Putting It In A Nutshell
Putting things in a nutshell. This week has been quite adventurous for me. I have been out every day and I have even gone out with my wife and had lunch on more than one occasion. I took myself, and an Aunt of my wife’s, to the pictures to see the opening showing of Alice In Wonderland. We went ot the afternoon showing to avoid the kids but guess what? There were kids there anyway making there usual noises and running about the auditorium. Bring back the Torchie is what I say. The film itself I thought was brilliant. I really enjoyed the storyline and the dialogue was great. The FX were really good. Now don’t get me wrong here but I am not a professional fim critic, I am just an ordinary bloke at the flicks. But do go and see this classic, I don’t think you will be disappointed . Honest!
Other things happening in my life this week. We, my wife and I that is, went out yesterday to look at wallpaper. It has got to the stage in our houses life where it needs a total makeover, so starting with the hall, stairs and landing we have picked out a nice paper that we didn’t argue about. We both liked it at the same time. We took a sample home with us and pinned it on the wall to see just what it would look like. Really nice, really bold, really making a statement. Even our daughter likes it. So, today we are going out to buy said paper and any other bits and pieces that we need. This means only one thing folks, my rest and recuperation period is over (although I do have visitors arriving on Thursday so that will give me a bit of grace) There is another reason for buying the paper today of course. It’s on offer. It is reduced from £9.99 a roll to £7.99 a roll with another 15% off on top of that and we also get a 1000 Nectar points as well. I like shopping when it’s in my favour. The only down point is we have to go up to Belfast to get it as we need so much of the stuff and our local store doesn’t have the stock required. Never mind, another day out for me.
While I was out yesterday with my wife and Mother in Law I went into the mobile phone shop to inquire about why my monthly bill was so high. The guy was very good and he looked everything up on the computer for me. Doh! Dumkopfh! And other names to call myself. The reason my bills were so high is because I am making so many calls abroad. No I’m not says I. Yes you are says he. Where says I. To the Republic of Ireland says he. I have never in my life considered The Republic as being abroad. A different country but never abroad. Spain and America and Australia are abroad. But Ireland. I live in Ireland, how can it be abroad? Lesson learnt. Any calls to the Republic will be made on my landline as I have a special weekend rate that only charges local rates. The good nrews there is I can upgrade my phone in May to an iPhone if I want. I will give this much thought. My daughter has one so I will consult with her the pros and cons of having one.
On Friday night I was able to use a knife for the first time since coming out of hospital (they left me with nerve damage you might remember on my right side) It felt great being able to eat my dinner without having to ask someone to cut it up for me. Great innit!
On a bit of a downer. My Father in Law is still hanging in there. He is a strong man and for the moment he is still mentally aware of everything. It’s a waiting game and everyone is just hoping that when the time comes he won’t suffer.
As per usual any comments just click on the title above. New people always welcome
TaRah
Posted :: Sunday 3/7/2010 3:23:00 AM
The Way I Remember It
The way I remember it was that I had just got home from hospital on the Thursday and was relaxing by the fire. Come Friday I thought I would inspect the toilet system by sticking my head down the toilet. As I was doing this all my previous meals appeared out of nowhere and went into the toilet. As this took an awful lot out of me I went and lay down on the bed for a while. BIG mistake. No sooner had I got comfortable did I feel the urge to purge all over again. I made it to the toilet just in time. (funny thing is, I don’t remember eating that) This toing and froing went on for a number of hours. At 2.45AM Saturday my wife is getting really worried (bless her) and calls for an ambulance. Then………….
The ambulance arrives and it is decided that I should go with them. Why I don’t know. I don’t even know their names or where they live. Anyway, I am helped down the stairs , in my jammies and slippers and dressing gown, and put into the ambulance. It is after 3.00AM by this time. We arrive at the Ulster Hospital shortly afterwards and I think, for the first time ever in my life, the A&E is virtually empty. Maybe this was my imagination. After all, whoever heard of an empty A&E? Put straight into Resuss ward and there for sure I was the only patient (apart for the old dear in the bed next to me. I start to look around me and I notice my name on the admissions board. I am #1 admission. They must know who I am. Then the fun really begins.
