Roll on spring, is all I can say. The first signs are here with bulbs beginning to bloom in the garden, but very few Celendines about along the lanes yet. I think they must have been hit hard by the hot spell last year as it's certainly mild enough to see them - they were flowering in the snow last year. The Pussy Willows are starting to put out "paws" though, and gosh, the birdsong in the mornings and evenings is really kicking off.
I wish we had some outings to look forward to, but Keith's blood pressure is as low as mine is high, so we need to get that back in balance more. He never feels thirsty so getting him to drink is always an uphill battle. I don't know what will come of Keith's seeing the Consultant on Monday - we will have to see what the Parkinsons' nurse says when we see her next.
I have decided to have my DNA done for my birthday present this year, using Ancestry as they do seem to be the best. Our girls have been mistaken for having Mediterranean blood in the past, and one of my cousins too, so I wonder if there is a link to that genetically? At least that will be something to look forward to. We watched Who Do You Think You Are this week with Mark Wright I think it was - apparently he starred on The Only Way is Essex - something quite beyond my radar. His "East End of London" roots turned out to be much more exotic than that, tracing back to Sephardic Jews from Southern Spain (Andalucia). One of his ancestors had been a Sword Master, and of course, they dressed him up and introduced him to a Modern Day Sword Master who gave him a lesson, and boy, talk about in the genes - the lad was a natural - great hand/eye co-ordination (that is something I do NOT have a genetic bump for, and have passed it on to Danny!) Isn't it strange, what you get in your mix, from an affinity with animals, to artistic talents, to musicality, to sporting prowess, to a scientific bent. I used to be good with words, and have never had any affinity with figures or legal jargon or spreadsheets! I was always telling Keith to "jot this down for me" as we drove about the countryside, and little descriptive phrases came into my head, and I would put them in my Commonplace book when we got home. The words no longer come. I have really struggled to write anything worth reading recently and perhaps it is time to put the blog to bed, or just have photos on it. I don't want it to become just a downward health spiral account or Pictures of Kittens, delightful though they are.
Please don’t stop writing your blog. It’s one of the few worth reading, always interesting, especially churches and walks. I am in Dorset which I believe you know well so you know we have so many very different churches here, some tiny and only used occasionally and some with Churches conservation trust like St.Georges on Portland. If your BP is high, as mine is atm you probably find concentration difficult, it seems to be a symptom. I’m usually motivated, busy with sewing projects and reading but that’s all gone out of the window so please don’t be hard on yourself, try to get some restful moments to recharge. No celendines here yet but some violets are blooming on the drive and Blackthorn in flower, so we are on our way to Spring. Take care. Sarah Browne.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you know this, but some of the Parkinson's medications have a tendency to lower blood pressure. I only found this out recently. The same medications also interact with alcohol to further lower blood pressure, which is why I can no longer enjoy a simple pleasure of a glass of wine.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you when you say the words no longer come. I am in the same position. I don't know whether it's because I can no longer type. Or whether it's the Muses just drifted away. All I know is I used to enjoy writing passages of simple prose but as you say, the words no longer come. Spring is just around the corner. Maybe something will return for us then.
Deb in Wales
Hi Deb - just looked up which and find Keith's new patch may do it (it's a dopamine agonist) but also Sinemet may do the same. I've told him to drink more anyway, as that definitely doesn't help BP levels.
DeleteI just want to disappear down a hole at the moment - you will have to come and join me with a good book! I was hoping Keith would come to Leominster for a day out today, as I need paint from B&Q, but he doesn't feel up to it, so I stay put. Or - happy thought - I could go do Jewsons down in the town. How exciting THAT trip out will be!
Sarah - thank you so much. I wasn't doing a "poor me" in the early hours - though it reads a bit like that now, but in winter, when I don't feel like going out church hunting as they are often a wasted journey as SHUT! - and there isn't much happening without these four walls, and I haven't the energy to research anything, it's made for a boring read. Concentration is a problem right now, so perhaps that comes hand in hand with the anxiety and raised blood pressure. Keith's BP is better today and he is a lot perkier. I took my BP - first one 161/93 . . . 2nd, a minute or so later - 126/81. Pulse 41 (I know, it's a wonder I'm still drawing breath!) So, I am going to put high readings down to stress - it helps if I don't look at the reading as it's going up as it freaks me out to see it going too high - e.g. over the 200 mark, which probably raises the BP anyway!
ReplyDeleteOh how I wish I had been so interested in churches when we lived in Dorset (we were 6 miles from Poole) as there are SO many beautiful ones. I loved St Martin's in Wareham, for the marble effigy of T E Lawrence, a man I have great admiration for. I wish I'd seen the stunning windows at St Nicholas in Moreton too. Then all the lovely little village churches - Piddletrenthide I knew (lived there for a while), and Knowleton Church, within the henge monument and looking at Google Earth, associated barrows too. My love of archaeology has been shelved as I've not had the energy or motivation to go looking locally, but I must change that.
