Monday, March 03, 2014

Sorry about yesterday. Archie was here and there were too many breakfasts and lunches to cook before we left for Mass. We had a good time. He had been instructed, I gather, to evaluate my condition and decide whether they needed to call in the marines. I passed, I think, and I said to him, they're just worried because if I go down, they'll be responsible for Grandfather. At least, I started to say it, and Archie finished the sentence for me. It was a delicious moment of inter-generational rapport.

(It's now Monday morning – obviously – and I'm trying to get through to the dr to say I want to see somebody soonest. It's hard, first thing in the morning, when everybody is ringing up for the same-day appts. I'll keep trying. Six or seven failed attempts so far.)

Cookery

Archie is gratifying to cook for. Like any boy his age and size (it is not for want of size that he hates rugby) he will eat anything with enthusiasm, but he also seems to have an analytic interest in food. I think the school will require cookery lessons of him in the sixth form, before releasing him into the world, and I think he'll enjoy them. He'll also have to learn how to iron a shirt.

For Saturday lunch I made us a warm bean salad with briefly-fried tuna. Archie seemed impressed. I was able to introduce him to the fishmonger who had supplied the tuna, at Mass yesterday. The recipe came out of one of the books recently resurrected from the spare room, Noro East, and sure enough it said to grill the peppers for the salad until blackened and soft, then peel and seed them. But I've learned better.

On Saturday evening we made a start at some picture-hanging, but alas, the job isn't finished. My husband was viciously bad-tempered, as often; Archie, patient and cheerful; I feeling that if I can do this, I can do anything, maybe I'm not ill at all. At the very worst, Archie and his mother, Greek Helen herself, will be back here in a fortnight and we can finish then. Or maybe I can do it myself.

Knitting

I decided last night that the reason I am not making more rapid progress with the Milano is that plain-vanilla knitting is boring after the excitements of Shetland lace. I took myself in hand, and am currently casting-off the first sleeve. I hope to embark on the second, today. The jogless join has greatly improved tidiness.

Religion

For the Orthodox, I believe, Lent begins today. (The Easters coincide this year, East and West.) As I pontificate every year, Lent consists of 40 days plus the six Sundays. Sunday is never a penitential day, so they are, strictly speaking, outside the system. If I've got it right, the Orthodox consider the Triduum, the three days consisting of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter itself, as something so special that they're not part of Lent – so they need an extra two days at the beginning to make up the 40.


To be filed amongst things you didn't need to know.

13 comments:

  1. Good luck with the GP appointment. I usually sit and redial until I get through...

    And, thanks for the information about Lent. My husband laughed at my insistence that Sundays were not part of Lent, and now I can give him chapter and verse. A university friend had a Bishop for a father, and it was at his house that I learned about Lenten Sundays - but I'm afraid my husband was not convinced by this wishy washy 'a bishop told me' story...

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  2. Yes hope you can just press redial. Hello I'm an avid silent reader of yours but just had to comment as I love things I didn't need to know. It's just the sort of thing my catholic mum would also love.

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  3. I have to admit I was worried yesterday but three cheers for large grandsons, especially those interested in food and cooking!

    I would plump for waiting for Archie and Helen to get those pictures done.

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  4. skeindalous10:13 AM

    So pleased to have you 'back on the air'. Press on with the Milano....it is so lovely that it will give you much pleasure in the wearing of it!

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  5. Anonymous11:13 AM

    Phew, had me worried there! Your blogging is so reliable and you always warn of other commitments that the unannounced absence was, well, worrying. Please take care of yourself. Once Greek Helen and Archie arrive things will get done more easily - you may even get to put your feet up and relax.
    Helen

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  6. I was worried when there was no blog post yesterday, and I'm relieved to know that all is better than I feared. Let me echo waiting for help with picture-hanging and making time each day to rest.
    I enjoyed the information on Lent. This will be my first observed Lent- I will be confirmed into the Episcopal Church soon.

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  7. Another possibility for the breathlessness might be anaemia - although you have had blood tests, so maybe that has been ruled out already. It would be worth checking out some care agencies, who could provide support in an emergency, especially since all your family are at some distance.
    But you do sound much brighter and more resilient today.

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  8. Anonymous3:08 PM

    Add me as one who worries when you don't post-yours is a blog I enjoy daily. I'm from Eastern Ontario & now I'm wanting to try more adventuresome knitting, like your shawl...someday.
    Good Luck getting through to your dr-be persistent both getting through & getting answers. We, here, have universal healthcare too-& I understand the greatness & the problems of it.

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  9. Your "viciously tempered" husband sounds like he needs an anti-depressant. Your welfare and enjoyment of life count too. Does he keep track of your health at all?
    Which of th J& S yarns are you using on your shawl? You said it is a two ply lace, but I don't see it listed with Schoolhouse.
    Good luck at the Dr. Maybe you need the anti-depressant. Stress may be part of your diagnosis.
    I love reading your blog.

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  10. Look after yourself. You know this!
    My husband is similarly "short" at the moment and it is extremely wearing. Let someone take you out for tea and leave him at home to stew in his own juice for a while ;)

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  11. Anonymous4:39 PM

    I am hesitant to post any medical comments given my lack of medical education. However, I will join with weavinfool regarding your husband and his temper. My 70-year-old "vicously tempered" husband recently admitted that even HE did not enjoy his outbursts of temper and agreed to talk to a doctor about it. An anti-anxiety medication has made a noticeable difference. Best wishes.
    Beverly near Yosemite

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  12. Ellen8:09 PM

    I'm going to side with your family, as well as the last 3 posts. I'm not so many years away from the stage of life called "caring for your aging parents" to not share their concern, and I hope that you will calm their worries by creating "contingency" plans, just in case.
    Many people in my husbands family have suffered from depression, and this tendancy towards it grows with age. Medication for depression and anxiety can be a godsend to both the sufferer and the family around them. Take care!

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  13. =Tamar9:40 PM

    Good luck getting through to the doctors.

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