If my memory is anyway correct, I can’t be too certain as I kept blacking out, I saw all these very young children in white coats and blue and green scrubs. Why is everyone so young? Like, have they no homes to go to? Then it dawns on me, these people are the doctors. They are sticking these things into me and I am telling them not to. Or maybe I’m telling them to politely go away. Not sure about that , I will need to check that one out with my wife who by this time is beside me holding a part of my body which feels like my hand. Next thing I am upstairs on the ward. More fun. I think my wife loses it with one of the kids in scrubs because she can’t get the needle in properly. She politely asks the doctor to get someone who can do the job if she can’t. I think I blacked out at this moment(again) Next thing this nice doctor appears and takes control of everything. I can’t remember his name but he reminded me of Dr Kildare. So there we all are up in the ward. Nurses, doctors, Wife and Dr Kildare. After a number of hours have gone by it is decided to move me to the Belfast City Hospital as the Ulster didn’t have the necessary something that was required for me. More fun
Another ambulance ride, with escort, and I arrive at the BCH. The staff are all there awaiting my arrival and as soon as I am on the ward in a private room (note the private, they really know who I am) and they get to work. This is the horrible bit. They need to get lines in so that they can pump stuff into me. I have very poor veins at this stage and they have great difficulty in getting these feckers in. Eventually they are successful and that was that, or so I thought. They need to put a catheter in as well. This is probably the most undignified thing that ever a man could have done to him. By this time I am not really bothered as I am more out of it than in. So, there’s me lying on my hospital bed looking something like Doctor Octopus after doing battle with Spiderman and then I am told I am going to theatre for another procedure. Do I give up now folks or fight on? Neither. I seem to remember looking at everyone and just smiling. Why I don’t know. I have a feeling the drugs were probably responsible.
On the Sunday I had a visit from my family and the Curate from our church. On the Monday I had a visit from my family and the Rector from our church. On the Tuesday I had a visit from my family. On the Tuesday night I got a BIG TIME shock when I got a visit from The Bishop. Now the strange thing about this is, apart from it being such an honour, he had to phone the Rector (who works for the Bishop) and ask for permission to visit me. Now I am not a religious type, but I will support the Church on the Social side of things, but this was very weird indeed. I had a prayer said for me at my bedside by three tiers of the Church and also in the Church itself. Do you think they know who I am or something? The Bishop left me a personal gift of his own. He put it in my hand as I lay there in my bed and he said a prayer for me. He left me holding this thing. It felt really nice holding it and no matter what way I held it there didn’t seem to be any difference . I looked at it and saw that it was an offset cross made from wood. He called it a holding cross. As I have said before I am not a religious type but this object just felt right at the time.
I am now home after more treatment and hospital food. Hopefully that’s me and hospitals finished for the foreseeable future.
Any comments from any of you just click on the title above. New peeps always insulted very gently at first
All the best for now
Posted :: Sunday 2/21/2010 3:55:00 AM
Not One, Not Two, But Three
Guess where I’ve been for the last few days? Hospital of course. Only this time it was planned. I went out on Monday morning for my daily walk and shortly after setting off from the house my mobile rang. Upon answering it I was asked could I come into hospital on Wednesday morning as there was a slot for me for my procedure to be done. Procedure, procedure, what procedure? I asked. Oh Mr McD your cardiologist has decided to go ahead with the procedure that he discussed with you blah blah way back when. As I had nothing booked for that day I agreed. I had to be on the ward by 7.30AM, that meant me getting up at 5.30AM so that I could get the train up to the hospital.
Once in everything seemed to just go whizzing by. All time went so quickly it was hardly worth bringing my book in with me. I had no time to read it. I was taken down at 11.30AM (after being prepared in a theatre gown etc) and popped onto the operating table. Local anaesthetic etc and TV screens so that I could watch (no thanks matey, I get a wee bit squeamish at things like that) At the end of it all (2 hours instead of 1 hour) The doctors were all happy with what they had achieved. They explained to me what they had done and as per usual it went in one ear and out the other (no doubt due to the anaesthetic) Anyway, upon asking again up on the ward what they did I found out that I had not one, not two, but three stents put into my heart. So far so good, except that my right hand and forearm are killing me. That’s where they put the stents in from. Not only that but my other arm is rather sore as well due to the fact that they had to try 13 times to get a line in. As I’ve got older my veins have collapsed and they are not as good as what they used to be.
So there you are Avid, you now know the reason as to why I haven’t been around. Of course, prior to all of this I had my Brother in Law home from Seattle to see his Dad before it’s too late. (see previous blogs) It was good to see him as I haven’t seen him since 2003. I have been given a couple of weeks off doing housework and exercises so that gives me more time to watch my CSI DVD’s all over agin. Series 1 Part 1 here I come. Then after that it’s onto CSI Miami Series 1 Part 1
Keep all your comments coming. You know I really enjoy reading them
Byse Byse
Posted :: Thursday 2/11/2010 11:16:00 AM
What Can I Say?
