Sore thumb……

…… funky plaster.

In unrelated news, I spent some time gardening this evening. Accompanied by Ronnie, who was “helping” by leaping hysterically at everything.

Shiney……

…… is the car. Did the carwash thingy this afternoon. The car no longer looks like an old tractor.  I have been lying low for a while – did a LRP event, which was enjoyable over the Bank Holiday weekend, but then some plague bearer gave me a stinking cold.  I made it into work for about 5 hours on 10th May and then spent the next 4 days lying in bed, shivering, boiling, sneezing and wheezing.  I may as well have bought shares in Kleenex, given how many hankies were used.  You kind of get to the point of wondering how much snot one person can produce in a 24hr period.  Anyway, am feeling slightly better now – less snotters, but a really irritating cough and general tiredness.

One sentence that summarises each year of your life so far……

……um, gosh:

1974: Born in March, living in Langbank.

1975: Moved to Greenock.

1976: The Joyous One is born.

1977: No idea – who can remember being three?

1978: Big hairy caterpillars on Jura.

1979: Take a dead blue tit in for the nature table: Miss Armstrong was not impressed, but I am glad I am not in Miss Grant’s class because she was a scarey lady.

1980: I think Mum is embarrassed by Brian’s arrival as the baby Moses basket is located in a corner behind one of the living room chairs: I later discover this is probably to stop the dog knocking it over.

1981: No idea – a blank.

1982 : Also a blank.

1983: Blank – did I have a 3-year period of amnesia?!

1984: Kitten-heeled shoes

1985: TV!!!!!!

1986: Finish primary school – head for Greenock Academy.

1987: I get straight A-grades in my report card for everything apart from maths – I’m crap at maths.

1988: Arran, sausage sizzles and sea kayaking.

1989: Lots and lots of studying: seemed so important at the time.

1990: Pompeii, Herculaneum and pizza in Sorrento.

1991: Run amok in the Art Department and do nothing else but painting and classics for the whole academic year.

1992: Move to England.

1993: Went out for stamps, came back with tattoo.

1994: Fail Agricultural Biology, spend birthday on the White Horse at Uffington with Rob.

1995: Get pissed on by Apodemus sylvaticus and Clethrionomys glareolus a lot.

1996: Graduate and spend the summer identifying and surveying butterflies – the difference between small skipper and Essex skippers is the colour of the underside of their antennae.

1997: I win a village pub Christmas Eve fancy dress competition: I am not in fancy dress – this is how I normally dress.

1998: New Zealand & Australia – sea snakes and shark feeds off North Horn.

1999: GHP – I am overwhelmed by trees, polytunnels and an amazing team to work with.

2000: LARP.  That is all.

2001: Trees and seeds, lots of them.

2002: Buckingham Palace – the Queen is very small.

2003: The cows break down the fence and ravage the vegetable garden; one gooseberry and some onions are saved.

2004: Left conservation for mental health advocacy.

2005: Mental health advocacy work is both challenging and occasionally hilarious.

2006: New Zealand and Joy’s wedding.

2007: Egypt, lack of sharks, lots of lionfish and blue-spotted stingrays.

2008: Lots of camping.

2009: New Zealand, road trip, whales, albatrosses, and dolphins of the land.

2010: Hard work.

2011: not finished yet, but doing ok so far.

Problem solved……

…… sort of.  Did the dental appointment.  Prepared for another debate on sedation and why yada yada.  I even went so far as to write down what I wanted and why on a bit of paper in case I bottled it, and had a back-up plan of calling a friendly dentist I work with to get her advice.  So, going in, prepared for the worst.  We exchange pleasantries, he asks about my most recent emergency visit 3 weeks ago to see his colleague.  I say I want the wisdom teeth out, but with sedation and ask how we make this happen.  Pause.  “I refer you to a specialist who does IV sedation and is experienced in wisdom teeth extraction.  This is simple but you will need to wait for an appointment from them.  Is this ok?”

OK?! Shit yes.  What do I sign?!  We get the paperwork, discuss the details, and there we are.  Simples.  We then have a general chat about being a nervous patient, and he is interested and kind.

I feel so much better about this.  Ok, I still need to deal with the whole actual procedure in the future, but a solution has been found, and I didn’t need to change dentist or any of that crap.  Tooth still pangs when I smile on one side, and I was a wee bit whacked on co-codamol in this afternoon’s training session, but hey, I can live with that for now.

Tooth saga……

…… part two, or three, or possibly more.  I’ve lost count.  Anyway, the wisdom teeth are giving me more and more hassle.  One has repeated abscesses, the other broke in half about a year ago.  Every time I visit the dentist, he says “these need to come out.  I can take them out.  Just book a longer appointment in the next week” (say that in a kind of Turkish cross Swedish accent).  Hilarious.  Anyway.  My usual response is to ask about sedation for this.  I am a dreadful dental patient.  All my childhood fillings were done without any anaesthetic at all.  My last major grown-up dental work (about 12 years ago) was done under mild sedation.  Well, the usual local anaesthetic jags and a wee white pill taken some time beforehand.  I didn’t care by then.  So, about this sedation? “No no no – this is not necessary.  Local anaesthetic is all is needed.”  There will endeth that converation again.  Reeeally?  It’s about all I can do to actually stay in the chair for a dental examination.  Last time he decided to do a wee bit of cleaning/scale stuff with the horrible whirry thing I nearly headbutted him in my rush to get out of the chair.

