First time today I am wearing clothes and actually got out of the house to take the mutt a quik walkies.
Feeling much better and we are celebrating my fiancee getting a new agency to work for by going for lunch in a minute.
I weighed myself earlier and the sickness has taken its toll. I have lost a lot of weight and slipped to 13.7 stones - which is about the lightest I have been for a long time.
Friday, 24 July 2009
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
Bored
I thought as I was confined to this bedroom, I would be writing a lot in this Blog.
As it turns out, there is nothing to report. I am feeling a bit better, but other than that I have nothing to say. I spend the hours browsing the web, watching TV shows on the internet and reading.
I am tired of staring at the same four walls, but the good news is that stuck here means I am not spending any money and am also being spared the M1 for a week or so.
As it turns out, there is nothing to report. I am feeling a bit better, but other than that I have nothing to say. I spend the hours browsing the web, watching TV shows on the internet and reading.
I am tired of staring at the same four walls, but the good news is that stuck here means I am not spending any money and am also being spared the M1 for a week or so.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Swine of a Flu
It started in the early morning of Sunday and quickly developed into a very nasty sickness.
I was woken with a very uncomfortable feeling in my stomach at about 5.30 - and about three hours and five separate vomiting and diarrhoea episodes later (one time both happening together, which was almost unpleasant experience), managed to call the local surgery. At first they thought it could just be a stomach bug, so told me to see if any other symptoms emerged.
One hour after, my temperature raged from 37 to 38.1 and I developed aching limbs and a pounding headache. "Well", the nice nurse on the other end of the 'phone said, "we won't see you to be absolutely sure, but in all likelihood you have swine flu. Take plenty of fluids and paracetamol."
Great. The best bit being I have to completely isolated for 5-7 days - which basically means not leaving my bedroom. It is now Tuesday morning and so starts the third day of the illness. It was very nasty in the beginning and on Sunday night I dragged myself to the bathroom and nearly passed out I felt so weak. Everything went dark and I started to lose my hearing - but I managed to get back to the bed before I collapsed.
Since then I have made steady improvement. Yesterday I just felt very sore and everything hurt. Today seems better and I managed the strength to power up the laptop and write this.
Hopefully I will recover soon - and the good news is that (so far) the rest of the family is OK. I have no idea where I caught it, but after believing the whole thing to be just media hype, I am now converted to the fact that this swine flu is a nasty bug(ger) indeed.
I was woken with a very uncomfortable feeling in my stomach at about 5.30 - and about three hours and five separate vomiting and diarrhoea episodes later (one time both happening together, which was almost unpleasant experience), managed to call the local surgery. At first they thought it could just be a stomach bug, so told me to see if any other symptoms emerged.
One hour after, my temperature raged from 37 to 38.1 and I developed aching limbs and a pounding headache. "Well", the nice nurse on the other end of the 'phone said, "we won't see you to be absolutely sure, but in all likelihood you have swine flu. Take plenty of fluids and paracetamol."
Great. The best bit being I have to completely isolated for 5-7 days - which basically means not leaving my bedroom. It is now Tuesday morning and so starts the third day of the illness. It was very nasty in the beginning and on Sunday night I dragged myself to the bathroom and nearly passed out I felt so weak. Everything went dark and I started to lose my hearing - but I managed to get back to the bed before I collapsed.
Since then I have made steady improvement. Yesterday I just felt very sore and everything hurt. Today seems better and I managed the strength to power up the laptop and write this.
Hopefully I will recover soon - and the good news is that (so far) the rest of the family is OK. I have no idea where I caught it, but after believing the whole thing to be just media hype, I am now converted to the fact that this swine flu is a nasty bug(ger) indeed.
Monday, 13 July 2009
Czech Madness
Well, the weekend has come and gone and Claude and Co. are absolutely shattered, frustrated and annoyed.
The family descended on us about 7pm on Saturday and left at 6am Monday morning. We have been eaten out of house and home and I am amazed we didn't snap at various points.
The visitors, in fairness, are a friendly enough bunch and it would be hard to really dislike any of them. However, the way they treated us left a lot to be desired and it felt like we just there to feed, accommodate and take them wherever they wanted to go.
There are many, many examples of behaviour that really rankled with us, but I shall leave you with with Claude's top five, in reverse order:
5. A comment from a cousin, when we were preparing yet another meal for them (of sandwiches after returning from a long trip), that English bread "does not fill you up like Czech bread, so you will have to prepare something else for us".
4. The same cousin telling Claude she needed to use his mobile to call her boss to save her from using her own phone and having to pay for the call.
