snow

Hiya Rick and I had a chat last night, I will be around a bit more as I have just retired, we are thinking of ways we could maybe try and get a bit more stuff going and try and encourage members back and new ones to join. I will be away for a couple of weeks during June but will get my thinking cap on.

Sadly Kazz passed away early this morning.

Kazz Max Allison

Her user name on here and on DP was Redditchlady - she was a regular poster for many years.

In case anyone isn't on facebook Kazz's daughter has posted an update a couple of hours ago - sadly it's not looking good and she's been told Kazz is not responding to treatment and may only have a few days left.

I will have more to say tomorrow but for now - rest in peace Sue I will always value the frienship you shared with me. I will miss you dearly.

I wonder if a staff member is now wondering what they did with the Indian ketchups they bought? 😀

I had a message from Phillip on facebook a short while ago - nothing other than what he already shared on here. Like all of you I have offered whatever support that I can and told her that I am keeping her in my thoughts. I really do hope that she can come home and at least have the summer with Philip and the family.

Hello everyone - Suzeanna passed on your good wishes, I'm home now and have strict instructions to take things easy for at least this next week and not to rush back to work until I feel ready. Physically I'm OK I think, but I had a bit of a rough time in the hospital with various things which I'm still coming to terms with. Its all been a big shock and it'll just take me a bit longer to process than it usually would, but I'll get there. If anyone wants to be on my facebook friends list I'm more than happy to add you - it never really occured to me that not everyone was just pm me your facebook name and I'll send an invite. I'll also try and be more regular popping in here. We're still a dog free household for the time being, we haven't felt it the right time for us during all the different lockdowns etc. to get a new family member who we'd not be able to socialise with our grandson or get used to being left for awhile when we go back to working from our respective offices but we do have every intention of adopting again whenever circumstances permit, I'm still keeping a close eye on various rescue groups "just in case".

Hope this Christmas is everything you could wish for

A friend from Canada sent me a broach in the shape of a cows head - not sure what she was trying to say tbh its not that I had ever really mentioned a liking for cows at any point lol

Thanks Owl diet free day today - Toby carvery for lunch and later on I'm having a toblerone - living dangerously lol

I quit smoking over 5 years ago now having smoked for 35 years and on 50 a day for the last couple of years, found vaping the day Owen was born and you guys all know the rest lol I actually still find it astonishing how easy it was and that I actually did it, do sometimes get a wiff of someones freshly lit ciggie and fancy one but its very fleeting and not a craving. I actually still have my last pack of 100 ciggies here in a cupboard as I told myself if ever I wanted one I could have one - I did light one up a year or so ago had about 3 puffs and tossed it as I preferred my banana custard vape lol

I'm not taking the extra BP medication the GP gave me the last time I saw her I told her and told her that I was very very hot and retaining water and showed her my very swollen legs but she said take it anyway, 2 days later the nurse took it the old fashioned way and it was right down in fact lower than its been in about 10 years, I checked it on the digital machine in the waiting room again on Friday last and it was lower still. So I'm not risking taking a 2nd pill that could cause it to drop too low. Bruno has gone home, we are going up there next weekend and I'm hoping he'll still be with them then but I'm not sure, although he's been quite chirpy whilst he was here, he hates hates hates all the medication he has to take 3x a day and he's been sick every night and morning despite 2 of the medications being anti emetics.

Bruno is here and remarkably chirpy - he's demanded 2 Tesco meaty strips and ate both along with 2 small cocktail sausages but he's turned his nose up at some nice tasty luncheon meat. The journey was horrible - I've ranted on facebook lol The M4 is a disgrace its nothing more than a flipping car park these days it was supposed to have taken me 90 mins and instead it took 3 hours! Then I hit all the weekend trippers heading to Barry Island so ended up going right around the back of Cardiff to get to the lower road into Barry just so I could keep the car moving and cool air coming in for both me & Bruno. Once Bruno was settled I went straight into a cold shower but tbh I'm STILL ruddy hot. I gave Bruno my fan but he keeps moving away from it so I've taken it back if he wants to be cooler he can come in here with me lol On the plus side I've got my tickets to see William Shatner

I'll be going to meet up with Nick Vicky & Owen at the services shortly to pick up Bruno but before that I need to ring the Millenium Center ticket office when they open at 10 to book tickets for me and Nick to go watch Star Trek Wrath of Khan followed by a live Q&A with William Shatner in March next year!!

Paracetamol is apparently what they have given Bruno for his teeth. That dam situation looks bad - hope they manage to take the pressure off before it fails.

Bruno is 13 and he'd had a grade 4 murmur for a while they'd actually taken him for a check up only a few days before the weekend and they'd been told it was now a 5 and they probably wouldn't have more than a year with him but only a few days later this all happened and its gone up to a grade 6 (the worst). His teeth are awful and hurting him but theres no way he'd survive any cleaning or extractions so he's on painkillers for them which will hopefully encourage him to eat he had some sardines and rice yesterday which he enjoyed but he's also started to play up about taking his meds so its a worry and I suspect that they may have to make the decision sooner rather than later if that continues.

