jabs

Yesterday was my autumn ‘flu and covid jabs. I’d had to put them off twice – once because of a clash with the fortnight’s waiting time after RSV panel, and once because of having to be at Green Mount. The NHS app offered me a timed appointment for both as Spring Gardens pharmacy, so I went with that.

I’d forgotten how very depressing that part of Worcester is! Slum-clearance replaced by equally bad block housing pretty much still on the overcrowded historic streetplan, a massive car park facing onto the perimeter of the area, and the whole thing flanked by the dual-carriageway City Walls Road (an urban improvement project that only succeeded in making it quicker to go from one traffic jam to the next).

However, the appointments were running on time, the nurse was very pleasant, and she wrote down the vaccine details for me so that I could pass them on to Synexus (RSV trial) as requested. Then a walk across the grim footbridge, and suddenly back in the “nice” part of town – Reindeer Court – and then to the bus station.

Sadly, I reacted rather badly to the shots. In bed and asleep before 2200h, then waking with alternating sweats and chills about every hour through to 5am, when I finally achieved restful sleep. I felt very dehydrated: a glass of milk and half a pack of grapes around 4.30 fended that off.

Having woken just after 9, I was up by quarter to ten. Alendronic acid day, so no coffee until 1025 … and I didn’t risk bending down to light the fire until then, either. But I’m feeling rather better now, though the ‘flu jab arm (left) is still rather painful.

aaargh!

A shit day today, mainly crawling round on hands and knees as standing is difficult. Chelsea-cat finds this amusing!

Fringes of Storm Ciaran outside doesn’t help, but it’s mainly because I overdid things yesterday. Cycle in intermittent showers to the station, hour on the train to Hanborough, cycle 30 minutes in intermittent showers (over collection of potholes masquerading as a road) to ASD assessment appointment (Worton, near Cassington). Then cycle 30 minutes in the dusk and showers and invisible potholes back to station, 100 minutes on delayed train, cycle home (more dusk and showers, fewer potholes), then leave 30 minutes later for a 2+hour Elections Strategy meeting.

Still, the appointment went well, and as a full ADOS-2 session was a significant milestone in understanding a bit more about where I might fit (if anywhere) “on the spectrum”.

Footsteps

So, the end of the seven light months of British Summer Time. My target was to average 5,000 steps a day (compared to 4,416 last year and 3,547 the year before). I actually achieved an average of 5,327, which I’m pretty pleased with.

Sadly, the cold dark months make walking seriously difficult for me … so my target for winter is to average 3,000 steps.

Getting ready for live-in carer

I was over at Green Mount Friday 20th to Tuesday 24th making a start on things for a live-in carer for Mum. The Friday and Monday both had show-rounds and interviews with potential carers. Monday have furniture movers … the sofa-bed from the spare room (soon to be carer’s room) went down to the dining room easily enough once the mattress was off and the action strapped shut, and was reassembled all in ten minutes. moving Jane’s former bed base to the spare room took nearly 45 minutes, as it had to be completely dismantled. an old mattress to the garage, and the kit-form of Jane’s new bed base to her bedroom completed their work.

Other bits and bobs included taking the TV off the wall bracket and fitting feet to it; finding a new home for the Christmas decorations (my back eves cupboard), clearing unwanted boxes etc from the wardrobe cupboard ready for the carer, and so on.

Sim was over there from Thurs 26th, moving everything out of the drawers in the bureau and tallboy to crates. I went over on Saturday to give him a hand carrying these down to the dining room – they will definitely need sorted at some point, but in the meantime are under the hospital bed there! Also carried down the two crates of Mum’s financial filing, left on the dining table so that Jane can easily access them – placed over the table legs, as I was worried about bowing the table if they were put in the middle!

The final job was levelling the bed base for the carer. The floor in that room slopes outrageously! The two legs at the head end rested on the floor, with the other legs requiring amounts of packing ranging from 37mm to nearly 70mm. Much measuring of thicknesses of bits of wood, sawing from Simon, and application of elderly wood glue eventually did the job OK.

Sim then took a video of the room in its “fit for carer” state … I kinda wish we’d taken one before any work happened! It was great to see this room looking good again (it’s the nicest room in the house), though it still needs a deep clean.

by-elections

While all eyes have been on the national byelections, we had a couple of local ones here yesterday. Both posts were formerly held by a much-respected local Tory, who had a strong personal vote. At least here, it seems that disaffected Tories are going Green (and to a lesser extent LibDem) rather than voting Labour.
Massive thanks to all who pitched in, both Worcester Greens and those from a bit further afield!
City: GREEN Katie Collier 53.5%; Con 24.1%; Lab 12.5%;LD 6.7%; Reform 2.1%
County: GREEN Andrew Cross 44%; Lib Dem 22.4%; Con 24.1%; Lab 9.2%

ugh

The cold that I went down with a fortnight ago seems to have seamlessly moved to a post-viral fatigue thing this week. Extreme exhaustion, headaches, a slightly-raised temperature and episodes of chills despite having put the central heating up to 21.5C and being in thermal long-johns!

So, I’ve lit a small fire in the stove, and am sitting huddled over a mug of blackcurrant lemsip (with added honey).

parkin

A grey, windy and very wet day! What’s a person to do? Make parkin, of course … it should mature nicely in time for Hallowe’en.

Sadly, I can’t quite fit the whole batch in the cake-tin, to be set aside, so some had to eaten at teatime today!

autumn things

It’s a grey soggy day, but not actually raining, and very mild. Although I’m still recovering from the lurgy I’ve had for over a week, I did manage an hour in the garden.

Tomato plants have been uprooted and put in garden waste bin, and the omato house plastic cover cleaned and stored. Lots of nearly-dry runner bean pods to bring in: a few opened and the beans left loose to form next year’s seeds. The bulk of the pods going into the dryer (eventually to be podded for dried beans in winter soups and stews, and the pods used as kindling) – it will take several batches.

a cheering sight

I don’t normally expect to see flowers on the winter jasmine until around Hallowe’en, but (like so much else in the garden this year) it’s decided to ignore normal times.
I’m slowly recovering from the particularly nasty cold I’ve had for a week, with head and body aches, exhaustion, and sleeping several hours a day more than normal. These little splashes of sunshine yellow are a welcome and cheerful sight through the French window.


apple pie

Quite a few windfall apples, mainly from Annie-Elizabeth but a few Worcester Pearmain as well – I expect that there will be a lot more after tonight’s forecast gale! A quick scrub-up, stewed, and made into a pie (sadly, bought pastry – I can’t make puff!) and a couple of turnovers put in the freezer.