Good morning Mick and all GN's on a very dark still wednesday in North Yorkshire. Peeped out through the curtains , no sign of snow and it doesnt feel as freezing cold as yesterday but still glad to shut the curtains again. I am thankfully restarting my day with Bach to listen to, and when I dare, I shall go for a very much needed coffee. Another poor night and I had given up on the idea of any more sleep and about 6am, had thought of what I wanted to do and the best plan for the morning. So got out of bed and bent over to pick something off the floor and suddenly horrible cramp. So painful I cried out and then couldnt move while my right leg went rigid and I just couldnt do anything except gasp and try not to yell out, but had probably woken my upstairs neighbour anyway. It took a very long time before it subsided enough to allow me to crawl about and get something on to keep warm, and I darent yet go in the shower, as I can feel it ready to start up again at one false move!
Plans for the morning now in abeyance, as cramp rules , not OK! I could have done without this start to the morning, rapidly readjusting ideas and order of doing stuff. Usually get the washing in first thing so that by the time I have had breakfast, showered, washed up, it is ready to go on the line. Not today Jose, anything bending down will have to be done with great caution. Oh well it is meant to be very cold again and there is quite a likelihood of snow here so the forecast says. As it is market day, I normally go on the yellow peril, as nowhere to park etc. Will have to see how I am a bit later, but it looks like a day for finishing the ironing and getting back to sorting the dresser out and getting rid of it. Hope that it isnt too bad later and plan to go to the whist drive. Have missed it for a couple of weeks and look forward to seeing everyone and having a good game in the warm. Oh Oh , here comes the snow! It is in quite big flakes and swirling around in the wind, and already the ground is starting to whiten, so the temperature must be cold enough so as not to even melt flakes. Plans for going shopping abandoned, have enough in not to desperately need to go out so that settles it. No more excuses , a domestic day is on the cards.
Yesterday it was a very mixed day mentally, and a quiet day physically. I had several annoying things happening on my laptop and could not make the lowest bit show and kept getting messages that I did not totally trust were genuine and safe to use, so I rang up Upfront and managed to get an appointment to see Artie, the techie man at 1130. So collected all the bits together and also the new keyboard and mouse, that I had bought for £5 from the Friends of the hospital morning, as I wanted him to confirm it was ok for my laptop etc. I was struggling and in quite a bit of pain, which makes it quite hard to concentrate on what I am doing. and firstly the room we had booked to work in was busy, so delayed a bit. However it was a very worthwhile trip for me, as he confirmed that the keyboard was a good one, and as it is a bit different to my old one, showed me how to set it all up, so that was a good tick for that bit. Then much faffing about, trying to sort out the problems. One or two were simple to him and he dealt quickly with them, but I was disappointed and annoyed to find that I cant ban AI as I wanted to, and then that irritating thing where the fault wont come up every time you try to show it. Then in the middle of something the internet cut out there so another hassle, but at the end of the session, I was grateful for yet another sort out from him, and with some notes to take home, so that i can practise and learn from him. The new keyboard is slightly smaller than my old one but you can see the letters on this one! I touchtype normally so it didnt really bother me , but occasionally I would have to search to find something.
After the mammoth session I felt quite weary and wasnt in the mood to go and do something else I had planned and so decided to just have a break and go down to the garden centre as I still had a free coffee on my november card, and felt like a bit of a wander through their sick bay of plants too. Quite quiet for them, and of course everywhere overloaded with christmas stuff, and some of the prices for what were basically just models or stuff to go on the trees, seemed astronomical to me. They were what I would be paying for my christmas dinner!! Ah well each to their own. I enjoyed my coffee and a quiet wander round the plants, but in the end didnt buy anything, so very virtuous for me, and was pleased to get home and unload all my things and set up the lap top.
I did some basic housework, read a bit , and then had some dinner and went off to play the euro games, but went in the car, too cold to use the buggy. We had a good evening and I felt I was making headway with one game, but a later game was somewhat overwhelming and it was too late in the evening to start a new game, so gave up on that one. In the meantime other people were watching the football from Scotland and a great amount of cheering went on at the end. I am a rugby fan but was pleased for them to win and when they showed that first goal where he kicked it backwards that was another great picture which will no doubt be shown many times. So there will be a flurry of working out flights etc no doubt. I was in Portugal when Benfica played Celtic in Lisbon and remember it well! We had scots , absolutely determined to see the game, and they were coming with only one way tickets, and all sorts of things. After the game the embassy had quite a lot of people to repatriate, who had either lost (or possibly sold) their passports and all sorts of things and we were putting them on the ferry to go back to Britian, and as fast as we got some on, they were getting off again and going round the city etc. Quite a time of it, and I was helping translating especially for scots with quite strong accents that were not always understood. Mind you in those days the match of course was very partisan, but after the match, no offensive language or dreadful knives etc, followers of both teams were happy to get together and celebrate a great match and sing and drink with each other. Well I am a rugby follower but remember the great Pele and many of the highlights over the years from football too. I think there will be some sore heads this morning in scotland!
Well looking out again, the snow has now disappeared and the ground green again, so it is obviously going to be one of those messy days, where whatever you are wearing is the wrong thing. At least now I am in a town dont need to stock up as I used to . My freezer then could feed us all for a week if necessary. Definitely a day for jacket potatoes and even maybe a baked apple to follow. We shall see how the day turns out.
Hope the weather isnt too cold and you have a good trip Mick . GrandMattie congratulations on FAB cafe being the best and I am not surprised, with all the loving care and wonderful food you make for it. If I lived a little nearer I would be coming down to try it out myself! Sorry to hear about the boiler issue, I think it will be thermal underwear for everyone or perhaps if you have a church hall, you might be able to have some services in there , to keep things going and not freeze your parishioners. Even very staunch churchgoers may have problems with their health , spending a long time in the cold. Ashcombe, I wish you well with your Bach performance. Can be hard work to learn it all , especially the fugues but so rewarding in the end. Shall be thinking of you on saturday and hoping you have a great time. I gather that your husband has a place in france , but obviously only joined on here after you, so hadnt understood how it works for you. Do you also go to france sometimes? I expect he is a lot warmer than us at the moment.
Well time for this creaky coffeeless person to make an effort to get the day going. Hope you all have a good day and keep warm and safe