Indeed. What can I say? About what are you talking about Mr McD? I hear you all enquire inquisitively. About the idiot/s at Sony who grade the genre of music for iPods. The other day I was whiling away the hours (after doing my exercises of going up and down the stairs 14 times) importing music onto my Christmas present. I found it rather amusing / frustrating to find out that half of my BLUES music is actually POP music. And some very well known ROCK music is classed as WORLD / ALTERNATE. A classic example, Savoy Brown Blues Band was classed under pop. Somehow I don’t think Kim Simmons would really appreciate the title. Bo Diddley also came under this genre of pop. Methinks he would be rolling in his grave. Enough already. Maybe I am being a wee tad too fussy about it all. Knowing me as I do that is probably the reason, but do they not know this at Sony?
My biggest problem with putting music onto the iPod is in what order / and what albums do I put my Rolling Stones on. I have some recordings that only ever came out on vinyl and I don’t think I can put them on (unless of course someone knows of a way) My other problem is my Frank Zappa collection. Do I put it on or leave him off for eclective listening only? Wait and see.
During the day I find myself at a loose end. After everyone has gone out to work it is just me and the dogs. I get up and have my brekky, after getting dressed of course, and then start into my light housework duties. One of the first things I do is tidy the kitchen, I cannot work in a messy kitchen. Then I fill up the log basket and the coal scuttle. This involves a couple of trips outside. I then clean out the previous days ashes from the fire and set a new fire. With my expert skills at lighting fires I soon have a nice blazing fire going. (I used to do this for my Mother when I was a wee lad in the days before central heating, hence the ‘expert’) After that I can then sit down and switch on my laptop and see if anyone wants me. E mail / Facebook / Blog etc. Some days I get a very pleasant surprise. There is something there on all forms of media for me. Other days there is diddley squat. I do have one friend who lives in London and he keeps me amused with the the e mails he sends me. (some of them should really be censored completely)(but they are funny)
Today you may have noticed, I am talking the biggest load of gack in the history of this blog. Reasons being that I haven’t really been out anywhere to do anything, apart from going to hospital and going for a coffee with my wife. Maybe next time round there will be something of more interesting content for you to get to grips with.
As always, keep the comments coming and stop a poor man going stir crazy
Byse byse lemon piesy
Posted :: Sunday 1/31/2010 3:23:00 AM
So That’s How It Works
Now that I am home and taking things really easy I have time to play with my Christmas presents. The first thing I wanted to master was my Ipod Nano (my first one). I read the instructions, I read them again. I made myself aware of what everything was. Could I work the feckin’ thing? No way Hosay. Old farts like me aren’t supposed to know how nano technology works. In comes my daughter. Help me please. She picks it up and does this and does that and in seconds she has shown me everything I need to know about it. The only thing is, my brain can’t take in so much info so quickly these days so I had to ask her to slow down and go through it all again. I now have a load of ‘my’ type of music downloaded onto it and it is ready to go. All I have to do now is get myself ready to go to make full use of the blessed thing.
Since I came home from hospital (again) I have been really quiet. Not overdoing anything but taking it easy. This is all very well but soon the boredom sets in. Daytime TV isn’t worth watching. I couldn’t be bothered watching a DVD (as yet) I only read at night. So what is there to do? Play with my new laptop, that’s what. The other day I downloaded a free trial of MS Office 2010 (the link was given to me by a friend who works with computers but I am sure anybody could do it) I am trying to see what the differences are between it and 2007. So far there has been nothing major. Just a bit of fun really. No doubt I will have to purchase it in 3 months time when the trial is up, or go back to 2007 which I already have. See what happens.
Whilst I was in hospital I read all my books. I was panicking as I thought I won’t have anything to read now. Heaven forbid. Then, when I came home I found this one book hiding in the corner that I had omitted to read. It is a Clive Cussler novel and I usually really enjoy his stuff. This one though. It is really heavy going and I am finding it quite hard to get into it. Is it me or is it the book? I will keep going and see if I can finish it.
I would love to start going out for walks by myself but I don’t trust me at the moment. I am worried that I might walk somewhere and then realise I can’t walk back. I have been out twice with my wife and it has only been for short distances. I want to go out with my nano and just keep walking. I have my instructions from the hospital. When I start walking (in another weeks time) all I need to do is walk until I get slightly breathless, that’s when I know I have exercised my heart enough for that day. I am very impatient though.
