Lockdown Diary - Wednesday 15th July 2020

My first post since Sunday, when things began to go awry. 

I don't think I'll document all the details, but suffice it to say that the pain killers I've been taking have caused severe constipation. I didn't sleep at all Sunday night and was in agony for most of Monday, culminating in a call out to the out of hours GP who gave me an injection as pain killer / anti-inflammatory. Finally after taking various remedies including one whose effects the GP described as 'like dynamite', things began to move, painfully, mid-Tuesday afternoon. Today I feel much better, though I do now have the reverse problem, but, believe me, that's much better! Compared to the pain from the two operations, the pain I experienced on Monday night was off the scale.  I stopped taking the opiate-based pain killers on Sunday and prefer the any undimmed pain to the side effects.

During these three days in hell, my sons did a phenomenal job of looking after me, making up meds, bringing me water and calling out the out of hours GP.  I am a very lucky man.

Most of Sunday, all of Monday and most of Tuesday have been lost days.  Somehow in the midst of it all I finished two books, but otherwise I did nothing other than spend my time doubled-up over my bed. Last night I ate my first meal, which felt good. The boys and I watched another episode of 'Umbrella Academy' before tiredness kicked in and had to go to bed.

Today has felt like normality or at least something closer to it. I've written two book reviews. Watched an episode of 'South Park' with sons 2 and 3. I've also read some of 'The Code of the Woosters', by P.G. Wodehouse, which is an amusing comfort read, and will hopefully find time to listen to some music, something I really haven't felt able to do for a few days.

Unusually, I am going to post this on the day it's written, as opposed to the following morning - life has no plan, however much you try and impose order on it.

I keep hearing this record, at least three times in the last couple of weeks, despite it it being almost 20 years old. From the oft-unfairly maligned 'Shoegaze' genre (really? is that the best name you could think of? come on!) this is Pale Saints with 'Kinky Love' from the 'Flesh Balloon' EP. It has slowly insinuated its way into my heart and I have to play it again. 



[[]]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Love, Poetry and Revolution - Monday 13th May 2024

Image
The last time I wrote here, April was disappearing into the sunset. Given the amount of cloud and rain during the month, that was more metaphorical than literal. Ho, hum, pig's bum! It may or not be the case.  Scrub that: it May be, is. What's the craic, I 'hear' you ask? It's a game of two halves, to be 'honest'. Allegedly, I am a 'parrot', sleep-wise, though not as sick as one. Over to you, Barry. It's alright, I'm just messin'. I am toying with the idea of attempting to write entirely in clichés, but mixing them up and playing with them for the linguistic fun of it. I could try to do that, but it would take a while and I have other things I want to say today.  So, it's time to get down to business.  Nose to the grindstone. Shoulder to the wheel. Pull my socks up. This post is not going to write itself. Sadly, for all concerned, E's health seems to have plateaued again. I'm not sure who this benefits, not her nor our sons wh
Read more

Lockdown Diary - Friday 28th August 2020

Image
I had a lie-in until about 7 a.m. as it's the last day of my leave, but I was up for the first carer call just after 7, then after she'd left I got on with showering, exercising, getting dressed and having breakfast. I have various things to organise, not least to make sure son #3 has actually thought about what he needs for university, which potentially he starts 3 weeks from today (I say potentially because things are not yet finalised, but it's looking like he'll be starting on our wedding anniversary) Apart from that I'm going to revise the next module of the Mulesoft training course, which I hope will take no longer than an hour. Cripes! The morning has gone and I have no idea how I've used it all up.  Sons 2 and 3 are making lunch - bacon and eggs today - and son #1 and his gf are up and about. We watched an episode of 'Peep Show' over lunch then split up to do whatever we had to do. Fully recharged by lunch, I'm going to tackle Mulesoft now. 
Read more

Lockdown Diary - Wednesday 8th July 2020

Image
I shall start this post, my first since Sunday, with a warning - actually, make that two: It's going to be a long post, as I have a lot to say; It's also going to have load of hospital / surgery / whatever stuff in it too, about which you may well have zero interest. I'll mark the beginning and end of that section clearly so you can skip it and move to the rest of the blog without getting bored senseless. I have to write it though, because it needs to be recorded for posterity and for one reason or another everything that surrounds this operation has been a major part of my life, with a load of impacts on almost every aspect of it, for a few years now. I cannot ignore it for that reason. I came out of hospital yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon being discharged at around 1:30 p.m. and collected by a good friend. During my time in the hospital - from 7:20 a.m. on Monday, when I was greeted by the admin person at the door of the ward - I was looked after incredibly well. I'd
Read more

Lockdown Diary - Thursday 11th March 2021

Image
Work until early evening, when I joined the Idler Drinks with this week's guest, Chris Difford, of Squeeze and solo song writing fame. Interesting and temporarily diverting chat which roamed far and wide across his career and what he's doing under lockdown.  More of that, including monthly (I think) online socials with guests in aid of charities (see here for more info on all Chris's activities) and much more.   Early on in the chat he talked of the early days of writing with Squeeze co-conspirator Glenn Tillbrook, when they were much taken and influenced by the songs of Todd Rundgren, which I enjoyed hearing about. The interview ended with an impromptu acoustic rendition of 'Cool For Cats' from Chris's shed/den. After that son #2 and I started making chicken and black bean enchiladas from a recipe off the BBC Good Food website. Prep time is always longer than their estimates - and that was with two of us doing parallel tasks. Usual series of events, accompanie
Read more

Lockdown Diary - Tuesday 29th September 2020

Image
Although I have today off, it pales into insignificance compared to the action of yesterday. This is often my challenge. I decided last night that I'd get up later, but I have to admit, though technically I had more sleep, I don't feel any better for it. I still struggled to get up and I know that there is an undercurrent of tiredness which cannot be cured by sleep alone. Less or more, makes no difference. Ennui. I've only got one specific thing in the diary today, which is a call with an ex work colleague who I've not spoken to in a while.  Not sure how long. At the appointed hour WA kicked into life and I began a longish video call with an old friend. He has retired (who hasn't?) - in fact he's been retired for two years and seems to be enjoying life, subject to the same restrictions we are all living under.  It turns out he didn't even know my wife was ill, never mind bedbound, which means we may not have spoken for 11 or more years.  Despite the interven
Read more