Jake

Paddy here. I know I haven't posted here for a while but I've been busy keeping all those pesky squirrels out of the back garden. Well, someone's gotta do it!

But now, we seem to have another problem. Jake.

In a nutshell, he's had two infections this year and has been having a lot of trouble going to the toilet. I would say it's his age, but actually, he's a lot younger than me, only middle aged really. Sometimes he has had an 'accident' in the house. At first, I thought he was  being lazy and I made sure Jenny knew it wasn't me, but now I think he just can't help it.

Anyway, things came to a head with his last infection and all the shouting he was doing when he went to the toilet. He was back and forth to the vet's and I think, although he is much better behaved there than I am, the novelty was beginning to wear off. Eventually, after various tests, the vet told Jenny he has something called 'transitional cell carcinoma' (I'm quite proud of myself for remembering that mouthful!) and that they could give him medication to keep him comfortable but they couldn't make it go away.

Funny thing is, since he's been on this medication, he seems to have had a new lease of life - he's even been up for the odd wrestle with me, something he hasn't wanted to do for a long time, but he still has to keep going to see the vet and whenever Jenny is around, he looks at her all the time, as if he is willing her to make him better.

But I don't think she can do that.

For YP from TK

People outside of Yorkshire might not be able to read this!!!!!! It makes you feel proud to be a Yorkshireman!   Police have just released details of a new drug craze that is being carried out in Yorkshire nightclubs. Apparently, Yorkshire club goers have started injecting Ecstasy just above their front teeth.. Police say the dangerous practice is called "e by gum" ............................................................................... A Yorkshire man takes his cat to the vet. Yorkshireman: "Ayup, lad, I need to talk to thee about me cat." Vet: "Is it a tom?" Yorkshireman: "Nay, I've browt it with us." ............................................................................... A Yorkshireman's dog dies and as it was a favourite pet he decides to have a gold statue made by a jeweller to remember the dog by. Yorkshireman: "Can tha mek us a gold statue of yon dog?" Jeweller: "Do you want it 18 carat?" Yorkshireman: "No I want it chewin' a bone yer daft bugger!" ............................................................................... The last is always best Bloke from Barnsley with piles asks chemist "Nah then lad, does tha sell arse cream?" Chemist replies "Aye lad, Magnum or Cornetto?"

The Kobo Touch

Recently, I bought a second hand Kobo Touch and when I mentioned it in my previous post, Flighty asked me to let him know how I got on with it, so here goes.

I bought it for Dad to try and chose a second hand one as, if he doesn't take to it, it was not a large expense.
It has 2GB of memory, but this can be extended with a memory card of up to 32GB, although as books use so little memory, I would think 2GB is enough for most readers.
There is a Kobo store, which works like Amazon with Kindle, and once you have registered a credit card, you can buy and download books via wifi. However, there are many free ebooks to be accessed if you don't want to spend money and my main reason for buying this is that, if you are a member of your local library, you should be able to set up an account which allows you to download ebooks instead of borrowing physical ones. My only experience is with the Welsh library system, which allows me to borrow up to six books for three weeks. At the end of the three weeks, your choices mysteriously disappear (not sure how that works) but there is the advantage that you don't have to remember to take them back before the due date or risk paying fines! Unfortunately, the Kindle format is not supported by Wales ebooks nor, I imagine, in other areas of the country.
I already have a Kindle with keyboard, which I like very much, not least because it has things to press to turn the pages, whereas the Kobo has a touch screen and occasionally, the touch is unresponsive but so far, this hasn't happened often. The touch screen can be set up for right or left handed use, too.
The e-ink pearl display seems easy on the eyes and I have been using it for lengthy periods, with no eye strain and in that respect, it is equal to my Kindle. The other advantage with e-readers generally, of course, is that the print size can be enlarged which is helpful for the sight impaired or even if you generally use glasses for reading.
If you are choosing books other than through the Kobo store, they can be downloaded to your computer and then 'side-loaded' as I think the term is, via a USB lead, which is quite straightforward.
The size and weight are good for holding and I like the quilt-effect back which, although it perhaps doesn't look all that great, feels comfortable in the hand.
Keith has commented that, since I got it, I have hardly had it out of my hands - a bit of an exaggeration but he is convinced that Dad is never going to see it.
I have to admit, he could be right!

