Admitting Defeat: I'm Never Going To Get This Blog Fully Up To Date

Its 03:07 on Tuesday 17 May and I've come to the conclusion that I must never let this blog fall behind again. I've just been flicking through all the holding posts and trying to remember what it was that I meant to write. OK some of them I can fill in because I've made reasonably decent notes in Word or they are waiting for me to upload the appropriate photos and videos , which I can now do having worked out that I've still got a about 3 gigs unused Google free space. I'm going to have to bite the bullet though and buy some space because it's been the problem of trying to organise the photos via either Ovi or Zooomr that's caused all the problems.

So then what about today (Monday 16) what did I, or anyone else in the family for that matter, do of significance...or otherwise?

After Deb and the Kids left I hot footed it to the PC to do...what? Nothing particularly specific, catch up on Google feeds, Tweets etc. Well whatever I was doing occupied me until nearly 14:00 when finally I decided I'd best go to bed. One thing of note was that not buying cider meant I just had a few weak beers in the fridge and a few of these had no effect on me and so I didn't wake later feeling the effects of too much booze.

I tried to stay up to watch the last launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour but unfortunately it wasn't due to lift off until about 15:00 and I just couldn't stay up that long. So off to bed and time to see how long I can listen to a podcast before falling asleep. Sorry Jamila (Presenter of the Outriders podcast) but you weren't able to keep me awake and I'm afraid I'm going to have to play you again.

Deb woke me early because she and Nat had to go out and so we were having tea a little earlier than normal. Grabbed a quick showered and came down. Deb had an emergency Governors meeting at Brockington to discuss reducing staff salaries (the school's thinking of applying for Academy status) and Nat was going to help out at Cubs. If he does this for 6 months that will fulfil the community service element of his Queens Scout course.

This meant that I was left with Hannah and a slight problem. I had to leave for work at 7:00 but Deb wouldn't be home until 8:15 so what to do with her during the intervening period. I was supposed to lock her in but I agreed she could play out with the girls so long and Harleen's Dad was outside. I made sure she had her phone and planned to call her when I got to work.

I got to work around 7:30 and gave her a call; no answer her phone kept ringing until it went to voice mail. I tried calling Deb but her phone, as usual, was set to silent so she didn't respond. Next I tried Shantell's Mum Lidia but it seems she may have changed her number so in the end I called Donna who, God Bless Her drove down and checked everything was OK. Hannah also had her phone on silent and so hadn't known I was calling. Donna confirmed she was playing in Shantell's back garden so everything was OK.

I called Deb at 8:30 just to check. She was home. Nat had had a great time and Akala (Elaine) had confirmed that his helping out would qualify for the community service mentioned earlier. It seems he had a great time and Elaine said that he'd been great with the kids and hadn't been too rough. Thank God because he has no idea of just how strong he is. He'd knocked my glasses flying earlier on when we were messing round.

I forgot to mention that Brandon was around this evening the first time in a few weeks as he's been staying with his Dad while his Mum went on holiday

Work was very quiet tonight and its about bloody time, and there was nothing of consequence other than the fact that JDM said he was away next week which means we've got to change the plans we had to surprise him next Tuesday with a party to celebrate his 50th birthday. Looks like this will now happen on Wednesday. Gail and Abdul got their dates mixed up anyway and brought in food and chocolates this evening...whoops.

At least now I don't have a clash with JDM's bash and next Tuesday's Governors meeting where I think we are supposed to be going for a meal to say farewell to the Head John Simpson who's retiring at the end of term.

Tuesday 30 March - Hospital, Tests, Students, Donna, Bone Bank

Well it was the penultimate step before my operation, I had to attend the General Hospital to go through final assessment and tests. Deb had the day off and drove me there for my 12;30 appointment. Han came with us whilst Nat went into town to play at the Games Workshop. Donna is in the general at present because of the problems she's having with her pancreas; so Deb arranged to meet her and visit while I was been dealt with. After Deb and Han abandoned me I tried to find where I was supposed to go. Got lost a couple of times but finally arrived at Orthopaedic Assessment I time for my appointment. I was to be there for about three hours and underwent an array of checks tests and consultations (including being used as a student doctor guinea pig).

First off I had to accompany two older nursing assistants who carry out a number of tests, blood pressure, bloods, MRSA and heart monitoring. Had the fun experience of once more having to sway behind my testicles to check for MRSA infection. After this fun experience I returned to the waiting room. While I was there a nurse arrived to check out what equipment I would need at home post operative, basically this involves arranging for the delivery of a loo seat, washing frame and chair raisers. After this I was taken by another nurse for a run through of what I would need to do before coming to hospital and on arrival. This was accompanied by reams of paperwork and consent forms. I was also asked whether |I wished to join the bone bank and after a lengthy and for some embarrassing series of questions was accepted into this.

Once again back to the waiting room, only the Doctor and then the Consultant to go. While I was waiting I flicked through a selection of the “woman's” magazines on offer. Oh my God, why do women read these things? They were either celebrity tat or full of stories about peoples loved ones dying in the most appalling circumstances. I've not got a lot of time for lads mags but at least they're more uplifting, if only in a mammary sense.

