well the first day with my new knee and I started with zimmer frame and then quickly progressed to crutches, one of the nurses has just found a fan as its really the hottest side of the hospital in the evrning!. I'm just running with sweat obviously much of it comes in the morphine pail killers. I've been walking and doing the exercises which really zap the last blobs on energy.
we were up at five thirty and at the spire whalley range about quarter to six soon checked in and had run through with the nursing staff, met prof jari and the anesthetist. not was planned to use an epidural but in the end with my blood pressure collapsing with my needle phobia they made a quick switch to a general and of course the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room shivering away as the anesthetic wore off. the facilities seem first class and i.ve eaten and drunk normally throughout the rest of the day. in myselh I feel fine no doubt the pain killers are helping. I'm sure up to machines flexing my knee and squeezing my calves to fight against dvt. the track record for weebky blogs on the road via app has been poor so I won't ramble on too much, I'm just waiting for some additional pain killers to kick in I think I'll manage some sleep as I've not really slept yet and with all the drugs I think I'll be out for the count. it's been very muggy had the room window open all day despite being in Manchester its quiet enough. the physio was happy with my progress so far I'm not being bashful in requesting pain relief. Mandy was here for much of the afternoon, how do I wash though not crossed that hurdle yet.
The clock is ticking ever faster towards 5 am when we get up and ready to head into Manchester where I'll be having my knee operation tomorrow morning. We've had a hectic day to a degree although a bit of a lay in bed was a good start and we had a few chores to do like mowing the lawns and sweeping up well that's something that I won't be doing again for a few weeks. We then headed down to the Potteries area where the St Oswalds walkers had reached although it took a bit of finding as they were actually ahead of schedule and a planned lunch time pub stop was altered as it wasn't open. Anyway we did catch up and had an afternoon of leap frog with the walkers including hopefully some helpful lifts for people who needed to relocate their cars etc. We got a lot of photos and saw some parts of Cheshire and Staffordshire that we've never visited before including the charming little primitive Methodist chapel and museum that offers all passers by a cuppa free . Well after a great day we ended up with an ever growing band of St Oswald congregation who were even joined by another Vicar Jane from the local parish we were in and had a splendid meal at the Crown Inn or hotel at Nantwich. We covered a lot of territory we hadn't traversed for many a long year. So that's probably it unless I can get the Weebly app to work from hospital, expect me out Monday or Tuesday so fingers crossed and thanks to everyone for all your kind messages of support and for the box of chocolates this evening at the hotel. Some pictures at random during our day in Cheshire. I didn't get everything sorted but it was my last day in the office which was stripped pretty bare by the time i left, others had already been plundering the furniture, I took no chances and returned my desk top computer direct to IT at head office so nobody else got their hands on it. Anyway a few people dropped by to say cheerio but it was very low key, card from everyone and that was it, expecting nothing more . Did it feel weird, no not at all, I think the last 40 years have just inerupted my family and social life and hobby! After work I went to Maplin and got an extension cable to get a better routing from the extension socket to the computer hub from BT, they never phoned as promised at 4pm so I phoned them up and we just about got the email issue sorted although i still have an annoying pop up which leaps out everytime I send an email, it took ages on the phone to a call centre in India. I also got some decent head phones for using with my Hudl and a gadget which I haven't tried yet which can connect other computers around the house via the hub using your electric wiring as the circuit. I've got my computer that I used for photo editing back from work and I've now stripped out all the leads and brought them home so I can wire up the two and switch between them, I'm not sure if I really need this facility but I'm used to having it, perhaps the gizmo will link them or perhaps the editing computer upstairs and I can export clips straight to Youtube rather than transferring them by memory stick, the fibre optic certainly gets them uploaded in seconds. I popped in to the garden centre and got some spring bulbs as by the time I'm back to gardening they will have sold out, hoping they remain mildew free in the shed. We haven't even attempted to put the BT Hub5 television hub together , we have lots of problems with our video recorder thingy for tv programmes so it would be great if we could use the play again functions. We are meeting up with the St Oswalds walkers and cyclists at Nantwich tomorrow evening for a meal at the Crown Inn or hotel its known by both names - sounds confusing. I will need to get my case packed for hospital before going out, we've pre-ordered the menu so can't dither like normal over the menu. I'll take the ipad hudle to hospital hoping they have a wi fi network there, I'll try a blog if I'm up to it between torture sessions with the physios but this Weebly app seldom seems to work. I did upload all the latest DVDs to the shop and when I'm back and unable to go out I can upload the recent releases to EBay and Amazon as well. I should be home by Monday some time, a few phone calls that I need to make tonight. Here are the covers of the latest films from PMP. I suppose I can look forward to the new knee but my back is playing up although of course it could be linked to the limp from my knee, a vicious circle. I've no email although the fibre optic internet works well and the upload speed is very impressive. I've heard nothing at all from work so that doesn't bode well for what was going to be my last day in tomorrow, fingers crossed but they really like to take the mickey