I've temporarily changed the theme colours of this Blog to reflect Wear it Pink day on Friday 29th October 2010 (tomorrow) when the nice people from the Breast Cancer Campaign make a worthy attempt at extracting money from the general public for this good cause.
At work on the day there are going to be cake stalls, and everyone has been encouraged to wear pink. The jury's out on whether I'll dress the part, but I'll sure as hell support the home baking! Why not click on this link to donate something to the cause?
And the colour scheme here will resume its normal hue in a day or two!
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Lenten promises
I'm currently abstaining from alcohol.
I shall now give those who know me a moment to let that statement sink in.
It's notionally me giving it up for Lent (not that I've ever given anything up in the past), but in truth I'm using Lent as an excuse, well perhaps a prompt would be more accurate, to try to lose a bit of weight and get fitter. I'm not so stupid as to think I'll get all the way through the six weeks to Easter without having a drink, particularly since I have a few pre booked events/parties along the way, one of which is today when RSCM Scottish Voices will be singing Choral Evensong at St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow, and then we're going to the Lansdowne Bar for a drink or three. If I get to Easter having had a 90-95% alcohol free Lent, then that's a good result in my book.
On another topic, we are getting new lockers at work soon and yesterday was the deadline to clear all the old crap from the current ones. Aside from my old SLR camera, in the bag for which were orders of service for weddings at which the camera was used, the most recent of which was 1994, the most interesting things I found lurking on the shelf were a magazine pull-out and a train ticket. Sounds boring, eh? Yes, probably.
The magazine pull-out was from Mens Health, which a while ago I sometimes read, called "The Complete Total Body Workboook - All the information you need to build an outstanding body" and it's basically a book of exercises, mostly using free weights or the machines you find in gyms.
The train ticket was from Partick in Glasgow to a station near my work. All very boring of course, but the point is that the ticket was lying on top of the magazine, and the ticket's dated 24th November 2000.
So here I am, almost 10 years on, and although I still haven't managed to build myself an outstanding body perhaps this is the year I'll properly get on the road towards it, starting with giving up alcohol for (most of) Lent. We can only wait and see.
I shall now give those who know me a moment to let that statement sink in.
It's notionally me giving it up for Lent (not that I've ever given anything up in the past), but in truth I'm using Lent as an excuse, well perhaps a prompt would be more accurate, to try to lose a bit of weight and get fitter. I'm not so stupid as to think I'll get all the way through the six weeks to Easter without having a drink, particularly since I have a few pre booked events/parties along the way, one of which is today when RSCM Scottish Voices will be singing Choral Evensong at St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow, and then we're going to the Lansdowne Bar for a drink or three. If I get to Easter having had a 90-95% alcohol free Lent, then that's a good result in my book.
On another topic, we are getting new lockers at work soon and yesterday was the deadline to clear all the old crap from the current ones. Aside from my old SLR camera, in the bag for which were orders of service for weddings at which the camera was used, the most recent of which was 1994, the most interesting things I found lurking on the shelf were a magazine pull-out and a train ticket. Sounds boring, eh? Yes, probably.
The magazine pull-out was from Mens Health, which a while ago I sometimes read, called "The Complete Total Body Workboook - All the information you need to build an outstanding body" and it's basically a book of exercises, mostly using free weights or the machines you find in gyms.
The train ticket was from Partick in Glasgow to a station near my work. All very boring of course, but the point is that the ticket was lying on top of the magazine, and the ticket's dated 24th November 2000.
So here I am, almost 10 years on, and although I still haven't managed to build myself an outstanding body perhaps this is the year I'll properly get on the road towards it, starting with giving up alcohol for (most of) Lent. We can only wait and see.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Review of 2009
Well the choir of King's College, Cambridge are on the radio performing Nine Lessons and Carols right now as I sit here starting to type this, so it must be time for my third annual review. How was Lay Clerk's 2009?
A bit mixed, to be honest, but then again such is life. Much of what occupied my mind throughout the whole year concerns another person and according to the unwritten rules of Blogging which are solely in my head, I choose to keep that topic to myself.
Another unwritten rule is that I won't Blog about work, so apart from saying that I'm still enjoying it and we continue to be as busy as ever, I'll leave it there.
On the subject of work, a close friend was unfortunately made redundant at the start of the year, a victim of the worldwide economic situation, and for a few months went through a difficult time during which I hope I was there to offer what little support or help I could, and thankfully a new, better job was secured after a while. Onwards and upwards.
I still sing with Glasgow Chamber Choir, mostly enjoying it but sometimes having to fight against my inner dislike of certain types of choral music. On the whole it continues to be good fun, good musically, and a good bunch of people.
In 2009 my presence in the choirstalls at the Cathedral occurred more frequently and more regularly, and more or less every week I sing Choral Evensong on the Sunday, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
In about May the administrator of RSCM Scottish Voices, which was started the previous summer, resigned, and I was subsequently asked to take over that role. It's been an interesting 6 months, most but not quite all of it interesting in a nice way. I've registered a Domain name for the choir, but haven't yet got round to uploading the website which is sitting on my laptop. In truth, this is mostly because I've forgotten how to go about having multiple websites hosted together but kept separate, since it's been such a long time since I did anything with any of my sites. At some point I'll get the finger out and do it. And if anyone familiar with creating and uploading websites to 1&1 using Microsoft Frontpage is reading this and wants to remind me how easy it is, I'd be obliged! In the meantime I've also started a Blog for the choir, which is linked from the sidebar on the left. If any RSCM Scottish Voices members are reading this for some reason, and they fancy having a go at sometimes adding choir-related content to our Blog, email me.
In May I sang with The Biggar Singers in an enjoyable performance of Morten Lauridsen's piece, Lux Aeterna, which involved about a hundred mile round trip every week to rehearse. The choir's conducted and accompanied respectively by two members of Glasgow Chamber Choir who live down that way, and my few weeks of excessive travel pale into insignificance when set against them doing it every week coming to Glasgow. And indeed two other GCC members travel from Dumfriesshire every week to rehearse!
A personal high point of the year was when I was asked to sing the tenor solo in a performance of Stainer's Crucifixion on Good Friday in Paisley. My initial reaction upon being asked was "no thanks, I'm a chorister, not a soloist" but when I thought about it, knowing that I can actually sing the notes if not necessarily perform them as a "proper" soloist would, I thought why the hell not. And so I did. And it went well. First time I've ever had my name on a poster! I have no ambitions to be a soloist, and while I'd possibly say yes if asked again, equally I am not at all bothered.
I paid another visit to Paisley later in April, but this time to the Paisley Beer Festival, which was most enjoyable and having been there two years ago is likely to become an annual pilgrimage, albeit I missed last year as I was in Calfornia. I only went on one evening, but a fellow Cathedral chorister, Neil, took holiday from work and went every day. Now that's dedication!
In July four of us from Glasgow Chamber Choir, having coincidentally and enjoyably sung solo parts together during a recent concert, decided to get together and sing together some more. We've met twice so far, it's as much a social event as a musical one, and despite some (hopefully tongue in cheek) remarks from another couple of friends about "the elite group" it's just a bunch of friends singing, drinking and eating together. We've performed together under the name The New Quartet in public once, a few days ago in a branch of a bank for charity, but who knows whether we'll do it again or whether it'll stay purely as a social event.
After a break of 29 years, I met up with former schoolfriends at a wee reunion in Motherwell in April. It was as though we'd only had a break of 6 months and we all got on great again. An unexpectedly tremendous evening. Another one, on a bigger scale, is planned for next year when it'll be 30 years since we left school. And I foolishly offered to co-ordinate it. It shouldn't involve much more than a few emails though, so should be OK.
On the subject of school, there is a sobering time in one's life when one's schoolfriends start dying. In August Kenny Stewart was the first of us to go. Admittedly the lovely, intelligent, caring person Catherine Fellowes died in a tragic diving accident soon after we left school, leaving her massive potential unfulfilled, but Kenny is the first to die without having an accident. He was one of my closest friends at school, and despite us having some differences in later years, you can't take away the fact that we grew up together.
In July RE and I made a weekend trip to the north east of Scotland to see friends, Stephanie and Martin, and to have a wee tour about. It's an area of the country I happen to really like, and it was good not only to show RE round it, but to catch up with old friends at their barbecue. I've known Stephanie since the mid 1980's when she was a student at Glasgow University and joined the Cathedral Choir, so she's probably one of my oldest friends and although we don't see each other terribly often, it's good to catch up when we can.
In August my brother, his wife and daughter moved back to Scotland. They've been living abroad for about a dozen years, first in Dubai and then in San Diego, California. For some reason they decided to come back to the Scottish climate, and it's great to have them here. My niece, Jess, has joined the Cathedral Choir trebles, and seems to enjoy it I'm glad to say. I was immensely proud to be asked to present her with her surplice at Evensong when she passed from being a probationer to being a chorister. They hosted a Halloween party in October (on the 30th, funnily enough!) and the fact that they live in a castle (yes, really) made it all the more spooky! Great fun.
