Hi how are you today?

About Parkinson's and health Wellbeing
281

CURRY !!! the hotter the better......much more enjoyable than caster oil. 

I remember being in a restaurant  eating a very tasty curry whilst heavily pregnant and suddenly my Boy turned ....a very odd feeling that was....but soon after out he popped!!! :>)  ( he did allow me to finish my meal first !!) and is a great lover of spicy food himself now. 

Ive got a feeling in my water Sheffy that your littlun is going to arrive on my Birthday in a few days time....i don't know why...just a feeling.


Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeep posting Nanny

Luv Dolly x

282

Hi Smudgers and anyone out there

many thanks for the kind remarks about my artwork only one problem about the pheonix - havent seen one for ages.  Ha Ha.  If I get a picture will have a go for you.

Lovely to see your your bright cheery posts Dolly especially in view of what you and hubby have had to endure.  how is the eye? are you pleased with the results?  You have a great attitude and really cheer us all up especially at this time of the year when the winter seems to be hanging around too long for my liking.

I am looking forward to the spring and going to our caravan in Snowdonia but with predictions of minus degrees expected over Easter it will probably be when the bluebells are coming out.  Never mind, it is lovely any time of the year.

Warm regards to everyone

Astoriasis

283

Hi Smudgers and anyone out there

many thanks for the kind remarks about my artwork only one problem about the pheonix - havent seen one for ages.  Ha Ha.  If I get a picture will have a go for you.

Lovely to see your your bright cheery posts Dolly especially in view of what you and hubby have had to endure.  how is the eye? are you pleased with the results?  You have a great attitude and really cheer us all up especially at this time of the year when the winter seems to be hanging around too long for my liking.

I am looking forward to the spring and going to our caravan in Snowdonia but with predictions of minus degrees expected over Easter it will probably be when the bluebells are coming out.  Never mind, it is lovely any time of the year.

Warm regards to everyone

Astoriasis

284

 

Hi Dolly.....my daughter is due to go in the morning 1st March to be induced, so I'm thinking perhaps later that day or perhaps early hours of Wednesday 2nd, so Happy Birthday for that day, if I'm right !

Sheila

285

good morning Astoriasis..the weathers not to good in bristol today , roll on the summer..a pheonix i find poignant but uplifting too,it reminds me of someone coming through to otherside of hardship.. hope you find one .. have a good day

286

Hi Smudger.s

Been a funny day here in Merseyside.  Cold, sun and rain and a forecast of snow - how lovely.  We must the only country in the world that can have all the seasons in one day.

When I find the pheonix if it turns our ok - perhaps you might like a copy - if its your type of bird.  i'll get one photocopied for you and send it on.  But we've got to get one yet.  

Did you see the film The flight of the pheonix.  It was a good film.  One of my favourites.  I really admired the courage and fortitude of the survivors in the film.  Saw the remake too but it was not as good as the original.

HAVE A GOOD DAY

Am off to Ireland for a fortnight.  Will try the Irish wind,rain,sun and snow for a change.

 

287

Excuse me Morph but you fellows can be funny too.  Am married to a scouser - need I say more.  I love his quick wit - so different to my own.  When I first me him it was like learning a foreign language.

Keep smiling having a chuckle a day

will make you say, oh me, oh my

I have just one thing to say

A good laugh is as good as a   ..............

 

AH WELL, WHATEVER.

Warm regards

Astoriasis

 

 

 

288

Good morning Astoriasis...Thankyou, ide apprieciate that, ill give you my address and email .the weathers the same down here. suppose if we didnt have the bad we wouldnt enjoy the good weather... when we get it? .enjoy your time in ireland , wrap up warm .. thanks again .Mike ,smudger.s

289

Hi Sheffy....Has baby arrived yet??? if not it will be tomorrow 4th.... Dollys Birthday.

How are you coping with the waiting? A pal of mine has just become a Nan to her first Grandson...it has been all girls up until now....she is so  chuffed.