I will have to see if the Violets in the lawn are in flower - they support a tiny colony of Silver-Washed Fritillaries in our garden.
Thank you for cheering me up!
Please, please don't stop writing your blog. It is full of so many interesting things. There are many I have stopped looking at recently due to constant repetition of pictures of food and cleaning products! Your kitties and reports on life in general keep me smiling! Few celandines here in Wiltshire either although we are blessed with masses and masses of snowdrops.
ReplyDeleteI belong to a couple of FB sites which regularly show Avebury and other bits along the Ridgeway so happy Wiltshire memories come back. I lived near Salisbury for several years, working with horses - such happy times, and great walking too. I certainly got my fill of Snowdrops when I was out today and kept thinking, how did they come to get planted THERE?
DeletePromise I won't put up photos of cleaning products EVER and only cakes will get the occasional photo :)
Pictures of cakes (and recipes) always most welcome! I live near to Avebury and the Ridgeway where there are big skies and magical positive energy!
DeleteI'm kind of right here with you at the moment. Take a break. Check in when you feel moved to do so. I will grapple with my crushing disappointment re: kitten pictures. They are adorable.
ReplyDeleteWell - I decided on the right kind of break and took myself out for a few hours whilst Keith slept/watched Men's Movies in the living room. It did me the power of good and I went church bothering which cheered me up no end.
DeletePlenty more kitty pics to come, worry not!
I am relatively new to your blog and would be very sad if you stopped. Most of us of a certain age are having challenges and we mostly manage these challenges with humour and good grace. Always up for kitten/dog pictures. Take care of yourselves and I will enjoy when you post. Jan Bx.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, selfish I know but please take your time and post whenever you feel like it, so enjoyable to read what us ladies of a certain age get up to!! Only found you recently and binge read from the start. Love from Jan in Castle Gresley xx
ReplyDeleteSo glad you got out for a while. I have to monitor my BP and like you can get two completely different readings in a short space of time. I say to myself the true readings must be somewhere inbetween, shrug my shoulders and carry on. I'm not recommending this philosophy, just my way of coping. I deal with three doctors, GP, local consultant and consultant in the big city. My GP gets annoyed with me because I don't record my pulse as often as he would like. I decided to make an effort before the local consultant appt, when she asked about pulse I proudly showed her my chart-she told me I was obsessing, I can't win!
ReplyDeleteSorry, two comments today. I loved and still love writing but the words have gone. I'm blaming a drug that turned me into a zombie for eighteen months. Older people don't bounce back cognitively I've discovered. Although I gave up my own blog due to one crisis after another I continued writing a blog for our local garden club. I had to give it up during my zombie time, it was taking me days to complete one post. I hope you can press on because giving up was quite a downer for me. Selfishly I would also miiss your blog so much, it is a connection to "home" for me.
ReplyDeleteI am also finding the writing of my blog to be a challenge some days. I love your blog, and really would miss seeing and reading.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I enjoy your blog. I always find it very interesting. Like others here I'd miss your posts, but I do understand that writing mojo can wane. I did try blogging, but wasn't at all successful! Kittens, grown cats, cakes, country drives and walks, churches, fairs are always interesting!
ReplyDeleteFirst re BP: after a lifetime of being told that I usually registered 'on the low side of normal' the past several years find me with a higher reading that upsets my NP. Strangely, when the bp is taken with one of the newer electronic readers [sorry, don't know the techy term] the nurse rushes out in concern, brings in the old cuff type and finds the reading nearer 'normal.' Who knows?
ReplyDeleteI admire that you keep up with the blog, posting most days in spite of stressful things going on. I too, am frustrated frequently that descriptive words and phrases don't flow as easily as formerly--or when something comes to mind, I fail to capture the thoughts in print before they float away. Perhaps it is simply that in this 'elderly' phase of life there is a more mundane pace from day to day. I think we need to make the effort to continue journaling/blogging--its a reminder that we still find things to enjoy and marvel over--not least the antics of animals, our own and those that live with our long-distance friends. To be honest, I suspect that the ease of slapping a post on Facebook may have taken away from the more concentrated effort of writing a blog essay.
I do hope you decide to say I always enjoy reading your posts whatever blog about. BP is a pain. I dread having mine taken at the Doctors as it is always really high (white coat syndrome) and then I have to take it home for a week, where thankfully it is lower, and submit results.
ReplyDeleteThank you RR. I think part of my problem with higher readings at home is I am stressed by the way the blardy machine PINCHES so!
ReplyDeleteThat is EXACTLY what I was thinking last night when I took my blood pressure. I was sat there thinking 'ow, ow, ow' ... it can't help!!
DeleteDon't disappear completely we would all miss you, but maybe less words and just a couple of photos for a while. Or do a few posts when you are in the mood to and set them to publish over a few days.
ReplyDelete