A Lost Golden Age

Since my emergence from the bedroom, for a quick nicotine fix, some forty minutes ago, I've been on-line without absorbing any of the contents of the web-pages I've been viewing. Such is my state of wakefulness. It really is hard to get used to the amount of rest my mind & body seems to require these days.

The, none too distant, past seems like a golden age; there was a time when I could plan ahead, set myself targets, lead a quite full social life and, still have energy remaining for whatever unforeseen tasks should arise. At present, even on a good day, any task requires me to strike while the iron's hot as, ten minutes either way can make a whole world's difference as to my physical & emotional preparedness/ability to perform. The most frustrating aspect is not knowing, even one hour ahead, how I'm going to be fixed to cope with the task in hand.

Outside, the sky is still quite milky but hints at a little more brightness than the past few days. Hope my spirits & stamina can respond in an appropriate way.

They Also Serve

After a somewhat earlier, but bleary-eyed, start to the day, eventually recovered my composure sufficiently to remember the pond fishes lunchtime feed. As I'd started my day with a 'grill-up', a bowl of Wheat Biscuit cereal served my lunchtime purposes and, this evening will be resorting to a microwaveable Indian meal.

Went out to get my flu-jab this afternoon and, quite amazingly was able to walk straight in and out. It's great when one chooses the right time of day, when it's an all-day walk-in surgery.

I've just prepared the gammon joint (for Sunday lunch) and put it in to roast, as well as parboiling the potatoes (lovingly peeled and diced by ma belle amoureuse) in ginger, garlic, turmeric and mixed herb infused water. They have just received a further sprinkling of garlic and herbs whilst still warm and, are becoming impatient to be popped into the roasting tin come tomorrow lunchtime. ["They also serve, who only stand and wait"!]

Strength in Weakness

Having spent some 12 to 13 hours in bed, at least 11 of them (even allowing for spasmodic interruptions) sleeping, it was still a struggle to raise myself from the duvet’s encumbrance. The fact that only a dull grey day revealed itself, from behind the curtain, may have contributed a little to the sustained bed-rest. I was evidently “burning-up” (my beloved’s description) for a fair bit of my rest time but, that’s not at all unusual.

Getting out of bed, and dressed, required a major effort of will! Having motivated myself, for this heroic deed, I have to admit that sleep has yet to prove itself a source of refreshment!

My first exertion of the day was to check my e-mails and, subsequently, rattle out “Caiman – came and went” in the guise of my alter-ego Heterocon. Whilst posting a response to an e-mail on a commerce website, the ‘phone rang and quickly demonstrated that even the most minor application of ‘multi-tasking’ is beyond the remit of my physical and emotional stamina. Concentration was impossible on either the website or the ‘phone call.

Still, I soldier on, in the sure and certain knowledge that I am loved in the most important quarters (e.g. ma belle Helene & JC), despite my frail and vulnerable flesh. In love, I am strong.

Hoping S/He's Rambling On

No sign of Tiggy today; perhaps the nourishment, received yesterday afternoon, allowed T to catch up on some restorative sleep before setting off on some more normal nocturnal snufflings around the neighbourhood gardens. All his relatives are more than welcome, in our garden, to enjoy an abundance of slugs and, come hibernation time, we have now installed a proper hedgehog house, suitably sited and camouflaged with leaves and soil.

His visit yesterday, for all the concern it caused us, proved a bright spot in what had been a 'bad' day for me. Thanks Tiggy!

Our Amazing Little Friend

Took a little walk up the garden, with my beloved, before lunch to feed the goldfish. We then went to check if there were any apples remaining, on the trees in the 'wildife' area of the garden. Walking back down the lawn, Helen made a sudden startled movement, which in turn made me jump. The cause of the start, a little hedgehog well 'balled up' in the middle of the lawn had been the cause of Helen's 'trip'. The little creature, which could have almost been mistaken for a tussock of brown coarse grass, had found a strange place to rest as, being the middle of the day we didn't expect 'Tiggy' to be out for a walk. Normally, at most, we catch a fleeting nocturnal glimpse of these creatures.

Next step, get out my gardening gloves to pick him/her up and see if she was OK. Tiggy seemed to be having a little doze but, was he simply stunned? Carried the little fella (or fella-ess, whatever the gender may be) up to the wilder area of the garden and placed it under the bushes.

By mid-afternoon, when I'd recovered from my mini-collapse (detailed by Heterocon), went to check up on our new found friend but, there was no trace of the creature. Half-an-hour later, when ma belle had returned from the Doctor's surgery, we spotted wee 'Tiggy' on the concrete near the back door, head to one side and, looking totally pitiful. Once more, on with the gardening gloves and Tiggy was placed in a box with some wee morsels of sliced chicken and a drop of water. The worrying thing was that he didn't 'ball-up' when I went to pick him up, the vulnerability of the weak perhaps! It wasn't long, however, before we heard a delightfully repeated 'shlurrup' as he made short work of his first course.

