OUCH!!! ..... And then Whoopee!!

 

 

Not the most comfortable of injections I have ever had!!

but the results are amazing! 

I can walk about normally, no pain and no limping - wonderful. 

 I had to rest after getting home last night at about 6.00 pm

and also rest today and then 'mobilise slowly' -

so I won't be going for a 5 mile walk or a run just yet!!  

~

OH says I look 20 years younger - which is great. 

I suppose all the pain etc, did take its toll on me a bit. 

At least I don't have to use the walking stick at the moment. 

Will see how I get on when I go back to driving, shopping etc.

~

As I have to mobilise slowly

I will now go gently to the kitchen

and make us some scrambled eggs on toast for lunch.

~

Don't know how long the effects will last,

but so far just the last 24 hours have been amazing!
I have heard reports of lasting 3 weeks to 9 months,
so anything in between is fine by me.
~
Thanks for your good wishes Kath
~
Ann x

Going for the Injection ...

 

No, its not very nice

It's a caudal epidural injection into the base of my spine!

To help with my spinal canal stenosis

~

Orders to be at the Day Surgical Unit at 12.00 hours!

~

At least I can eat and drink as normal before going in

not that I feel like eating much

~

No nightclothes required,- but 'please bring slippers and dressing gown

as you will be recovering on a mixed ward'!!!!

~

Had a shower - no talcum powder used!

~

Removed all my nail varnish

Pity, my toes were their usual pretty summer blue!

~

Not taking any large sums of money, jewellery or valuables,

just some easy reading - Being Elizabeth by Barbara Taylor Bradford

~

I'm hoping this injection will allow me to re-join our walking group

At present I can only manage about a mile, and that with a lot of pain,

but if I can get up to 4 or 5 miles that would be great.

Fingers crossed.

~

Ann x

Baking today ...

'Froogs' Gingery Biscuits - find her recipe HERE 

~

I thought I would give them a try as I have my reading group here

tomorrow and they like to try out my baking.

~

 

~

Its strange, they don't look anything like Frugal Queen's biscuits

but I don't think they will last very long.

~

Will let you know if my visitors like them.

~

Ann x

~

(p.s. I have been so good and not even tasted one yet!)

(p.p.s. The group loved them and kept coming back for more.

One member has asked me to send her the recipe!)



Our Pembrokeshire garden is struggling ...

... To come to terms with all the different weather we have been having lately!

Scorching temperatures of up to 30! 3inches of rain in two days!

Sudden low temperatures of 9 and much shorter days now!

~



Flower pot corner is suddenly bursting at the seams and everything is overgrowing.

~ 

This wonderful purple clematis is flourishing like there is no tomorrow

~ 

The bees are finally finding food and are absolutely everywhere!

~ 

The echinops have never been so prolific and they are full of bees to.

Of course they all flew away as soon as they saw the camera!

~ 

Very pleased with my crop of garlic.  It should last us quite a long time.

Our last year's crop lasted well into April this year.

~

Quite a lot of apples, but they are small still.

I should have picked a lot of the tiny ones off as soon as they showed,

but didn't do it this year, hence the smaller fruit.

~ 

 

The same with our other tree, but they are looking good too, if small also.

~

Tomatoes are a distaster!!  I think I will give up and not try to grow any more.

Last year's were a  wash-out because of all the rain and most of them went black and

this year's just don't seem to be growing at all.  They really are as small as they look!

(The less said about my potato crop the better!)

~

Herbs are very abundant though, especially our rosemary. The plant is huge and OH

has already taken some cuttings to start off more plants.  We also have good crops of

golden oregano, mint, fennel, lavender and thyme.

~

 

Our lovely hydrangea is beautiful though and the pinks all merge into

each other and fade into purple, making up for all the failures.

~

Hope your gardens are all doing well.

~

Ann x

I'm still here! Prizes at Ludchurch Show

Gosh, I've never entered a Show before, so in order to support a nearby local

Show in Llanteg, several of us from my quilting group decided to enter

some of the various classes.

~

~

I entered 6 Fruit Scones and won Third Prize.

~ 

~

I entered a Jar of Mixed Herbs (at least 3 varieties)

and won Third Prize

~ 

~

I entered 3 Beetroots and won Third Prize

~

Chuffed to bits!!!

~

I also entered a 'Photograph of a Building' and one of my quilts which didn't win any prizes but helped to add to all the entries in the various classes, which included, jams, flower arranging, knitting, tapestry, children's classes, vegetables, painting, etc, etc.  It was great fun and one of our quilting members won the cup for the person with most points in the Craft Section, so it was a good day for everyone and we helped to keep the show going as it was thinking it might have to stop for lack of entries in previous years.

~

This all took place in the hall where we usually play our short mat bowls, so we give up our evening there each year for the hall to be prepared for the show.  Well worth it!

~

Will come back later to catch up on things and see what everyone has been doing.

Hope you are all having a great summer and enjoying the sun, which we very much needed - although we have paid for it over the last few days and nights with at least 3 inches of rain!!

~

Ann x

The 1950s Typing Pool

(Taken from The Pale King Photos)

After my blog about London and saying where I used to work, someone asked 'What is a typing pool?'  Well, I don't know if there are any nowadays, but this was how it was in the 1950s when I began my working career at the age of 18.  The girl with the curly hair on the far right of the photo could easily be me.  I looked just like that, could have even still been wearing short white socks!

