I felt that yesterday's post was rather
short and unsatisfactory – but it has yielded two big bonuses.
I shall make my way through wind and
rain as soon as possible to discuss with the chemist at the foot of
Broughton St, the possibility of their packaging my husband's pills
for him by the day. It would mean their taking over the whole
business of his prescriptions, something all chemists are keen to do
for the multi-ailment elderly. My husband has long been urging me to
switch to the near-by chemist anyway. I have stuck with Boots a)
because I now regard their “pharmacy team” as old friends; and b)
because the occasional hike to the top of the hill is good for me,
aerobically, and it's also nice to spend a moment in John Lewis' yarn
department. I don't get out much. But I think they're much less
likely at Boots to want to sort pills.
My husband is intensely irritated by
those bubble packs and we have tried to get pills in bottles, but of
course have failed. I don't mind them much, and can certainly take
over that part of the job.
And the other bonus was Mary Lou's
suggestion of a Hiya Hiya circular needle interchangeable pack in
small gauges, in bamboo. Meadow Yarns have got it – they've got
everything. It remains to decide whether I want the tips to be 5”
or 4”. Any ideas? Left to myself, I think I'd go for 5”
And I inched forward yesterday in
another respect. I always read those pages of Present Suggestions in
the papers this time of year, almost always without profit but you
never know. Yesterday I found Sugru. I leave you to look it up. I've
ordered some.
A funny thing about those
present-suggestion pages is the way Christmas remains ever out of
reach. The suggestions have precisely the same quality of being
far-too-expensive now that we are old and prosperous, as they did
when we were young and poor.
I got my database out and wrote “2014”
at the top of a new column and filled in a few squares. It's a start.
And I resumed knitting the Bridal
Shawl. As I had been warning myself, it proved a bit difficult at
first. I'm back in the saddle now, but not before leaving behind a
little bit more mess. I dread what I'll see when I block this one.
I'm a little more than halfway around with the edging. It's nice to
have Archie's sweater to sink back into when it all gets too much at the end of the evening.
Rachel sent this nice picture of her four chickies -- Thomas, Hellie, Joe and Lizzie, from left to right in descending order of age, taken (obviously) towards the end of the wedding party.
Rachel sent this nice picture of her four chickies -- Thomas, Hellie, Joe and Lizzie, from left to right in descending order of age, taken (obviously) towards the end of the wedding party.
Boots do do the pill sorting it appears in a box with days clearly marked and multiple times. They are sturdy cardboard outers, like a book and the pills are put into smal pockets that you pop out. In England it is a free service so I would expect it to be the same in Scotland.
ReplyDeleteI think the choice of needle tip lengths would be influenced by your knitting style. I knit with the right hand needle in the crook of my thumb and find 4" too short but it may suit other styles. For very short cable lengths maybe the shorter the needle the better but for very small circumferences I'd be using DPNs anyway.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate your husband's frustration with the pill packs at the moment as I try to extract pills with my left hand only (useless right hand in a cast with broken wrist bones).
Jean - ring them up to discuss - no need to go out in this awful weather! And, I am sure pharmacies will sometimes deliver prescriptions (not everyone has an able bodied other to go and pick things up for them).
ReplyDeleteI have some non-interchangeable Hiya Hiya's that I do not use because the tips are too short. I knit continental style, throwing the yarn with my left index finger and those short tips make my hands cramp up.
ReplyDeleteWasn't aware that there was a choice of tip length in the brand, but I've avoided them like the plague after experiencing the two pair that I already have.
I love the interchangeable Hiyas and have them in every type and size (steel, steel sharp, bamboo, and one set of large sizes). The 5" tips are my choice, for Valerie's and Hat's reasons. Those who want to knit small circles like the 4" but I use double points for that. My favorite part about them is that the cables swivel. I forget how much easier this makes things until I have a needle which doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of having the pharmacy short out one's pills but doubt very much if anyone in the US does such a thing!
I will add my vote for the 5" tips. The shorter ones are awkward for me.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to kayT - all pharmacies in Ontario offer this service so you may be pleasantly surprised.
ReplyDeleteDianeM
I love the longer Hiya Hiyas. The longer needles fit my Hands much better than the shorter ones. The tips are ideal for my knitting. The smallest size in the pack is 2.75mm; the largest is 5mm. They are my go- to needles. The steel needles are as slick as the Addii Turbos.
ReplyDeleteI would also vote for the 5" tips. I don't know how big your hands are, but trying to gauge your height from some of the photos you have posted, I am guessing they are rather larger/longer than average. I have large hands and always order the larger tips. It is one of the reasons I started using Signatures. You could get long tips with short cables. Back in the day before so many needles were available they were the only ones to offer such a set up. Good luck in choosing.
ReplyDeleteI am also increasingly envious of the customer service at pharmacies in the UK! And most definitely considering some Hiya Hiyas now that I hear about the swiveling cables!
ReplyDeleteI have the HiyaHiya interchangeables which I love, but the cables don't swivel. It may be a newer thing, so if that is important to you, it might be good to ask the shop or check the description carefully.
ReplyDeleteBeverly near Yosemite
I used to go to Boots for my precriptions. They got it wrong so many times that I eventually gave up.
ReplyDeleteI would be shocked if Boots did not "bubble wrap" (as it is known here). All urban pharmacies provide this service. It saves more than just time,eh?
ReplyDeleteElizabeth A