but there were just three (and there are three of us so it must have been destiny) and they were reduced to clear to 99p each. I wouldn't even have considered them at the full price of £4.50 each but when I could buy three for less than the price of one I really couldn't turn them down. I have been Googling recipes and it seems the best advice is to roast them with bacon rashers over them and either a wedge of onion or lemon inside plus a sprig of thyme. I think I will go with the lemon option as I'm not keen on onions.
My foot is slowly improving and I am using the rigid boot less. I have another X ray in two weeks' time to check progress so hopefully I won't need to go back to the hospital again after that. Just another trip to my GP re the HRT decision. I have decided on the basis of evidence to try HRT for 6 months and see whether it makes any difference to the tiredness and joint pains; if it does, then I will take it for five years and then re-evaluate on the basis of whatever is currently recommended at that point. You just can't rely on medical opinion any more - one minute wine is good for you, then it isn't, then it is; now it seems that it is OK to be a bit overweight. Obviously not clinically obese, but probably just a bit cuddly. I'm happy with that - I think cuddly is good, especially as I am about a stone over my 'ideal' weight (BMI of 25).
We went shopping for the week's groceries tonight and the supermarket had partridges - I had never seen them there before and have never cooked them, but there were just three (and there are three of us so it must have been destiny) and they were reduced to clear to 99p each. I wouldn't even have considered them at the full price of £4.50 each but when I could buy three for less than the price of one I really couldn't turn them down. I have been Googling recipes and it seems the best advice is to roast them with bacon rashers over them and either a wedge of onion or lemon inside plus a sprig of thyme. I think I will go with the lemon option as I'm not keen on onions.
My foot is slowly improving and I am using the rigid boot less. I have another X ray in two weeks' time to check progress so hopefully I won't need to go back to the hospital again after that. Just another trip to my GP re the HRT decision. I have decided on the basis of evidence to try HRT for 6 months and see whether it makes any difference to the tiredness and joint pains; if it does, then I will take it for five years and then re-evaluate on the basis of whatever is currently recommended at that point. You just can't rely on medical opinion any more - one minute wine is good for you, then it isn't, then it is; now it seems that it is OK to be a bit overweight. Obviously not clinically obese, but probably just a bit cuddly. I'm happy with that - I think cuddly is good, especially as I am about a stone over my 'ideal' weight (BMI of 25).
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
HRT for me?
The transfusion people refused my offer - told me to come back when I get the results of all my tests. Apart from the bone scan, my GP had also sent me for blood tests on just about everything you could think of; partly as a result of my optician saying he thought I might have a thyroid problem and partly as a follow-up to the fracture.
Got the results of the bloods yesterday and everything is normal (eye 'problem' probably just due to tiredness), except that my FSH is through the roof, which apparently indicates that I may be a candidate for osteoporosis (bearing in mind that I am a 'lady of a certain age' as the French so politely put it). My Doctor spent 20 minutes explaining the pros and cons of HRT and other therapies. He is going to get the hospital to let him know the results of the bone scan in case it shows evidence of osteoporosis, to save me having to have other tests and told me that doing nothing is not an option - I have to decide whether to change my lifestyle (diet, more exercise and calcium supplements) or try HRT. He will accept my decision whichever way I choose.
I spent all evening on Google looking up osteoporosis, HRT, diet and exercise regimes and am better informed but still uncertain. If anyone is reading this who has had to make a similar choice, I would appreciate some feedback.
There will be 14 of us here on Christmas Day, so we have decided to keep presents within our main family groups and then have a Secret Santa for everyone. I have made the gift tags and now just have to envelope them up and write names on them at random. The 14 is made up of immediate and extended family plus son-in-law's parents. I love entertaining, so am really looking forward to it all. Each family group is going to bring a contribution to the meal, so it looks as if all I will have to do is cook the turkey and its trimmings. The only problem is going to be the size of our table - it really only seats 12 in comfort, so we may have to improvise. Chairs are OK as we have plenty in bedrooms and even in the loft.
I'm a bit of a squirrel and hate throwing away anything that might be useful, so our loft is somewhat overloaded. Camping gear, Christmas decorations, an old TV and two old computer monitors, boxes of children's toys - Lego, Beanie babies and other stuffed animals, books, magazines, school and university textbooks (mine as well as the children's) and even clothes that our adult children have left behind, not to mention the aforesaid chairs and two single beds. Actually one of the beds will be coming down to go into the spare room which currently only has one in it, although the second one was there originally when our daughters shared the room. The second daughter wanted the extra space so the bed went into the loft when her sister moved out. Now that second daughter has taken over her brother's room, that means her original room is now a spare - for the first time in 26 years we have a spare bedroom!!! Actually it's just over a year since our son got married, but the room has been a bit of a dumping ground in the interval.
We have bought some emulsion paint to re-decorate the spare room and want to get it done before Christmas in case son and daughter-in-law want to stay over and anyway it will look a lot better in a calming light sage green than it currently does in hot pink and mauve.