I spent two years in the Sixth Form at John Howard Grammar School, Clapton, London.  There I learned to type on one of these wonderful typewriters.  All touch typing in those days, we were not allowed to look at our hands at all while typing! and we had to type at a regular speed, usually guided by a metronome!! e.g. asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj - etc, etc,!!! try it. It is still very boring! Make sure you use the correct fingering though!

(Photo from ebay)

I also learned Pitman's Shorthand (highest ever speed 140 wpm!) and up until very recently I still had lots of shorthand books and I still have my original Pitman's Shorthand Dictionary that I had for Christmas in 1954!  It looks pretty dog-eared now though!

(Taken from Long Live Shorthand)
I can still write shorthand - not quite as neatly as this though and I have managed to read most of it.  Can you?

When I worked for The London Life Association in King William Street in 1955 the typing pool was run by a very stern lady. Trying to remember her name!  There were about a dozen of us in the room and as any staff member wished to have some letters done, we were sent up to his office with our shorthand notebooks to take the dictation.  Then we came back to type out the letters.  Remember - no computers then - Into the typewriter went at least two sheets of paper, one for the top, original copy and a second 'flimsy' copy to be put in the file. Between these two sheets was a sheet of carbon paper. Very messy stuff.  The inky side of this carbon paper had to be placed next to the flimsy and as you typed an imprint of each letter was reproduced from the top copy to the flimsy copy. Are you with me still?  Of course sometimes one made a mistake! Then you had to turn the paper up in the machine, open a gap between the carbon paper and the flimsy and put in a piece of plain paper, rub out the offending mistake on the flimsy, go back to the front and rub out that mistake as well and cover it with a bit of chalk - don't take out the bit of plain paper yet.  Make sure both sheets had the offending mistake removed, take out the piece of plain paper, return the cylinder to the correct typing place and re-type your mistake.  It helped to keep up our accuracy I can tell you.  And if you ever overtyped!!!  Well, I did that one time too many once and was called before the typing supervisor for a dressing down on my slack behaviour!  Ahh me - Those were the days - or were they!

And if lots of copies were needed you had to take out the ribbons from the machine so the type cut directly on to a wax sheet which was then put on to a Gestetner copier machine after you rollered over it with black ink. (But that's another story!)

(King William Street, London, where I used to work!)
(This is an old photo - not the current offices)
~
How did your first job go?
~
Ann x

London Snapshots

This is just part of our strolls around London, most of which you will know very well.

~

Sculpture in Paddington Basin, by the canal at Sheldon Square.

The Family by John Buck.

~ 

Southwark Cathedral

~

#

The Shard, by London Bridge

~ 

King William Street in the City.

I worked at number 81 from 1955 to 1960 as a Secretary in the typing pool!

~

Had to go down Oxford Street and check out Selfridges!

~

Ann x

A quick trip to London

Almost on a whim we took our wheelie cases to the local railway

station, caught a train to Swansea and thence to Paddington.

Out of the station, wheelied across the road, then round the corner to our hotel. Sorted!

Because we were round the corner opposite one of London's iconic gardens,

Norfolk Gardens, it was very quiet but we were right in the centre of London

and easy access to buses and underground with a couple of daily travel tickets.

~

Queen Mary's Hospital, Paddington

founded in 1845

This amazing 35ft bronze horse head statue, at Marble Arch, was crafted by Nic Fiddian-Green 

who chose to clean it up himself after the local pigeons made a real mess of it!

~ 

This fountain is in Hyde Park and called Joy of Life

~ 

Iconic London scenes, that happen most days!

~ 

Boris' Bikes!

Boris Johnson has set up these stations all over the city. You buy your ticket, make a 

note of the bike number, unplug it, go to your destination and then return your bike

to an empty parking place. Genius. You can have a bike for a week or more if you wish.

I think it was about £2 for 30 mins.

~ 

Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park.

We visited this wonderful and very moving memorial in remembrance of

OH's brother, Donald, who was killed on 24 December 1943, 70 years ago.  

He was a navigator, like the one depicted above.

~

We had a wonderful few days in London and I will tell you more about it later.

~

Ann x

Your appointment is at 2.15 ...

 

This is for an MRI for my spinal stenosis

I had one about four years ago

It is horrible and very noisy

 

They will provide earplugs

but you can take a CD

 

I am taking

The Best of Ladysmith Black Mambazo

 

Just the thing for taking your mind of something nasty!

 

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is comprised of three local

families from Ladysmith, a town in Natal, South Africa.

 

If you get a chance, do listen to their music

It is fantastic!

 

They have their own website here

 

Wish me luck.

~

Ann x
~
(6.00 pm. Phew!  Glad that's over. Horrid, noisy thing!
At least the CD helped. Even though it was played very loud
the machine was louder!!
Had to go for a cup of tea and some retail therapy immediately
afterwards - I haven't been in the scanner all this time!
Many thanks for the comments already left.  Ann x)
 

The only thing to do is stay indoors and sew! .....

While it rains, rains, rains outside ...

And rains and rains and rains!!

~

I have been continuing to make some blocks for my sample quilt

~ 

Having a go at the Seminole Block

~

It looked so complicated, but a friend said 'its easy' - 

and it is fairly straightforward, but very fiddly.

I am enjoying the challenge.

Will show you when I have completed it.

~ 

I hope it looks as good as this!

~

Have also been doing some finishing off to my last small lap quilt 

(Sorry about photo quality - don't know what happened)

~ 

Above is my last quilt, a small lap quilt made from one charm pack

~

Hope you have managed to keep out of the rain today.

~

What did you do to keep your mind off the weather?

~

Ann x