August also saw a return visit to the World Pipe Band Championship at Glasgow Green, with RE, her cousin and his German girlfriend who were visiting Scotland. It rained. But it was a very enjoyable day despite the weather.
In September RE hosted one of her sisters, visiting from New Zealand, and I joined them for a trip to Linlithgow, their ancestral town. It was the first time I've been there, and I can now recommend the Four Mary's pub in the main street.
In a much previous life I was a roadie and mixed the sound for a local band. All very enjoyable, but in an amateur way. A friend, Ian, does it for a living though, well, the sound engineer bit anyway, and ages ago I mentioned to him that if he was ever needing some semi-skilled labour (i.e. really unskilled!) then I'd happily come and lift and carry stuff around for him. In September he called my bluff, and I found myself for two days being a roadie working on the sound crew at the Merchant City Festival in Glasgow. With three outdoor stages and an indoor venue to be covered, it was hard work, a bit physical sometimes, and a lot to take in, but it was great. I even ended up twiddling the knobs for one act, while Ian was called away to deal with a change of venue for another group. All very basic stuff of course, but I'm glad to say Ian trusted me enough to leave me on my own, and I'm even gladder to say I managed to avoid fucking it up! I'm looking forward to the next time, although I don't expect a change of career is due anytime soon!
The Institute of Advanced Motorists has taken more of a back seat this year, pardon the pun, although I did complete the necessary number of observed runs to continue as a Qualified Motorcycle Observer. It remains to be seen however whether I'll continue next year.
I've started to get the flat a bit more sorted. With the benefit of hindsight I realise that when I moved in I wasn't really in the right emotional frame of mind to do the decorating necessary, and as time went on I stopped seeing the faults. I have now got as far as getting a quote from a decorator, and getting the hallway replastered. Soon after Christmas I'll contact the decorator again and get him to come and do the business in the living room and hallway.
My general level of fitness continues to improve as I take advantage of the gym a few hundred yards from my house. I even made it onto a running track with RE a couple of times, but that was very hard going at that time! In the past few weeks I've slipped a bit, but my main New Year's resolution is to redouble my efforts. And I WILL do it.
On a fitness topic, in 2009 I did something I never thought I'd do. I climbed a hill. Not only a hill, but it was in fact a Munro. I've never ever ever been interested in hillwalking, and have been vocal about that opinion all through my life. But RE persuaded me to try it. Well I say persuaded me, but not proactively. I just mean that her influence, unbeknownst to her, made me want to do it. So she kindly agreed to "babysit me" up a hill. I'd be lying if I said there weren't bits I didn't enjoy. I slipped and fell up to my knees in a very cold stream; I slithered and slid my way down what was allegedly a "path"; I fell and staved my finger, but I bloody enjoyed it! And I know that thousands of people do it every weekend and think nothing of it. But this was me doing it. Me who about a year ago looked as though he was about to expire after a very short climb up a set of steps to a scenic viewpoint in the Scottish Borders. Me who a year ago hadn't taken any form of exercise for God knows how long, apart from when I tried badminton and spectacularly ruptured my achilles tendon. Me who is a city boy who has always said he didn't mind walking as long as it was on a pavement. This was me who walked up that Munro. And it is still me who is immensely proud of having done it, and proud of his friend RE for having the patience, skill and perseverance to help me all the way. Others may do it more often and with less effort, but we all have different abilities and different goals, and this particular achievement ranks highly for me.
So that's a potted history of Lay Clerk's 2009. A mixed year, but generally a good one and ending better than it started. Much of the above was Blogged about in depth at the time so if you've read this post in isolation it must seem pretty sparse of detail, and of course I've missed things out. Not just deliberately missed things to protect other people's privacy, but simply because things will have slipped my mind. Something which will hopefully never slip my mind though is to mention the love, friendship, and support of my closest friends, some of whom have been such for the thick end of 25 years, some for only a couple of years, but I value them all and thank them for their continuing friendship and support. I won't name them, but you know who you are. Thank you one and all.
Happy Christmas folks!
A bit mixed, to be honest, but then again such is life. Much of what occupied my mind throughout the whole year concerns another person and according to the unwritten rules of Blogging which are solely in my head, I choose to keep that topic to myself.
Another unwritten rule is that I won't Blog about work, so apart from saying that I'm still enjoying it and we continue to be as busy as ever, I'll leave it there.
On the subject of work, a close friend was unfortunately made redundant at the start of the year, a victim of the worldwide economic situation, and for a few months went through a difficult time during which I hope I was there to offer what little support or help I could, and thankfully a new, better job was secured after a while. Onwards and upwards.
I still sing with Glasgow Chamber Choir, mostly enjoying it but sometimes having to fight against my inner dislike of certain types of choral music. On the whole it continues to be good fun, good musically, and a good bunch of people.
In 2009 my presence in the choirstalls at the Cathedral occurred more frequently and more regularly, and more or less every week I sing Choral Evensong on the Sunday, which I am thoroughly enjoying.
In about May the administrator of RSCM Scottish Voices, which was started the previous summer, resigned, and I was subsequently asked to take over that role. It's been an interesting 6 months, most but not quite all of it interesting in a nice way. I've registered a Domain name for the choir, but haven't yet got round to uploading the website which is sitting on my laptop. In truth, this is mostly because I've forgotten how to go about having multiple websites hosted together but kept separate, since it's been such a long time since I did anything with any of my sites. At some point I'll get the finger out and do it. And if anyone familiar with creating and uploading websites to 1&1 using Microsoft Frontpage is reading this and wants to remind me how easy it is, I'd be obliged! In the meantime I've also started a Blog for the choir, which is linked from the sidebar on the left. If any RSCM Scottish Voices members are reading this for some reason, and they fancy having a go at sometimes adding choir-related content to our Blog, email me.
In May I sang with The Biggar Singers in an enjoyable performance of Morten Lauridsen's piece, Lux Aeterna, which involved about a hundred mile round trip every week to rehearse. The choir's conducted and accompanied respectively by two members of Glasgow Chamber Choir who live down that way, and my few weeks of excessive travel pale into insignificance when set against them doing it every week coming to Glasgow. And indeed two other GCC members travel from Dumfriesshire every week to rehearse!
A personal high point of the year was when I was asked to sing the tenor solo in a performance of Stainer's Crucifixion on Good Friday in Paisley. My initial reaction upon being asked was "no thanks, I'm a chorister, not a soloist" but when I thought about it, knowing that I can actually sing the notes if not necessarily perform them as a "proper" soloist would, I thought why the hell not. And so I did. And it went well. First time I've ever had my name on a poster! I have no ambitions to be a soloist, and while I'd possibly say yes if asked again, equally I am not at all bothered.
I paid another visit to Paisley later in April, but this time to the Paisley Beer Festival, which was most enjoyable and having been there two years ago is likely to become an annual pilgrimage, albeit I missed last year as I was in Calfornia. I only went on one evening, but a fellow Cathedral chorister, Neil, took holiday from work and went every day. Now that's dedication!
In July four of us from Glasgow Chamber Choir, having coincidentally and enjoyably sung solo parts together during a recent concert, decided to get together and sing together some more. We've met twice so far, it's as much a social event as a musical one, and despite some (hopefully tongue in cheek) remarks from another couple of friends about "the elite group" it's just a bunch of friends singing, drinking and eating together. We've performed together under the name The New Quartet in public once, a few days ago in a branch of a bank for charity, but who knows whether we'll do it again or whether it'll stay purely as a social event.
After a break of 29 years, I met up with former schoolfriends at a wee reunion in Motherwell in April. It was as though we'd only had a break of 6 months and we all got on great again. An unexpectedly tremendous evening. Another one, on a bigger scale, is planned for next year when it'll be 30 years since we left school. And I foolishly offered to co-ordinate it. It shouldn't involve much more than a few emails though, so should be OK.
On the subject of school, there is a sobering time in one's life when one's schoolfriends start dying. In August Kenny Stewart was the first of us to go. Admittedly the lovely, intelligent, caring person Catherine Fellowes died in a tragic diving accident soon after we left school, leaving her massive potential unfulfilled, but Kenny is the first to die without having an accident. He was one of my closest friends at school, and despite us having some differences in later years, you can't take away the fact that we grew up together.
In July RE and I made a weekend trip to the north east of Scotland to see friends, Stephanie and Martin, and to have a wee tour about. It's an area of the country I happen to really like, and it was good not only to show RE round it, but to catch up with old friends at their barbecue. I've known Stephanie since the mid 1980's when she was a student at Glasgow University and joined the Cathedral Choir, so she's probably one of my oldest friends and although we don't see each other terribly often, it's good to catch up when we can.
In August my brother, his wife and daughter moved back to Scotland. They've been living abroad for about a dozen years, first in Dubai and then in San Diego, California. For some reason they decided to come back to the Scottish climate, and it's great to have them here. My niece, Jess, has joined the Cathedral Choir trebles, and seems to enjoy it I'm glad to say. I was immensely proud to be asked to present her with her surplice at Evensong when she passed from being a probationer to being a chorister. They hosted a Halloween party in October (on the 30th, funnily enough!) and the fact that they live in a castle (yes, really) made it all the more spooky! Great fun.
