Nine Feet Underground

Somehow, despite not being at work, I'm not finding much time to relax and read or listen to music.  There is so much to do! Over lunch I finished the first episode of 'Get Back' at the end of which George Harrison quits the Beatles, something I wasn't aware happened. There are also clear tensions, off and on, between Paul and John, and, at least from one conversation it seems like Paul is a bit of a control freak / dictator, certainly a feeling that both George and John seem to hold.  It doesn't seem to be a surprise that this album led to the break up of the band. Not much else to say about the day. All the usual things and things that have become 'usual': over dinner we all watched the first episode of 'The Book of Boba Fett', which was a reasonable start to a series. The day ended as it so often does... Loraine James  / 'Running Like That' / ' Reflections'   [[ ]]

Planning a relaxing day, with my focus split between some chores (there are always more) and planning for the next few days and my trip away next week.  One thing's for sure, there's going to need to be a lot of coordination with the boys and others. I guess I must have spent most of the time on the above, plus talking with friends as the day is already largely over and I have no idea what I spent the time on: no reading (apart from finishing the last section of Sunday's paper), a small amount of TV (I watched a bit more of 'Get Back') and I only listened to music while I did chores, pretty much. Late afternoon I got a call about my mother-in-law, and it was positive news: apparently she is sitting up in bed and eating again, she's still not speaking but it's much better than the doctor's original prognosis. Into the evening and we ate dinner whilst watching the end of 'The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year 2021', before doing the bins (joy unbounded!!) a

Another lie-in until 7, this could become a habit or rather, it would be nice if it could, but I fear the need to work may stop me adopting it. It's going to be a relatively chilled day, though as usual I have a fair few chores to do.  Amongst all of that I intend to find time to chat with a friend and, ideally, go for a walk.  I really do need to get back (!!) into exercise again. Discussion with the carers about their New Year's Eve party and whether it will go ahead. Mixed feelings. Talking of 'Get Back', I watched more of the Beatles documentary at lunch time and it's interesting to see the tensions between George and Paul and most noticeably between John and Paul - the cracks are showing and it seems hard to imagine Lennon and McCartney as a song writing duo. Eventually an album will emerge, but it will prove to be their last and the band will break up soon after the album's release.  Some of the ideas they are playing around with seem really weak, uninspir

Started the day with a lie-in until 7! Maniac! Rebel!  When the first carer arrived I was up but neither showered or dressed, and we chatted about the weekend and what we'd done. The she left for the next client and I decided to get ready for the day... First goal is a trip to the shops to buy pastry, baking beads and curry paste to deal with the remaining turkey - who are you calling a turkey?  Back from the shops.  By some miracle I managed to get the last pot of ceramic baking beads from Robert Dyas and the last pack of pastry (frozen) from the supermarket. My supermarket trip was unexpectedly expensive, as it turned out on a previous occasion when I'd visited my card payment had not gone through and the cashier hadn't noticed until after I'd gone.  Since she knows me she called me over to her till to pay and got a supervisor to get the original bill which I paid this time. Found time to almost finish reading my newspaper backlog, watch some more of the first episode

A much more chilled start to Boxing Day, though there's still a shit-ton of stuff to do I'm taking it easy with a coffee and a croissant with marmalade, heated up by son #3.  Based on his info on the time his bros went to bed, I've revised my dinner plans to eat later. Once cooking and lunch preparations are underway, with the help of everyone, I find that there's enough turkey left for another two meals, so it looks like will be having a pie tomorrow, followed by a curry on Tuesday.  Dinner was great, though very filling, especially with the addition of a dessert today, but I managed to eat it all.  Pfig!  I am gradually watching Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary on Disney+, over 8 hours split into three parts.  The film quality is incredible and it is an amazing insight into the band's compositional methods and, not only that, their friendship and ease of working together.  Despite not being a huge Beatles fan, this documentary has been fascinating, so far.

Merry Christmas everyone! I am up first today just after the first carer arrives at 6:45 a.m., and after she leaves I get showered and dressed for a busy morning of cooking, starting with the final steps to complete the celeriac soup. Son #3 is up first, and I decide not to put the turkey on until 10:30 at the earliest. I've decided today is going to be a chilled one for me too, and everyone can help prep the vegetables and sides and set up the extension/dining room for dinner. As has become traditional, we'll eat in with my wife, so that she can feel part of the celebration even though she can't eat. Once everyone's up we make breakfast and eat accompanied by Christmas music - please can diarrhoea get home so he can stop singing about it. Back to the kitchen to prep spuds, sprouts and parsnips while the turkey finishes cooking. Son #3 helps me get the turkey into resting mode, whilst the rest of the dinner starts cooking. All three sons and son #1's gf get things s

