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Annabeth, our surgery has one part time Dr on two mornings a week so I have little chance of getting an appointment.

Donna, I copied in the managers boss when I sent the email so she must be aware. I believe they are just generally disinterested.

Cover manager.

I've finally received a reply from the cover manager about the lighting problem.

I've obviously rattled her cage, her reply is quite stroppy.

She assures me that she responded in a timely manner and my complaint about the lights not working from Wednesday was unwarranted.

It seems that as I'm old and obviously senile I didn't realise that Wednesday counts as the weekend! She also claims that she wasn't informed that the lights weren't working in the corridors. This despite her receiving three emails from different residents all of which explained that the lights weren't working in the corridors, and also explained that the lack of natural light in these corridors made them challenging to walk through.

I've probably made an enemy but I'm not particularly bothered.

Normalish.

Actually I'm still lurching from crisis to crisis here but life is calming down.

Beano is back to his old self and quite perky. It's such a relief as I was very worried about him. Having said that, I made it quite clear to the vet that I didn't want Beano to suffer and I would have him put to sleep if that was the case. I am aware that I lavish love on Beano because he's all I have. Steve has made it quite plain that he has no affection left for me as I'm old! I have to say the feeling is reciprocated, not because he's old but because he is so unpleasant and unkind.

The lighting situation on site is still not completely resolved but the emergency lighting is now working. I sent an assortment of emails to various PTB which ensured the safety of the affected residents. The HA tried to blame their delay in sorting out the lights on it being the weekend. I informed them that the situation started on Wednesday as they were well aware and as far as I'm aware Wednesday is not the weekend.

I'm hoping to go out a couple of times next week so Steve has announced that he is going out every day and I need to stay home with Beano. We will see how that pans out, I'm only going out for a couple of hours each time and although Beano doesn't like being left he will be ok.

I'm beginning to have serious concerns about Steve's mental capacity, I have zero chance of getting him to the Drs so for now I will just keep buggering on.

Shortlived.

The lighting failed again this evening and we are once again in darkness

About bloody time!

The electrician arrived this morning within 40 minutes of being phoned by the Housing Association. He got the power to the whole complex up and running within a couple of hours.

It's a great relief after almost three days without power.

God said Let there be light.

But Housing 21 say bugger off, you're old and we dont care about you!

We've had no outside lighting now since y'day. This means the lights don't work in our corridor. The upstairs corridors seem to be ok but I'm having to carry a torch otherwise I can't see to leave the flat.

The lights in the car park and gardens aren't working so it is very dark and dangerous

I've sent the housing association a stinking email as the manager is saying she will be here next Tuesday to check the lights.

We can't possibly wait five days to get this problem sorted!

Let there be light!

 Pudge, yes, mash is mashed potatoes.

I've just taken Beano out for a late night widdle and the complex is in darkness.

The lighting has failed all around the gardens and the corridors, the only lights working seem to be the lights in the flats and  in the corridors upstairs.

I've told Steve but he's too drunk to really understand.

I will check in the morning if it's been reported.

What shall I do?

It's raining here, not heavily but it's persistent.

Maybe it will brighten up later in the day.

I think I may make a chicken pie, I have chicken, carrots, onions, herbs and spices. I can serve it with mash and peas, Steve is going out so he won't want any so it will last me a couple of days. I may also make rice pudding in my slow cooker, I can't make it for lunch club as one of the group is allergic to milk.

Steve is currently going into town three or four days a week, I'm wondering if it's his way of protesting about my refusal to cook for him.

I'm getting more interested in cooking again since cooking for lunch club. I need to decide what to cook for next weeks pudding. Something warming as it's forecast  cold and rainy for a few weeks.

Official diagnosis

It seems Beano has had Viral Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis. It does the rounds here occasionally.

Despite Steve being a pain in the arris, he wouldn't make Beano ill on purpose.

Part four.

Hopefully this will be the last post about Beano's illness.

He started with diarrhoea on Thursday/Friday, I was out on Friday so Steve treated Beano the same way he does himself. If he has an upset stomach, he eats non-stop. He is convinced He will die of starvation unless he rams food down his throat constantly to counteract the amount of time he's spending on the toilet.

Beano, being greedy ate willingly, Saturday I was home and restricted Beano to chicken and rice. He still had diarrhoea and Sunday he started throwing up a lot. I phoned Jennie and she took Beano and I to the emergency vet. 

It seems to have been a bug that does the rounds, Beano has been signed off by the vet and is now asleep on the sofa as usual.

I'm knackered, Steve waited for me to get back from the vets so he could moan about Jennie and shout at me. He had now gone into town and is going out every day this week. This is to stop me going out with Betty!