August also saw a return visit to the World Pipe Band Championship at Glasgow Green, with RE, her cousin and his German girlfriend who were visiting Scotland. It rained. But it was a very enjoyable day despite the weather.
In September RE hosted one of her sisters, visiting from New Zealand, and I joined them for a trip to Linlithgow, their ancestral town. It was the first time I've been there, and I can now recommend the Four Mary's pub in the main street.
In a much previous life I was a roadie and mixed the sound for a local band. All very enjoyable, but in an amateur way. A friend, Ian, does it for a living though, well, the sound engineer bit anyway, and ages ago I mentioned to him that if he was ever needing some semi-skilled labour (i.e. really unskilled!) then I'd happily come and lift and carry stuff around for him. In September he called my bluff, and I found myself for two days being a roadie working on the sound crew at the Merchant City Festival in Glasgow. With three outdoor stages and an indoor venue to be covered, it was hard work, a bit physical sometimes, and a lot to take in, but it was great. I even ended up twiddling the knobs for one act, while Ian was called away to deal with a change of venue for another group. All very basic stuff of course, but I'm glad to say Ian trusted me enough to leave me on my own, and I'm even gladder to say I managed to avoid fucking it up! I'm looking forward to the next time, although I don't expect a change of career is due anytime soon!
The Institute of Advanced Motorists has taken more of a back seat this year, pardon the pun, although I did complete the necessary number of observed runs to continue as a Qualified Motorcycle Observer. It remains to be seen however whether I'll continue next year.
I've started to get the flat a bit more sorted. With the benefit of hindsight I realise that when I moved in I wasn't really in the right emotional frame of mind to do the decorating necessary, and as time went on I stopped seeing the faults. I have now got as far as getting a quote from a decorator, and getting the hallway replastered. Soon after Christmas I'll contact the decorator again and get him to come and do the business in the living room and hallway.
My general level of fitness continues to improve as I take advantage of the gym a few hundred yards from my house. I even made it onto a running track with RE a couple of times, but that was very hard going at that time! In the past few weeks I've slipped a bit, but my main New Year's resolution is to redouble my efforts. And I WILL do it.
On a fitness topic, in 2009 I did something I never thought I'd do. I climbed a hill. Not only a hill, but it was in fact a Munro. I've never ever ever been interested in hillwalking, and have been vocal about that opinion all through my life. But RE persuaded me to try it. Well I say persuaded me, but not proactively. I just mean that her influence, unbeknownst to her, made me want to do it. So she kindly agreed to "babysit me" up a hill. I'd be lying if I said there weren't bits I didn't enjoy. I slipped and fell up to my knees in a very cold stream; I slithered and slid my way down what was allegedly a "path"; I fell and staved my finger, but I bloody enjoyed it! And I know that thousands of people do it every weekend and think nothing of it. But this was me doing it. Me who about a year ago looked as though he was about to expire after a very short climb up a set of steps to a scenic viewpoint in the Scottish Borders. Me who a year ago hadn't taken any form of exercise for God knows how long, apart from when I tried badminton and spectacularly ruptured my achilles tendon. Me who is a city boy who has always said he didn't mind walking as long as it was on a pavement. This was me who walked up that Munro. And it is still me who is immensely proud of having done it, and proud of his friend RE for having the patience, skill and perseverance to help me all the way. Others may do it more often and with less effort, but we all have different abilities and different goals, and this particular achievement ranks highly for me.
So that's a potted history of Lay Clerk's 2009. A mixed year, but generally a good one and ending better than it started. Much of the above was Blogged about in depth at the time so if you've read this post in isolation it must seem pretty sparse of detail, and of course I've missed things out. Not just deliberately missed things to protect other people's privacy, but simply because things will have slipped my mind. Something which will hopefully never slip my mind though is to mention the love, friendship, and support of my closest friends, some of whom have been such for the thick end of 25 years, some for only a couple of years, but I value them all and thank them for their continuing friendship and support. I won't name them, but you know who you are. Thank you one and all.
Happy Christmas folks!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Specsavers saga continues
After posting earlier I went to Specsavers and asked them to put my glasses into the UV box to see if they went dark.
Guess what?
No Reactions!
So they have them away again to be remade yet again!
No doubt to be continued again ..................
Guess what?
No Reactions!
So they have them away again to be remade yet again!
No doubt to be continued again ..................
Shouldn't have gone to Specsavers
Time marches on, and with it come some physiological changes which aren't particularly welcome, like the worsening of eyesight.
I've been wearing glasses since I was 17 years old, when I embarked on driving lessons and discovered I couldn't read a car numberplate at the required distance. A bit over a year ago I realised that when reading a book, usually lying in the bath because that's where I do most reading, I was having trouble focussing on the words so had to hold it further away or right up close without my glasses on. I went to the optician I've been using for a few years and they confirmed that I now needed assistance with reading, not just for distances. They quoted me an unearthly amount of money to buy Varifocal lenses which would accomplish the distance and close vision correction I required, and at the time I couldn't justify spending that sort of money so bought a cheap'ish pair of reading glasses instead, and I've been fairly successfully using them since, although I never take them outside the house.
So wind on a year, and in May I succumbed to the TV adverts for Specsavers and jumped ship from the opticians I have been perfectly happy with, and I made an appointment for an eyesight test with a view to buying those Varifocals.
On Friday the 29th May I had that eyesight test and duly chose a pair of semi rimless glasses, similar to the Armani ones I've been wearing for a year or two but a little bit bigger so as to accommodate the various fields of vision in Varifocals. The cost, including thinner (and therefore lighter) lenses, polished edges and a reactions coating which makes them go dark in UV light, was £280. Not chickenfeed, but a good bit cheaper than the ones I refused the previous year. They would take about a week to make.
Just over a week later while in Perth rehearsing for a Glasgow Chamber Choir concert I received the call to say that my new glasses had arrived. Hurrah!
The following morning, Sunday 7th June, I arrived at Spescsavers in Byres Rd in the west end of Glasgow and collected them. They looked good. I went for a short walk in the sunshine to marvel at the lenses getting dark (it had been over 20 years since I had last chosen a pair of glasses which did this), and when they had got dark I took them off to see what the edges of the lenses looked like, because they had warned me that there was a "string" holding them in, being semi rimless, which you can't see when the glasses are clear but which might become more visible when they changed colour.
Yes, you could indeed see it, but it wasn't too bad actually. Wait a minute, what the hell's all that gunk and crap on the edges of the lenses? And why is that string not round the full edge of the lens but overlapping over the visible part? I wandered back to Specsavers and showed them what I'd seen. Oh, that's then glue that holds the string in place, they said. It should have been cleaned up a bit, sorry. And the string has just come loose, so we'll tighten it. Can you wait for 10 minutes.
Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, then twenty, then they said go away and come back in half an hour please. So I did, and then I got them back and went on my merry way home.
So far so good, and the possibility of not being able to get used to Varifocals seemed to be receding, because they felt not too bad. A bit weird because depending on which bit of the lens I looked through it faded into blurriness, but not too bad.
But when I took them off to have a good look at them at home I noticed something else. Round the edges of the lenses where they meet the frames there were gaps. Big gaps. Gaps you could actually see through!
Back into the car and back to Specsavers I went. Oh dear, they said, yes we can see that. We'll have a look at it. And look at it they did, resulting in them taking them back to be sent away and remade.
From now on the dates are hazy, but the gist of it is that about a week later I got the replacements, and tried them for a few weeks, during which time I had headaches and felt nauseous every time I wore them. As had been said from the start, not everyone can wear Varifocals, and sadly it looked like I was one of the small percentage of people who couldn't. Thankfully Spescavers have a guarantee that if you try Varifocals but don't get on with them, within a month you can bring them back and exchange them for single vision lenses and be refunded any price difference. So that's what I did. The manager of the shop dealt with me this time, and in his head calculated that I was due back £49 which he refunded to my credit card.
A week or thereabouts later I went to collect the single vision ones, but wait, what are those gaps round the edges of the lenses where they meet the frames? And why aren't the lens edges polished? Oh bugger, back to the old glasses again. And while the assistant was away trying to sort all this out I was left sitting in the shop. And reading their posters. And calculating in my head some prices. And when she came back she couldn't explain how the manager had come to the figure of £49 due to me as a refund as by my calculations, with which she agreed, I was due another £49 back. It was getting silly now. Messing me about AND ripping me off!
A week later another phone call to say the glasses were ready. Back to Specsavers again to collect them. But wait, what are those slightly different gaps round the edges of the right lens where it meets the frame? Hang on a minute, what kind of professional would remake a pair of glasses and not check that the new ones didn't have the same problem?
Profuse apologies all round, and it turned out that because the paperwork stated that it was "customer's own frames" and apparently didn't state why they were to be remade the technician had just traced the original lenses and remade them pretty much exactly the same, gaps and all. And the edges still hadn't been polished!
So away they went to be remade yet again. This time I had been promised a free second pair of glasses as a bit of compensation. Well I say free, but that was only if I waived the £49 which they agreed was still due to me. I decided to probably go for that but told them that if the glasses came back this time in any condition other than perfect then I was looking for all of my money back and I'd go elsewhere, which to be fair they didn't quibble over. Well, how could they?
