Angelfoot

Prescriptions/Fuel and Jobs in the UK

So how does this work then, Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, £7.20 per item going up to £7.40 in England
Glad we can support people who are ill.
Add to that the price of fuel which will rise to £1.50 a litre soon, and pay freeze or redundancy seems like a pretty good place to be at the moment. Irony is so underrated.

Back to blogging

I have not written on here for soooo! long. I have been ill and have had surgery on my spine again and hopefully this time all will be well. I am in pain presently but the tablets are doing their work. As you can see from the diagram there are a lot of nerves doing their work and if the they get trapped it can be very problematic. I have had pain and discomfort of about 4 years now in fact thinking back I believe it could be a lot longer then that.
The future should look bright if all has gone well and hopefully it has. This means that I can begin to look at taking up exercise again and hopefully reduce the weight that I have gained over the last three years. I intend to do this by swimming and riding a bicycle. I have to be careful as I have been diagnosed with arthritis in my knees which I believe has been caused by the increase in weight,. I can't wait to get back doing exercise but I need to make sure the doctors are OK with that

Eventful week in November

I know I don't write to this blog as much as I should but when I do it is because there is something to say, and here it is.
Just a normal week in November, trip to the doctors to get the flu jab all non descript except that the nurse got me mixed up with someone else who was actually the next erson in to see her but anyway I got my flu jab and I was on my way. Tuesday first meeting was cancelled so I was on my way to a meeting to stand in for my boss only I never got to the meeting! I was travelling along the road, not going too fast in boy racer style but going along nicely when all of a sudden I couldn't feel the road, the car started to veer towards the oncoming traffic, I turned the steering wheel and headed towards the left hand side towards the pavement. I saw the bollards coming towards me then I flipped and somehow landed upright again.
The passenger side window smashed, the side impact bag came out but I still smashed my head against the driver's window then I came to a halt. Firstly I was alive, secondly I could move but I could smell burning and hear running liquid so I switched off the car and left the vehicle. I think I hit some Diesel spill on the road and that made me lose control. At least in winter you are more alert to ice I did not even think of this as I headed into the bend. Thankfully I am alright I was handled and processed brilliantly by the Police officers who were in attendance. The ambulance crew were great as were the A&E staff at the QE Hospital in Gateshead I couldn't thank them enough. Two hours later and I am being whisked back home by a work colleague shattered aching but OK!

Wednesday I was in hospital again for a root nerve injection (see previous posts). The staff again were great and made me feel at ease. The operation was routine and the needle hurt quite a bit in the later stages.
I feel optimistic about the results after 24 hrs the pain is almost gone but still twinges. The Doctor wouldn't do both side so have to go back in December to have the other side done. At least I now know what I am in for.
Thursday I am very tired although I slept well yesterday afternoon. I think I need to just take things one step at a time and see where we get to.
I am here and full of life and just hoping the injection will work so that I can get my life back and do the things I want to do. I feel so sorry for Maria though as she maybe the one who has to keep me safe xx. Anyway almost Friday lets see what the rest of the week holds.

Forget me not

See I have found my way back here it's just not as often as I would like.

So what has happened since the last time I blogged well quite a bit. I have just returned from Southampton visiting Louise it was a family affair with Jade along as well, she is like family anyway. We met the boyfriend Louis seems a nice guy quite a good sense of humour and all that. Bodil and I had a look around the area we found Winchester

which is very quaint. The Cathedral is lovely and the town is vibrant but Olde Worlde if you know what I mean.

We then made our way to Portsmouth hoping to get to the Spinnaker Tower however the traffic was just mad the amount of people around was phenomenal. We spent the time it took for 4 changes of traffic lights sequence where no-one moved and eventually gave up the explorer spirit and headed away from the malestrom which was Portsmouth. We ended up going to Port Solent and then out towards Fareham and then stopped for something to eat at about 15.00! Crazy!

