Where did you get that hat?

 I took this photo with my phone before I realised that I wasn't supposed to.

We went to an auction last Friday.  The viewing was very short so we spent the remainder of the morning at the shop museum.  It was very interesting.  The museum was started from a private collection  that became too large. If ever you're in Charente Maritime it is well worth a visit.

We bought a very interesting album at the auction as well as some other cards.  No doubt I'll be putting some of them up on my postcard blog, Time and Oft. 

Two more auctions to come before the end of the year.

A touch of the cosmos or the way to a man's heart?

For a while I've wanted a piece of furniture so that I could hang up coats and store gloves, scarves and hats as they seem to pile up over the winter months.  I found exactly what I wanted online.

 Unfortunately it was much too expensive. Then the sales came - still too expensive. I kept coming back to it; wishing.  A few days ago, I was looking wistfully at it yet again and decided to think outside my little box.  Christmas is coming, say I presented the idea to the family accountant, Rob, as a joint Christmas present?  So I went online again and saw that as well as the sale price, there was a reduction of a further 10% plus free postage (even on bulky items) if I used the special offer code!

So I prepared my case and my personal accountant agreed.  I was very careful to point out that the reduction totalled to more than 100€. It solved the Christmas shopping problem too - the way to a man's heart!

Now I just have to assemble it ...

Another weeks floats its way across the skies of life

Dom and JM came to stay for a few days last weekend as it was a holiday on the Friday too.  It was good to spend time with them and catch up with their news.  We even managed a walk in the sunshine and J-M mended a heater for us and cut most of the hedge.  Dom made her famous carrot cake.  J-M had never tasted it before, I don't understand how they managed that. While they were here, Dom received an email about a scientific paper she has submitted for publication.  It hasn't been accepted yet, but needs polishing up.  Can you imagine how pleased she was?  Can you imagine how proud I am?   Next stop Christmas!

It's still pretty mild here, we don't really need the heating on yet - despite J-M's repairs.  We've had sunshine almost all week.

This week I sent out a newsletter to ExposeYourBlog! members -  my first! I hope that if you're a member and you're reading this that you did read it.  Don has handled the newsletters up to now.  I didn't realise how difficult it is to find things to say....

Learnt a bit about how to be happy too.  Not a bad week all in all.

Truman Capote revisited

The quote today on my Google was from Truman Capote, it made me laugh out loud.  I'm sorry, but a slightly off sense of humour runs in my family:

"Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it"

Here are my other strange posts about him

And another busy week is finished

Monday was my visit to the Swedish Chef. Everything is fine in that department. Just a blood test for vitamin D (do I look pale) and a scan of my ovaries to do next.

On Tuesday Olivier phoned to say that he’d be arriving home for a few days in the evening. He came loaded with a huge basket of washing. He works at KFC for a few hours every week and I had the honour of washing his uniforms. The smell took me back 10 years…( Rob slipped outside some restaurants on his bike and broke his elbow. His coat came home in a bin bag soaked in cooking fat.) The only positive part was that the trousers dried really quickly with hardly a crease. The rest of the week I was frantically washing and drying despite the rain fog and drizzle which decided to accompany me.

In the mean time, Wednesday I had my last gel injection into my left knee. It did hurt this time, the Doctor said I have small knees and I suppose he touched the bone. It didn’t hurt afterwards so it was no big deal. Now I have to wait 6 weeks to see if the gel has worked, then I contact him about the right knee.

Olivier left yesterday morning, everything washed and a couple of things he’ll have to finish drying himself. The house seems so quiet and empty when he’s gone.

This morning Rob was working. We still managed to appreciate the extra hour in bed, the clocks have gone back an hour. Winter is coming

Pins and needles

On Monday I went to have the second injection of gel into my left knee. As I said before it wasn’t painful, just uncomfortable. He injected the gel into the same place on the outside of my knee.. I was so relieved as I know from my other injections (for the thread veins in my legs) that the inside of the knee is very sensitive. He told me that’s why they choose the same place, it’s also easier for them that way too. I think that my left knee is easier to move around and behaves better on the stairs too. I’ve just finished my first month of glucosamine. I’m having less pain in my shoulder, though it does depend how long I’m on the computer. As I had a few days break last week it could be because of that.

Tuesday was the vein doctor. Both treatments are perfectly safe with each other. I checked that with both doctors.

Next week The Swedish Chef! (see October 9th 2004)

Limoges

Last week saw Rob and I headed for Limoges for an auction. I had never visited Limoges before so I was looking forward to visiting the city. Unfortunately, we needed to spend our time viewing postcards before the auction as there were so many to see. Limoges seems to be spread out so we saw some beautiful buildings on the way to the Auction house, even if we didn’t know what they were. We were in a hotel close to the station which is magnificently lit up at night. There was an excellent restaurant opposite the hotel where we ate in the evenings. Not bad for a business trip.

All about knees

I’ve just started reading ‘ A Farewell to Arms’ by Ernest Hemmingway. I ‘m really enjoying the book, just as I enjoyed 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'. The problem was the description of the knee injury, especially as I had my first injection of gel this morning (I also thought of you Don).

It went better than I thought it would. Firstly I didn’t have the three quarters of an hour wait that I had with the first appointment (though I wouldn’t have minded because I had the above mentioned book with me). The Doctor was very reassuring and said that it wouldn’t hurt much. He was right, it was more uncomfortable than anything and he was quite quick. I didn’t look at what he was doing, I just concentrated on my breathing. Those breathing exercises come in useful for all sorts of things! He just told me not to go on a long walk, or dancing today. Stairs were okay as long as I didn’t go up and down too often.

Tomorrow I can do what I like. As I write, my knee does feel a little strange and it feels ‘ loose’ as I walk. In ten days I’ll have the second injection.

Unconscious Mutterings: week 453

1. Quivering :: afraid
2. Eclectic :: all I can think of is chocolate eclairs whenever I see this word
3. Superimpose :: layers
4. The best :: of
5. Aches :: grace
6. Vinyl :: black plastic
7. Hot and cold :: water
8. Girls :: boys
9. Wall :: barrier
10. Baby :: chubby legs 

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Call it a bit of a dog's dinner...

Yesterday Rob and I went out for lunch to celebrate my birthday which was earlier in the week.  I was going to take pictures of what I had to eat.  I forgot until after I'd eaten and took photos of the empty plates instead. For some reason I can’t get the pictures onto the computer this time. You’ll have to make do with a picture of a breakfast I had a week or so back after going to the lab for blood tests.

(I couldn't even get that one right first time)