Another week goes by, and another call is received. I troop back to the shop, and lo and behold receive a perfect looking pair of glasses. No gaps, and the lens edges polished a bit. Not as nicely polished as my Armani ones are, but they appear to have made the effort. Hurrah. I look at frames for sunglasses, because my second pair is going to be prescription sunnies, and the ones I'd seen a week or so earlier on one of the occasions when I was hanging about the shop waiting for the latest cockup to be sorted were no longer there. I described them to the assistant and she showed me a photo of them to confirm it's the right ones, and ordered the frames so I can have a look at them and try them on before deciding.
So away I go with a new pair of single vision glasses, now happy.
Except something doesn't seem quite right. I'm having to squint to see properly. Computer screen and book distance, no problem, but driving doesn't feel quite right. Nothing I can quite put my finger on, just not quite right. I put it down to just getting used to a new prescription, although I try my old ones and genuinely feel I can see better with them. I go to a week long course where I am seated at the back of the class and on one day I take both pairs, changing between them occasionally but leaving what should be enough time for my eyes to get used to each pair. I can definitely see the PowerPoint stuff at the front better with my old Armani glasses.
I get the call to say the sunglasses frames have arrived, so go back to the shop. They're fine so I order them, but I also mention the problem with vision. It's been about three weeks now that I've had the new glasses and I really have given them my best shot. The assistant speaks to an optician who suggests I should maybe get my eyes retested. At this point they mention that when my eyes were tested back in May, at the start of all this saga, the vision in my right eye had improved when compared with the prescription of my Armani glasses. IMPROVED! How is this possible? Didn't they think to double check this at the time? Apparently it can happen, they say.
So I made an appointment for the following day and back I went. It was the same optician who had carried out the initial test. Lo and behold, I actually needed something like a half point extra strength in each eye when compared to my Armani prescription (if I can refer to it as that for clarity). So that's STRONGER in both eyes then. Not a stronger lens in one and a weaker lens in the other then? No. How can that happen, I asked him. To his credit he did say he could have made a mistake over the first eye test.
So back again to the Armani glasses, and it felt better as soon as I put them on! The old glasses were sent away to be remade yet again, and I was now promised not only free prescription sunglasses, but they would also make them with thinner lenses free of charge too.
Another phone call, this time only a few days later, which was Monday of this week, and I went to collect the single vision glasses. They look absolutely fine, with no gaps, and what's more the edges of the lenses have been polished properly this time. Call me cynical though, but the person on the phone referred to them specifically as the reactions ones, as did the assistant when I collected them who also seemed to take a moment or two reading the paperwork while looking slightly puzzled. The weather in Glasgow is very very rainy and overcast at the moment, and so far the glasses have not gone dark. The cynic in me thinks that maybe they've forgotten the reactions bit but at the time of writing that remains to be seen, it might just be the lack of UV getting though the clouds!
And I'm still waiting for the sunglasses to be ready.
To be continued .....................
I've been wearing glasses since I was 17 years old, when I embarked on driving lessons and discovered I couldn't read a car numberplate at the required distance. A bit over a year ago I realised that when reading a book, usually lying in the bath because that's where I do most reading, I was having trouble focussing on the words so had to hold it further away or right up close without my glasses on. I went to the optician I've been using for a few years and they confirmed that I now needed assistance with reading, not just for distances. They quoted me an unearthly amount of money to buy Varifocal lenses which would accomplish the distance and close vision correction I required, and at the time I couldn't justify spending that sort of money so bought a cheap'ish pair of reading glasses instead, and I've been fairly successfully using them since, although I never take them outside the house.
So wind on a year, and in May I succumbed to the TV adverts for Specsavers and jumped ship from the opticians I have been perfectly happy with, and I made an appointment for an eyesight test with a view to buying those Varifocals.
On Friday the 29th May I had that eyesight test and duly chose a pair of semi rimless glasses, similar to the Armani ones I've been wearing for a year or two but a little bit bigger so as to accommodate the various fields of vision in Varifocals. The cost, including thinner (and therefore lighter) lenses, polished edges and a reactions coating which makes them go dark in UV light, was £280. Not chickenfeed, but a good bit cheaper than the ones I refused the previous year. They would take about a week to make.
Just over a week later while in Perth rehearsing for a Glasgow Chamber Choir concert I received the call to say that my new glasses had arrived. Hurrah!
The following morning, Sunday 7th June, I arrived at Spescsavers in Byres Rd in the west end of Glasgow and collected them. They looked good. I went for a short walk in the sunshine to marvel at the lenses getting dark (it had been over 20 years since I had last chosen a pair of glasses which did this), and when they had got dark I took them off to see what the edges of the lenses looked like, because they had warned me that there was a "string" holding them in, being semi rimless, which you can't see when the glasses are clear but which might become more visible when they changed colour.
Yes, you could indeed see it, but it wasn't too bad actually. Wait a minute, what the hell's all that gunk and crap on the edges of the lenses? And why is that string not round the full edge of the lens but overlapping over the visible part? I wandered back to Specsavers and showed them what I'd seen. Oh, that's then glue that holds the string in place, they said. It should have been cleaned up a bit, sorry. And the string has just come loose, so we'll tighten it. Can you wait for 10 minutes.
Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, then twenty, then they said go away and come back in half an hour please. So I did, and then I got them back and went on my merry way home.
So far so good, and the possibility of not being able to get used to Varifocals seemed to be receding, because they felt not too bad. A bit weird because depending on which bit of the lens I looked through it faded into blurriness, but not too bad.
But when I took them off to have a good look at them at home I noticed something else. Round the edges of the lenses where they meet the frames there were gaps. Big gaps. Gaps you could actually see through!
Back into the car and back to Specsavers I went. Oh dear, they said, yes we can see that. We'll have a look at it. And look at it they did, resulting in them taking them back to be sent away and remade.
From now on the dates are hazy, but the gist of it is that about a week later I got the replacements, and tried them for a few weeks, during which time I had headaches and felt nauseous every time I wore them. As had been said from the start, not everyone can wear Varifocals, and sadly it looked like I was one of the small percentage of people who couldn't. Thankfully Spescavers have a guarantee that if you try Varifocals but don't get on with them, within a month you can bring them back and exchange them for single vision lenses and be refunded any price difference. So that's what I did. The manager of the shop dealt with me this time, and in his head calculated that I was due back £49 which he refunded to my credit card.
A week or thereabouts later I went to collect the single vision ones, but wait, what are those gaps round the edges of the lenses where they meet the frames? And why aren't the lens edges polished? Oh bugger, back to the old glasses again. And while the assistant was away trying to sort all this out I was left sitting in the shop. And reading their posters. And calculating in my head some prices. And when she came back she couldn't explain how the manager had come to the figure of £49 due to me as a refund as by my calculations, with which she agreed, I was due another £49 back. It was getting silly now. Messing me about AND ripping me off!
A week later another phone call to say the glasses were ready. Back to Specsavers again to collect them. But wait, what are those slightly different gaps round the edges of the right lens where it meets the frame? Hang on a minute, what kind of professional would remake a pair of glasses and not check that the new ones didn't have the same problem?
Profuse apologies all round, and it turned out that because the paperwork stated that it was "customer's own frames" and apparently didn't state why they were to be remade the technician had just traced the original lenses and remade them pretty much exactly the same, gaps and all. And the edges still hadn't been polished!
So away they went to be remade yet again. This time I had been promised a free second pair of glasses as a bit of compensation. Well I say free, but that was only if I waived the £49 which they agreed was still due to me. I decided to probably go for that but told them that if the glasses came back this time in any condition other than perfect then I was looking for all of my money back and I'd go elsewhere, which to be fair they didn't quibble over. Well, how could they?
Another week goes by, and another call is received. I troop back to the shop, and lo and behold receive a perfect looking pair of glasses. No gaps, and the lens edges polished a bit. Not as nicely polished as my Armani ones are, but they appear to have made the effort. Hurrah. I look at frames for sunglasses, because my second pair is going to be prescription sunnies, and the ones I'd seen a week or so earlier on one of the occasions when I was hanging about the shop waiting for the latest cockup to be sorted were no longer there. I described them to the assistant and she showed me a photo of them to confirm it's the right ones, and ordered the frames so I can have a look at them and try them on before deciding.
So away I go with a new pair of single vision glasses, now happy.
Except something doesn't seem quite right. I'm having to squint to see properly. Computer screen and book distance, no problem, but driving doesn't feel quite right. Nothing I can quite put my finger on, just not quite right. I put it down to just getting used to a new prescription, although I try my old ones and genuinely feel I can see better with them. I go to a week long course where I am seated at the back of the class and on one day I take both pairs, changing between them occasionally but leaving what should be enough time for my eyes to get used to each pair. I can definitely see the PowerPoint stuff at the front better with my old Armani glasses.