My plan for today is to get the final Christmas things I need to do done and then chill. We're planning to have a takeaway tonight and watch a film - I've chosen 'Pixie', which is not as seasonal as it may sound! The passed in a blur of present-wrapping, card-writing and washing - there's always washing to do! - but it is the last of the washing sons 1 and 3 brought back from uni. Sadly I also ended up entering a supermarket as the carers informed me that my wife was almost out of baby wipes plus the dudes needed more cereal, so son #3 and I braved it again, much to the amusement of one of the carers who said I'd never get through the day without going to the shops for something I'd forgotten. I've also found time for conversations with a friend - I can always find time for that - and also a brief Signal catch-up with another friend in Berlin. The chosen takeaway was some spicy Asian food from Big B's Wok (B for bollocks? Bastard? Barry?  Baldy? Who

The final food shopping trip!  Stuffing being the primary goal, after that a coffee and final Christmas preparation. I'm back and stuffed! (Turkey!!) Now it's on with washing backlog (son #1 brought home an Everest of washing, and I've not quite scaled the peak!) and other wonderful household chores. At least the house is clean after our cleaner's final visit of 2021. At lunchtime I had a discussion with the carers about OnlyFans, not a subject I brought up, I hasten to add!  It was very enlightening and some career changes are in the offing! Apple pies!?!? Unexpectedly (well, unexpected for me at least!) I had another trip to the station to allow son #1's gf to go and get her booster jab at a nearby hospital.  Naturally this is something I want to encourage! A day peppered with snatched conversations and all the better for them... Somehow time ran out and I wasn't able to get an wrapping done and the evening ended with dinner, TV and conversation.  Tomorrow I w

The run up to Christmas seems a long one this year - I guess it's because it falls at a weekend.  Today son #1's gf is joining us and it's also the day of our Christmas food deliveries (organic veg!! cheese!! turkey!!!) with the added excitement of not knowing what will be missing, at least not until later. Today is the 5th anniversary of my mum's death, and I take some time to reflect on this. Good things I gained. Things I've lost. The shopping is not due until late (9-10 pm) and before then I'll be taking son's 1 and 2 to the dentist, chatting with a friend as well as having a video call with a school friend I've not seen since before the panny-d (pandemic), as well as other shit I've probably forgotten I have to do. Just back from the dentist having dropped off son #2, and found the veg has been delivered, before heading back to the dentist with son #1 (who wasn't ready to go first time around!!!!!!!) which at least gave me the opportunity to

The longest coverage yet! All of this is being written after the event as, despite not being at work, life is very busy one or the other... ...consequently this will be very much a summary of events. I got up on Friday morning and now it's Wednesday. The end. No! I can do better that.  Probably, but maybe not a lot. Friday lunch time I headed for the start of a long weekend on the south coast.  I arrived a little before 2 pm and so began a wonderful weekend of happiness and joy: Christmas shopping, coffee shop visits, films ('The Last Thing He Wanted'), music, dancing and a trip to the pub. I returned back to my other world on Monday evening and so began the return to the Christmas countdown.  Son's 1 and 2 are out for the evening and so son #3 and I ate together and watched a HIGNFY he'd not seen (though I have now seen 3 times!) Tuesday turned out not be the droid I was looking for, though on a positive note all three sons got their Covid boosters at a nearby hosp

Last working day of 2021! It all seems to have come to an end very fast, so I'll be very busy today tidying up loose ends until I return in January. During the afternoon I had a call from the hospital from a doctor wanting to ask some questions before they performed an MRI scan on mother-in-law. I hope I am right about all the questions asked. Tonight's Idler drinks is a Christmas carol (plus) sing-a-long with choirmaster James Sills.  Luckily for everyone else, no one will be able to hear me sing (in cyberspace no one can hear you scream!) Unfortunately I couldn't stick around long in the after party as we had a Turkish takeaway delivered, courtesy of son #2's employers. Excellent food as always! After that the usual stuff leading towards sleep! Cassandra Jenkins / 'Michelangelo' /'An Overview on Phenomenal Nature'  [[ ]]

As I finish work for the year tomorrow, it's going to be a very hectic day with the usual consequence. After work it was time to pick up son #3 from his university flat and so, at about 6:20 p.m., accompanied by son #1, I headed there.  I was hoping that he'd largely be ready and it would just be a case of loading the car. Little did I realise!!!  Back home at about 7:45 p.m., in time to wrap some more presents and get a bit more of Christmas organised. Almost managed to watch a 'Live At The Apollo' with all three sons together, though unfortunately there was a staggered arrival. The day ended in the normal way, via bins... Split Enz / 'I Got You' / 'True Colours' [[ ]]

