Cardiology

OH was sent for 24 hr blood pressure monitoring to local clinic just around the corner. This was because the surgery asked to see him. Why? Because he hadn't been near them for some 17 years. Typically he's 'not one for doctors' he prefers the vets!
So, he dutifully kept the appointment, they did an ECG instead of the original monitoring. Now he's got some tablets to take daily.

Next, he received a letter saying an appointment had been made at Heart & Cardiology Hospital. So, today we went to see the GP. All he did was to take BP readings, issue a new prescription and suggest he attend the hospital appointment to have the test.

On returning home, OH phoned the hospital and spoke with the consultant's secretary (a very pleasant lady). Result? A new appointment in place of the hospital one and at the clinic round the corner. Better still it's for this Thursday. How good it that!

Jill hosts Fun Monday

Homemade gifts: given, received, how did they turn out? Failure or roaring success?Jill of 'Life is not Bubble Wrapped' is our hostess for December...

I have some friends who make their own Greetings cards for Christmas and other special occasions, but I'm neither patient nor skillful enough to do it. Also, it seems time-consuming and I have enough to do without adding anything else. I experimented (briefly) with CAD cards years ago and gave it up. Where cards are concerned and especially at Christmas I prefer to buy cards from Charity shops. This morning I purchased them from Barnardo's and Scope.

The former is a children's charity I came across at work. One of the fundraisers I met impressed me with his drive and determination. Even hard-nosed city kids latched on to his message and raised money for the charity that Christmas.

"Barnardo’s vision today is that the lives of all children and young people should be free from poverty, abuse and discrimination."

The latter is a completely different charity. 
"Our vision is a world where disabled people have the same opportunities to fulfill their life ambitions as non-disabled people." 

Wracking my 'memory' banks, I now remember that I still have and use a hand-made present from school days. Someone knitted me a pair of Aran mitts and I wear them still.

5th Dec

Jack Frost nipping at fingers and toes, painting pictures on frozen windows.

Thanks to SnowCrystals.com  for permitting use of this photo


Thinking back many years, I was told that my Dad had to keep the coal fires alight all day and night when I was born, They lived in a two-up, two-down terraced house near the top of a steeply sloped cobbled street. Each of the four rooms had a fireplace.

I can remember a fire being lit in the front bedroom when I was poorly (whooping cough). No duvets in those days, but blankets, eiderdown and bedspread. Oh the delight when well enough, to sit in a chair beside the fire wrapped in an eiderdown.

The frosty weather got me reminiscing about times past. Hence Jack Frost. Throughout childhood and teens I lived in houses which depended on coal fired heating. Not central heating, that was something I discovered when living in digs as a student. Usually, only one fire was lit (living room) which had a back boiler to provide hot water. In Winter bedroom windows were thick with ice. Beautiful patterns but oh so cold. Then there was all the fuss of laying and lighting the fire. On weekends sometimes we'd have a fire in the front room as well. When I think about it, today's Health n Safety bods would be appalled...as the way to light that fire...was to carry a shovel of hot coals and lay them on the fire grate!

At home in the Pennines, we often had snow and ice but thought nothing of it.. Yes, it was an hindrance making travel more difficult. But, Dad still walked to the station, caught the steam train to work, walked to his office and returned the same way at night. My friends and I walked to school. Laughing and throwing snowballs. We spread ashes from our coal fires on paths and pavements once the snow had been dug away.
Oh the fun of sliding down the icy street. One year Dad made me a sledge and we joined others sledging down the 'backs' the alley between two rows of terraces.

The Winter of 1962-3 was memorable for its severity, but no schools closed. Okay a few kids from outlying villages might get sent home early. But anyone from the town stayed in school as normal. Even the local river froze enough for ice skating.

Today, we have ice and freezing fog, not a nice combination but nothing like the winters of long ago.

4th December

Today's weather problem is Ice...multiple warnings on TV and Radio. Although there were snow flurries yesterday evening, it was nothing to bother about. Another weather related topic on the news...Royal Mail - won't guarantee Special Delivery post will arrive on time! Yet, it's a service people have paid extra for.
Apologetic email from on-line retailer...their depot (Ashford in Kent) had to close, so did the warehouse therefore, please accept their apologies. Deliveries will be made asap What a contrast between hide-bound dinosaur RM and the Ashford company.

