26th July 2018

Full recovery from our journey to Canada took a few days, but out of necessity, we plunged straight back into routine. For once, the British weather cooperated, remaining sunny and warm. The lawns were mowed, the pool was restored from green to blue, and the allotments were watered and weeded.

Sue visited Holdenby Hall on the 19th with the U3A History Group for a taste of Victoriana. The following day, she went to the cinema with Charlotte and then, 24 hours later, enjoyed a ramble through the Leicestershire countryside under what, so far, appears to be permanently blue skies.

On the 20th, I received a call from the doctor’s surgery. While we were on the road in Canada, they attempted to contact me with the results of a recent health review. I had deliberately delayed taking the call until I was back in the UK, just in case it was bad news. Fortunately, everything was fine, and I avoided the multitude of pills that many of my friends seemed to have been prescribed after their own health reviews.

However, just before flying to Toronto, I had noticed a problem with the sight in my left eye; part of my vision was becoming increasingly distorted. Some 30 years ago, I experienced a similar issue with this eye, which was resolved through laser surgery, though at the cost of around 30% of the vision. I adapted over time, with my brain and good eye compensating for most situations. However, certain activities, particularly sports, exposed the limitations. Playing squash became impossible, as I struggled to judge the ball’s position when it rebounded off the wall. Tennis was more manageable; although I occasionally played an air shot and looked a bit foolish, my overall game remained intact. Rugby posed challenges when catching high balls, but the experience allowed me to anticipate situations and continue playing for many years to come. Golf was frustrating; losing track of the ball mid-flight often meant a lot of searching and lost balls. While I love the game, I rarely play, mostly because few of my friends are interested and, unfortunately, they all still work. Playing pool presents a different issue; I occasionally misjudge the distance of the cue tip from the ball, leading to embarrassing fouls. I usually blame the beer and smile sweetly as my opponent enjoys the free shots. Fortunately, driving has never been a problem. Regular optician visits have confirmed my vision remains roadworthy, though in recent years I’ve had to wear driving glasses more for eye fatigue than any loss of sight.

Normally, I would have had my new visual distortion checked immediately, but I made the difficult decision to wait, fearing that a diagnosis might cost me my driving licence just before I needed to drive in Canada to see Gwenda. Thankfully, the issue didn’t worsen, and despite adjusting to driving on the wrong side of the road, we had no problems. The distortion was offset by my good eye, and when I tested my vision in isolation, the affected area was to the far left and relatively minor.

On the 26th, I saw the optician, who, as expected, referred me for an urgent appointment at the Royal Infirmary in Leicester. My left eye’s vision had deteriorated significantly since my last test, but surprisingly, my right eye had improved. The optician saw no issues with the retina and suspected the problem lay behind it. A few days later, the hospital contacted me with an appointment for the 9th of July. Sue drove me there, knowing the eye drops would blur my vision and make driving unsafe. After two hours of examinations, including an injection of dye to highlight any abnormalities, it was determined that I had a fluid build-up behind the retina, requiring a course of three injections. Thankfully, my vision was assessed as being adequate for driving.

The first injection was on the 12th. Having a needle inserted into your eye is not pleasant, but it was fascinating to see the chemical flooding my vision. Initially, I had a black circular hole in the lower part of my sight where the needle had entered, but it disappeared within 24 hours. I was prescribed antibiotic drops for five days, and aside from some soreness, everything went well. It’s early days, but I believe there has been a slight improvement. Two more injections to go!

Around the same time, Sarah underwent laser surgery for an issue with her eyelashes growing inwards, which could have caused more serious problems if left untreated. The procedure appears to have been successful; hopefully, her remaining lashes have learnt their lesson and will now grow in the right direction!

Meanwhile, Charlotte continued to struggle with the pain from her two slipped discs. Managing a household with two children, a husband, a cat, and countless chickens has been incredibly tough, and she has relied heavily on painkillers to maintain some sense of normality. Sue and I have helped whenever possible, but the situation has taken its toll on the entire family. Matters weren’t helped by an unsympathetic and unprofessional local pharmacy, which reduced her to tears when she and Sue attempted to arrange a medication delivery. The officious attitude was made worse by some outrageous comments from a staff member, spoken loudly enough for all to hear. A complaint to head office resulted in an apology, but rightly, Suraj does not intend to leave it there. Battling constant pain, sluggish GPs, and an overwhelmed NHS system moving at a snail’s pace has made life incredibly difficult for our daughter.

Following another MRI scan and a specialist consultation, it was evident that the spinal injections had failed. The scan showed one disc had turned black, while the other was deteriorating. She was given a choice: continue physiotherapy and painkillers or undergo surgery. She opted for the operation, despite the associated risks. Due to the severity of her condition, she has been placed on the ‘urgent’ list, meaning she could be called in at short notice. The family is now on standby to get her to the hospital and provide support during and after the procedure. Recovery is expected to take around six months, though it may take longer. In preparation, she has stopped taking Tramadol, one of the strongest (but addictive) painkillers. The first week of withdrawal was tough, but she coped admirably, proof of her incredible resilience. As a family, we will help her through this and reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

Update: Since writing this, Charlotte has been given a date for her operation, 4th September, which coincidentally is also Suraj’s birthday. Fingers crossed that’s a lucky omen!