Postage matters

I ordered a Kobo ereader on September 14th.

Long story short, it has taken a while to be sent and, on receiving an email from me, suggesting that at this rate, it would have been quicker to have it delivered on foot,  the seller sent it by special delivery, to arrive this morning.

This was unhelpful in that neither Keith nor I were going to be at home this morning and as yet, we haven't managed to train the dogs to answer the door or sign for packages. 

"Never mind," I thought, "Maybe this new brainwave of Royal Mail will finally kick in and our friendly postman will deliver it to the neighbour's house for me."

Of course, had I put money on that happening, my purse would now be somewhat lighter. (Well, you knew that was going to be the case, didn't you?)

So I took the dreaded red 'you were out' card down to the delivery office.

In the interests of Elf and Safety, they no longer allow us mere members of the public to park in their hallowed grounds, so we have to park at the nearby railway station (if there's room), pay and display and then traipse round to Royal Mail, or you can take a chance and park in the car park of a local pet store, pretend you are a customer and then sneak out to the delivery office, which is what I tend to do. 

Once I'd been handed my parcel, I engaged the man at the desk in the usual dialogue about getting parcels delivered to a neighbour and why it isn't happening and, guess what?

It turns out that Royal Mail had the audacity to inform the public of this new scheme WITHOUT checking with the union that it was OK first!

And of course, they don't think it is.

So it doesn't happen.

Privatisation? Bring it on!

Emergency Ward 10

I know, I haven't been very good at posting lately but time just seems to get away from me. We did manage a few days in Barmouth in the caravan last weekend, when the weather was - er, well, changeable would be the polite way of describing it, although, lying awake for half the night listening to the rain hammering on the caravan roof on Saturday night did not dispose me to being polite about it.

Keith has been a little under the weather for a few weeks now and, while we were away, this didn't improve, so we came home on Monday and he went off to the doctor's on Tuesday, without having to have his arm twisted up his back - not a good sign. While we had been away, he had had some pain in his chest one day, which he attributed to all the coughing he had been doing, and  the mention of the magic words 'chest pain' galvanised his GP into action and before you could say 'Jack Robinson', we were being welcomed into the Acute Cardiac Unit at the local hospital, where we spent the rest of the day, me revising my Welsh (yes, really!)  and Keith lying back, hooked up to a heart monitor and having armfuls of blood taken.

The end result of that day was that he hadn't got any heart problems.

But he still felt ill so went back to the GP yesterday, to be given more antibiotics and a couple of inhalers.

Oh and he has to have another X-ray in four weeks, under the care of the consultant for 'Medicine for the Elderly'. 

And yes, he is NOT impressed!

A Mother's Story: August 28th

A Mother's Story: August 28th

A Mother's Story: Anniversaries

A Mother's Story: Anniversaries

The Mold Cape

Yesterday, I went to see the Mold Cape as it's on display at present in Wrexham Museum, something which doesn't happen often as its usual home is the British Museum, London.

Three thousand, seven hundred years old, the thinking now is that it was made for a woman. Of course!
Having lived most of my life in the suburbs of cities, it is very refreshing to have facilities near to hand these days. So, the hospital and dentist are within walking distance, should I wish to walk there, as is the town itself, although a bit further away, and yet, turn the other way and we are within a hop, skip and jump of Snowdonia and are surrounded by green fields and countryside.
So I do appreciate the fact that the museum, albeit fairly small, is so close and accessible - and entry is free! What more could one ask for?

A conversation to cringe at

Overheard in a shop this morning, this exchange between two young shop assistants - and with apologies to my Canadian friend Dale:

Girl 1: Look, there's a foreign coin here - a cent. American is it?
Girl 2: Nah, it's from Canada.
Girl 1: Oh, how do you know that, then?
Girl 2: Look, it says Canada on it.
Girl 1: Canada. So where's that?  It's America, isn't it?
Girl 2: (uncertainly) No, I don't think so... it's somewhere over there.
Girl 1: But it's not abroad, is it? It's not foreign like?
Girl 2: Well, I think it is...
Girl 1: But it's British, though, isn't it?
(Girl 1's reply was inaudible, as was my gasp of disbelief!)

Arholiad Cymraeg

Dwi wedi pasio'r arholiad Cwrs Mynediad! 

Or, alternatively, I have passed my Welsh exam. 

Dwi'n hapus iawn.