and I can't wait to be free from them it's really taken the edge of departing with my head held high I now regret every day of 40 years with them. Hopefully BT will phone at 4pm tomorrow and get my internet sorted out, there is nothing in the booklet about having a problem with the email accounts, they promised I could use my usual email but I'm picking it up through the orange web site at present. I need to close their broadband account I guess if I do that I may lose it anyway, I haven't really a clue about it all. We got a few jobs done, some fruit for our dieting days and the rubbish from the garden which had gathered by the shed is all at the tip and I've cleared up that section of garden all jobs that I won't be able to tackle for a long while after the operation. I was reading up on the exercises I'll need to do, I think I've got most of them in my mind although how I'm supposed to tackle the crutches and rem,ember which leg goes first and when , I'll probably be sorted by the time I get all that in the right order. I've got the covers made for the Scottish DVDs and I'm doing one for the Cheshire bus DVD which I've added to the list which has Widnes, Runcorn and Crewe. Crewe is still very busy with D&G, GHA, Arriva and First there are even Sapphire routes and GHA Golds. So some photos from these. The new DVDss are on our shop, the photos wouldn't appear though. a frustrating day at times,. we were up extra early as Mandy was going down to Litchfield in support of the walkers on St Oswalds pilgrimage in aid of the new church toilet. I was originally going but with all the fuss over my finishing I needed to go to my office at Ellesmere Port, I didn't get away until nearly lunch time but popped in to Widnes and saw the revitalised fleet that they have now got all very different and I'm sure accomplished on the very cheap. I did a spreadsheet at work to show how I'd handed over the various elements of my work, I'm still trying to get the final buy in to paying in lieu of notice so I can save on tax, the worst case scenario is that they just carry on paying monthly including tax and national insurance which i can avoid if it's all bundled with the redundancy pay. The only person that wins then is the tax man but handling our HR is a nightmare. It was sunny at times but clouded over when I tried filming at Runcorn, I also got caught in the diversions and associated works on the roads to serve the new Mersey bridge due to open in 50 years time I would think. Then there were jobs to be tackled at home such as cleaning the PMP van yet again after it was plastered with mud at the weekend going up to Scotland. I also did some work tidying the back borders which i won't be able to do for a long time after the knee replacement operation this coming Friday. I also put some feed on the flowers and topped up the Hedgehog and bird food. The shed needs a bit of a tidy, tomorrow we hope to get rubbish to the tip giving the side of the house a tidy up as it's piled up a bit pending time! Then I tried to connect up the BT Home Hub fibre optic connection, it was very reassuring that BT have cocked up the instruction booklet and missed out a whole section after setting up the hub plugging to phone line and power, there was nothing at all on connecting by leads and which ports you use etc etc, it just jumped straight to wireless. I spent ages with a call centre in India but did finally get a bloke who could understand and knew about the instruction book short falls. Anyway it is now working and when I tried uploading a couple of clips on Youtube it nearly snatched them out of my hand, they were uploaded in seconds which bodes well for uploading photos etc and lots more clips which I'm sure you'll all enjoy but as ever please click on the adverts when you visit. Photos from Dundee on Saturday, hopefully uploaded in double quick time, fingers crossed. Well a busy weekend in Scotland, it was interrupted by a call from work which rather shook me as i thought everything was in place for retirement and my operation, our HR really cause unnecessary heartache and make a bad situation even worse which we could have done without. We drove up through torrential rain which was annoying as I'd given the van a really good clean and it was sparkling. We did another survey of the area around Stobarts at Carlisle north and also discovered very cheap diesel at ASDA next door to the roundabout which I'll film from when we get a free day and good weather and of course a rider to all statements when my knee is up to getting out and about with the camera. The operation is next Friday, all very frightening and unnerving with the work situation. We set up at the museum Friday teatime at Lathalmond and then back to our digs at Loch Fitty cottage, Norman and Pat are thinking of retiring from the B&B game so perhaps we'll cut our overheads next year and go up filming on the Friday stay overnight at a hotel and return home after the Saturday trading and just have a small space for one day, the Sunday is really a waste of money for us and just piles on the costs. Overall it was down yet again on last year although the event itself seemed to have attracted a good number of buses and there were some very interesting and delightful additions to the display of finished vehicles. I missed out on the Dundee specials as they went to the museum on Saturday while I was in Dundee myself and never came on Sunday. There were lots of new Stagecoach deckers out and I got my filming done quickly then trying to get back down to Fife I got stuck for two and a quarter hours in an enormous traffic jam caused by road works on the final weekend of the Scottish holidays on the main punch point on the bridges through Perth, well thought out. I then returned to the museum and helped Mandy out and then we had a night out at the Stage Door bistro in Dunfermline, another expense we'll save if we just return south, what its going to be like at Bridgeton heaven knows. Tomorrow I have to go into work and try and sort out the present mess over my retirement and try to get the sick note to cover the stay and recovery period. Mandy is picking up walkers for the St Oswalds pilgrimage from Lichfield cathedral to Chester cathedral and will be out early. All our plans are up the swanny at present so