A Funny Old Year 10 December 2013

As we are approaching the end of the year and its early morning and I cannot sleep, it seemed a good time to give you readers an update on my thoughts and experiances over this last 12 months.

Where to start, maybe a reminder of a couple of good things such as my trip to Scandinavia where I went to Copenhagen with Brian,  then on to my holiday of a lifetime with Mykle and Jean in Norway,  not only did i have a holiday with them but found them to be two lovely kind people who had created a beautiful home out of nothing in such a beautiful setting. It was also a reminder of what i could achieve despite my bad back and other health issues.

The next good thing was that at last I had my TURP operation to help with my waterworks which will help in a number of ways for the future, the other good thong was that the doctors told me there was no underlying cancer which was a relief. Another bonus hopefully out of this was that, due to my complaint to the hospital the quality of the toilet paper will improve on the ward.

For some years I have been looking for different ways to spend my time that are more pleasurable,  I had been aware of the U3A organisation for some time and finally made an effort,  joining earlier in the year, I think I will write briefly now and maybe do a longer blog of my experiances with them another time.

I have been to a number of the main meetings and talks at U3A, which have been enjoyable, meeting new people in a social setting, plus I have joined a recently formed photography group within the branch, which is a pleasant mixture of people and skill levels. I also briefly joined a beginners group with them for Spanish,  but found I did not enjoy the style of tuition, I wanted to order a drink or meal not to know the waiters name, so gave it up.

Updated 12 December

As part of this I have become involved in creating a new database of members to more easily track the membership and their interests using a product called Cardbox, again more of this maybe in a future blog, si seems it was a positive move and has widened the circle social contacts I have.

Out of the blue earlier this year I started with nose bleeds in my right nostril which I have not had for many years. They seemed to get worse over about 10 days ending up in a trip to A & E when it would not stop eventually 3 hours later it stopped at the time we were in the middle of a heat wave. I got outside waited for my lift as it arrived, off it set again, this time they admittef me, put a plug up my nose and kept me overnight, the next day cauterised it and sent me home. Within an hour it was off again so back in for a further four days, I was amazed how many people came in during this time but unlike me were quiclky discharged. Finally they took the bung out and cauterised again, so far no more problems.

I forgot to say earlier in the year I finally bought this tablet which was a great buy, as I can read e mail when have access to Wi Fi, search the internet and do many other things when away from home including listening to my music and doing tasks such as my blog, which am doing in bed again as cannot sleep, oh I forgot I can also read,  I have plenty of reading material on it in fact I would imagine sufficient to last me the rest of my life

I went away with Andy and Brian to Newquay as recorded earlier, think I will look carefully at the length of trips in the future if on a coach or other forms of transport.

One of the things I wanted to do was to see Chorus Line the musical in London, again as I recorded on here I managed that plus to meet up with ex saga friends for a trip down the thames and then across it on the new cable car.

I asked my son what he wanted for his 40th birthday, he said a trip to the Grand Canyon it looks like finally next year we will manage this, together with a brief visit to New York and Las Vegas, I am advised that this will be best carried out in November, since then I have devifef to extend the trip for me after he returns from Vegas,  and then depending on whether my friend in Hawaii is available to visit there, otherwise to go to Australia and finally see Sydney and other places, before travelling on to Penang to meet with my friend from childhood, then possibly to visit Singapore and see the lights before returning home.

The trip may be the last long distance one other than possibly if I finally get to my safari which I have talked about for years, the sad thing for me is that at present I will be on my own, which will be enjoyable but I dont think quite so good as having someone to share the experiences but who knows whats round the corner

Over this year our ME group has created more social activities which I have enjoyed plus I now am assisting on the committee and am an active member of the Facebook group we have,  which has helped people cope with the isolation which is so often part of this condition.

The flat has finally had a coat of paint on all ceilings and woodwork and hopefully in the new year the living room will be decorated, it would of been done much sooner but for the problem of finding someone to fo the work, its odd that when so many are looking for work my trying to find someone to carry out the task has been so hard

Earlier this year I changed my computer and decided to use voice recognition more, its bern a mixed thing due to a number of reasons, I do know it is helpfil and encourages me to sit bettet on my seat improving posture and lessening back pain,  what I should of done was to have further training so I could do even more with it  and lessening the the effects of typing on my hands and arms, one of my resolutioms is to do this in the new year.

