For many, many years now, I’ve had regular back and shoulder massages. It started years ago, long before Christopher was ill, when I was having a stressful time at work and was getting a string of migraines. One of the women at work recommended Fiona, as a very competent masseuse. She’s got really strong thumbs […]
The weather has got colder and wetter, and so the mice have moved back into my attic – as they do every year. I’ve had to call out Martin, my friendly neighbourhood pest controller, to put more bait down in the loft. But it’s not an instantaneous solution, and things tend to get worse before […]
The best shower in the house is, or rather was, the one in the extension. It’s a mixer shower, built into the wall, and since we upgraded the hot water system to be full mains pressure, it made for a very good invigorating shower. Unfortunately, there was something of a design flaw with the mixer […]
Through complete coincidence, I’ve had a bit of a binge recently catching up with Christopher’s friends and family and getting up to date with the news and gossip. First, I had my annual lunch with Peter, Christopher’s stepfather. Peter goes on holiday every summer to visit some friends of his in the depths of Wales, […]
It’s Referendum Day today. I did my civic duty this morning and voted on my way in to work. For the first time that I can remember, there was quite a long queue at the Polling Station at the village hall. I’ve always walked straight in before, but not this time. Which I suppose could […]
I seem to be doing a tour of Northern universities at the moment. Three weeks ago it was the Engineering Department at Durham; this week I’ve been visiting the Physics department at York University. I really wasn’t comfortable with going all the way there and back in a day, as it would have been a […]
I’m gradually getting used to my new glasses. My distance and middle-distance vision is noticeably improved, and I’m certainly finding it easier to drive in the evenings – much less flare from oncoming headlights. It feels like my close vision is slightly worse than before – I can still read ok, but small print is […]
I’m very short-sighted and have worn glasses since I was about seven years old. For many years now, my eyesight has been dreadful, but remarkably stable. I get my eyes tested regularly, and each year I’ve been told that the change in prescription was too small to justify getting a new set of spectacles. So […]
There was another crash today on the same bend that the fire engine came to grief on. That’s two in only five days at exactly the same place. Just after lunchtime today, a Saab convertible (clearly someone’s pride and joy) was coming down the hill, presumably too fast for the conditions. It appears to have […]
There was some unaccustomed excitement on my way home from work yesterday. I was driving home as normal in the afternoon, but when I got to the top of the hill, at British Camp, there was a police car parked across the road, blue lights flashing, barring my way. There was a very cold and […]
