Or in my case keeps my nose dripping!
Yes, Mountain Man's generous Valentine's gift has remained with me all week and I've only been out to go to the doctors to check if my ears, which are throbbing unbelievably, are infected. The answer is no, I'm pleased to report. It still doesn't make my ears feel any better, but armed with doctorial advise to keep shoving nasal spray up my nose 4 times a day, no matter that the instructions say once a day, I'm hopeful I'll be ear-canal clear in a day or so.
Because I've been confined to bed and feeling crap with no energy whatsoever, I've done hardly a thing, just sat in my bed coughing and sneezing and waiting for it to pass.
Next year I'm hoping MM will give me something a little more romantic.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Saturday, 16 February 2013
Call me cynical
My current virus has, after a busy morning, seen me sitting about for the afternoon, coughing a lot and watching crap on tv. The problem with this is that I tend to get quite twitchy at the adverts that come on.
Here's my current bugbear: there's an ad from SimplyHealth that says there's a potential connection between dental health and heart problems and if you go onto Facebook and 'like' them they will donate £1 for every 'like' they get to heart research. And here's where I have the problem.
Why don't they just donate the money? Why won't they give it without having people 'like' them on Facebook? It irritates the hell out of me.
So what is it with all this 'like' stuff on Facebook? What are they going to gain from it? Will it look like the world loves them? That they have lots of friends? You certainly can't persuade me there's no ulterior motive, there has to be, hasn't there?
Here's my current bugbear: there's an ad from SimplyHealth that says there's a potential connection between dental health and heart problems and if you go onto Facebook and 'like' them they will donate £1 for every 'like' they get to heart research. And here's where I have the problem.
Why don't they just donate the money? Why won't they give it without having people 'like' them on Facebook? It irritates the hell out of me.
So what is it with all this 'like' stuff on Facebook? What are they going to gain from it? Will it look like the world loves them? That they have lots of friends? You certainly can't persuade me there's no ulterior motive, there has to be, hasn't there?
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Valentine's day 2013
There are just some gifts that shouldn't be given, and one of those is a nasty coldy fluey type virus. This is the very one that Mountain Man, the guy who never goes to bed when unwell, has had for the past 5 days and only today has managed to not just get out of bed, but also get out of the house. And this was the very gift I was given for Valentine's Day. Whoopee! Well they do say love shares.
What did I give MM? With all the looking after him I wasn't sure I'd get to the shops in time to get a card, so I went onto Moonpig.com and bought one through them. It arrived yesterday. Rather a day early than a day late in my view... and of course those of you who know what I'm like won't be at all surprised by that.
Luckily MM got out today and went to M&S to buy something good to eat for tonight and a card that he gave me tonight (better late than never), while I slogged into work, not sick enough to stay home, and managed to contain my coughing and spluttering for long enough to do today's business. I also managed a quick trip to Boots to get some echinacea and cold medications in the hope that this thing I've got will be firmly and resolutely dampened down. I really can't afford 5 days in bed.
Sadly the virus has meant that my appetite is non-existent and MM's is just beginning to pick up so he wasn't all that hungry either, so all MM's good shopping didn't come to too much good and we just made do with the starter.
A nasty, coldy, fluey virus, a card that came early, a card that came late and a starter courtesy of M&S, yup, that's our Valentine's Day 2013. I certainly hope yours was a bit more romantic.
What did I give MM? With all the looking after him I wasn't sure I'd get to the shops in time to get a card, so I went onto Moonpig.com and bought one through them. It arrived yesterday. Rather a day early than a day late in my view... and of course those of you who know what I'm like won't be at all surprised by that.
Luckily MM got out today and went to M&S to buy something good to eat for tonight and a card that he gave me tonight (better late than never), while I slogged into work, not sick enough to stay home, and managed to contain my coughing and spluttering for long enough to do today's business. I also managed a quick trip to Boots to get some echinacea and cold medications in the hope that this thing I've got will be firmly and resolutely dampened down. I really can't afford 5 days in bed.
Sadly the virus has meant that my appetite is non-existent and MM's is just beginning to pick up so he wasn't all that hungry either, so all MM's good shopping didn't come to too much good and we just made do with the starter.
A nasty, coldy, fluey virus, a card that came early, a card that came late and a starter courtesy of M&S, yup, that's our Valentine's Day 2013. I certainly hope yours was a bit more romantic.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Good old fashioned methods
Have you ever tried to steam open an envelope?
I've only done this a couple of times in my life, and I really can't think when I did it the first time, but the thing was, in those days, I put the kettle on and it stayed on and I put the edges of the licked part of the envelope over the steam and it peeled back. No problem.
