Last night I had a fantastic last birthday meal for this year. My voice, apparently sounding sexy and gravelly, held up just fine. I think the Lemsip before I ventured forth definitely helped.
Twenty Princes Street was amazing. If you ever go there and like crab do go for the crab sandwich starter. It was incredible and too hard to even describe, so you'll just have to trust me on this one. And, according to my companion, the haggis ravioli was to die for.
We stayed chatting until almost closing time and then went on for a quick night cap at an establishment nearby. By this time, and we're talking 1.30 a.m., we decided to call it a night and had a brisk walk back to where I was staying, a quick goodnight and then I flopped into bed trying to be quiet, which as we all know means making far more noise than is meant!
So that's it for this year. My birthday has been just wonderful from start to finish. Couldn't ask for better... until next year maybe?
Friday, 12 February 2016
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
Time will tell
If I woke up on Tuesday morning with no voice, today I woke up with minus a voice!
I made the decision to go to the doctor's because my chest was beginning to hurt. A virus is one thing but a chest infection is something completely different. But have you ever tried making an appointment when you have no voice? No? Well it's bloody difficult!
The only way I could manage was to get myself dressed and over to the surgery, which is in the next village along, 4 miles away. When I got there the receptionist interpreted my teeny whisper (I did have a pen and pad in my bag just in case) and told me to go home and she'd phone me, saying not to worry, she'd manage to communicate with me. So off I went.
About ten minutes after I got back I got the phone call to come back in. So off I went and luckily had taken my book to read as an hour and a half later the doctor called me in. I was very grateful though so no complaining. Anyway, after a thorough check, she announced that I had a virus and not an infection and, I quote, there's a nasty bug going around that takes 6 to 8 weeks to finally disappear. Great I thought, well at least I don't have to take antibiotics, but time will literally tell as to whether I have that dreaded lurgy or some other one.
So it was back home and into bed for the day. No talking at all, not even to myself. Just taking it easy, doing some writing and some reading and some sleeping.
Actually I don't feel too bad. I haven't tried my voice and don't intend to until the morning. My lovely friend, Shirley has, after an email exchange, cancelled our lunch tomorrow and, as we're due to meet up in London next week, I feel we'll have time to catch up, so another morning's rest should see me (hopefully) feeling ok. But if I make a miraculous cure by the morning we'll change back to Plan A and go for lunch tomorrow as well.
I still have my dinner date to go, which is with my song writing pal from across the sea and as he's happy to do all the talking, I reckon it should be fine. And as it's my final, final birthday celebration for this year - yes, ok, I know I should've grown out of all that by the age of 64, but I haven't and so tomorrow is the month of my birthday fun being up - we're going to Twenty Prince's Street, which is where my boys took me in January. It was so nice that the two of us decided it would be a good place to go for a birthday bash, even if it'll be a rather one sided affair, given my vocal capabilities.
I'm all Vicked up for the night now and with a Lemsip on the way I'm heading for an early night.
I made the decision to go to the doctor's because my chest was beginning to hurt. A virus is one thing but a chest infection is something completely different. But have you ever tried making an appointment when you have no voice? No? Well it's bloody difficult!
The only way I could manage was to get myself dressed and over to the surgery, which is in the next village along, 4 miles away. When I got there the receptionist interpreted my teeny whisper (I did have a pen and pad in my bag just in case) and told me to go home and she'd phone me, saying not to worry, she'd manage to communicate with me. So off I went.
About ten minutes after I got back I got the phone call to come back in. So off I went and luckily had taken my book to read as an hour and a half later the doctor called me in. I was very grateful though so no complaining. Anyway, after a thorough check, she announced that I had a virus and not an infection and, I quote, there's a nasty bug going around that takes 6 to 8 weeks to finally disappear. Great I thought, well at least I don't have to take antibiotics, but time will literally tell as to whether I have that dreaded lurgy or some other one.
So it was back home and into bed for the day. No talking at all, not even to myself. Just taking it easy, doing some writing and some reading and some sleeping.
