Next steps; grip-relaxing bimbling, and avoiding the temptations

Suffolk_lass

I can't claim "Spot the sausage" for my own - it's a variation on"spot the mince" chilli - I had almost certainly copied that from the grocery challenge a few years ago. I make chilli with just 200g of mince for a minimum of four, sometimes six portions, padded out with vegetables and red lentils - I now add something like shin or oxtail or even casserole steak on offer after Mr Sl asked if it could be a bit more meat. The lumps help! - Anyway, I carry through the padding out into most casseroles (today I plan to do chicken, but will be adding leeks and potatoes with lots of onion.

Yesterday's funeral went well - pleased to see everyone. A long time since I met up with my cousins (all at least 12 years older than me) - I think it was finding their children are all middle aged that took me by surprise. I am closer to them in age, and have always found them good company - it was the same yesterday. A lovely celebration of their grandmother's life and a good catch up at the house afterwards. It did take four hours travel out of the day, with the travel back in the back end of rush hour travel.

Today I have my second of three hospital appointments - ENT today - apparently having tinnitus in one ear is unusual and needs investigation. Hopefully all will be well. - So that will take a big lump out of the day, and then meeting my neighbour to check that tables fit for a Chinese New Year Event, allowing for a lion dance. And this evening my Beekeeping (online) study group resumes. I must do a bit more preparation for this so thankful tonight's supper will be easy.

Makingabobor2

Was going to say " you're a busy bee"....then realised what I'd said🤣🤣

KajiKita

Lion dance?! I want tickets!!

KK

Suffolk_lass

Makingabobor2 said:

Was going to say " you're a busy bee"....then realised what I'd said🤣🤣

🤣🤣🤣🤣

KajiKita said:

Lion dance?! I want tickets!!

KK

  I know, SO cool! 

rtandon27

@Suffolk_lass - I'm so glad to hear that you were able to get caught up with your family.  We recently did the same with the family of one of OH's cousins who sadly passed but I have to say that being around family is it's own kind of special despite the circumstances.

Also everything crossed for your appointments today!

Suffolk_lass

Hospital trip went well, after the initial stress of actually finding somewhere to park! The audiologist gave me a different dome with a retaining "wire" which seems to work a little better, and the hearing aid stayed in my ear much better. Then the Consultant appointment followed immediately and she referred me for an MRI (I guessed this would happen) as the tinnitus I have is only one side - they just need to make sure I don't have an underlying issue causing this (other than standing in front of the speaker at a Who Concert once, and not being able to hear for two days afterwards in that ear). I am not worried.

DS and Mr Sl had almost taken down the outside lights by the time I got back, so I made them Hot Chocolate and they had this with half the tin of gifted Belgian chocolate biscuits. Then I gave DS the frozen gammon joint and the parsnip peeled but not used from Christmas (he loves them roasted whereas we do not 🤮) - and took him home. All good. He was chatty but is not happy (NY blues I hope) - his partner has now been told she may have ME on top of many other health conditions and he is completely frustrated she has mood dipped with this news and resorted to some phone app that tells her to stop doing anything. My friend of over thirty years has ME but she manages it. Mainly her symptoms are if she gets any infection. I don't know the background to this but it was not glandular.

Other than that, I read my book (audible, mostly) and did some prep for our study group. First one last evening. I hope it is going to be enjoyable.

Just the parking fees spent yesterday (£3) and another couple of gaps in the freezers with bread rolls, the leftover gammon, a bag each of HG rhubarb and frozen squash removed. Soup will be made shortly with the squash (roasting as I type) and the rhubarb is freshly cooked for breakfast topping.

We used up the rest of the spot the sausage casserole with the chicken last night, finishing one bag of sprouts (one to go, in my outdoor storage box) so food we already had in. 

All the Christmas decs are now back up in the loft so there is a bit more space too .

More study today and I must, must, must do some washing. The aga and airing cupboard will be heavily used I think!

foxgloves

Actually, @Suffolk_lass, when I have the occasional spell of tinnitus, it is only in one ear. I always assumed it is a sort of sinussy thing & as my blocked ear clears, the odd noises stop. The weirdest one is like a faint low-level angle grinder & I'm always glad when my ears start popping & it stops. I hope your MRI goes well. Yes, doesn't finding a hospital car parking space always feel as though one has passed the first part of the mission.

Suffolk_lass

foxgloves said:

Actually, @Suffolk_lass, when I have the occasional spell of tinnitus, it is only in one ear. I always assumed it is a sort of sinussy thing & as my blocked ear clears, the odd noises stop. The weirdest one is like a faint low-level angle grinder & I'm always glad when my ears start popping & it stops. I hope your MRI goes well. Yes, doesn't finding a hospital car parking space always feel as though one has passed the first part of the mission.

@foxgloves - they do like to check there is no underlying, undetected cause of single ear tinitus. I waited until I was in the waiting room then looked it up. Maybe consider if you should request a referral. My MRI will take at least six-eight weeks, if the new system sorts out the referral from the consultant, and I am to nudge if nothing through by then, but she did say it could then be months before they actually do it.

To today - a bit of admin already undertaken - both involve the Treasurer more than me, but I am the conduit. Anyway, those two tasks have left the building.

Not sure if I mentioned but the boots I was going to wear to the funeral lost their heel tips in the snow, while I was de-icing the car, so I ended up wearing different black footwear - they had gone all brittle and broke up and off. That is now two pairs of infrequently worn shoes/boots that this has happened to. Both an indicator of how few occasions I actually wear proper shoes boots, and that the plastic based rubber substitute material is awful. I need to decide if I will bother to get them re-heeled or just get rid. The boots in particular, owe me nothing and the inside of the leather upper is degraded too. I think they are bin-bound. At least twenty years old. I might do a bit of a proper shoe audit, to go with the  trainer one I did after Christmas

Oh, and no money spent yesterday. All good - have a good day everyone

EssexHebridean

I'm glad the funeral went smoothly SL - and that your Aunt was given a good send off. It's a sad fact of life that so often as we get older funerals seem to be our main meeting point for a lot of members of the family, in the way that weddings were a few years ago! 

Get those boots in the bin for goodness sake - if they were otherwise in good condition then a repair would be sensible, but I suspect that getting the heels done now would just put additional pressure on the other bits that are worn and prove to be a waste of money. 

Suffolk_lass

They have gone @EssexHebridean! I might go further and review more but not this morning.

I am doing the community lunch today and my friend who was doing it with me has the local lurgy and isn't able to. So two shallow chicken casseroles are in the simmering oven, covered in foil,  and a large plum and apple crumble is cooking. I have two cartons of custard and a bag of frozen peas. That's it, lovely simple lunch, with tea and coffee included for a fiver. 

Mr Sl is just off to help a fellow beekeeper by gas-vapping her bees with an oxalic acid treatment to kill mites. She has 13 colonies after inheriting from a renowned local bee breeder. I think she had given up before that but she is finding the support and friendship from fellow beekeepers is helping her (in a way I don't think she was expecting).

I need to get a deposit paid to a different (Local) solar company who will come and sort out our malfunctioning set up. Better than the original installers who were awful.

I turned the frost catcher's on in the Village Hall yesterday - I want to see how they work as there are signs of damp and mould in the toilets. Not good. Especially the mould.

Right, Mr Sl might have run out of fuel en-route so I need to get ready to collect him from somewhere, if needs be. It's all happening!