One of the other issues, has been the fact that I have been transferring my LPS,  (for those to young to know these are the large vinyl records we all used to listen to our music on in the past, ) onto my computer, part of the problem is that I cannot use both the microphone and input from the record deck at the same time, so have to disconnect the leads and alter the settings on the computer. The task is still not complete, but I am getting there, so far nearly 300 done.  The hope is that I will be more likely to switch off the tv and listen to the music and maybe do more reading instead
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A couple of months ago I joined a course to help people who have long term health or disability issues to cope with the symptoms and pain not as a cure more in becoming better at dealing with it, its run by an organisation called Breathworks and is based on Buddhist teachings but without thr religious aspect, I found it helpful and feel that it will help me to move on in how I deal not only with health issues but also generally in life

So a busy year of such contrasts, some of the things I hoped to achieve have fallen by the wayside but also other doors have opened that I did not expect.

My Trip To London to See Chorus Line and Meet with London Friends 16 August 2013

Trip To London to see Chorus Line the Musical and meet Ex Saga friends 16 August 2013

I had been planning this trip since I had heard that chorus line the musical was returning to London, my plan was to go sometime in September or October when things had gone quiet, but suddenly out of the blue I read that the show was due to close in August, I already had a holiday booked with Brian my travelling companion and Andy another friend for one week, so I agonised whether to go not, fortunately many friends suggested it was something to do, because who knew what was round the corner and maybe I would never get to see it again if I did not go now.

My thought was I did not want to travel on my own, so I asked various friends and acquaintances and even asked on the websites that I visit, the were people who would have liked to go to see the show but were busy at the time I was planning, I also couldn’t decide whether I was just going for the day much as I had done with Proms in the Park last year or whether to stay overnight. I then started looking for coach trips, but no success there, so next decided to sort out trains and a hotel, when I started adding up all the cost without even buying the theatre ticket this was going to be a very expensive trip.

Eventually I decided that I would go and stay overnight, I went in travel agents to ask about packages and they could do one going on the Friday and returning on the Saturday by train for £40 plus believe it or not a hotel near to Euston at only £32, I quickly went and had a look at trip advisor, it had mixed reviews but it was suitable for my needs for one night, so I went ahead and booked, I then started trying to work out about the theatre ticket, Friday night seem the best time to go, but I didn’t seem able to find a ticket at the right price in the right place, eventually I found an agency that was selling discounted tickets that suited my needs, how Ward that they could charge less than the actual theatre was doing.

I had mentioned on Facebook to some of my friends who live in London but I was coming down for a visit and how I would look forward to meeting up with them if any were available, fortunately the two Janes Maris and Pauline said they were able to meet me and will take me for a trip down the Thames, I wasn’t quite sure if they were going to throw me in LOL, one or two others said they would have loved to have met again unfortunately it clashed with other arrangements they’d already made, so now I was really looking forward to the trip.

On the day I drove into town because I realised it was going to be late evening when I returned on the train so it was better to have the car at the station, the trip down was uneventful, I always struggle to understand why when it says quiet no mobiles on the train, there are always those that ignore it, why don’t they go instead into one of the other compartments instead, otherwise it was pleasant trip. The hotel was only a short walk away, not the most attractive, when I got to reception it was 1:45 PM, I said was it possible to obtain no sorry you cannot do until 2 o’clock, not sure the reasoning behind this, went to room it was basic but okay, even had to your coffee making facilities if you wanted them, so I unpacked had a wash and change, I forgot to say that it was shared toilets and bathroom, but they were not far away and were clean, so I then went out, originally I decided I was going to have a look at the London Eye before returning to get ready for the show, then realised it may take too long, so I consulted my guidebook and set off for the British Museum.