In the meantime I just have to make do with doing light housework. Nothing too heavy, although this morning I actually cleaned out the fire and set a new one. Nothing beats a real fire when you are sitting writing gack like this. After this I will go into the kitchen and tidy up there and then make a cup of tea. It will then be lunch time and I will try and force myself to eat something solid (I have no appetite at the moment and am finding it very difficult to eat food. I am taking protein drinks to keep me going but these are bad for me as they are high in sugars)
I will love you and leave you now but please keep your comments coming. I really look forward to reading them even if they are a load of nonsense
Cheers
Posted :: Monday 1/18/2010 2:34:00 AM
So There’s No Extra Discount
Whilst out with my sister looking for a new laptop as a Chrissy present to myself we find ourselves in one of the big, big stores. You know the type, BIG. They were the ones who had the best (supposedly) deals on after Christmas for this kind of stuff. No harm in looking was there? Now, I knew exactly what I was looking for (my nerdy geek friend had told me about this particular make and model and I would rather go with what he says than what any salesman would tell me) so I said to the sales guy. ‘Attempt to sell me a new laptop model such and such and if you give me a good price (good being better than what I can buy on line) I will buy it from you now’.
Well, he looks it up on the store computer and comes up with the make and model. He also comes up with the wrong price. I tell / remind him that I can buy this on line at a better price. He tells me to hold on a minute and he will ask his boss if they can reduce it any more. He comes back and says he can drop the price by a further £10.00. Not good enough I tell him. That’s the end of that conversation. I also want an external storage facility for downloading music onto. He shows me various things and I pick one of them. After all, the price was pretty keen (I had checked these as well on line) He goes to get one for me and then….KABOOM….heart attack. Again. In the middle of the store. What do I do? I know, I’ll start swearing a lot and hold onto myself whilst looking for somewhere to sit down. (why is it that these big stores never have any seating for their customers?) Anyway, I end up on the floor with people all around me trying to help. A member of staff, who is a trained first aider comes on the scene and does her stuff and then calls for an ambulance. Whilst awaiting for said ambulance I jokingly as the salesman, who by this time looks worse than me, if I can get any extra discount on the laptop. He tells me no! (I was only joking matey)
The rest is history. Another stay in the Cardiac Unit in hospital and then home. I am taking things very, very, extra careful now. One thing I did do last night was, I ordered my new laptop on line. I was very excited (but not too excited for obvious reasons) and I have saved myself over £90.00 by doing so. It will be delivered to my door within 2 days. Great innit!
One problem with these two recent visitis to hospital. I have run out of reading material and I can’t get out for a while to get hold of some more. What does one do in a situation like this? As I am a very picky type of person when it comes to books I can’t let anyone go and get me reading material. Can I? Maybe Amazon is having a New Year clear out.
I will go now as I need to go and have a lie down. I find that the new regime of drugs I am on makes me tire very easily. Or is it just me being lazy? Who knows.
Comments from as many of you as possible always welcome, especially to the newcomers.
Byse byse
Posted :: Wednesday 1/13/2010 7:33:00 AM
It All Started With….
It all started with a slight tickle in the back of my throat. Next it became a hacking cough and then that sent an infection down into my chest. I ended up lying in my bed feeling really sorry for myself on Christmas Eve (on my own as my wife and daughter were out at church) and that’s when the first pain hit me. Excruciating as it felt I thought to myself, ah, it’s only a sore chest, never once thinking it could be anything more serious. More to follow.
Christmas Day is here folks. The family is all home. The Prodigal son has returned for the seasons festivities (well for one night at least). What indeed has Santa brought this year? I wonder. With us all downstairs, dogs as well, we start to open our presents. Wife has about 8 presents, I have about 6. Son has about 15. Daughter, now wait for it, at least 50. FIFTY! Now I know that she is popular and her boyfriend spoils her, but FIFTY. This is one of the benefits of being a schoolteacher. All the kids tend to bring something in for the Miss. And of course, depending on what type of school you work in depends on the quality of gift that is sent in by the parent/s. This year, everything, and I mean everything that I received I can actually use. My biggest shock and surprise was when my wife turned round to me after all the hullabaloo had died down and gave me this tiny wrapped box. About the size of a pack of ciggies. Upon opening it I was delighted to see that it was an IPod. My very first ever. I had mentioned in passing once that it might be nice to have one so that I could have all my music with me wherever and whenever I wanted. I was amazed at the size of the actual device. The only thing I could compare it to would be a matchbook. I am going to have some fun with it, that’s for sure. I also got some books that I am looking forward to reading and a nice warm scarf to keep me warm for when I start my re-hab of going walking. Maybe soon I will be fit enough to walk all the way to the Turkish Barber I use and get a hair cut and shave using the gift token that I got from Santa (my son) I always love going there as he is so good at what he does and he makes me feel so good upon leaving his shop.
