Tuesday, March 17, 2009

BUREAUCRACY

I have to get my Blue Badge renewed on Friday. I needed to make sure I have all I need to show the bureaucrats. My car tax exemption is not enough. I have to take reams or paperwork with me just to prove my entitlement. How other people, because they clearly do, manage to fiddle the system I have no idea. (There is a woman who goes to the pool who has a Blue Badge and she walks in to the GYM everyday and spends over an hour on the treadmill and step machine and she walks out afterwards!)Anyway, I am taking a whole pile of paperwork with me. My badge runs out the day we leave for Hungary, Saturday!

I have been busy washing the clothes to take with me. It is going to be hard to choose what to take, as I need clothes for 15 days. I can't take 15 pairs of DM's or shirts or trousers or sweaters so I will have to choose and I hate doing that. I dress each day according to how I am that day so deciding in advance is not good. What if I feel purple and all I have is yellow? Oh poor me.

The damn sock I have been trying to knit is still just striping. I will not give in. At least not yet! i WILL find something to do with it that will make it more interesting. The colours are fantastic, black, grey, brown and orange but it insists on knitting up in one row stripes! Ickety ick.

My stomach keeps lurching when I think about leaving the dogs for this long. I am not worried about Luque, Nechung and Shameless, they are going to a good friend and are of an age not to bother abotu it. I am concerned about he puppies who will be not not quite 12 weeks old and not quite 14 when we return. I hope they don't forget me. The two long coated show dogs, Micah and Whitney I am worried about as I have not trusted anyone to do this before. Not true, I did and it was disastrous (in 06 we went away and left what we thought was a friend here in our house. Big mistake.) I am going no matter what and I know I will have to fight the urge to return after four days.

I have almost finished another garter stitch sweater. I had planned to knit a stocking stitch wool sweater to take but have no time now. It isn't the knitting so much as the sewing up.

I am going to see Elizabeth today. I think I shall give the morphine a try. I will not use it every day and plan to take it only as a last resort. I have found that if I can get a good nights sleep with pain control, I don't need much in the way of pain killers during the day. I also hope to find out why I keep losing my balance.

John is doing much better. His Doctor called yesterday and asked me how he was sand I explained what he had done and he has given him the steroids and another set of antibiotics to take with us when go away. I did note that Stuart did not ask to speak to John and asked me the relevant questions. I think perhaps he has cottoned on to the fact that John doesn't say all he ought to. John will say he has a bit of a cough and I will say he keeps me up all night hacking away. John will say his chest feels a little tight and I will say he sounds like he can't breathe. His Doctor prefers my descriptions. Either he is a drama queen or he is a good doctor.

We are very fortunate with our Doctors. They treat us really well. They treat us as a married couple. They will give information about either one of us to either one of us. We see the doctor together if John is around. Elizabeth will ask about John and asks if he needs drugs and Stuart does the same. All the doctors in this Practice are Xtian and it would seem that Stuart is a fundy (I'll never understand how a clearly intelligent man can be.) yet there is no reticence on the part of them at all. I knwo Elizabeth is not a a fundy at all and another member of this practice is a vicar too(a female) and I get on very well with her. Great sens eof humour.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm happy to hear the physicians are listening to YOU and not to "John the Hero." ::meant with good humor::

It's just terrible to have to choose one's clothing ahead of time, is it not? It never fails! The weather and mood will dictate one thing and you have to wear what's there - or go naked. Perhaps that's the answer. Of course, I hate being restricted in any way. This is why I still harbor longings of being the old lady down the way who lives by herself, talks to animals (nothing odd there), and alternatively frightens the neighborhood children and gives them lovely little gifts.

The pups won't forget you. They'll be overjoyed to see you. You shall see.

Anonymous said...

Colin, I know what it's like to leave the pups and go away. I just got back from 12 days in San Diego and missed them so much at times I felt like just going home. I had to really talk to myself and tell me they were fine. (which they were in very good hands) Just not my hands.
I'm sure they will miss you and not forget you. Lhasas are to smart for that. Just go and enjoy your time with John. Have a great time.

Sandy
Sheknits1@aol.com

FuguesStateKnits said...

Oh Colin, when I saw the starting line to your blog, I started laughing- I thought you had written "Knickers!"
Have a great time in Hungary:)! I wish I lived on your side of the pond with NHS - that is truly for all its problems something for which Britain should be very proud!
sigh.... to say nothing of your proximity to all things European and English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish:)
Enjoy, you two!

joannamauselina said...

It's great that you get on with your doctors. I had the world's best (I thought) and she moved away. It was like getting a divorce - and I do not really even have health problems. I still have not recovered from the loss and it has been years. The new one is very nice, but only seems interested in my kidneys. So that's great unless I get some other problem. Oh - he cares about my bowels too and wants me to get a colonoscopy. Ick. So far I have been non-compliant, as the medical folk say.
The new boots are fab. The puppies will, as Iris says, be thrilled to see you.