OH 'declared' Xmas and brought down from the loft the box of lights and decorations. We won't go ott just put up lights and trees.

3rd Dec

Friday! Refuse collection day. Once a fortnight we put out the recycling bins as well as the usual household bin. A bit trickier today as it was a hard frost last night -6C.
Places further inland had it much colder...Woodford was down to -14C.
Met Office
"There is a risk of severe weather affecting parts of England and Wales."

So, our severs weather? Frost not snow...

I put salt on the back-doorstep last night so it was a bit safer this morning.

OH is a 'star' in this weather...protective in the nicest way...letting me stay toasty warm indoors whilst he did the bins for us and our neighbours.

M next door is going to have new double-glazing fitted. When she bought her place, she was told all windows needed replacing so 2-years later having saved up she's booked a local firm to do the 'necessary'.  Hope the weather improves and they doo a good job for her. Doubtless OH will be invited to supervise.


On the opposite side H is in residence, and he loves having a wood fire burning brightly. He's been burning some of the Yew OH felled.

2nd Dec

Shopping accomplished, wintry sunshine, frosty with scant snow.

News headlines focus on 'snow problems' but then media remain homed in on SE and NE England and Scotland. Some 7000 schools closed, rail journeys affected, airports closed...but Not Here!
Yes, the Pennines have snow and traditional routes - Woodhead Pass, Snake Pass and Cat 'n Fiddle are closed, So too are the snow gates between Brough and Bowes (Cumbria).
Friends living in Rochdale have another day off work. But, our area in the lee of the Welsh Mts is sheltered. There's about 1/4 inch of snow so 'business as usual'. Roads and pavements are clear of snow.
Twitter showed the Open University have a virtual Advent Calendar, so I had a look. Today's post asks 'did you know no two snowflakes are alike?'

.

NORAD have their 2010 Santa Tracker up and running - another 'must visit'.

December NaBloPoMo

Unlike Wendy, Sarah and Karen, I haven't signed up  but I will attempt a post per day.

NaBloPoMo

The theme for December is ZEITGEIST. You have 31 days to try to capture the mood of your culture and your life as they exist right now. Use every tool in your blog box: words, photos, music...?

The British Isles is once again in the grip of snow and ice. Other parts of the World function fine no matter what the Weather. Health and Safety consciousness here hog-ties us almost into immobility!

BBC News reports

Schools closed, Gatwick and other airports closed, flights and travel disrupted. Facebook is 'full' of friends displaying their snow pictures and wondering in they dare travel anywhere.

Twitter updates too have people saying they're "not going anywhere" because of the  

Some greet the snow and ice joyfully, others moan and groan. Morning TV programmes e.g. Lorraine ask for pictures from viewers.

Numerous sites have sprung up listing school closures 

However, I looked for Merseyside and...No School Closures for Liverpool, St. Helens, Cheshire or the Wirral. Guess where there's little snow!.

Twitter friends too claim they're 'not going anywhere' because of...the Snow!

BBC big read - a Facebook meme

Years ago (April 2003) 'Auntie Beeb' made a collection of book titles and authors. People voted for their favourites...and the result is below...
(ones I have read)

1. The Lord of the Rings, J R R Tolkien

2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen

3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J K Rowling

6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne

8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell

9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis

10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë

11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller

12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë

13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks

14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier

15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger

16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres

20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy

21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling

23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling

24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling

25. The Hobbit, J  RR Tolkien

26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy

27. Middlemarch, George Eliot

28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck

30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett

34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens

35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl

36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute

38. Persuasion, Jane Austen

39. Dune, Frank Herbert

40. Emma, Jane Austen

41. Anne Of Green Gables, L M Montgomery

42. Watership Down, Richard Adams

43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald

44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas

45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh (trilogy)

46. Animal Farm, George Orwell

47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy

49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian (but I have seen the film)
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher

51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth

56. The BFG, Roald Dahl

57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome

58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell

59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer

60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden

63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough

65. Mort, Terry Pratchett

66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton

67. The Magus, John Fowles

68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett

70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding

71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell

73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett

74. Matilda, Roald Dahl

75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt

77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins

78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson

81. The Twits, Roald Dahl

82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar

84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake

85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy

86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson

87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel

93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett

94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

95. Katherine, Anya Seton

96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

A brief look thro' synopses leads me to think I shan't bother with the few I've not read...


