Life is good..yes it is.

osteopenia

ˌɒstɪəʊˈpiːnɪə/

noun

1. a medical condition in which the protein and mineral content of bone tissue is reduced, but less severely than in osteoporosis.

This morning was my visit to my lovely GP who tells it how it is and the report from the bone density scan.  Thats what I have osteopenia.  

No I dont understand any of it either.

More pills.  One I have to take twice a day which apparently leaves one tasting chalk. Having never tasted chalk.... Well, I dont think I ever felt the urge to eat chalk even when the teacher threw it at me at primary school, so far I have no taste other than the red wine I am glugging.  

The other pill has to be taken once a week.  As this has side effects which include drowsiness when driving I am leaving it till Saturday as I have to drive tomorrow.  

Problem being if I have to be rushed in to casualty due to one of the other major possible side effects is whether Fraserburgh has the casualty service this weekend or Peterhead. But then I won't care will I?

The other thing that was discussed was that apparently the inhalers I have been using for over a year, the amounts in one is for asthmatics not COPD .  So I have had more steroids than I should. Which causes damage to bone density.  Apologies all round.  But then the Practise Nurse phoned me to say I could continue with that inhaler if I chose as it had obviously helped my breathing.  If I chose?  What????  

More health, god, dont you get fed up, I do.  My second cataract op.  I now have the assessment on the 31st July.  By then ,well after that, I should be able to lie flat and have the bloody thing done.

So I went for my walk.  Wide eyed (one eye) but still confused.

Two different powered boats leave the harbour.  Sail and diesel engine.

And yes, Chris Elliot it is the letters which denote where the boat is from. FR = Fraserburgh. LK =Lerwick.

The Gull gang.  Interestingly there was a Black Headed Gull there today.  Most of them are at the Loch of Strathbeg rearing their young.  This one must have had enough of that.

Bit blurred, but lovely.  Skurries having a love in.

Not a Kardashian pout (who are the Kardashians???)  this is breathing - life saving breathing.

Back home and at last a Butterfly.  A Red Admiral on the Escallonia.  Ace.  Life is good.  Yes it is.

Happy Anniversary.

37 years.  WHAT?!

The photo everyone remembers. 

For some reason most of my wedding photos are not in glorious technicolour.  I blame the photographer who was still into sepia and black and white.  This was 1980 when I think photographic technology had moved on a bit.

Though the hair styles were awful.

Now lets all go Aaaaah and then move on.  Me and my four kids.

Swiftly.



On our 37th wedding anniversary the DP went off early with his fellow bird watcher Alex to get some more ticks.  He didnt get any more ticks.

I went to my art group.  And did almost nothing.  Then on to physiotherapy for my back.

Doing okay.  So carry on with the exercises.  I also got roped in to more pulmonary physio. Which commences on the 3rd July for an Assessment.....  

Eventually came home and found a letter inviting me to phone for the appointment to commence the operation on my right eye to join the left in being bionic i.e. cataract op.

Dont you just love the NHS.  Please Theresa May leave it alone.

Back down the shedudio.

This young Great Spotted Woodpecker has not yet been told that when I get the camera out it should fly off.  

Anything that doesnt move will be covered in off cuts from the vinyl.

Equipment trolley.

Small table.


Both the DP and I are now well wined.  So a good 37th Wedding Anniversary.  Hope you all have  had a good day too.  It ended with thunder and a heavy downpour.  Hmmm.

Fresher, and breathe. Happy Summer Solstice, and Midsummers Day.

Catching up and gratitude.

Right let us begin with the horse.  Gail, Northern California, asked what the blue crown was on the horse.

So I played about with the photo.  As you can now see it is some form of ear protector, not a crown.  Possibly for sun protection in these days of global warming?  I know that outdoor pigs have suncream liberally applied, and cats suffer too from sunburn.  No image as they are too horrific.  The DP reckoned it was to stop sand blowing into the ear.   Anyone got a better idea?  Then again it could be a crown.

Now, my thanks to Anon and Tina for suggesting web sites for me to look at for small chariots.  The small ones do appear to have four wheels rather than the three I am used to.  Plus they are in the £200 plus bracket whereas mine is under a £100.  I have physio tomorrow and will ask what I should do.  But very grateful to all who try to help me.

Today was another hot day.

The chariot and I zoomed up and down and did the .59 of a mile.  And collected a fair bit of rubbish to put into a bin....  I had hoped for good weather tomorrow so I could extend the walk, but with mixed feelings I note it will be cooler, hiss it down and the winds will be 20 + mph.  Hey ho.

A boat from Lerwick enters the harbour with a Skurry escort.  Well they will be unloading fish !!

The Gulls gather.

For the wash and feather sort.

Back home.  

Male Lesser Redpoll watches me through the window of the shedudio.  More sorting.

More displaying.

And tomorrow I am ready to paint again. Yay.

MONDAY

Cooler at first.  The DP went off to do the shopping.  

I had a very unproductive discussion with Occupational Health, who have always been very helpful.  Till now.