Tomorrow, I have a routine dental appointment.  I was there 3 weeks ago with an abscess.  My half-a-tooth is now intermittently giving out bloody big jabs of pain.  I can’t grin properly – the pain from making that facial action literally stops me dead whatever I’m doing.

Tomorrow I can see me having to have the circular debate about sedation again.  Just give me the fucking midazolam already.  Tomorrow I need to give him some sort of ultimatum (if that’s not too strong a term).  I want these bloody teeth out.  But I won’t be fully compos mentis whilst it’s done, becuase I simply won’t stay seated for long enough to allow him to do it.

Wish me luck……

Long time……

……no write.  Well, physio on the ankle has finished, although I have been told to continue with the specific exercises I’ve been given to strenghten by ankle tendons.  So that’s all fine.  Am also 4 weeks into a 6 week kettlebell training course, which has been variously hard, bloody hard, falling over off balance hard and funny.  Debs and I must seem like the least coordinated people on the planet to Mike, who is trying in vain to explain simple moves.  He says “go right,” I go left; he says “do this, then this,” we do one move then look blankly at each other and get the giggles.  I usually fall over at this point in a graceful heap (with a 4kg weight in each hand).  Sometimes I’m tempted just to tell him to leave me in my sprawled form on the mat and put a blanket over me.  The first week we did it, we thought “how hard can it be?”  We ached a bit the next day but nothing unusual.  The day after we were crippled, and every muscle in my legs howled every time I tried to move.  It’s getting better, but bloody hell it can be painful.  If you’re not sure how hard it can be, lie on the floor with your legs straight and feet lifted about 6 inches off the ground.  Now do a sit up.  Ok.  Now do it with a 4lb weight in each hand; hands held perpendicular to the floor above your chest.  Keep your arms and hands in the perpendicular as you sit up.  Control a slow move back down to your start position.  And die a little. Repeat until knackered. See? It’s fun! Honest

Run to the hills……

……run for your lives!  I’m back at speed (ish) to running again after the trouble with tendons.  Physio ultrasound treatment has finished, I’ve got exercises to do and I’ve got to go back in a week and a half for a check-up, but apart from that, it’s all going as well as can be expected.  Still a bit achey, but I managed a 2.5k run today and will see how it feels in the morning.  All being well, I’ll be back at Body Attack next week but just doing the lower impact moves.

Muhahaha……

……38 pounds. Some to go, but not a lot. Muhahaha. In other news, the tendon is making its displeasure felt by being there and noticeable.  Remember when you were a kid and someone (usually your sister/brother) gave you a swift boot in the ankle bone? Well that’s how it feels – regularly.  A dull ache.  According to Robert, my lovely and helpful physio, only time will really do the trick, so no running or high-impact work for me yet.  I am back in the gym though, and doing what I can, so I see this as a good thing.  It helps that the sun is now out more frequently, cos that makes everyone feel more enthusiastic about life – apart from yesterday, when it was bloody freezing in my office and we were all reduced to coats and hats (in my case) to keep warm.  The situation was resolved by stealing a portable heater from someone else’s office   Apparently, Estates Services switch the heating off in May because it’s not needed -  they say it’s summer.  Bollocks.  It was snowing in Penrith yesterday. Metcheck tells me it will be -5 on Thursday night, so they better switch the heating back on or I’ll be working from home. 

Except I won’t, because the nice man who’s bought the house next door is renovating (Big Stylee) and lie-ins and working at home are not an option unless I wear earplugs to drown out the indusrial hammering and drilling noises.  Fortunately, he doesn’t do this at weekends, which is very considerate of him. And I would kill him for power-drilling at 8am on Saturday.

Success……

……. comes in many shapes and sizes, but I am pleased to say that today, I weighed in at 9 stone 6.5lb. I’ve lost a pleasing 37lb, and all my clothes no longer fit properly. What an excuse to go shopping! I’m well chuffed, and hope that I can stick to the healthier lifestyle that I’ve managed so far (apart from the odd litre of gin and cakes). Progress on the ankle tendon is going well, and I’ve started physiotherapy and ultrasound treatment, so we’ll see how that goes. Am now back in the gym, but not doing anything high-impact for the time being

Nearly there……

…… just another 1lb to go and I’ll have succeeded in reaching my target weight of 9 and a half stone! Yay.  Clothes fit! Actually – most of them don’t so maybe I need to clear out the clothes rail and go for a wander round the shops.  Must get rid of all the larger sized stuff so I don’t get tempted to give it all up and blob out into them.  I feel much better for it now, but need to get back to the gym.  Cos of the ankle, I’ve not been doing anything except upper body weights for 2 weeks. I now have permission to go and start some gentle crosstrainer work and see how the ankle bears up, but no high-impact work and no running until I’ve seen the physio and got a programme of exercises.