Fields of Yellow

Today is Saturday May 25.

We are due to have a new wet room built starting on Tuesday May 28, this requires the bathroom being stripped to bare walls,the removal of the bath and toilet giving easy access for the workmen to easily do their job. We are taking this opportunity to look at a new hand basin and cupboard unit, the present one being so small, it's almost useless.

A trip to Homebase in Swindon appears to be a good start, besides Genny can have a poke around the outlet centre.
Before ŵe start I get to have good cup Costa cappuccino.If there's one thing I appreciate in their coffee shops, is that as I now use a stick and can't walk so well the staff always asks can I take your drink to a table for you? Just a small courtesy but vey much appreciated.

Anyhow we set off from home in good time,it's been a few days since I ventured out doors, it's been cold and wet with little or no sunshine, today however looks much more promising, as we pull up the hill. Out of the village the fields are ablaze with yellow flowers from the oilseed rape, the trees are a palette of green, so many shades,they have leafed up so quickly, I remark to Genny that in a short time as the summer approaches these will mellow and meld almost into one colour as the heat,dust and age kick in. This is weird to me it's only now in my twilight that I have even noticed the subtleties of Mother Nature.

Along the road through Shipton under Wychwood to Fulbrook and Burford up to Highworth, fields of yellow rape shimmering in the early sun, soon the air will be filled with its heady perfume,not to everyone's taste. Elsewhere green shoots of wheat and barley are valiantly pushing their way skyward helping to fill in the patchwork of fields their borders bounded by Cotswold stone walls glowing golden in the morning light. Stationery for a few moments the car window down the hedgerows are all a twitter,nests being built,eggs being hatched, above Red Kites are kiteing, it finally feels as though Mother Nature is on the move at last.

Our bumble around Homebase proves fruitless, later a smurf of the Internet showed plenty of what we would like but all at a price to far. The upshot is we are going to leave it to the judgement of the contractor with some input from us.

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What a difference a day makes

What a difference  a day makes. Yesterday sitting on the canal side at the Jolly Boatman Pub eating roast beef sandwich in the glorious sunshine, today dodging raindrops and wrapped up against the cold.
The day before Genny had asked me if we should finish lunch and go shopping, my reply, too nice a day to be trailing round a supermarket, lets stay sitting here in the sunshine watching the birds and the boats go by, besides tomorrow is another day and a further adventure, and so it is.

I am doing my usual thing of sitting in the cafe drinking Cappuccino whilst Genny spends an hour or so sorting out the food shopping. Why don't I help? Well I'm not to keen on the idea and Genny prefers to take her time not being harassed by impatient husbands, she is just the same if it were a Daughter or Son in Law so I don't feel any guilt I am there at the till to push the cart to the car, a perfect partnership.

Driving through the Wychwood Forest toward Leafield, I am astonished how in just a few days of warm weather, the trees are now almost in full leaf, all except the Oaks, they're  still only now beginning to awaken, so be interesting to see how the old saying works this summer,”Oak out before the Ash in for a splash, Ash out before the Oak in for a soak”

Through the trees glimpses of Bluebells valiantly straining for the sunlight, and golden splashes of Primrose in the clearing left by the foresters, with Cowslips filling the roadside verges. Spring maybe late but still glorious.

Got up this morning feelin fine?

Got up this morning feeling fairly okay had a reasonable nights sleep after chemo which always makes me stupid for a couple of days. Decided that is sitting at home on a beautiful morning was not an option, and Genny said to me  “shall we go out" I said “yes I reckon that would be good idea, "what about the trip to down to Cheltenham"?  "No she said  I'm not liking shops very much in Cheltenham, you don't like the parking is very expensive, I suggest we go to Swindon".
It's a beautiful morning and we chugged our way to Swindon, Genny has gone shopping I have had a small walk around shops that interest me and awaiting her return.

One of the conditions for our visit out today was that we should go to the Riverside Pub in Lechlade for scampi and chips Lunch, this means that we only have one and a half hours in Swindon to look around that's plenty for me but there are things we need in town so will keep Genny busy.

It's a beautiful afternoon we have found a spot out of the breeze the sun is hot we are by the Thames at the Riverside Pub eating an old favourite Scampi and chips Genny has pint of Arkles best ale I am relegated to drinking tea, Ah Me my penance for driving.
The Thames looks gorgeous the gentle breeze ruffling the surface, Willow trees are whispering to each other as they dip their boughs in the water, a couple of cruisers are bobbing to the rhythms of the swell, Majestic swans swim serenely by paddling against the current, some turn raise their wings onto their backs these act like sails and blow them downstream, is there a reason for this or are they doing it for the shear enjoyment I wonder.

Across in the little docking area builders and painters are getting the boathouse and cafe ready for the season, a painter is standing precariously in a dinghy stretching upward with a long handled brush trying to reach that last elusive bare patch under the guttering, his mate is holding onto a rope attached to the craft, trying to steady him, what he hopes to achieve by this I can only speculate, could be amusing though.