Actually I don't feel too bad. I haven't tried my voice and don't intend to until the morning. My lovely friend, Shirley has, after an email exchange, cancelled our lunch tomorrow and, as we're due to meet up in London next week, I feel we'll have time to catch up, so another morning's rest should see me (hopefully) feeling ok. But if I make a miraculous cure by the morning we'll change back to Plan A and go for lunch tomorrow as well.
I still have my dinner date to go, which is with my song writing pal from across the sea and as he's happy to do all the talking, I reckon it should be fine. And as it's my final, final birthday celebration for this year - yes, ok, I know I should've grown out of all that by the age of 64, but I haven't and so tomorrow is the month of my birthday fun being up - we're going to Twenty Prince's Street, which is where my boys took me in January. It was so nice that the two of us decided it would be a good place to go for a birthday bash, even if it'll be a rather one sided affair, given my vocal capabilities.
I'm all Vicked up for the night now and with a Lemsip on the way I'm heading for an early night.
Tuesday, 9 February 2016
The sound of silence
On Friday, when Amber came, I had the beginnings of a sore throat. By the time she left on Saturday it was getting worse and, because I had a workshop coming up (today in fact), I spent the weekend in pretty much non-speaking mode in the hope that it would get better and I'd be fit for purpose.
Sadly it just got worse!
Yesterday I went to Edinburgh to get ready for the workshop and meet up with my co-facilitator. We had a lovely dinner, where I did minimal talking and lots of eating and then, propped up by Lemsip had an early night.
When I woke up this morning there was no voice! Just silence when I tried to talk. What's a girl to do? The show must go on and all that, so I downed a Lemsip and scooted to the chemist on my way in and bought a throat spray. It worked minimally, but at least I had a teeny bit of voice. More Lemsip at lunchtime and my co-facilitator had to do most of the talking, but I managed the whole day. But I'm just hoping, if I get to rest my voice tonight and tomorrow, then I'll be good to go on Thursday when I have not just a lunch date, but a dinner date too.
And I couldn't even whoop for joy when I got an email from Vespa's trainer to say he was doing really well. He's settled and happy and has taken to the harness no problem at all. I am thrilled to say the least!
And saying the least is the least I shall be doing!
Sadly it just got worse!
Yesterday I went to Edinburgh to get ready for the workshop and meet up with my co-facilitator. We had a lovely dinner, where I did minimal talking and lots of eating and then, propped up by Lemsip had an early night.
When I woke up this morning there was no voice! Just silence when I tried to talk. What's a girl to do? The show must go on and all that, so I downed a Lemsip and scooted to the chemist on my way in and bought a throat spray. It worked minimally, but at least I had a teeny bit of voice. More Lemsip at lunchtime and my co-facilitator had to do most of the talking, but I managed the whole day. But I'm just hoping, if I get to rest my voice tonight and tomorrow, then I'll be good to go on Thursday when I have not just a lunch date, but a dinner date too.
And I couldn't even whoop for joy when I got an email from Vespa's trainer to say he was doing really well. He's settled and happy and has taken to the harness no problem at all. I am thrilled to say the least!
And saying the least is the least I shall be doing!
Saturday, 6 February 2016
So much fun!
The absolutely gorgeous Amber, labradoodle Guide Dog puppy turned up yesterday afternoon and it was just lovely to have her with me. She's so much fun. Really cute... not cuddly... but loves to lie touching me. I've missed having a puppy around, so I'm making the best of it while I can.
She reminds me of a teeny tiny Irish Wolfhound, but she's soooo small! I couldn't believe what it as like to have such a lightweight on the end of the lead. I mean, Odi, was such a strong girl and Vespa... well he was just a tank, so having a pup, who's tiny paws tap tap away and who, even when she pulls, has no weight behind her, is a revelation. Here's an example: She has 120 grams of food twice a day. Vespa had 200!
There's no point being sad that she's only staying for such a short time, but to relish the time she's with me.
I LOVE having a puppy here!
 |
| The gorgeously cute Amber |
She reminds me of a teeny tiny Irish Wolfhound, but she's soooo small! I couldn't believe what it as like to have such a lightweight on the end of the lead. I mean, Odi, was such a strong girl and Vespa... well he was just a tank, so having a pup, who's tiny paws tap tap away and who, even when she pulls, has no weight behind her, is a revelation. Here's an example: She has 120 grams of food twice a day. Vespa had 200!