I'm still around - good news about Jim Blackmagic fingers crossed it all heals up well now. Nick & Vicky had a scary weekend and Bruno ended up at the emergency out of hours vet hospital - the news wasn't what they wanted to hear, his heart murmur is now grade 6 and sadly pretty much anything could now finish him off. He's not to be walked anymore not just because of the effort involved or the heat but mainly because he's always been a little gobby terriorist and since his eyesight and hearing started to go he kicks off at pretty much anything he even thinks might be another dog and that too could trigger a fatal heart attack. He's not eating too well but thats his awful teeth which they can't do anything about because of his condition so he's being offered anything he wants to have little and often. He's staying with me this weekend - he was coming for a 10 day holiday but instead I'll drop him back on Monday as they naturally don't want to be apart from him too long. He seems OK in himself for now but they both know that they have limited time remaining with him. We're all hoping he perks up and they get to have him around for a few more months.

Oooo that sounds promising Sue *fingers crossed* I have spent the day with Rob & Nick at The Gnoll home to Neath RFC watching a sell out game between Wales All Stars and Lions All Stars for Paul James' testimonial year. Loads of world class rugby greats in attendance JPR Williams, Alun Wyn Jones, James Hook, Sonny Parker, Lee Byrne & Shane Williams to name just a few and refereed by Nigel Owens who fair play to him also reffed the under 11's game at half time so didn't get a break. Tommy Bowe stood by us several times lord that man just gets more & more attractive with age.

She claimed it was all about the ratio's now Jazz good:bad levels but frankly every place I have looked online say my cholesterol readings are fine.

What annoyed me about the statin thing is that she originally didn't tell me my cholesterol results just said they were "a bit high" and that "we'd need to think about starting me on statins" at the time I was overwhelmed with other things she'd told me and frankly just wanted to get the hell out of there and go home and cry so I agreed to another medication (for something else) but started to refuse the statins and she said that was fine as she didn't want to interfere with the new meds and I needed those more. This time she was much more pushy about it and I asked what my results actually were and what they should be so now apparently its all down to ratios and my "bad" cholesterol is 2.2 and it should be 2.1 or lower - thats 0.1% over and shes pushing a statin on me? Plus that was based on my bloods as they were almost 3 months ago before I changed my diet and before my liver tests came back "vastly improved" so I rather suspect I have already lost that 0.1% anyway. I said I wanted to see what they were when they were next done and see how my lifestyle & diet changes were making a difference then I got told that lifestyle changes and diet "don't make enough difference to reduce cholesterol". Excuse me? Thats NOT at all what we are told over and over and over. Moreover my reading has barely changed in 16 years! Last time it was done was just after my 40th birthday and it was 4.0 then and my then Dr was so gobsmacked at how low it was he made me repeat it as obviously a fat person couldn't possibly have a low cholesterol result.

That must have been scary Jazz. Well I am buzzing the nurse is so much more positive, supportive and happy to talk than the GP and her readings were even better than mine and her BP reading showed the one the GP did on Wednesday was nowhere near what my readings usually are which I had told the GP who wouldn't allow for the heat or how much I was swollen in the heat etc. and who decided to prescribe me a 2nd BP medication whose side effects are swollen feet and hands! Exactly what I do not need they are bad enough already - nurse suggested I see the GP again with the new reading and discuss if the 2nd pill is really needed. She also confirmed that my cholesterol levels are pretty good at 4.2 and was surprised my GP wanted me to take a statin (which I've refused 3 times now). Her scales with me fully clothed weighed me less than my one at home did this morning and my waist measurement she said was 6cm less! whooo hooo 😀 She said it's clear I am doing exactly what they have asked of me and then some! Whilst I know I have its bloody great or them to recognise it and see that I am cooperating with all the advice I have been given. She also agreed with me that the NHS weight chart goal for me is totally unrealistic and is happy to go along with the goal I have set myself. 😃

Its a bit cooler here this morning thankfully - I slept under a wet towel again last night. Off to see the nurse this morning be interesting to see if her readings match my own, so far I've lost another 3 lb this week and dropped another cm off my waist measurement so thats 4 cm lost since I saw her 4 weeks ago. Mind you that was when I got up and was naked and cooler and hadn't yet drunk anything by the time I go see her I'll have finished this litre bottle of water I'm drinking so I suspect I'll have expanded 😂

It claims to only be 31 feels like 32 here but frankly I don't believe them! I'm baking all doors and windows are shut to keep the heat out - no point opening them as there is no breeze anyway. I'm about to go stand under a cold shower and then just throw on a cotton kaftan without drying myself or my hair - it won't be a pretty sight but I am beyond caring!