We are having a few days away next week to our usual fairly local holiday village, it is less than an hour away and very reasonable, good food and entertainment and dancing. They actually reduced the price since we booked and so i rang to get the difference refunded...to be told by a "jobsworth"that it was only for new bookings. I suggested that i cancel and rebook but she said that was not possible and in her words "read the small print LOVE" her attitude annoyed me so i wrote straight away to the Chief executive of the company and said that we are regular loyal customers who have recommended many people and we only booked for next week originally because there would be a comedian that we like, then found that he had been cancelled. Anyway it paid off because not only have we been refunded the difference in price but will be given vouchers towards another holiday there. Sometimes it pays to have a little moan!!

All good wishes to you and your family Sheffy and look forward to hearing all your news

Dolly x

 

290

Hi Astoriasis....Snowdonia is such a lovely area to visit but i would suggest Winter Drawers on!!! it can get a little chilly around the peaks : ~)

Yes thank you, i am pleased with the results and can now see to drive and read again...the DVLA put me through very intense eye tests ....twice! and i am chuffed to say that all is well. Since that op they thought i may be starting Glaucoma and so i had to have laser treatment for that....again all is good. Mr D is getting on great and is amazing, thank you for asking. As he lost his hearing completely in one ear when the Tumor was removed he has since been fitted with a transmitter, radio controlled which works by sending sound signals across from the hearing side to the deaf side. It is a miracle....so he doesn't miss much now !!! in fact he even hears me whispering sweet nothings in his ear...lucky fella!  

Being so near to meeting the old grim reaper has changed him.....for the better! he appreciates and enjoys every day now and does not worry about anything any more....and he is also very understanding of what us gals go through re menopause etc since he had the Prostate Cancer hormone treatment and endured very HOT flushes!! haha....funny cos he often used to say that he wouldn't mind being a woman for a day just to see what all the fuss was about....well matey he flippin knows now :~ ) 

I read this today and it made me laugh:- I phoned the gym today and i asked if they could teach me how to do the splits, He said "How flexible are you"? i said " well i can't make Tuesdays"!!!

Also someone complimented me on my driving today. They left a note on my windscreen, it said "Parking Fine" so that was nice.

Sorry Astoriasis ...must be time for my meds haha!!!

keep smiling....luv Dolly x

 

 

291

Your "parking fine" story, Dolly, reminded me of another story, whether true or not I don't know.  But a friend told me about a very elderly woman she knew who was now a slow driver.  She drove a very expensive car that she said she was going to get rid of.  When asked why, she said that too many people envied her car.  She knew that, because other drivers were always staring at her car and honking their horns!

J

292

Hi all

back from Ireland but accompanied by bronchitis and chest infection.  I can easily do without it - I tell you!  My sister's house backs on to the foot of the Slieve Mountains and over the bay at the front.  It is always damp but very green.  At home I live between two rivers so I should be used to the damp.  All I can say it must be a different kind of damp - if that makes any sense to anyone.  Whilst I was away we had a very special visitor, The Northern Lights.  I have been to Norway twice but never seen them go away and miss them.  Hubby says they were quite spectacular.  Never mind it may be a sign of more to come.  

Good to hear from you Dolly and J with your funny parking tales.  Something funny happened to me.  I was driving home, dead tired, came to a crossroad but there was not a vehicle in sight and guess what, the devil was sitting on my shoulder - so, instead of slowing down at the approaching amber light - yes, I accelerated.  I was gob smacked when I saw the flash.  There had never been cameras there before.  I admitted the truth to hubby the following day.  He chastised me on a daily basis which I deserved but honestly, who goes through more red lights than our intrepid men.  Duly a letter arrived which was carefullly placed on my breakfast plate by you know who.  He smirked.  'You'll get your come-uppence now.'  He said but I just sat there smiling after reading it.  It simply said I was guilty of going through a red light but it was at a time when they were doing training so no further action would be taken.

What about that and perfectly true!

Warm regards to all

Astoriasis

293

Ps Dolly extremely delighted with all the news concerning you and your husbands medical problems.  It must be a new lease of life for you both.  xxx

294

Great ending to your story, Astoriasis!  Who got the come-uppance after all?

Once in California I was driving through a neighborhood with a very low speed limit.  I was only exceeding it by 2 or 3 miles per hour, but I got the dreaded flash, too.  For weeks I waited for the unwanted mail to come.  It never did!  I don't know whether the flash was just a warning device or whether my speed was dismissed as close enough to the limit.  Of course, I didn't contact the police to ask!  No point in calling attention to the error of my ways.

