Tuesday, March 03, 2026
Google does not want to find this
I thought I would try to find an entry in this blog. Completely failed. Silly.
M
T's Catheter
I clearly did not do much blogging in the past, and there is no reference to the months when T had a catheter.
M
adventurous
The catheter is often uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. I have tended to just accept it as par for the course.
However I am currently trying to see if I can ease things with things like savlon. So far so good, with absolutely tiny amounts providing lubrication and reduced inflammation
Obviously I am getting fed up with the inconvenience of the things, as I do more walking and playing. I should get called to Pembury any day now. Here's hoping.
M
Jono's cold
Both feeling tired and under par. No doubt caught from J. He is so sociable that he probably will be giving us both welcome future immunity. But it does sometimes make us feel decrepit.
M
South heath birds
I sat listening to the songs and calls.
Tawny owl over the fence was most satisfying. Within striking distance of new box.
Buzzard, linnets. Bullfinch. Gold rest, robin, raven, skylark, blue tit, crow.
Did not see anything.
M
Monday, March 02, 2026
Better understanding of my condition early on
I am beginning to understand my early inability to see myself as having a problem. I was too enthusiastic about my own detailed logic and thoughts. I was not critical enough about not having a good understanding of the general situation.
An example was my bed wetting issue. I spent a lot of effort in avoiding damage etc, but none to the question of needing medical help. No doubt my damp avoidance techniques were good, but that was hardly the point.
On the other hand, nobody asked the question for me, as far as I know, until a chunk later.
My memories of these early phases is very poor, which is another indication of the problem.
M
Aired the car
Lovely day, with a breeze, so perfect drying weather.
Opened all the doors.
Wedged open the carpet hole behind the drivers seat, with a wooden stick.
M
Waitrose Monday
So I went to Waitrose in Tonbridge, and had a good shop.
The journey there was pretty good, and walking from the castle was pretty quick.
It was wonderful being back in a large quality store. I probably bought too many heavy things, which I would regret at the other end.
Very quiet at this time of day. Only one checkout operating, as far as I could see, and no queues.
Bus back fine, getting off at paydens, which gave a flat run back home.
M
Saturday, February 28, 2026
or fold back an area of carpet
And then use a sponge or something to mop up the water under the carpet.
M
syphon out the water?
In the car, could I syphon or wick the wayer out?
A wick might be easier to organise. Cut a slit in the carpet, stuff one end into the whole and the other in the air, and or out in of the car door?
Where to find material? Top kitchen?
M
exercises to get off catheter
Regrets the day after
T has routine of loving one day, such as our visit to Penshurst with Katherine plus 2, and then having deep regret the next day.
i put forward the idea that this was natural, and overall a good indicator not a bad one. This was dismissed of course, and that the correct thing was not to over enjoy the main day in the first place.
I still stand by my theory and will show how the maths work. It is important to take the two days together as a whole.
Say we score out of ten, day one positive, day two negative.
A great day might have scores
9 - 5 = 4
A poor day
4 - 1 = 3
So the agony on the good day is terrible, but overall still better than playing ultra safe.
M
T's exercises
T has restarted some of her exercise routines. I think this is a very good idea.
M
tonbridge security
What a laugh. The school has activated a plan to have every visitor registered with at leasat a daily neck tag.
this includes photo, and details.
It is largely showcase stuff, in that security in the grounds is pretty well impossible.
I showed how I could easily break the code to the squash courts, just with a mobile phone taking photos, since users hands could easily be seen and photoed, and the codes were all the same. Ah well, it is just advertising.
M
waitrose
Discussed issue that local tesco is too small, and a large waitrose would be a useful add on.
Note that the Tonbridge waitrose is easy to get to from the 7 bus stop at the castle.
Will give this a try next week. For things like flour, bread, veg, prepared meals, offal, spuds, cheese, decaf tea, loo's
Not for milk, cheddar, some soup, apples, bananas, pears, olive oil, detergent own brands, grapes, some bread, butter, marg, live pickles, pates, and tesco own brands generally.
Waitrose will be good for all things bread, offal, prepared meals, all things health, fermented things, pates, tea, coffee, household goods such as bags,
We will find out how it splits, but aim is to be able to carry everything fron tescos plus bus stop.
M
M
boot locked
Now that all the door locks work as expected, i still have the boot locked for no apparent reason.
I dont understand fully
I think that on the way back from crowborough I must have skidded off the road, giving the car a knock that jambed some of the lock mechanisms. Hence when home I found myself rather locked in. Hence the struggle to get out, and to keep the contents safe. Etc, etc.
Actually once I understood, recently, that the door locks could reset quite easily in fact, the only difficulty left is the boot lock.
M
honda boot lock
This seems completely stuck, and cannot see anyway to proceed.
But utube seem to think this is fun, and there are lots of options
Watch this space.
M
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
cathetor on leg
When doing my first replacement of the new supply of surgery's bags, I attached it to my left leg as opposed to my pants.
So far much more comfy and practical.
M
drying out the car
Good progress on this front, with use of paper tissue used to absorb water squeezed from the sloping carpet material.
Weather is also helping the whole interior.
Did quite a bit of pruning in the street frontage.
M
car locks
Finally realised that all the locks on the car doors can be used without difficulty. For some strange reason, I thought one of them was impossible to open.
I just opened it without difficulty after my realisation.
Some of the foundations of things I thought true, were clearly barmy.