I'll just have to play everything by ear. Photos from today at Lathalmond, I'm downloading the film and hope to have all three programmes ready by Monday night and clips from Lathalmond on the Youtube channel tonight. After a lovely day yesterday the inevitable backlash has been a sultry overcaste day which followed for me a restless night as I was somewhat unsettled by several elements which emerged at the pre op sessions yesterday. I went into work perhaps giving the work suit it's final airing , I wonder if I should have a ceremonial cutting up, there are a lot of work shirts which have a bit of mileage left in them for gardening or even bus filming perhaps. As the worst of the weather wasn't due to pass over the north west until tonight I did decide to go up to Bolton and add yet another string to my portfolio of Manchester area films this year. This followed a trip to the pet shop to stock up on seeds which I won't be able to manhandle for some weeks after the knee operation. I had to go to the bank as funds were running low and its pub night, I thought perhaps we wouldn't go as we are away the next couple of nights. We've had to ditch our favourite restaurant we use when at Lathalmond in Fife and have chosen three candidates from Dunfermline, Norman at Loch Fitty cottage where we stay is going to run us down to town and we'll get a taxi back up. I've washed the van and my little IQ car I've also loaded up the top up DVD stock Mandy has run off so we've a complete set of Scottish regional DVDs which seems to grow and grow. I'll try and blog from my Hudl but it let us down last week yet again, I think it's the Weebly App thats at fault but the signal at the Premier Inn wasn't that fast. We've got the BT hub etc today to get our superfast fibre optic service but we may ask Simon next door to set it up for us as I always end up i a muddle with that sort of thing, when its working we'll get rid of the Orange broadband and delete our old fax line which is presently used for our IT. Photos needless to say from Bolton. Another fun filled day as we went off to the Spire Hospital i Manchester first thing and completed my pre operation medical including giving blood sample , I laid down for that part and all the other exciting things one encounters in such situations. Then it was a session running through the exercises with the physio. It was a warm sunny day and after we had finished with the hospital we carried on to the Southern Cemetery and proceeded to complete a late summer clean up ready for the bench launch in September by which time I'll be on crutches and not able to dig, plant, clean etc. It actually looked good with just a weed but I'd stone cleaning stuff and we managed to find some winter flowering pansies in Chorlton nearby. It was that warm in my overalls that I was awash with sweat and it was running and stinging in my eyes, Moldova all over again. We went around to Sale to see if cousin Trish was in but the car wasn't there so carried on home via Altrincham. Mandy had to go out and do food shopping and post the PMP orders so I carried on editing the weekends goodies although I'm afraid the Stratford DVD is now on hold pending some more material as the very challenging lighting with half shadow half sun defeated even the clever electronics of my Panasonic camcorder and the was about 15 minutes which I've discarded. I've now completed the covers for the recent rash of DVDs and I've just got the Tunbridge Wells film to burn. There are clips up to and including Maidstone well there will be in a few minutes after finishing this blog. A few orders have come through today and a lot of cine film arrived in the post which I've managed to squeeze into the cupboards in my editing room upstairs. I've done the invite letter to go out for the Hardy family event ( see above) there are some photos of the bench and family grave area which I took after doing the clean up, I'm certainly glad we've got the battery operated strimmer which is spot on for this application. Next we return to the photos from the weekend and its the turn of Romford to the east of London Abuse comes infrequently but hurts just the same whenever it lands and thus such 'customers' are usually invited to take their patronage elsewhere but there are bigger fish to fry as they say and today was probably my last full time day at work after 40 years with the same company. One of my colleagues from Darlington spent the day with me making notes about the training and contacts etc despite the assurance that Amecfw were pulling the plug on the training delivery which is most confusing as if this were the case they may well find a case of wrongful dismissal as my parting shot as no selection process was deemed required as they were ceasing the activity. Big companies of course are just a sum, of a number of tiny parts and the ability of HR departments worldwide usually provokes laughter and tears as this inept trade has grown alongside elf and safety and essethics. Well nearly a chapter in my life closed and another day nearer the knee operation this time with a call from the health care admin physio rep and we had an upbeat chat which reminds me I must jot down the questions which I need to raise at the preop physio and medical meetings tomorrow, lots of it centred around pain relief as the p word holds little charm for me especially after 30 years battling with a bad back. We have unloaded the south east bus sales stock of photos and loaded up our Scottish DVD stock ready for Lathalmond open weekend which we'll set up at Friday afternoon, hopefully after a stop off at Stobarts at Carlisle depending of course on the weather. I've just finished editing the Europort Wakefield truck film and now about to start of the past weekend's recording plus the inevitable DVD covers to complete. Tonights slide show covers yesterday morning at Maidstone, the big calor gas truck fire was well over with this morning on the M56, I did go via Chester to avoid any aftermath but on the way home there was no sign of the location. Dismal clicks on the Youtube adverts during the school holidays, come on folks do your bit a couple of clicks each visit at least please. |
PMP Sponsors the North West Vehicle Restoration Trust at Kirkby.
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