After more than 40 years driving in competitive California, I moved to Oregon in the calm Northwest.  I couldn't believe the drivers here.  They are incredibly polite, always willing to let someone else go first, always using their turn signals, always stopping for pedestrians even where there is no crosswalk.  There are some exceptions, but generally speaking, driving here is pleasant -- and very odd to a Californian!

J

295

Good morning.

Hi J of J Cottage

Hi how are you?  Haven't  spoken  to  you for ages - hope you are OK.

You'll get all sorts of drivers in the UK but mainly people who live in the countryside seem to go at a slower pace and.town people rush around like looneys!

Anyway, hope to speak to you soon.

With best wishes

Casiee

 

296

Hi, Casie --

Good to hear from you!  On the rare occasions when I get to the UK, I never drive because of the left-right business.  I know I'd have trouble and instinctively pull to the right instead of the left if I got into any sort of urgent situation.

Yes, I'm fine, thank you.  I had a PD check-up this week and the doctor found no changes.  Because I am aware of a slight advancement of symptoms, though, we are trying a new balance of medications: less pramipexole and more carbidopa/levodopa.  I was on an unusually high dosage of pramipexole (6 mg, per day).  I hope you are doing well, too.  This disease can be such a roller coaster!

Best regards,

J

297

Hi Dollymaz and everyone

Sorry to have been some time in keeping in touch but went to the Emerald Isle only to develop bronchitis within days of arriving.  I came home after ten days then got the flu - just wished that goodbye only to get a water infection which did not respond till I had been on the second lot of antibiotics.  Then, on top of that had a tooth that needs to come out and is like a volcano, every now and again it roars at me to get extracted but as yet am short of courage - concerned that I will get another infection.  I am just wondering what next but things can only get better.  Hubby is avoiding me like the plague and who can blame him.

Lovely to hear from you Dolly.  I really admire your spirit and fortitude and could have done with some of it recently and mine have only been ailments not like what you have had to put up with in the last year or so.

Things are still cold in  my neck of the woods but we have had a little sunshine but it has been accompanied by the north wind which is unusual up here.  But, hey isnt it lovely to see the leaves, blossoms and flowers coming out.  Hasnt anybody told them that in some parts of the country they are still having snow!  

I have been neglecting the things I like to do but thank goodness I finished the family book and am now back on the novel.  I dont know what other people do but when I can I go to bed for an hour in the afternoons.  This is when a great wave of tiredness seems to hit me and by reading for a half hour and relaxing for another does me the power of good.

Hoping all is ok with everyone else - things seem a little quiet lately.....

Warm regards

Astoriasis

298

Hello, Astoriasis --

So good to hear from you, but what a series of misfortunes!  I'm glad that at least you are better now -- except perhaps for that troubling tooth. 

Your comments on the weather there reflect perfectly our situation in the US.  While the East Coast is still getting blanketed in snow, here on the West Coast we are enjoying a lovely spring.  The daffodils have come and gone; the tulips are nearing the end of their days; our rhododendrons and dogwood trees are gorgeous at the moment.  But temperatures are still a bit cool.  California is in the 70's F, but in Oregon we are in the 50-60 zone most days.

Your writing interests me.  I am also a writer but have never tackled a novel (though my son has written more than one); my ideas are of a smaller scale.  "Artfulness and Old Lace" was my first book of poems, which I published through Amazon.  I had been publishing individual pieces in various poetry journals, then decided I'd rather self-publish and bypass editors and seldom-read journals.  I'm now working on more poetry but prose, too, in essays and short stories.  I'm hoping to have my next manuscript finished before the end of the year.

Keep posting!    J

299

Hi J

Thanks for the interest you have taken in my writing.  I surprised myself last year when I wrote the book but I got into the habit of after dinner going upstairs and just doing it for two hours and it was surprising to me how it quickly developed.  I am now trying to extend the content following remarks from the people who have read it.  I asked them what they thought I should have included, or not as the case may be and what they would like to be added to it and why.  

