Ups and Downs

Today has been another roller coaster with my blood pressure, and I am thankful that it finally seems to have settled to an even keel, albeit just before bed time. It has been a hectic day, and trying not to worry about it makes for thinking and worrying about it! Kind of a vicious circle.

On a good note, I had a lovely chat with my AVON coach lane. My team had made excellent growth over the past year, and we discussed my goals for the upcoming 12 months, and the issues that I had to deal with that had prevented me from some personal achievements.

The bad weather has made hubby's, and my, old bones ache, and also our poor older dogs'. Max, especially, has been very whimpery today, despite the glucosamine treats they have, so I opened a regular glucosamine capsule and sprinkled in a creamy cheese triangle for him. Poor baby.

We are a household of crotchetty geriatrics, both human, canine and feline.

Dame Shirley Bassey - The Girl From Tiger Bay

I grew up on Shirley Bassey. My parents played her 45s on our radiogram in the living room at 58 Queen's Rd in Leytonstone. To me, this song epitomizes her as no other song can, it is her story.

Together we are beautiful- Fern Kinney

I was doing nothing really and this song just popped into my head, and so many memories with it.



Waiting at the bus stop in Kings Lynn, at the end of Marsh Lane, for a bus to Snettisham for the discos (which I think were held on a Thursday night). A young skinhead lad, Kevin Ely, used to be there as well, catching the bus to go somewhere else, but we'd chat. It didn't matter that we were "greabos" in our jeans and black leather jackets. We were just friends waiting for the bus.


Later, sadly, he was killed in a car wreck at Heacham. Gosh that's 40 years ago now, how time flies.



This was a staple song at the disco, and is still as beautiful today as it was then.

Winter Weather go away!

I love seeing Winter scenes on Christmas cards and in photos, but - despite having loved snow when I was younger - now, I really don't like the real thing.

My yard, at the moment, is a messy, muddy blob of melting snow and sleet, and the icy rain falling isn't helping it at all. The roads are slick, trees and power lines down, people without power, it's total chaos.

I wish I still had that childhood innocence, that ability to wrap up warm in layers of jumpers and coats, gloves or mittens, and hats pulled down over ears, with a scarf looped around my head to cover my nose and mouth, when going out in the freezing temps was FUN to do, and building a snowman or having a snowball fight were the highlight of a fresh snow day!

I remember my mum always icing our Christmas cake with a snow scene, and had chalk decorations of little kids playing with snowballs that went on it every year, and a bright red ribbon around the outside. Sometimes plastic holly leaves and berries.

How one's interpretations change as one ages and becomes more infirm. The cold reaches into bones and joints and makes them throb, painfully - better indications of rain and bad weather than any tv meteorologist. Mobility issues make the slickness that was so much fun as a a child, even if we fell on our bums, into a danger possibility, and as bones become more brittle, possible breaks become a serious worry. And for those of us with heart issues such as A-Fib or bradycardia by itself, the cold can create a serious slowing down of the heart, that can cause us unwanted stress.

My heating bill goes up in Winter (whose doesn't?) so I am much happier with Spring and Fall, with milder temps, and being able to enjoy them.

Have a wonderful day.