On a lighter note, although football didn’t come home, watching England progress to the semi-finals of the World Cup wasn’t the usual torturous experience. For once, they played well, delivered results, and, though ultimately losing to Croatia, weren’t disgraced. I believe they were the better team, just not the strongest (something to work on!). It was a pleasure to host a BBQ for friends and watch an England team not crash out in the quarter-finals. Especially as I had just bought a new HD, 3D cinema projector to watch the matches on!

On an even lighter note, I watched the semi-final with Paul, Peter, and a host of sophisticated real ale connoisseurs at the Langton Brewery’s Beer Festival. Despite England’s loss, the beer, music, and atmosphere were excellent and more than ample!

Recently, we seem to have entered a phase where various electrical items around the home have decided to play up. First, one of the ovens in our double oven gave up the ghost, resulting in the purchase and installation of a new one. Next, the kitchen fridge began struggling to keep food fresh. After cleaning out the filter, repositioning the faceplate, cutting down the baseboard to allow better airflow, and lowering the temperature control, things improved somewhat. However, as the temperature has been in the 20s for the past month, we decided not to replace it just yet and will see how it performs when cooler weather arrives. Annoyingly, the dishwasher also decided to go on strike, refusing to finish its cycle and filling up with water. Once again, I stripped it down, cleaned all the filters, flushed the piping, and in return for a little pampering, it’s now working fine. On a personal note, my mobile phone, a Windows 10 model that I love, started playing up. With an increasing number of updates, it’s running low on memory and becoming unstable. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t allow me to reset it to free up memory, so I’ve bought a new one, a Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra running Android. And, finally, with Leicesterhire experiencing such high temperatures and with no end to the oppressive heat in sight, the air-conditioning in my car began struggling. I took it into the garage for an expensive re-gas, and now I’m driving in comfort. Though I do wonder what will break down next?

Much like the record hot summer of 1976, we’re experiencing a rare period of hot and dry weather. The lawns are yellow and brown, the soil is heavily cracked, and farmers (myself included) are struggling to keep crops watered. The cattle and sheep are eating the hay and silage set aside for winter feed, and hosepipe bans are being implemented across the country (though not in our region, yet). On a more positive note, there seems to be an abundance of fruit. We have so many blackcurrants that Sue has put up a sign at the end of the driveway and is selling punnets of them for 50p. Blackberries are dripping from every hedge, and I’ve never seen them so large. I’m expecting a bumper harvest of grapes as well.

 

Sue has been out hiking several times with her rambling groups, but the heat has often left her exhausted when she returns. I’ve been out each day on my mountain bike, enjoying the off-road trails, but the hard ground has taken a toll on my trusty steed. Over the course of three days, I had eight punctures! Not thorns, but splits in the inner tube from the rock-hard, uneven surface. At times, riding felt like holding onto a rampant jackhammer. On a couple of occasions, I had to call Sue to pick me up when an inner tube split, was replaced with a spare, and then split again a few miles later! The tipping point came one day when I inflated the tyres more to try to solve the splitting problem. After a few miles of rough terrain, the inner tube burst through the sidewall without splitting. Counting myself lucky, I deflated the tyre, pushed the inner tube back inside, re-inflated it and managed to ride home.

Later in the day, on another ride (tyre replaced), I was descending a disused railway embankment at speed and had to make a sharp turn at the bottom to avoid a hedge. My disc brakes failed to bite properly, and I found myself buried in a thorny, nettly bush. After extricating myself and being pleased to find I wasn’t too roughed up, I optimistically carried on down a freshly mown green lane, only to bury the front wheel in a deep hole hidden by grass, which catapulted me over the handlebars. Though more embarrassing than painful, I checked the bike and decided to carry on. Just 200 meters later, the rear wheel locked up, and I skidded to a stop. To my horror, I found that the derailleur had mangled itself into the spokes so badly that no matter how hard I tugged, I couldn’t free it. Once again, Sue came to the rescue in the car. After three days in the bike shop and a brand new set of gears, the bike was eventually back on the road, and so far (touch wood), there have been no more incidents. I’ll never again complain about muddy tracks.

Typically, I look after Mia at least one day each week when either Lee or Sarah are working in Northampton. She usually joins Peter and me for lunch at Bridge 61 at Foxton Locks (Yorkshire pudding, sausage, mashed potato, mushy peas, and thick onion gravy, heaven!). With the recent high temperatures, though, like all furry animals, Mia has struggled in the heat. I’ve had to make sure she gets frequent drinks, and at every opportunity, she seeks out shade to sit or lie down to recover. In this heat, she’s no lively bundle of mischief. I do feel for the cattle and sheep we pass on our walks; they’re clearly suffering too, and in many of the fields, there’s very little shady sanctuary to be found.

