Quite an eventful morning by my standards; whilst my beloved was taking a shower the doorbell rang so, I raised myself from the duvet realm and trundled down the stairs to receive a case of wine and, decided I may as well get up (and dressed) a bit earlier than has been the pattern of late. As the night had been quite a restless and discomforted one, I felt somewhat uncertain regarding the wisdom of this decision.
Mid-morning, stepped out with ma belle to confront the icy blast and, bumped into Paul, the vicar of St Marks (the church I used to attend before my health took a turn for the worse a couple of years back). As we ventured on down the road, decided to pop into ‘Open Church’, at St Marks, for a coffee and a warm welcome. It really was quite rewarding to meet up with old and new friends and, I hope to repeat the exercise in the not too distant future, physical and emotional stamina permitting. I might even attend the Thursday morning Communion, one of these days; I might be able to cope better with this, than the lengthier Sunday Services. I really have been missing the sense of fellowship during my prolonged sojourn in the incapacitated wilderness!
- living and frequently struggling with moderate M.E. -
where (bad) health, faith, politics and the joys and troubles of daily life collide.
ME
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
Brain Pattern
| Your Brain's Pattern |
 Your mind is an incubator for good ideas, it just takes a while for them to develop. But when you think of something, watch out! Your thoughts tend to be huge, and they come on quickly - like an explosion. You tend to be quiet around others, unless you're inspired by your next big idea. |
Only problem is, the ideas never get beyond the drawing board - even after the prolonged incubation period!
Crazy World
What a topsy-turvy world we’re living in; on the third anniversary of the Iraq War we have Dubya still proclaiming how much progress has been made, whilst Iyad Allawi, former interim PM, declares ‘Iraq in civil War’. Although some analysts regard Allawi’s remarks as political manoeuvring, I cannot help but sympathize with his remark, "If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is."
Elsewhere, we read of a situation in Iraq where “From a physician's viewpoint, liberation means rising infant mortality, critical shortages of medicines, terrorized doctors and the return of diseases once under control.”. It certainly puts some of our concerns about the NHS, here in the UK, into perspective.
In the UK we have a new church calling itself the Christian Council of Britain, “a group set up to represent Christian values and the Christian Heritage of the country”, which is facilitated by the BNP. It does seem strange that the BNP should use Hebrew Scriptures to support their racist ideology and, should wish to describe themselves as defenders of the values of Jesus the Jewish troublemaker. The Methodist Church has already spoken out against the CCOB.
Elsewhere, we read of a situation in Iraq where “From a physician's viewpoint, liberation means rising infant mortality, critical shortages of medicines, terrorized doctors and the return of diseases once under control.”. It certainly puts some of our concerns about the NHS, here in the UK, into perspective.
In the UK we have a new church calling itself the Christian Council of Britain, “a group set up to represent Christian values and the Christian Heritage of the country”, which is facilitated by the BNP. It does seem strange that the BNP should use Hebrew Scriptures to support their racist ideology and, should wish to describe themselves as defenders of the values of Jesus the Jewish troublemaker. The Methodist Church has already spoken out against the CCOB.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
And The Melody Lingers On
How history repeats itself. The names may change but it's the same old song.
Bring it On! � Blog Archive � If Hitler was a Jew, then Bush was a Democrat
Bring it On! � Blog Archive � If Hitler was a Jew, then Bush was a Democrat
Saturday, March 18, 2006
A Bit Of An Effort
After a slow start to the day, I managed a brief not so brisk walk with my beloved around mid-day. It’s quite remarkable how much energy seemed to be used up on a ten minute visit to the grocery shop, at the beginning of the walk, making the short stroll much more of an effort.
By mid-afternoon, my energy was sufficiently restored to enable me to spend an hour on preparations for tomorrow’s lunch, a spiced and herby moussaka variant. If the result is even half as splendid as the cooking aromas suggest I’ll be well and truly satisfied.
By mid-afternoon, my energy was sufficiently restored to enable me to spend an hour on preparations for tomorrow’s lunch, a spiced and herby moussaka variant. If the result is even half as splendid as the cooking aromas suggest I’ll be well and truly satisfied.