There's no point being sad that she's only staying for such a short time, but to relish the time she's with me.
I LOVE having a puppy here!
Friday, 5 February 2016
I'm not the only one
When I was out and about the other day I glanced up at the clock on the clock tower attached to my house and realised that it wasn't quite showing the right time. Actually, all four clock faces were showing completely different times.
The clock is usually very good, but it doesn't like ice, snow and cold. And I also wonder whether it's all that keen on the wind. And as you know, we've been in the grip of several storms, one after the other, so I'm not surprised that the clock had a bit of a hissy fit and decided to throw itself into confusion. Funny to have a clock that dislikes the winter weather as much as I do!
I do know how to fix it, but, as part of the deal with the Council, it's actually their job to do so. Also, I'm aware of my inherent clumsiness sometimes and I really don't want to incur the wrath of the whole village as I drop bits of clock mechanism down in the tower and have to retrieve them amongst all the potential spiders that might be lurking.
I don't actually know if there are any spiders there, but you know what? I don't want to find out... and anyway, my imagination has done some good work here... so a quick phone call to the Borders Council and a charming lady told me not to worry, she was on the case. The clock would get sorted asap.
Apparently, it's not the only clock in the area to go AWOL. The one in Coldstream has done just the same, so the nice clock man will be down to fix both clocks in one go... that's the theory... let's see what the reality is.
The clock is usually very good, but it doesn't like ice, snow and cold. And I also wonder whether it's all that keen on the wind. And as you know, we've been in the grip of several storms, one after the other, so I'm not surprised that the clock had a bit of a hissy fit and decided to throw itself into confusion. Funny to have a clock that dislikes the winter weather as much as I do!
I do know how to fix it, but, as part of the deal with the Council, it's actually their job to do so. Also, I'm aware of my inherent clumsiness sometimes and I really don't want to incur the wrath of the whole village as I drop bits of clock mechanism down in the tower and have to retrieve them amongst all the potential spiders that might be lurking.
I don't actually know if there are any spiders there, but you know what? I don't want to find out... and anyway, my imagination has done some good work here... so a quick phone call to the Borders Council and a charming lady told me not to worry, she was on the case. The clock would get sorted asap.
Apparently, it's not the only clock in the area to go AWOL. The one in Coldstream has done just the same, so the nice clock man will be down to fix both clocks in one go... that's the theory... let's see what the reality is.
Wednesday, 3 February 2016
Silver lining
Today was absolutely the most gorgeous day! Blue sky, sunshine and no wind at all... amazing!
I had a very lazy morning, but had a meeting with the person I run my retreats with in the afternoon and so headed on down to Kelso early so I could go for a walk along the river. And it was just beautiful.
My meeting went extremely well and after almost 3 hours we packed up our stuff and headed on our separate ways.
I was supposed to go down to Yorkshire tomorrow, but the friend I was supposed to be spending a couple of days with had had some work difficulties and so couldn't take the time off, so we cancelled.
But there's always a silver lining to each cloud and although sad it was cancelled, I got a call from my Guide Dog pal who asked me if I could look after the gorgeous Amber, the labradoodle puppy, on Friday night. Could I? I'm looking forward to it!
She'll be my very first boarded Guide Dog puppy and I'm so excited at having a puppy around again, albeit for just 24 hours. Whoohoo!
So be ready people... puppy pics will be posted!
I had a very lazy morning, but had a meeting with the person I run my retreats with in the afternoon and so headed on down to Kelso early so I could go for a walk along the river. And it was just beautiful.
 |
| River Tweed looking down towards Floors Castle |
 | |
| Along the path |
My meeting went extremely well and after almost 3 hours we packed up our stuff and headed on our separate ways.
I was supposed to go down to Yorkshire tomorrow, but the friend I was supposed to be spending a couple of days with had had some work difficulties and so couldn't take the time off, so we cancelled.
But there's always a silver lining to each cloud and although sad it was cancelled, I got a call from my Guide Dog pal who asked me if I could look after the gorgeous Amber, the labradoodle puppy, on Friday night. Could I? I'm looking forward to it!
