Pupils dilated,wedding ring taped down. All obs, blood pressure, oxygen sats done. Nose twitching with hay fever

One of the few times I am in public without make up, without contact lenses. A truly ghastly, wrinkled, jowly and above all pale sight. My eyebrows have turned white. All psyched and prepped for cataract surgery this morning I am fourth on the operating list. Red wristband alerts them to my allergy. I am by FAR the youngest in the waiting room and the only person tapping away at their tablet. Others (well at least one) has a collapsible white stick. All give date of birth as in the early 1940’s. Animal Park is on the telly in waiting room. That nice Ben on subject of Koalas. There are subtitles. Not sure how much help that is to the semi blind. Had bit of a sleepless night imagining the horrors of lens removal and replacement. Dreamed the surgeon was pressing my left temple during the procedure, frighteningly hard. Big dressing on my eye after in same dream. Bit of shock when nurse asks me today if I need a “sick note”. Er….and why would I need that?” Well you can’t drive for 2 weeks and no heavy lifting while the eye heals”One thing I have learned from this year. It is a privilege to be able to drive. The same goes for contact lenses, ditto being able to wear eye make up (4 weeks of bare eye on left again I see from cataract leaflet). Also to be able to walk limp free. I am getting there but slowly.OFT drove me in. We snapped at each other in the car park. “A brusque request deserves a brusque reply!” he said when I asked, “You will very kindly fill up the car with petrol?” Stroppy pig.

Reunited

Back at work after so many weeks off. What joy. When one of the Bosses said my name, almost cried. Thought at some level had been forgotten with my various infirmities and prolonged absence.Also thrilled to be reunited with a pair of shoes, containing expensive orthotics I had given up hope of finding, long ago. They there were in my work bag. Such joy.

P.S. Old Father Thames is away

What joy. Gone away with his little black Samonsite suitcase to his housemaster’s funeral in Kettering. God the age OFT is his Housemaster must have been a child bride of a chap when in the position. .

I have realised there is nothing more that OFT likes than to get in his car, (or board a train) and get away from family and bond with his ancient muckers, especially during the summer holidays.

A digusting discovery by the trampoline

In garden. Late at night. 2040 hrs. Walking (limping?) about in the cool, evening grass in the orchard when I spy… what can that white, stringed little item be? UGH a tampon clearly used but removed and discarded and flung on the grass like a horrible, static cotton-wool mouse.

Swept it up into a placcy bag with which I was taking cauliflower leaves and old cherries to deposit in the rabbit cage.

Continued my walk, river babbling by peacefully, horses grazing, duck with 7 ducklings in tow on river etc. but got me thinking. Who could be the guilty party?

Of all female (human) occupants of our homestead, not one is in need of a tampon. One, too old, the other too young and one who might be in need – announced last night to thrilled gasps from us all that she is pregnant with twins.

What a marvellous respite quite apart from anything else for our private, Klargeser sewerage sysem for the next 7 months .

Seething Ball of Fury

I am the above. Trembling with suppressed rage. The unwanted one is STILL here. Shows no signs of departing. Accordingly River sprites and I are having to spend inordinate amounts of time out of the house. Thank goodness for the blue skies and gorgeous weather.

Person sits and grunts on sofa or retires to room to watch “Love Island” – need I say more about the calibre? – then emerges to be possibly even more unhelpful and pour themselves another glass of champagne.

Then sitting on sofa for hours on end watching Mens final at Wimbledon . I was told this ordeal was just for the weekend. Er….

Meadowsweet in the hedgerows

…ahem it is Sunday night?