Being concerned about the little fella's well-being, Helen phoned the RSPCA who suggested we take Tiggy to a local vets to be checked out. During the car journey, the hedgehog became a little more lively. The vet thought it seemed quite healthy, relatively tic free and with good strong limbs. The most worrying factor was his weight, a mere 275gms; will it be possible to attain the sugggested 550-600gms required to survive the hibernation period.

On return home, we hastily erected a makeshift hedgehog house ... lined out with dry leaves and, released Tiggy near it's entrance. Next requirement was to purchase some meat (not fish) cat food as, we intend to leave some food out for him each evening, to help him put on weight and gain some strength. If we catch a glimpse of him and, he seems to be failing, we'll have to find a box for him in the top shed to protect him from the frosts when they arrive.

No 'blog entry today

Energy and concentration levels are rather low today so, I proffer my apologies for lack of a blog entry. Heterocon has recorded my late emergence into the waking day.

Auntie Beeb

Tonight's offering in the Hidden Decades season on BBC4 was quite brilliantly realized, "Our Hidden Lives" looked at the lives of four people in the immediate aftermath of WW2. The tensions and uncertainties in these ordinary lives were so sensitively portrayed and, the whole atmosphere of the piece struck chords with me; it really is amazing how much I recognized of that era, in spite of the fact that I was a mere 1 years old at the time. Of course the austerity years were so much a part of my childhood. A totally involving gentle production.

Earlier in the evening, we caught (minus the first fifteen minutes) "The Battle for Britain's Soul" (BBC2), tonight centring on the eighteenth century. We both are looking forward to the rest of the series, it was simultaneously informative and entertaining. For me it succeeded where a more po-faced presentation could have proved a complete turn-off. Thank you BBC.

Telecommunications

My full emergence, from the night's repose, occurred somewhat reluctantly at around 9.20am. The morning rest was somewhat interrupted by the doorbell ringing at about 7.30am, summoning my beloved to recover a parcel from the doorstep. Despite the disruption, we are still pleased with the prompt delivery of Helen's new mobile 'phone from Amazon, so yours truly quickly transferred the SIM from her antique machine and, inserted the battery after a slight problem discovering how to open the battery compartment. We haven't had mobile telephonic machines before, where the SIM goes in a separate section rather than under the battery.

Only one telephone call has disrupted my morning ... "Hi this is .... of Holiday rewards ...", at which point I bellow to the (presumed) recorded voice .."stupid American cow ...!". I despise cold-calling whether in person or telephonically and, I think that the organizers of such sales tactics should be locked up for life and subjected to a barrage of nuisance calls twenty-four hours a day!

My irritation doesn't last for long, even though the only thing I want from the Americans is the withdrawal of their forces of occupation from the UK!

Reminiscing

A lazy start to a leisurely Sunday but, not too leisurely for my beloved, who managed to allow sufficient time to get to morning service without a last minute run. This evening Helen has gone to the Harvest Supper, at her chapel; maybe one of these days I’ll be sufficiently energised and confident to attend the chapel with her.

It’s only a couple of years ago that I had no problem coping with church services, jazz clubs and general socializing; since that time I’ve been unable to cope with sizeable groups of people, regardless of the setting and, the duration of a church service proved impossible to cope with. The spirit is weakening because the flesh is weak!

I’ve been catching up on some more VHS recordings today, an old Omnibus programme on Louis Armstrong and, Pennebaker’s ‘Don’t Look Back’, the film of Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of the UK. Both of these programmes were hugely enjoyable and, in different ways, reminded me of a time when once I was a young man!

Tiredness and Television

It has been one of those days when I found it nigh impossible to feel wide-awake! A night of vivid, albeit quite abstract, dreams led to a rather spasmodic sleep pattern. The erratic pattern continued into the day but, after preparing tomorrow's lunch, in the late afternoon, I became fractionally more alert.

Tonight was the 'boot camp' phase of "The X Factor" which proved reasonably entertaining viewing and, we also dipped into some of the 'Hidden Decade' programmes on BBC4. The decade 1945 -1955 I find quite fascinating as it coincides with my childhood and, one can only feel grateful that the period of austerity has not haunted one's subsequent life. With my health problems, I can only express my appreciation of the National Health Service brought in by the post-war Labour Government.

I've been sat in front of my laptop for far too long, concentration seriously flagging, so it's time to say Au Revoir.