It's gonna be one of those 'not much to say days' or at least 'not much time to say it' days. All the usual things have happened, though my stress levels remain at a seasonal high.  If I get some more things done it, may reduce from red to orange level, but so far - and I've been saying this for over a week now - that hasn't happened. In fact, if anything, it's on the way up again! Bugger! Mid-afternoon I got a call from a doctor at the hospital where my mother-in-law is a patient.  Although they are still treating her for an infection, they are increasingly of the view that it's more likely she's had a stroke, and they should run an MRI scan today which should confirm this diagnosis, hopefully, unlike the earlier CT scan of her head. If that is the case, and she's still not talking, moving, or keeping her eyes open for long, then she could be in hospital for quite some time.  She may or may not recover, it depends on the extent of the damage

Today I'm heading off to Birmingham University to collect son #1, leaving as close to 9 a.m. as I can.  The intention is to get there and come straight back, or as close to that as his readiness allows. Almost as soon as I get back I'm taking sons 1 and 2 to the dentist - no peace for the wicked. Back from Brum and straight out again! It's now 3 p.m. and finally I'm home and very hungry, time for lunch at last! The afternoon disappeared in a series of discussions and changes of plan. I don't seem to have managed to progress any of the Christmas things I need to get done, but never mind. Spoke to the hospital for an update on my mother-in-law, but so far no real change. Hopefully something new tomorrow. Ate with sons 1 and 2 and watched a 'Live At The Apollo' before heading for bed and the new end of the day events. Hollie Cook / 'Sugar Water' / 'Hollie Cook' [[ ]]

Away for the weekend again, but not before I've done the usual shopping and washing shizz.  I'm really looking forward to this weekend as I'll be having my first Christmas celebration of the season with a friend - we're planning the whole works: full turkey dinner with all the trimmings, Christmas pudding, crackers, presents, the whole shooting match. Chores done, loading the car with food, presents and overnight stuff.  Off I go!! [The rest of this has been written retrospectively] Had an amazingly wonderful Saturday, chilling and finally evading the nagging headache.  Great Christmas dinner in three parts, watching the hilarious film 'Young Offenders', and opening presents and cards. Sunday was equally chilled with a trip to the local bakers before heading to town for a coffee and a brief Christmas shop. I also made a discovery: if I delay taking my sertraline by a few hours, I start to feel weirdly light-headed and unwell. Need to be careful in the future! A

A quick trip to the shops to buy some Christmas dinner essentials for tomorrow's pre-Christmas Christmas celebration. Getting in the mood* After that, time to get stuck into work as I have loads to do, which means I'll not have a lot to say here. Amongst the to-ings and fro-ings I managed to put the final decos on the bigger tree, apart from the bloody chocolate things that need knotting. (I wish they would get knotted, or at least come pre-knotted, as tying them is as fiddly as fuck (technical term)!) I got some sad news during the day as my mother-in-law has had to be rushed to hospital after a fall at home.  Several calls from the hospital later I'm updated with the latest info, which doesn't sound good. She's being treated for an infection and scans show there's no damage to her head / brain, which is good, but she doesn't seem to be able to speak or keep her eyes open. Guess I need to keep an eye on things. Fingers crossed she gets better soon. I make d

For some reason I've had a headache for most of this week, and today it's worse than ever. In a moment's reflection I have realised that I'm getting stressed by the things I need to get done and the feeling that I'm becoming overwhelmed by it all.  Apart from consuming large quantities of paracetamol I need to find time to list all the things that are stressing me out - quite a few of them Christmas-related - and decide on a plan to address each of them. Some of them are insoluble and I'll just have to live with them. Work will dominate the waking hours, so I'll not have much to say until late... Work is over and it's back to the Idler drinks tonight, the guest being Baxter Dury, musician, author and son of Ian Dury. Great conversation, questions and music, followed by a cool chat with my Idler friends. Whilst I was enjoying myself son #2 made dinner, because he is a star, and we sat down and ate together while watching HIGNFY. Tidying, talking, reading,

Really not much to say about today!  Worked then managed to get the smaller tree decorated in the evening, despite the usual shenanigans tying the threads on the chocolates together before putting them on the tree. Hoping to decorate the bigger tree tomorrow! Ate alone watching more of the Phil Lynott documentary before heading for bed via the usual enjoyable diversions.  Maybe a few more words tomorrow... A Tribe Called Quest / 'Enough!!'  / 'We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your service' [[ ]]

A busy day of work ahead, with the intention of getting the Christmas trees indoors at least! Work is now over and son #2 and I are setting up the table in the lounge ahead of bringing the trees in - one for where my wife is and the other for the lounge.  The goal is to get them in, decorated with lights and a star atop. Done!  Great bit of team work: the trees are in lit and watered. Let Christmas commence.  We'll decorate the trees further over the next couple of days, now and then, whilst also decorating the house further. The tree in the lounge...E's tree to follow tomorrow, perhaps! Getting the trees sorted took longer than expected, and so next stop was dinner. Son #2 and I made dinner, but we ate apart - I watched more of an excellent BBC4 documentary about Phil Lynott, before retiring for a a chat and then sleep. Lizzo / 'Juice'  / 'Cuz I Luv You' [[ ]]