Today I remembered to send our great-niece, who was born on Wednesday 6th February, a card... a gift was on it's way through separate means. The card had already been put in an envelope, closed and stamped. The only thing I hadn't done was post it. It had lain on the table waiting for a phone call from my sister-in-law to tell me the wee tot was home, and then after I had that phone call I'm afraid I had a senior moment and forgot to take it to the post box.
Today also happened to be the day when I had a thorough read of Saturday's Scotsman Magazine and I happened to come across a very good article for new mums about how to get their babies to settle and thought this might be just the thing for Mountain Man's niece. But... I'd already sealed the envelope. No problem, I thought, I'll steam it open and pop the article into the envelope.
Modern kettles that switch off at the point of boiling are not the thing to steam envelopes I discovered, and a good 15 minutes and a completely botched envelope, stuck down with cellotape later, I was ready to take it to the post.
How do people manage these things? After the kettle incident, with it's health and safety you-can't-switch-me-on-again-straight-after-I've-boiled facility kicked in, I had to go for the unsafe option and almost managed to burn my hand on a pot of boiling water.
Another time I think I'll just put the bloody whatever into another envelope and be damned. Far less costly, I feel, to spend money on another stamp than spend time jumping around the kitchen swearing, blowing on my almost burned fingers, whilst trying to prise open an envelope that definitely doesn't want to be prised.
Steaming open envelopes is not something modern technology can deal with I feel. There are just somethings that need good old fashioned methods and this is definitely one of them.
I've only done this a couple of times in my life, and I really can't think when I did it the first time, but the thing was, in those days, I put the kettle on and it stayed on and I put the edges of the licked part of the envelope over the steam and it peeled back. No problem.
Today I remembered to send our great-niece, who was born on Wednesday 6th February, a card... a gift was on it's way through separate means. The card had already been put in an envelope, closed and stamped. The only thing I hadn't done was post it. It had lain on the table waiting for a phone call from my sister-in-law to tell me the wee tot was home, and then after I had that phone call I'm afraid I had a senior moment and forgot to take it to the post box.
Today also happened to be the day when I had a thorough read of Saturday's Scotsman Magazine and I happened to come across a very good article for new mums about how to get their babies to settle and thought this might be just the thing for Mountain Man's niece. But... I'd already sealed the envelope. No problem, I thought, I'll steam it open and pop the article into the envelope.
Modern kettles that switch off at the point of boiling are not the thing to steam envelopes I discovered, and a good 15 minutes and a completely botched envelope, stuck down with cellotape later, I was ready to take it to the post.
How do people manage these things? After the kettle incident, with it's health and safety you-can't-switch-me-on-again-straight-after-I've-boiled facility kicked in, I had to go for the unsafe option and almost managed to burn my hand on a pot of boiling water.
Another time I think I'll just put the bloody whatever into another envelope and be damned. Far less costly, I feel, to spend money on another stamp than spend time jumping around the kitchen swearing, blowing on my almost burned fingers, whilst trying to prise open an envelope that definitely doesn't want to be prised.
Steaming open envelopes is not something modern technology can deal with I feel. There are just somethings that need good old fashioned methods and this is definitely one of them.
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Nurse-gate
Poor Mountain Man is unwell. He has a coldy thing that's been going around the Borders Search and Rescue folk... one just has to hope no-one needs rescuing this week as pretty much the whole team is down with it.
MM doesn't do man-flu... that's me, I admit it totally... so it's quite unusual for him to confine himself to bed, but the past two days he's been bedbound and unable to do much of anything.
I've been trying to nurse him and apparently I performed a crime against humanity in my ministrations. 'What,' I can hear you screaming, 'have you done to the poor man?'
My crime was to buy some Night Nurse and encourage him to have some.
After almost 10 hours of sleep followed by a day of feeling completely knocked out, I've been told in no uncertain terms that Night Nurse is now banned from the medicine cabinet.
That's me told!
MM doesn't do man-flu... that's me, I admit it totally... so it's quite unusual for him to confine himself to bed, but the past two days he's been bedbound and unable to do much of anything.
I've been trying to nurse him and apparently I performed a crime against humanity in my ministrations. 'What,' I can hear you screaming, 'have you done to the poor man?'
My crime was to buy some Night Nurse and encourage him to have some.
After almost 10 hours of sleep followed by a day of feeling completely knocked out, I've been told in no uncertain terms that Night Nurse is now banned from the medicine cabinet.
That's me told!
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Thank you!
There's something about realising the oven needs a really good clean, and I mean really good, that somehow makes my heart sink, so am I ever pleased that, in 2009 when we had our new kitchen put in, we made the decision on getting a pyrolytic self-clean oven.