Anyway we enjoyed our time there and eventually left the girls and we trundled up the country.It was amazing after the journey down which was full of traffic jams and road works we managed to hit Leicester Forest Motorway services in about 2 hours fantastic! We then worked our way to our frinds Geoff and Les who live in Wakefield. We were going to stop for tea but time was getting on so we hit the road after about an hour and a half catching up and we eventually arrived home at about 18.00 tired but happy after a great time away. Bodil started work on Thursday whilst I did work on my MA Dissertation and I can tell you that I have written 536 words out of a requested 15,000 but as they say every little helps :)
We spent Halloween round at our friends Gerry and Karen with their children and I must admit Karen always does make a great occasion out of the festivities we had Pumpkin soup, Baked Potatoes and Chili Con Carne with a Pasta bake for us veggies with cheese and biscuits to follow Oh and a couple of GnT's followed by Red Wine dutifully adhered to by Gerry the perfect Mien Host So the end of the holiday and now to look forward to Christmas. I have to have a root Injection on later in the month so hopefully that will sort my neck problems out and I can get on with returning to full fitness.

Strange Saturday

Well Friday night Saturday morning really Maria had a do and that put us both out of order she is coming around now though but with a headache.

Today has been a day to do nothing I have followed that maxim to the full apart from going to the supermarket for some bread and cheese. My body is aching and I don't mind saying I am pissed off with it but I know I can't do anything about it. Maybe the nerve root injection in November will help I hope so the chances of me returning to windsurfing are getting less and less by the minute.

I am looking forward to going to see Louise in a couple of weeks time in Southampton. SHe seems really settled and has made some great friends so she is well on her way to becoming independent and self sufficient so we can say "job well done".

I am listening to the match commentary on Nottingham Forest versus Newcastle and wondering when Newcastle will ever be the side they used to be? Maybe never!

Just to remind you that the World Vegan Day looms!

Testament to the Last Posting

As you can see it is really difficult to keep up the posts mainly because I am unable to access my blog at work (its a security thing apparently) So the time I get to be creative is limited outside work. Anyway I found time today because I am getting ready to go on holiday and as you do you find time when in "holiday mode". So where am I going you may ask well I am going with full compliment of family to Ireland, home of my ancestors allegedly! The story goes that the family tree can only be traced back to Ireland and a change of name because the Police were looking for my great great great uncle.... probably all blarney anyway I was probably related to the great Fin MacCumhail and his Fenians in olden times anyway still it will be great to get away and have some quality time with family and friends in Dunmore East County Waterford. The GCSE results are out tomorrow so Maria will be in early to meet her friends and get her results. I hope she does well as she has worked hard and really deserves to get her grades but as we have always said, it isn't the end of the world and even if she didn't get one grade, she could always take them again next year so there is no problem.

Lack of Posts

Now that am back at work it is really hard to keep posts up as the network will not allow access to the blog. Since I have been back I have been really tired which is unlike me. A couple of times I have coe home from work and just had to go to bed to wake some 3/4 hours later and then still being able to sleep through the night. Bodil says old age but I don't know. It is surprising how much hard work going to work is crazy really. Anyway apart fro the frustration around the network denying access to sites it is good to be back. Nothing has changed as far as the personnel are concerned exept for the fact that there is a new technical person who is involved in creating program stuff.
I am off today because I am so tired, I worked really hard yesterday moving tables and stuff (I know I should take it easy) but it is difficult when there is no one else around.

I have just signed a petition to free Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma. What a remakable person but what a cynical regime that is so frightened of this woman that they have to keep her locked up. China and Russia should hold their heads in shame at supporting such a weak Burmese regime.

The Lone Turf Lodge Claret

So I am sat here last thinking a trip to Burnley would be great to see the Clarets take on Leeds and so Happy August 1st I am now packing ready to go down to the hallowed ground and see the game. I will be sitting in the Bob Lord Stand which is a first Bob Lord 4 Row H 124 just around the half way mark can't be bad. Wish I had my Canon Camera with me though never mind I will be sure to have a good day out will set off about 10.30 to get there in time to picl up my ticket and then I should be back here for around 19.30 not a bad day out.

