A Fart At The Doctors

I just bloody knew that I needed a longer dose of antibiotics,

So why didn’t I say anything on Monday ?

Strange that nurses who act as advocates for their patients cannot quite be advocates for themselves 

Sick of feeling ill I had a mini tantrum at the doctor’s surgery this morning 

I was tired after night shift which galvanised me.

And a little sick of being let down by people

Within a minute of said tantrum, I had sorted longer term antibiotics, a blood test , other investigations and a review date.

I was a force to be challenged 

I was magnificent , even with a kidney infection, 

I was a Chubby Meryl Streep pre Oscar

 

I was so het up and pumped that when I asked the receptionist for some specimen bottles 

I farted very loudly with the stress of it all 

The receptionist had the good grace to blush but to say nothing

I burst out laughing 

The first time this week

I’m trying hard to be light x

Chatsworth

 

It’s time I return to one of my favourite places 

Chatsworth House in Derbyshire

I was only thinking the other day about when I last visited this grand old house and it must be almost sixteen years ago now.

When I lived in Sheffield, only 14 miles away to the North East, Chatsworth was a favourite destination on a weekend, whether it was for an amble through the house and gardens. A visit to the famous shop, which was located in the old shire horse stables out on the estate, or just to walk by the river below the garden terraces.

In a fit of nostalgia I’ve arranged to meet an old friend from Sheffield there in December 

It’s a four hour round trip for me , but it will be worth going even if it is for just the day 

To say hello again to The Veiled Vestal by Monti will be a highlight

It will be like saying “So you’re here again” to an old friend.

Off sick again

Blood tests and investigations 

More antibiotics

Hey ho

Food

 I’m back on nights until Saturday morning.

Saturday night I’m having a dinner party

After writing those words, I’ve realised just how old fashioned I am

Apparently people don’t “ do” dinner parties anymore .

They just do food.

Chic Eleanor is one guest and our friends Sara & Pask are the others. Pask is a colourful Italian doctor who is a real natural foodie, which raises the stress of what food to pick somewhat, but I’ve made it easy on myself and have kept things simple . Eleanor will bring with her the starters and the others will bring the desert. 

I will be cooking an all-in-on chicken, rice , olive dish from Spain

Last time they all came, Eleanor dropped some red hot french beans into Pask’s lap, causing him to tear off his trousers, ones that needed sponging down, leaving him to finish the dinner in his underpants.

That was a first at Bwthyn y Llan.

Anyway it will be nice to have a houseful again.

I’ve been collecting a nice set of cutlery over the past couple of years, buying the odd spoon and knife from John Lewis every time I go. I now have enough for four guests to use all at once, but this morning I realised I don’t own four matching cup and saucers, so popped down to Sainsbury’s and bought two to make up a set. 

That’s as far as I go with pushing the boat out.

 

The Eternals

 

After exceeding the 25 minimal singers for choir I felt as I did at school at being picked second last for the football team ( last was Darren Jones with the special Built up Right shoe) 

I was told that I couldn’t attend !

At a loose end, I went to see The Eternals hoping it was going to be as entertaining as Dune

It wasn’t 

I’m not going to attempt to tell you the plot. 

Suffice to say it’s a overlong, over complicated ,mismatch superhero film based loosely on Greek mythology 

Like The Great British Bake Off , The Eternals ticks every minority box 

This eclectic group of 10 heroes is fucking eclectic , a Latin leader ( Salma Hayek) a gay black boffin (Brian Tyree Henry), a deaf heroine ( Lauren Ridloff from The Walking Dead), as well as the acting lips that is Angelina Jolie, an incredibly wooden, very Scottish Richard Madden as well as other English Asian and American Indian and Irish actors. 

Who I did like was the addition of the mountainous Korean actor Ma Dong Seok ( the surprising hero from the Korean zombie movie hit Train To Busan ) He gave the whole movie a bit of heart.

I had to text my nephew Leo of my disappointment even before the final credits rolled 

He wasn’t surprised

The 18 year old, superhero fan hadn’t bothered to see it yet

Just as the film started choir messaged me, and told me I could attend as there had been a cancellation 

Hey ho

Ma Dong Seok and the acting lips Jolie

Giselle

Three years ago I went to see the breathtaking ballet Giselle at the Royal Opera House. 