Lunch over we meander home taking the scenic route, the late spring has only just allowed the trees to begin to leaf, fields of rape are coming into bloom, soon the air will be filled with its heady perfume, not to everyone's taste, shoots of barley and wheat are pushing their way upward turning the fields from brown to green, some hedgerows are white with May blossom looking as if strewn with frost and snow, set against a clear blue sky the larger bushes can be mistaken for little white clouds (okay that's just my imagination).

Now home full of scampi and memories of a good day out I am content.

Just another day

Today odd sort of one, it started out fairly normally then sorta went into free fall, the nurse was due I thought earlyish around 9-30, to do my chemo blood tests,which would have been fine our plan was to go shopping as soon as she had been, 11-30 and still no sign of her, couple of calls to the surgery proved fruitless, then a little after midday she arrived. The usual rigmarole couldn't find a vein I had done my part drinking plenty of water and pumping my fist but didn't seem to help,anyway eventually the job was done.

By now I was thinking this is to late we can't go out now, when Genny says  “C'mon time we were off I am ready!” “Where to I said Banbury?” “that's what we said earlier okay let's go”.

Off  we set the bright sunshine of the early morning had given way to broken cloud, pleasant enough and far better than the hailstorm of the previous afternoon. Bowling along quite nicely when it was discovered I would miss lunch, can't do that with these pills I am taking I need to eat at regular intervals,nothing for it I would have to go to the canal side cafe and eat there.

Thats where I am now, drinking cappuccino and watching the boats go  by, the sun is streaming through the window I am in a comfortable chair a tasty  omelette nestling in my belly, what a pleasant way to spend a lunch hour.

All good things must come to an end it's time to make my way to the car and wait for Genny, with the sounds of the staff cashing up the till guess I had better get going.

Sorta Techie Stuff

Today I am at the outlet centre in Swindon I didn't make it to the cafe by the canal the other day in Banbury but now I am in Costa Coffee drinking Tasty cappuccino.
Tried an experiment with Plantronics BT headset to use voice dictation but area was to noisy and I think headset knackered.
Not a bad day outside some sunshine but still a goodly breeze
Making it quite chilly,as I not been out much I am feeling the cold.

Went to Homebase to return some faulty lightbulb which they did without question so we bought a bit more stuff, something I needed was another extension lead for the bits I keep adding to my iMac, over the air connections to my hub just seems so slow compare with the new USB3 ports, I tend to be moving fairly large files about sorting out the various hard drives etc, interestingly enough this exercise has me revisiting some of my early photos, now with the new Lightroom4 and photoshop cs6 I have surprised myself just how much information is stored in those Raw files, it's been amazing to be able to bring to life pictures I might have discarded had I been more ruthless years ago, you never know what technology can do in the future, there is talk that blurred shots caused by camera shake could be recovered, quite astounding.

Going to have to stop now as battery on this iPad is just about to die.  

Chats with Ira

Today took a trip to Swindon and had breakfast at Boswells cafe whilst waiting for Genny to finish her shopping before we go to get light bulb and go down to Cirencester to the cemetery, it is mothers anniversary today.
The breakfast was of bacon, egg, sausage, baked beans, two slices of toast and butter and pot of tea very nice.

Had an email notification from Apple that the damaged keyboard for my iMac was being replaced,the new keyboard was in the post which should arrive today or tomorrow.

I'm still waiting for Lizzy to come and collect the jar which she asked me for, it has now been three days since we found one for her, so maybe this weekend she will remember to come and pick it up. Apparently it is for Sasha to take to Playschool for some project he is involved with.

Had an interesting chat with Ira last night she tells me that all the work in the flat is complete and is very pleased about that, I said were you getting the last little bit the corridor done as part of the job? She said that it was to be started in a couple of days time, I say that I thought Yura Would be delighted when he came home at the end of the month that they would have flat back to themselves.
Had a chat with Yura on Tuesday evening He told me that his contract had been extended for further two weeks, the new Dutch Captain would not be able to join the ship until the end of the month. This is timing may very well impinge on his holiday time coming to the UK in June,July,August.

The family cannot come to England before the end of June because Genya has exams to complete so therefore will not be possible, Tolik will be away at sea, he should start within the next two weeks to go to Coral Palmata once this paperwork is all in order. He will not be finished for six months which should take him back in October November time, when he will return in Uni.

The good thing is that with the Marine Traffic app I am using, I can track Tolik for the duration of his contract.

Hoping for the best

Today Monday 25 February, took a trip to Banbury sitting here in the cafe by the canal reflecting that this may be the last time for a while I can do this, tomorrow I start my chemo therapy, I have no idea how its going to effect me the general consensus is its not going to be very nice, so I am preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.
It's a weird feeling this. The doctor keeps telling me they are trying to ensure me a better quality of life, the maddest thing is right now and for most of the past year I have felt fine, apart from every time I get a pain somewhere Panic what's the problem, usually it's turns out to be nothing a muscle spasm or a strain,
My object is to keep doing my own thing for as long as I am able, if I am able to get my chataracts done I should be able to keep on driving for a few more years, the independence that a car offers is incalculable, I know I will miss if I have to give it up.

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