What say you???

Lancashire Day!

TO: THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY AND COUNTY PALATINE OF LANCASTER

GREETINGS!

Know ye that this day, November 27th in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Ten, the 59th year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Lancaster, is Lancashire Day.

Know ye also, and rejoice, that by virtue of Her Majesty's County Palatine of Lancaster, the citizens of the Hundreds of Lonsdale, North and South of the Sands, Amounderness, Leyland, Blackburn, Salford and West Derby are forever entitled to style themselves Lancastrians.

Throughout the County Palatine, from the Furness Fells to the River Mersey, from the Irish Sea to the Pennines, this day shall ever mark the peoples' pleasure in that excellent distinction - true Lancastrians, proud of the Red Rose and loyal to our Sovereign Duke.

GOD BLESS LANCASHIRE

AND

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, DUKE OF LANCASTER!

November 29 -

When do you start your Christmas shopping? 

Whenever I come across something and think it’d suit a person I know. 

Long gone are the days of mammoth expeditions round the shops. I learnt long ago, that if I'm to be a successful shopper…I have to be on my own.

Thinking back to school days, Christmas shopping with my friend we spent the whole day going round the shops. Her list was long she had lots of folk to buy for. Mine was (as usual very short). She came home with a completed list, me? Still most left undone.

For a while, I worked in a chemist’s shop and it was great. Oh the fun of helping people with their Xmas shopping! Getting to try on perfumes – Dior, Lancôme, Revlon, and Faberge to name but a few... Then doing the special ‘chemist’s wrap’ in the gift paper…

Now, that was a lovely place to buy presents, my hard-earned money going back into the till.

And, a week later, sometimes serving the ‘other half’... One woman was a regular; her mother had told the husband ‘Always buy Chanel No. 5.’ She’d return the unopened perfume and exchange it for Dior.  

Throughout my career (teaching) there was never any time for the luxury of shopping for Xmas. All had to be crammed into the shortest time. So, I began using mail order from charity catalogues. Lessened the need to venture near the shops. These days I'm likely to shop on-line, but as my Xmas list gets shorter each year…it’s easier to complete.

Do you already have it done? 

This year? Already done, things allocated to names on my list. At the end of November, beginning of December I’ll write and post Xmas cards. 

One card and present has to get to the recipient Before December 6^th as being Dutch they celebrate St. Nicholas.

Who is the hardest person to buy for? 

That has to be my other half, my soul-mate, he’s always been difficult to buy for, but then so am I.

AND...when do you do your wrapping? 

Since I already have wrapping paper in stock, I’ll have a go when the mood takes me or as and when I need to deliver the present or go to the Post Office. 

If I'm to avoid the Xmas queues it’s best done no later than the 1^st week in December.

Two presents are delivered by hand, one to a friend in Delamere and the other to my theatre companion. 

Or does Santa do your shopping?

I've heard of the idea of 'secret Santa' but I don't 'reckon it' i.e. would not be something I'd do,

Fun Monday Nov. 22nd

Julie of

Another chance ranch

is hostess for November and she

Asks - What is your favorite beauty product?

This is when I have to admit to loving the beauty products made by Lush.

They do a shower gel called Flying Fox 

it's truly relaxation in a bottle...

Then there are their solid shampoo bars. A real 'must' for holidays and travelling as there's no liquid to spill. With 9 to choose from...you can 'ring the changes'- my favourite is Karma comba. Not only does my hair smell lovely, it almost behaves itself and has fewer tangles.

Pied de Pepper

Is a 'must' in winter, keeps feet toasty warm thanks to cinnamon, clove and ginger. Another 'must have' concoction.

So, Julie there's not one single fave but 3
one for hair
one shower gel
and
one for feet 

Anticipating Christmas - Fun Monday

Julie writes - November 15 - Let's talk Christmas!