Jamie has his apartment up for sale.

On the day he has viewings, he brings his rabbit Maddy to WSillow Bank; wisely, he wants to give potential buyers the impression that they are purchasing an apartment, not a hutch. I house Maddy in an old chicken coop of Charlotte’s, and I have extended it with a wired run into a hedgehog box. I am not sure what she thinks of the situation, but she usually just sits quietly under the shade in her cage. However, she can be quite petulant; sometimes she will often turn her back on me when I approach, and at other times she seems eager to make contact. Unfortunately, we do not have any of her favourite foods (iPhone leads) and she has to make do with lettuce, dandelions and carrots.

As the schools have broken up, on the 23rd of July, Sue took Lucas and Ellis to the cinema as a treat. They saw Sherlock Gnome; their reports were quite favourable, but I profess to being dubious about that. I think Arthur Conan Doyle would turn in his grave. The following day, Sue went to see a more adult film at a Silver Screen session, before meeting up with me at Charlotte’s. I took Sue, Charlotte, Lucas and Ellis to Geddington ford for a lovely picnic. The boys played in the ford while I cooked sausages on a BBQ. It is a beautiful and historic spot, very popular with the locals for picnics, and indeed it does get quite busy. The weather was gorgeous, and we enjoyed the experience so much that we vowed to do it again. I had parked near the Eleanor Cross in the centre of the village, and after packing up, read its associated information board. Later, as we wandered to have a look at the church, we got engaged in conversation with a resident who was very keen to relate the history of the village to us. Half an hour later, filled with fascinating facts and anecdotes, we eventually managed to extract ourselves from our newfound Canadian friend. Sue and I would have loved to continue chatting with this very knowledgeable gentleman, but the heat was unbearable, and the boys were getting restless, so we retired to The Star hostelry across the road to quench our thirst and cool off.

Often, Sue and I have noticed a three-legged cat visiting the garden over the last week or so. Today, our next-door neighbour, Viv, called to ask if we knew anything about it. She had been watching it in our garden and was very concerned, so she brought round some cat food to feed it. It’s her intention to take it to the vet to check if it’s chipped. Ever the cat lover, Sue has bonded with the rather sad little creature by feeding and watering it, then giving it the obligatory fondle. I have to admit to having my fingers crossed that the owner will be found and it moves on, or in this case, hops on.

Update on the cat: The following morning, it was Sue who took it to the vets, where it was scanned for its details stored on its chip. It was discovered that the owner lives just a few streets away. However, when the vet phoned, there was no answer. The cat remained at the vet’s.

Later that day, while I was walking Mia in the park, I came across a young pigeon that had fallen out of its nest. To save it from the many loose dogs in the area, I picked it up and took it home. It’s now being looked after by Sue and me. We keep it in the hedgehog box that last week was Maddy’s residence. I gauge that it’s only a week or two away from being able to fly, so this guest is temporary.

To escape the sweltering heat, I retreated to my study, the one room in the house that could be described as refreshingly cool without raising false hopes. Armed with a glass of water and grim determination, I set about catching up on paperwork.

First task: reclaiming some tax that the Inland Revenue had overcharged me. Nothing screams “fun in the sun” quite like filling in online forms for money that was mine in the first place. Next came a strongly-worded (yet impeccably polite) complaint to my pension provider, enquiring why they had shaved £13 a month off my monthly payments. Presumably, they thought I wouldn’t notice, which is both insulting and wildly optimistic.

I then turned my attention to energy bills. EON’s forecast for the next 12 months was so outrageous that I half expected them to include a complimentary defibrillator. Using the Citizens Advice website, I compared providers and was confronted with page after page of alternatives. Who knew there were so many people eager to sell me electricity? To my surprise, every single one was cheaper than EON. I eventually chose the lowest-priced option, saving over £260 a year. Their Trustpilot reviews were reassuringly positive, though I’ll reserve judgement until the first bill lands.

Finally, I hunted down a cheaper car insurance quote for Sue. This involved clicking through enough “special offers” and “limited-time deals” to last me several lifetimes, but I emerged victorious.

Amazingly, I managed to keep my cool throughout, quite an achievement given both the temperature and the subject matter. Still, I can’t help but hanker after the old days, when life didn’t involve endlessly shopping around while companies dreamt up ever more creative ways of extracting a few extra pounds. I genuinely pity those who aren’t computer-savvy; the modern world must feel like one giant cash-grab with no exit door.

Lee, Sarah, and Mia have been improving their sailing skills over the weekends. They’ve felt confident enough to take to the water without their Admiral, the only challenge being the heat of the sun, as there has been very little wind for several months now.