12/11/2008 by Aileen.

I spent a lovely morning pottering, when there was a ring on the bell. It was Martin. Lovely surprise. He and his business partner had driven up to Scunthorpe for an auction (via Doncaster for a racing bike!) and it was a really flying visit. Nice though.

The evening spoilt it. There was an atmosphere at the Scripture Group I go to as one of the members was in a foul mood. She is such a rude woman. Oops. I’d better write about it in my secret blog. This is my ‘face for the world’ blog. (That’ll keep ya guessing!)

Brilliant morning today. (Birding) We saw many waxwings at one location in Hull, then went to East Park where we saw other wingy things.

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11/11/2008 by Aileen.

Well, I’m so pleased with yesterdy. I meditated twice, dealt straight away with post, dusted and hoovered everywhere á la my version on Flylady   (www.flylady.net), trimmed lavender, went for brisk 20 minute walk, and tried to arrange to do church cleaning but Sheila did it last week as it seems the date was wrong in the newsletter. I also read a lot of Stark (Ben Elton) and did the first two exercises of week 6 in my A215 course.

Why I’m ashamed is that I have been reading some really good blogs. Becky Phillips’ one for example.

http://becksathome.blogspot.com/

Really deep and she comes across as so intelligent. Right, this is only a sort of daily diary, and I deliberately don’t put anything too personal on it - and being an introvert I think an awful lot of my ’stuff’ is too personal. One definition of an introvert is that they hide what they think is their ‘best’ stuff.

I have another website, which is coming along nicely. I’m keeping it anonymous as there will be some of my religious poems on it. It has the facility for a blog, but as I’m doing the site from scratch (not using templates) I’m not sure how to go about it yet. It’s one big learning curve and I love it.

Anyway, today - more gardening, making a chicken curry with Sunday’s leftovers, Scripture tonight (after a three months absense) and as it’s nice I might have a leisurely stroll round the ponds with my camera. I noticed lots of beautiful leaves and interesting fungi on my walk yesterday.

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08/11/2008 by Aileen.

Wow. It’s only 9.30 and I am so organised. Dishwasher and washing machine on, showered, breakfasted, nothing outstanding. Well, there is thick dust everywhere, as that seemed to go out of my mind when J was in hospital, and my library books are way overdue. (Going there this morning) I’ve decided my book diet for ages has been modern crime, and there are so many classics I have never read - or read and forgotten) so recently I read Brave New World and I might start Scoop today, although I picked up BenElton’s Stark, so might get side-tracked.

I had two pieces of mail to respond to yesterday, and actually dealt with them straight away

a) renewed my car tax online

b) donated to Cafod for the people in the Congo.

If I can deal with today’s post just like that I will be SOOOOO organised.

Other plans for the weekend - catch up on A215 (Creative Writing) as I haven’t done much what with John coming home on Tuesday. I got my first TMA back on Monday and scored 88% which really pleased me.

Anyway, I don’t want to waste this precious day, so off I go to potter until the post arrives.

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06/11/2008 by Aileen.

Who do I put first? Barrrack has made history and I’m so glad. I wonder how it will be taught in years to come. Obviously technology will be nothing like we imagine now, but I wonder how teachers will deal with it. 20th Century - 1960s - campaigning for equal rights for all. Then, 40 years later, a black president.Kids will have to learn causes leading to this. And in the grand scale of things 40 years is nothing.

But being a nimbo my main theme is that John is home after thirteen weeks and one day. We had our celebratory meal this evening. Beef casserole was lovely. I had earmarked a boeuf provencale and a boeuf bourginogne recipe. I bought ingredients for one, but followed the instructions for the other, so it was a bit of a hybrid. Lovely though.

The french onion soup I had planned would have been too  much, so I cut a tomato into two to make flowered cups, and filled them with (tinned) coronation tuna. Fine.

I didn’t get the raspberry sorbet out of the freezer in time, so we had a giggle and waited half an hour before tackling it. They were fine too.

Birding was good this morning in spite of the flat light. We saw smew, woodcock and kingfisher among others.

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04/11/2008 by Aileen.

Went in to see John yesterday and he said 3 of them in the 6 bedder would have to move downstairs to other wards as there were going to be 5 new admissions for ops. (J’s ward is for people who have been injured previously and are coming back for other problems.) Any as he was allowed up we went out and had a very nice pub lunch. We then drove around to find Waddesdon Manor, but it was closed. We wouldn’t have gone in anyway. It’s just for future reference, and something to do. We eventually returned to the hospital, only to find John’s bed and belongings in the corridor. They weren’t supposed to be moved downstairs without his permission, but someone else was in his place by the window, so I don’t know what would have happened if John refused to go down!

Anyway, he was put on St George ward, which is really for rehabilitating newly injured people. It was sad to see a couple of teenagers doing wheelies round the place. John’s new place is big enough for a 2bedder, with his own loo and shower, and at first we were so impressed, but of course he is really going to miss the camaradie and banter of St Patrick ward. John is a really sociable guy.

I stayed with him quite late last night. For a start it took ages for his bed to come down from upstairs (and he’d not supposed to be out of bed for too long at the moment) Also, I could see he was going to be lonely. He has telly, computer and books, but he really loves company.

During the night I had decided we really ought to push for him to come out in the next day or two. When he suggested it on Sunday the Sister said he had to have his new pain killers in place, and contact made with medical people up North. Well, we know his drugs are behind the nursing station ready to go out, so as long as the rest of the stuff is ready, why can’t he come home?

Anyway, he’s just rung me with the same idea. He needed to check, cos if it’s tomorrow I will have to miss my birding. But that’s fine. I would so love to have him home and monopolising the remote again.

I”’ be in touch, Diary. See ya.

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03/11/2008 by Aileen.

When I told ALi that J was coming home next Monday, she thought it was a bit daft as nothing happens in hospital over the weekend. I put it to John and he agreed. He’s negotiated with the nurses that he can come home on Friday. Yippee. I’ll have to miss my Creative Writing, and I’ll be missing it in a few weeks as my endoscopy is due, but hey, you win some you lose some.

We had an absolutely super day yesterday. M and F invited my brothers plus wives up, so we all met at the hospital and chatted round bed. Fiona stayed home to do cooking - and we had a wonderful lamb meal. John won’t eat lamb, and I love it, so Fiona did it ’specially for me as John wasn’t there. Thanks DIL(ly)

Round John’s bed  I was laughing ’til I cried, but it wouldn’t seem  funny if I wrote it down.  Something about Kev not going to his Old Boys’ reunion as they had changed the venue and he couldn’t cut through Westminster Cathedral any more. Lots of other teasing and joking. You’d need to be there!

More fun back at the house, and what was really good was that John didn’t feel ready to come out and join us and was quite relieved that he couldn’t, so everyone was happy.

Too busy chatting and laughing to take any snaps. Shame.

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