LIght at the end of the tunnel

What a week, first week back in work and what a tiring one Phew! The week when the Astronauts came to Gateshead. I'm glad to be back at work and starting to get back to normality! There have been some exciting things happening at work whilst I have been off and it will take some time to get to grips with what is going on but I will try my hardest to get back on track, the main thing is that I am back to work. On Friday morning I went to my second Physiotherepy appointment Lesley is very nice she said I had done really well so far but not to push it too far. It is OK she said not to go swimming as much as I was when I was off and that I could keep it for the weekends. She gave me an exercise to do which involved holding a towel round the back of me and going from side to side. SHe also let me loan a TENS touch machine to ease the pain which seems to work very well I am impressed - so much so that I think I will go out and buy my own. On Saturday Bodil and I just went for a couple of drinks in the Ouseburn Valley, very Bohemian it is now but it was really good to sample a couple of beers and be part of the event and be out just the two of us!
Sunday comes around all too soon and it is getting ready for work time again it is a long while since I had to do that :)

July brings joy!

After several months of being incapacitated and unable to exercise I am now officially allowed back to work and I start on Monday 6th July.
It has been a hard slog, I never for one minute believed I would be away from a job a really enjoy. I have fought hard to be able to get back and though the pain in the neck is still there it is manageable and I feel I can return to work. The irony of it is that the good weather is now here and I will not be able to enjoy it. The strange thing is that I have never been able to "enjoy" my incapacity as I have not been able move without pain etc.
I must admit that I am rather apprehensive about returning to work as I know things have changed but as I have not been involved, I do not know the new arrangements so it will be a steep learning curve to get back to work. By the same token I feel I must behave responsibly and take my time, if I do not feel well I need to come home. I also need to make sure I stick to an agreed phased return with my manager. I am sure it will be fascinating!

Family Day out

The end of June has come quite timely, as we all managed as a family to get to Burnley and tidy up my mums grave as it has been a long time since we had been there. I was quite surprised to find the grave reasonably tidy. The flowers we planted last year had come and gone, there was no evidence of the wreath that was laid at Christmas, it had probably decomposed. We bought a couple of rose plants which we placed on the grave and they looked really good. It was great to be all together as a family. We took our time to return to the North East via North Yorkshire and a pit stop at the White Bear in Masham (well you have to don't you!).

Now I was brought up in Burnley until the age of 19 when I moved away to college and very soon established myself away from the town. So it is strange to return to a town which has no real affiliation for me. Yes I see the buildings and memoirs flash through my mind of things I did as a child. I note the difference that has been made by inward investment but then I look at the new "University" buildings being built and see the stark contrast to the adjacent area of Stoneyholme and think that somewhere there is an imbalance but then what do I know I only visit the town occasionally. But then you suddenly "see" the buildings that are no longer there and think about the times in your youth. There is no doubt that Burnley is on the up (in my opinion it couldn't have got lower) but there is still a long way to go. It was noticeable looking at the town centre the contrast of the "Council" workers in their shirts and trousers having their lunch alongside the "Chavs" sitting there taking in the rays. I am not being judgmental either but the shirts would go back and do some work, the Chavs would not. I also tended to notice the amount of young girls pushing prams with babies and I jumped to the conclusion that the town must have an horrendous teenage pregnancy rate totally without justification because I didn't know how many of the girls were simply giving their mothers a rest and taking their baby sister or brother out to get the rays. There did seem however an lot of young couples around the place but then statistically I suppose there would be. Now all this seems negative, it isn't supposed to be, as I said who am I to comment on things. Our visit to Homebase introduced us to the most helpful welcoming and chatty checkout girl I have encountered for a long time, made our day!

The great beauty of the town has got to be its surroundings, which to be honest are stunning, the sight of Pendle Hill imposing its reassuring presence over the area is thought provoking and the wonderful countryside all encompassing the town is visually explosive but then I find my mind wandering back to the ordinary people of Burnley and asking how many have actually stepped outside the town in their lifetime, this question I can't answer! In two minutes you can leave the town and are instantly in a different world where the narrow streets and cream painted stone work of the terraces are left behind. I think the real impression of Burnley is a place where things have been constructed but in a Higgldy Piggldy fashion and they don't actually join up. Maybe it is me who remembers the town as a joined up whole where demarcation of buildings was invisible, maybe time will tell. Burnley FC staying up in the Premiership in 2009-10 will really help the town find its status, if only they can do it "Dream the Dream".