Tonight, after dinner, as I sat and watched crap Saturday night TV, drank some very palatable red wine that was reduced from £10 to £5, and put our extremely dirty oven on for a clean, I sat back in a rather smug way and let the oven clean itself.
Unbelievably, pyrolytic ovens were introduced as far back as 1963, but this is the first time I've ever had the joy of owning one. Not sure who invented it, and a quick Google search didn't come up with much (ok, I couldn't be bothered to look past the first page - I admit it), but frankly that person should be shaken by the hand.
Thank you so much Mr/Mrs Pyrolytic Oven Inventor... what a great invention!
Tonight, after dinner, as I sat and watched crap Saturday night TV, drank some very palatable red wine that was reduced from £10 to £5, and put our extremely dirty oven on for a clean, I sat back in a rather smug way and let the oven clean itself.
Unbelievably, pyrolytic ovens were introduced as far back as 1963, but this is the first time I've ever had the joy of owning one. Not sure who invented it, and a quick Google search didn't come up with much (ok, I couldn't be bothered to look past the first page - I admit it), but frankly that person should be shaken by the hand.
Thank you so much Mr/Mrs Pyrolytic Oven Inventor... what a great invention!
Thursday, 7 February 2013
You can tell I'm feeling better
The past couple of days had seen a recurrence of my virus, but today I'm feeling a slight bit better. I can tell because not only do I feel better in myself, but I've also started feeling a bit stroppy.
My stroppiness takes the form of wanting to take on the 'giants' of this world. To speak up for the small person. To make a difference. Albeit on rather a selfish level.
Today's difference? Well, if I have a cup-a-soup at lunchtime I have my favourites, which are: for mushroom it's got to be Ainsley Harriot Wild Mushroom, for tomato it's got to be Heinz in the squeezable packet, and for miso it's got to be Clearspring Mellow White with Tofu. Laugh if you will, but that's the way it is.
Sainsbury's in Kelso used to stock the Ainsley Harriot Wild Mushroom, until about a year ago when they didn't. We tried all other makes but they just weren't the same. However, we can still get it in Edinburgh (30 miles away), which is fine when I'm there and shopping.
Mountain Man went shopping yesterday and, because there was no other, he came back with Sainsbury's own, and today when all that would do for my lunch was the taste of mushroom, that was all that was on offer. I drank it. I complained about it. Not at MM, I hasten to add, but at the injustice of not being able to get what I used to be able to get because of some supermarket giant's whim about what the people of the Borders should or should not have. I decided I'd just have to do something about it.
The customer service person in Kelso was very polite, but virtually said it was nothing to do with them as they were a small store and didn't have that much room. I did point out that 1) they used to stock it, and 2) there were loads and loads of other makes so surely they could take a couple of rows of those out and put in some Ainsley Harriot? He then said he could certainly take my query to head office, but actually it would be much better coming from me, as customer's views do count, and he gave me the number.
A call later to Sainsbury's HQ and I can report that they took my query seriously (really they did) and they're going to see if they can action it.
Ok *rubbing hands together*... who's next on the strop list?
My stroppiness takes the form of wanting to take on the 'giants' of this world. To speak up for the small person. To make a difference. Albeit on rather a selfish level.
Today's difference? Well, if I have a cup-a-soup at lunchtime I have my favourites, which are: for mushroom it's got to be Ainsley Harriot Wild Mushroom, for tomato it's got to be Heinz in the squeezable packet, and for miso it's got to be Clearspring Mellow White with Tofu. Laugh if you will, but that's the way it is.
Sainsbury's in Kelso used to stock the Ainsley Harriot Wild Mushroom, until about a year ago when they didn't. We tried all other makes but they just weren't the same. However, we can still get it in Edinburgh (30 miles away), which is fine when I'm there and shopping.
Mountain Man went shopping yesterday and, because there was no other, he came back with Sainsbury's own, and today when all that would do for my lunch was the taste of mushroom, that was all that was on offer. I drank it. I complained about it. Not at MM, I hasten to add, but at the injustice of not being able to get what I used to be able to get because of some supermarket giant's whim about what the people of the Borders should or should not have. I decided I'd just have to do something about it.
The customer service person in Kelso was very polite, but virtually said it was nothing to do with them as they were a small store and didn't have that much room. I did point out that 1) they used to stock it, and 2) there were loads and loads of other makes so surely they could take a couple of rows of those out and put in some Ainsley Harriot? He then said he could certainly take my query to head office, but actually it would be much better coming from me, as customer's views do count, and he gave me the number.
A call later to Sainsbury's HQ and I can report that they took my query seriously (really they did) and they're going to see if they can action it.
Ok *rubbing hands together*... who's next on the strop list?
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