I get the call to say the sunglasses frames have arrived, so go back to the shop. They're fine so I order them, but I also mention the problem with vision. It's been about three weeks now that I've had the new glasses and I really have given them my best shot. The assistant speaks to an optician who suggests I should maybe get my eyes retested. At this point they mention that when my eyes were tested back in May, at the start of all this saga, the vision in my right eye had improved when compared with the prescription of my Armani glasses. IMPROVED! How is this possible? Didn't they think to double check this at the time? Apparently it can happen, they say.
So I made an appointment for the following day and back I went. It was the same optician who had carried out the initial test. Lo and behold, I actually needed something like a half point extra strength in each eye when compared to my Armani prescription (if I can refer to it as that for clarity). So that's STRONGER in both eyes then. Not a stronger lens in one and a weaker lens in the other then? No. How can that happen, I asked him. To his credit he did say he could have made a mistake over the first eye test.
So back again to the Armani glasses, and it felt better as soon as I put them on! The old glasses were sent away to be remade yet again, and I was now promised not only free prescription sunglasses, but they would also make them with thinner lenses free of charge too.
Another phone call, this time only a few days later, which was Monday of this week, and I went to collect the single vision glasses. They look absolutely fine, with no gaps, and what's more the edges of the lenses have been polished properly this time. Call me cynical though, but the person on the phone referred to them specifically as the reactions ones, as did the assistant when I collected them who also seemed to take a moment or two reading the paperwork while looking slightly puzzled. The weather in Glasgow is very very rainy and overcast at the moment, and so far the glasses have not gone dark. The cynic in me thinks that maybe they've forgotten the reactions bit but at the time of writing that remains to be seen, it might just be the lack of UV getting though the clouds!
And I'm still waiting for the sunglasses to be ready.
To be continued .....................
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The new me
Not only did I go for a very brisk half hour walk at lunchtime (in the blazing sunshine), but I left work early (flexitime) and went to the gym for the first time in about five weeks. Forty five minutes of sweaty exercise. I don't dislike the gym, I have just found it incredibly difficult to get motivated and get back into the habit after A LOT of years of not doing it.
I had a long sometimes difficult conversation with a close friend last night. That friend put things into startling, stark perspective for me, and that has given me the boost, no, the hard kick up the arse I needed to get a grip of myself and my life and make things happen.
So now I have a specific goal, which will remain private, sorry, but part of which, a bloody big part, involves me changing my physical condition, and my physical shape. And my psychological outlook on life.
This is the new me. I NEED to do this. I NEED to lose weight. I NEED to get fit. I NEED to cut down on alcohol. I NEED to eat a better diet. I WILL do it. I WILL achieve my goal, because it's the most important thing for me.
Please think positive thoughts and project them towards me. Your help is appreciated.
And to that friend, you know who you are, thank you. Thank you for your continuing friendship and honesty and support.
I had a long sometimes difficult conversation with a close friend last night. That friend put things into startling, stark perspective for me, and that has given me the boost, no, the hard kick up the arse I needed to get a grip of myself and my life and make things happen.
So now I have a specific goal, which will remain private, sorry, but part of which, a bloody big part, involves me changing my physical condition, and my physical shape. And my psychological outlook on life.
This is the new me. I NEED to do this. I NEED to lose weight. I NEED to get fit. I NEED to cut down on alcohol. I NEED to eat a better diet. I WILL do it. I WILL achieve my goal, because it's the most important thing for me.
Please think positive thoughts and project them towards me. Your help is appreciated.
And to that friend, you know who you are, thank you. Thank you for your continuing friendship and honesty and support.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Pandemic update
Images courtesy of Mad Priest's Blog. As well as GS who emailed the top one to me just exactly when I was about to, ahem, re-use it from Mad Priest.On an unrelated topic, it's been a long and rather boring bank holiday Monday today. I had plans to go for a nice ride on the bike, but it's been pissing with rain most of the day, so instead I've been doing some online housekeeping on my Flickr account.
Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to going back to work tomorrow!
On another completely unrelated topic, have a look at this Ladybird Easy-Reading Book called The Policeman. It's very good! Read it all.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Anniversary of pain
That's now two years since, on Sunday 18th March 2007, I snapped my Achilles Tendon in a rather painful manner!
Since then my recovery has been a bit slow, but is now pretty much complete, and I rarely limp. I don't recommend doing such an injury to yourself though, it's not pleasant!
Since then my recovery has been a bit slow, but is now pretty much complete, and I rarely limp. I don't recommend doing such an injury to yourself though, it's not pleasant!
Monday, January 05, 2009
At bloody last!
Today, (cue drum roll) I was at the gym exercising.
That's right.
Regular readers, and for some obscure reason there are some, will know that there has been a saga leading up to this point, largely involving the incompetence of the staff at my local council run gym. But this afternoon I made it at last and spent a relatively happy, and surprisingly pain free hour and a bit there.
And I'm already over thirty pounds lighter, as I had to pay the first month and a bit up front until the Direct Debit kicks in.
So, for the record, and this may be the only time this statistic appears here, in shorts and trainers I weigh 92 kilos, or 14 stone 6 pounds in old money. My aims are to lose some of that and ditch as much of the beer gut as possible in the process, get a bit fitter, get my blood pressure to a lower level without aided by Lisinopril, and generally feel better about myself.
This morning's efforts consisted of 20 minutes on an exercise bike, 10 minutes walking quite quickly on a treadmill, 5 minutes on a rowing machine, 5 minutes on a cross trainer (which was the most work, the least fun and the highest heart rate!) and finally another 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Plus the warm down bits at the end of those times too. I did break sweat, but deliberately didn't try to push myself too far on the first visit, as that's a surefire way of getting pissed off at both it and myself, and never going back! The objective is to gradually increase things, so we'll see how it goes.
Oh, and to put all this in perspective for those who don't know me, it's been a long time since I exercised (and I was exactly 11 stone when I left school and for many years afterwards), and the last time I did any I managed to rupture my achilles tendon! I am well aware that the length of time I spent on each machine today is nothing to write home about for the average person, but I'm proud of it, given my current state of health and fitness. It will improve.
That's right.
Regular readers, and for some obscure reason there are some, will know that there has been a saga leading up to this point, largely involving the incompetence of the staff at my local council run gym. But this afternoon I made it at last and spent a relatively happy, and surprisingly pain free hour and a bit there.
And I'm already over thirty pounds lighter, as I had to pay the first month and a bit up front until the Direct Debit kicks in.
So, for the record, and this may be the only time this statistic appears here, in shorts and trainers I weigh 92 kilos, or 14 stone 6 pounds in old money. My aims are to lose some of that and ditch as much of the beer gut as possible in the process, get a bit fitter, get my blood pressure to a lower level without aided by Lisinopril, and generally feel better about myself.
This morning's efforts consisted of 20 minutes on an exercise bike, 10 minutes walking quite quickly on a treadmill, 5 minutes on a rowing machine, 5 minutes on a cross trainer (which was the most work, the least fun and the highest heart rate!) and finally another 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Plus the warm down bits at the end of those times too. I did break sweat, but deliberately didn't try to push myself too far on the first visit, as that's a surefire way of getting pissed off at both it and myself, and never going back! The objective is to gradually increase things, so we'll see how it goes.
Oh, and to put all this in perspective for those who don't know me, it's been a long time since I exercised (and I was exactly 11 stone when I left school and for many years afterwards), and the last time I did any I managed to rupture my achilles tendon! I am well aware that the length of time I spent on each machine today is nothing to write home about for the average person, but I'm proud of it, given my current state of health and fitness. It will improve.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Jumping around and singing on the phone
A while ago I posted about the incompetence of my local council-run gym when they failed twice to give me an induction session despite me having booked it both times. The jury was out as to whether they were going to get a third go at it, but I'm afraid the much-cheapness of their deal has won against local privately-run gyms, and I've now booked, for the third time, an induction session for tomorrow evening. I've even paid in advance for it this time, so it'd bloody better take place!
On a related topic, I had a blood pressure check this morning at my GP, and I'm glad to report that it's now down to a much less deadly level! A few months ago it was something like 140/115 and it's now about 105/81. Put in an over simplified way, it's the bottom reading, the diastolic one, which is important because that's the pressure when the heart's at rest, rather than the higher, or systolic, figure, which relates to the heart pumping the blood.
The weekend just past was a busy one musically for Glasgow Chamber Choir, as we had concerts in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. They both went well, on the whole, although there was one bowel-loosening moment in the Edinburgh concert on Sunday when I came in on a completely exposed (i.e. the only part singing) top G tenor entry without the company normally offered by my two fellow first tenors! It all happened in a flash, as I sang the German word "Ein" very briefly, then stopped dead and my neighbour then sang the same word and note in the next beat after which the other first tenor and I joined in and we carried on as if nothing had happened. Except I was thinking something like "bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks" for the next few minutes. How could I have ruined the piece, I was thinking. Oh well, that's life.
Only, in the pub afterwards, our music director told me that the other two first tenors clearly owed me a pint as I had been right and they were wrong, although in my own mind I now think I should have had the courage of my convictions to keep going instead of stopping, but it all happened so quickly that my subconscious took over and I didn't have time to rationalise what was happening, and that can't be helped. The knowledge that my original entry was correct helps my conscience though!