Got the results of the bloods yesterday and everything is normal (eye 'problem' probably just due to tiredness), except that my FSH is through the roof, which apparently indicates that I may be a candidate for osteoporosis (bearing in mind that I am a 'lady of a certain age' as the French so politely put it). My Doctor spent 20 minutes explaining the pros and cons of HRT and other therapies. He is going to get the hospital to let him know the results of the bone scan in case it shows evidence of osteoporosis, to save me having to have other tests and told me that doing nothing is not an option - I have to decide whether to change my lifestyle (diet, more exercise and calcium supplements) or try HRT. He will accept my decision whichever way I choose.
I spent all evening on Google looking up osteoporosis, HRT, diet and exercise regimes and am better informed but still uncertain. If anyone is reading this who has had to make a similar choice, I would appreciate some feedback.
There will be 14 of us here on Christmas Day, so we have decided to keep presents within our main family groups and then have a Secret Santa for everyone. I have made the gift tags and now just have to envelope them up and write names on them at random. The 14 is made up of immediate and extended family plus son-in-law's parents. I love entertaining, so am really looking forward to it all. Each family group is going to bring a contribution to the meal, so it looks as if all I will have to do is cook the turkey and its trimmings. The only problem is going to be the size of our table - it really only seats 12 in comfort, so we may have to improvise. Chairs are OK as we have plenty in bedrooms and even in the loft.
I'm a bit of a squirrel and hate throwing away anything that might be useful, so our loft is somewhat overloaded. Camping gear, Christmas decorations, an old TV and two old computer monitors, boxes of children's toys - Lego, Beanie babies and other stuffed animals, books, magazines, school and university textbooks (mine as well as the children's) and even clothes that our adult children have left behind, not to mention the aforesaid chairs and two single beds. Actually one of the beds will be coming down to go into the spare room which currently only has one in it, although the second one was there originally when our daughters shared the room. The second daughter wanted the extra space so the bed went into the loft when her sister moved out. Now that second daughter has taken over her brother's room, that means her original room is now a spare - for the first time in 26 years we have a spare bedroom!!! Actually it's just over a year since our son got married, but the room has been a bit of a dumping ground in the interval.
We have bought some emulsion paint to re-decorate the spare room and want to get it done before Christmas in case son and daughter-in-law want to stay over and anyway it will look a lot better in a calming light sage green than it currently does in hot pink and mauve.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Wednesday
It was good to see Dr Crippen back and on form. His Crippen Diaries this week certainly provoked a lot of discussion (60+ comments so far and two of them mine).
Dinner tonight is going to be my take on Sheftalia. I saw a recipe for it/them on TV a few weeks ago and tried it out on the family. We all decided there was too much garlic in the recipe for our taste so I will reduce it a bit. I also added some shredded lettuce to the Greek Salad but the hummus was perfect (and so easy that I have decided never to buy the commercially prepared stuff again). If you don't know what Sheftalia are, they are pork meat balls, made from minced pork with garlic and onion served with a sauce containing chopped red onion, olives and chillies mixed with the pan juices, then served with Greek salad (chopped feta cheese, olives, diced cucumber, quartered tomatoes and red onion dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some herbs) also a good dollop of hummus on the side. That's it, no potatoes or rice to cook and minimal washing up - my sort of meal, especially after a day at work. Not that I'm back yet; I have been signed off for another two weeks and I am getting quite bored with my foot not healing. Roll on the result of the bone scan on Friday.
Today I have an appointment to give blood - though I don't know whether they will take it due to my having been injected with a 'noxious' substance last week. The radiographer assured me that the half-life of Teknesium 90 is only 6 hours but the blood transfusion people are, understandably, a bit careful if you have had your skin broken recently, especially by a hyperdermic. Our local hospital doesn't seem to have hit the news over the numbers of patients contracting MRSA or c.diff so maybe it will be OK.
Dinner tonight is going to be my take on Sheftalia. I saw a recipe for it/them on TV a few weeks ago and tried it out on the family. We all decided there was too much garlic in the recipe for our taste so I will reduce it a bit. I also added some shredded lettuce to the Greek Salad but the hummus was perfect (and so easy that I have decided never to buy the commercially prepared stuff again). If you don't know what Sheftalia are, they are pork meat balls, made from minced pork with garlic and onion served with a sauce containing chopped red onion, olives and chillies mixed with the pan juices, then served with Greek salad (chopped feta cheese, olives, diced cucumber, quartered tomatoes and red onion dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some herbs) also a good dollop of hummus on the side. That's it, no potatoes or rice to cook and minimal washing up - my sort of meal, especially after a day at work. Not that I'm back yet; I have been signed off for another two weeks and I am getting quite bored with my foot not healing. Roll on the result of the bone scan on Friday.
Today I have an appointment to give blood - though I don't know whether they will take it due to my having been injected with a 'noxious' substance last week. The radiographer assured me that the half-life of Teknesium 90 is only 6 hours but the blood transfusion people are, understandably, a bit careful if you have had your skin broken recently, especially by a hyperdermic. Our local hospital doesn't seem to have hit the news over the numbers of patients contracting MRSA or c.diff so maybe it will be OK.
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