Not quite the Monday I had expected, so reluctantly I had to give up yoga for this week. E is coming home from hospital and it's not absolutely clear when she'll arrive, so I'll need to set things up and coordinate with the care agency. Nevertheless I'm happy to give up yoga to get E back home again. I started the day with a walk and talk followed by a trip to the shops to pick up meds, some Christmas food shopping, especially cards, and a search for a two-person turkey crown/joint. The turkey search was unsuccessful as there seems to be far less turkey around than in previous years, perhaps because it's coming into stores later this year. After returning from the shops I was surprised by the arrival of our Christmas trees, which I wasn't expecting until the afternoon. Good job hadn't gone to yoga! In the event it was better they came this morning than in the afternoon when E is now expected home. Son #2 went off to take his driving theory test whilst I made

The new normal, at least for the moment, is that Saturday and Sunday's posts are combined as I'm often away for most of both days.  This will probably be short for that reason.  Actions speak louder than words and all that... Saturday started as always: shopping and washing.  Slightly less regular, but becoming more so, I spent time packing for an overnight stay. Whilst in the car returning from the shops Radcliffe and Maconie on BBC6 Music were discussing the once common phenomenon of people queuing outside gigs shouting 'Wally!' at the top of their lungs (and also 'Albatross!' if I recall correctly!).  Allegedly this had its origins in the 1970 Isle of Wight festival in 1970, where someone was calling for their mate (called 'Wally', I think it's safe to assume) and this then ended up being shouted over the PA too. They were discussing the idea of reintroducing the practice at gigs, and I must admit it did sound like a good idea. Late morning I head

A busy working Friday which I'm hoping will see E discharged from hospital. A call to the hospital late morning found E's nurse on a break, and so I agreed to call back later. When I did get to speak to the nurse in the early afternoon she indicated they wouldn't be letting E go home today as they weren't happy with her oxygen sats, though she remains off oxygen for the moment. Having told the care agency the update I resigned myself to the fact that E would remain in hospital for the weekend. Late in the afternoon the care agency called to say that the hospital now wanted to discharge E. Given the lateness in the day and the likelihood of her getting patient transport home any time before the evening carers had finished, there was a discussion to be had.  Based on what the hospital had said about E's oxygen, the fact that the care agency don't normally accept transfers after 1 pm on a Friday and, most significantly, the fact the agency don't like accepting

Another working day, and another day that E will remain in hospital, sadly. She has to be off oxygen for 24 hours without a problem before they'll let her come home, fingers crossed it will be tomorrow. I've arranged to go in and see her after work, though the available time slot is not ideal. Lots of progress made work-wise today against a backdrop of much uncertainty and multiple calls to the hospital and the care agency. Heading off to hospital now - supposed to be going to a birthday drinks later, though this looking doubtful... Back from hospital: nearly didn't get to see E, despite being told I could when I booked it. The bay (maybe the ward?) is operating under Covid protocols, so initially the staff nurse wasn't going to let me see E. After consultation with someone more senior, I was allowed to visit E 'at my own risk'.  Tough decision: I was masked, aproned and gloved and I decided to say 'hello', though I didn't stay long as I felt that I

A pinch and a punch... Not a lot to say today: E is staying in hospital at least until tomorrow, though the news is more positive as she is off oxygen and off antibiotics, so if she doesn't deteriorate without oxygen, then they'll send her home. They will need to coordinate with social services to restart her care package, and hopefully I'll not need to get involved, other than to double check with the care agency and maybe the council. Fingers crossed. On a recent trip to the sunny and magnetic south coast I picked up some large number ones for our bins.  Being a philosophical kind of guy it's been making me think deeply about bin numbering, and I have come to the conclusion that large number ones for the bins are far better than large number twos. Not a lot else noteworthy happened today, other than the new found vein of gold that I am mining. I've spent a little time this evening putting together a New Year's Eve dance playlist which is now four and a half ho

Apart from work, I also have an outpatient appointment at the hospital this morning during which time I'll need to drop off three bottles of feed for E. Back from hospital, the usual outcomes test-wise, but at least I did have a good conversation with the consultant who performed my operation, which was very useful.  Played a game of bladder bingo and my guess was only 20ml out, despite that, the nurse said she couldn't give me a prize as she didn't have any. Not sure it's worth playing this game. Prior to my appointment I went to drop off some feed bottles for E.  On arrival I got a surprise: apparently E's bay contains/contained someone who was determined to have Covid so they are operating the bay under Covid protocols. I managed to drop off the feed and say a quick 'hello' to E, who was fast asleep, and then after saying goodbye, head off for my appointment.  E remains on oxygen and it's a little worrying that she may be in contact with someone who h