I did write to Parkinsons Magazine and told them and they invited myself and a number of other like minded people to a day of pooling together our knowledge and experience in order that they can look to use our suggestions to help people with Parkinsons develop their artistic skills.  It was a well organised day with lots of interesting people and the people from Parkinsons were very friendly.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  We will have to keep an eye on the magazines to see if they feature anything as a result of this.

I have also entered a national competition in one of the daily newspapers.  I do not have any great expectations but, hey if you're not in it - you can't win it!

Pleased to hear you are enjoying your time in America.

Incidentally I have never been interested in writing any poems but had a go following attending a festival of plays in Ireland.  I developed admiration for the adjudicator who attended each night and wrote my first poem which they read out in the church hall - hope you like it.

 

THE MAN IN THE GALLERY

The man in the gallery scribbles away,

writing things about each play.

In which he is fair and does with great care.

Oh, I wish I had that flair

 

He's been around for a long time going from stage to stage

adjudicating every every evening each play.

In appearance, he is dapper, shiny shoes, sparkling waistcoat and smart suit

with a good sense of humour to boot.

 

He speaks soft and clearly with great care,

but, his comments are positive and fair.

With the charm of the Irish and fair of face -

Oh I wish I could dance with this Fred Astaire.

 

So, lets give a cheer to this man we hold dear,

for where would we be to keep our culture alive,

without his fun and his drive.

Three cheers for Michael for saving our day

Hip pip pip hoorah!   Hip pip pip hoorah!  Hip pip pip hoorah.

 

FROM THE LADY IN THE HAT

WOULD LIKE TO READ SOME OF YOURS - IF YOU WANT TO

Warm regards

Astoriasis

300

Hi Astoriasis and all....You are one very talented lady as is J, i have her book of poems and it is amazing, i am in total awe of anyone who can put words together in such a way. I wouldn't have a clue where to start but i do enjoy reading others work. 

Wow you have really been through the mill lately haven't you? Bronchitis, Flu, Wee infection (nasty)! and now a bad tooth awwwww. Not only all that to contend with but managing to finish your family book and start another.....incredible. Thank goodness Spring has arrived, with the long sunny days, blue skies and to hear the Blackbird singing every evening is the best tonic there is. 

We have been pretty busy with decorating the lounge...long overdue, and this time we had to have decorators as Mr D and i are not quite so good these days climbing ladders and trying to crane our necks to paint ceilings  etc. Also had a few days at our favourite little local holiday park just an hour from here, in fact i have just spotted a deal for the week of the 21st so i  will see if there are any places left.  It does us the world of good to get away with our friends, have a dance, test the old grey matter with games and quizzes and enjoy good food without any shopping or clearing up!!!! 

I have been very fortunate to be offered the chance to wear a PKG monitor  for a week. My meds have not been lasting too well and they don't want me to have any more Madopar because of the side effects later on. This machine worn like a wristwatch vibrates when my meds are due and registers every time i take my dose and every movement i make, it also records the wearing off and will give the consultant a detailed reading which will help them to decide if i need meds changed or not. The company that invented this are in Melbourne and the website is www.globalkineticscorporation.com  there are only 6 hospitals in Great Britain that fit these devices so i feel very lucky that one of them is only 20 miles from us. It has to be removed for showering and an advantage is that Mr D is responsible for washing up duties for 6 days yay!!!

Thank you for your kind comments but to  see my man so well now and active and happy is all i ever wished for during those awful months, when getting help for him seemed an impossibility. Perseverence eventually paid off....i admit i am a bit like a terrier! once i get my teeth into something i do not give up easily. He is one amazing fella and i am so proud of his strength and determination. He calls me his Angel and says he couldn't have got through it alone, that is better than being called Treasure ....cos they bury that!!! We are a pretty positive pair generally and enjoy what we can plus the great support of incredible friends and family makes all the difference in the world. Now it is pay back time and we are supporting a good pal and her husband who has just had a stroke and last year Septicemia ...and it is a privilege to be able to help them now. 

Are you still enjoying your painting Astoriasis? you are most definitely a very talented gal....well done matey.......it is always so good to hear from you and i hope you soon find the courage to get that tooth sorted!!!!!

Bestest wishes

Dolly x