Part three

I brought Beano home for a couple of hours, he slept mostly.

He still hasn't eaten anything but is drinking water.

Took him back at 3:30 when He was given more pain relief and allowed home for the night, he has to go back tomorrow morning at 9:30.

Received an email saying that the pet insurance company don't want to pay up, now there's a surprise!

I've paid £130 a month for 6 years, what a con!

Steve got a cob on and has announced that he is going out Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He obviously doesn't want me going out with Betty.

Part two.

Jennie and I had to get to the emergency vets at 7:30 this morning, we had to collect Beano and transfer him to the vet in Burghfield that he is registered with.

They don't open until 9 a.m. I got up at 5 a.m. showered and dressed, we got to the emergency vets and waited until they brought Beano out to us. He was looking much better but pointedly ignoring me.

We drove to Burghfield practice and waited for them to open. I walked Beano around whilst we waited. Beano was admitted and we are to phone this afternoon for an update.

A trip to the vet

I've just got back from a trip to the vet with Beano, they have kept him in.

I have to go back tomorrow at 7:30 to see how he is.

So far the bill is £1000 and counting.

Is this democracy?

Our complex is made up of an 18th century  manor house with modern flats built on to it.

There is a wall along one side of the grounds that is the same age as the manor house.

Along part of this wall there is a hedge, one of the residents asked the gardeners to remove part of the hedge.

This was done but not correctly as the trunk was left and is now sprouting.

When the gardeners spent time on the hedge it meant the leaves weren't cleared from the paths and some of the paths are steep and were very slippery.

Some of the residents have requested that the rest of the hedge is removed. I think this would be a shame as birds nest in the hedge. But as I can't see the hedge from my flat I'm not that bothered. There are lots of other hedges and trees around.

This was put to the vote and out of 20 plus flats, only 9 replied. These all wanted the hedge removed so the residents were advised that the hedge would be removed.

Not long after the residents were advised of this result a letter was sent to all the residents explaining that the decision had been recinded.  Two residents had ignored to poll and written directly to head office. These two residents do not wish the hedge removed. Therefore it will not be removed.

I don't understand this version of democracy whereby two people contacting head office can overrule the wishes of the 9 people who voted.

We've turned the heating off

The heating is going on and off like a tarts knickers as the weather is so changeable here.

Steve is currently complaining because I don't know when Easter is, I googled it but he doesn't like my reply.

I went for lunch with Betty today, it's so good to get out of the flat for a few hours.

A resident stopped me today to tell me I shouldn't keep going for lunch with Betty as she may decide to stop taking me out at some point.

Of course Betty may stop taking me out, it's her choice, I can hardly insist. But why the resident feels I need to stop going out, I have no idea.

We've put the heating on.

And of course it's warmer today, nemmind. It's supposed to be cold and wet for the next two or three weeks.

I had bubble and squeak for my lunch with an egg on top.

That will be my lot for the day, even if I was hungry later the smell stuff covered in BBQ sauce cooking in the air fryer would kill my appetite stone dead.

Out with Betty tomorrow, no idea where we are going, probably a garden centre somewhere for lunch.

Dizzy

I was very dizzy y'day evening and when I woke up during the night.

I'm pretty sure it is caused by sinusitis, it will pass eventually.

 Beano only wanted a short walk this morning as it was raining, fine by me. I don't mind bad weather but I could do with some extra sleep at the moment.

We have pancakes in the summer house this afternoon, Betty is making them.

I have a fridge full of leftovers that I'm I need to turn into something. I will probably make some soup and some bubble and squeak.

Steve is becoming upset that I will no longer cook for him but I'm happy to cook for lunch club.  He can't understand why I was upset by his behaviour.

The strimmer.

I still can't get a straight answer as to why Steve's bought a strimmer but the good news is it's a HOS and won't last 5 minutes before breaking.

It was a waste of money but it's his money so it's up to him.

His walking shoes were also as waste of money as he's not walking anywhere in them. He tells me every day about the walk he has planned in the summer. He wears the shoes into town on the bus,  he has breakfast in a pub and then catches the bus home, that's all.

Today he also purchased two new shirts, this means he has three new shirts now to wear to the wedding along with his new suit.  What with the hotel room, the clothes I think the wedding will cost Steve about £1000.

Lunch out.

 I'm hoping to have lunch out today, I'm not sure where we will go yet. I don't much care, it's a trip out.

Our neighbour Harry has been admitted to hospital I'm hoping he will be out soon, poor chap.

I've lost the thread of whatever I was going to type!

The doorbell rang so I went to answer it.

It was a delivery driver with a strimmer!

Steve informs me it was cheaper than Amazon.

That's as maybe, but why?