Friday, March 17, 2006
What's This
My current levels of concentration [see Progress On Hold and A Temporary Setback on Heterocon] are such that, it seems something of a miracle to even get this far in a posting. Only problem is, I’ve forgotten what I intended to post! Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
A Little Night Music
Bluesy, Jazzy, Ballsy, Tender … Alison Moyet is just an amazing chanteuse. Along with my beloved, I’ve just been watching, and listening to ‘One Blue Voice Live’. Apart from the incredible vocal stylings of Ms Moyet, the musical arrangements, presumably by Steve Corley (Musical Director & keyboards) were quite simply impeccable. A glass or two of ‘Willy Willy Shiraz, 2004’ provided an ideal accompaniment.
Despite the rather melancholy subtext to many of the songs, one couldn’t help but be uplifted by the overall performance.
Despite the rather melancholy subtext to many of the songs, one couldn’t help but be uplifted by the overall performance.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Counting the cost
Monday’s Curtain Call, not totally unexpectedly, took its toll; it’s only in the past half hour that I’ve started to feel remotely human once more. The frequency, with which such modest degrees of exertion have a disproportionate negative effect on my sense of well-being, proves intensely frustrating.
I have to admit, that a few weeks back I wouldn’t have even contemplated performing the task imposed by the inconsiderate behaviour of the old curtain track. My bold assumption is that normal progress, on the health front, will soon be resumed!
I have to admit, that a few weeks back I wouldn’t have even contemplated performing the task imposed by the inconsiderate behaviour of the old curtain track. My bold assumption is that normal progress, on the health front, will soon be resumed!
Monday, March 13, 2006
Curtain Call
A LITTLE ACTIVITY GOES A LONG WAY but, unfortunately, it feels as if I’ve gone a lot further! Having clambered across the arm of a sofa, to access a wall cupboard, I managed to miss my footing and, as my leg crumpled beneath me, I flailingly reached out for an object to hold onto. The closest object to hand was the back of the self-same sofa which had provided my initial obstacle course. The sofa itself is backed up to the curtains; the rail on which the curtains theoretically glided but, in reality stuttered along, had been in situ for 20+ years and, had obviously reached a stage of plastic fatigue. The combination of hand on sofa back and sofa back on curtain, led to a phase of total collapse; fortunately not mine! Several of the rails supporting brackets chose this moment to emphasise their frailty, simultaneously fracturing, as the curtains and their track, spontaneously and unceremoniously, demonstrated the laws of gravity.
First port of call, for my beloved et moi, was the DIY store. A 2.2 metre rail was swiftly acquired but, the installation procedure involves a practise far less simple than the instructions suggest. Fixing the brackets proved quite straightforward (well to be honest slightly crookedly-forward) apart from minor glitches. Fixing the track onto the brackets was in principle equally simple, but the precise positioning of the bracket latch required a little more manual dexterity than this fatigued human-being could initially muster. Perspiration and giddiness are not my favourite companions whilst perched on top of a stepladder.
What should have taken perhaps 20 to 30 minutes, in practise took about 1 hour and twenty minutes but, I have to admit it only felt like an eternity. Task completed; the curtains do actually glide along the track and, for the first time, we have a curtain rail that extends beyond the actual width of the window. The curtains seem to hang better than before; I only wish I had the energy to rejoice in this minor task successfully completed.
First port of call, for my beloved et moi, was the DIY store. A 2.2 metre rail was swiftly acquired but, the installation procedure involves a practise far less simple than the instructions suggest. Fixing the brackets proved quite straightforward (well to be honest slightly crookedly-forward) apart from minor glitches. Fixing the track onto the brackets was in principle equally simple, but the precise positioning of the bracket latch required a little more manual dexterity than this fatigued human-being could initially muster. Perspiration and giddiness are not my favourite companions whilst perched on top of a stepladder.
What should have taken perhaps 20 to 30 minutes, in practise took about 1 hour and twenty minutes but, I have to admit it only felt like an eternity. Task completed; the curtains do actually glide along the track and, for the first time, we have a curtain rail that extends beyond the actual width of the window. The curtains seem to hang better than before; I only wish I had the energy to rejoice in this minor task successfully completed.
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