Bren

Life may be a bowl of cherries, as the saying goes, but it seems I always stand in the line of fire when someone spits out the pips. I was wandering about today looking to buy a pair of shoes because this dammed CHF thing has caused edema, especially on my left foot, and until the diuretic tablet does it's job and reduces the effect I now have a size 9 and a size 10 and a bit. To start with my feet were different inasmuch…

The fateful day arrived when I was told I had to stop work. I was seeing my specialist cardio nurse Kirsty last week and during a discussion about changes to some of the medication she went to seek advice from the registrar (not the one treating me). Because of the next staged increase of some of them he also said I should not be driving anymore, until after surgery (I hope). So armed with the sad news I made an appointment…

(Sunday) It's been so long since I have been a regular visitor to mac, and the reasons for stopping now seem immaterial. Get yourself in there and see your friends I keep telling myself. After a shuffle around I see so much has happened and I have missed such a lot of good and (sadly) bad news. So to lead me into it steadily I will bring things up to date, quite timely because my next 6 monthly visit to my friendly…

A truly sad event prompted me into logging in to mac. Alan and I met a few times, along with Reneesha for pub meals and enjoyed a couple of nice afternoons solving the problems of the world and pondering on the choices between ice cream or apple pie. A close neighbour of mine lost her husband after a marriage of about 50 years and I still remember her comment to me about him - "He was a good man" so simple and eloquent…

So they have (at last) decided what is wrong with me, I went to play my my leading part in the next episode of 20,000 leagues inside Bren and the camera found I have a stomach hernia.  I was still going through a very bad period of having a very bloated and painful stomach and the weekend was a testing time. In desperation I managed to get a "released on the day appointment" to see a doctor at the surgery on my way for…