On the return journey we whooshed along the M62 across the Peninnes and to the North East via Bedale and back to explosive scenery and as stated above the taste of Theakston!

We rounded the day off with a Chinese take away which went down well with everybody so a good day was held by all!

When all around are losing there heads........

It seemed like that today. Mainly because of world affairs and affairs at home. It seems the world has gone mad but I really need to know somethings. What possesses people to threaten other people and oust them out of their own houses just because they are from another country even a newly born baby and young children. Tell me WHY! No you can't it is unexplainable, unbelievable, untenable and every other able you can think of! It seems that the Sectarian shift has moved to Racist dogma if I believed in God I would have a few choice words with him/her/it!

It seems I am in the grip of administration nightmare concerning my return to work and my papers are passing backwards and forwards. It is quite frustrating because I feel I could go back to work but I am being denied because of the red tape. I am sure it will sort it self out in the end but to what cost?

Enjoying riding my bicycle although not going very far 4-8Km and not every day but I am going to the swimming baths. These forms of exercise really kill me but I am persevering as best I can.
Youngest daughter has an interview for a job on Saturday, she did a really great job on her CV, in fact I was really impressed, she has suddenly grown up. GCSE's finished, Sixth Form and driving lessons looming, bring back My Little Pony and Barbie ( never thought I would say that!).

Now take Iran, what on earth is going on there! In such a short space of time ordinary people have reached the point of no return with the system that has dominated them for years and are now reacting in a revolutionary way. Now I don't condone the violence and the reaction to the violence no one should be killed or repressed for their views on politics and everyone should have there chance to make a differnce but if there has been flagrant misuse of power by the the leading group then it must step down or face the consequences and when you hear reports that footballers and even soldiers are wearing the opposition party colours then you just know there is a change coming. Please let this change be a political one whereby the will of the majority of the people is adhered to.

So to the people who are oppressed by anyone country rules, office rules, dictatorial rules I say Keep the Faith. Those who have a will to change can. As I said to my daughter when asked if she could be a television weather presenter I said that she could be anything she wanted to be. "What qualifications would you need" she said. " Well some idea of meteorology would probably be useful." I said. "What thats Geography isn't it? I hate geography it's as bad as History, I'll think of something else then!"

I wonder if there will ever be a time when all the peoples of the world will live in harmony and have no conflicts at least at country level. But if they did then eventually everyone would be tolerant of each others particular beliefs. I suppose we live in hope.

June update

I can't believe I have neglected my blog for so long I must be so busy! I wish! I am waiting to get back to work but I can't just go back I have to wait for the Occupational Health to get a doctor to assess me which is so frustrating you can't imagine.
Anyway I have started riding my bicycle and going swimming. It is really hurting but what else can I do I am waiting for a Physio appointment which isn't until the 24th June and I have to be assessed by a government doctor which will be on the 20th June so one way or another I should know something by the end of June I really hope so.

Premiership Football Unbelievable!

Well what a day slept in forgot my iPhone and my Nokia, bust my zip forgot painkillers! Could anything else go wrong???
NO! Wembley was brilliant! The atmosphere was electric! Burnley fans amazing! Burnley team totally on form in the zone and well what can you say Burnley 1 - Sheffield United 0 Only one place up for grabs and that has Burnley's name on it, they are in the Premiership! UK top football league!
We even made it back to Stansted to find the flight had been delayed by almost 90 minutes so we could have stayed for more celebrations.
The whole day from breakfast to diner in the airport was totally memorable. Very well worth going to London for the game and the atmosphere. Now look forward to life in the fast lane.

We're on the Wembley Way!

The last match of the season for Burnley against Sheffield United for a place in the Premiership!
I spent two days trying to get tickets but finally it paid off and I am going to see the match which is at Wembley It is very exciting as it will probably be the first and last time I will get to Wembley so a day worth remembering. It means up at five in the morning for a 7.00am flight :) but it will be a great day out in London

I will twitter the day so you will be able to follow what is going on!

