The forecast hasn't changed since the screenshot above, and it is indeed bright and sunny now.....although the sun does seem a bit hazy every now and then. The latest revision to the forecast shows that the temperature will be an almost constant 8° C all day long. It is possible that 1pm may see 9° C according to the latest revision, and another small, but good change is that 5pm is now shown as having sunny spells. Tomorrow may see a mix of sunshine and sunny spells for the morning, and early afternoon, but rain could start from about 4pm. The best thing is that the temperature should rise to 12° C by midday. That could feel good in the sunshine if the wind isn't too strong.

   Yesterday was a mixed sort of day. I was still feeling tired in the morning, and I wasn't very dynamic. In fact I had a pre-lunchtime snooze. It must have been midday before I had a shower, and then I started to prepare the stuff for an afternoon beer tasting session.

  I think I had already washed the beer glasses, but I still had a few things to wash up in the kitchen, and I wanted to start cooking my dinner before I got too pissed. It was while cleaning up that I noticed what I think were new mouse droppings in one corner of the kitchen work surface. There was also evidence that a mouse had been raiding my waste food container (an old salad bowl).

   I thought it would be hard for a mouse to climb up the smooth plastic sides of that waste food bowl, but then I realised it was only a very small hop from the top of a small plastic box, ironically with a baited mousetrap inside it, onto the waste food bowl. I have now thrown away that now quite badly stained bowl, and substituted a plastic container with a lid. With luck the mouse will have to turn to the mousetraps, baited with mixed nuts, to get a snack now.

  Once I had cleaned up the mouse droppings, and cleaned the surfaces with disinfectant, I started my dinner cooking. As I think I mentioned yesterday, it was to be a beef and bean sprout stew. I gave the beef, plus stock and some sliced chillies, several 10 minute blasts in the microwave during the day, but initially I blasted it for 20 minutes. I added the bean sprouts before the final 10 minutes in the microwave.

  I have to say that the cold in the kitchen did not seem to affect me like it did before I was pumped full of drugs at the hospital, and after 2 days of taking the new anticoagulant/blood thinner drugs I was prescribed. It seemed to be no problem to stay in the kitchen while I toasted some bread to make some chicken salami sandwiches. That chicken salami has quite a delicate taste, and it was difficult to taste it through the very well toasted (almost black) toast.

  I should have shown this picture higher up the page, but there didn't seem to be an appropriate place for it. It shows some nasty looking bruising on my left shoulder. In fact it seems to be completely painless, and I only noticed it while brushing my teeth yesterday morning. My best guess is that it is where there I had accumulated a collection of self adhesive ECG monitor electrodes. It seems every machine has it's own special electrodes, and because I was monitored by at least 3 different machines during my stay in Hospital, I had three sets of electrodes in this area.

  Some of those electrodes are very tenacious, and some fall off quite easily. I know that near my waist one came unstuck, and the restuck itself to the inside of my hospital gown. My theory was that at least one of the electrodes on my shoulder had become stuck on the inside of my gown, and with all the thrashing around I did, trying to get to sleep, I managed to mash my shoulder onto those electrodes. It seems odd that I didn't notice any pain, but the blood thinners I was given in hospital make bruising really easy. The bruises are now getting yellow and purple patches around them, and will fade sooner or later. Even now the area is still completely pain free even when poked !

  Jodie was first to arrive to the beer tasting session. two of the beers she picked to open first were undrinkable to my palate. They were extremely tart, extremely cloudy, but did have an underlying fruit tasty that could have been nice if it wasn't dissolved in battery acid. I had to check my teeth were still there after having a very small, maybe two mouthfuls, taste of them. The ironic thing is that at least one of them I had bought myself, although I did buy it knowing Jodie would like it.

  Next to arrive was Alan, Jodie's boyfriend. He is being forced to like some of Jodie's fruit sours, but I did notice him wince on the first mouthful of one of the "beers". After guessing his coat size I offered him the leather jacket I bought that was supposed to be a 5XL, but was more like a single L He tried it on, and it seemed to fit, but he said he already had about 5 or 7 other leather jackets, and didn't really need another.

  Later on, leaving it almost late enough for the parking wardens to finish their rounds, Mark arrived. Once 7pm arrived, which was very late for one of our usual beer sessions to go on to, Mark could relax and enjoy an alcohol free beer. I was not sure it would fit him, but he tried on the leather jacket, and it fit him perfectly. He is now the proud owner of it. It made a very happy ending of the beer session.

  One of the interesting things was that contrary to what the warning message in my latest pills said, a warning about boozing while taking the drug, I didn't seem to get any specific affects from it. If there was any effect it was that I felt less drunk, and less wobbly than some ends of Thursday sessions. I can't say I can remember all that much about last night, but there was little to remember. I had my dinner, as described further up the page, and I have to say it was delicious, and it was probably no more than an hour that passed before I was in bed.

  I read for a little, but I was soon fast asleep. I think I barely slept for two hours before I woke up again, and I didn't feel good. It is hard to say how I didn't feel well because it was rather vague. The last time something like it happened I had a stomach upset. Now I will admit I was doing some very ripe smelling farts, but an attempt or two to do more while sitting on the toilet came to nothing.

  I think the more bothersome thing was that my bedroom had reached that critical temperature where I was almost sweating with the duvet over me, and almost shivering without it. The temperature outside had fallen to about 5° C, and it seemed that it took half the night to get the temperature in my bedroom high enough to discard the duvet - which ultimately I never did completely.

  I doubt if I ever slept for more than 2 hours in any part of my sleep, although I did seem to get lots of two hour sessions in, and I got up fairly late because it was easy to get back to sleep again most times. When I finally got up I felt better than recently, although I don't think I could bring myself to say I felt "good". On the other hand, I did spend 10 minutes or more in the freezing kitchen, getting my breakfast together, without being affected by the cold in that short time.

  The idea that I might have need to have a poo in the night was not that far fetched. There was zero urgency about it, but once I was sitting on the toilet....WHOOSH !!! It was all over in moments, and I did seem to feel a bit better for it. I definitely did not feel good after checking my blood glucose level this morning. It was another set of high, and similar readings on all three meters.

  The Contour meter read 9.7mmol/l. The GlucoRX meter read 9.4mmol/l, and the Sinocare meter read 10.2mmol/l. These are outrageously high, but I feel sure it is a temporary thing brought about by some of the drugs I was given in hospital. I can't seem to find any records I made in 2019 that covered the week I was in hospital, and some weeks afterwards, but I know I was getting readings high enough to get a referral to the Hospital's diabetic nurse.

  By the time of my appointment, in January 2020, if I recall properly, I had a solid two months of really low readings, and I was discharged from the nurses care the same day. This time I kept my eating to the barest minimum I could stand, and I only got maybe one reading over 10.0mmol/l, the red line, although most were still a bit high. This time round I have inferred that the drugs seem to have set the "thermostat" to a higher amount, rather than destroyed my ability to make and use insulin. The last three morning readings have all been very similar, and so it seems I do still have control. I look forward when the readings start to drop again like they did in 2019.

  My original idea was that I would be taking advantage of this sunny day to get a little bit of light walking exercise in, but I don't think it is going to happen now. For one thing it is getting very late in the morning already - partly because of a late start writing, and partly because it seems I had a lot to stay (1862 words today). I have other important stuff to do, and I am not sure I can fit in everything I would like to do. Top of the list must be a shopping trip to Tesco (or possibly Aldi). I also have a growing pile of laundry to do - possibly as much as two loads now. I really must make a start on that. maybe I might fit in a short walk, but not the walk I was hoping for.
     







1862 words today