Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Doctors, Macarthy Glen, Sausages, 37F

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A beautiful frosty start to the day. Misty and lovely light. Hope its like this for WoW tomorrow.

Apart from a little shopping, our day began with a visit to the Doctor. As I suspected, my blood pressure was far too low at 104/50 and the Doctor has reduced the dosage of one of my tablets. She had increased them in October in an attempt to overcome the swelling of my legs and ankles.

We discussed it and I decided I would rather live with the swelling than with the fatigue, nausea, and dizzy spells etc. The Doctor concurred. She is a lovely person - small and so neat ! She could 'neat' for England, and you can have a laugh and a joke together. At my request Y had accompanied me because I was worried I might forget something important.

This is getting boring so I'll stop ........ It has been a Karen day, and she makes us laugh and leaves the house so wonderfully clean and sweet smelling. She really enjoys cleaning and when we told her about family coming for a sausage-fest on Xmas Eve she said "Oh goody. Plenty of cleaning up to do. Peanuts under the sofa - that sort of thing"

Y rang Peter's Joan and she sounded buoyant apparently. Still some pain but getting better. We must go over and see her in the near future.

We then went to McArthy Glen, or as Karen's 10yr old daughter always corrects her 'The Designer Village Outlet' just off Motorway Point 28. Y needed a more manageable case for Palmers Green trips. After a few shops she found exactly what she wanted in an outlet imaginatively called The Bag Shop. The weather was bitterly cold and we were pleased to get home and have a hot meal. Sausages (from Shirebrook and excellent) mushrooms, carrots, potato wedges and brussels.

By the time I had had a nap the sun was setting and the shadow of the lay figure on the wardrobe made me think 'even the shadows are legging it'.

Soon be time for Claudia's 'It takes two'

Last night featured Austin and Erin and everyone had been devastated at their losing. He has been so entertaining and is such a smashing chap.

Comments ......

bungus ...... Hope you got some glasses to suit. I need my eyes testing too. There's just too much to worry about at the moment.

Had we been free, we would have nipped over and joined you in Wetherspoons for an hour but couldn't really fit it in. By the way, in Lidl they regularly have something described as 'Goose Breast'. Not a 'Crown' and they are more expensive, namely £11 plus. We didn't buy you one but please let me know if you want us to.

Re the OT and the 'Silent Years'. I wasn't kidding. It cropped up briefly in the 'Rise of Christianity and the Early Roman Empire' component of my degree. But it wasn't a major part and I don't really know much about it at all.

It wasn't me who introduced Neville King and 'Grandad' - I think it was Roy.

Re 'lametta' - I am afraid you are simply wrong. As you will see from this picture -

My Shorter Oxford has it from 1858. But, if you will rely on some over-edited and trimmed-down reference books ..............

Helen C ....... Oh dear ! Sorry you had a bad experience at The Hardwick Inn. I think that to recommend a Restaurant is becoming far to dangerous a practice. They seem good and then a week or so later they are awful ! I fear that many people go to The Hardwick Inn because of the grotesquely large portions. Not you and Julian obviously but, although our food, was very good I couldn't help noticing meals being served on the sort of plate you would carve a turkey on.

With regard to vegetarian food I am sure Bungus will have local recommendations because this furrow is one regularly ploughed by Sandra.

Quotation time .......

"Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same."


If you click his name, it is a link to some early footage of the great man himself. Only a few seconds though.

I'm looking forward to WoW-ing in the morning even if I shall need to take it easy. My flask of coffee will be a comfort and I can always sit in the car and play with my dongle.

"Sleep tight - catch you tomorrow"


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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

DIARY
I didn’t eat at Wetherspoons today, because
a) I was alone and
b) there wasn’t a beer that impressed me.

My eyes have changed so little in the last 5 years that once more I didn’t need to have new glasses. I think I shall stick with the varifocals I have for general use and order a pair of prescription reading glasses for under £50 from ‘Glasses Direct’ (I already have a pair for ‘distance’ from them which are quite satisfactory.)