After the Glasgow concert we had some wine and nibbles in the church hall, which was OK as far as it went, but as a party venue it rather lacked atmosphere. Not helped of course by my one glass of wine, since I had decided to drive there.
After the Edinburgh one though, we adjourned to the pub next door. I can't remember the name off hand, although I should try as it's another one to add to the my pubs page of my Website, which is an ongoing effort to list every pub in which I've ever had a drink. It's a long page! After two or three pints of Deuchars IPA, a very fine pint and well worth trying if you get the chance, and an exceptionally ordinary cheese and onion toastie, the world seemed at peace. The train journey back the 50 miles to Glasgow, then the bus journey home, didn't seem so bad either. It was a good crowd of friends, so that helps.
I forgot to mention my new boys' toy. After a year and a bit of using a Palm Treo mobile smartphone, it was time to speak to Vodafone about an upgrade again, so after taking advice in the shop, and having a look around and a read at some specifications, I chose a Nokia E66, and at the same time upgraded my monthly tariff from £25 a month including 125 free call minutes, to £35 a month including 500 free minutes, 100 free SMS messages, and unlimited mobile Internet access.
My average monthly bill recently has been £38, so in fact I'm paying roughly the same as I have been, but with more free minutes, and Internet access thrown in. And in fact, having been given a couple of months of free insurance for my Palm Treo last July, I found out at the weekend that it seems like I forgot to cancel it after the free period was over, so I've been paying just under £7 extra every month over and above my tariff, making an average spend of about £45 per month recently! So that's cancelled now!
I'm still playing with it, sorry, finding my way round the functionality of it, but I'm very impressed so far. I like the solid feel of the slider, it's the first slide phone I've had, and the functions are good. Like GPS navigation, which I can use at no extra cost since I have Internet access, and the FM radio, which I haven't had on a phone for a few years now.
On a related topic, I had a blood pressure check this morning at my GP, and I'm glad to report that it's now down to a much less deadly level! A few months ago it was something like 140/115 and it's now about 105/81. Put in an over simplified way, it's the bottom reading, the diastolic one, which is important because that's the pressure when the heart's at rest, rather than the higher, or systolic, figure, which relates to the heart pumping the blood.
The weekend just past was a busy one musically for Glasgow Chamber Choir, as we had concerts in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. They both went well, on the whole, although there was one bowel-loosening moment in the Edinburgh concert on Sunday when I came in on a completely exposed (i.e. the only part singing) top G tenor entry without the company normally offered by my two fellow first tenors! It all happened in a flash, as I sang the German word "Ein" very briefly, then stopped dead and my neighbour then sang the same word and note in the next beat after which the other first tenor and I joined in and we carried on as if nothing had happened. Except I was thinking something like "bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks bollocks" for the next few minutes. How could I have ruined the piece, I was thinking. Oh well, that's life.
Only, in the pub afterwards, our music director told me that the other two first tenors clearly owed me a pint as I had been right and they were wrong, although in my own mind I now think I should have had the courage of my convictions to keep going instead of stopping, but it all happened so quickly that my subconscious took over and I didn't have time to rationalise what was happening, and that can't be helped. The knowledge that my original entry was correct helps my conscience though!
After the Glasgow concert we had some wine and nibbles in the church hall, which was OK as far as it went, but as a party venue it rather lacked atmosphere. Not helped of course by my one glass of wine, since I had decided to drive there.
After the Edinburgh one though, we adjourned to the pub next door. I can't remember the name off hand, although I should try as it's another one to add to the my pubs page of my Website, which is an ongoing effort to list every pub in which I've ever had a drink. It's a long page! After two or three pints of Deuchars IPA, a very fine pint and well worth trying if you get the chance, and an exceptionally ordinary cheese and onion toastie, the world seemed at peace. The train journey back the 50 miles to Glasgow, then the bus journey home, didn't seem so bad either. It was a good crowd of friends, so that helps.
I forgot to mention my new boys' toy. After a year and a bit of using a Palm Treo mobile smartphone, it was time to speak to Vodafone about an upgrade again, so after taking advice in the shop, and having a look around and a read at some specifications, I chose a Nokia E66, and at the same time upgraded my monthly tariff from £25 a month including 125 free call minutes, to £35 a month including 500 free minutes, 100 free SMS messages, and unlimited mobile Internet access.My average monthly bill recently has been £38, so in fact I'm paying roughly the same as I have been, but with more free minutes, and Internet access thrown in. And in fact, having been given a couple of months of free insurance for my Palm Treo last July, I found out at the weekend that it seems like I forgot to cancel it after the free period was over, so I've been paying just under £7 extra every month over and above my tariff, making an average spend of about £45 per month recently! So that's cancelled now!
I'm still playing with it, sorry, finding my way round the functionality of it, but I'm very impressed so far. I like the solid feel of the slider, it's the first slide phone I've had, and the functions are good. Like GPS navigation, which I can use at no extra cost since I have Internet access, and the FM radio, which I haven't had on a phone for a few years now.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Car v Car v Car
Had the chance to use my "stay where you are I'm a trained First-Aider and I'll help you in any way I can" routine on the way home from work this evening.
Didn't get the chance to change into the Superman costume unfortunately, but never mind!
I was on the M8 heading west from the general area of Glasgow Airport towards the Erskine Bridge (how boring must that be for those reading this who know nothing of the geography of Scotland, and only marginally less boring for those who do!) and I reached a sudden tailback with both lanes not really moving at all, for almost a mile as it turned out. Fortunately I was on the bike, not in the car, so took full advantage by using the special "courier lane" which is always denoted by the white line dividing the lanes the cars use! I also switched repeatedly from dipped to full beam, just to make my approach a bit more visible to anyone thinking about changing lanes or opening their doors suddenly (which can happen in such tailbacks).
As I made it towards the front of the queue I saw that in the fast lane there was a car stopped with its hazard lights flashing, and as I reached it I then saw that there were in fact two other cars stopped in front of it. Very close in front of it in fact, with contact made between the rear two of the three, and various bits of debris about the carriageway.
Now normally I don't get involved, and I had no intentions of doing so until, at the last minute as I passed the RTA (Road Traffic Accident, or in fact I believe they're now known as RTC - Road Traffic Crash to take cognisance of the opinion that there's no such thing as an accident, it's always someone's fault) I pulled into the fast lane in front of the front car.
Wearing very fluorescent safety gear, and being confident and aware of what's happening around me, I had no qualms about walking around on the carriageway, since the traffic was going very slowly indeed as it filtered down into a single lane to pass the obstruction.
I approached the front vehicle which was directly behind the bike, and inside which the female driver was sitting using her mobile phone, and made sure she wasn't injured and that someone had called the police. She confirmed that she was fine, and told me that one of the three people who were standing across on the hard shoulder and who had come from the other two cars had called the police.
I carefully crossed the carriageway to the hard shoulder, making sure that I had eye contact with the driver approaching and making sure he was in no doubt I was about to walk in front of him and I was in no doubt he was going to let me!
The three females standing on the grass verge looked a hell of a lot more upset than the first, older, lady to whom I had spoken, and all three of them were very teary-eyed, and although one said she had a bit of a sore chest where the airbag had deployed and another said she was 4 months pregnant, none of the three had any actual injuries. None that they mentioned when asked anyway.
The driver of the second car, although I hadn't ask what had happened, told me that she'd no idea why the front vehicle had suddenly executed an emergency stop right in front of her and leaving her no time to stop. I made no comment at the time, but the rule is, I believe, always that the car that runs into the back of another is always at fault. You should always be able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear. Oh well, that's for the police and insurance companies to sort out.
The three females on the verge also told me when asked that the lady who was still sitting in the front car had called the police, who should be on their way, and one of the three standing there had also called a breakdown/recovery company.
Hang on. Did they say that the driver of the front car had called the police? She told me that they had called them. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry, so I called them to make sure.
A few minutes later a traffic car appeared and blocked off the fast lane, and then a well practised routine swung into action. After ensuring that no one was injured, one of the officers collected the sets of keys for the cars and, while her colleague stopped all the traffic, all three were moved to the hard shoulder, and I moved my bike there too.
I helped a bit by lifting the biggest bits of plastic bodywork off the carriageway, and the traffic was allowed to move again.
The officer asked me if I had seen anything, and when I explained that I had only stopped to make sure no one was injured, she allowed me on my way, with a "thank you for stopping".
So there you go.
My initial first aid training was a number of years ago when, in a previous life, I worked for Strathclyde Police as a Turnkey, and I am told that the level of training Strathclyde provides is the equivalent of that which Paramedics receive apart from the administration of drugs and intubation (tube down the throat) which Strathclyde rightly doesn't teach.
As a Turnkey I used my first aid skills if not on a daily basis then certainly more than once a week, dealing with all sorts of things from cuts and bruises, epileptic fits (or clonic tonic seizures as I seem to remember they are called), unconsciousness, drug overdoses, drug withdrawals, Delirium Tremens caused by alcohol withdrawal, wounds caused by knives and broken glass (the guy had been thrown through a window during a fight), chest pain, anaphylactic shock (mild, fortunately), and pretty much anything you can think of. All life was there!