There were no problems finding my way there, it was a little bit busy on the roads, but what a surprise when I got there, it shows how long it is since I must visited a museum because there were hundreds of people outside, undeterred I went inside I could not believe the number of people and the noise, I always thought these were peaceful quiet places, because I was time-limited I only looked at certain exhibits, I don’t know if it is because I am getting old, but some people were quite rude, pushing in front of you to make sure they missed nothing or standing blocking the way taking photographs, I wandered back downstairs, I went to have a look at the drinks and snacks, those that know me well are aware that I love carrot cake, that I paid 5 pounds when in Norway, well readers believe it or not, a slice at the British Museum which was not that appetizing or big, cost £4.50 so I decided to wait. I wandered back towards the hotel and found a pleasant garden with an empty bench to sit and watch what was going on in the peace quiet and tranquillity, an elderly gentleman approached and sat down, oh no he got out his mobile phone started chatting, so back to the hotel I went, had a rest before getting ready to go out.

I went downstairs to have a meal in the hotel, it seems they no longer do this, so went to Euston station, to somewhere I’d use previously, unfortunately they were full, and I just hope Brian is not reading this, because I ended up going to Burger King, must say their burgers are much bigger than McDonald’s, then on the bus to the theatre, I had definite instructions on where to get off, informed the driver of my destination, I could not make out what he was saying, actually he was telling me that it shows on the board and is announced.

I reached my destination and walked to the theatre, it was already filling up inside but for some reason they did not open the doors to the seats for some time, as it was a special occasion I paid for a full programme, the photos were good, but where was all the information about the cast. Fortunately I had been given good advice about where to sit in the theatre so had a very good view, the show started and I just sat and enjoyed the full two hours, the stage is a very simple one for the show, the only thing that is different at certain times is a range of mirrors behind the actors, their acting singing and dancing was really good apart from, gosh I can’t remember her name now, but the character couldn’t sing, there was humour in the show, sadness and lots of fun, one of the problems is I now struggle because some of the songs will not stop going round my head, I had forgotten how the show ended, but found the last little bit before the final song a little odd, other than that a fantastic show I would go and see again maybe when it is touring. I then returned to the hotel.

One of the things I forgot to mention, was how noisy London is, with the basic traffic but even more so with the constant sirens of emergency vehicles, I had made a mistake and my room was on the front of the hotel, if I closed the window it cut the noise down, but because there was no other ventilation and it was quite warm it then got too hot, something to remember for another time, I did not sleep well but I normally don’t anyway.

The next morning I got up had a shower went down for breakfast, which for the price of the room was quite good, then got ready to go out, remembered to take everything as I would not be returning, then went over to the underground, with my next set of instructions, to meet my friends at the embankment. First shock trying to work out how to use the ticket machine, eventually acquired ticket, I could hear constant announcements being made bought was not quite sure what the relevance was, went looking for the Northern line, that was the relevance it was closed, at least for the part that I needed, so now we had hundreds or thousands of people lost trying to work out how to get to their destination, after about quarter of an hour I finally sorted it out, it took an extra change at Victoria before I reached my destination and finally met my friends at the barrier.

They had decided with my consent that they would take me down the Thames on one of the clipper boats to Greenwich and then we would plan from there, on board the boat we sat in the rear as the weather was quite good at that time, and they showed me various points of interest, I took a few photographs but it was difficult because of the speed and ever-changing view to get that many good ones, we eventually reached Greenwich we had a walk around, went from meal then carried on as I had mentioned wanting to go on the cable car across the Thames, we bravely did that, one of the Janes initially struggled but later on see more relaxed, from our viewpoint we could see across London, including people walking across the top of the O2 stadium, don’t think I’m that brave, eventually we set off back to the embankment on the boat again. This time I knew the route I was taking, Pauline had by now left us, the others saw me safely onto the tube before leaving me at the next stop, the timing was perfect there was a train to Manchester within quarter of an hour, the trip back was uneventful, the only shock was the car parking charge of £21, it seems weekend starts on Saturday not Friday, that’s when I would have got the cheap rate.

This trip was a good reminder that we should do the things that we want to while we can, because if we’ve enjoyed them we can always do again, so thanks to everyone who encouraged me and the fantastic company