Stay tune to find out what happens C'mon the Clarets!

CT Scan

Well! The doctor has said it was mostly wear and tear and the pain is due to the operation so thats that then, when can I return to work. I will put up with the pain as long as I can go back to work I am guessing I will never do Windsurfing again but hey never say never it has been a particularly crap year when all is said and done but at least I have a roof over my head, enough to eat and I am not being shot at or bombed so in the grand scale of things a I am positively radiant and glad to be alive.
I managed to put together an IKEA cupboard as I bought a cordless screwdriver/drill but it wasn't good enough so I have been back to day to change it for a more rugged type of screwdriver/drill you know the type of screwdriver/drill workmen have when they are working. SO now I am all geared up to finish the cupboard brilliant!
It's funny because doing all this I am still in pain but thinking well I have put up with this for a long time it is no different to the time before the operation and when I was in work at this time last year so I just have to get on with it. I am waiting for my boss to organise a staged return to work. Hopefull I will be back at the end of May. Yippee!

Space time continuum problem

Yep it has been a really quick week this week it is already Saturday and I can't remember half of what went on through it?

I finally got in touch with firstly my GP who has now filed in the form and it has been posted off to my employer (so another 4 week wait then)I do have to pay £15.00 for that pleasure.

Secondly my consultant has written the report on my neck he hasn't signed it yet but it will be in the post next week. Thankfully his miserable secretary read out the contents to me over the phone. Basically the pain I have in my arms and neck is a result of the surgery (hopefully it will go away soon) and the fact that my neck vertebrae have a lot of wear and tear so they are not going to operate further (well not yet anyway). So thats fine then I am now trying to negotiate my way back to work more for the money than anything else as half pay is crippling us. Good News, Burnley are in the final playoff against Sheffield United sad news I waited all morning in the online "waiting room" for tickets and got no where. Gerry and I have booked flights to the capital so we are still going to London with or what looks increasingly without tickets. We will just have a great day out in London have a meal and a few drinks watch the match in a pub and enjoy ourselves. I would have really loved to get into Wembley though, the atmosphere will be electric. I will Twitter my day so all will be saved including photos.

Maria had her Prom on Thursday she has officially left school and just needs to go in for her exams 2 of which RS and Maths 1 she has on Monday so she is up revising for them. She really enjoyed herself on Thursday and she looked fantastic all grown up with her hair specially designed and her dress and all the accessories including a tiara which she wore with pride. I feel myself welling up just writing this sniff, sniff! Maybe next week I will know when I can go back to work Hooray! Watch this space (blog)

Newcastle win must win Game!

What a fantastic win! Not I hasten to add a fantastic game but the result was what was needed. Now if they can go on and win the next two they will stay up.

 

Speaking all things football, tonight Burnley play the second leg of a play off game against Reading, a win would put them into the play off final against arch enemies Sheffield United to be played at Wembley.

Still no joy at the Doctors but I do have a telephone appointment at 12 with my GP so lets see what happens there then.

Soap Box Rant

I'm at it again, having had such a good day today getting lots of reading in and feeling good in my neck and my arms but there is always something isn't there? Well I'm back to doctors. I need the doctor to fill out a form so that I can claim mortgage relief for the time I have been off, now they won't pay out until the form has been sent in. It needs to be filled in by the doctor then my employer and then I have to fill something in. So I thought since my filled in bit includes sensitive information I concluded that I would go in the order Doctor, employer, self, makes sense. Well 3 weeks ago I took the form to the doctors to speed up the process, the doctors do not see this activity as an important activity and to be fair their job is dealing with sick people but they are asking to be paid for this task but how long should it take. An admin person could do this from the records and then give it to the doctor to sign. Now the doctors do not see this as a priority but for someone who has lost half their monthly income and can't do anything until the form is signed and returned  it is a priority. Phew! I feel better now! I would feel even better if I had the form so that I could send it to my employer. Maybe next week then!