Not now being a Turnkey and no longer working for Strathclyde Police, these days I don't often have cause, thankfully, to put my training to use, but it's always nice to know that the skills should still be there, lurking under the surface and ready to present themselves if necessary. So I'm glad I stopped this evening, even though it turned out that no one had been injured.
Didn't get the chance to change into the Superman costume unfortunately, but never mind!
I was on the M8 heading west from the general area of Glasgow Airport towards the Erskine Bridge (how boring must that be for those reading this who know nothing of the geography of Scotland, and only marginally less boring for those who do!) and I reached a sudden tailback with both lanes not really moving at all, for almost a mile as it turned out. Fortunately I was on the bike, not in the car, so took full advantage by using the special "courier lane" which is always denoted by the white line dividing the lanes the cars use! I also switched repeatedly from dipped to full beam, just to make my approach a bit more visible to anyone thinking about changing lanes or opening their doors suddenly (which can happen in such tailbacks).
As I made it towards the front of the queue I saw that in the fast lane there was a car stopped with its hazard lights flashing, and as I reached it I then saw that there were in fact two other cars stopped in front of it. Very close in front of it in fact, with contact made between the rear two of the three, and various bits of debris about the carriageway.
Now normally I don't get involved, and I had no intentions of doing so until, at the last minute as I passed the RTA (Road Traffic Accident, or in fact I believe they're now known as RTC - Road Traffic Crash to take cognisance of the opinion that there's no such thing as an accident, it's always someone's fault) I pulled into the fast lane in front of the front car.
Wearing very fluorescent safety gear, and being confident and aware of what's happening around me, I had no qualms about walking around on the carriageway, since the traffic was going very slowly indeed as it filtered down into a single lane to pass the obstruction.
I approached the front vehicle which was directly behind the bike, and inside which the female driver was sitting using her mobile phone, and made sure she wasn't injured and that someone had called the police. She confirmed that she was fine, and told me that one of the three people who were standing across on the hard shoulder and who had come from the other two cars had called the police.
I carefully crossed the carriageway to the hard shoulder, making sure that I had eye contact with the driver approaching and making sure he was in no doubt I was about to walk in front of him and I was in no doubt he was going to let me!
The three females standing on the grass verge looked a hell of a lot more upset than the first, older, lady to whom I had spoken, and all three of them were very teary-eyed, and although one said she had a bit of a sore chest where the airbag had deployed and another said she was 4 months pregnant, none of the three had any actual injuries. None that they mentioned when asked anyway.
The driver of the second car, although I hadn't ask what had happened, told me that she'd no idea why the front vehicle had suddenly executed an emergency stop right in front of her and leaving her no time to stop. I made no comment at the time, but the rule is, I believe, always that the car that runs into the back of another is always at fault. You should always be able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear. Oh well, that's for the police and insurance companies to sort out.
The three females on the verge also told me when asked that the lady who was still sitting in the front car had called the police, who should be on their way, and one of the three standing there had also called a breakdown/recovery company.
Hang on. Did they say that the driver of the front car had called the police? She told me that they had called them. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry, so I called them to make sure.
A few minutes later a traffic car appeared and blocked off the fast lane, and then a well practised routine swung into action. After ensuring that no one was injured, one of the officers collected the sets of keys for the cars and, while her colleague stopped all the traffic, all three were moved to the hard shoulder, and I moved my bike there too.
I helped a bit by lifting the biggest bits of plastic bodywork off the carriageway, and the traffic was allowed to move again.
The officer asked me if I had seen anything, and when I explained that I had only stopped to make sure no one was injured, she allowed me on my way, with a "thank you for stopping".
So there you go.
My initial first aid training was a number of years ago when, in a previous life, I worked for Strathclyde Police as a Turnkey, and I am told that the level of training Strathclyde provides is the equivalent of that which Paramedics receive apart from the administration of drugs and intubation (tube down the throat) which Strathclyde rightly doesn't teach.
As a Turnkey I used my first aid skills if not on a daily basis then certainly more than once a week, dealing with all sorts of things from cuts and bruises, epileptic fits (or clonic tonic seizures as I seem to remember they are called), unconsciousness, drug overdoses, drug withdrawals, Delirium Tremens caused by alcohol withdrawal, wounds caused by knives and broken glass (the guy had been thrown through a window during a fight), chest pain, anaphylactic shock (mild, fortunately), and pretty much anything you can think of. All life was there!
Not now being a Turnkey and no longer working for Strathclyde Police, these days I don't often have cause, thankfully, to put my training to use, but it's always nice to know that the skills should still be there, lurking under the surface and ready to present themselves if necessary. So I'm glad I stopped this evening, even though it turned out that no one had been injured.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Ernie - RIP, 17th May 2001 - 7th October 2008
I'm sad to report that Ernie has passed away.The vet told me yesterday to watch out for him losing interest in food and water, and becoming lethargic.
I didn't think it'd happen so quickly.
Last night I hand fed him some tuna around 6pm, and using a syringe made sure he was getting water, but after that he showed no desire to eat or drink, although bizarrely he did seem to enjoy the experience of having water hosed down him!
Since coming home last Thursday from a week at the vet, he's shown no interest in the cat flap, but last night after eating he made his way to it and stuck his head through for a look outside. I opened the door for him and let him sit on the back step with the door open, where he seemed to enjoy the smells and sounds and sights around him.
After about 15 minutes he got up and came back inside. If I didn't know better I'd say he knew this was his final look at the big wide world.
He slept on the bed with me last night, jumping down at about half past five this morning and going to the wee bed made up of blankets for him in the living room.I got up at around half past six and tried to persuade him to eat, but he wasn't interested. I did manage to give him some water by the syringe method, but it was clear that he wasn't himself, and he just wanted to lie half-sleeping. I kind of knew last night that this was the way it was heading.
So I made the incredibly hard decision that today was the day.
We spent the next few hours on the sofa with him lying comfortably on my lap being cuddled, and me trying not to disturb him too much with my crying.
Then it was into the car for his final journey, to visit the wonderful people at Una McLean's veterinary surgery in Glasgow, who have looked after him since he was a very tiny kitten 7 years ago. In particular I must mention Ann the nurse, who has been there for years and has known Ernie all his life, and Louise and Julian, the vets. I would not hesitate to recommend this practice, they are wonderful and caring.
If you've never seen an animal euthanased before then I'd be the last person to suggest you go out your way to do so, but if you find yourself in the horrible position, then it's not as scary as you might think. It's just a wee anaesthetic injection, given kindly, carefully and considerately by one of the same vets who has looked after him for the past week or two. He gently fell asleep and died being cuddled by me, and he was purring loudly almost to the very end. It seemed more of a difficult decision to take the life of a purring cat, but Louise pointed out that if I had left it another day or two then he would have been really sick and feeling like shit. It was inevitable that he wasn't going to last, so it's a small comfort that he was allowed to go while he still felt relatively OK and while he was happy enough to purr, and compos mentis enough to know that I was with him, hopefully comforting him.
Thank you to everyone who took the trouble to send Ernie good wishes, and thanks also to everyone who sent positive vibes his way without telling us. The vets who have been looking after him are still amazed that he made it through the first day or two, and made it as far as this, still fighting, with blood readings so astronomically high. He was a fighter and we shall miss him.
Rest eternal grant unto him O Lord, and let Sunlight perpetual shine upon him.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Ernie 5
This morning, for the first time since coming home last Thursday, Ernie put up quite a struggle when I was giving him his tablet and then scooshing the powder mixed with water down his throat using a syringe, and this afternoon when I arrived home from work he was sitting looking much more alert than of late, so we set off to the vet this afternoon with me feeling a bit more positive and hopeful.
But it's not to be.
The blood test showed that his creatinine level has soared to over 1200, which apparently is a pretty conclusive indication that his kidneys are still failing. Irretrievably so.
So despite him seeming happier, and apparently feeling well enough to put up a bit of a fight this morning, and despite him currently lying on my lap purring happily as I type this, the outlook is poor. Completely poor. Absolutely poor. Devastatingly poor. Terminally poor.
I've to look out for Ernie becoming like he was a bit over a week ago. Tired, lethargic, not eating, or drinking. When that happens, and it will happen, I've to make an appointment to take my little beautiful friend on his last journey. Are you surprised that I'm crying right now?
The vet, when asked, initially thought the time scale might be a couple of weeks, and when I said I was going on holiday in two weeks, he admitted that he actually expects to see me later this week.
So from now on little Ernest will be eating whatever he wants to eat, and will get as much loving attention and care that I can possibly give him.
Please think of us.
But it's not to be.
The blood test showed that his creatinine level has soared to over 1200, which apparently is a pretty conclusive indication that his kidneys are still failing. Irretrievably so.
So despite him seeming happier, and apparently feeling well enough to put up a bit of a fight this morning, and despite him currently lying on my lap purring happily as I type this, the outlook is poor. Completely poor. Absolutely poor. Devastatingly poor. Terminally poor.
