How are you today?

[alx5962]

Begging letters? You sound like Charles Dickens RobB

[RobB]

Begging letters? You sound like Charles Dickens RobB

Really? Dicky was an old mate of mine but that's probably coincidental.

[Angie]

For once nothing special planned, I just wanted to go to London to buy new tshirts

We get a lot of rare birds in our garden, and we're birdlovers too, so we'll let them have a chance for the time being.

Really? Dicky was an old mate of mine but that's probably coincidental.

I see not much has changed around here! Thanks for the laughs today, guys!

[RobB]

I see not much has changed around here! Thanks for the laughs today, guys!

Just be thankful that we're never likely to grow up?

[Angie]

Oh, I am... I am.

Lots of excitement around the royal baby, huh? It's been nice to see the photos, and hear all the crazy guesses at his name.

[sound world]

What royal baby?

[RobB]

Come on Dave,its the one that's going to be called Georgina Alexandra Louise.....get with it,mate?

[blue]

I totally missed the whole thing, so glad sometimes that I don't have a telly now.

In far more important news this summer, A SCOT WON WIMBLEDON!!!!!!! I was working on that Sunday and had to follow it via the internet on my phone, but my daughter had recorded the match for me so I did get to see it next day. I still can't believe he won his first Wimbledon title in straight sets.

[blue]

My grandson seems to be practising superlatives at the moment. Just been out into town with him and everything was either 'fantastic', 'amazing' or 'wonderful'.

My favourite thing he's saying now is when he goes for a wee wee - I'm not allowed to help him in any way because he's a big boy you know and can do it himself, except for putting the loo seat down again. I have to do that, whereupon he puts his hand over his willy and says 'MIND MY PEESHANEENO, GANMA!!'

[RobB]

Kids are so amusing at that age.

So he's coming out with 'amazing' is he? If he starts saying 'wow' you know you have a mini-Kate Bush fan on your hands.

[blue]

Well I was playing the 'Sat In Your Lap' video on youtube today and he ran away crying!

I told his mum on the phone about everything being amazing and wonderful in town, apparently she has taught him these words as a way of trying to get him to stop swearing before he starts nursery.

[blue]

Crikey, has nothing happened to anyone for a few months?

Well my news is that I am now in my third new job within the space of a year. I've left my beloved little former Julian Graves store, with great sadness, basically because the manager who was taken on is a complete psycho and has made my life so stressful that I ended up having tremendous problems with my asthma. I got called in for an asthma review in August when I put my last inhaler prescription in, because my asthma nurse Elaine had noticed that I'd gone through the previous 200 dose inhaler in the space of two and half weeks.

The main trigger for my asthma is stress/upset/anxiety, and it had got completely out of hand. The tests I had during my review showed that I had lost 25% lung function, which was alarming to say the least. The nurse put me straight on steroids and sent me to my GP, who had to put me on anti-anxiety medication to try to get the stress under control.

The good news is that both lots of medication have helped enormously, and I found another job in mid-September, so I'm much happier and better now. I've had several lots of lung function tests over the past few weeks to monitor the situation, and everything is virtually normal now.

It's been an experience, I'll say that. When I think how over the moon I was to go back to my dear little shop .... it's just as well sometimes that we have no idea how things will turn out.

[sound world]

So what's the new job, Beth?

I had a weird health scare the other day-woke up with a noise in my head, like a fridge buzzing in the background, which went on for the next week. Aside from the annoyingness of it, it rendered me partially deaf and I experienced individual tones/voices etc in two pitches. So eg if I played (or sung) the note C, I would also hear a Bb or A below it. People talking would sound the same, binary tones. Everything sounded like a strange gamelan-kind of pleasant, but worrying; and not very helpful when I'm trying to teach the piano.

When I saw a medic, he casually dismissed all my concerns about it being caused by hypertension (which I have), brain tumour (hopefully don't have), infection etc and said it was just a form of tinnitus which he couldn't do anything about. He couldn't get rid of me fast enough, even when I said that I'm a musician/piano teacher. Bloody doctors. If they can't fob you off with a packet of drugs, they can't help you.
Luckily it's faded away since last Friday, but who's to say it won't come back?

Otherwise, life as normal - only my boy, now in the Upper Sixth, is taking centre stage as he readies himself to be 18 (end of next week) and thinks about University. He's applied to Cambridge, among others - big step. He's also taking driving lessons, which, though I don't drive (or maybe because I don't!), I'm glad about. We've forked out for a 3-day holiday in Venice in half-term to celebrate his birthday. That's the first time we've been abroad as a family in about 8 years, so looking forward to it. None of us have ever been there. Last time (only time) I was in Italy was, gulp, over 30 years ago. I loved it then.

[RobB]

Sorry to read of your work and health problems beth but am delighted to read that you've recovered from both.

What a shame that one individual (albeit the manager) ruined what was turning out to be a pleasant and rewarding job for you. To be honest I can't see them staying in that role for very long but never mind, that's all in the past now and of no interest to you.

Fingers crossed that your asthma attacks will cease now.

In my shop we had a new manager start in July but she's lovely, very sweet and easy to get on with. Her enthusiasm gets the better of her at times so occasionally I have to reel her in.

[blue]

I'm back working in a little neighbourhood store, much like the one I worked in for nine years - it feels very familiar, so much so that I picked up all the till stuff on the first day.

It's on the other side of town to where I live, so involves some walking to and from, but I'm feeling fitter than I have for ages after only four weeks, which is great.

Dave, you remember when both my ears perforated that time, was it two years ago? And I was more or less deaf for about three weeks. The sounds I could hear were a bit like you describe, sort of gamelan-like at times. It was weird and interesting, although annoying not being able to understand what anyone was saying. Maybe you have had an infection at some point and it has now healed? If it happens again I would definitely go and make a fuss until your doctor refers you to an ENT clinic, more than most you can't afford to jeapordise your hearing.

Gosh, Robin is cracking on apace, isn't he! He'll be off to Uni before you know it.