BLOG COMMENT
My first impression of the misty photo was of a 19C industrial building behind tall trees, the chimneys leaning dangerously).
It was only when I returned to the picture that I realised its comparative mundanity.

Sorry you have been caught on the horns of a rock and a hard place (BP and legs). Not an easy choice but my feeling is that you have probably made the right one.

On a point of accuracy I am pretty sure that the 'The Designer Village Outlet' is MacARTHUR Glen not McArthy Glen.
I give way on ‘lametta’ though, but it is obviously from the same Latin root as ‘lamella’. Just out of interest had you ever heard of it before this year? It is a word I had never heard or seen used until 3 days ago.

Your 'even the shadows are legging it' comment on the ‘shadow on the wardrobe’ reminds me of your classic sotto voce comment “Bloody Hell! Even those in wheelchairs are walking out.” when Shirebrook & District Writers’ Group’s performance went down like a lead balloon at Wentworth Castle.

A pity you couldn’t make Wetherspoons. I am sure I would have settled for a pint of something and they have a Xmas ‘meal plus a drink for £5.99' offer on, with a choice of ‘turkey dinner’, ‘chickpea and something loaf’ (which appealed) or ‘salmon fillet’.

Lidl's Goose Breast sounds interesting. I shall consult the master chef to see whether she wishes for a trip to Sutton or would like you to get us one. Thanks for offering to be our victualler. If that is the preferred option, would you consider coming into Mansfield for a Wetherspoons?.

I think I introduced Neville King when I said that he erstwhile accompanied my old accordionist friend Tommo (well, he's older than me and I've known him over 50 years) on the banjo at Radcliffe British Legion.

I hope you have a happy hour with your dongle.

Helen C:
I haven’t read any of the novels of Jon Harvey either (although he has had the doubtful pleasure of reading my fiction!). His poetry does not appeal to me.
Many Resnick outdoor scenes featured the Nottingham boulevards.

Although sorry to hear of your experience, I am sort of pleased in a way that someone else did not have too happy a time at The Hardwick Inn, although Sandra’s inedible meal there was over five years ago! (and the rest of us enjoyed a perfectly respectable carvery). She, like you, is a none meat eater, as you may recall from sharing the Morrisons’ veggie sausages at Graham’s, and the crab she selected was not thawed out.
Sandra finds most vegetarian attempts to simulate meat dishes do not work. If not hopelessly bland they tend to be over-flavoured in an artificial sort of way. The sausages were an exception, she thought. She usually opts for seafood).
If, however, you are a purer vegetarian (ie, eschewing rather than chewing fish) that is not a suitable solution for you.

Anonymous said...

Must admit, great time to visit the "McArthy Glen"'The Designer Village Outlet' Or By its new everchanging name "The East Midlands Designer Outlet".
I went and payed a visit last week for the first time and was amazed at the bargains 60% percent off in places, I purchased a pair of discontinued Hiking boots £19.95 marked down from £69.00.

some very real bargains to be had, I was very impressed. well worth a visit

Kevin

Anonymous said...

Bungus, G is right about Lametta, we certainly had it when the children were young thirty or so years ago, and it was known by that name then.

G, that is indeed a rotten choice you had to make, but think in your place I would have made the same one. I would have hoped though that a happy medium could be found? (cue for joke from Bungus). I hope you managed to WOW today - it is jolly cold down here, heavy frost.

Last night I went with Ro to the last night of his Country and Western Music Club - it wasn't exactly a happy night, people sad and fed-up it was closing after 41 years (in three different locations). R had been going for at least 20 of them....The hall was draughty and cold, right up till the last hour when it did warm up a bit, the band did their best to enliven the proceedings. When we came out (gone midnight) all the cars were heavily iced up - luckily ours was in a corner and not quite so bad, the club is situated in that vast flat wasteland near Heathrow. R won first prize in raffle - one of those big tins of Quality Street - and I got about the 6th or 7th prize - 80 Tetley teabags......some of the members are going to join the club in Hatrrow. R thinking about it, but it is further to drive to, especially in the winter.