I also can now remember some strange images of Tricia's old bedroom or maybe the playroom, which i would visit after my bad sleep and bladder leakages. Very grand.
M
better understanding of my illness
Had a good discussion withT about my illness. Clearly I was very protective of my independent thoughts, and not able to see the bigger picture.
Hence my locking into theory about an accident at the maths confrence, which was grossly exaggerated. Also my errors on the timings, thinking it started much earlier in September.
I was clearly trying to solve things myself, rather than seeing the wider picture.
Still not sure where tamsulosin fits into the starting picture, and what its dates were. I am guessing that I need to establish the dates of this which should be in the anima database.
M
forgot card
I forgot to take my card to tescos.
They were very good at dealing with my plight. I had of course to go home and return, but everything else dealt with brilliantly
M
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Time for tea.
Using cards at tesco checkout
The first success came with a passkey from NW.
Then it seems to skip the bother of a passkey and just use the card.
Since I will be walking to Tesco for most day to day shoppibg, I may nwver be asked again for the key. But I hope I remember it.
M
Printer on the blink
Serious problems with the printer. No idea about the problems yet.
Seems to think it has two interfaces, rather than one, and it is always trying to use the wrong one.
I think I will have to start with the pc/ microsoft links first.
M
played fives
Gareth picked ne up for regular tuesdays fives.
A good turnout, welcoming me back from the,dead. Played probably one and a half games, playing my full quotient. This was more than I expected, and left me tired but pleased.
Won the games, if I remember correctly.
Watch the rest of the e vening and gareth returned me home.
Thanks to all for a wonderful welcome back.
M
orientation of garden scene
Continuing the corner building saga, the buildings are significantly taller than the features along the joint boundary, and dominate as seen from our house. This actally makes more sense of the boundary than previously.
But it was not allowed for when the neighbour's garden was designed, and it unbalances its whole design. They should have had a line of orchard trees generously in from the fence. Instead it is a concrete path with small plants eithwr side.
No wnonder they detest the new building. Where as we think it completes the original georgian/ Edwardian design.
M
new houses at the corner
The junction ar the end of the road, originally had four massive buildings, one at each corner. One was bpmbed and destroyed in ww11.
They foolishly allowed a bungallow to be built in its place, which completely unbalanced the junction's appearance.
The new replacement for the bungallow is another large three storey block of flates with an elaborate edwardian style roof. Much better.
The junction is beginning to look sane again, after 70 odd years.
M
Next door hedge cutting
Next door like prunning neighbours hedges and trees right up to the boundary.
Now I think this is counter productive. It stimulates vertical growth over the years, producing tall thick trunks on the boundary, of considerable height. Surely this is not what they want to achieve.
It is better to let these shoots woth branches get to a height, where they naturally bend over, and that allows you to better control the height with judicial pruning, taking out the most vertical growths. This will make for a much more attractive lower bushy growth.
Ah well, if they want to be foolish, let them be.
M
End of driving
I think it is time to stop driving, and using taxis and public transport.
Of course, I could still drive if I wanted to, but in reality nobody should be driving in a few years time. The final automisation of driving must be soon. Particularly for taxi services.
Since the honda is worth nothing, it seems right to get rid of it now, and not replace it.
It will be interesting what happens to the driving test ultimately. I guess that there may be automatic liciences for those using automatic cars, ie no test. And a variety of tests above that for partucular driving features.
So I may yet have a driver's licience, but only for totally automatic driving. I guess one may even have these for driving your taxi where you want it to go.
Food for thought.
M
tired out
Very slow getting awake this morning, and rest on bed after lunch.
Hope I can manage lamb's liver for supper.
M
penshurst place
No maize maze any longer. Not seen as paying its way.
Just opened for the year. Samuel and Isabel seemed to appreciate it.
I still expect the prices from forty years ago, so surprised quite how much a vist costs nowadays. But very enjoyable.
Isabel and I talked about the amazing pruning operation they do every spring.
Nice skoda drive, and the map chose the right route.
M
Friday, February 20, 2026
Katherine and children are here tomorrow
I must get some large round potatos tomorrow morning, if there are none in the fridge at the moment.
Damn, only small ones.
Weather is horid now so will try in the morning.
M
printer problems
Struggling with this. I am not sure what went wrong, but i am failing to print anything.
Watch this space
M
tesco passkey not requested
Despite lots of beeps, which i failed to understand, I did use the machine checkout successfully. It did not request my passkey.
So presumably, using the passkey yesterday gives me a free run for a bit.
Found some of the rarities in store, such as lambs liver, non- cheddar cheese.
Not sure if using the nat west card to pay automatically assumes visa, which I then clear at the end of the month. Will need to check.
M
Thursday, February 19, 2026
reading glasses.
Does anyone buy the expensive ones? The dirt cheap ones from china seem to be everywhere.
I bought 3 for 5pounds. And they are fine for close up work, such as typing this.
The ones from opticians cost the earth, and the online opticians, I am finding difficult to find nowadays.
M
new bread maker
The old one kicked the bucked in brutal fashion. Basically the drive shaft and paddles self destructed. The machine was ancient, getting on for 20 years perhaps, with only minor replacements.
Bought a new version from same model from Amazon, which was delivered within 24hours at no cost, and bread made the next day. Only problem was that the flour was a bit old and kept on the small side.
M
good shopping etc
Had a good time, getting trained by NAT west, and reading glasses from the shop opposite the old baths next to the library. The latter were 5 pounds for three, so spectacular value.
Stopped on a high
M