She'll be my very first boarded Guide Dog puppy and I'm so excited at having a puppy around again, albeit for just 24 hours. Whoohoo!
So be ready people... puppy pics will be posted!
Tuesday, 2 February 2016
Back to puppy class
Today was the first Guide Dog puppy class of the year (the January one is always not on) and it was such a joy to get there (complete with invisible puppy who behaved superlatively throughout!) and to have a chance to cuddle puppies and catch up with all the chat.
We'd been informed that the Puppy Supervisor couldn't make it a few weeks ago, so Lynne, who's an excellent dog trainer had offered to step into the breach. She's such a great dog trainer and instead of the usual sitting about while the PS tells us all that's going on in Guide Dogs, Lynne just got straight on with it and she commandeered me to help out, so that was fun.
There were 6 puppies there, all of various ages, from 16 weeks to 2 years (the latter being a withdrawn GD, but was still allowed to come to classes) and it was great to see them do their thing... some better than others, it must be said, with one, who's 6 months and just turned the corner into adolescence, who was appalling. Before Xmas he was a model puppy. Funny what those hormones can do.
What was lovely was that the people with the 16 week old puppy (it was their first ever class) turned out to be the ones that I'd met on Vespa's birthday, when we met in Galashiels and they were asking me all kinds of questions about being a puppy walker. Well apparently, after that conversation, they went straight home and did all the paperwork and their gorgeous 16 week old puppy is the result! How great is that?
After puppy class it was home to sort out some things, one of which being I'd been charged a whole lot more for my internet and phone this month, so I got in touch and, according to Plusnet, I'm supposed to keep going on line to see when my contract is up. According to me, that's their job. In the end they were going to give me something of a deal, but guess what? Their internet was down! I'm afraid I thought that was pretty hysterical. What's even worse is that it was still down when they phoned me back later this afternoon and will be in touch tomorrow. Gotta laugh!
And then it was study tidy time. My desk has been lost under a swathe of papers for quite a while and so it was time for a clear out. I've done quite a good job, though I say it myself, and at last I can see the actual top of my desk. Of course now I have no excuse for not doing any work at it. Or as my brother so nicely put it when I was in London, 'You've got rid of your husband, your children and your dog, so there's no excuses!' Oh I don't know about that, I'm sure I can always find an excuse somewhere!
We'd been informed that the Puppy Supervisor couldn't make it a few weeks ago, so Lynne, who's an excellent dog trainer had offered to step into the breach. She's such a great dog trainer and instead of the usual sitting about while the PS tells us all that's going on in Guide Dogs, Lynne just got straight on with it and she commandeered me to help out, so that was fun.
There were 6 puppies there, all of various ages, from 16 weeks to 2 years (the latter being a withdrawn GD, but was still allowed to come to classes) and it was great to see them do their thing... some better than others, it must be said, with one, who's 6 months and just turned the corner into adolescence, who was appalling. Before Xmas he was a model puppy. Funny what those hormones can do.
What was lovely was that the people with the 16 week old puppy (it was their first ever class) turned out to be the ones that I'd met on Vespa's birthday, when we met in Galashiels and they were asking me all kinds of questions about being a puppy walker. Well apparently, after that conversation, they went straight home and did all the paperwork and their gorgeous 16 week old puppy is the result! How great is that?
 |
| Puppies being put through their paces... that's the 16 week old on it's hind legs... cute! |
After puppy class it was home to sort out some things, one of which being I'd been charged a whole lot more for my internet and phone this month, so I got in touch and, according to Plusnet, I'm supposed to keep going on line to see when my contract is up. According to me, that's their job. In the end they were going to give me something of a deal, but guess what? Their internet was down! I'm afraid I thought that was pretty hysterical. What's even worse is that it was still down when they phoned me back later this afternoon and will be in touch tomorrow. Gotta laugh!
And then it was study tidy time. My desk has been lost under a swathe of papers for quite a while and so it was time for a clear out. I've done quite a good job, though I say it myself, and at last I can see the actual top of my desk. Of course now I have no excuse for not doing any work at it. Or as my brother so nicely put it when I was in London, 'You've got rid of your husband, your children and your dog, so there's no excuses!' Oh I don't know about that, I'm sure I can always find an excuse somewhere!
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