A Wander in the Sunshine

In a vain effort to find life again I took off quite early for Tesco.  Saturday morning among the masses is often invigorating.  It was however, like the misty glinting sunshine, quite peaceful and the healthy ingredients sought were soon found.  Healthy, that is those rumoured to stimulate the brain, Bluberries and very dark chocolate for instance, were joined by Flax, Chia seeds and Hemp, the latter for one of my nieces husband's Christmas's, he will probably think it will get him high.  He is one of those convinced cannabis is the answer to all problems, from cancer to covid.  This, he attempts to prove but he so far has not been successful.

The rest is for my latest health trend, and having paid through the nose for these goods, along with my other calorie controlled foodstuffs, I should look like Charles Atlas by Christmas.

This may not however, be the case.

 

I had to look twice at these balls hanging on the trees.  These trees were only planted a few years ago, 10 maybe, and I do not remember any fruit on them last year, though I could be mistaken.  'Conkers,' all around, at least the outer shells, as it appears some kids have been having a go at them already.  The more mature trees all around have certainly passed their fruit onto the public as the mess around their feet reveals.  Many a child, and not a few adults, will now be enjoying themselves with such on pieces of string.  Entertainment is easy, computers or no.

 

 

Having walked home from Tesco carrying a heavy but healthy bag it is almost a delight to walk without any weight attached.  Having lost a stone and a half I rather hoped walking would ease, it looks like another stone must go.  At least once that stone has gone my old shirts may fit once again.  

A sun drenched public garden, with a bit of early haze, is a delightful thing.  All were happy apart from at least once screaming child, the fruit of the children's play area at the top end.   
 

The last of the roses blossomed happily in the sun.  A large bush, almost a tree, once full now with only this lot left in any decent condition.  The volunteers who help the gardners do a great job of keeping these plants going.  

 

The idea was to walk round and energise the bulk, instead I felt my knees objecting.  Naturally, this park is on a slope, and to go homewards meant going uphill.  I await my lottery win so I can employ a servant to drive me uphill when my knees tire.  This however, may be an unfulfilled dream.

I wandered about, as always getting strange looks from women with kids, clearly women who read 'those stories' and listen to 'old women's tales,' and most of them appear neurotic as a result.  Even young dad's look sheepish, though that might be because they are not used to doing such work as watching kids.  

 

As I headed towards the gate I saw this man stiing low down and apparently unaware I was approaching.  Moving slowly along the path I got two decent shots of him before he felt he had posed enough and disappeared under the bush.   Usually Robins are very wary, quickly flitting out of distance and hiding in the tree.  This one may have been asking himself what life was all about, or where has the wife gone, or wondering what football was on today.  He appeared preoccupied but once he moved he did not show up again to ponder.

I don't think much of this fountain myself, it's all a bit weird I say.  There is a rumour it represents a kid who drowned in the river.  I don't blame him if he thought they would do this to him!

I kept going when common snense told me to return home, eat and sleep.  Common sense is as you know in short supply these days and it failed to appear with me also.  Instead I continued up the slope, across the town, passed all the workers still attempting to finish refurbishing the High Street, and noticed the old church had a door open.  I peeked in, something was going on, so I entered and enquired off the two young ladies on guard what was amiss?  "It's a Ladies Day," they said grinning.

I made my excuses and left!

I wandered into 'Clintons' Card shop and glanced at the horrendous Christmas stock on display, almost none of which was suitable for my needs.  However, I purchased three £25 Amazon cards towards the Christmas present stock and was picked up off the floor by the helpful young woman working the till after I fainted when I realised just how much I was paying for this.  She grinned as I explained the vast number of women I had to serve in the family and how I was failing to remember the pin number I have used for almost 30 years.  A very helpful young woman, not unsual around here I must say.

Heading home I met a young man from the Kirk and we put the church world to rights, OK I mean we grumbled a lot, and then were joined in our grumbling by one of his old workmates, so our grumbling widened to include much of the local world.  In all, this was a very enjoyable imitation of a group of gossipping old women.  I then headed home much to my knees relief and now await the Scotland football team playing Israel for the (I think) ninth time in 3 years!  The draw for competitions must be changed I say.  

Healthy Me...?