3. The complete and utter refusal to spend any money whatsoever. No food or drinks were ever bought on any trips (they even refused to pay 40p for postcards we showed them).
2. Quite happily having us get up at 5am on Monday morning to prepare them breakfast before they left. Then sitting there waiting to be served, with no offer of help or attempt to serve themselves (Claude's fiancee even had to pour tea for them as one thought the tea-pot was leaking and didn't want to do it).
1. And the best one of all... The uncle how on hearing that Claude and Fiancee had to leave them on Saturday in order to pop home to prepare a lunch of pizza and salad said "Oh, can you make me a soup as well? Put there mushrooms and pieces of meat and make sure not to put too much flour". His wife is vegetarian so obviously didn't want to share...his request was also made without ever using the words "please" or "thank you" (or even the Czech equivalent).
All-in-all, it felt like I was caught in an episode of Curb your Enthusiasm, but without the caustic comments Larry David would have been unable to keep from making.
Needless to say they left without much expression of sincere gratitude, certainly no offer or recompense for the huge expense we went to and certainly with a bitter taste in our mouths.
The family descended on us about 7pm on Saturday and left at 6am Monday morning. We have been eaten out of house and home and I am amazed we didn't snap at various points.
The visitors, in fairness, are a friendly enough bunch and it would be hard to really dislike any of them. However, the way they treated us left a lot to be desired and it felt like we just there to feed, accommodate and take them wherever they wanted to go.
There are many, many examples of behaviour that really rankled with us, but I shall leave you with with Claude's top five, in reverse order:
5. A comment from a cousin, when we were preparing yet another meal for them (of sandwiches after returning from a long trip), that English bread "does not fill you up like Czech bread, so you will have to prepare something else for us".
4. The same cousin telling Claude she needed to use his mobile to call her boss to save her from using her own phone and having to pay for the call.
3. The complete and utter refusal to spend any money whatsoever. No food or drinks were ever bought on any trips (they even refused to pay 40p for postcards we showed them).
2. Quite happily having us get up at 5am on Monday morning to prepare them breakfast before they left. Then sitting there waiting to be served, with no offer of help or attempt to serve themselves (Claude's fiancee even had to pour tea for them as one thought the tea-pot was leaking and didn't want to do it).
1. And the best one of all... The uncle how on hearing that Claude and Fiancee had to leave them on Saturday in order to pop home to prepare a lunch of pizza and salad said "Oh, can you make me a soup as well? Put there mushrooms and pieces of meat and make sure not to put too much flour". His wife is vegetarian so obviously didn't want to share...his request was also made without ever using the words "please" or "thank you" (or even the Czech equivalent).
All-in-all, it felt like I was caught in an episode of Curb your Enthusiasm, but without the caustic comments Larry David would have been unable to keep from making.
Needless to say they left without much expression of sincere gratitude, certainly no offer or recompense for the huge expense we went to and certainly with a bitter taste in our mouths.
Thursday, 9 July 2009
A Mad House
We have an entire family of Czechs descending on us this weekend. When I saw "entire family", boy do I mean it.
10 - yes 10 - cousins, aunties and uncles are visiting, which means we have to provide accommodation (well for five of them), breakfasts, snacks, dinners and entertainment.
We have been shopping at Tesco today - we needed two trolleys for all the supplies. The fridge is so packed it is impossible to take anything out without the whole lot cascading onto the floor like a food waterfall.
Roll on Monday...
10 - yes 10 - cousins, aunties and uncles are visiting, which means we have to provide accommodation (well for five of them), breakfasts, snacks, dinners and entertainment.
We have been shopping at Tesco today - we needed two trolleys for all the supplies. The fridge is so packed it is impossible to take anything out without the whole lot cascading onto the floor like a food waterfall.
Roll on Monday...
Friday, 3 July 2009
Feelin' Hot
Been a pretty scorching week - although the rain came today and Claude needed an umbrella during lunch break.
Most of the time I have been feeling sticky and pretty uncomfortable, so a cooler respite is welcome.
Claude is singing and playing guitar at the folks' 40th ruby wedding anniversary on Sunday. Quite daunting, even though the audience is friends and family. In fact, I think it is always easier playing to strangers...
Most of the time I have been feeling sticky and pretty uncomfortable, so a cooler respite is welcome.
Claude is singing and playing guitar at the folks' 40th ruby wedding anniversary on Sunday. Quite daunting, even though the audience is friends and family. In fact, I think it is always easier playing to strangers...
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