Trying to explain to the woman on the phone that I needed a smaller, shorter from floor to handled 'chariot'/rollator as I had lost 4 inches of my height and therefore needed something smaller was like talking to someone from a foreign country.  I know they no longer provide such aids free but I needed to know where I could get one from having spent the whole weekend trawling through trillions of web sites where they were all 800 mms and I need one 730 mms.  At one point she asked "Does your walking aid have to have wheels?"  Well no my plan has always been to kill myself staggering along the prom with something I have to lift and haul in small steps.  

She phoned me back with two web sites.  One had only the one rollator/chariot which I already have and the other web site had things that you strapped limbs up with.  And no mobility aids whatsoever.

At which point I took myself and chariot off to the Prom.  We did fine.  What damage it is actually doing to my body I will ask the physiotherapist who said the chariot needed to be replaced.....

And breathe.

Not something you see every day.  This horse was having its first view of the sea.  And it was seriously not impressed.  It would go no further and getting it this far took some doing.

So I went off up the path of Doom.  Lots of wildlife.

Hogweed with bee.

Hogweed with insects and one I dont recognise.

Back home.

I managed to cut out more of the vinyl with scissors,which is hard work,to put on the other window shelf.

And arrange the browsers, though have still to go through the stuff in them.

Still sorting to do.  But I am getting there..

Progress.

Still hot and sunny but not as humid.

The sea was flat calm.  I don't think I have ever seen a lobster boat so close to the shore.  But they usually know what they are doing.  Must have a word and see if we can get a Lobster.  Love Lobster.  Strangely the Lobster fishers are happy to give them away?  To a chosen few of course.

Not as many people on the beach today.  

So the Gull gang came onshore.

Back home it was more on getting the shedudio put to rights.  Boiling hot in there until both doors and windows were open.  With scissors (!) I managed to cut off the roll of remainders that had been left enough for one shelf/window sill.  

Then sorted stuff to go on to it.

The three here are canvas prints taken from my original watercolours.

The three here are original watercolours on canvas.  Although as much work went into them as a full size painting they give people a chance to own an original art work at a very reasonable price.

There is enough of the 'offcuts' to do the other shelf, but that's for tomorrow.

More progress !

Still hot.

My walk on the Prom.  The beach was full of people enjoying the weather, sand and sea.

Although the amount of reddening flesh around was a bit disturbing.  I had a short walk.  Nearly at the end of my antibiotics and the infection has cleared.  But hot is not good for COPD.

Back home and all the windows and doors open in the shedudio, which didnt make much difference.  I did manage to sort through some stuff and get it displayed.

Also I am very pleased to discover that the off cuts from the flooring are sufficient to do both shelves/seats under the windows.  

Now waiting for the hanging system to go up on the new walls so I can hang the framed paintings.  And canvases.

Lots of Goldfinches on the ground, on the feeder, up the tree.  And a juvenile.

On my way back up to the house I saw the Cranesbill had self seeded, or whatever, in a different bit of round the patio.  And I thought it lost from the  swamping of the Bishops Weed!

Happy Day, tho still hot.

Hot and humid.

I didnt move up to the North East of Scotland for this sort of weather!  This is the weather we left in the pits of the Midlands of England.  But here it is.  I cannot breathe.  Well I do, but the stop and lean forward and do the breathing exercise to regain control is after every physical activity.  Including walking to the loo.  Enough.

The DP's jaunt was very successful yesterday.  He had a great time and brought some amazing photos back.  Here is one.  

It took me most of the morning to perform my ablutions thanks to the 'heavy' air.  

Just sat down for lunch and our gardeners arrived.  I had a serious talk to the boss man some days ago.  About how often the grass is (not) cut, and not that well either.  So today we had a close shave as we used to have from them and some weeding which was also part of the original contract.  Plus they are back on Tuesday to do some more weed clearing. 

We even got stripes!

The herb bed.  The DP's pride and joy.

I should point out that we are not rich but I do get Attendance Allowance, the DP does everything, shopping, housework, cooking, bed changing, sometimes has to assist me in the bath,  so really has no time for cutting grass or weeding.  He is my carer.  So the attendance allowance pays for the Gardeners so the DP can go off and bird watch, have some space from me!

While the gardeners were here the DP was moving the furniture back into the shedudio and the gardeners kindly helped him in with the big chest of drawers.

I then drove the DP into town and the opticians.  As opticians nowadays put drops in your eyes I had to be there to drive him back.  In fact the drops effect on his eyes meant he had to close his eyes (not my driving) as we returned home.  I had hoped for my daily walk along the prom but no.  He had his eyes shut and it was spitting with rain, tho we never got the thunder and lightning and  downpour that would have cleared the air.

I then sat down the shedudio and watched the birds.  

A pair of healthy Greenfinches!  And, not photographed , a juvenile.  So pleased.  Our Greenfinch population has plummeted due to an avian disease.  So fingers crossed.

I also noticed that my Rambling Rector was flowering, and look at all the buds.

This year the plant has gone berserk and I will get some energy from somewhere to tie the arches of it to the fence.

This is not a bird outside the window, it is a sticker on the window.  This year we have had three fatalities  from young birds flying into the patio doors and breaking their necks.  So I bought one for the dining room and one for the kitchen patio doors.  

The evening.  Is cooler.  The heavy clouds have gone.  I can breathe.  Yay.