The whole production blew me away

I see it returned to London just a few days ago

And the whole production can be streamed on line from the beginning of December 

Catch it if you can

Disappointed I can’t go to choir tonight , because of covid numbers are being limited to 25 

It was my only Tuesday free until Christmas too which is another bummer…I’m rostered to work every choir night until then….

Off to the cinema later in an effort to brighten my mood , going to see the big boys film The Eternals 

Out

Off to bed early .

Rather poignantly Miriam Margolyes in her recent autobiography revealed that she regretted coming out to her mother. On reflection she thought it was unkind.

She celebrates coming out in general, of course, but now thinks it is wrong to do so with people who are “ not equipped to cope with the information “ 

How sad she has carried around with her that guilt for all of these years.

I’m still not feeling 100%

Back to the doctors tomorrow

 

Winnie’s Rose

I’m sat in my office. 

Perusing the cost of new washing machines.

I hadn’t factored the fact that my Samsung wasn’t immortal.

More juggling of finances are in order.

Hey ho.

The gravedigger arrived early today and drove through my field to access the new cemetery with his mini digger . Village Elder Islwyn was there too. He loaned the digger briefly to landscape some of the more uneven parts of my field . 

While I have been ill, he has taken it upon himself to clear the Glebe of rubbish and detritus, which was kind.

Islwyn loves a project.

I’ve missed some village news. The Village Community Association has started to clear the village pond and opened up their loaned chipper to the rest of the village over last weekend. I will walk up later to check on how much they’ve done , guilty a little that I wasn’t able to help. 

I also missed the soup lunch at the Hall on Saturday, 

Trefor’s had a one word review of it

Looking unhappy, all he said was “ humm Mushroom”

I day dreamed for a while, looking at the autumn/winter colours of the gorse and the trees on the top of The Gop.

Everything is a sad dull brown.

My back garden looks just as bland I thought, then I suddenly caught a flash of bright yellow tucked away in a far corner. 

Bored with washing machines , paperwork and bills ….I went to investigate.

My rose bush “Winifred” had bloomed far late in the season.

It was a rose given to me by a friend as a memorial to the old Queen Of Sheba, and I’d never seen it flower so late in the year.

I cut two of the blooms and brought them up to the office, making my desk look cheerful 

Bored

My Vietnamese Spring Rolls

The one thing most irritating thing about feeling unwell is that it’s boring

I’m on the third day of Pivmecillnam Antibiotic and although my urine is now a clear amber I still feel lethargic and not well and still have a backache.

I’ve done laundry, odd jobs and have moved things from one place in the cottage to another , which is a thing most of us do when we feel at a bit of a loss 

The dogs have been walked, Trefor’s dressing completed and I’ve made tasty Vietnamese spring rolls with   Rice wrappers I found in my sushi drawer. 

These non fried rolls I filled with vermicelli noodles, prawns and salmon, coriander and slivers of avocado ( I didn’t have lettuce ) the dipping sauce is a simple mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, chilli, a tiny bit of sugar and water

The 2014 memorial for the Honghkou Shanghai Jews

I then watched a documentary Harbor From The Holocaust which was a moving and fascinating account of how 18,000 German Jews survived the war in Japanese occupied Shanghai . This was followed by a gentle Argentinian gay film called Hawaii which was delightful as it had a happy ending.

I cleaned Mary’s ears with antibacterial fluid then cleaned Dorothy’s so she wouldn’t feel left out. 

And I tackled a few of the eight or so magazines, which I treated myself to yesterday when I went shopping.

The magazine thing was a bit of a blast from the past when on impulse I bought copies of Private Eye, The New Yorker, Empire, Total Film, The National Geographic, Antiques & Home and Hello Magazine

I ve just made myself a decaf coffee and took some paracetamol 

Chic Eleanor has just phoned, she and our friends Sara and Pask are coming here for dinner next Saturday 
I’ve checked the clock as the light seems to have changed over the field and I’ve seen Pippa from the Rectory in her leopard print Fez walk past the cottage towards home

It’s only quarter past three

Heyho