Finally it's time to see the Doctor and surgeon (Mr Davidson) for a last check on the state of my hip and to run through what's going to happen on the day. Unfortunately, for me, the doctor has student medics with him and I'm the guinea pig for them to practice on. The youngest of the students is very nervous and the doctor grinning whilst he attempts an examination of me is very of putting for him. As a result my leg gets treated a little more roughly than would be the norm and over the next few days I pay for this painfully. However if everyone objects to letting students practice on them then they'll never learn so a little extra pain is a small price to pay for contributing to the education of our future health professionals. I'M SO NOBLE!! In fact so noble am I that when I was asked if I would consider being a member of the hospital bone bank* I immediately agreed. Sometime when I look in the mirror I have an overwhelming urge to tug my forelock as a mark of respect and deference toward myself. God it's hard being perfect! Anyway, finally it was all over and so I phoned Deb and met her and Han and Donna at the main entrance and off we went home. 

*A Bone Bank harvests femoral heads from patients undergoing total hip replacements. Approximately 200-300 are harvested per annum and these are used for patients requiring revision surgery, particularly revision hip, knee and shoulder replacements and also for scoliosis correction in children.
Femoral heads are fresh frozen for a minimum of 180 days (a requirement by law) at -80˚C. Each stage of the donation process from consent, medical assessment of donors, serology testing, storage and clinical use of bone is governed by a robust quality system to ensure safety and confidentiality of both donor and recipient.


Re: Heart Attack, I haven't had a heart attack but I do, it seems, have a slight heart murmur which apparently is quite common and not a cause for great concern. Also when the original nurses took my blood pressure it was prety good, 118 /75 which is certainly preferable to what it was before it started taking medication to lower it 140/90. 

Bagel BLT, Podcasts, Bed, Donna, Work. And Re-date Nat’s Blogs

I didn’t get to bed until 4 AM and then I only slept until 9 AM because I woke up starving. I knew I needed more sleep because I’m back at work tonight. Decide to get up make some breakfast and then return to the lands of nod. I mention this only because I made two fantastic BLT Bagels for breakie; heated sliced bagel in toaster for one minute, then spread Philadelphia cheese on both half’s, then layered with tomato, lettuce and two slices of crispy fried bacon ate accompanied by Large Mug of Black Coffee - Bloody Gorgeous! I munched my way through these while watching the old JK show. What a shower of chavs today, Christ don’t these people have any idea about contraception and faithfulness? Is the baby my on off boy friends or his mates; the mate I shagged during one of our frequent break-ups? God help the poor little sods they keep producing. If JK’s still on the TV in 15 years these kids will be on the show for DNA tests too. Mrs Thatcher may have had to drag UK industry into the 20th century but in doing so she created an underclass that seems destined to be with us for the foreseeable future. Completely uneducated, asocial and drug dependant, basically everything you see on Shameless, but without the humour. It terrifies me that my kids will be bumping into these feral animals in town when they’re a little older.

Went back to bed around mid-day and updated my phones podcast menu, deleting old pods and subscribing to a few new ones. Finally got round to listening to the back episodes of The Pod Delusion and was impressed by their dedicated assault on homeopathy, I really wish I’d been able to take part in the 10:23 campaign; they held an overdose, on a homeopathy remedy, day outside of Boots the Chemist. Later, on the six o clock news it was announced that the Health Service is to hold an enquiry into the use of homeopathy in the NHS with a view to, eventually, withdrawing public funding for this bullshit; if the gullible, in the face of the evidence, wish to continue to waste their money so be it. As they say, “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it think!”
Got up a little earlier than usual, 5:30, spoke briefly to my son, Nat “I live in my room where I live for gaming”, before he unceremoniously exiled me from his domain, then I went downstairs. Watched the news, see above, made my sandwiches and soup and had dinner, belly pork, salad and garlic bread, yum.
Deb’s Dad has been for the biopsy today but won’t know anything for a little while; for now all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Donna, suprize surprise, phoned to keep Deb up to date with the ongoing saga of her separation and pending divorce, it’s been three and a half years since he deserted her for her best friend so why the f**k is the guy still hassling her. I could understand if it were the other way round, there can be few greater betrayals that what he and that women did to her, but for the life of me I can’t understand why he seems to think that he’s the injured party. I suppose that’s what comes of being a sociopath you can ONLY see it from your point of view, in fact your point of view is the ONLY point of view. It would seem that when God* was handing out empathy at Tesco’s he was obviously queuing at Asda!
Anyway, Donna was really unwell today, she’s got serious problems with her pancreas and is in considerable pain most of the time, so she sent a taxi to pick up Sian and Nat from school, Nat had a visit, in class, from a yr 9 to inform him he would be being taken home in a cab. Later he proudly displayed the notice he’d received.
Eventually I left for work at about 7:45 arrived at 8:00. It’s been quite busy all night** so far but appears to be easing off now (00:05). Just checked Nat’s posts only to discover that he appears to think that it’s still January… Shall I amend them for him?

* no I don’t really believe in God it’s just a turn of phrase, I’m not that dumb if I was I’d believe in homeopathy wouldn’t I?
**Must be the cold snap but once more many areas already fully booked up for tomorrow.