Next we go to church for the Xmas Special service and onwards to visit the in laws. After that the rest of the day is our own. By the time it comes to sitting down for Xmas Dinner I am starting to wane a wee tad and I feel as thought he Xmas Spirit has left me. I feel sooo drained. While the young ones go out my wife and I just stay in and watch a bit of telly. I go to bed early. Next day the proverbial hits the fan. I can’t make it out of bed. I am in such pain. I find it difficult to breathe and my chest weighs a ton. By the end of the day I phone the Dr. on call and she sends an ambulance out. They take some readings with this and that piece of equipment and realize something is not right so they whisk me off to A&E where I go on to have a heart attack (possibly my second inside two days)
So, 2009 has been my anus horribilus indeed. Five times inside this year alone. My New Year resolution is to stay out of hospital in 2010. I did say in my last blog comments section that I would list the highs and lows of 2009. Upon reflection there were so many lows that I couldn’t really think of any highs, although there was one very pleasant surprise on Xmas Eve morning. The phone rang and my wife took the call. She spoke for a while, as she tends to because nobody ever phones me to speak to me on the landline, hence me not answering the blessed thing. Then, she passes the phone to me and says it’s for you. It turns out that it was a certain Bulgarian friend who I worked with in The Tree nursery for some years. He was phoning me from Africa where he is doing some wonderful things for the less fortunate children, to wish me a Happy Christmas and New Year. I hadn’t seen or heard from him for a couple of years and for this call to come out of the blue like that can only be counted as a high. A big HI. You know who you are as I know you read this
So, going back to the first paragraph then. That pain in my chest was not just a sore chest. It was something more serious. Don’t take things for granted . I certainly won’t.
I will leave you for now as I need nap naps
Byse Byse
p/s One other thing that I found a bit amusing. Whilst I was in hospital they put me from a mixed ward into a side ward. I thought, well, they must know who I am and that I must have my privacy etc. But no, they put me in there as an isolation patient and I was being tested for……swine flu. Thankfully the tests came back negative. I was then put out on the main ward again. Maybe they didn’t know who I was after all !!!
Posted :: Saturday 1/2/2010 5:23:00 AM
And Why Can’t We Get It Here?
Indeed. Why can’t we get it here? That is the question I would like answered, by the book sellers anyway, for and on behalf of the book readers. I went down into Bangor town last Saturday to purchase a new book that was published recently. The author was doing a book signing so I thought, on this occasion, I would go down to a shop and actually buy a copy and get it signed with the authors moniker. I went into the shop and I was greeted with a wall of said books along with the author and his Missus. But, and a BIG but at that. All the books were paperback. I didn’t want a paperback. I wanted a good sturdy, easy to read, nice hardback book to add to my collection. Why no hardbacks? I enquired. Apparently the people in Northern Ireland don’t get hardback editions from this publisher. It’s only the English market that gets them. Tough tit. Well, tough tit to the book seller, and a big raspberry on top. I said my good byes to the author and his wife, went straight home and ordered my hardback edition online from a well known book seller who gives a really good discount as well. Why go to the shops when I can get what I want online?
My book arrived this morning and I am really enjoying it. With or without the authors mark! Methinks the shops need to listen more to what the people want before they make their buying decisions.
That’s my Christmas moan over with for this year. Now, on with the festivities. We have our nephew arriving from Paris tonight. He is coming over to see his Grandparents for a few days and then heading back to France for Christmas. Next week my nephew and his wife and their twin girls (my great nieces, I think) are arriving from Washington DC and they are here until Boxing Day. They will be staying at my Sisters as she is the only one who has enough room for them all. I haven’t met my nephews wife or his kids so this will be a first for me as well as them. See how it all goes.
All week we have been busy decorating the house. We now have both trees up (including the real tree that we selected from hundreds only to end up with the wrong tree being delivered) and all the other we nic nacs that we have gathered up over the years. Our house really looks Christmassy without the tackiness. (I don’t do tack) (except for that thing that my wife and daughter insist on bringing out every year and put it by my feet on the hearth, they know the thing I mean)We do have to be careful where we put or position the cuddly toys though as Carrie thinks they all belong to her and she thinks that they are for chewing up or throwing about the place as all dogs do with toys.
I was hoping to get over to London before Christmas to visit some friends but so many hospital appointments have come in that it was no dice. I postponed everything until January but even that looks like a no -no as I already have 4 hospital appointments lined up for that month already. Maybe February boys. Wait and see.
Back to my book for another read. If you are interested to know who the book is by, it’s the new Bateman novel. ‘The Day of the Jack Russell’ I always enjoy Bateman’s books as there is always a good twist at the end.
Any comments on the above gack you know what to do
Byse byse
Posted :: Thursday 12/10/2009 8:45:00 AM