There is no grass near our flat and the grounds, where there is some grass, are maintained by the gardners.

I really do worry that he's losing his marbles!

Another damp and drizzly day.

Nemmind, it's not raining hard enough to stop Beano going for his walks so that's ok.

Steve was very chatty y'day sometimes he barely speaks but y'day he suggested we go for lunch on Valentine's day. I can't remember the last time he took me out for Valentine's day, probably 5 years at least.

I think he's  bored as he no longer goes to the summer house apart from Friday morning to play chess. He still goes in to town a couple of times a week but I think he's all shopped out. He's thought a new suit, new cufflinks and new walking boots. Now he just goes too town to have breakfast and beer in a pub.

I'm cooking lunch on Tuesday, I shall do chicken wrapped in bacon with mashed potatoes, peas and broccoli. Betty and Harry have Dr's appointments at opposite ends of the day. Betty is doing cheese and biscuits instead of a pudding.

I shall cook enough to feed Steve in case he wants some but he probably won't. He became obsessed with the amount of fat in the food I cooked which is why he now lives in frozen party food. He believes this food is fat free and healthy. Whereas I add a small knob of butter to my mashed potatoes!

Housework today

Well most days I do some housework but not on Tuesday when I cook for lunch group and not on whatever day I go out with Betty. It doesn't take long to tidy the flat, I make the bed when Steve eventually gets up. Then I vacuum through.

A quick wipe over the kitchen work surface, there is only one surface and most of it is covered by the microwave, air fryer, kettle and toaster.

Next is the bathroom, again very compact, I have a sponge/scrubbie on a long handle that I use to clean the shower after I've showered.

I dust the mirrors, sometimes I wipe the paintwork, there are only a few bits of skirting boards showing. It's a very small flat but I like it.

Steve hates it, I've suggested buying him out but he'd rather stay here and moan. I refuse to engage, every time he complains I offer to buy him out and then ignore him.

I spend a  lot of time ignoring him, mainly because he refuses to wear his hearing aids indoors. He claims I have nothing interesting to say so there is no point in him wearing his aids.

I'm trying to decide whether it would be cheaper to divorce him or hire a hit man!

That is a joke before anyone thinks they need to call the police.

How far will he go?

Steve purchased some walking shoes.

He's been talking for ages about a walk he wants us to do. Every time I suggest he comes with me to walk Beano he  tells me, in great detail about the walk. This, to Steve is as good as taking a walk, but without having to worry about the weather. The walk is about 5 miles long which is fine but it involves crossing a railway line. This, I find difficult as I can't hear if a train is coming. Also Beano is a dog, he wants to stop and sniff things, he's not interested in a route march.

Steve has also bought a new suit for his friend's wedding, along with the room in the hotel, the wedding will cost him in excess of £500.

I really hope Steve will start walking, the exercise would do him good. He decided he will no longer do any gardening as he's fallen out with most of the residents here. So all he currently does is drink, shop and sulk.

Lunch club today, Harry is doing the main course, I'm doing treacle tart with a bowl of strawberries and raspberries on the side with fresh cream. I'm not sure how many I'm cooking for yet. 

Steve no longer comes to t the lunch club as they only cook proper food, no junk food. So after starting an argument with another person who attends he now refuse to go. He is annoyed at my continued attendance but then it was me that wanted to go in the first place.

Turn off.

We've turned off our storage heater in the living room. It would be nice to have it on first thing in the morning but by 10 o'clock the room is too hot. We don't use the storage heater in the bedroom either as neither of us likes a hot bedroom.

I expect we could buy more modern heaters but for now we will manage.

The cooker here is old and basic but it does what I need, it has no bells or whistles and no timer or clock. We keep the microwave and air fryer all turned off at the wall sockets, we turn them on as we need them. If it was up to me I'd get rid of both. I managed for years on the boat without a microwave and since Steve uses the air fryer every day the flat constantly smells of fried food.

We have cheaper electricity overnight, we use it to heat the water tank and the tank is big enough to last us all day.  I run the dehumidifier overnight if I have washing to dry. We are not allowed to put up a washing line and the nearest laundrette is some distance away and not on a bus route.

I'm confused.

Steve decided to order broadband for the flat, we'd been using mobile broadband that we'd used on the boat.

This meant that there was never enough bandwidth for me to be able to watch a film unless I was online at silly o'clock in the morning.

I said I didn't mind which provider he chose but that BT wasn't needed as we don't want a land line.

Steve chose to go with BT anyway and within days we had received a smart meter for our electricity supply. I've no idea why as Steve has ranted on for hours about not wanting a smart meter.

It was two weeks before we had broadband though it was originally promised within 5 days.