Traditional Carols

"Deck the Halls with boughs of holly"

Benjamin Britten's "Ceremony of Carols"

Wolcum Yole!
"I sing of a Maiden that is makeless"
"Adam lay y bounden"

To me, Christmas is more about music than decorations...

When do you start decorating for Christmas? not until December...

Do you go out?
Of all days, Christmas Day is the day to spend at home.

Put up a tree?

Yes, once it would've been a fir, complete with roots and then it could be planted out.
Now, fibre optic trees have become popular and can look pretty.

Decorate with a theme?.
I usually visit a garden centre that puts on a special display of Christmas decorations.... and plan in my mind, but that's as far as it gets..

Christmas dinner isn't until early evening...the morning is spent organizing the turkey and trimmings...

Hopefully there'll be fresh Brussels sprouts and sage from neighbour's garden.

Dessert will be a Dutch recipe - vanilla ice cream topped with cream and Advocaat.

superstitions n celebrations

With the approach of Hallowe'en or All Hallows also known as Samhain, it seems appropriate to write about superstitions.
One friend dislikes the colour green because to her it's an 'inauspicious' bad-luck colour. So, today, not wanting to cause any unhappiness, I changed out of my green jumper and put on a cerise coloured one before visiting.
Another of her superstitions concerns doorways and entrances to her home. Whichever doorway you enter by, you must leave the same way, or else be followed by bad luck.

 "For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!"

November 1st is the Feast of All Saints.

A time to remember the lives and sacrifices of saints and martyrs.

Wiccan Rede

'An harm none, do what ye will'.

on two sides of the pond

November 8 - Tell us about your Thanksgiving Day meal.  Do you have your menu planned?  Do you have the traditional turkey dinner, or go a bit more non-traditional?  What is your favorite go-to dish for Thanksgiving?  Any recipes you'd like to share?

Wishing my US click on the mouse friends a 

'Very Happy Thanksgiving'. 

Hope you all have a lovely time!

"He (the turkey) is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."
--Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to his daughter


First Thanksgiving 
Looking into the FM topic, I surfed the Web and found the 'Pilgrim Hall Museum'
Thank you, Julie for setting the topic.
I had a vague idea that Thanksgiving is a time for celebration, for gathering family together...
Now, I'm better informed and know a little of the rich history associated with the fourth Thursday in November. 


English memorable dates in November

5th Guy Fawkes

27th Nov Lancashire Day

Red Rose of Lancashire

The red rose symbol dates from the

Wars of the Roses

Series of battles fought between Yorkshire (white rose) and Lancashire (red rose) for the throne of England 1445 - 1487


As for turkey dinner?
Nowadays, over here, it's eaten on Christmas Day, and other family occasions.


How could I omit November 11th 

11th hour

of the

11th Day

of the

11th month...

Remembrance Day...and two minutes silence

The soldier in WW1 uniform, head bowed and rifle reversed stands watchful over the town.

"At the going down of the sun, and in the morning

We will remember them"

So, earlier today (11th Nov.) the country came to a standstill to observe the Silence.

In London, at the Cenotaph they observed the Silence for the 90th year.

Curiouser and curiouser! cried Alice

"One promised to restore honour, the other is campaigning to restore sanity. Neither is likely to have much luck."
Guardian

Julie hosting Fun Monday,from her blog 'Another chance ranch' sets topical questions
"I want to know what you think about the state of our country.  Or, is there a particular issue being voted on that you feel strongly about?  What are your thoughts?  Keep in mind, I don't want to know whether you are a Democrat or a Republican.  I am just curious as to what is going through your mind."
Being 'across the pond' I admit to finding politics confusing, especially US. So here's my take...

Two satirists Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert hosted a rally 'to restore sanity'.

Targeting over-heated debate and media ‘laziness’...a non-partisan call to purge America's politics of the extremist rhetoric that is dividing the country" [ibid]

Placards from their rally included...

I Want YOU – to switch to decaf

 

You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own spelling

 Even God gave it a rest for one day – tone it down America

 

1 nation – worrying together!

I added the images, taken from an Open Source site. Probably, all I've done is add to the confusion!

Next, our news has reports about the 'Tea Party' (cue the Mad Hatter?)

Apparently, Tea Party stands for "Taxed Enough Already"

I think I'll stick to 'Alice in Wonderland'!