I've to look out for Ernie becoming like he was a bit over a week ago. Tired, lethargic, not eating, or drinking. When that happens, and it will happen, I've to make an appointment to take my little beautiful friend on his last journey. Are you surprised that I'm crying right now?
The vet, when asked, initially thought the time scale might be a couple of weeks, and when I said I was going on holiday in two weeks, he admitted that he actually expects to see me later this week.
So from now on little Ernest will be eating whatever he wants to eat, and will get as much loving attention and care that I can possibly give him.
Please think of us.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Ernie 4
Guess who?
This is young Ernie just after returning home from his week long stay at the vet. He's still very weak, but as you can see he's trying to eat and drink, and he's doing his best to fight, so please keep those positive vibes coming his way!
And apologies for the orangeness of the image, I don't know what happened, and I can't be bothered to Photoshop it better!
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Ernie 3
The latest on Ernie is that he continues to feel better, if the look of him is anything to go by anyway, and his blood readings are pretty much sorted. So, mirabile dictu, he's coming home!
He was due to finish his drip this afternoon, then the drip catheter was going to be removed and he is being left like that overnight to make sure he's doing OK. I then collect him tomorrow early evening.
He's still not out the woods, and his kidneys might prove not to be up to their job, but at the very least he's coming home to spend some quality time with me and little (well, not so little really) Elmo.
Thanks so much for all the messages of support, and for all the support you haven't told me about. Please continue to send waves of positivity towards Ernie, because he still needs it, and will do for the foreseeable future.
He was due to finish his drip this afternoon, then the drip catheter was going to be removed and he is being left like that overnight to make sure he's doing OK. I then collect him tomorrow early evening.
He's still not out the woods, and his kidneys might prove not to be up to their job, but at the very least he's coming home to spend some quality time with me and little (well, not so little really) Elmo.
Thanks so much for all the messages of support, and for all the support you haven't told me about. Please continue to send waves of positivity towards Ernie, because he still needs it, and will do for the foreseeable future.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Ernie 2
I went to see Ernie at the vet this morning, and when I left and was driving home the steering wheel was smelling of tuna fish off my fingers where I'd been feeding his beautiful wee face!
Yes, thank God, he's still with us and fighting hard, and thankfully he's starting to show an interest in food again.
Still early days though, and it remains to be seen what happens when he comes off the drip, but he was purring and happy looking, and I even managed to find the moveable spot that makes his back leg work (if you don't know what I mean by that, you have never had a pet cat!).
The vet now thinks there's a good chance this happened because he drank some antifreeze, so I'm going to have a look out in the (communal) back garden area to see if anyone has left any lying around, but both Ernie and Elmo wander further than the immediate back court, so he could have found it anywhere.
While very mindful that he's still got a long way to go, I'm feeling a lot happier. Please continue to channel waves of positivity in his direction. Thanks.
Yes, thank God, he's still with us and fighting hard, and thankfully he's starting to show an interest in food again.
Still early days though, and it remains to be seen what happens when he comes off the drip, but he was purring and happy looking, and I even managed to find the moveable spot that makes his back leg work (if you don't know what I mean by that, you have never had a pet cat!).
The vet now thinks there's a good chance this happened because he drank some antifreeze, so I'm going to have a look out in the (communal) back garden area to see if anyone has left any lying around, but both Ernie and Elmo wander further than the immediate back court, so he could have found it anywhere.
While very mindful that he's still got a long way to go, I'm feeling a lot happier. Please continue to channel waves of positivity in his direction. Thanks.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Ernie
Please spare a moment and a kind thought for my lovely cat Ernie, who is currently in the vet with kidneys which seem to be shutting down.This has all come about very suddenly in the past week, starting with him having strained or sprained his leg a bit, and apparently reacting adversely to anti inflammatory medication given to him by the vet.
He's a lot happier now than he was a day or two ago, but he still isn't really eating and one of the blood readings has gone up instead of down, which is a very bad thing as he's on a drip which is supposed to make things better.
I have an appointment with the vet on Monday morning, and if Ernie isn't showing signs of improvement, then a hard decision, the hardest decision of all, has to be considered. I am not looking forward to it and I'm already crying hard as I type this.
People who do not have pets will doubtless wonder why I'm so upset, but those of us, better people I'd say, who do have pets realise they aren't just animals, they are an integral part of the family. They are family members.
Ernie and Elmo came with me after my separation and divorce, and since living on my own again, they have been the family I have come home to every night, and I love them both dearly.
Please, spare a kind thought for Ernie as he needs all the positive vibes he can get right now. And think also of Elmo, who is obviously missing his big brother.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Even more incompetence
I'll give you the short version of this.
A couple of posts ago I spoke of the incompetence of the staff at my local council-run gym when they tried and failed to make an appointment for me. Well tonight I turned up (again) a good twenty five minutes before my appointment for my gym induction session, to find the whole building closed and shuttered, and a single A4 piece of paper sellotaped to the shutter addressed specifically to a slimming class which apparently normally meets there, advising them to go to a local church hall instead "because of the strike".
THE STRIKE!
The bastards have gone on strike! No official notice anywhere on the building. No prior warning. No courtesy call to my mobile number, which I gave them last week (twice), to give me a heads up not to turn up. No, they were quite happy to let me make my way there only to work out that they were on strike by reading a notice addressed to a slimming class.
Do they get my sympathy for their wage claim? Do they fuck. Will they get a third go at giving me a gym induction and thereafter will they get my monthly Direct Debit for membership? The jury is out. If I can find a privately run gym close enough at a reasonable rate then I'll go there instead. I don't like poor service, and that's exactly what this place has provided twice so far.
So instead I went to the IAM Wednesday night run. I was in time for it this time (just) but all the associates had already been paired up with observers, so I linked up with another two "spare" observers and we rode together up to Balloch, near Loch Lomond. And a most enjoyable ride it was. And since I missed the start of the pre-ride gathering, I missed the announcement that tonight was the last Wednesday run of the year, which I only found out by accident in conversation in the McDonalds restaurant at Balloch. If I'd not been told, and had turned up next Wednesday, I might have thought the IAM Glasgow North group had been taken over by council workers!
A couple of posts ago I spoke of the incompetence of the staff at my local council-run gym when they tried and failed to make an appointment for me. Well tonight I turned up (again) a good twenty five minutes before my appointment for my gym induction session, to find the whole building closed and shuttered, and a single A4 piece of paper sellotaped to the shutter addressed specifically to a slimming class which apparently normally meets there, advising them to go to a local church hall instead "because of the strike".
THE STRIKE!
The bastards have gone on strike! No official notice anywhere on the building. No prior warning. No courtesy call to my mobile number, which I gave them last week (twice), to give me a heads up not to turn up. No, they were quite happy to let me make my way there only to work out that they were on strike by reading a notice addressed to a slimming class.
Do they get my sympathy for their wage claim? Do they fuck. Will they get a third go at giving me a gym induction and thereafter will they get my monthly Direct Debit for membership? The jury is out. If I can find a privately run gym close enough at a reasonable rate then I'll go there instead. I don't like poor service, and that's exactly what this place has provided twice so far.
So instead I went to the IAM Wednesday night run. I was in time for it this time (just) but all the associates had already been paired up with observers, so I linked up with another two "spare" observers and we rode together up to Balloch, near Loch Lomond. And a most enjoyable ride it was. And since I missed the start of the pre-ride gathering, I missed the announcement that tonight was the last Wednesday run of the year, which I only found out by accident in conversation in the McDonalds restaurant at Balloch. If I'd not been told, and had turned up next Wednesday, I might have thought the IAM Glasgow North group had been taken over by council workers!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Incompetence
The incompetence of the average person working in the service industry in Britain never ceases to amaze me, although I really shouldn't be surprised.
This evening I turned up at the gym 10 minutes before my appointment, only to find out that the person to whom I spoke last night hadn't in fact made my booking on the computer and since there was only one member of staff working in the gym there was no one available to take me through my hour long induction.
So it has been rearranged to next Wednesday.
So I also missed the IAM Wednesday run, because by the time I got back home after my fruitless trip round the corner to the gym, I didn't quite have enough time to make it to the assembly point for the run. By the time I got changed, onto the bike, and rode the 5 miles, everyone had gone.
This evening I turned up at the gym 10 minutes before my appointment, only to find out that the person to whom I spoke last night hadn't in fact made my booking on the computer and since there was only one member of staff working in the gym there was no one available to take me through my hour long induction.
So it has been rearranged to next Wednesday.
So I also missed the IAM Wednesday run, because by the time I got back home after my fruitless trip round the corner to the gym, I didn't quite have enough time to make it to the assembly point for the run. By the time I got changed, onto the bike, and rode the 5 miles, everyone had gone.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Snickers
One of my colleagues is running a marathon soon. In Amsterdam. For charity. Please read the following message from Mags, and then follow the link and donate.
Thanks!
Thanks!
" ........... As some of you may be aware I will be running (hopefully!!!!) my first marathon in 8 weeks time in
It would be much appreciated if you could “dig deep” and make a contribution, however, small or large! Anyone interested in sponsoring me can do so via the following link:
http://www.justgiving.com/margaretgay
Thanks very much
Cheers
Mags ..........."
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