I reported as ordered to the nurse for the 'Old man's health check.'  
Reporting in dead on time the receptionist stopped cleaning her knuckledusters long enough to inform me I had to 'Log in' at the screen 'over there.'  I went 'over there' and confronted the blue screen (of death?' I thought) and began to answer the inquisition presented before me.  It is a good job I could remember my date of birth!  At last it recognised me, ordered me upstairs, and switched off.
Clumping upstairs, ideal I though for my knees, and more so for the older man with bad knees and walking stick awaiting his turn to fall down them, I found the waiting area and entered.  All things are down on screen these days.  Ahead of me a largish screen ordered return of unused medicines, demanded measles were vaccinated against and with a loud 'Ping'  ordered Mr Patient to Reception room 'A.'  As he was downstairs I cannot tell if he obeyed but I suspect he will.
I waited.
Refusing to sit as I expected to be called any minute I stared out the window at the new view, last time in here I met the witch doctor who disposed of me to quickly to allow me a glance out the window.  A jumble of buildings erected after the war, nearby some had been destroyed by bombing, the square practical but dated buildings looked so modern beside those aged hulks confronting the main street erected in the 19th century, some before that time.  Why do aged buildings look better than modern ones?  I read of Charles Dickens grumbling about the new Public houses that were springing up, either through new building or by renovation.  These he thought ghastly and criticised them all.  Now we are up in arms with anyone who wishes to destroy them!  Cheap labour helped obtain better looking buildings in the past, but often today we appear to build only monstrous edifices.  
I also noticed how the surgery had taken over several off the offices in the square build opposite, just above the pharmacy.  This small square surgery hopes to move to a monstrous needless new build in the town centre the council is spending £11 million of its own money on.  A Hotel we do not require, housing, restaurants and a doctors surgery will be built in spite of nobody wanting this and with money better spent where it is required.  The Tory council however will build whatever we say.
Last time I had a problem I saw the Nurse Practitioner, a kind of lesser doctor, who was excellent but having to make use of a large cupboard to see patients.  Some remedial work has been done but the space is too small.  That said if they move and make me walk 5 minutes to them rather than one minute I will not object.  However as this building will remove one car park and the taxi rank replacing them with nothing whatsoever I doubt those who have to travel by car will be pleased, the parking here is bad enough.
The 'Ping' came and at last my name appeared.
I crossed the floor into Room 5 where I met an attractive personable young lady who, like all nurse, can kill at 30 paces.  I followed instructions, I heeded comments, I accepted the Blood Pressure thing strangling my arm all without complaint.  The needle in the fingertip "You might feel a jab," said she, and she was right.  Wiping the blood of the ceiling we continued.
These days all measurements are made by these little computers.  Surprisingly they informed my my Cholesterol was 4.3 which is considerably down from 5 years ago!  'Benecol' margarine has helped, she said that lowers cholesterol by 7%, and that is helped by eating other things like porridge.  She knew about porridge having a Glasgow mother she had seen a lot of that!  Sugar was 5.3, and as my blood pressure was normal, only the need to lose a stone and exercise more was required.  
I was amazed!
Before I entered in trepidation I expected a list of horrid foods to eat to alter my diet,  a telling off for being a 'Fat slob' as last time, this lass was, er..plump herself, so maybe that is why she kept quiet, and here I was being informed that in spite of it all I was healthy!
Right, pasta tonight, veg tomorrow, then chocolate....

My treatment was FREE as it was the NHS.  

   

This however is what an American paid, in the 'Land of the Free,'

 for treatment on a knee infection.

Fat Boy!

Enjoying my grossly overfilled plate of muck for lunch I was disturbed by a call from the museum, her voice shrilled on the ansafone and I rose, put aside my lunch and made my way to the desk.  She put the phone down as I lifted mine.  Typical woman!  I realised some tragedy was taking place so I acted swiftly - I went back to my lunch.  I would have called but that costs money.  Later, before I had cleaned up, I waddled into the museum to discover I was not required.  She just wanted to know if the email sent that morning had arrived!  Tsk!
However the new 'Body Science' exhibition was up and running so I wandered around that pushing here and feeling there and recognising the kids will love this one as much as the adults do!  Glancing at the skulls brought some of you lot to mind and I wondered if you recognised anyone...?  This looks a good exhibition, one with lots of thing to play with and that makes folks happy.  Mind you they are getting in free for this exhibition so they ought to be happy.

This there here supposes to inform you of the fat content of the grub you eat.  Difficult to picture through the cabinet but clear enough to see why we are so fat.  I was reading about folks in the past and their healthier diet was mostly vegetarian with occasional meat or fish.  They were thinner, stronger and fitter because of the manual labour and much walking but could of course not cure most diseases.  In fact when I was a lad few fat folks could be seen around town, except for the drinkers of course.

Not very clear but this shows one pound of fat, the fat we carry in our gut.  It has put me off the pizza for tonight anyway!  I had chips instead...

Ouch! Creak! Ooooyah etc

It may come as a surprise to some when I say that my once svelte like body is not what it once was.  Once it contained energy, possessed a certain degree of muscle, and happily took me on long walks, carried me through a busy day, and enabled me to throw the TV out the window whenever a soap opera appeared on the screen.  Sadly today all this is becoming a memory.  The strange lethargy the recent bug brought me led me into sitting around and walking only when that was required.  The lying scales even told me I was over 15.5 stone, it ought to read 9.  The knees wobbled if I went far and the body willingly followed suit indicating I had gone far enough.  However in the past few days I have attempted to refine the Adonis like shell and have begun to swing a few weights, as opposed to swinging lead, and attempted to walk further and eat better.

I ache everywhere now!

Resting from my arduous training schedule, and ten minutes is long enough I can assure you, I sit for merely a moment and find all the muscles have seized.  Now I know the trick is to stretch after exercise as this really does help, but so far it doesn't help me.  My knees fell of twice this afternoon while watching the far from Dreich Dundee Derby Day, and while I cogitate on buying a Thai bride to massage my aching back I find that my fingertips are also suffering from hammering away on this laptop!  It's a good job I am not one to complain I can tell you.  Now I find I have to go into town tomorrow, struggling with the trains, and it will be baking hot again.  Tsk!

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